That's What Friends Are For

For more than four times of adversity, they can handle your winter. Just as well as they can handle your summer because they're not.

They are based on the weather that I bear based on the season off. What the Bible says past time commitment for you in good times and bad times I'll be on your side forever more. That's what friends are for. Hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor at destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. Those words come from a popular song from the 1980s. That's what friends are for the same title as today's message by Pastor Paul Shepherd. What does godly friendship look like. Who should we allow into our inner circle. How can we be good friends to others what answers come your way. Next, so say right here or visit Pastor Paul.net to listen on demand. You can also listen to or subscribe to the Destin for victory podcast is modified at Apple podcast or whatever you get. Right now, here's Pastor Paul.

Today's Destin for victory message. That's what friends are for. Just looking at some old school wisdom that is still very much needed. Today Jeremiah chapter 6, verse 16 says stand at the crossroads and look ask for the ancient paths asked where the good way is, and walk in it. This series we are looking at some old school wisdom some ancient truth that is still very much needed. Today and in the last message in this series we discussed old school wisdom regarding money and we looked at some simple yet very important biblical directives where our money is concerned, and I promise you if you will take to heart those principles, God will revolutionize your financial life just by obeying his word. We're going to see God bless many of us in a special and supernatural way now as we continue focusing on old school wisdom about some key areas of our lives. I want to talk today about friendship, friendship, the Bible has a lot to say to help us in the area of cultivating proper godly friendships and when I talk about friendship during the service.

I want you to understand that I'm not just talking about people outside of your family. But I'm talking about marriages I'm talking about dealings with relatives. I'm told about anybody who's going to be in your inner circle. I want you to know that some of them are designed to really play a role of friendship in your life not everybody who's in your inner circle. Some people are there because you work with them or that sort of thing, but many of the people behind it.

You're the friendships that you develop outside of your family. Even many people in your family. There are to be the same components that the Bible uses to describe friendship married people ought to be friends with each other. In fact, one of the words translated love in our English Bibles has to do with the concept of fellatio which means brotherly love or kindness. And believe it or not married people ought to have a brotherly kind of affection for one another. The closeness that friends have that brotherhood should bring into our lives should even characterize marriages, so my point is, as we look at this. Please don't think just about the people that you have designated as friends to this point in your life, but I wanted to expand that area and let it apply to some of your relatives and some of the other people in your life is what I want to do.

I simply want to look at what the Bible calls a friend because many of us have a wrong definition for friends and you will not get where God wants you to go in your life if you don't put people in their place. And when I say put people in their place. I mean, if somebody is a friend. Don't put them in the friendship category because it will curse your life if you try to make a friend out of a fan or a friend out of somebody who is really jealous of you and me only close to you because they're looking for ammo you have to be careful to call friend only the people who truly meet the biblical definition and this is also going be beneficial to some buses need to develop some better friendships because a lot of y'all have a bunch of acquaintances in your calling friends in the really not just because you know about this because he got all the names in your contact list.

Just because you have on people's email address, don't you think you have all been friends when I get through with this definition from the word you will realize all bodies will need to go into a different category is important to distinguish them so that when you find the people who are truly friends or those who you're going to cultivate a friendship with you will be able to maximize why God has them in your life. So here's what I want to do what I want to take the word friend and I want to use each letter to stand for a two word phrase so let's start with F BF I want to suggest the Bible says if someone is a friend. They will have full time commitment full time commitment.

Write that down BF stands for full time commitment. This is how identified genuine friends or if you hope to be establishing a friendship with someone that you know now, but you wanted to go to a deeper level. Here are the ingredients. Here's what you need to see take place. Go to Proverbs 17 and 17. Proverbs 17 and 17 many of you are familiar with this verse but take a fresh look at it. The Bible says, here are friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

A friend loves at all time full time commitment. The Bible says if a person is your friend or wrist to become your friend. One of the signs. One of the qualifications will have to be that they are committed to you all the time so right away. Some of you just got a revelation from the word of God is the first time in your life that you realize you have no business having the phrase fair weather friend in your vocabulary, because according to the Bible. If someone needs Fairweather to hang out which you they are not a friend because a friend cannot only handle your summer seasons your money seasons, your prosperity seasons. Your high seasons nor what a beautiful day, seasons off when is born four times of adversity, they can handle your winter. Just as well as they can handle your summer because they're not fair based on the weather and I bear based on the season. Because you always in a good place to hang out with you is I have a whole lot of fun off land. The Bible says has time commitment to you.

The people in your life right now and find out have been there through thick and thin, and if they showed up in and disappear them. Then the Bible said that's not a friend, but they said they said off land doesn't talk a friend. Love at all times. One of the things that I've learned in recent years.

Is there a whole lot of people who have sent me messages to other folks that I haven't seen in years that I used to see all the time and now I'm seen him in years, and every now and then somebody of theirs will come to me. Is it all by the way so-and-so told me to tell you that he loves you. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that in the past several years. I bless all y'all doesn't send a message through somebody else old tell him I love him all friend shows me they love me by contacting me directly and check in on me and find out what's going on in my life and encouraging me or or doing something to help me or what ever the case might be all you have is somebody's word that they love you. Trust me when I tell you that's not a friend.

I'm pretty good already and just on the first point already going to be throwing money is good.

The next the second half of today's destined for victory message with pastor Paul Sheppard. We want to take a moment to thank all of you whose prayers and financial support pastor Paul share the gospel all over the world. Your donations do make a difference.

So as God leads prayerfully consider making a generous gift to Destin for victory today. You can give securely online@pastorpaul.net that's pastor Paul.net or call us at 855-339-5500 855-339-5500 in song of Solomon 516 King Solomon says of his wife. This is my beloved and this is my friend.

Let's talk about friendship within the marriage relationship as we continue today's message. That's what friends are for. Once again is pastor Paul at all times, and a brother is born for adversity married love each other at all times build a friendship by committing that I'm going to be full-time committed to you. Even the times when you are on my ass nerve.

I'm still going be your friend and how many know does not obey times when your spouse is on that last nerve bed nerve that hang in there and thereby and may come along and say, people drop out now from the perpetrator for a megabyte around you think your marriage is so perfect they tap dance it on your the Bible says that you are still there friend love them through it. That helps you understand that love doesn't have to have a certain feeling to operate. You love somebody while you're disgusted with him, you love somebody while you really wish they'd be in some other part of the house or some other part of the world.

Somebody love is not feeling feelings are features. Love is the foundation features common goal foundation stay. Love is the foundation so fumaric have Leo friend, brotherhood, goodwill toward your spouse. Do you treat other people better than you treat your spouse as of this is you have relatives you have people in your extended family and they get on your nerves sometimes doesn't mean you have the right to treat many will turn away glorify God by loving them full-time and so full time commitment is a requirement is a feature is an attribute, according to the Scriptures of friendship full-time commitment. Let's go to the RR stands for redemptive rebuke redemptive review stay in Proverbs and go to chapter 27 verses five and six redemptive rebuke is what verse five says better is open rebuke, then hit him love verse six is for my friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses on is a lot better in those two verses. First of all you need to understand that not everybody who rebukes you is an enemy, because verse five tells us that all open rebuke is better than hidden love. If someone is your friend, then they will have to have the authorization from you to review you when that will help you. You gotta give people that permission.

And of course if you're developing a relationship with someone and you assume it's mood and direction of friendship not going the silly way to get the permission you just go jump in and show them this is the kind of friend I am when you're wrong. I'm going to help you see your wall and I'm going to rebuke you forward.

Why, because if I'm your friend and your wall.

My job is to make sure you never get comfortable being wrong you have these fans will never experience rebuke from them because don't take you to task fans only hold you up in a place they really shouldn't have you and they refused to do the work that will really make you a better person but your friends are not so enamored with you that they will let you go to hell without them fighting hard to keep you out of there. So our friends job is to say, I see what you're doing.

I see how you got your attitude. I've heard your words or whatever it is and you are wall and you need to repent and you need to get your act together and you need an attitude adjustment and don't make me hurt you off friend has to suck you by making sure that when you need to know what hard truth, they serve it to you see all fashion parents used to say things like, if I don't get you. Now the cops are going to get you later number that some you old folks who read by those old values, jacked you up in this house so you don't get jacked up in the jailhouse parenting.

I gotta do whatever it takes to teach you how to be a decent citizen son keep you out of jail so I can keep you from developing a lifestyle that will take you in all the wrong places, and a friend has to have that kind of mentality. If you need to re-rebuke.

That's my job. So you won't.

You cannot let your faction for a person keep you from serving their best interest.

You can have great affection for them. But if they were all they just wrong. And God knows they're wrong and when you see their wrong it's your job to rebuke them, and so you have friends understand that when they do their wounding you.

It sounds like a paradox, but their wounding you to heal you there wounding you to hear you. Can you picture what I mean by that is, think of what a physician does. If you have to go under the knife if you have to go into surgery. You are about to get. Now you insert when some I say they don't shoot certain neighborhoods you think about Dr. summarizer said again, I'm a catcher that's not good news about a stabbing about wounding you to her to but a physician to take you.

The cut is still like us that would hurt accept the position hopefully uses Anastasia as were they supposed to do all right. And at that point. The idea is that going to try to make this as painless as possible for you, but you experience pain either doing a procedure after a procedure they still wanted intending to inflict pain. Their purpose is to heal because when I cut. They then go when and address a problem that needs to be addressed. If you're going to live a healthy life.

So all cutters in the same category and Proverbs 27 six says when off-line and a real friend. You can trust that trust that when you cut me with your words when you cut me with your rebuke when you frown when you shake your finger in my face, and your love for that's for my good and no need to be confident attitude and flowing your way would ask that could get you possibly all have done. You probably thrown away.

People that God himself. Send them to your life to bless you what you got so mad and attitudinal that you have now dropped all somebody that you need to go back after this message and we cannot wait and repent for your stubbornness and your selfishness and your conceit because that's what made you drop them off because you will make you feel wonderful about yourself all the time but you not go final scripture anywhere in the Bible that says a friend makes you feel wonderful at all time. Not in their at times. The best thing I can do for you is to rebuke you at times. The best thing I can do for you is to bring you to tears as best I can do if I'm your friend if you know right I sleep well at night because I know I did in your best interest and I leave you with the following redemptive review that means rebuke that is meant to do. You good enough good friends can help you mature emotionally and spiritually. They teach about forgiveness. They love you no matter what endospore you want in your Christian faith.

Even when you're not quite feeling up to it. You know we all go through times we don't feel like doing the things we should or times we do feel like doing the things we shouldn't pester Paul Shepherd wants to be a good friend to you today by sending you a booklet based on his message junk removal for the soul will have a few habits from her old life that we need to set aside so that we can embrace the newness of who we are in Christ, Pastor Paul offer some practical biblical advice about doing just that in this booklet or thank you gift this month my request is you give generously to Destin for victory. Simply call us at 855-339-5500 or visit pester Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online and you can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 once again Destin for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 you got a friend when they can encourage you, even if it cost to get excited about your job even when they lost their all somebody big excited about your house, even though they have got foreclosed on. That's next time it pester Paul Shepherd's message. That's what friends are for. But until then, enjoy your weekend and remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory