Friends | Part 1

How can we know the spiritual condition of her children listen to Adrian Rogers I'm telling you, you can tell the spiritual state of your children by watching the Fran listen to the conversation. See other dress and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know there's something wrong with some kids by just listening to the conversation. Watching the way they dress and paying attention to the music they listen but I'm telling you, you find the kids that your kids are hanging around with and you will know something of the spiritual condition of your kids to find pastor, teacher and author Adrian Rogers said greatest joy of your life the greatest friends. This is especially true for our children and teenagers are more affected by friends than almost anyone else. The wrong kind of friend is the greatest danger good teenager possibly have because ultimately we become like our friends.

If you have your Bible turn to Proverbs chapter 17 verse 17 is Adrian Rogers explains the blessing the curse and the ultimate importance of our friends. Take your Bibles and turn Proverbs 17 verse 17 now teenagers are more affected by friends than almost anything else more affected by friends sometimes in Paris and pastor put together.

Teenagers want friends and the deepest need of all of us, whether we're young, our old is for in during friendship. The deepest longing of a human heart is for friend somebody who loves us somebody that we can share with somebody that we can commune with who truly understands our deepest needs. Our highest aspirations and our worst fears wonderful to have a friend a true friend is a great treasure, but the wrong kind of friend is the greatest danger that a teenager can possibly have. Especially the younger teenagers but all teenagers for that matter now.

Proverbs 17 verse 17 a friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity now basically there are two categories of friends. There are what I want to call casual friend that we minister to.

Now these are not the kind of friends. I'm talking about when I say a friend can either help you or hurt you tremendously. We all have casual friends.

As a matter fact we teach our people to make casual friend. We teach making friends forever and we scold you if you don't have acquaintances in the world of fiancé so many times we say were going to have revival meeting invite your unsaved friends and our people say well I'm a Christian.

I don't have any unsaved friends. Well don't brag Roman. Don't brag all that you need to make acquaintances with the unsaved, the Lord Jesus did. As a matter fact, that's one of the reasons they crucified the Lord Jesus in Luke chapter 7 in verse 34 says this Son of Man is come eating and drinking and he say this, what they set up in a gluttonous man and a wind River friend of publicans and sinners. They crucified Jesus for being a friend of sinners. Very frankly, I'm so glad that he was and is, because without him being a friend of sinners. This poor soul been eternally lost and so would you.

And so that certain casual friends that we are to have you don't put the salt in one barrel and put the fish in another. We are the salt of the we are separate from sin, but not the center, and so we can back ourselves the people in order to bring them to Christ, give her some scriptures and I want to listen the Scriptures because I'm talking here about what I would call casual friend. Here's what the apostle Paul said in first Corinthians 9 versus 2023.

He said no to the Jews. I became as a Jew, but I might gain the Jews to them that are under the law as under the law, but I might gain them that are under the law to them that are without law.

That is, to the Gentiles. Those who don't have the Old Testament as without law not being that law to God, but under the law of Christ that I might gain them that are without law to the week became eyes week that I might gain the week I made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel sake that I might be partaker thereof with you now. The apostle Paul said I know how to accommodate myself to unsafe people. I know how to go out there and not make them angry. I know how to accommodate without compromising my convictions.

This does not mean and I will say this very clearly and I was especially the teenagers. This does not mean why are you making friends forever.

And while you have casual friends. It does not mean that those casual friends are to become intimate friend. It does not mean that you are to have fellowship with them that they are to become your companions. Let me give you some other script only to be the other side of this now. Second Corinthians chapter 6, beginning in verse 14, and be not equally yoked together with unbelievers.

For a lot of fellowship metalwork fellowship beer means coin in the intimacy, what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness and then he says in verse 18 are verse 17 wherefore come out from among them and be separate. Set the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you and will be a father and be you and you shall be my sons and daughters not here.

He's talking to different category. He says you are not to have fellowship and communion with him on save people if you do, you're going to be headed for serious serious trouble.

You cannot have communion and fellowship with unsafe people.

Casual friends. Yes, making friends for Jesus. Yes accommodation without compromise.

Yes, having people acquaintances that you can invite the church. Yes, showing love and friendship. Yes, but communion, fellowship, intimacy with these kind of people absolutely not learned that there are the casual friends that we witness to and then there are the intimate friends that we fellowship with, and parents. You better see who your children's intimate friends are because they are going to be made are broken by their companions. Proverbs 13 verse 20 says this he that walk us with wise men shall be wives but a companion.

Listen to the word now. A companion of fools shall be destroyed. A companion is not talking about making friends forever. He's not talking about casual appointments.

He is talking about going to Neil fellowship Concorde companionship and God says that if you have ungodly people for your companions, you're going to be destroyed. One of the saddest stories in the Bible is found in second Samuel 13 and I want to read it to you. I'm almost embarrassed to read the story but I'm going to read it to you anyway. It's a story that took place in the Old Testament with the children of King David. Second Samuel 13 verse one and it came to pass after this that Absalom, the son of David, had a fair sister whose name was Taymor, not Taymor was a good looking girl. She was beautiful and the Bible says that she was fair. You get the idea that she was lovely, gracious, beautiful, charming, vivacious, and Ammon, the son of David, loved her that this was his half-sister. When the Bible says that he loved her, does not mean he loved her with godly love, as we see he was lusting after her and Ammon was so vexed that he fell sick for his sister Taymor. That is, he is eaten up with loss, for she was a virgin and Ammon thought it hard for him to do anything to her.

What he wanted to do was to violate her virginity's own half-sister, but he did know how to do it but notice verse three, but Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonah – don't forget that phrase and had a friend whose name was Jonah Babb, the son of Shamil, David's brother, and Jonah Babb was a very subtle man. Now what happened and now is terrible.

This so-called friend made a devilish suggestion.

He said Ammon. If you would like to have an illicit relationship with you half-sister. Let me tell you what to do. Pretend that you're sick. Shutting in your room, ask your father David to have your sister Taymor to bring some food into your room for you and when the two of you are in there by yourselves you can do what you want to do to her just play sick. This is what happened and so there he he sacrificed her purity upon the altar of his last and did a terrible horrible thing does half-sister and his second Samuel chapter 13 verses 12 through 15. She's trying to keep them from doing this and she answered him. They my brother do not force me for no such thing ought to be done in Israel do not bow this fall and whether shall I cause my shame to go and as for the bouncer. Lee is one of the fools in Israel.

Now therefore I pray the speak of the king, for he will not withhold me from the Albion he would not hearken unto her voice being stronger than she forced her and lay with her then. Bible says he hated her exceedingly after he got what he wanted. He did not want what he got in the Bible tells us that from there on that her life was ruined this moment beautiful having her virginity taken from never got married. Never had a husband never had children. She is emotionally scarred all of her life.

Now when Ammon's brother, Absalom found out what Ammon had done to Taymor.

Absalom murdered Ammon.

Ammon is dead and now because Absalom has murdered Ammon. David is now trying to track Absalom down. Absalom gets his hair caught in the know. I don't go at all the details but Absalom is run through three times with spears the whole tragic, dirty, sordid mess you want to know how it began. Ammon had a friend Ammon had a friend I would tell you something you are going to be like your friends you already like them are. You will soon be like them. If you see a kid smoking dope you see a teenager with needle marks up and down his arm you seem with a sucking chest and hollow eyes. Can you ask yourself how did you get to smoking dope padding to get the snorting cocaine. How did you get to using crack, how did you do this, there's a lot I had a friend I had a friend you see a teenager who whose body is mangled in an automobile wreck and then broken liquor bottles or beer cans are in that automobile, and he's been out riding around endangering his life endangering lives of others.

Yes, I teenager. Where did you began to use alcohol, how did it happen while I was over at a friend's house. Their parents were gone I was at a friends house. We opened the refrigerator and there was some beer in the refrigerator. I had a friend that's how I got started. Yes, kids. Where did you first begin to smoke cigarettes hardly own one of them ever began smoking a cigarette by himself. He had a friend who said try this smoke.

This the Bible says a companion of fools will be destroyed. Ask how do kids get hooked on pornography. How are they at somebody's house watching R-rated and X-rated videos.

How are these kids on the Internet looking at pornography on the Internet understood not by themselves.

They have a friend some friend but gets them on this thing I want to you parents you can evaluate the spiritual condition of your children by their friends is an amazing thing. I've been passed along enough to know that kids have a radar in them.

If there are kids that don't want to serve God.

They will find some other kid just like him. They'll find themselves like tonight and maybe two or 3000 people here but those kids will find one another like a magnet and out to that godly kids will find one another.

There's something about it. They just are attracted to one another. They are drawn to one another.

Now you parents. I'm telling you, you can tell the spiritual state of your children by watching the friends some of you don't even know what their friends like listen to the conversation. See how their dress. See the got safety pins put the whole see if they got some weird outlandish hairdo and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know there's something wrong with some kids by just listening to the conversation.

Watching the way they dress and paying attention to the music they listen to you.you don't have to be all that really but I'm telling you, you find the kids that your kids are hanging around with and you will know something of the spiritual condition of your kids about parents listen to me I will stop talking. The kids were moment.

There are three kinds of young people that are simple there scorners and their foods you find these in and Proverbs chapter 1 verses 20 through 22. The Bible says wisdom cries without she utters her voice in the streets she cries within the chief place of the concourse and the opening of the gates in the city she wisdom out of her word saying how long you simple ones, will you love simplicity and the scorners delight in this morning and fools hate knowledge, there they are simple ones. Scorners and foods. Every teenager in the world is made up of one of those categories, either a simple scorner or fool, and I'm telling you that if your children have a scorner are full for friend you are in for terrible, horrible time.

Now what what we mean by the word simple. That does not mean it if your child is simple. Let as many stupid the matter fact he may grow up to be a rocket scientist to make Brooke to be a surgeon. He may grow up to be a lawyer may grow be president. What we mean by simple word just simply means open now are verse in verse 22 says, the simple one loves simplicity that is he loves what all teenagers love and that is the easy way he wants to go through life without any restraint. He wants to go through life without any discipline. He loves his simplicity but he lacks understanding.

Proverbs 9 verses one through four. Wisdom has built her house. She if you know her seven pillars she had killed her beast.

She had mangled her wine. She has furnished her table. She has set forth her maidens.

She cries upon the highest places of the city Ellison wisdom says Rousseau is simple. Let him turn and Heather and as for him that wanted understanding.

She said to him about a simple child simple teenager does not have understanding.

This is true, all teenagers before they get understanding me there born this way. They love simplicity. They don't have understanding. They just don't understand. And when you say honey I don't trust you to do that. It doesn't mean that you don't trust the character you don't trust their judgment. You don't trust their understanding now a simple person is easily led and the sin and error. Proverbs 14 verse 15 the simple believe with every word.

This is a reason that they are a piece of cake for Madison Avenue.

The simple believe every word he's just open his mind is like plastic and if he doesn't get a lock on the truth. If the sample doesn't believe God's word. He's going to believe anything, it may be Madison Avenue may be false religion.

It may be simple friends. The simple is is living in danger all of you have teenagers, I'm telling everyone of them by nature is something they love simplicity, they lack understanding. They are easily leading to sin and error, and they are living in great danger. So many of you don't understand the danger that your teenagers and because the simple Proverbs 22 and verse three a prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and there punished the sample just pass on. They don't understand simple minded teenagers not on the stupid teenagers on talk about simple teenagers think that they are indestructible. You boys and girls listen if you get in the car and you find out that the owner that car on the driver that car has been drinking will make a big fuss about just say would you pull over here minute I need to go on this drugstore or I need to go on this gasoline station get out of that car go and let gasoline station and call your mom call your dad and say, would you please come get me.

They don't have enough between the ears when a drinking. Be careful. The simple pass on and there punished. They don't understand they think they're indestructible to boys were trying to take a girl out. Her father came to the door and said you boys get off my property. He looked him up and down he knew what they were like. He said the daughter was 15, my daughter is not going out with you tonight, tomorrow night or forever. She's not going out with you so get all of my property. They were so angry they got in the car didn't really doughnut through gravel up against the man's house sped down the road.

Then they got angry again and they came back came and parked in front of that house rolled down the window and began to curse that man use violence entities and shall add then drove off again came back again and again to curse and swear at and calling every ungodly lascivious thing that they could think of violence guilty name they did that three times.

Then they were going downtown and they saw a boy one of their friends just walking down the street and said hey get in the car with us and I don't mind just jumped in the car they said were you going. They said we show you where were going and I went back to that man's house again to vilify him and the cursing and essay were still believe that not he was standing out there behind an evergreen with a loaded gun is that car sped off one more time he shot through the rear window and yes it was hit that bullet when in his back toward gaping hole out of the heart of that boy just simply walking down the street and got in that car with these people and I don't know what kind of effort that they put on his gravestone but is what they might of said gear lies GM a good boy.

He went to live, but he had to bring just had some friends now these are simple.

I'm telling you it doesn't mean that young people are not smart not mean they don't have character. I am just telling you that they don't understand until they get wisdom from God and kids you need understand now. I love you I'm not putting it out, but there's the simple and coming up on Monday will hear the second half of this message.

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