Our Greatest Friend - Matthew 11:19 - The Heart of Jesus

You guys may already know this, but Americans absolutely have a friendship problem. University of Kansas professor says it like this. He says types. It takes 200 hours over at least six weeks okay more than six weeks to create a friendship. Here's the problem we already know what's coming. Most Americans spend about 41 minutes a day socializing and that is when out no compare. That's how much Netflix gets watch okay 41 minutes a day socializing most of that happens with people that we already know. Okay so we have a friendship problem. Actually, some people have said that our 30s that dedicated her life is the decade that friendships go to die. Okay, as the scorecard of life is increasingly characterized by a career success and it's characterized by family success and educational success in everything other than a thriving social and friendship circle every single year of our life. It gets a little bit harder and a little bit harder notes so members yield a lot of Arco students are are gone already for the summer, hit her home and you guys to misaligned for them there like that was the problem.

Okay, limited my problem I'm 20 is some of those in high school. Whatever. What are some pressures that come from living through that area of your life and maybe not realizing the friendships that you quote unquote should. But even if that's where you are as you get older. What is the strategy that we have for combating loneliness. You guys have got to understand today. I bet you do. It is not only introverts that deal with loneliness right there there every year as we increase. It gets harder and harder and harder to find relationships, adding one person like this was kind of funny to me this is the greatest miracle Jesus ever did in his life was to have 12 good friends in his 30s okay maybe that's not literally true art, but it is kind of interesting is that we all understand as we get older this is a problem and the Scripture says a lot about about friendships and a lot about relationships. But what I want to talk to you about today is about the greatest friend that we need and the greatest friend that will ever have your macabre scriptural toothache don't turn with me to Matthew chapter 11 right. We are to talk about the most shocking title that Jesus ever took upon himself right and that is that Jesus said can you believe this, Jesus said he was a friend of sinners want to talk to you guys this weekend about the greatest friend that will ever have been a friend will never leave us a friend in Osiris, a friend that loves us a friend that wants to have a coffee meeting with you for the rest your life every single morning. Okay a friend that will be the first one there and the last to leave in the hardest darkest seasons of your life. Jesus Christ has come and said I want to be your friend is the big idea this week and can you believe this. Can you imagine the heart of Jesus ready that Jesus desires to be our friend. We understand that God as father do we understand Jesus as friend I think many of us who grew up in church, my understand why did they Jesus is King Nono not just king but Jesus also wants to be your companion was was a friend. Here's a quick definition of friend friend mean someone who wants to associate with you and has affection for you can imagine that we think about Jesus yes sure he save me, but some of us still have it in our mind that Jesus Christ came reluctantly on a mission he didn't really want to come on the same people who is secretly annoyed by bubble what what what is the Bible say today.

Jesus is a friend of he wants your Association, and he is affectionate over you. It's a radical picture of Jesus that comes from a radical part of the Bible in Matthew chapter 11 let's diving together were to spend most of our times breaking this down but I do have, three applications at the M3 rocks will try to pull out to make sure that that we get some stuff from practical to my help us with our daily life and friendship and all that, stuff ready recoat Matthew chapter 11 starting in verse 16. But to what shall I compare this generation is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates. We played the flute for you but you didn't dance. We sang a dirge and you did not mourn for John came neither eating or drinking, and they say he has a demon, the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.

All I want to preach on this passage for a while.

His of icing a little excited by I want to preach on this encounters guilt. I want to get into this idea friend of sinners, but to get there. We fully have to understand these three verses enemies.

We got a realtors work to break them down. Okay, so… How to walk through this and make sure that we understand, Jesus is getting into your no.

The first thing he says is this to what shall I compare this generation and then he says it's like children sitting in the marketplace. I want to teach you something about reading the Bible extremely quickly here y'all Jesus is filled with illustrative material.

Okay, that that he has is a master teacher. I've seen mature Christians sometimes critique preachers like they wanted to so many illustrations.

One answer, because Jesus did okay when I try to be more spiritual than Jesus what is Jesus doing try to make sure we understand if you haven't read a lot of the Bible much understand Jesus is wanting you to understand and one of the ways that he get you to understand you know the author, storyteller, secret Gallo.

He says like this and try to get things to stick. He says illustrations are simply talking about things that you don't understand by using images of things that you do understand. Okay that's all Jesus doing her now beautiful thing for us. Mercy Hill is the imagery. The illustration here is all about kids and this is something they should be right in our wheelhouse.

In every single campus every single Sunday morning all you see is just the minivans is line and upcoming in okay and ask is the age of our church and the kids know that we thought some of the PMOS and cooked in an original have just gone straight 15 passenger van arrived and are bringing the kids in Odessa Pres. but when they named it the struggle bus okay so you but but it's kicked the kid thing here. We are kids we coming up. I mentioned this last week, more kids than ever last three weeks. This is a beautiful illustration for us because it should be sort of right in our wheelhouse. So let's get into what is Jesus a piece is okay, how do I compare this generation. I compare them to budget kids do you want by the marketplace and airplane again. Now you guys are seeing kids play games they say let's play dress-up or let's play school right Leslie Dr. let's play whatever and here's what he says. He says these kids are sitting in the marketplace and what they're doing flute and dirge flute is celebratory dirge is a mournful song what the kids are doing is they're sitting there nursing type. Let's play wedding or let's play funeral. Now I think is like funeral okay so I don't know that's a little dark to me. You know I think it's a Leslie Dr. never seen a kid say let's play mortician okay that be a little odd but but apparently back in the day and village life there looking around and enter see what adults are doing and I say let's play let's play wedding. Let's play funeral.

Okay, let's play wedding without how you play wedding will have all this I'll play the flute and you guys dance now this is the part illustration that anybody here Jesus that has been around kids any of us have been around kids immediately go. I got you know why because what he's getting at here is that these kids in this illustration are obstinate.

They are recalcitrant they they they have this attitude of no I'm not to do it will do what whatever. Let's play wedding. I don't want to is boring. I'll play the flute you dance know not of this will okay list everything you want it.

Let's play funeral I'll sing a dirge not mourn.

I'm not plant your wife because funerals boring. Okay what and what is it that you have all been here kids right what is it that you want to do then I want to do what ever it is that you don't want to do.

That's what it is. Whatever you say you want to do. I don't want to do that.

That's what we all want to sit here and I want to be the person that says notes and how many people have been in a situation so you look around you like that in my kids but it is my husband. Okay, that's kind of what you're proving right. All right, but I think like Kelly was a bit in a situation where you're like me and the child is kind of hunger. This I don't want to hear. He does know here will have it no matter I'm hungry but I'm not willing to eat anything I'm actually wanting to be hungry and cry right now. Right honey was a business situation with the kids stay on board.

Okay, let's do this.

There is no activity under the sign that you can put in front of me that I will engage in what I actually want to do is sit here and be bored what what what what you know. One commentator said like this if it's like they are kind of just personifying what it means to become a spoiled and kind and kind of whiny and sorta set in their ways and what Jesus is saying here it is hate this tuner and is getting this generation is viewing the kingdom of God through my preaching after the preaching of John in that way where it doesn't matter if you play the flute.

They're knocking the dance and if you sing a dirge they're not mourn what they want to do is sit there and say no no no no no you know Jesus saying here some that we talk about mercy Hill many times people believe what they want to believe. And these were people who sat there and when they saw John friend of sinners. We got understand all this really even understand, what this phrase means. Okay, these are people who when they saw John and his ascetic lifestyle and his rejection of the world and his constant calling out of said they said no.

And when Jesus comes any skilled people anything hey man, it's a party and it's a wedding and I came to bring the kingdom they say know what they want, they they have in their mind what they want. They then are not to be moved there, obstinate, or not in the mood. We want a political leader that frees us and institute a religious system that rewards the rich and the powerful and the ways that is they are to being rewarded. Now that's what they wanted and any version of the kingdom that came to him, to them in any way other than that they were to sit there like a bunch of kids that we dancing and were not morning were not plant were just gonna sit here and be obstinate, people believe what they want to believe they will stay in that mindset is what Jesus is getting at here and actually it gets even deeper when Artie kind of signal to where this is going, but the illustration is very layered look what Jesus says for John came neither eating or drinking, and they say he has a demon, the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds now. One of these gutters and read the Scripture sometimes think that there's patterns okay so here's what Jesus does. He goes wedding flute dirge but then he goes John the Baptist, Jesus okay so it's like this, we would expect. Sometimes things will go ABA be, but sometimes the Bible goes AB BA. That's what he does here goes flute dirge John goes with the dirge and Jesus who goes with the flute. So the first thing he said is this type John the Baptist came. What was his message. His message was you better repair because the first thing I know about the gospel is that there is an absolute funeral coming okay. Our sin is so great that we will.

We were already dead spiritually. We will our bodies will follow.

That means hell forever. He was saying to the people you better repent and that bring the first thing the same brings is morning right. At least it should. Sinners should bring morning and it is what Jesus saying hey. John came out of the wilderness he was trying to tell you, you better mourn over your sin but you didn't want to but you do one more unit one flight you would not be moved from the waiting you are thinking about the kingdom. So what if they do they attack John Wright and they said I will look at he's so prophetic and wild and the camel's hair, the locus in the honey you live in Outlook what he's a crazy man right. He's while he's at. He's must have a demon. He is the point. He is so otherworldly. He is so separated from the world that he cannot be from God and it cannot be from the kingdom. He must have a demon okay so they Jesus okay right so that's what he said about John. He's to separate from the world.

What did they say about Jesus. Jesus comes preaching the good news of the kingdom. Jesus comes like a flute player at a wedding. Jesus come say I'm healing people are bringing good news to the most broken and simple and all of our society. I am coming and I'm hanging out with the outcasts and the down and out. I'm coming to show them that there is a kingdom coming. Blessed are those I'm coming in that way. And what did they say about Jesus. Well, since make us more know our Savior should bring a celebration.

It's like a wedding is not like a funeral.

But what if they say about Jesus. They said to Jesus, no were not the dance you bring in a celebration we don't we don't we don't play by that but flute were not into what they do think they attacked in the same way John the Baptist was to separate from the world. Jesus was a separate enough to them what they said is likely to hang out cross to the tax collectors.

I think they they pitch Jesus as being an animal house frat boy losers walk around drunk and hanging out in rabble rousing. That's how they're painting him here. It's like a John was to separate from the world Jesus for them is not separate. A note from the world and that all of that is where we end up with this phrase that Jesus was a friend of sinners, say two things before you in front of sinners. Okay I don't get well topic I want to answer the question that we've raised. Let me say two things about this. The first versus this are you in this camp that has the heart of the posture in your heart of the same posture that these children have in this illustration you say like this is the posture of your heart that this is tough. Okay is the posture of your heart that an obstinate child.

Here's what I mean by that, is there anything that God would do or could do that would open your eyes or or is it like no I don't.

I'm not dancing I'm not morning you can play the flute.

No, you can sing the dirge not happening is that where you're at today is there anything that got to do in your life to open you up or you just can continue to believe the things that you already believe. I pray for an open mind for many are carburetion those are campuses as well. This we can have a second set will only say this if you like. Now, Russell, without okay, maybe I am here listening to a sermon. Maybe I know this is a simple yet wisdom is justified by her deeds. You know that means here's what it means to John have a demon no. Was Jesus an animal house frat boy no. You know how we know because wisdom is justified by her deeds.

Look at the movement that was sparked and kicked off the last 2000 years is the most diverse philanthropic life oriented movement that is ever been is a perfect absolutely not meant I could I could point to 17 different things. Okay there. That is a perfect note we have miles to go, yes. But is it a movement that is like no other on the face of the plan absolutely wisdom is justified by her deeds. Take a look at the church to try to figure out whether you open your mind to what she's saying, not paper. Secondly, quick application order to get a friend of sinners will more okay. Hey, if you are a Christian we talk about this a lot of mercy. He'll we talk about third way I want to make sure you understand third why doesn't mean middle. It doesn't mean centrist third me. Third way means different okay Christians are radical to matter where they land right okay but it means different literature question. Are we being accused of being too worldly and at the same time being accused of being not worldly enough is that the life that were living words like that. We are confusing to the world because of how we herein and care for the world and befriend the outcasts and yet were confusing to the world because we can befriend someone and into rent and while the same time not be drug in to the center they have or or not.

Not lay down on truth and all that kind of stuff right or we are wintering to the world and that way and I thought about this.

We will specifically think about high school and college age unit not right before right before the start of my senior high school art. There was a nose Meadows is big party that was going on in me a buddy mind. We went to the party and it meant this was exactly what you think of okay I want to think the Friday night lights. Crazy parents are out of town just everything that comes with okay all types of debauchery and sent and so we we go to this party and we know evidently well ballplayers we don't we are right there with you know we go in and inherently good.

When we leave a prayer. These guys all summer. We just we just cannot a student camp. I can't wait for kids go to camp. I need to get fired up for Jesus. Get away from the phones for week and all that and we just go back from camp and all I can stuff we reprint these guys on our team as we went to that party and we walked in we doubt everybody up.

We hug everybody there.

We talked everybody for one minute and we walked up to where the source of the sin problem was okay and when we said hey I wanted to God. It was there was going to party and I sent him him make and we leave this flyer here are FCA which that is called Fellowship of Christian athletes okay our FCA starts next Thursday morning made you care if I leave this here for all the guys were just you want about you guys. Whatever net yeah no problem put put them there would put put it down on the table you know and and left right we we were there for it. I bet you were there for 12 minutes were there for 15 minutes tops okay the next Thursday when school started when we walked into the waiver we'd never seen FCA more 15 or 20 people 8000 kids showed up busting right and I thought I thought about that and I submit not gotten it wrong so many times in my life but I wonder if in that instance, we may have kind of gotten it right where where it's like man I am not listen. I'm not parents or to say was that okay is not okay that that's really son okay what I'm saying is that idea of saying that we are not to be taken in by the world. We want to be confusing to the world and we want to love people that are in the world. All of that, swirling together now. I did find out later that about an hour after we left the cop showed up broke up the party and they use the flyer to say it was Fellowship of Christian athletes event all my okay so they may have been, they may be coming because they were saying thank you. I don't know okay but I just think about that story and I like man do we have a bunch of stories that are, that way.

Words like man I'm unloving on the world and yet I'm not I'm not in the world. In that way right. So here's the thing we should be confusing meant not to separate not to end Jesus John the Baptist is a ton of stuff we could talk about in that but here's what I want to get into it is all of that that brings out this phrase look this phrase again with me in verse 19, the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds, friend of sinners. How can it be that the son of God is a friend of sinners Savior sinners got it king over sinners got it, friend of sinners was a friend of friend associates with and has affection for and that's Jesus Christ or sometimes we take the view that Jesus is high, lofty, which he is.

But then we take that next step and say condescending and exasperated that he came on a mission that he was reluctant to come on the saving of people that he secretly annoyed by minute really wasn't his idea. Pete loves us, but he doesn't like us to say that, thing right where we weave enough say that I would like your summary brings up some eyes they will love that dude. Okay love that dude from a distance right but this is what this is saying is like no no yes. He loves us, but he wants an association with us failures and sinners and broken people. He wants us has affection over us and will spend time with us the misconceptions we have about the posture and heart and expression, and the look on Jesus face, don't they crash against this one phrase friend of sinners that we see him high and lifted up and raining over our lives which is true. That's all true, things are true. Jesus is the King but can we not see that Jesus is both King and companion not have rail against the sometimes the old gold T-shirt. Jesus is my homeboy. You know I said that a couple weeks ago and I'm rail against it, but in this passage is like actually that's kinda true to write it. I guess he is King, but he's also companion.

Yes, Jesus actually is a friend of us and a friend of sinners. I met you before that when they pray the first thing out about. Here's what I said you using this work probably where they say hey God or they say hey Jesus okay and I have heard people pray like that before, and something in me, honestly, something me like cringes a little bit because I'm just like that I can get there because I have this big reverent thing all that and am thinking about this on like man. Sometimes that may be exactly right.

Sometimes it may be exactly right that we would say hey why because Jesus is a friend you have. This phrase originally was given to Jesus as Israel did you notice that the of the idea originally was that it's kind of a slur.

It's kind of a way of them say look at him, how can he be this way.

How can he be a friend of those people wrong side of town wrong profession prostitutes and tax collectors, sinners, broken people.

He's a friend of so that's what was intended as a friend of sinners. You know, Charles Spurgeon said like this.

To this day, the Savior is adored by the title, which was minted as a slur. It was designed to be a stigma that every good man would shudder at and shrink from it has proved to be a fascination which wins the heart and enchants the soul of all the godly you think about the like. This was meant to be an insult and end up becoming a badge you know when I was a kid there was nothing worse on the Sunday being called mama's boy.

I was just like man that's were just to have the fight right now right. I mean it's like that is, how how was back then. But now what I've seen is like in culture that's been spun a little bit where somebody says your mom's boiler like yeah you're right. Mama as well as my mama right like I that's why I like it.

It's kinda been spun. It's almost like a what was meant as an insult has been spun to say yes. I love my family. That's why my key people in it on keep calling me that you see the sometimes. Now with the term geek okay like evil people he was his own, so that men you cannot what is that mean neither doing some is probably get a bit to make them a lot of money right there 203, thing. Words like that was meant as an insult. You know, in 80s or whatever. And now it's become a thing where I know I voluntarily am I'm Deacon out because learn how to do this and I will be your boss one day. Ha ha you know is real funny, that's the idea it was meant to be something that was an insult ends up being a badge being our only hope that she's a friend of sinners, three rocks right number one is this, be grateful that Jesus wants to be your friend. Can we be blown away over this. Can we just be blown away for a moment they can we just say hey the first thing that we need to see this weekend church is that Jesus was not accused listen of being a glutton and a drunkard because he was willing to hang out with them.

He was accused of being a drunkard and a glutton and a friend of sinners because he was willing to hang out with you and with me and there may be. Sometimes there may be sociological factors that come in. That makes some of our sins see more evidence in life than others, but let's make no mistake about it, when Jesus decided to take on associating association and affection when he was a friend of sinners in us before we think about it for anybody else that we are all broken and in need of a Savior. Sometimes I think we see people that we have compassion on listen, but we do we think to ourselves. I'm compassionate for them I see someone on the street corner or or if I see someone that maybe is homeless or I see someone who is an orphan. Or I see someone who has severe special needs and I can get to the place of compassion over them, but does the thought of being there companion coming to my mind, affection, and association right. I think sometimes we think that way about Jesus praise God he doesn't look at us the way we look at others, he didn't just come in with a compassionate heart. He comes in with a companions heart. I mean, think about us men spiritually broken. Spiritually, fatherless. You know you just think about is it in our sin we were orphans.

We were child after wrath is what Ephesians 2 tells us we were people that were severely in spiritual need of somebody to come and he comes to us and he is our companion.

I hope that we can just pause and realize today that it's us before anybody else and then we can maybe get to that hard posture of gratitude and praise over the fact that he is not just king but he is also companion your Proverbs 1824 tells there is one who sticks closer than a brother. This is this is Christ Jesus in our life that he comes in to be our friend you.

A lot of times friendship is about gain is really a frangible call it that.

Know what we set what we say is going to be your friend. Really, I have already decided there is something in you that will benefit me and it's really not friendship its commoditization of people anything like that. There's a transactional thing going on. I think you're good for me. I want you in my life I would you think about Jesus and his pure and perfect friendship. This is a man, a God man who becomes poor, so that we can be rich who leaves heaven and comes to earth who gives his life so that we can live benefiting him.

We were created because God is lonely. Okay he's done these things for us. This is true friendship association and affection. You know I think this discount illustration. We came up with this week I want to think about this. This idea of a magnet right. I think that many of us, think to ourselves that we think are my meant what was Jesus think about us was his heart, saying when he looks upon us having many of us, get the idea of a magnet right that's that's turned the polarity for is actually being it's actually being repelled like I can't.

You know it's it's it's pushing against each other. When we got to realize his number in the gospel of Jesus Christ demonstrates what he actually wants for us in going to the cross, dying for us raising for us raising us a spiritual life so we can bring us into relationship with himself and he does these things because he loves us. It actually isn't that our sin and brokenness puts us in a situation where he is repelled from us. Actually the other way where he is drawn he is drawn into us in our sin and our brokenness to his heart leaps after us because he is a true friend. When is it not friendship that is defined by knowing you the worst things about you and still deciding to enter into relationship with you. We call friendship. Some of the other things which really about what I can get but that is the true nature friendship. That's how Jesus was. He comes for us it's powerful issue changes that you change the way that we look at others.

We see the way that Jesus looked at us. Number two I want you to interact with Jesus as a friend here. Some of us, this is this is hard getting into this mindset of saying hey, what is it look like to interact with Jesus Christ. Well I will tell you one of the ways that we can think about this is just a gathering and group right when we come to gather what we do it together what my doing right now when we seen were in relation with one another.

We open the word we hear from you.

We apply to our life. It's meant to be a model of how we can read the Bible on our own, meant that we read it we apply these things to our life, we see what God has for us. This is interaction is interaction the word of God. This is getting into proximity Association having a heart that ends up being affectionate over I think about are groups of guys were halfway through groups for this this this session okay. Major new groups at Mercy Hill what you know when you sign on to that group. It's a Sprint on a marathon. Okay, it's not just go on indefinitely forever and is about a 10 week cycle were halfway through that right now.

Are you leaning in the group. Does the people have jumped into our discovery groups. What we do in their they were going deeper into the word toward your practical application with one another.

We are being pushed into interaction with Jesus as a friend.

What friend you have that you never text you never meet for coffee.

You never read their emails. You never go to the gym with him. You never took a trip with them. You never take him to lunch. What friendship is that you friendship is is never static is always either growing or shrinking, you know, it is not just a static kind of thing are we cultivating or removing and putting herself in proximity to some of us, I'll just call you to do this there right some of you guys like man start of the sermon the little hook in her 30s of the decade of friendships go to die and and some of some something in it, inherent, and exposure campuses depending on age, as might be like now living out right now.

I had great fridges my whole life been in a relationship, but again my 30s and also there are a few things going on career mostly career advancement for a lot of people ends up being families and coming start kids their stuff and insight and is a few things are going on and I feel like I begin to get lonely or maybe it was a move you.

Maybe it's like they just moved and he moved away from a bunch of friendships in your hearing you feel lonely. Introverts are not the only people to fill lonely extroverts are the only people that feel lonely that people can feel that loneliness may be year of college student and and I am sensitive to this of your culture in your 20s maybe your high school student in your thinking to yourself like me to talk about her 30s be hard but man I I'm feeling anxiety and the pressure of feeling like I'm supposed to be in the prime of my relational life and yet I'm not developing friendships that maybe I thought I was going to if anybody here is struggling with loneliness of anybody there campuses are struggling with loneliness.

I think the biggest thing you gotta see in this passage today is this hey commit to interact with Jesus as a friend cultivates your relationship with your greatest friend a friend that sticks closer than a brother a friend that will never leave you to the Proverbs talk about how wealth draws in friends and poverty separates friends but Jesus became poor, so that he could be your friend.

He he he became poor and he gave his life to bring you into relationship with himself, would you cultivate that friendship by diving all the way in and you know what happens in your life and you do that.

Actually, it can make you the type of person that can be a good friend because I'm a take some that this is harbor.

This is true, lonely people make bad friends because you take the weight of all that loneliness and you throw it on people and you and you you grab onto them and you kind of art are drifting in a sea of loneliness and all the sudden you see a friend, you grab them like their life preserver and MNA can hit they were made to handle it but if we don't feel the loneliness because we do have a companion that will never leave us all. The Senate puts us in a healthy position to begin to interact and engage men I would call you think about interacting with Jesus as a friend and thirdly and finally art.

I would say this hate being a friend like Jesus, be a friend like Jesus, a friend of sinners.

Okay, if you're gonna be a friend.

You are going to be a friend of sinners.

That is how works by because everybody in our life is just like us there broke in their beat up there sinners their sufferers so we gotta learn to be like this. You know why I've forwarded so I seen the movie Aladdin a lot of you ain't never seen a friend like me you never had a friend like because of the song, here's the thing. There should be people in our lives.

They say that I never had a friend like you and you know why because you ain't never had a friend like Jesus. That's why they never had a friend like you because you never had a friend like him and that's where we gotta get listen when Jesus is filling that place of loneliness and we are accepting that that he is a friend of sinners and that we are known and that we are loved and when we go deep there, it gives us the ability to do that for other people in their life. This is why some of the strongest friendships on planet Earth are forged in church are forged in groups. I see all the time. Mercy Hill. I can't believe it's a miracle I Mercy of when I see people in their late 20s 30s 40s that get in the group commit to one another and then they end up for years, men going on vacations together raise their kids together and other along to see a bunch of this constant habit.

It will not happen if people keep planting seeds ended two months later the site is not working and ripped that thing right on the ground never have like in a garden. People plant the seed within four weeks I guess not bear fruit. They rip it out. They go somewhere else. They try to plan again when their people to do that for decades in their life and I never read the fruit of true friendship.

I will call you away from that, I would say anchored in the friendship of Jesus. Now all the sudden you can begin the process of being a friend like Jesus in community bearing the weight of one another since morning when people more joyful and he boards her in a rejoicing with each other. We have the opportunity live life together. I want to show you guys this and I know I'm really doing this even in some waiting for the parents that are correlational, though, doesn't have to be that only gotta see this picture. These four guys. Not a great shot. Okay, I am one of those those guys know that picture is literally 30 years in the making.

These these are brothers that no I mean they know the worst things about me and it take everything in. Hopefully they would tell you the things that they know okay to those guys I met when we were five, six years old in Sunday school lighting set up last week and circle Christian friends parents put them in let them ride to the next decade got we have the opportunity we have our hand on that lever. It will be that way forever. We have a right now you can associate with that I think about that and I'm looking at that picture and unlike men, those guys know so much about me and I thought women bunch of junk about them right. And yet I know this from across the country, wherever they are. If I needed them I would call them today. They will be on a plane or be a car, no questions asked, and I would do for them as well. Where did we learn that it was no coincidence that those things are learned in Sunday school or in a kids week right or and or or or Mercy Hill kids whatever they're based in the gospel.

We can only be a friend like Jesus we experience the friendship of Jesus and experience of the friendship of Jesus friend of sinners is that he meets us where we are. Jesus was accused you're hanging out with him too much broken people sinners sufferers you're hanging out.

I would processes are hanging out with tax collectors. How could you be around those people because there was an association and affection. I know you and I still love that's what friendship really is. As I was to him and this is how we learn to be friends. We learn to be friends in a way that Jesus was a friend to us at all of our campus a master dog enclosure is one minute right value has closure on this one minute and they were to pray were to go into a star has closure eyes weren't were not logical to video to close this hater watching us online and I was okay sorry it's one say that it's a minutes of sensitive video only doing this, and in person disclosures for women dear friend like Jesus man, who is the spirit bring into your mind. It needs a friendship like the one you've experienced in the gospel or somebody come in your mind right now known in love, and who needs them from you.

Father, we come before you right now. We thank you so much for the friendship of our Savior Jesus Christ will rethink you sent Christ to us is affectionate the desires association with us. Though we are eternally grateful.

We are eternally blown away. Lord I pray right now, you would change us into the type of people who can be a friend to them like you've been to us in Christ name we pray.

Amen