Being Friends

Main Point: Friendship is less about company and more about character.

One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” —Luke 5:17–20

A true friend is loyal.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. —Proverbs 17:17

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. —Proverbs 18:24

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” —Elbert Hubbard

A true friend shows up.

When Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. —Job 2:11

A true friend is honest.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. —Proverbs 27:6

“True friends stab you in the front.” —Oscar Wilde

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice. —Proverbs 27:9

“If it’s very painful for you to criticize your friends, you’re safe in doing it. But if you take the slightest pleasure in it, that’s the time to hold your tongue.” —Alice Miller

A true friend is empathetic.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. —Romans 12:15

A true friend shapes who you become.

The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. —Proverbs 12:26

“Five years from now, you’re the same person except for the people you’ve met and the books you’ve read.” —John Wooden

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. —Proverbs 27:17

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything, and followed Him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” —Luke 5:27–32

Takeaway: Friends shape your future—choose wisely.

Discussion Questions

1. Who in your life has carried you closer to Jesus during a difficult season? How did they do it?
2. What does the kind of loyalty described in Proverbs 17:17 look like practically today?
3. Why is presence often more powerful than words in friendship?
4. What’s the difference between honest advice and critical judgment in friendship? How can we tell the difference?
   Table Discussion Question: Think about your current circle of friends: are they helping you follow Jesus or distracting you from Him? What, if anything, needs to change?