WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.419 We just have two Sundays, this one and next in this book of Galatians, which has told us again and again and again, 00:00:10.500 --> 00:00:21.000 there's no other gospel, there's no other good news other than that God sent Jesus to save us as an act of his goodness, his kindness. 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:26.620 There's nothing that we do to earn or deserve the love of God. 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:29.500 We freely receive it by faith. 00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:38.060 And now as we get to the end, let's think about how that gospel, how that message then influences friendships. 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:41.880 So we're going to think together about gospel friendships. 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:48.799 So Galatians chapter 5 from verse 26, just to chapter 6 and verse 5. 00:00:50.299 --> 00:00:55.980 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. 00:00:55.979 --> 00:01:03.699 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. 00:01:04.479 --> 00:01:08.060 But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 00:01:09.039 --> 00:01:13.859 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. 00:01:13.859 --> 00:01:19.599 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:23.319 Each one should test his own actions. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:29.439 Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else. 00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:34.239 For each one should carry his own load. 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:41.739 Okay, so let's think about the power of friendship for a few moments. 00:01:41.879 --> 00:01:46.500 Friendship is something that is celebrated in books. 00:01:47.759 --> 00:01:51.819 Perhaps most famously, the Fellowship of the Rings, Lord of the Rings. 00:01:52.340 --> 00:01:55.579 Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, perhaps, we read when we were younger. 00:01:55.579 --> 00:02:01.400 Friendship is there in so many of the TV shows that are important to our culture. 00:02:02.099 --> 00:02:05.959 You know, Friends came back after a 20-year absence, and straight away it was number one 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:09.439 on the Netflix most viewed watch list. 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:15.159 Movies, Toy Story, a great story of Buzz and Woody. 00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:18.900 And the great song, You've Got a Friend in Me. 00:02:19.060 --> 00:02:22.639 We love, we value friendship. 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:26.519 And J.C. Ryle, a minister from another century, said, 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:31.859 A true friend halves our troubles and doubles our joys. 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:37.619 And I hope that's something that we have come to appreciate in our own lives. 00:02:38.019 --> 00:02:43.359 To have somebody there for us when we go through trouble and difficulty 00:02:43.359 --> 00:02:45.659 can be something that really gets us through. 00:02:46.399 --> 00:02:51.119 To have somebody to share our joy and our celebration with 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:55.099 It is a great gift from God. 00:02:56.379 --> 00:02:59.200 So we understand the power of friendship, 00:02:59.879 --> 00:03:04.539 but yet we're now being told that there is this epidemic of loneliness 00:03:04.539 --> 00:03:07.659 being reported in the West. 00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:12.680 We have more social connections or more social platforms than ever before, 00:03:13.060 --> 00:03:19.840 but we seem to have less time for face-to-face or side-by-side friendships. 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:28.900 Many people today are feeling starved of that basic, wonderful experience of friendship. 00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:33.740 And that's sad because the Bible says we are made for friendship. 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:38.659 God made us and He made us for relationship with one another 00:03:38.659 --> 00:03:43.319 and also that we might enjoy friendship with God. 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:52.019 So Paul takes us to the theme of friendship as he comes to the end of his letter. 00:03:52.819 --> 00:03:57.699 And what he wants us to do is to discover the power of gospel friendship. 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:01.740 So he talked to us last week about living by the Spirit. 00:04:02.620 --> 00:04:06.280 How does living by the Spirit, how does walking with God's Spirit, 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:10.680 how does being united to the Lord Jesus transform our friendship? 00:04:11.939 --> 00:04:15.939 How does it help me to be a good friend? 00:04:16.180 --> 00:04:20.160 Sometimes we're very keen to find good friends and that's important, 00:04:20.519 --> 00:04:24.660 but here the emphasis is on how can I be a good friend? 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:29.819 So if you have a person in your life who really cares about you, 00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:32.720 who helps you grow in your love for God, 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:35.480 who you can share tough situations with, 00:04:35.780 --> 00:04:39.800 who will even call you out on sin in your life, 00:04:40.320 --> 00:04:45.780 then you have a gift to thank God for and a friend to be thankful to. 00:04:46.860 --> 00:04:51.000 But today our emphasis is on how can I be that kind of friend to somebody else? 00:04:51.860 --> 00:04:57.320 How can my knowing Jesus make me a better friend in the circle that I already have? 00:04:58.500 --> 00:05:01.960 And it's connected to the message of grace and it's connected to Jesus 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:07.639 because a few times in this letter we have discovered Jesus as the true friend. 00:05:08.379 --> 00:05:14.839 In Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20 we're told by Paul that Jesus loved me 00:05:14.839 --> 00:05:17.379 and gave himself for me. 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:24.740 Here is the high point of friendship to self-sacrifice for the sake of another. 00:05:24.740 --> 00:05:31.060 And that's true for every Christian that God has freely loved us, 00:05:31.400 --> 00:05:36.800 sent his son Jesus to die for us so that we might enjoy friendship with God. 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:42.519 So let's see from this little section how God's grace to us in Jesus 00:05:42.519 --> 00:05:48.800 frees us to be the kind of friends that bring joy and life to other people. 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:52.759 And Paul begins with a heart attitude. 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:59.040 The key to this kind of friendship is grace and not glory hunting. 00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:02.020 And we're going to see this in verse 26. 00:06:02.860 --> 00:06:04.639 Now let's read that again together. 00:06:04.860 --> 00:06:10.420 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:15.960 Okay, so this carries on straight after he's talked a lot about living by the Spirit. 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:18.719 What's the evidence of God's Spirit at work in us? 00:06:19.060 --> 00:06:22.759 Well, one way that we see it is in terms of practical friendships 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:26.180 where we love and care for other people. 00:06:26.979 --> 00:06:30.819 And Paul here as he turns towards friendship and these kind of relationships, 00:06:30.979 --> 00:06:33.959 he's got a specific relationship in his mind. 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:40.279 It's a gospel friendship where a shared experience of God's love and God's grace, 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:44.439 where knowing Jesus is the foundation of that friendship, 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:48.680 is the basis for relationships within the Christian church, 00:06:48.740 --> 00:06:53.819 where God's grace is the glue that sticks us together and that keeps us together. 00:06:54.959 --> 00:07:00.759 And this is to be a reality for church family life as we share God's grace together. 00:07:01.159 --> 00:07:04.779 And Paul kind of negatively addresses the heart attitude 00:07:04.779 --> 00:07:10.139 that lies behind, well, where problems and relationships come from, 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:13.639 but by contrast where relationships can grow. 00:07:13.639 --> 00:07:17.719 So he says to them, let us not become conceited. 00:07:18.339 --> 00:07:21.360 Now, what does that word conceit refer to? 00:07:22.039 --> 00:07:27.939 It refers to a person who feels starved of honor or glory. 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:34.240 And so life is being lived to pursue personal honor and glory. 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:37.519 And so Paul is saying at a very basic level, 00:07:37.840 --> 00:07:44.220 you will not have a life-giving friendship where you are inclined towards sacrificing 00:07:44.220 --> 00:07:49.780 and seeking the good of others if you are primarily self-centered 00:07:49.780 --> 00:07:54.840 and concerned for your own glory and good ahead of that of others. 00:07:55.379 --> 00:07:59.360 And there's two ways, Paul says, that this attitude can show itself. 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:05.220 He talks, first of all, in verse 26 about provoking each other. 00:08:05.340 --> 00:08:08.620 That word provoking is the idea of challenge and competition. 00:08:09.660 --> 00:08:13.319 Here's me trying to show that I am superior to you. 00:08:13.900 --> 00:08:21.020 I am comparing to say that I am better than or worth more than another person. 00:08:21.019 --> 00:08:28.399 If provoking each other is not the basis for a stable friendship, but nor is envying. 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:34.480 If provoking is all about I feel superior, envying is when we feel inferior. 00:08:34.659 --> 00:08:37.039 We look at others and we want what they have. 00:08:37.579 --> 00:08:42.600 I wish I had their gifts, their opportunities, their charisma, perhaps. 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:46.560 And these are both examples of conceit. 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:51.159 Conceit, which is at base about glory hunting. 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:56.759 I am either going to show that I am better than you or I wish that I was as good as you. 00:08:57.320 --> 00:09:01.460 And neither of these allow for a stable friendship to develop. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:05.659 And the problem is because we are primarily self-absorbed. 00:09:05.659 --> 00:09:12.639 My thought is how do you make me feel, not how am I making you feel? 00:09:12.719 --> 00:09:20.799 And that's the emphasis that God wants us to have in our friendship to be for the other, 00:09:20.939 --> 00:09:24.740 not to be out for our own honor and glory. 00:09:25.459 --> 00:09:27.699 So what's the opposite of glory hunting? 00:09:27.860 --> 00:09:29.799 What's the opposite of this conceit? 00:09:30.939 --> 00:09:34.199 Well, all through this letter we've been hearing the message of grace. 00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:38.320 And grace is what changes how we view ourselves. 00:09:38.700 --> 00:09:43.840 Because when we hear the good news of God's grace, it provides for us that essential humility. 00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:52.340 Because it says to us, God loves us even while we were weak and lost and in need of rescue. 00:09:52.780 --> 00:09:56.180 That our position in God's family is by grace alone. 00:09:56.280 --> 00:09:58.800 So there's no place for pride. 00:09:59.820 --> 00:10:01.920 So we're not thinking that we are superior. 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:04.240 So it provides that humility. 00:10:04.519 --> 00:10:07.519 But the gospel also provides a dignity. 00:10:08.539 --> 00:10:12.579 Perhaps we have an identity crisis where we're really insecure about ourselves. 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:16.519 And the gospel says to us, remember, you are loved. 00:10:16.719 --> 00:10:17.740 You are valued. 00:10:17.899 --> 00:10:18.659 You are welcomed. 00:10:18.839 --> 00:10:20.899 You are accepted by the God of the universe. 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:24.479 He is the one who approves of you. 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:26.860 Who delights in you. 00:10:26.860 --> 00:10:35.300 Therefore, you have a security in your life from God through Jesus. 00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:38.720 So grace changes in the first place how we view ourselves. 00:10:39.379 --> 00:10:44.419 So now we're ready to move towards people to be a blessing, to be good news to them. 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:48.019 But grace also changes how we view others. 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:54.340 Whereas perhaps we might be inclined to compete and compare and contrast. 00:10:55.480 --> 00:11:02.259 The gospel says that if somebody else loves Jesus, they're also a fellow child of God. 00:11:02.379 --> 00:11:04.179 We're in the same family. 00:11:05.019 --> 00:11:10.259 We have the same spiritual inheritance laid up for us in heaven. 00:11:10.259 --> 00:11:16.480 That person that you might be tempted to compete with, that person has been saved by Jesus. 00:11:17.299 --> 00:11:19.419 Jesus loves and values that person. 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:22.080 Therefore, we ought to also. 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:34.399 And because grace gives us security, we are free to love and serve as we follow the example of the Lord Jesus. 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:46.139 Jesus gives us the one who we are told came from God and was returning to God and had all the power of God. 00:11:46.959 --> 00:11:51.319 And yet in love, he stooped down low to wash his disciples' feet. 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:57.039 Jesus gives us that example of what self-giving love looks like through his life. 00:11:57.480 --> 00:12:00.019 And ultimately through his death on the cross. 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:04.220 As in love, he pays the price for our sin. 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:06.860 So that we might be brought to God. 00:12:07.579 --> 00:12:12.980 So the key to being a true friend then, according to Paul and according to this letter, 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:20.759 is to believe this message of grace and regularly be preaching that message of grace to ourselves. 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:27.879 To keep us humble, to give us dignity, to give us that security to love others well. 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:30.879 So if that's the heart attitude, 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:35.179 then in the first five verses of chapter six, 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:40.620 Paul begins to look at some of the practices of gospel friendships. 00:12:40.620 --> 00:12:43.600 So he's gone with the principle, the heart, the motivation. 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:49.299 And now he considers the difference that the way of grace should make to our friendships. 00:12:50.939 --> 00:12:53.939 Let's read verse one again. 00:12:53.940 --> 00:12:57.500 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, 00:12:58.280 --> 00:13:01.620 you who are spiritual should restore him gently. 00:13:02.520 --> 00:13:06.920 But watch yourself or you also may be tempted. 00:13:07.180 --> 00:13:09.600 So brothers or brothers and sisters, here's a reminder. 00:13:09.760 --> 00:13:10.620 These are patterns. 00:13:11.280 --> 00:13:15.260 These are attitudes for life in the church, life in the family of God. 00:13:15.259 --> 00:13:19.779 This is grace-centered friendship that we're thinking about here. 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:29.580 Perhaps you have in your house or you've seen in other people's houses those pictures that people maybe have in their kitchen. 00:13:29.939 --> 00:13:31.419 In this family, we do. 00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:35.899 And there's lots of different words that represent family values. 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:39.759 In this family, we do fun and we do laughter and we do sorry and we do forgiveness. 00:13:40.139 --> 00:13:41.740 You've probably seen them. 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:52.560 I think Paul is giving us the beginning of a list of family values for God's family, for God's church here in chapter six. 00:13:53.080 --> 00:13:54.799 In God's family, what do we do? 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:57.299 We do gentle restoration. 00:13:58.200 --> 00:14:02.600 In God's family, we do bearing others' burdens. 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:07.259 In God's family, we do carrying our own load. 00:14:07.259 --> 00:14:10.659 Because in God's family, we do great. 00:14:11.740 --> 00:14:14.940 And that's what we're going to think about for the rest of our time together. 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:21.159 When you read the New Testament, you discover that when Jesus saves a person, 00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:26.019 he saves us to be connected not just to Jesus, but to one another. 00:14:26.820 --> 00:14:29.340 The New Testament is full of one another. 00:14:29.539 --> 00:14:34.899 That we are called as followers of Jesus to love one another, to serve one another, 00:14:34.899 --> 00:14:39.720 to encourage one another, to speak the truth in love to one another, 00:14:39.819 --> 00:14:45.959 to honor one another above ourselves, which of course requires relationship. 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:50.159 Which of course requires that we would know others. 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:55.259 That we'd be getting beyond the surface in our relationships with others. 00:14:55.419 --> 00:15:03.860 That we'd be making time to develop those kind of friendships so that we can do those one another's that God calls us to. 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:10.919 So again, in this church, we have opportunities in our community groups. 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:18.220 We have opportunities in women's ministry and in student ministry and in prayer triplets to make those connections, 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:21.800 those initial connections, so those relationships can go deeper, 00:15:22.220 --> 00:15:26.560 so that we can begin to carry out some of these practices. 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:35.019 Well, the first practice in gospel friendship that Paul draws our attention to is this gentle restoration of verse 1. 00:15:36.439 --> 00:15:39.919 So again, last week we were thinking about living by the Spirit, 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.099 and part of living by the Spirit is battling against sin in our life. 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:49.379 There's this constant conflict in our hearts between the new us, 00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:51.000 we are made new in Christ, 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:54.360 and then the old nature that keeps wanting to drag us into sin. 00:15:54.899 --> 00:15:57.480 And that was reminding us that in God's family, 00:15:58.559 --> 00:16:01.980 that sinful habits and lifestyles will be a constant danger, 00:16:02.340 --> 00:16:04.299 a constant presence among us. 00:16:04.659 --> 00:16:08.019 So what are we to do when that happens? 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:12.700 And how does grace help us to deal well with that situation? 00:16:12.700 --> 00:16:21.000 As Paul puts it here, somebody, if someone is caught in a sin, 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:27.420 if a sinful pattern, if you're looking at the life of a brother and sister in Christ, 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:34.060 and you see here is an unhelpful, a sinful pattern, a habit of life that's being displayed, 00:16:34.800 --> 00:16:35.660 what should we do? 00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:37.840 Who is to help? 00:16:38.540 --> 00:16:39.879 What does it say in our text? 00:16:39.879 --> 00:16:43.740 First, you who are spiritual should provide help. 00:16:43.779 --> 00:16:48.379 Now, the way that's written, that might make it sound like there's some elite group in the church. 00:16:48.539 --> 00:16:49.840 Oh, it's the spiritual guys. 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:51.120 They're the ones that help. 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:54.399 Maybe we think of a minister or a group of elders. 00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:59.059 But no, to be spiritual simply means to be walking by the Spirit. 00:16:59.779 --> 00:17:02.159 So if we're seeking to live in obedience, 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:05.400 if we're seeking to grow, to be more like Jesus, 00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:07.500 if we're seeking to worship Him, 00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:13.279 then we have a responsibility to the people that God has placed around us in church, 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:15.880 if we find them to be caught in a sin. 00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:18.819 We are to do something about it. 00:17:18.859 --> 00:17:19.920 What are we to do? 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:25.119 We should restore that person gently. 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:34.180 The word restoration in the Greek gives us the idea of a bone that has been fractured. 00:17:34.180 --> 00:17:36.640 Some of us know that feeling. 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:37.960 It's a painful thing. 00:17:38.360 --> 00:17:41.740 If a bone is fractured and it needs to be reset, 00:17:41.940 --> 00:17:43.860 that's the word for restoration here. 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:47.259 That's a process that is going to hurt, 00:17:48.100 --> 00:17:50.880 but it's a process that's going to bring healing. 00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:56.460 And the healing that we want for our friend is that they would be right with God once again. 00:17:56.759 --> 00:17:58.700 They wouldn't be walking away from God. 00:17:59.180 --> 00:18:03.000 They'd be walking towards God in repentance and faith. 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:04.359 So that's the goal. 00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:05.619 The goal is restoration. 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:10.440 Now what's the attitude as we pursue that goal? 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:13.279 The attitude is gentleness. 00:18:13.480 --> 00:18:15.099 We restore gently. 00:18:15.779 --> 00:18:18.859 We are to watch ourselves or we also may be tempted. 00:18:19.019 --> 00:18:21.440 We are to move towards someone else, 00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:22.700 aware of our own weakness, 00:18:24.779 --> 00:18:28.359 aware of that danger that we have to be tempted to sin, 00:18:28.359 --> 00:18:33.019 showing grace to the other person because we know ourselves. 00:18:34.719 --> 00:18:35.719 Not judging, 00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:37.119 not condemning. 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:38.699 Paul says to us, 00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:39.699 gospel friend, 00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:44.579 look to restore people to a good relationship with God, 00:18:45.459 --> 00:18:48.199 looking to turn people away from sin. 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:51.779 And notice that what Paul doesn't do is he doesn't say, 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:51.960 right, 00:18:52.019 --> 00:18:54.880 here's your 10-step process for how that should happen. 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:58.980 What he does say is here's the heart behind that. 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:03.000 The attitude matters. 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:06.080 So we don't go judgmental. 00:19:06.140 --> 00:19:08.100 I would never do something like that. 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:10.220 Or how could you? 00:19:10.340 --> 00:19:12.640 If we move towards someone with that kind of attitude, 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:15.200 that's not going to bring healing. 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:19.000 We've maybe had that experience in family or in a friendship, 00:19:19.080 --> 00:19:20.580 and we know that it doesn't help. 00:19:22.620 --> 00:19:26.200 But the other thing that doesn't help is to be passive, 00:19:26.820 --> 00:19:28.900 to see someone in danger and say, 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:29.240 well, you know, 00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:30.860 it's not my place to get involved. 00:19:32.300 --> 00:19:32.940 Who am I? 00:19:32.940 --> 00:19:35.360 I could never do anything to help. 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:38.380 I don't have that qualification. 00:19:38.380 --> 00:19:44.540 Both of those attitudes are unhelpful. 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:50.400 And what Paul is saying to us is that if we are to be a true friend, 00:19:51.900 --> 00:20:00.580 then we are by grace to move towards others with both humility and with boldness. 00:20:01.840 --> 00:20:05.640 That we want to heal, we want to help, 00:20:05.640 --> 00:20:10.400 but we do that led by the Spirit as a fellow sinner, 00:20:11.120 --> 00:20:13.100 out of love for God and His honor, 00:20:13.500 --> 00:20:16.480 and out of a love for the person that we're moving towards. 00:20:17.460 --> 00:20:18.300 That's the Spirit. 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:20.940 That's the attitude that brings restoration. 00:20:22.300 --> 00:20:23.400 It comes from the gospel. 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:30.200 In the gospel, we discover that Jesus came to restore us to friendship with God. 00:20:30.759 --> 00:20:32.920 The word the Bible uses for that is reconciliation. 00:20:32.920 --> 00:20:33.160 Reconciliation. 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:37.720 Jesus comes to make peace between us and God. 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:38.900 We are sinners. 00:20:39.100 --> 00:20:40.400 God is perfect and holy, 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:42.580 and so there is a barrier between us. 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:46.000 And the only way that that barrier can be removed 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:50.820 is if God in His loving kindness sends His own Son Jesus to take that sin 00:20:50.820 --> 00:20:54.840 and to satisfy God's justice against that sin at the cross 00:20:54.840 --> 00:20:56.560 so that we might be forgiven, 00:20:56.680 --> 00:20:58.320 that that barrier might be removed, 00:20:58.680 --> 00:21:00.180 so that we can know Him. 00:21:00.180 --> 00:21:03.320 So that reconciliation then, 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:06.140 Paul says in another letter, 2 Corinthians 5, 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:08.039 that's to be our ministry. 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:11.640 That's to be our friendship heart, 00:21:12.100 --> 00:21:14.080 that we want reconciliation. 00:21:14.380 --> 00:21:19.259 We want to see people restored and walking with Jesus. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.080 So that's the first practice of Christian friendship 00:21:24.080 --> 00:21:28.259 that Paul mentions, gentle restoration. 00:21:28.259 --> 00:21:32.140 The second practice we find in verses 2 and 3, 00:21:32.660 --> 00:21:35.220 and it's bear one another's burdens. 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:37.839 Verse 2, carry each other's burdens, 00:21:38.940 --> 00:21:41.220 and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:45.059 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, 00:21:45.700 --> 00:21:47.019 he deceives himself. 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:50.140 Now the word for burdens there 00:21:50.140 --> 00:21:54.280 is the idea of a load that was never intended 00:21:54.280 --> 00:21:57.320 for one person by themselves to carry. 00:21:58.460 --> 00:21:59.880 We know this experience. 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:03.440 Imagine if you're moving house, for example. 00:22:03.560 --> 00:22:07.420 Now there's a lot of stuff that you can cart by yourself, 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:10.300 depending on your strength and energy levels, 00:22:10.380 --> 00:22:12.600 but there are some things in every house 00:22:12.600 --> 00:22:14.840 that is more than a one-person job. 00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:17.780 The sofa, the piano, the heavy dining room table. 00:22:17.779 --> 00:22:19.579 And this is the image. 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:22.359 There are certain burdens in our life 00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:24.000 that we should not, 00:22:24.619 --> 00:22:27.180 because we cannot carry them by ourselves. 00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:30.240 And God in his kindness puts other people around us, 00:22:30.660 --> 00:22:35.720 and so we are to shoulder that load with others. 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:42.860 So what kind of burden are we to help someone else carry? 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:47.860 Well, I think what Paul has in mind 00:22:47.860 --> 00:22:52.000 is anything is a burden 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:54.539 that might cause another person 00:22:54.539 --> 00:22:56.539 to lose their faith in Jesus 00:22:56.539 --> 00:22:59.559 or to lose their joy in Jesus. 00:23:00.360 --> 00:23:03.039 Now that could be absolutely anything. 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:06.079 In verse one, he's given us the example of sin. 00:23:06.980 --> 00:23:09.139 Sin can cause someone to lose their faith 00:23:09.139 --> 00:23:10.159 and their joy in Jesus, 00:23:10.420 --> 00:23:11.960 and we are to carry that burden 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:14.039 by praying and to look to restore them. 00:23:15.019 --> 00:23:17.480 Temptation has that same function 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:20.119 of drawing people away from faith and joy in Jesus. 00:23:20.819 --> 00:23:23.079 But it can also be the circumstances of life. 00:23:24.639 --> 00:23:25.079 Grief. 00:23:26.779 --> 00:23:27.259 Unemployment. 00:23:28.299 --> 00:23:29.240 Long-term illness. 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:32.000 The loss of a friend. 00:23:33.299 --> 00:23:35.599 Struggles in our studies. 00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:38.819 Any of those can become burdens for a person 00:23:38.819 --> 00:23:41.920 if it causes them to lose their faith, 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:44.099 their hope, and joy in Jesus. 00:23:45.299 --> 00:23:47.859 And we are to help another person who's struggling, 00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:50.819 and in so doing, we're told 00:23:50.819 --> 00:23:52.900 that when we carry those burdens, 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:56.180 we will fulfill the law of Christ. 00:23:56.180 --> 00:24:00.299 Now what does he mean when he says the law of Christ? 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:04.880 Well, Jesus, when he was on the earth, 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:06.660 was asked on different occasions 00:24:06.660 --> 00:24:10.279 to tell people what he thought 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:11.880 was the most important command. 00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:12.820 And he said there's two. 00:24:12.980 --> 00:24:14.200 He said, love the Lord your God 00:24:14.200 --> 00:24:16.180 with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, 00:24:16.940 --> 00:24:19.840 and love your neighbor as yourself. 00:24:20.420 --> 00:24:22.299 And in Galatians chapter five, 00:24:22.740 --> 00:24:23.880 and verse 14, 00:24:23.880 --> 00:24:26.140 Paul has already drawn our attention to that. 00:24:26.900 --> 00:24:29.540 The entire law is summed up in a single command. 00:24:30.080 --> 00:24:32.640 Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:24:32.740 --> 00:24:34.020 This is the law of Christ, 00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:37.080 because this is how Jesus Christ lived. 00:24:39.160 --> 00:24:43.080 Always giving himself for the sake of others. 00:24:44.820 --> 00:24:47.180 Tired and wanting a rest, 00:24:47.840 --> 00:24:49.700 wanting time alone with his father 00:24:49.700 --> 00:24:50.560 or with his disciples, 00:24:50.700 --> 00:24:52.280 and seeing crowds come to him. 00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:54.200 Sometimes he healed them. 00:24:54.339 --> 00:24:55.359 Sometimes he taught them. 00:24:55.519 --> 00:24:56.480 Sometimes he fed them. 00:24:56.539 --> 00:24:57.539 That was his pattern. 00:24:58.740 --> 00:25:00.599 That was his pattern to the end, 00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:04.819 when he gave his life for his friends 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:07.319 to save us from our sin. 00:25:08.460 --> 00:25:11.619 And so to love like Jesus, 00:25:12.279 --> 00:25:13.420 we are to both, 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:15.500 as we have it in verse one, 00:25:15.500 --> 00:25:18.299 we are to love enough to confront sin 00:25:18.299 --> 00:25:19.960 in another person, 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:22.579 and to give comfort in trouble 00:25:22.579 --> 00:25:24.339 to another person. 00:25:25.160 --> 00:25:26.579 Bearing one another's burdens 00:25:26.579 --> 00:25:29.400 has those two things. 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:31.359 And then in verse three, 00:25:31.480 --> 00:25:34.140 there's that perhaps thing 00:25:34.140 --> 00:25:35.279 that seems a slight tangent. 00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:36.619 If anyone thinks he's something 00:25:36.619 --> 00:25:37.319 when he's nothing, 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:38.359 he deceives himself. 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:40.180 How does verse three connect 00:25:40.180 --> 00:25:42.559 with verse two? 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:44.259 If we put it simply, 00:25:44.899 --> 00:25:46.299 don't be high and mighty 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:48.299 when someone else has a problem. 00:25:48.919 --> 00:25:50.500 Don't think that you are above 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:52.039 helping somebody else. 00:25:52.139 --> 00:25:53.379 Don't stand on ceremony. 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:54.919 Don't wait for somebody else. 00:25:55.700 --> 00:25:56.899 You see there's a problem. 00:25:57.559 --> 00:25:58.899 Our call is to bear 00:25:58.899 --> 00:26:00.980 that person's burden. 00:26:01.159 --> 00:26:02.859 Don't be above lending a hand. 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:05.000 Don't be above showing care. 00:26:05.619 --> 00:26:06.859 Don't be above helping 00:26:06.859 --> 00:26:08.879 shoulder the load. 00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:11.900 Just as in any family 00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:13.940 and where there's lots to be done 00:26:13.940 --> 00:26:16.000 and adults and kids 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:17.240 all muck in together. 00:26:17.840 --> 00:26:19.020 So in a church family, 00:26:19.220 --> 00:26:20.700 we are to pitch in 00:26:20.700 --> 00:26:21.980 to help to bear 00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:24.100 one another's load. 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:26.140 And we do that remembering 00:26:26.140 --> 00:26:27.520 the gospel of grace. 00:26:28.180 --> 00:26:29.820 We remember that Jesus came 00:26:29.820 --> 00:26:31.500 to bear our burden. 00:26:32.020 --> 00:26:34.080 We remember that Jesus came to die 00:26:34.080 --> 00:26:36.700 as the sin bearer of the world. 00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:39.080 We remember those words of Jesus. 00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:40.200 Come to me, 00:26:40.340 --> 00:26:41.480 all you who are weary 00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:42.559 and burdened, 00:26:42.660 --> 00:26:45.720 and I will give you rest. 00:26:46.640 --> 00:26:48.059 How does he do that? 00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:50.620 He gives us faith 00:26:50.620 --> 00:26:51.819 to trust in him, 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:54.400 to look to him for strength 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:55.860 when we feel weak. 00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:58.799 We rest by trusting 00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:00.319 that he does for us 00:27:00.319 --> 00:27:02.080 what we cannot do for ourselves. 00:27:02.079 --> 00:27:05.159 But he also gives us 00:27:05.159 --> 00:27:05.879 one another 00:27:05.879 --> 00:27:08.019 to share that burden. 00:27:08.819 --> 00:27:11.019 He uses people like us 00:27:11.019 --> 00:27:12.599 to provide rest 00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:14.039 for one another. 00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:17.720 Bear one another's burdens. 00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:20.759 And then the last practice 00:27:20.759 --> 00:27:22.579 of gospel friendship 00:27:22.579 --> 00:27:23.539 that we have here, 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:25.779 it seems contradictory at first, 00:27:25.859 --> 00:27:27.000 but hopefully we'll see it's not. 00:27:27.460 --> 00:27:30.359 Carry your own load. 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:32.359 Verses four and five. 00:27:32.740 --> 00:27:33.959 Each one should test 00:27:33.959 --> 00:27:35.259 his own actions. 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:37.259 Then he can take pride 00:27:37.259 --> 00:27:37.939 in himself 00:27:37.939 --> 00:27:40.359 without comparing himself 00:27:40.359 --> 00:27:41.740 to somebody else. 00:27:42.219 --> 00:27:43.419 For each one 00:27:43.419 --> 00:27:44.740 should carry 00:27:44.740 --> 00:27:46.719 his own load. 00:27:46.899 --> 00:27:47.559 So this time, 00:27:47.619 --> 00:27:48.359 it's not a burden. 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:50.159 This time in verse five, 00:27:50.259 --> 00:27:50.859 it's a load. 00:27:50.939 --> 00:27:51.639 This is the idea 00:27:51.639 --> 00:27:53.399 of a person's day pack. 00:27:53.559 --> 00:27:54.359 Think rucksack. 00:27:55.099 --> 00:27:55.699 Think about 00:27:55.699 --> 00:27:57.059 if you ever have said 00:27:57.059 --> 00:27:57.559 to your kids, 00:27:57.679 --> 00:27:59.000 carry your own school bag. 00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:01.380 That's the kind of picture 00:28:01.380 --> 00:28:02.079 that's in mind. 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:03.099 What's Paul saying 00:28:03.099 --> 00:28:05.599 in these verses? 00:28:06.619 --> 00:28:08.119 He's reminding them, 00:28:08.200 --> 00:28:09.299 he's reminding us, 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:11.720 your life is not to be 00:28:11.720 --> 00:28:13.059 about comparing 00:28:13.059 --> 00:28:14.339 and competing. 00:28:15.339 --> 00:28:16.900 We are to remember 00:28:16.900 --> 00:28:18.160 that God has given 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:19.579 to each one of us 00:28:19.579 --> 00:28:21.259 our own opportunities. 00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:23.140 He's given us 00:28:23.140 --> 00:28:24.500 a unique set of gifts 00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:26.019 and relationships 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:27.740 and strengths 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:29.119 and weaknesses 00:28:29.119 --> 00:28:30.799 and challenges. 00:28:31.660 --> 00:28:32.200 And so we're not 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:33.599 to be comparing, 00:28:34.099 --> 00:28:34.339 thinking, 00:28:34.579 --> 00:28:35.519 well, I'm doing better 00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:36.279 than that person. 00:28:36.359 --> 00:28:37.019 I wish I was doing, 00:28:37.339 --> 00:28:39.400 we carry our own load. 00:28:40.299 --> 00:28:41.099 Morally too, 00:28:41.819 --> 00:28:43.779 what's our measuring stick 00:28:43.779 --> 00:28:45.700 for how we are doing 00:28:45.700 --> 00:28:47.500 in our obedience to God? 00:28:47.779 --> 00:28:49.140 Sometimes we can be tempted 00:28:49.140 --> 00:28:49.900 to look around 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:50.359 and say, 00:28:50.680 --> 00:28:51.420 I'm doing okay 00:28:51.420 --> 00:28:52.680 because I'm not as bad 00:28:52.680 --> 00:28:53.440 as that person. 00:28:53.440 --> 00:28:54.940 So our measuring stick 00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:56.420 that we can use wrongly 00:28:56.420 --> 00:28:57.620 is another person. 00:28:58.080 --> 00:28:59.940 Whereas we should be using 00:28:59.940 --> 00:29:01.700 the law of Christ. 00:29:02.059 --> 00:29:03.240 We should be seeking 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:04.259 to grow in the fruit 00:29:04.259 --> 00:29:04.680 of the Spirit 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:06.200 and concerning ourselves 00:29:06.200 --> 00:29:07.660 with what's going on 00:29:07.660 --> 00:29:08.420 in our own hearts 00:29:08.420 --> 00:29:11.180 and lives first of all. 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:14.400 There's maybe also 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:15.720 another surprise for us 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:16.820 in verse four. 00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:18.480 It says, 00:29:19.059 --> 00:29:19.799 each one should test 00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:20.440 his own actions, 00:29:20.720 --> 00:29:21.980 then he can take pride 00:29:21.980 --> 00:29:22.539 in himself. 00:29:23.440 --> 00:29:24.740 And that seems surprising 00:29:24.740 --> 00:29:27.360 because often the Bible 00:29:27.360 --> 00:29:28.039 says that pride 00:29:28.039 --> 00:29:29.120 is a bad thing. 00:29:29.820 --> 00:29:30.740 So we need to understand 00:29:30.740 --> 00:29:31.680 what kind of pride 00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:35.080 does Paul have in mind here 00:29:35.080 --> 00:29:37.420 in our gospel friendships? 00:29:38.080 --> 00:29:39.160 Now we need to take this 00:29:39.160 --> 00:29:40.559 with verse 14 00:29:40.559 --> 00:29:42.840 where we find Paul boasting. 00:29:42.839 --> 00:29:45.939 chapter 6 verse 14, 00:29:45.939 --> 00:29:47.879 may I never boast 00:29:47.879 --> 00:29:49.899 except in the cross 00:29:49.899 --> 00:29:51.619 of our Lord Jesus Christ 00:29:51.619 --> 00:29:53.259 through which the world 00:29:53.259 --> 00:29:54.919 has been crucified to me 00:29:54.919 --> 00:29:57.500 and I to the world. 00:29:58.299 --> 00:30:00.720 So his boast is in Christ crucified. 00:30:01.659 --> 00:30:03.159 He's calling us to pride 00:30:03.159 --> 00:30:04.220 and boasting 00:30:04.220 --> 00:30:06.220 in God's grace 00:30:06.220 --> 00:30:07.959 at work in our lives 00:30:07.959 --> 00:30:09.299 to recognize that 00:30:09.299 --> 00:30:10.179 if we're able to do 00:30:10.179 --> 00:30:11.659 anything good for God, 00:30:11.660 --> 00:30:12.560 it's because God 00:30:12.560 --> 00:30:14.660 has given us grace. 00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:15.740 So again, 00:30:15.779 --> 00:30:16.560 that keeps us humble 00:30:16.560 --> 00:30:18.460 and that keeps us thankful. 00:30:19.259 --> 00:30:21.400 And as we live lives 00:30:21.400 --> 00:30:23.460 that celebrate God's grace, 00:30:24.100 --> 00:30:24.900 it'll make you and I 00:30:24.900 --> 00:30:26.380 better friends 00:30:26.380 --> 00:30:28.360 because we'll be humbled 00:30:28.360 --> 00:30:30.120 of that human pride. 00:30:30.759 --> 00:30:31.960 We'll have that dignity 00:30:31.960 --> 00:30:33.800 that will stop us envying 00:30:33.800 --> 00:30:35.140 and feeling really inferior. 00:30:35.300 --> 00:30:36.540 We'll have that security 00:30:36.539 --> 00:30:39.279 in the love of Jesus. 00:30:40.200 --> 00:30:41.819 And it's as we have that 00:30:41.819 --> 00:30:42.759 that we'll be able 00:30:42.759 --> 00:30:45.240 to pursue restoration 00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:47.899 to a good relationship 00:30:47.899 --> 00:30:49.399 with God in another person 00:30:49.399 --> 00:30:52.000 for the sake of a friend. 00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:55.000 As we celebrate grace, 00:30:55.440 --> 00:30:57.180 we'll be renewed 00:30:57.180 --> 00:30:59.180 so that we will have energy 00:30:59.180 --> 00:31:01.440 to help bear the burdens 00:31:01.440 --> 00:31:02.279 of others. 00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:03.279 not just thinking 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:03.920 about ourselves 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:05.480 and our own issues. 00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:06.839 That we'll carry 00:31:06.839 --> 00:31:07.799 our own load 00:31:07.799 --> 00:31:09.079 which includes 00:31:09.079 --> 00:31:10.399 our responsibility 00:31:10.399 --> 00:31:12.399 to be good friends 00:31:12.399 --> 00:31:13.720 to the people 00:31:13.720 --> 00:31:14.779 who are around 00:31:14.779 --> 00:31:15.879 about us. 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:20.299 So as we wrap up, 00:31:20.379 --> 00:31:22.079 how can you and I 00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:24.019 become better friends? 00:31:24.740 --> 00:31:25.279 Specifically, 00:31:25.819 --> 00:31:26.639 how can we become 00:31:26.639 --> 00:31:27.759 better friends 00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:30.039 for the sake of Jesus? 00:31:30.039 --> 00:31:32.039 We know in our own lives 00:31:32.039 --> 00:31:33.779 that friendship matters. 00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:36.299 That friendship is a gift 00:31:36.299 --> 00:31:37.180 from God. 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:38.359 So it's something 00:31:38.359 --> 00:31:39.879 that we want to grow in. 00:31:39.960 --> 00:31:41.119 We want to develop 00:31:41.119 --> 00:31:42.500 as friends. 00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:43.619 So what kind of steps 00:31:43.619 --> 00:31:45.159 can we take 00:31:45.159 --> 00:31:46.500 towards that? 00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:48.980 Perhaps we can think 00:31:48.980 --> 00:31:50.859 about our schedules. 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:54.019 How do we use our time 00:31:54.019 --> 00:31:55.599 and how could we use 00:31:55.599 --> 00:31:57.220 our time to grow 00:31:57.220 --> 00:31:58.559 to develop 00:31:58.559 --> 00:32:00.519 this kind of friendship 00:32:00.519 --> 00:32:01.960 where Jesus is at the center 00:32:01.960 --> 00:32:03.180 where we're investing 00:32:03.180 --> 00:32:04.539 in someone else 00:32:04.539 --> 00:32:05.299 for their good? 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:07.380 Perhaps we can be deliberate 00:32:07.380 --> 00:32:08.259 about our use 00:32:08.259 --> 00:32:09.799 of meal times. 00:32:10.860 --> 00:32:11.500 Share a lunch 00:32:11.500 --> 00:32:11.960 with somebody. 00:32:12.059 --> 00:32:13.059 Meet someone for breakfast 00:32:13.059 --> 00:32:14.819 or have a family round 00:32:14.819 --> 00:32:15.880 for dinner. 00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:17.420 Perhaps 00:32:17.420 --> 00:32:19.180 if you like walking 00:32:19.180 --> 00:32:20.440 you could go for a walk 00:32:20.440 --> 00:32:21.019 with someone 00:32:21.019 --> 00:32:22.759 with the aim of 00:32:22.759 --> 00:32:25.400 talking about stuff 00:32:25.400 --> 00:32:25.940 that matters. 00:32:25.940 --> 00:32:27.840 Maybe you can take 00:32:27.840 --> 00:32:28.559 a little bit of time 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:30.279 to send a text 00:32:30.279 --> 00:32:31.059 or a note 00:32:31.059 --> 00:32:31.640 or an email 00:32:31.640 --> 00:32:33.559 to encourage someone 00:32:33.559 --> 00:32:34.960 in their faith 00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:36.660 to affirm them 00:32:36.660 --> 00:32:38.059 and to be thankful 00:32:38.059 --> 00:32:39.539 for the gifts 00:32:39.539 --> 00:32:40.279 that you see 00:32:40.279 --> 00:32:41.140 in your life. 00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:43.299 Friendship is something 00:32:43.299 --> 00:32:44.279 that's so important 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:45.920 and life is so busy 00:32:45.920 --> 00:32:46.740 that perhaps 00:32:46.740 --> 00:32:47.700 we just simply need 00:32:47.700 --> 00:32:48.900 to block out time 00:32:48.900 --> 00:32:50.580 in our calendars 00:32:50.580 --> 00:32:52.100 so that we can 00:32:52.100 --> 00:32:53.660 be developing 00:32:53.660 --> 00:32:55.720 and growing friendships. 00:32:55.940 --> 00:32:57.220 So we can think 00:32:57.220 --> 00:32:58.100 about our schedules. 00:32:58.279 --> 00:32:58.980 Perhaps we can also 00:32:58.980 --> 00:32:59.580 think about 00:32:59.580 --> 00:33:01.039 our conversations. 00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:02.880 Now for some of us 00:33:02.880 --> 00:33:03.480 the challenge is 00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:04.400 how can we 00:33:04.400 --> 00:33:05.460 get friendships 00:33:05.460 --> 00:33:06.240 to go deeper 00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:07.080 than weather 00:33:07.080 --> 00:33:07.720 and sport 00:33:07.720 --> 00:33:08.539 and work 00:33:08.539 --> 00:33:09.640 and the usual things? 00:33:10.660 --> 00:33:11.660 Maybe we need to think 00:33:11.660 --> 00:33:11.920 about 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:13.720 before we meet somebody 00:33:13.720 --> 00:33:15.559 what thoughtful questions 00:33:15.559 --> 00:33:16.320 could I ask 00:33:16.320 --> 00:33:17.559 to discover more 00:33:17.559 --> 00:33:18.380 about their family 00:33:18.380 --> 00:33:20.240 or their work situation 00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:21.559 or what struggles 00:33:21.559 --> 00:33:22.180 that they're having. 00:33:22.180 --> 00:33:24.700 and when we hear that 00:33:24.700 --> 00:33:26.480 to find out 00:33:26.480 --> 00:33:27.539 how they're feeling 00:33:27.539 --> 00:33:28.320 how they're doing 00:33:28.320 --> 00:33:29.860 in their walk with God 00:33:29.860 --> 00:33:31.160 in the middle of that. 00:33:32.120 --> 00:33:33.060 Perhaps we could talk 00:33:33.060 --> 00:33:34.539 about God's word together. 00:33:35.500 --> 00:33:36.320 Here's what I was reading 00:33:36.320 --> 00:33:36.779 in the Bible 00:33:36.779 --> 00:33:37.600 and it spoke to me 00:33:37.600 --> 00:33:38.060 about this. 00:33:38.320 --> 00:33:39.299 Perhaps we could talk 00:33:39.299 --> 00:33:40.060 about good books 00:33:40.060 --> 00:33:40.640 that we're reading. 00:33:42.140 --> 00:33:43.340 Maybe we need to learn 00:33:43.340 --> 00:33:45.100 to give affirmation 00:33:45.100 --> 00:33:45.980 and encouragement 00:33:45.980 --> 00:33:47.620 in a culture 00:33:47.620 --> 00:33:49.220 where maybe we're not 00:33:49.220 --> 00:33:49.700 that good at it. 00:33:49.700 --> 00:33:50.480 Especially for guys 00:33:50.480 --> 00:33:51.640 that's not naturally 00:33:51.640 --> 00:33:52.580 where we go. 00:33:53.340 --> 00:33:53.960 But biblically 00:33:53.960 --> 00:33:55.620 we're told all over the place 00:33:55.620 --> 00:33:57.240 to encourage others 00:33:57.240 --> 00:33:58.420 and so maybe that's something 00:33:58.420 --> 00:33:59.360 that we need to develop 00:33:59.360 --> 00:34:01.059 in our conversations. 00:34:02.799 --> 00:34:03.740 But it all starts 00:34:03.740 --> 00:34:05.240 with our heart. 00:34:06.440 --> 00:34:07.080 Am I 00:34:07.080 --> 00:34:08.980 a friend of Jesus? 00:34:09.980 --> 00:34:11.000 Has he taken 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:12.920 my burden of sin? 00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:15.320 Has he restored me 00:34:15.320 --> 00:34:16.460 to rightness 00:34:16.460 --> 00:34:17.679 with God? 00:34:17.679 --> 00:34:19.940 And since he's been 00:34:19.940 --> 00:34:21.579 such a friend to me 00:34:21.579 --> 00:34:23.559 and continues to be 00:34:23.559 --> 00:34:24.599 such a friend to me 00:34:24.599 --> 00:34:25.960 how can I then 00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:26.639 be a friend 00:34:26.639 --> 00:34:27.980 to others? 00:34:27.980 --> 00:34:44.699 he knows what his 00:34:44.760 --> 00:34:45.940 I 00:34:45.940 --> 00:34:48.280 do