Sermon Response Guide
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE:
Proverbs 27:1-10 ESV
1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.
4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?
5 Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
7 One who is full loathes honey,
but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.
8 Like a bird that strays from its nest
is a man who strays from his home.
9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.
10 Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend,
and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is near
than a brother who is far away.
Key Points
· Qualities of life-giving friendships include:
1) Honesty
2) Empathy
3) Constancy
· True friends praise us and praise others, but a false friend praises themselves.
· A friend who is not willing to tell us the truth about ourselves is not a true friend.
· True friends are consistently helpful: they hold us accountable, offer us guidance, and come whenever they’re needed.
· We should seek friends who remind us of Jesus while seeking to be a friend who reminds others of Christ.
Memory Verse
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”
-Proverbs 27:6 ESV
Questions for Reflection
Take time to reflect and respond to these questions on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit, or with trusted friends or family members:
1: How would you describe the qualities of a true friend in the Kingdom of God?
2: What is one memorable lesson God has taught you about friendship in your own life?
3: Read John 15:15 and answer the questions that follow.
· Why does Jesus have every right to call us servants?
· How does Jesus define friendship in this context?
· Why is it significant Jesus chooses to call us friends rather than servants?
· Furthermore, why do you think Jesus takes time to point out his intentional choice of calling us friends rather than servants?
· Continue reading in John 15:16. What role does “choosing” play in your own friendships today?
4: Who is someone who you consider a true friend in the Kingdom of God?
· What do you treasure most about that friendship?
· What about your friend particularly reminds you of Jesus?
· How do you continue to cultivate that friendship, and why is it a friendship worth cultivating?
5: How did today’s message challenge you or your understanding of friendship?
6: What primary message of truth are you walking away with today?
7: How is God inviting you to respond to the message of truth you received?
Pray
Lord, it is grace upon grace that while we were living as your enemies, you called us friends. Even now, while we are committed to living as your servants, you are committed to calling us friends instead. Thank you for the gift of true friendships in this life. May we not neglect our friendship with you. Teach us to seek and find everything we desire in you. Then, from that place of fulfillment in your presence, send us out to love one another as you first loved us.
