Life is Good but Eternal Life is Better: Week #4 - Friends

Friends: Worldly Popularity vs. Godly Qualities
Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Key Verse: Proverbs 12:26 - A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Key Thought: Friends can either have a positive influence on your life or they can lead you down the road of destruction. The friends you choose to hang around with will ultimately shape you as a person. So the question we want to wrestle with is, “How do you choose your friends?”

The World’s Standard:
-- Popularity
-- Social Standard
-- Athletic Ability
-- Appearance
-- Common Interests

God’s Standard:
-- What’s on the inside counts the most.

PC’s Tips on Choosing Friends:
1. Common Interest
a. Grade level
b. Sports/Band
c. Neighborhood
d. Faith

2. Great Personal Attributes
a. Honesty
b. Loyal
c. Fun-Loving
d. Respectful: To You and Others

3. Who Will Not Lead You Astray
a. Don’t be a follower, instead be the leader.
b. Good people make bad choices, good friends influence their friends NOT to make bad choices.
c. Proverbs 12:26 - A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
d. If you are involved in a “bad friendship”, get out of it before it is too late.

Friends, you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them. Friends are everywhere and they will have a HUGE impact on your life. You need to make smart decisions when choosing the friends you are going to hang out with. Don’t let them lead you astray, instead you be a leader and lead them to Christ.