2019-11-20 Friendship

SMALL GROUP MATERIAL

INWARD PRAYER

Questions for Small Groups

1. What struck you about the friendship in Luke 5?

2. Do you have friends like the paralyzed did?

3. What do you look for in a friend?

4. What makes you a good friend to others?

5. How might you help your friends follow Jesus better?

6. Talk about the challenge

Challenge

1) Pick one specific action you can do for a family or friend this week that will really help them and “carry them” this week. Pray, and ask God to help you follow through on it. And if they ask why you did it, tell them you are trying to be more like Jesus. Maybe even tell them about the four friends.


2) Pick a friend or family member you can invite to church this week. Then actually invite them! If they say “No,” pray for them and be open to asking again in the future. If they say “Yes,” then make sure you get them to church and thank God for using you with your friend or family member like He used those four friends of the paralyzed man.


3) Have the courage to know when to ask for help. Maybe you are like that paralyzed man. You need help and don’t know what to do. Talk to your parents, your small group leader, your pastor and your closest friends. Whatever you do, don’t put it off. Talk to someone this week and be able to ask for the help that they would love to give you!

OUTWARD PRAYER

MESSAGE NOTES

FRIENDSHIP

WHAT’S THE POINT?

Being a good friend doesn’t always come easily. It can be easy to get wrapped up in life and forget to touch base with a friend or leave a friend out because we want to hang out with a new friend we made. Friendships aren’t always easy, and not all of them will last forever, but let’s look today at what it looks like to be a good friend.

Today we are going to talk about 3 fundamentals of being a good friend:

– How to be present for your friends. (Burdens, joys, pains, success)
– How to receive friendship from your friends.
– Friends help friends follow Jesus.

WORD UP


LUKE 5:17-26

17 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. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 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. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Teaching Points

These four friends were so intent on helping their friend get to Jesus that they went up on the roof of the house, tore a hole in the roof, and then figured out a way to lower their friend down right in front of Jesus!

Now, to be fair, people in Jesus’ day often used their roof like we use a porch. There was probably a stairway leading up to the roof. So, going up there was pretty normal. However, even in Jesus’ day, it wasn’t normal for someone to make a hole in your house so they can get to see the guest of honour. That was not okay. That was not how things were supposed to be done. And there were some people (Pharisees) who were upset…not about the roof, but about the rules.


These religious leaders obviously didn’t get the point. They were all about how things were “supposed” to be done. These friends obviously didn’t care about that. If you want your friend to get to Jesus, and you can’t get to him through a door, you just come back later. No you don’t!

You go up on the roof, make a hole in the ceiling, and lower your friend down to Jesus! Wouldn’t we all like to have friends like that? I hope we all can be friends like that! Friends help friends follow Jesus. Because of his friends, the man was able to meet Jesus, be forgiven and healed! And the result? HE WAS HEALED!

Not only did these four men help their friend, they helped the whole crowd see the power of God at work in Jesus! When you think of your life, who are some people you know – friends or family members – who could really use your help? It may not be that you have to knock a hole in someone’s roof to help them. Maybe you take time to listen to a friend who is already having a rough year. Then pray for them and send them a text letting know you did and that you are here when they need to talk again. I can almost be sure that you have people in your school, neighbourhood and/or family who don’t know Jesus.

There are 3 important things we can learn from this story:

– Good friends are present for their friends. These 4 men went above and beyond to help their friend, sacrificing their own reputation.

– Good friends receive help. The paralyzed man allowed his friends to help him. Good friends receive friendship. Often we don’t think or feel that we need to receive; we would rather give. But good friends need to receive good friendships.
– Good friends help friends follow Jesus. The 4 men could not bare the burden of the paralyzed man, but they could bring him to someone who could, JESUS! Good friends don’t hold the heavy burdens of others but help them take it to Jesus.

WAKE UP


– Share a story of you and your best friend
– Share a moment in your life that was difficult and how your friends came around you and supported you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipnGPeRIy2k end at 3:07 100 year old best friends

WHY DO I CARE


– Humans were made for relationships
– Humans thrive on authentic relationships
– Jesus calls us to care for our friends
– We should not be the burden bearers but the pointers to Jesus

– Best friends require trust, honesty, authenticity, and life-giving qualities

– Healthy relationships require giving and receiving friendship

WHAT DO I DO

Examine your closest friendships circles, are they life-giving or draining?
  Look at yourself, are you someone who is trustworthy and people want to be authentic with you?
  Call up your best friend and go hang out with them! Make sure in your week you spend time with people that give life!
– Identify the person in your friendship group who might be draining and spend some time investing in them and being a good friend

CHALLENGE

You have a few different options here:

1) Pick one specific action you can do for a family or friend this week that will really help them and “carry them” this week. Pray, and ask God to help you follow through on it. And if they ask why you did it, tell them you are trying to be more like Jesus. Maybe even tell them about the four friends.


2) Pick a friend or family member you can invite to church this week. Then actually invite them! If they say “No,” pray for them and be open to asking again in the future. If they say “Yes,” then make sure you get them to church and thank God for using you with your friend or family member like He used those four friends of the paralyzed man.


3) Have the courage to know when to ask for help. Maybe you are like that paralyzed man. You need help and don’t know what to do. Talk to your parents, your small group leader, your pastor and your closest friends. Whatever you do, don’t put it off. Talk to someone this week and be able to ask for the help that they would love to give you!