This week we are listening to an exhortation by Brother Andy Arnold given in August of 2021 to the Burnside Ecclesia in Australia. We hope this strengthens your Faith and brightens your day!

Thank you for listening, God bless, and talk to you next week.

Send talk suggestions or comments to: [email protected]

For Show Notes, visit our website: Anchor.fm/GCT

Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

1
00:00:13,900 –> 00:00:15,600
Welcome to Good Burger selfie
and talks.

2
00:00:15,600 –> 00:00:19,300
I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m
Brian, thank you for joining us

3
00:00:19,300 –> 00:00:21,900
this week.
On this podcast, we select one

4
00:00:21,900 –> 00:00:26,400
taco week to help us get the
Bible in our daily news feed.

5
00:00:26,500 –> 00:00:29,300
We post a new episode of the
start of each week with a short

6
00:00:29,300 –> 00:00:31,400
intro before.
Hand to kind of set the stage

7
00:00:31,400 –> 00:00:33,600
for the talk.
You’re about to listen to and

8
00:00:33,600 –> 00:00:36,300
now let’s talk more about this
week’s talk.

9
00:00:50,800 –> 00:00:53,100
Welcome to the good.
Chris it up and talks podcast.

10
00:00:53,400 –> 00:00:56,700
This is brother Brian.
This week’s talk is an

11
00:00:56,700 –> 00:01:00,800
excitation by Brother Andy
Arnold, which was given last

12
00:01:00,800 –> 00:01:04,300
August at the Burnside Ecclesia
and South Australia and it was

13
00:01:04,300 –> 00:01:09,700
titled friendship.
This one hits home for being a

14
00:01:09,700 –> 00:01:15,100
straightforward reminder, to put
the time in and to work on our

15
00:01:15,100 –> 00:01:19,900
friendships, to go out of our
way to think about those, that

16
00:01:19,900 –> 00:01:24,400
could use an extra boost or
those that maybe we’ve lost

17
00:01:24,400 –> 00:01:26,400
touch with over the past couple
of years.

18
00:01:28,500 –> 00:01:33,300
Brother Andy points out how
loaded scripture is with a

19
00:01:33,500 –> 00:01:38,300
diverse array of friendship
examples and how the backbone of

20
00:01:38,300 –> 00:01:41,700
them.
All is a self-sacrificing love

21
00:01:42,800 –> 00:01:46,800
One that’s best exemplified by
our Lord and Master Jesus.

22
00:01:46,800 –> 00:01:51,000
The Christ.
But even more, I found it to be

23
00:01:51,000 –> 00:01:54,000
just such a good motivator to
make the effort to be a better

24
00:01:54,000 –> 00:01:59,900
friend especially in light of
how damaging the pandemic has

25
00:01:59,900 –> 00:02:05,900
been on our ability to truly be
closed with one another and to

26
00:02:05,900 –> 00:02:09,600
be able to keep tabs on how our
faith is holding up.

27
00:02:11,500 –> 00:02:15,000
I loved all of his call to
action suggestions.

28
00:02:16,100 –> 00:02:19,800
For all the age groups that were
represented in the audience,

29
00:02:20,800 –> 00:02:23,600
you’ll know it when you hear it
and I think those same

30
00:02:23,600 –> 00:02:27,100
suggestions, they’re going to
apply to any of you that are

31
00:02:27,100 –> 00:02:32,600
listening to this.
So, from Lads Two, Dads, two,

32
00:02:32,600 –> 00:02:36,400
weary mom’s young people, and
even small children.

33
00:02:36,500 –> 00:02:40,000
I think I appreciate that even
more, that he gave it a shout

34
00:02:40,000 –> 00:02:41,700
out to the little kids in the
audience.

35
00:02:43,000 –> 00:02:49,700
The point being I think we can
all benefit from a reminder and

36
00:02:49,900 –> 00:02:54,400
what it means to be a Godly
friend and how critical these

37
00:02:54,400 –> 00:03:00,500
friendships can be in preventing
heartache and the epidemic of

38
00:03:00,500 –> 00:03:05,600
loneliness.
As always, we hope this

39
00:03:05,600 –> 00:03:08,400
strengthens your faith, hope
that it strengthens your

40
00:03:08,400 –> 00:03:12,300
friendships work on your
friendships and we hope this

41
00:03:12,300 –> 00:03:15,100
brightens your day.
Brother, Andy, Arnold

42
00:03:15,700 –> 00:03:19,600
friendship.
Oh, good morning everyone here.

43
00:03:20,000 –> 00:03:23,400
And good morning everybody
joining in on Zoom.

44
00:03:23,700 –> 00:03:27,200
I know some of you are in
quarantine, after escaping wet,

45
00:03:27,200 –> 00:03:30,500
Adelaide to head over to
Queensland so bad luck.

46
00:03:30,600 –> 00:03:35,000
But that’s what you get, but I
hope you can all be back amongst

47
00:03:35,000 –> 00:03:39,200
us soon to some of the others
may be tuning in.

48
00:03:39,300 –> 00:03:43,900
Maybe you aren’t well or you’re
staying home to be safe or maybe

49
00:03:43,900 –> 00:03:46,500
you woke up today and you’re
going through a tough time and

50
00:03:46,500 –> 00:03:49,700
you just couldn’t step out.
That front door today, and

51
00:03:49,700 –> 00:03:53,100
that’s okay.
I pray, we are all able to catch

52
00:03:53,100 –> 00:03:55,200
up again soon in one way or
another.

53
00:03:56,600 –> 00:03:58,700
And everyone else here as well.
It’s good to see you.

54
00:03:58,700 –> 00:04:00,600
It’s good to see that you could
make it here.

55
00:04:01,100 –> 00:04:03,900
And the best thing about Sunday
mornings especially every week

56
00:04:03,900 –> 00:04:06,600
is it’s an hour where we can
just come here and we can really

57
00:04:06,800 –> 00:04:09,900
out that door just and if you
haven’t done it yet do it now

58
00:04:09,900 –> 00:04:13,900
just unburden yourselves and lay
everything aside because we’re

59
00:04:13,900 –> 00:04:19,800
here this morning with our King,
So the subject I had to just

60
00:04:19,800 –> 00:04:23,600
discuss with you this morning as
we prepare to break bread and

61
00:04:23,600 –> 00:04:28,000
drink wine has been on my mind
for a few years and I actually

62
00:04:28,000 –> 00:04:30,300
settled on it.
Last time we visited Burnside

63
00:04:30,300 –> 00:04:35,600
this year and heard brother,
Dave speak to us, the subject is

64
00:04:35,600 –> 00:04:39,100
friendship.
You say Dave spoke so

65
00:04:39,100 –> 00:04:43,000
beautifully about God and Jesus
is attitude towards anxiety and

66
00:04:43,000 –> 00:04:46,400
depression and near the end of
his eggs or he touched on

67
00:04:46,400 –> 00:04:49,100
friendship and to steal some of
his words.

68
00:04:49,800 –> 00:04:52,800
He said, friendships mean a huge
amount.

69
00:04:54,000 –> 00:05:00,000
Friendships are massive.
In your life never ever

70
00:05:00,300 –> 00:05:04,200
underestimate.
Friendship friendship often is

71
00:05:04,200 –> 00:05:06,800
what it will take to get you
through life.

72
00:05:08,300 –> 00:05:12,300
In the situation of anxiety and
depression and also loneliness,

73
00:05:13,000 –> 00:05:16,900
a friend, that just sits with
you or lessons, can be a

74
00:05:16,900 –> 00:05:21,500
physical reminder that somebody
loves you and that someone

75
00:05:21,600 –> 00:05:27,300
actually cares.
Never abandon a friend.

76
00:05:28,700 –> 00:05:30,500
Sometimes you’re all they’ve
got.

77
00:05:32,300 –> 00:05:38,200
And Proverbs 17 verse 17.
A friend is always loyal or a

78
00:05:38,200 –> 00:05:44,200
friend loves at all times.
So this helped me to work on the

79
00:05:44,200 –> 00:05:47,700
words to try and deliver this
message today as we meet around

80
00:05:47,700 –> 00:05:51,700
this table.
So, why friendship?

81
00:05:53,200 –> 00:05:57,400
Well, it starts for me with this
verse one of my favorite verses,

82
00:05:57,400 –> 00:06:01,300
which I actually spoke on last
time I was here at Burnside when

83
00:06:01,300 –> 00:06:05,500
we spoke about Hope, and then I
recently touched on it with Josh

84
00:06:05,800 –> 00:06:08,100
mr.
Marshall today, when we did a

85
00:06:08,108 –> 00:06:12,200
podcast for young people with
faith and so, I thought it’d be

86
00:06:12,200 –> 00:06:15,900
fitting to finish with the third
word from this verse First

87
00:06:15,900 –> 00:06:21,800
Corinthians 13 verse 13.
And now these three remain Five,

88
00:06:22,600 –> 00:06:28,100
hope and love.
But the greatest of these is

89
00:06:28,100 –> 00:06:31,700
love.
I honestly believe that these

90
00:06:31,700 –> 00:06:37,600
three words summarize everything
about our God and about his

91
00:06:37,600 –> 00:06:41,200
plan.
From the beginning of the Bible

92
00:06:41,200 –> 00:06:45,600
to the end.
But the greatest of these is

93
00:06:45,600 –> 00:06:48,800
love.
Now, loving itself is a whole

94
00:06:48,800 –> 00:06:53,100
other subject that we could
speak on for hours, but it’s

95
00:06:53,100 –> 00:06:56,700
these verses from our reading
today that draw us into our

96
00:06:56,700 –> 00:07:02,800
subject this morning from John
15 as the father has loved me.

97
00:07:02,800 –> 00:07:06,900
So have I Loved You Now remain
in my love.

98
00:07:08,000 –> 00:07:11,400
If you keep my Commandments, you
will remain in my love.

99
00:07:11,900 –> 00:07:16,200
Just as I have kept, my father’s
commands and remain in his love.

100
00:07:17,000 –> 00:07:20,100
I’ve told you this so that my
joy may be in you and that your

101
00:07:20,100 –> 00:07:26,200
joy may be complete.
And my command is this love each

102
00:07:26,200 –> 00:07:29,500
other.
As I have loved you.

103
00:07:33,500 –> 00:07:40,700
Greater love has no one than
this to lay down, one’s life for

104
00:07:40,700 –> 00:07:44,800
one’s friends.
And you are my friends.

105
00:07:45,800 –> 00:07:50,800
If you do what I command, I no
longer call you servants because

106
00:07:50,800 –> 00:07:53,900
a servant doesn’t know what his
master’s business is.

107
00:07:54,500 –> 00:07:58,600
Instead, I have called you
friends for everything that I

108
00:07:58,608 –> 00:08:02,100
have learned from my father, I
have made known to you.

109
00:08:04,400 –> 00:08:07,800
You see here, we’re commanded to
love each other the same way

110
00:08:07,800 –> 00:08:12,100
that Jesus loves us.
And here, we read that there’s

111
00:08:12,100 –> 00:08:18,500
no greater love than to lay down
your life for your friends.

112
00:08:18,500 –> 00:08:22,200
There is no greater love.
And we’re going to come back to

113
00:08:22,200 –> 00:08:27,700
that again in a bit.
So here we are directly called

114
00:08:27,700 –> 00:08:30,500
friends of our King and our
savior.

115
00:08:30,600 –> 00:08:37,200
If we follow his commands, So,
the importance of friendship in

116
00:08:37,200 –> 00:08:38,700
the Bible.
Let’s start there.

117
00:08:40,400 –> 00:08:42,900
It starts back in the Garden of
Eden.

118
00:08:44,600 –> 00:08:48,600
God, mentions how good
everything is as he creates

119
00:08:48,600 –> 00:08:51,500
them.
But then there’s something that

120
00:08:51,500 –> 00:08:56,400
I hadn’t noticed before I’d read
it but glossed over it in

121
00:08:56,400 –> 00:09:01,000
Genesis 2 Verse 18, God says
it’s not good.

122
00:09:02,300 –> 00:09:05,100
He’s just created the whole
world as we know it and he said

123
00:09:05,100 –> 00:09:09,100
every day, this is good.
And he said, something’s not

124
00:09:09,100 –> 00:09:12,100
good.
That man should be alone.

125
00:09:13,300 –> 00:09:15,500
This was before sin had entered
the world.

126
00:09:16,500 –> 00:09:20,500
Adam was not yet complete, he
needed Community, he needed

127
00:09:20,500 –> 00:09:26,500
company, he needed friendship.
The first problem in the world

128
00:09:26,500 –> 00:09:29,600
wasn’t actually sin, it was
solitude.

129
00:09:32,200 –> 00:09:35,800
And friendship is then whole
Bible theme, it obviously starts

130
00:09:35,800 –> 00:09:39,300
with Adam and Eve from a human
sense, but then it’s touched on

131
00:09:39,300 –> 00:09:41,600
with relationships with our God
as well.

132
00:09:43,400 –> 00:09:46,700
We read Enoch and Noah, who
walked with God.

133
00:09:47,400 –> 00:09:49,500
It’s a Hebrew expression of
friendship.

134
00:09:50,700 –> 00:09:55,800
Abraham was called a friend of
God in Isaiah Moses spoke with

135
00:09:55,800 –> 00:09:59,800
God face to face as a man speaks
with his friend.

136
00:10:00,700 –> 00:10:04,800
You see, God invented friendship
and he’s been building it and

137
00:10:04,800 –> 00:10:07,600
restoring it with us since the
very beginning.

138
00:10:09,300 –> 00:10:14,800
And then he sent the world, his
son, to be the Friend of Sinners

139
00:10:15,500 –> 00:10:18,700
befriending, all who trust and
follow him.

140
00:10:20,900 –> 00:10:24,200
So who are some other great
examples of friendship in the

141
00:10:24,200 –> 00:10:26,600
Bible?
Well, you probably already

142
00:10:26,600 –> 00:10:31,700
thinking of some of them, but
what about David and Jonathan of

143
00:10:31,700 –> 00:10:35,100
all the friendships in the Bible
that of David and Jonathan

144
00:10:35,100 –> 00:10:39,900
stands out, probably the most
first Samuel 18 describes their

145
00:10:39,900 –> 00:10:43,800
friendship as soon as he had
finished speaking to Saul.

146
00:10:45,200 –> 00:10:51,200
The soul of Jonathan was neat to
the soul of David and Jonathan

147
00:10:51,200 –> 00:10:57,900
loved him as his own soul.
You see, imagine in life

148
00:10:57,900 –> 00:11:02,300
battling Against All Odds,
facing the anger and the

149
00:11:02,300 –> 00:11:06,400
politics of important people in
your life, but having your best

150
00:11:06,400 –> 00:11:10,500
mate on the other side to
confide in, and Trust to have

151
00:11:10,500 –> 00:11:15,300
your back.
And what about Moses and Aaron?

152
00:11:17,000 –> 00:11:19,700
The partnership of Moses and
Aaron is one of the greatest

153
00:11:19,700 –> 00:11:25,800
examples of two friends working
together to do something great.

154
00:11:28,100 –> 00:11:31,800
Imagine those times you’ve been
really in a really nervous

155
00:11:31,800 –> 00:11:36,500
situation, may be presenting at
work or presenting something at

156
00:11:36,500 –> 00:11:40,000
school, maybe at the meeting
doing doing an egg’s order or

157
00:11:40,000 –> 00:11:43,800
your first talk, maybe when
you’re in front of a group of

158
00:11:43,800 –> 00:11:48,800
new mums or ladies or you’re
about to try a new hobby and you

159
00:11:48,800 –> 00:11:52,100
know, you get a bit wobbly, you
get a bit shaky, Moses had his

160
00:11:52,100 –> 00:11:55,700
friend, his brother, his best
mate there to strengthen him in,

161
00:11:55,700 –> 00:12:03,700
to do the talking for him.
What about Elijah and Elisha?

162
00:12:05,300 –> 00:12:07,900
Elijah was the well-known
prophet of Israel.

163
00:12:09,000 –> 00:12:13,100
He was the man who called down
the fires of Heaven, defeating

164
00:12:13,100 –> 00:12:17,000
the prophets of Baal and the man
who caused a drought in Israel

165
00:12:17,000 –> 00:12:21,900
for three years through prayer.
And to help him carry out his

166
00:12:21,900 –> 00:12:26,600
work.
God saw it fit to send the

167
00:12:26,600 –> 00:12:30,900
younger.
Elijah, a friend and an eventual

168
00:12:30,900 –> 00:12:34,900
successor.
You see, I age also doesn’t

169
00:12:34,900 –> 00:12:38,900
matter in friendship and
experience, doesn’t always

170
00:12:38,900 –> 00:12:41,800
matter.
It’s all about the relationship.

171
00:12:44,400 –> 00:12:47,500
What about this one Naomi and
Ruth?

172
00:12:49,400 –> 00:12:52,800
The story of Naomi and her
daughter-in-law Ruth is one of

173
00:12:52,800 –> 00:12:56,800
the fringes of one of friendship
found in a very unlikely place.

174
00:12:57,200 –> 00:12:59,900
I mean, how often have we heard
the jokes and opinions about

175
00:12:59,900 –> 00:13:01,600
parents-in-law and
mothers-in-law.

176
00:13:03,400 –> 00:13:07,900
But here is an example of a true
loyal friendship within family.

177
00:13:11,200 –> 00:13:15,200
Ruth didn’t hesitate to give
when Naomi was in need.

178
00:13:16,200 –> 00:13:19,300
This is the kind of action that
creates the strongest of

179
00:13:19,300 –> 00:13:22,600
friendships and gives us a sense
of security.

180
00:13:23,500 –> 00:13:26,500
We know that when we’re in
trouble, someone will be there

181
00:13:26,500 –> 00:13:33,900
for us.
And we have Daniel and Shadrach

182
00:13:33,900 –> 00:13:38,900
Meshach and Abednego.
The relationship between Daniel

183
00:13:38,900 –> 00:13:42,100
and his three.
Best friends help us think about

184
00:13:42,100 –> 00:13:47,400
the real meaning of friendship.
These three young Lads grew in

185
00:13:47,400 –> 00:13:51,600
their faith together.
They stood by each other during

186
00:13:51,600 –> 00:13:55,600
some trials and they never
allowed their friendship to take

187
00:13:55,600 –> 00:14:00,300
God’s place in their lives.
Not even in the face of death

188
00:14:01,700 –> 00:14:04,200
and for teenagers.
And young people here.

189
00:14:04,900 –> 00:14:08,700
This is such a good example
about friendship.

190
00:14:09,000 –> 00:14:13,300
Something to read about lean on
each other through whatever life

191
00:14:13,300 –> 00:14:19,500
throws at you.
I’m not really going to go into

192
00:14:20,000 –> 00:14:24,900
how to make friends and the
advice and warnings Etc of

193
00:14:24,900 –> 00:14:30,200
friendships, but that is a
fantastic study to do especially

194
00:14:30,200 –> 00:14:33,500
with kids and with our young
people, as they learn to

195
00:14:33,500 –> 00:14:38,500
navigate relationships in life.
What is good though?

196
00:14:38,500 –> 00:14:43,700
Is realizing the Bible and in
particular, The Book of Proverbs

197
00:14:44,100 –> 00:14:48,300
is a practical guide to real
true friendships.

198
00:14:49,900 –> 00:14:54,700
It gives us wisdom and helps us
navigate this amazing and

199
00:14:54,700 –> 00:14:57,900
Powerful gift.
But something that can be

200
00:14:57,900 –> 00:15:03,300
complex at times and needs
constant thought and work to

201
00:15:03,300 –> 00:15:06,200
get, right?
Because I will just add.

202
00:15:06,200 –> 00:15:09,400
I’m by no means an expert on
friendship.

203
00:15:10,800 –> 00:15:12,700
I’ve had to work on it.
A lot in my life.

204
00:15:15,000 –> 00:15:17,000
You have friends that come and
go in your life.

205
00:15:17,100 –> 00:15:20,000
I have friends that I’ve made
within the last year, people are

206
00:15:20,000 –> 00:15:23,100
really close friendships.
And I’ve had other friendships

207
00:15:23,100 –> 00:15:26,900
that I’ve lost over time and I
have regrets about it, but it’s

208
00:15:26,900 –> 00:15:29,800
something we all go through.
So, keep working on it.

209
00:15:32,000 –> 00:15:36,500
So some verses from Proverbs
Proverbs 12 verse 26.

210
00:15:36,900 –> 00:15:39,500
The righteous choose their
friends carefully.

211
00:15:39,700 –> 00:15:47,300
But the Way of the Wicked leads
them astray, 16:28.

212
00:15:48,300 –> 00:15:54,000
A perverse person stirs up,
conflict, and a gossip separates

213
00:15:54,300 –> 00:16:02,700
close friends. 17:9, whoever
would Foster love covers over

214
00:16:02,700 –> 00:16:07,900
and offense but whoever repeats
the matter, separates close

215
00:16:07,900 –> 00:16:15,000
friends. 17 verse 17 that we
touched on earlier a friend

216
00:16:15,000 –> 00:16:20,100
loves at all times.
And a brother is born for a time

217
00:16:20,100 –> 00:16:29,400
of adversity. 18:24 one who has
unreliable friends, soon comes

218
00:16:29,400 –> 00:16:34,400
to ruin, but there is a friend
who sticks closer than a brother

219
00:16:36,800 –> 00:16:43,100
13:20 walk with the wise and
become wise for a companion of

220
00:16:43,100 –> 00:16:52,800
fools suffers harm.
And a great one is 27:17 as iron

221
00:16:52,900 –> 00:16:58,800
sharpens iron.
So one person sharpens another,

222
00:16:59,600 –> 00:17:02,700
we really can help each other
out with friendship.

223
00:17:04,900 –> 00:17:08,000
So they’re all from Proverbs a
great place to start.

224
00:17:08,000 –> 00:17:11,700
When studying friendship a
couple of other great Bible

225
00:17:11,700 –> 00:17:20,599
verses Ecclesiastes 4 verse 9 to
12 Two people are better off

226
00:17:20,599 –> 00:17:23,599
than one.
For they can help each other

227
00:17:23,599 –> 00:17:27,900
succeed.
If one person falls the other

228
00:17:27,900 –> 00:17:32,900
can reach out and help but
someone who falls alone is in

229
00:17:32,900 –> 00:17:36,900
real trouble.
Likewise two people lying.

230
00:17:36,900 –> 00:17:41,400
Close together can keep each
other warm, but how can one be

231
00:17:41,400 –> 00:17:46,700
warm alone?
A person standing alone can be

232
00:17:46,700 –> 00:17:53,300
attacked and defeated and I love
this bit here but two can stand

233
00:17:53,300 –> 00:18:01,100
back to back and conquer.
Three are even better for a

234
00:18:01,100 –> 00:18:06,300
triple braided.
Cord is not easily broken. 1st

235
00:18:06,300 –> 00:18:12,000
John 4 verse 11, dear friends,
since God loved us that much.

236
00:18:12,600 –> 00:18:15,100
We surely ought to love each
other.

237
00:18:17,500 –> 00:18:22,400
And Philippians 2, verse 3.
Do nothing out of selfish

238
00:18:22,400 –> 00:18:29,400
ambition or vain conceit, rather
in humility value, others above

239
00:18:29,400 –> 00:18:34,700
yourselves.
Galatians 6:12.

240
00:18:34,700 –> 00:18:39,000
Sorry I have his the last one.
Carry each other’s burdens.

241
00:18:40,300 –> 00:18:43,900
And in this way, you will
fulfill the law of Christ.

242
00:18:45,800 –> 00:18:48,900
You see, friendship our
friendship builds, and

243
00:18:48,900 –> 00:18:53,500
strengthens our community that
we’re in in a world facing many

244
00:18:53,500 –> 00:18:57,200
epidemics, we have one very big
one growing every day.

245
00:18:57,900 –> 00:19:02,800
The loneliness epidemic And
places like our Ecclesia has

246
00:19:02,900 –> 00:19:05,100
meetings churches.
Gatherings.

247
00:19:05,500 –> 00:19:09,200
These are the places that we can
build friendships and build

248
00:19:09,200 –> 00:19:14,400
relationships and be a safe,
welcoming Community to those in

249
00:19:14,400 –> 00:19:21,400
need of friendship.
One of the main goals of the

250
00:19:21,400 –> 00:19:25,600
Gospel is friendship.
You see, if we’re telling

251
00:19:25,600 –> 00:19:28,800
people, the good news about the
kingdom of God, and the name of

252
00:19:28,800 –> 00:19:32,000
Jesus Christ.
Then we need to be telling them

253
00:19:32,100 –> 00:19:35,700
that following Jesus and
obeying, his Commandments

254
00:19:35,800 –> 00:19:39,400
results in us being counted as
one of his friends.

255
00:19:43,800 –> 00:19:47,400
So friendship, how important and
how powerful is it?

256
00:19:48,200 –> 00:19:51,400
Well it’s important enough and
powerful enough to be something

257
00:19:51,400 –> 00:19:55,400
that even the world around us
tries to hold onto and it’s

258
00:19:55,400 –> 00:19:58,700
referenced in stories and movies
and songs every day.

259
00:20:01,700 –> 00:20:07,100
A day without a friend is like a
pot without a single drop of

260
00:20:07,100 –> 00:20:10,200
Honey left inside says winning
the poop.

261
00:20:12,800 –> 00:20:15,600
You have Harry Potter, you have
Lord of the Rings, The

262
00:20:15,608 –> 00:20:19,200
Chronicles of Narnia, you have
movies, kids movies like Toy

263
00:20:19,200 –> 00:20:23,400
Story and recently, the Heritage
College production of Wind in

264
00:20:23,400 –> 00:20:27,000
the Willows.
In all these things we see

265
00:20:27,000 –> 00:20:33,000
friendship and love used as the
theme creating magic and power

266
00:20:33,000 –> 00:20:38,600
that defeats every obstacle and
let’s friends work together for

267
00:20:38,600 –> 00:20:44,700
victory.
I jumped onto the Quran

268
00:20:45,300 –> 00:20:48,600
Christian website because I
thought I’ll tell you about some

269
00:20:48,600 –> 00:20:54,500
good resources on friendship
that they have. 1600 items came

270
00:20:54,500 –> 00:20:58,800
up on their website.
So good luck.

271
00:21:00,000 –> 00:21:05,200
It’s a big deal.
Another group of subjects that

272
00:21:05,200 –> 00:21:08,600
I’m passionate about is
awareness of mental health,

273
00:21:08,800 –> 00:21:11,300
Suicide, Prevention and
loneliness.

274
00:21:12,400 –> 00:21:17,600
They all have their research and
their support groups, refer to

275
00:21:17,600 –> 00:21:22,600
friendship and having somebody
to talk to and confide in as

276
00:21:22,600 –> 00:21:27,800
being so important.
Reaching out, when things get,

277
00:21:27,800 –> 00:21:34,600
tough is so vital, but we need
to have someone to turn to don’t

278
00:21:36,600 –> 00:21:40,800
And on the flipside of that, we
need to make sure that we are

279
00:21:40,808 –> 00:21:44,500
being a friend that someone else
can come too.

280
00:21:45,000 –> 00:21:50,500
If able to and we need to know
how to ask if they’re okay and

281
00:21:50,500 –> 00:21:53,700
how to listen to them and how to
respond.

282
00:21:55,500 –> 00:21:57,900
And there’s a lot of great info
out there.

283
00:21:57,900 –> 00:22:01,400
If this is something you want to
learn more about and I’m always

284
00:22:01,400 –> 00:22:03,400
happy to help point you in the
right direction.

285
00:22:03,500 –> 00:22:11,800
If I can Friendship isn’t easy.
And it’s different for all of us

286
00:22:12,200 –> 00:22:19,600
at different times in our lives.
So for the men here today, dad’s

287
00:22:20,100 –> 00:22:25,000
Sons Brothers mates, look out
for each other.

288
00:22:26,000 –> 00:22:30,900
Make time for each other.
As dogs, we have a tendency to

289
00:22:30,900 –> 00:22:35,200
bottle it up inside.
I know that as well as anyone

290
00:22:36,700 –> 00:22:38,900
but lean on your friends and
your mates.

291
00:22:39,600 –> 00:22:43,300
And remember, we have some great
examples that God has given us,

292
00:22:44,800 –> 00:22:48,900
go grab a coffee or a burger, go
kick a footy or have a hit, a

293
00:22:48,908 –> 00:22:52,000
goal.
Go fishing.

294
00:22:53,400 –> 00:22:59,300
Go cook a T-bone steak, and
while you’re at it, why not

295
00:22:59,300 –> 00:23:01,700
message a few other blokes to
join in with you.

296
00:23:02,500 –> 00:23:04,500
Always keep an eye out on each
other.

297
00:23:08,300 –> 00:23:12,600
And to our mom’s our wives, our
daughters, our sisters, and our

298
00:23:12,600 –> 00:23:17,800
ladies here, how are you all
going as?

299
00:23:17,800 –> 00:23:21,400
If life isn’t tough enough with
the pressures of society,

300
00:23:22,200 –> 00:23:27,200
without throwing in pandemics
and lockdowns, it’s been a tough

301
00:23:27,200 –> 00:23:30,400
couple of weeks and for those
others around Australia, it’s

302
00:23:30,400 –> 00:23:35,200
been a tough year.
But ladies have you caught up

303
00:23:35,200 –> 00:23:37,900
with a friend lately?
Do you need to get out of the

304
00:23:37,900 –> 00:23:40,500
house and confide in a buddy
about the good?

305
00:23:40,600 –> 00:23:43,100
All the bad things happening in
your life at the moment.

306
00:23:44,200 –> 00:23:46,700
Have you noticed, another lady?
That might be doing it tough at

307
00:23:46,700 –> 00:23:51,900
the moment or feeling lonely.
Arrange a catch-up, get someone

308
00:23:51,900 –> 00:23:56,600
to watch the kids if you can.
I know it’s hard, folks, help

309
00:23:56,600 –> 00:24:00,800
out and go and make some time
for a friendship recharge.

310
00:24:01,900 –> 00:24:05,800
Ruth and Naomi and other awesome
female characters of the Bible,

311
00:24:05,800 –> 00:24:13,100
are there to encourage To our
teenagers here and young adults,

312
00:24:13,700 –> 00:24:15,500
got a great group here at
Burnside.

313
00:24:16,800 –> 00:24:22,800
Is school or uni or work or
relationship issues on your

314
00:24:22,800 –> 00:24:29,000
mind?
Hit up a friend text call email,

315
00:24:29,800 –> 00:24:36,200
tweet or hashtag a buddy.
Remember age doesn’t matter,

316
00:24:36,200 –> 00:24:39,700
either you may make a friend
with an oldie or even someone

317
00:24:39,700 –> 00:24:42,000
younger than you and and that’s
great.

318
00:24:42,900 –> 00:24:47,200
The inspiration for you can be
Daniel and his mates and David

319
00:24:47,200 –> 00:24:51,700
and Jonathan.
And to any kid, he’s trying to

320
00:24:51,700 –> 00:24:53,700
listen to me ramble on this
morning as well.

321
00:24:53,700 –> 00:24:58,200
Kids be a good friend, be kind
and be helpful.

322
00:24:59,100 –> 00:25:02,800
Stand up for your mates and
always ask your parents or your

323
00:25:02,800 –> 00:25:06,200
older brothers, or sisters, or
even your school teachers, if

324
00:25:06,200 –> 00:25:08,500
you need help with your
friendship circles.

325
00:25:11,300 –> 00:25:15,600
So all of this leads us back to
the verses, we started with and

326
00:25:15,600 –> 00:25:20,600
why we’re here this morning.
This is why friendship matters.

327
00:25:23,000 –> 00:25:26,600
This is why it’s important and
why it’s powerful.

328
00:25:28,400 –> 00:25:30,700
The ultimate example of
friendship.

329
00:25:31,700 –> 00:25:34,800
But not just a friendship of
relationship.

330
00:25:35,700 –> 00:25:40,200
It’s that between Mankind and
the Lord Jesus Christ.

331
00:25:41,600 –> 00:25:44,800
See, Jesus said in John, 15
verse 13.

332
00:25:45,100 –> 00:25:51,500
Greater love has no one than
this, that he lay down his life

333
00:25:51,500 –> 00:25:58,100
for his friends.
Christ is the purest example of

334
00:25:58,100 –> 00:26:04,300
a friend that we can find in the
Bible laying down his life.

335
00:26:05,100 –> 00:26:10,500
His extraordinary valuable life
for the friends whom he loved.

336
00:26:11,800 –> 00:26:14,800
Even though he had the power to
call those around him, his

337
00:26:14,800 –> 00:26:17,600
servants, he called them his
friends.

338
00:26:20,100 –> 00:26:22,500
Jesus also showed us another
much-needed.

339
00:26:22,500 –> 00:26:25,800
Attribute of a friend.
He wasn’t afraid of giving

340
00:26:25,900 –> 00:26:33,200
loving constructive criticism.
His simple phrase of go and sin.

341
00:26:33,200 –> 00:26:36,200
No more.
It wasn’t an insult.

342
00:26:36,700 –> 00:26:42,000
It wasn’t hateful or shaming.
It was a simple caution and

343
00:26:42,000 –> 00:26:44,500
encouragement to live
differently.

344
00:26:47,400 –> 00:26:50,800
Christ wasn’t afraid of pointing
out the best way to live.

345
00:26:52,300 –> 00:26:56,500
He didn’t do this in an amazing
or out their way, however, he

346
00:26:56,500 –> 00:27:00,500
simply made his point and then
he lived out what he was doing

347
00:27:00,500 –> 00:27:07,000
as an example.
The truest friend is Jesus.

348
00:27:09,000 –> 00:27:15,100
And friends are like-minded.
They love one another with

349
00:27:15,500 –> 00:27:25,200
sacrificial love.
We are blessed to have been

350
00:27:25,200 –> 00:27:29,900
adopted into the family of God
and to have been made friends of

351
00:27:29,900 –> 00:27:33,700
Jesus.
And in return, we’re called to

352
00:27:33,700 –> 00:27:40,200
be good friends to each other.
The Bible teaches us that true

353
00:27:40,200 –> 00:27:43,600
friendship is characterized by
love.

354
00:27:45,000 –> 00:27:49,600
And the Proverbs which we read
the examples of David and

355
00:27:49,600 –> 00:27:54,300
Jonathan and those other
characters the instructions to

356
00:27:54,500 –> 00:28:01,000
our kaliesha’s and ultimately
Jesus example, all depict true

357
00:28:01,600 –> 00:28:07,600
friendship.
A true friend loves gives wise

358
00:28:07,600 –> 00:28:16,900
counsel remains loyal forgives.
And promotes the welfare of

359
00:28:16,900 –> 00:28:22,100
others.
So let’s lay it all out this

360
00:28:22,100 –> 00:28:29,100
morning at our Lord’s feet, Our
Savior, our King, and our

361
00:28:29,100 –> 00:28:34,500
friend, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He laid down his life for his

362
00:28:34,500 –> 00:28:39,400
friends.
And why will John chapter 3?

363
00:28:42,400 –> 00:28:48,400
John chapter 3 verse 14 to 17
and as Moses lifted up, the

364
00:28:48,400 –> 00:28:53,700
serpent in the wilderness even
so must the son of man be lifted

365
00:28:53,700 –> 00:28:58,500
up.
That whosoever believeth in him,

366
00:28:58,700 –> 00:29:02,600
should not perish, but have
eternal life.

367
00:29:04,900 –> 00:29:10,400
And this is it right here in
verse 16, for God, so loved the

368
00:29:10,400 –> 00:29:15,800
world.
That he gave his only begotten

369
00:29:15,800 –> 00:29:22,400
son that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have

370
00:29:22,400 –> 00:29:28,000
everlasting life.
For God sent not his son into

371
00:29:28,000 –> 00:29:33,500
the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through him

372
00:29:34,100 –> 00:29:42,300
might be saved.
I’ve seen the heartache of

373
00:29:42,300 –> 00:29:46,300
parents losing a child first
hand.

374
00:29:48,300 –> 00:29:52,200
Twice in my life.
It’s something I will never

375
00:29:52,200 –> 00:29:55,800
forget.
It’s something I wish I had

376
00:29:55,800 –> 00:29:58,900
never seen.
And it’s something that no one

377
00:29:58,900 –> 00:30:01,600
should have to go through and
I’m respectful of anyone that

378
00:30:01,600 –> 00:30:08,000
has gone through it.
But it’s also the two times in

379
00:30:08,000 –> 00:30:14,200
my life that I realized, just
how powerful verse 16 really is.

380
00:30:17,000 –> 00:30:19,700
Because God loved the world so
much.

381
00:30:21,200 –> 00:30:23,700
And keep in mind it’s the world
that hates him.

382
00:30:24,600 –> 00:30:26,600
It’s the world that hates his
son.

383
00:30:27,700 –> 00:30:34,500
God, loved the world so much
that he gave his son. and I look

384
00:30:34,500 –> 00:30:38,600
at the pain of those parents
losing their child and it makes

385
00:30:38,600 –> 00:30:47,200
me realize how powerful God’s
love really is our God gave his

386
00:30:47,200 –> 00:30:49,900
only son so that we could be
saved.

387
00:30:51,000 –> 00:30:54,500
And that was done through the
most, ultimate Act of friendship

388
00:30:54,600 –> 00:30:58,100
ever seen in Jesus laying down
his life for us.

389
00:31:01,500 –> 00:31:04,900
Let’s pray to our God.
Now through our savior and our

390
00:31:04,900 –> 00:31:09,100
mediator and our friend, as we
break this bread and eat it.

391
00:31:09,200 –> 00:31:15,300
And as we pour this wine and we
drink it because we love Because

392
00:31:15,300 –> 00:31:22,000
God first loved us and we can be
good friends because we have the

393
00:31:22,000 –> 00:31:25,400
best example of a friend ever
sang.

394
00:31:27,700 –> 00:31:32,500
So, stay safe everybody.
Work on your friendships in the

395
00:31:32,500 –> 00:31:36,900
weeks and months and years to
come, reach out to somebody.

396
00:31:37,900 –> 00:31:43,200
Check in on somebody and keep
working away at it until we

397
00:31:43,200 –> 00:31:45,500
finally meet our friend
face-to-face.

398
00:32:00,000 –> 00:32:02,300
Thank You for listening to the
good christadelphians Ox

399
00:32:02,300 –> 00:32:05,100
podcast.
We hope this talk helped you in

400
00:32:05,100 –> 00:32:07,300
your walk.
If you would like to hear more,

401
00:32:07,500 –> 00:32:10,000
please subscribe for new
episodes and leave a review and

402
00:32:10,000 –> 00:32:12,900
apple podcast or whatever
service you are using to help

403
00:32:12,900 –> 00:32:14,800
more people find the show when
they search for it.

404
00:32:15,600 –> 00:32:18,400
If you enjoyed this particular
talk, please share it with

405
00:32:18,400 –> 00:32:21,500
someone who you think might
enjoy it as well for show notes

406
00:32:21,500 –> 00:32:23,400
on the talk.
You just listen to visit our

407
00:32:23,408 –> 00:32:27,300
show page at anchor dot f, m /
G, CT, or check the show notes

408
00:32:27,300 –> 00:32:31,000
section of your podcast player.
Please share your thoughts on

409
00:32:31,008 –> 00:32:34,000
the talk from this week on our
Facebook or Instagram Pages

410
00:32:34,300 –> 00:32:37,100
where we are at good
christadelphians, talks on

411
00:32:37,100 –> 00:32:41,500
Twitter where we are at GCT
underscore podcast or leave a

412
00:32:41,508 –> 00:32:44,300
comment on our YouTube channel
where these talks are posted as

413
00:32:44,300 –> 00:32:46,400
well.
If, you know of a great talk, we

414
00:32:46,400 –> 00:32:49,900
want to know about it, to send a
suggestion to our e-mail at good

415
00:32:49,900 –> 00:32:53,500
Christian talks at gmail.com or
message us on any of our social

416
00:32:53,500 –> 00:32:56,200
media accounts.
Thank you for listening.

417
00:32:56,300 –> 00:32:58,400
God, bless and talk to you next
week.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.