Who we should and should not be friends with.
We should be friends with people
that we should love our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We should be friends with people that are saved.
That's what I believe.
I don't think that we should be friends
with worldly people or people that are unsaved.
I mean, I'm not saying not be a friend
and give them the gospel or something like that.
I'm just saying that that's not somebody
that you should hang out with in your daily life.
So if you're gonna choose a friend,
it should be someone that you're friends with
here in this church or maybe in other churches
or things like that.
And we should choose friends of our own kind.
The Bible says everything brings forth
after its own kind.
And the Bible says that God separated
the light from the darkness.
And so, you know, those are pictures of us,
you know, as saved people,
we're not supposed to mix with that darkness.
Darkness represents sin
and the light represents righteousness.
So we should walk with people that are in the light, right?
Not with people that are in darkness
because you know what's gonna happen?
If you walk in darkness,
then your eyes are gonna be blinded
and you're gonna walk in wrong ways.
You know what, and I said this earlier in my sermon,
you know, the bad friends that you choose
are the ones that are gonna drag you down.
You're not gonna change them.
They're gonna change you.
I was actually talking about that with marriage, right?
It's the same thing with friends, though.
You know, who you hang around with
is who you're gonna be.
And, you know, who you marry is who you're gonna,
you know, you're stuck with that person
for the rest of your life.
So you better find someone you can be friends with,
you know, because marriage can get ugly.
So I don't know why I keep talking about marriage
so much, but anyway.
Somebody in here's got a bad marriage
and I'm trying to, no, I'm just kidding.
Just kidding.
All right, so Second Corinthians chapter six, verse 14.
Turn there, please.
Second Corinthians chapter six, verse 14.
So we should be friends with
our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We should be friends with people that are saved.
Those are the people that we would want to influence us.
And obviously, there's bad Christians, too.
So don't gravitate towards the worst people in the church.
Gravitate towards the most spiritual.
Because what do you, do you wanna be the least spiritual?
Do you wanna hang out with the least spiritual?
And look, I hope everybody in this church is spiritual,
but that's not always the case.
There's always someone that's the least spiritual.
It's Brother Alberto, I'm pretty sure.
But, no, I'm just kidding.
Just kidding.
Someone said, come on.
So maybe I'm hitting on, no, I'm just kidding.
I'm teasing.
He knows I don't think that.
He loves, you know, the best restaurant in the world,
which is Texas Roadhouse, amen.
My heart was knit with him
as soon as he mentioned that to me.
So anyway, so 2 Corinthians chapter six, verse 14,
it says, be not unequally yoked together with who?
Unbelievers.
For what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness?
And what communion hath light with darkness?
Isn't that what I was just saying?
Yes, be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
Unbelievers shouldn't be the people
that we hang out with all the time,
unless you're trying to get them saved.
And if you wanna get your buddy from high school saved,
get your buddy from high school saved,
then hang out with them.
But you know, if they're not saved,
eventually things are gonna happen in your daily life
with hanging out with them or whatever
that are gonna drag you back
to the place that you once were.
And you're gonna go back to your old ways.
And you're gonna go back to your old life.
And you're gonna start to get backslidden
in your Christian life.
But it says straight up,
you're not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
And hey, not just in friendships, how about business?
How about marriage?
How about anything involving your daily life on this earth?
I mean, obviously if you work for some unsaved person,
that's your boss, and you know, that's one thing.
But I'm talking about if you went into business
with a person that's a Jehovah's Witness, just say that.
Hey, let's be business partners.
If you are business partners with a Jehovah's Witness,
you are unequally yoked with that person.
And you know what?
They're probably gonna end up ripping you off
or doing some other weird thing and ruin your business.
Because those two minds can't come together
and make the right decisions.
Especially because they're Jehovah's Witnesses.
I mean, come on.
But anyway, it says in verse 15,
And what concord hath Christ with Belial?
What does Christ have to do with the devil?
Nothing.
What part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
I mean, it's just flat out saying it.
So hey, if you have friendships,
and I'm not saying like just completely hate that person
or something like that,
obviously if you want to be friends with that person,
you should probably get him saved.
Because God's pretty serious about this.
I mean, he's saying it as many ways
as he possibly can, right?
What part with he that believeth,
who's that person that believeth?
That person's a saved person,
and an infidel is an unsaved person, okay?
And it says,
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?
You know, if you put an idol in God's house,
it's wicked as hell.
And you're supposed to not do that, obviously.
For ye are the temple of the living God,
as God hath said,
I will dwell in them and walk in them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Wherefore, come out from among them,
and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing.
So, when it comes to friendships,
what's it talking about?
Don't be friends with people that are infidels.
Don't be friends with people
that would be in league with the devil, you know?
I mean, what does Christ have to do with Belial?
Nothing.
So if you're ex-band member friend, or whatever,
I mean, I don't know who you used to hang out with.
But you know, it's really easy
to just sink back into those old things
when you start to hang out
with one of your old friends, right?
So, God says to be separate from them.
Separate from that person.
Does that mean end the friendship?
Yeah, that's what it means.
If you have to, end that friendship.
Because he's saying, hey,
don't be un-un-clay-oaked with unbelievers.
And he says, and touch not the unclean thing,
and I will receive you.
So it sounds like something that God had,
you know, it's a conditional thing for him.
If you're not willing to separate from those things
from your old life,
or if you're not willing to just, you know,
not keep trying to find friends that are worldly,
and look kids, let me tell you something right now.
Who you hang out with is very important.
And sometimes you wanna hang out
with the person you think is cool
because they're the ones that are always running
over to the ice machine
and sneaking scoops of ice out, huh?
Just kidding, I don't know if you're doing that,
but don't let anybody tempt you
to follow you to that ice machine.
It's wicked.
You'll be thrust through with a dart.
No, I'm just kidding.
But don't ever come up to this stage.
You understand what I'm saying?
Don't let your friends tempt you
to come up to this stage, all right?
I'm just saying, you know, if you,
kids, if you have friends that are not good influences,
those are people you should not hang around with
because they're gonna influence you
to do things that you shouldn't do.
And then guess what?
Your parents are gonna spank you.
Hopefully, you know, hopefully that's a practice
that's in your family, you know,
when you disobey and break the rules.