Address—Shawn Allan
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I'd like to begin the meeting this afternoon by turning to the back of the hymn book and singing #16.
#16.
Oh, Jesus.
Friend unfailing, how dear art thou to me?
Oh, Jesus, friend.
I find flowers grinding.
What I should migrate? Roger?
Like my son.
My friend. River Flow.
By heaven together again.
Oh.
00:05:51
Just ask the Lord's help.
So as I was thinking about what to speak on.
And I have to tell you right now that I sought the some tips from my family as to this presentation. I was told not to use the term young people because it puts too great a distance between my 46 years and whatever age you may be. But I will probably not be able to refrain from using that term occasionally. I was told to be relatable.
And I'm not sure how well I'll doing these things.
But very simply, what I would like to speak on this afternoon is the subject of friends.
And I wanted to speak on this topic because.
It's something that I feel the younger generation is especially good at. It certainly is very important to you.
You know, as you get a little older in your life, meaning transitioning from childhood, adulthood.
The ties in the family, perhaps?
Become a little less important for you as you gain independence and your friends become very important to you. And that's very normal and natural. And I have to say as a dad that I, I failed to perhaps appreciate this with my own children as I ought to have.
And in that time period before you get married, you're really very good at.
At a lot of things in connection with friendship.
And that's really what brought me to this topic this afternoon.
You know, I look at this audience and I ask myself.
How many of you?
Would say you have close friends in your local assembly. You don't need to answer that question.
Or perhaps you're younger. How many friends would you count yourself as having? Real friends?
And I can't answer that.
Part of the burden for this talk this afternoon is.
Really multi generational?
I I feel increasingly that there is a desperate need for work on friendships.
And I'd like to just quote to you what the definition from Webster's dictionary on what a friend is defined as. It says this one who is attached to another by affection.
Which leads him to desire his company and to seek to promote his happiness and prosperity.
And if you were to look up the meaning of friendship, because I may call you a friend, but do I enjoy friendship with you?
Now this is kind of old fashioned English, but this is what it says, an attachment to a person proceeding from intimate acquaintance.
And reciprocal reciprocation of kind offices, or from a favorable opinion of the amiable and respectable qualities of his mind. That's kind of old fashioned, I recognize. But then it goes on and says this true friendship is noble, virtuous attachment springing from a pure source.
Our respect for worth or amiable qualities. False friendship.
Is a temporary attachment springing from interest and may change in a moment to enmity.
And then the dictionary goes on to say there is little friendship.
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In the world.
And so I would just like to start by sharing maybe just some personal things, you know, as a young person when there I use the term, I'll try not to refer to that again. I'm I'm, I'm here in Montreal and you know how many happy memories of being in this assembly from 20 odd years ago.
I was here during the Great Ice Storm in 1998.
And I vividly remember going with some of the young people out to the West Islands and there was so much ice on the snowpack that we went up to the top of the hill. We didn't sled. We actually were able to go down the hill on our shoes without breaking through. It was a real job to get back up.
And shared with some this weekend of how I remember driven out of the Perry's house, I went to another young man's house in the assembly and had olives and pita bread for breakfast, which was a new experience for me.
It's very kind of him. I have the memories too of enjoying my first.
Apple cider with cinnamon sticks at second cup and I know that.
Young people really enjoy going out to restaurants when we often went to the Saint John Conference growing up. One of the great memories I have of doing young people activities is going to the Pizza Hut often in Ross say after the after the him sings at the Saint John Conference.
But you know, too, just another memory I have. My brother Teddy put together video of Furlin before she left the young people in Stellarton to marry me. There's a there's a scene in that video of a bunch of young people with a carved up watermelon on their head gorging face down in the middle of the watermelon and spitting seeds and just having a grand old time. So many memories, so much fun, so many.
Good things that you can enjoy and appreciate. This is what friendship.
Is in part it's those happy memories of time together.
And I covet that for you young people. I covered it for all of us. And I would just like to start by reading a familiar verse in 3rd John.
The very last verse of that hymn of that book. That is the name of a little pamphlet that gets distributed amongst us.
And this is my first.
A little thought I'd like to share. It says there in the eighth in the the last verse of third John, that's verse 14.
But I trust the verse 14 I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee, our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.
Little expression. What would be the importance of this little verse? Greet the friends by name.
Names are personal. The Lord Jesus knows our name.
And you know, I speak as one who is very poor at memorizing names, but I think back to the many times in Scripture when the Lord Jesus very pointedly said the name of a person.
Think of Mary after he rose from the dead. Mary.
Think of Peter Simon.
Martha. Martha.
He used their name.
And then what's so beautiful but a name is that's that personal touch. We live in a society where we aren't personal anymore.
And you know, this is just an old fashioned thing, but for myself personally, when I'm text messaging or emailing, I like to put a person's name in there sometimes because it just does something for for me when someone uses my name when they are communicating with me.
Have you called people by their name at this conference? I really appreciated the fact that there were name tags.
It gives you an opportunity to say to a person their name. And often when I go into a grocery store, I notice that people have name tags on and it's nice to say to the person, you know, whatever their name might be, Beth, John, Charlie, doesn't matter. And it startles them that you use their name because they wouldn't imagine that you would know it. It's personal.
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Greet the friends by name. But there's something else here, it says. But I trust I shall shortly see you, and we shall speak.
Face to face, isn't that beautiful?
This is real friendship, speaking face to face.
As a person who lives in more isolated circumstances than some, I can tell you how much it means when someone comes and visits you and you can speak face to face. Oh, it's just warms the soul.
And I would ask you.
Is there somebody in your life who you haven't seen for a long time, who maybe you used to call a friend and maybe don't anymore? Have you perhaps taken the time and this is just a challenge to go visit them, knock on their door, say I was thinking of you and I would like to have a visit today. Do you know?
What that would mean to a person?
It's such a beautiful thing to speak face to face with somebody.
I'd like to turn now to John chapter 15, very important verses and understanding what friendship is really all about.
And I'd like to read from verse 10.
If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this.
That a man lay down his life for his friends.
Ye are my friends, if he do whatsoever I command you henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knows not what his Lord does. But I have called you friends.
For all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made no one unto you.
I'm going to come back to this, but I really want to make the Lord the first object in my remarks this afternoon. Three things in this little section on friendship.
That the Lord Jesus says are important as friends, and He was the sublime example of a friend. What are they? We all know one very well. Greater love hath no man than this. That a man lay down his life for his friends. The Lord Jesus laid down his life for you and for me.
What greater measure of friendship can you show to a person than to give your life for them? You can't.
You can't.
And we weren't friends in that sense to the Lord Jesus at all. We were at enmity with Him, sinners lost, and he gave his life for us. But there's something else here.
It says, I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father. I have made no one unto you. This is beautiful.
The Lord Jesus says because you're my friends, the things that I have heard of my Father, I'm going to share with you.
This book is living proof of that, Sharon. All those things that the Lord Jesus enjoyed in the bosom of His Father, He delighted to share with you and me.
And you know, the last thing I would just mention is in verse 10. If you keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. Sharing, giving, communion. This is what this is.
You sense the love of the Lord Jesus.
As you are obedient to Him in your life.
The Lord Jesus was perfectly obedient to His Father, and so he could.
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Abide in His love, beautiful. Why is it that there is a lack of joy in your Christian life and I'm speaking to all of us now in my life? Why is it that we don't feel as it were the love of the Lord Jesus in our lives? Could it be that we have not obeyed the commandments to love one another?
And so I'd like to turn now to some examples of friendship in the scriptures that are.
Are very familiar to us. There's nothing new here. And the first I would like to turn to is Daniel. So let's just turn over to Daniel chapter one and these will be very brief remarks.
And I'd like to read verse 8. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the Princess of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
And then we'll go down to verse 12. So Daniel says, prove thy servants, I beseech thee, 10 days, and let them give us pulse to eat and water to drink, and then we're just going to stop there.
What I would like to bring before you in connection with Daniel and his friends is influence.
Influence. I lookout at many of you here this afternoon.
I wonder how many of you are leaders amongst the young people?
Some of you are.
And what that might mean could be something very good, or maybe something not so good. But do not forget.
That you have influence amongst your friends.
And it can be for blessing, or it could be for something.
That harms your friends ultimately and is very instructive to notice that with Daniel and his friends, he took the initiative here. He purposed in his heart. He would not defile himself. I understand that you heard a little bit about the dungate last night.
And I won't go over what you heard. I only got a synopsis from Craig on that. But are there things in your life that defile you if there are those things?
Will harm your positive influence on your friends. Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself at the King's meat. What happened?
His three friends here, they all went along with what he did.
And there was tremendous blessing as a result. But the key thing here is Daniel acted alone.
And there may be some here who haven't purposed in their heart, and that's okay. My message is not to you at this time. It's to those of you who especially are influencers.
What is your influence on your friends if you go over to chapter 2?
This is the next time we see Daniel and his friends.
And we know this story, we won't go over it, but the king has a dream and he doesn't understand what it means.
And that imperils the lives of Daniel and his friends and the soothsayers and astrologers, etc.
And so it says in verse 17. Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Michelle, and Azariah his companions, that they would desire mercies of the Lord of the God of heaven. Concerning the secret that Daniel and his fellows would not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon, then was a secret.
Revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.
You know, here's something very nice.
Daniel had shown, shall we say, a very good influence to his three friends here. Now what do we see him doing? He's wanting to pray with his friends. It's a very serious matter, but they gather in prayer as friends.
And they make that request no one to the God of heaven, and there is an answer to prayer.
So I ask you this evening, do you pray with your friends?
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I have been touched often in my life by men older than me who have.
Sat down with me and said I'd like to pray with you, Sean.
And I've often thought.
That when friends come to see us or visit us, how nice a thing it is to suggest that there be a moment of prayer before you say goodbye to one another.
Do we know someone in the Bible who did that? The Apostle Paul, he knelt down with the Ephesian elders and he prayed.
And I'm sure it was a very touching scene.
Do we pray with one another? I believe this was a very important thing in the lives of the Free Friend, Three friends of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Which was there changed names of course.
It deepens.
Their understanding of spiritual things. And how do we know that? Because when we go over to chapter 3.
There's no Daniel on the scene at all. Daniel does not enter into that story at all.
There's a decree that goes out. Will you bow down to the golden image?
And what do his three friends, Daniel's three friends reply. Just look at it briefly. Chapter 3.
Verse 17.
Verse 16 Sorry, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, Oh, Nebuchadnezzar, we're not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Here is obedience. They will not bow down.
Because they learned that lesson, as it were, from their friend Daniel.
And what a victory was gained that day. They learned that God is sufficient for all trials.
There wasn't even the smell of smoke on them.
And I'd like to suggest in passing you take a stand in this world, you will learn the sufficiency of God.
He is able for the impossible.
He really is.
And Daniel was the one who first helped them learn that lesson. So I just like to point that out. It's so important. It's important not just for those of you young people, but for me. We are all of us in our own way. Examples to our brethren for good or for I'll.
And the important thing is it can be such a blessing, such a help.
When we.
Purpose, as Daniel did, to take a stand for the Lord.
There would be, I think, a great deal more blessing in our assemblies. We felt that. Well, let's just turn now to Jonathan and David. And I'm sure you knew that we would go over to this story. It's found in First Samuel.
Very brief remarks, I believe. Chapter 18.
First Samuel, chapter 18.
And verse one.
Came to pass when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit, but the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
And Saul took him that day and would let him go, no more home to his father's house than Jonathan. And David made a covenant, because he loved them as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David and his garments, even to his sword and to his bowl.
Into his girdle. Just two brief comments in connection with this little passage.
Jonathan became attracted to David.
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After hearing him speak.
And you know, that reminds me of how.
The attraction that we will have towards the Lord Jesus in our life.
Will grow as we learn to hear him speak in our lives.
Just a little point on that, some of us here are older, some of us are younger, some 70 years walking with the Lord Jesus, in my case 38.
38 years of hearing him speak in my life.
And all what a friend unfailing he's been to me.
Watch for him in your life and listen to him.
He doesn't give up on you when you fall.
He is absolutely a God who answers prayer.
Most especially, does he reveal himself to you as a friend when you are alone?
And for those of you who are struggling with loneliness tonight and this afternoon, and I have no doubt there's lonely people in this room.
There is a silver lining to loneliness, because in that you can find.
That one who knew loneliness like no other person.
A watch, and it was alone as a Sparrow upon the housetop. His friends all forsook him and fled.
I just would say look for him in your life, listen to his words.
They're they are speaking to you all the time and he never leaves you or forsakes you. Your friends may fail, he never will.
The next thing I'd like to say in connection with this is what did Jonathan do? He stripped himself. He took his robe off, his sword, even down to his girdle. And this is the real measure of friendship. It's giving. It's giving. It's not what will you give me? It's because that person.
Is someone you have affection for, you will give to that person.
Oh, how we need.
To learn to give.
And you know, I would submit to you.
That all of you here today have given in ways that perhaps many don't appreciate. Learn to look for the giving in your brethren. You'll be surprised how much you find it.
And I say that because I think sometimes we dwell far too often on the negatives in our brethren. We don't realize that they do have real affection for us. But my challenge and burden, especially this afternoon, is give, Give.
Your friend needs your support because they're having a difficult day. Give them your time.
I'm not talking in material things.
If they're sorrowing because they've lost somebody.
Just go sit with them.
Don't try and lecture to them, just be with them.
I really feel we do not understand this very well at all. It is the essence of friendship.
And it's beautiful to see that Jonathan stripped himself.
In David's presence.
Now we'll go over to the next chapter.
Chapter 19 and it says here in verse 4.
Jonathan spoke good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against a servant against David, because he has not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to the word very good. This one is an arrow to my soul, something that I have failed in greatly.
Do we speak well of our brethren and well of our friends?
Have you ever criticized your friend? Someone you call a friend to your friend?
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Go read James and see what it has to say about the devastation.
And hurt. That is done.
By a tongue.
That spews poison.
Jonathan here, in demonstrating his care and friendship for David, his friend, he spoke well to his father, Saul. Was that a dangerous thing to do? It was, but that's what he did. And it's an exercise again to my soul, something that has been a topic of discussion in our marriage recently.
Because I feel we fall into this so easily.
Love thinks no evil.
Speak well of your friends, and then you go over to Chapter 20, the last thing I would like to say in connection with this friendship.
Verse 42 Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, for as much as you have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my soul and thy seed forever. And he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
This one really touches me.
Friends separate and go their different ways and I have to tell you that as I watch just not that long ago and wept that video that was put together many friends in that Stellarton assembly.
The things that came, that came into their lives after those happy days.
Shattered marriages.
The loss.
It's a memory.
And David never saw Jonathan again.
But something that came before me in this.
In in reading, it was for me. We have so many people in our lives who were friends in years gone by, people we counted as those we cared about. What links us to those people?
When we may never see them again. It's the Lord Jesus himself. The Lord wants between me and thee.
That's what Jacob said when he left Laban.
It's the link point, and you know what that means. Practically. You can pray for them. You may never see them again.
But look back on the people you counted as friends in your life.
And bear them up in prayer to the Lord.
How we need prayer.
You know.
I don't say this to boast, I've only been struck by the importance of it.
As an example that was shown to me in my life growing up, we pray for each of our cousins, nephews, nieces.
Brothers and sisters, every Saturday. It's a tradition in our household with family.
And when you go through the names, greet the friends by name, 1 by 1, and you pray for them.
You think about them, you start to think about what's going on in their life.
And you bless them, ultimately, because you're bringing them before the throne of grace.
People you haven't seen in 10 years, five years, two years, When is the last time?
But you prayed for them.
What a blessing.
Let's just turn over now to Job.
And because time is short, I'm going to skip most of what I wanted to say in connection with job.
I'd like to just turn to chapter 32.
And verse one, these three men ceased to answer Jehovah because he was righteous in his own eyes.
Then was kindled the wrath of Allah, who the son of Barakal, the buzzite of the kindred of Ram, against Joel, Was his wrath kindled because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled because they had found no answer.
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And yet had condemned Joel.
We're familiar with the story of Job.
Job was going through.
Very difficult.
Situation in his life.
And his three friends come to support him.
And.
There follows 29 pages.
Of strength.
As Job and his three friends go back and forth.
You're going through this because?
You're proud you're going through this because there must be some sin in your life.
Job Why are you such terrible friends?
Why is God doing this to me? I'd rather die.
And on and on it goes for 29 pages.
And allow you here, who sat there and listened to it all, He puts his finger right on the heart of the matter and he says.
For he realized that the issue with Job was he justified himself rather than God. And he puts his finger on the heart of the matter for the three friends. And the heart of the matter with them is they had no answer, but they condemned Job. They had a spirit of condemnation with no knowledge of what God was actually doing with Job through all of this.
And you know, it's very touching.
That he goes on and he says just one verse in verse seven of chapter 33, Behold, my terror shall not make you afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon you. So as he begins to speak and lay bare the heart of the matter with Job and his three friends, he says, I won't be hard on you. I won't be heavy with you. He points them.
To God.
And, you know, we see so much strife amongst friends. Oh, I, I know for a fact in this room tonight, there's bickering going on.
And it's not just young people, it's older people too, and it's in homes.
And often, what is it? It starts with me. I don't realize.
That I am proud.
I don't realize that in me there is something that is exalting itself and putting itself ahead of who the Lord is. And I am judgmental towards my friends and my brethren because I fail to understand and have grace about the fact that there is a loving God who is working in their life.
I don't mind saying that I have really failed to see this in connection with my own family.
And oh, how important it is to see that he's working with you and me. There's that little song that we sing. He's still working on me to make me what he wants me to be.
And what do we do when we see the Lord working on a person? Take out the hammer.
And hit them over the head.
Instead of understanding that there is a God of grace working in their life.
It's so nice to see the end of the story of Job.
What happens? We know this very well.
Verse 8 The Lord is speaking now, he says to Job.
Therefore take sorry speaking to the three friends, take unto you now 7 bullocks and seven Rams, and go to my servant Job and OfferUp for yourselves a burnt offering. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I accept, lest I deal with you after your folly, and that you have not spoken of me, the thing which is right like my servant Joel. So a life as the temnet and bill, Dad, the shoe height and so far the Neath went and did according as the Lord commanded them.
The Lord also accepted Job and the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. Also, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. So what happened here? Where was restoration in this situation? Found Jobs. Three friends offered a burnt offering to the Lord. Job he had to pray for his friends.
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And then the strife was over. God's dealings could then be turned into a blessing poured out.
How often there's this strife?
And what we need to do is recognize that we need to turn our eyes to God and get right with Him.
And that's the heart of the matter, always. And that's how reconciliation was found.
You know.
I phrase my. I've been reminded I use it too much so.
I hesitate to say this.
But I trust I have the Lord's mind in saying it.
The 1991 division.
Had an indelible effect on my life.
And it wiped out.
Perhaps 80% of my generation.
And I've been much exercised in the last year and a half.
In worrying, and that's not a good thing to do.
That there are.
Seeds that I see in the assembly today.
That were present in the run up to that horrific situation.
It's part of the reason.
I have this burden to speak on friends.
If you read the story of Jeroboam and Rehoboam where there was a division in the Kingdom of Israel.
You see there?
A generational divide?
And the Lord allowed what happened there. Maria Bone was told that.
You know, in this particular situation with Job and his friends.
You have.
A younger brother exhorting some older people.
In the story of Rehoboam and Jeroboam, you have younger people.
Ignoring the advice the older ones.
And all I want to say about this this afternoon.
As an expressed burden.
Is that we need to take more time.
Not just to cultivate friendships amongst our peers.
And I would like to sell to you young people. You're good at that, and that's a good thing.
How much do we invest those of us who are older in understanding those of us who are younger?
How much?
Those of you who are younger, do you invest in understanding?
Those who are older.
Do you know how much you can learn from each other?
You know, the younger, the older generation.
So often.
Is lonely.
They've seen a lot, been through a lot, they've lost loved ones, they've lost friends and would love nothing more than a visit to have somebody take the time to show a little bit of interest in that.
And you would find.
That you can learn so much that is very beautiful from those who are older, their stories, what they went through when they were young.
And I would like to suggest that it's such a good thing to invest in friendships across.
Generations.
Is it going to prevent us from going through?
Something.
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That may be ordered of the Lord, it may not.
But I think Scripture would suggest to us the importance of investing.
In those kinds of things.
We need one another. We need fellowship.
I'd like to suggest to you that if you are investing your time.
And your energy.
In relationships and friendships.
And I have to be careful on how I say this.
To the exclusion of the local assembly. That's not a good thing.
The Lord puts you where you are. He has a purpose for you.
And we all have so much to give to each other.
What are you giving in your local assembly?
How many people have you purposed that you'd like to be a friend to? It has nothing to do with whether you like them or not, because that's not the definition of friendship. Greater love hath no man in this than a man lay down his life for his friend. I was going to speak, and time does not permit me of Mephibosheth.
You know, Mephibosheth was just a, as he says to David, a dead dog. He didn't deserve kindness.
But David reached out to him and showed that mankindness, and he came into the fellowship of David's table.
Oh, how he gained from that act of kindness. You know, I don't know who did it yesterday, but I was quite struck. Someone left me a bag of grapes on my chair. I don't know who did it. Maybe it was an accident.
People at my work know that I like Jelly beans. A very good friend in the assembly actually last year made me a Jelly Bean dispenser. I was thinking of Teddy, and unfortunately those bright colors and quick shots of sugar have been a bit of a delight for me in my office over the last year. But he invested a lot of time in making me a Jelly Bean dispenser, and I appreciated it was a random act of kindness.
How many random acts of kindness do you show to other people?
Such an important thing to do.
And so I would just like to close by going back to John 15, because we must use the Lord Jesus as the reference point in all of these things.
I want to read.
Again.
And let's consider these verses carefully. John chapter 15 and verse.
10 If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love. Use them even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
That's Communion.
It flows from obedience.
To be obedient, to want. Verse 12. This is my commandment that you love.
One another as I have loved you. Verse 13 The proof that he loved them. Greater love hath no man than this.
Then a man lay down his life for his friends.
Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth. But I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father. I have made no one unto you.
Just again to reemphasize that the Lord Jesus he shares of what His Father.
Was in this blessed book that I'm holding here. He delights to share it with you and me.
Communion is broken when we do not love one another, when we do not display friendship as giving our lives to other people.
And I've been struck. I won't go into it this afternoon in reading the book of Philippians.
If you read that book carefully where joy is the theme, you will find.
Many cracks in that assembly that the Apostle Paul was addressing.
The concision, the emphasis on works.
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Let each esteem other better than themselves. There are people who are puffed up in that assembly. Worry. Be careful for nothing.
Concern about the Lord not being the one who meets the need. Strife between Yodius and Sintiki.
I have no man. Naturally you will care for your state. Philippians Chapter 2.
Brethren who were.
Giving the gospel out of unpure motives in chapter one.
You know, why is there a lack of joy in my life and in our assemblies?
Could it be in part, first and foremost, that we have not turned our eyes to the one?
Who is our friend who laid down his life for you and me?
And then not turned around and obeyed the commandments that we did lay down our lives for the brethren.
And so this is a young people's meeting. I would just like to close by.
Saying to you that.
I really do appreciate your friendships and the fun times that you have. These thoughts that I've shared this afternoon are because it's a unique time in your life and these principles of friendship in a lot of ways have repercussions throughout your entire life.
And I really hope that you will be giving friends. I really hope that you will not be friends who hurt each other through words.
I really hope that you will first and foremost learn what a friend is through watching the Lord Jesus work in your life, that there won't be contentions among you and strife.
Because you fail to see the beam in your own eye.
And I just, I'm so thankful for so many in my own life who have given been a great source of blessing.
I'd like to close this meeting by singing to him that we know so very, very well 23.
How good is the God we adore?
Our faithful, unchangeable friend.
How good?
Shame.