Mar. 15, 2026

Background:

• There is a vast difference between knowing someone well and being a friend
• The greatest evidence of true friendship is loyalty and being available during time of stress and personal struggles
• A true friend is available at all times not just when we feel like it
• Sometimes people are fare weather friendship and leave when they don't get anything out of it
• As long as we're doing things for them, they stick around
• We need to be the friend that the Word encourages us to be
• We need to have open and honest relationship (Exodus 33:11)
• Too many of us are cowards in our friendship by telling people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear
• A friend loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17)...will love no matter what

Key Sermon Points:

1. Real signs of true friendship

• David and Jonathan modeled true friendship (1 Samuel 18:1-4)...unwavering loyalty, sacrifice, and selfless love
• Saul loved David for a little while until the women made a song about David, which brought jealousy in the heart of Saul and put David in flight for the rest of his life...but didn't sever David's relationship with Jonathan
• Why did Moses find favor with God?  It was not because Moses was perfect, gifted or powerful.  It was because God chose Moses, who relied on God.
• Friendship with God is a true privilege
• God and Moses would meet face-to-face in the tent, but it was out of reach for the children of Israel
• When we embrace Jesus, He becomes our friend (John 15:14-15)
• It's through hard times that we experience true friendship
• A brother is born for adversity and will be at our side when we need it most
• A man who has a friend must first show himself friendly
• One must be proactive in showing friendship
• God blessed Job spiritually and with family and wealth
• Job served God because he loved God and out of that produced blessings
• God gave permission to test Job...but not to touch his body
• Job's kids perished, but Job was still standing firm
• Job didn't know that he was being God's instrument
• Satan then had to get permission to affect Job's health
• Job's friends visited him for 7 days mourning with him

2. Eliphaz first speech against Job

• Eliphaz recognized that Job was a wise man
• When he spoke, the wisdom of his silence departed from him
• If you are a friend and your friend is going through, don't act like you know what is going on when they didn't tell you
• Eliphaz was saying that Job was a good counselor, but he didn't know if Job could handle what was happening
• God will test us to see if we can handle the advice that we give to others
• Eliphaz wanted Job to confess to some hidden sin because Eliphaz thought that Job wouldn't be in the situation if he was innocent
• Reaping and sowing had to do with finances and getting back what we gave
• Sometimes it is merely that God want to brag on us
• We are not always going through things because of sin
• Eliphaz's 2nd speech accused Job of disregarding the wisdom of the ancients
• Eliphaz's 3rd speech accused Job of being false and wickedness...and unconfessed sin
• People judge people and have no proof (Job 1:1, Job 2:3-5; Job 8:1-6; Job 11; Job 4:17)
• When we are down, don't kick or stomp us like Job's friends
• Sometimes we just need to sit and weep with our friends and stop trying to figure out everything
• God was not pleased with Job's friends (Job 42:7-8) and will sometimes have people go to the very one that they talk about to pray for them...Job prayed for his friends
• Sometimes God will get things out of us by putting the pressure on us