"THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS"

True Friends And False Friends (4:16-20)

INTRODUCTION
  1. Friends can be a wonderful blessing...
    1. A source of comfort in times good and bad - Pr 17:17
    2. A source of good counsel - Pr 27:9
  2. It is not always easy to know who your true friends are...
    1. Sometimes a true friend tells you what you don't want to hear
    2. Sometimes a false friend tells you what you do want to hear
  3. In writing to the Galatians, Paul found it necessary to remind them of that truth...
    1. As he defended the gospel of justification by faith in Christ
    2. As he battled against the influence of those who sought to bind the Law of Moses

[In the course of reasoning with the Galatians on sentimental grounds, Paul has some things to say about "True Friends And False Friends" (Ga 4:16-20). We can glean from Paul's words that...]

  1. TRUE FRIENDS SAY WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR
    1. THEY WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH...
      1. Even if it makes them your enemy - Ga 4:16
      2. Even when the tone hurts - Ga 4:20
      -- Paul had been a true friend to his brethren
    2. YOU NEED TRUE FRIENDS...
      1. When hearing the gospel of Christ
        1. Who will tell you the full gospel as preached by Christ and His apostles - Mk 16:15-16
        2. Not just what is popularly believed, or what may appeal to our sensitivities - Ga 1:8-9
      2. When growing in grace
        1. Who will tell us of the need to grow, and the danger of apostasy - 2Pe 3:17-18
        2. Not just tickling our ears with things we enjoy hearing - 2Ti 4:3-4
      3. When drifting from God
        1. As Paul reached out to the Galatians in our text - Ga 4:19-20
        2. As Paul encouraged them to do the same to others - Ga 6:1
        -- Do we appreciate the value of such friends in our lives?
    3. HEED THE WISDOM OF DAVID AND SOLOMON...
      1. "Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it." - Ps 141:5a
      2. "Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, but he who regards a rebuke will be honored." - Pr 13:18
      3. "The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise. He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding." - Pr 15:31-32
      4. "Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear." - Pr 25:12

      [May we always appreciate the value of true friends. On the other hand...]

  2. FALSE FRIENDS SAY WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO HEAR
    1. THEY WILL TELL YOU WHAT THEY WANT...
      1. When it makes you on their side - Ga 4:17
      2. When you have something they want - cf. Ga 6:12-13
      -- The Judaizing teachers were not true friends of the Galatians
    2. YOU NEED TO BEWARE OF FALSE FRIENDS...
      1. When you are being courted with zeal
        1. Their motives may not be right - Ga 4:17; cf. Ro 16:17-18
        2. Their knowledge may be wrong - cf. Ro 10:1-2
      2. When you are being manipulated
        1. As the false teachers were trying to manipulate the Galatians - Ga 4:17
        2. A tactic first used by Satan, and since by many others - 2Co 11:3,13-15; 2Pe 2:1-3
      3. When you are pursued only in their presence
        1. Paul sought their devotion even in his absence - Ga 4:18; cf. Php 1:27; 2:12
        2. False friends often forget about you when they are no longer with you
        -- Do we appreciate the danger of the wrong kind of friends?
    3. HEED THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON...
      1. "Fervent lips with a wicked heart are like earthenware covered with silver dross. He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself; when he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly." - Pr 26:23-26
      2. "Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." - Pr 27:5-6
CONCLUSION
  1. Many people have been led astray by the wrong kind of friends...
    1. Good habits have been corrupted by bad company - 1Co 15:33
    2. Immature Christians have been tossed around by cunning and deceitful teachers - Ep 4:14
  2. May we learn from the interaction between Paul and the Galatians...
    1. True friends say what you need to hear
    2. False friends say what they want you to hear

Speaking of true friends, the greatest friend we can have is Jesus... - cf. Jn 15:13-14