#SQUADGOALS Preaching

Show different squad quotes:

Today, we have so many social media sites such as FB, Instagram and Twitter which we seek out to have more followers
and friends. But my question is, HOW MANY FROM THE NUMBER OF FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS THAT YOU REALLY
KNOW OR SHALL WE SAY THAT THEY ARE YOUR FRIENDS?

TITLE: SQUADGOALS: AVOID THE SUICIDE SQUAD

How many of us are familiar about the movie – SUICIDE SQUAD?

This movie highlights on the supervillains who were asked to do a critical mission with their super-villain personality.

Today, the world is teaching us that it’s okay to be badass people as long as you can do good to others. It’s okay to do
evil things as long as you are not hurting others.

GOOD HAS LOST ITS MEANING AND EVIL HAS BEEN RECONSTRUCTED TO A MORE ACCEPTABLE MANNER.

Proverbs 18:24 ESV

“A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Too many of us are quick in looking for friends without realizing that the people in our circle of friends can affect us
greatly.

Story of Don Johnson

Illus. of Don Johnson

• Actor best know for his roles in Miami Vice and Nash Bridges.

• Back in the 70’s went through a truckload of cocaine and alcohol. He wrecked a half dozen cars, etc.

• In 1983 checked into a rehab center and got clean. Turned his life around.

• A reporter asked him if he had any regrets. He said, “Yeah, I regret spending 10 years with a group of people I
wouldn’t spend 10 minutes with now!”

• He learned a lesson the hard way- chose your friends carefully, or you may find yourself in trouble!

Truth isn’t selective. It doesn’t pick and choose. And the truth in Paul’s words is a warning for us. Your friends WILL
shape your life.

1 Cor. 15:33 ESV

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

In fact, friendships contribute more to the man or woman you are going to be (or have become) than any factor outside
of God. Bold words, I know.

But this one reality might change the trajectory of your life. My prayer for this post is that one person will see that their
friends are shackling them from becoming the man or woman God created them to be. And they will make some
changes.
Your friends can challenge you to achieve things you never imagined. Your friends can also cripple your dreams, leaving
you on a two-lane road feeling hopeless.

HERE ARE SEVEN SUICIDESQUAD THAT WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE:

1) THE “TELLS YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR” SQUAD

These friends say exactly what you want them to say. They do exactly what you want them to do. To put it bluntly, they
are groupies, not friends. Groupies think their respective group, player, etc. hung the moon. The person they admire
could open-hand slap an old lady on a cane, and a groupie would find some way to justify it.

These friends don’t really love you. They are infatuated with something you have. Popularity. Looks. Athleticism. But
they aren’t concerned with pointing you to God and challenging you to be the best man or woman you can be.

Friends who love you and want you to succeed point out flaws.

Friends who love you and want you to succeed will point out your inconsistencies.

They don’t enjoy doing this. But, with love and grace, they step into difficult conversations because they can’t bear to
watch you continue down a path that might lead to destruction.

Proverbs 27:5 NIV

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love.”

2) THE “NOT THAT SERIOUS ABOUT GOD” SQUAD

You know these friends. They usually go to worship on Sunday. They might go on a foreign mission trip. But they never
give God their lives. These friends are lukewarm. They think God is OK with having some of the pie.

These friends are toxic because they model a dangerous approach to Christian living. The approach that says status quo
Christianity is OK. There is no reason to be a Jesus freak. Jesus freaks don’t enjoy life. So go to worship on Sunday. Read
the Bible occasionally. But leave a piece of the pie for yourself.

And the moment you try to go “all in” for God, you will meet fierce resistance. Believe me. I have been there.

Several times in my teenage and early adult years, I wanted to go all in for God. But my friends weren’t there. And they
saw my attempt to go all in as a threat to our Friday and Saturday nights. So, I heard statements like these:

“Are you really going to stop partying, getting drunk, etc.? You know there is no way you will stick to it. In two weeks,
you will be back to your old self.”

And my friends were right. After a few weeks, I was back to my old self.

As long as “not that serious about God” friends are close enough to you to ask these questions, you will never give your
full allegiance to God.

3) THE “NO AMBITION” SQUAD

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” -Francis Chan
These friends have ambition. But only toward things that DON’T MATTER. Like completing two seasons of their favorite
Netflix show in one day. If you mention Xbox, movies, the opposite sex, or the game plan for Friday and Saturday night,
these friends perk up like the time I poured water on my roommate when he was sleeping.

But if you mention serving in the community, studying for a test or attending a Bible study, you might as well be talking
to a brick wall.

Surround yourself with people who want to make the world a better place. Surround yourself with people who want to
do well in areas that matter.

You were created in the image of God. This means you were created to learn, grow and give. You were created to make
the world a better place and do things with excellence. Surround yourself with people who get this…and practice it.

“IF YOU DON'T BUILD YOUR DREAM SOMEONE WILL HIRE YOU TO HELP BUILD THEIRS”. –Tony Gaskins

4) THE “ATTENTION MUST BE ON ME” SQUAD

Spotlight on me. All. The. Time. Do you have friends like this?

These friends are plagued with jealousy and bitterness. They are extremely insecure. And here’s the big one…their lives
are plagued with drama. They live a real life soap opera. And most of these friends have no idea why drama always
follows them.

Here’s why.

These friends sell their souls to the gods of attention and spotlight. These gods are ruthless. They require everything.
And the gods of attention and spotlight kick you to the curb for their next victim once they destroy your worth and
value.

These friends are toxic because they are always takers. They take your energy. They take your joy. They take your time.
And they will never celebrate your successes. They can’t. The gods of spotlight and attention won’t allow them to
celebrate you. It means they take a backseat.

In II Timothy 1:15 – Paul was deserted

This would include many that once supported him. It would include those in the church he had started and pastored in
Ephesus. These Ephesians had wept and begged him not to go to Rome, telling him repeatedly of their undying love and
friendship. Once he was arrested and put in jail, they deserted him!

True friends are givers. They celebrate you. They are OK with taking a back seat to you. They listen to you. Surround
yourself with givers.

5) THE “EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT” SQUAD

If I had a nickel for every time I heard (or spoke) this phrase as a teenager and young adult, I would be writing this post
from an oversized yacht in the Pacific. The “everyone else is doing it” friend justifies every action. Nothing is their fault.

“Yeah, I was doing that, but Jill made me do it.”

“Johnny actually sent the text, I just wrote it. So, it’s really his fault.”
You get the idea? Not only do these friends refuse to accept responsibility for their actions, they also refuse to stand for
anything. They go with the flow. They roll with the crowd. They are influenced heavily by peer pressure. If the crowd is
doing it, they are doing it.

Here’s why these friends are toxic: As they follow the crowd, they will encourage you to do so as well. As they refuse to
take accept responsibility for their actions, they will encourage you to do so as well.

You need friends who are confident in their identity. They are content in Christ. They are steadfast in their convictions.
Because even if you are the strong one, it only takes one moment of weakness for this friend to take you down a road
you never intended to travel.

6) THE “SEES THE WORST IN EVERYTHING” SQUAD

We live in a world where cynicism is the default posture of the majority. It’s rare to find someone who looks at the world
through a positive lens. Even Christian leaders and preachers (myself included, at times) present God as an angry cynic
who can’t wait to destroy the world.

God’s default posture is optimism. Your friends should see the world through God’s lens.

But this is not God’s default posture. He looks at the world through the lens of restoration, redemption and hope. You
can’t look at the world through this lens unless you have an optimistic worldview.

Negative people are exhausting. They drain your life and enthusiasm. They leave you feeling like the world, in general,
and your life, in particular, are hopeless.

If you have friendships that drive you deeper into cynicism and hopelessness, it’s time to consider ending the
relationship. The world is how you see it. You can choose to see good. You can choose to see bad. Your friends should
choose the former because your friends love Jesus.

Find those friends. And cling to them.

7) THE “DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO FORGIVE” SQUAD

These friends make a list of every person who disses them, shames them or shows them up. And they check it twice.
They spend a lot of their time and energy seeking revenge. They wade in a pool of bitterness and resentment, drowning
out any notion of forgiveness and grace.

“If Jesus was in my shoes, he would do the same thing!” This is a typical response from these friends.

These friends are cool with you…until you do something to belittle them. Then you go on the hit list with everyone else.
Grace has a short leash. Oh, they want God to extend them grace, but they don’t believe God expects them to extend
the same level of grace and forgiveness.

Find friends who model forgiveness and refuse to build a wall of bitterness over their heart. This is a rare virtue in our
culture. So, if you find someone modeling gospel-centered forgiveness, hang on to them.

Matthew 18:21-22 NIV

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?
Up to seven times?”

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a]
Let’s learn from the life of the greatest friend of all time – JESUS.

He has 82 disciples, but he only kept 12 disciples who He told about everything the Father told Him.

HOW DID JESUS FORM HIS SQUAD?

1. PRAYER

Luke 5:12-15 NIV

12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When
morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon
(whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of
Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

2. HE CALLED THOSE HE WANTED

Mark 3:13-18 NIV

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he WANTED, and they came to him. 14 He
appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have
authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter),
17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of
thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the
Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

I believe that there are people that God has already ordained to have a life-long relationship with us. But it’s a
matter of us taking the steps to reach out to them.

To do what?

Acts 2: 42-47 NIV

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate
together with glad and sincere hearts,
47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved.