JESUS IS OUR FRIEND
1.
Contributed by Clay Gentry on Aug 22, 2013
Summary: Building an accrositc off the word FRIENDS, we'll explore what it means to be a friend to Jesus.
I think the secret is out of the bag… God made us social creatures. From the very beginning, God has wanted us to share life and its experiences with godly friends. He wants to have someone to weep with and rejoice with, to share life with. To be friendless, to have no one to share life with, is a sad existence is it not? The Teacher in Ecc 4:10 said, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. Woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.” This morning I want to tell you about someone who wants to be your friend. He’s a friend in a high place. He’s Jesus the Christ. And the great thing about this friend is that He has told us exactly how to be His friend and it’s found in Jhn 15:14:
“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”
This morning I would like for us to see what it means to be Friends of Jesus but building an acrostic off the word friends. Each one of these words is a commandment of Jesus that will help us learn what it means to truly be Friends of Jesus:
- Faithful
Friends of Jesus are people who are faithful with what has been entrusted to them and friends who are full of belief in their unseen Savior.
Jesus wants His friends to be faithful, or trustworthy, in carrying out the duties of the faith (Luk 16:10-12). Jesus wants friends who are not only faithful in the “big things” of the faith (assembling regularly, taking the Lord’s supper, contributing, etc.) instead He wants friends who are faithful in the “small things” of the faith (daily prayer, bible study, fellowship with other Christians, etc.). Because if we are faithful friends in the “small things” then we’ll be faithful friends in the “big things” but it doesn’t work the other way around.
But being faithful friends of Jesus also means that we are friends who believe in Him. This was Thomas’ problem was it not? He proclaimed that he wouldn’t believe that Jesus had been raised from the dead until he saw His hands and the print of the nails. In Jhn 20:27 Jesus reveals Himself to Thomas and called for him to be a faithful friend by being a friend who believed in Him. The word translated believing (Jhn 20:27) is the same word translated faithful in Luk 16:10-12.
If we’re friends of Jesus we will be faithful friends who are trustworthy and who believe in Him, thou we have not seen Him.
- Ready
Friends of Jesus are to be people who are ready. Ready to meet the Lord when we depart from this life. James, the brother of the Lord, reminds us that life is “a vapor that appears for a little while then vanishes away.” (Jms 4:14) As friends of Jesus we need to be ready for our departure from this life.
Ready to meet the Lord when He returns (Mat 24:44). The Lord has given us a glorious promise, a promise that should bring us hope, joy and comfort, the promise that He is going to return and call us home to be with Him (cf. 1 Ths 4:16-18). We don’t know when His return will be so we ready ourselves in the present by being about His work, ever watchful for the master’s return, ever ready to answer the door when He knocks and ready at whatever time the master comes (Luk 12:35-36).
If we’re friends of Jesus we will be friends who are ready to meet Him. Whether we meet Him in death, or in the sky we will be ready.
- Intense
Friends of Jesus are people who are intense when it comes to the practice of their faith. Being a friend of Jesus means forsaking the world to follow Him. How intense was the dedication of the apostles in following Jesus? It was very intense because they “had left all” and followed Him (Mrk 10:28). When we read about Jesus’ calling of Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew we see that they had indeed left all to follow Christ (Mrk 1:16-20; 2:13-17).
When we couple this example with Jesus’ teaching in Luk 14:26 and Mat 22:37 a picture of intensity begins to take shape. We begin to see Jesus demands 100% percent of our lives.
If we’re friends of Jesus we will be friends who are intense in our relationship with Him. Willing and ready to forsake all, and give all because our friend did the same for us.
- Enduring
Friends of Jesus are people who endure life’s trials with the Lord’s strength. Jesus tells us in Mat 10:22 we “will be hated by all for [His] name's sake. But [the one] who endures to the end will be saved.” The question is often asked, why do we suffer? Why is this happening to me? Jesus tells us that people will hate us because we’re friends with Jesus. And as a friend of Jesus you will be hated and you will suffer even thou you are doing the right thing (1 Pet 2:20) but this is commendable before the God. And the promise is that if we endure life’s trials then we will reign in heaven with Jesus. But if we deny Jesus during our trials, then He will deny us before God (2 Tim 2:12).
If we’re friends of Jesus then we will endure the trials of life, we’ll lay hold on the promise of victory to those that overcome with patience.
- Neighborly
Friends of Jesus are people who are neighborly to all men not just to those who are like them. Is this not the meaning of the parable of the Good Samaritan? (Luk 10:25-37) In this passage Jesus affirms that if we want to inherit eternal life then we love our neighbor as love ourselves (vs. 27). He then uses the parable of the Good Samaritan to show us that our neighbor is anyone who is in need of anything, not just those who are like us, or we might say not just those who are Christians.
As we have opportunity we are to do good to all men, to the sinner and saved (Gal 6:10). Because if we only do good to those of the “household of faith” then we are not like our Father in heaven. The Father does good not only for the saint but also for the sinner (Mat 5:46-48). The Father is the true neighbor because He does good for all men and if we want to be like Him then we are called to do the same.
If we’re friends of Jesus then we will be neighborly, not only to the saints, but to all men.
- Doers
Friends of Jesus are people who are not only hear His word but they are doers of His word. At the conclusion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount the text tells us that “the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority.” (Mat 7:28b-29a) He had taught them a whole catalog of commandments from hating one’s brother, to the marriage relationship, to loving enemies, to praying, to not worrying. But He ends His sermon by saying that those who hear His words and do them are wise men whose life will be able to withstand the storms of life (Mat 7:24-25). But to those who only hear and do not do they are fools whose lives will crumble and their souls will be washed away (Mat 7:26-27).
The real blessings of this life and the life to come do not come by simply knowing what Jesus teaches, the real blessings come by doing what Jesus taught (Jhn 13:17). And when we do what Jesus taught we can know that we are abiding in “the truth” of His word. (1 Jhn 3:18-19)
If we’re friends of Jesus then we’ll be doers of His word not merely knower’s of His word.
- Servants
Friends of Jesus are humble servants to God and to others. We know that Jesus said in Mrk 9:35 that if anyone will be first in the kingdom he must be a “servant of all.” The reason that Jesus can so confidently call us to a life of serve is because His life exemplified serve to His friends. Paul reminds us that Jesus came in “the form of a bond servant” (Php 2:7). Jesus wants His friends to be servants to all just as He was. Paul also says that we are to “count others as more significant than ourselves” and to “look out for the interest of one another.” (Php 2:3-4) These are the things that servants do. These are the things that friends of Jesus do for each Him and for each other. Because they are the ways that Jesus has already served us.
If we’re friends of Jesus we’ll be servants just like Him.
The question for you this, are you a friend of Jesus? Are you doing whatever He commands? If not then sadly you are no friend of Jesus and on the day of judgment he will say to you, “I never knew you, depart from Me.” (Mat 7:23) But you can change that today by obeying His commands and becoming His friend.
2....A Christian Is... A Friend
Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 27, 2015
Summary: A Christian is a friend of Jesus (Material adapted from Bob Tinsky's book, A Christian Is... God's Answer to Man's Question, chapter 6, pgs. 91-98)
HoHum:
A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked- Bernard Meltzer
WBTU:
I had several friends when I was in grade school. We played Monopoly, fished in the pond, played hide and seek in the cornfields and woods, terrorized the pigs, played baseball, rode bicycles, explored the countryside, etc. I remember it fondly.
When we moved from the country to the city at the age of 13, things changed drastically. I had no friends my age. I felt all alone. The only friend I had was Jesus Christ when I was baptized that year. I prayed to Jesus Christ to give me some friends. He answered my prayers when I became involved in the Bible bowl team at my church. Enjoyed studying the Bible, enjoyed the competition, Enjoyed the team experience but mostly I enjoyed the friendships. Went to Bible college and had some good friends there. As I have gone through life I have found that true friends are rare. Cherish our friendships!
Today we rarely use the word “friendship” to describe our relationship with God. We usually think of Christians as servants or slaves to the One who is our Master. While that is true, Jesus also said this: “Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:13-15, NIV.
Jesus defines friendship in terms of obedience. We seek to please our friends. We seek to please Jesus Christ since we are his friends (John 15:14). We know our friend hates something so we do not do that thing. We know our friend loves this so we do that.
John 15:15- Friendship with Jesus is more than a casual acquaintance; can be described as a partnership on a personal level. A slave is seldom given a reason for the work assigned to him; he must perform it because he has no other choice. Friends share the hows and whys behind a project or purpose and friends voluntarily share in the purposes and projects.
Some might object that Jesus was just calling His Apostles friends in the Upper Room. We are not apostles so we should not call Jesus our friend. We must call Jesus our friend because of Abraham. Throughout the OT, God calls Abraham his friend. The NT says the same thing in James 2:23: ““Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.” We are children of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. “Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.” Galatians 3:7, NIV. One person was baptized here because we talked about Jesus Christ as our friend, something she rarely heard in the church she attended.
God has always wanted a close friendship with people. We see the friendship with His creatures began way back in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 3 we have the picture of God walking in the Garden in the cool of the evening so that He could spend time with Adam and Eve. Not that much of a stretch to see friendship here. God wants us to be more than his servants or his creatures; He wants us to be close, intimate friends.
7 points of friendship. Things to consider if we want to be friends with others but think about Jesus and his friendship with us.
Thesis: 7 points of friendship
For instances:
A friend knows you
Someone has said, “If you really want to know who your friends are, just make a mistake.” “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17, NIV. Last Sunday evening talked about A Christian Is... A Brother or Sister. Most of the time in the Bible the term friend is included in the term brother or sister. The people of our family are our good friends. Shame that in our day many times this is not the case. “One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives”- Euripides
Jesus knows our sinful ways. One of the criticisms against Jesus was that He was a friend of tax collectors and sinners. What they considered a complaint actually was a compliment. Jesus truly is a friend of sinners!
Jesus knows all about us (He knows us better than we know ourselves) and loves us in spite of our sins and shortcomings. In spite of all of our faults he still wants to be our Friend.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8, NIV.
A friend loves you
Can we think of anyone who has ever loved us as much as Jesus does? John 15:13
Some Native Americans have a word in their language for friend that literally means “One who carries my sorrows on his back.” That is literally what Jesus did for us on Calvary. 3rd verse of a hymn we just sang “He took my sins and my sorrows, he made them his very own; He bore the burden to Calvary, and suffered and died alone”
A friend protects you
“A friend protects you if they can, stands beside you when they can’t, then prop you up until the dust clears and you can stand on your own again.”
Jesus protects us from all our enemies. “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3, NIV.
A friend is loyal
When everyone else has forsaken us, a true friend will still be beside us. Jesus is that kind of a friend. He is the friend the Book of Proverbs talks about: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24, NIV.
The hymn- “What a friend we have in Jesus” asks, “Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share?” A contest was held in England to find the best definition of a friend. Thousands of answers were received but the one that received the prize was this: “A friend is the one who comes in when the world has gone out.” Can we think of a better definition than this of the kind of friend Jesus is to us?
“God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”” Hebrews 13:5, NIV.
Jesus is loyal to us we need to be loyal to him. When Polycarp was ordered to curse the name of Jesus Christ, he said, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and he never did me any injury; how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior.” ““Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32, 33, NIV. Even so, “if we are faithless, he will remain faithful.” 2 Timothy 2:13, NIV.
A friend brings out the best in you
“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8, NIV.
As we spend time with God in prayer through Jesus Christ, we are sharpened, strengthened sanctified, and supported. If Jesus is our best friend we want to spend time with Him. I enjoy spending time with my friends. Jesus wants us to spend time with Him. Not just for an hour or two on Sunday mornings. He wants to have a conversation with us daily through our reading the love letters He has written to us and by hearing us talk to Him. He delights in hearing what we have been doing. He wants us to share with Him our problems and needs.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7, NIV. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6, 7, NIV.
A friend makes you happy
Good friends, by their presence, words and actions, make us happy. We get a special feeling from our friends that makes us want to be with them, even just to enjoy simple things.
“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence” Psalms 16:11, NIV.
A friend is interested in your spiritual health
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3, NIV.
So what?
At the beginning of the school year during recess I was on the playground looking for some of my friends. I couldn’t find them. Had 2 boys come up to me and asked, “Do you need a friend? We want to be your friends?” I said, “No.” Was I mean? No, I just didn’t know them. Through time, we became friends. In much the same way Jesus comes to us and says, “I want to be your friend.” What will our response be? If we get to know Jesus we will find him to be the best friend we can ever have. What is your answer to his offer of friendship?
Comments
Post a Comment