FRIENDS OF GOD

JOHN 15:1

A. A MAGIC WORD
  1. "There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother": Prov. 18:24
  2. "A friend loveth at all times": Prov. 17:17
  3. "Abraham believed God . . . and he was called the friend of God": Jas. 2:25
  4. "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you": John 15:14
B. THE LAW OF FRIENDSHIPS
  1. The first requisite of the association of hearts is that they shall believe in each other:
    1. God's faith in us is seen in the investment He made in us - John 3:16
    2. He is eternally attached to us - Isa. 41:17-20; Matt. 28:20
  2. Man's friendship is tested by his fidelity to God's cause:
    1. Abraham was dependable and that is why he is called "the friend of God" - Gen. 18:17, 19
    2. Daniel proved his fidelity to God and His word by going into the lion's den - Dan. 6:10-28
    3. That was true of Joseph and other worthies.
    4. Ruth stands out as a true example of true fidelity - Ruth 1:16
    5. Enoch, who was translated without seeing death, was so close to the Lord that the Lord removed him from this world - Gen. 5:22, 23; Heb. 11:5
  3. Friendship grows through association:
    1. This truth is illustrated by Enoch's walk with God.
    2. Also Ruth's association with Naomi, her mother-in- law - Ruth 1:16-22
    3. Our Lord's attachment to His disciples and His promises to them illustrates how our association ties us closer to each other - John 14:1-3
    4. And think, loved ones, of what God says about his attachment to His people, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." Isa. 49:15
  4. Association with friends makes us become more like our friends:
    1. That was true of Moses when he was with God for forty days - Ex. 34:28-36
    2. The aim of the gospel of Christ is to recreate us into the likeness of the Son of God, who is the express image of God - 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 John 3:1-3; Rom. 8:28, 29
C. BEHOLD, MY FRIENDS, THIS FRIENDSHIP
  1. It does not depend on color or race:
    1. God is not a respecter of person - Acts 10:34, 35; Gal. 3:26-29
    2. Jesus Christ removed all barriers between the nations - Eph. 2:11-16
  2. Yet we know that true friendship is conditional:
    1. To have friends we must be friendly.
    2. Says the wise man, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." - Prov. 18:24
    3. Loyalty to God and His word is a must to be known as a friend of God.
    4. "Ye are my friends, if ye do what I command you" - John 15:14
    5. True friends to God will bring any sacrifice to show their love and loyalty to him - Gen. 22:12
  3. True friendship with God is the union of hearts in thought, word, and action. It is a joyful interchange of life, an affinity of soul that flourishes amid the trials of time and survives the shock of death:
  4. What an honor it is to be called a friend of God!
    1. But that can be true only when our lives are in harmony with His will.
    2. Think of these statements by our Lord, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" - John 14:15; "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." - John 15:10
    3. When we have the same attitude that our father Abraham had in his relationship with God -- "Here I am".
    4. Let us strive to be the friends of God, not in word only, but much rather in deeds.


Design © John Bryant 2011