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?
