Now let's turn in our Bibles
to the book of John chapter 15. John chapter 15. We've been working
our way through this chapter concerning the issues of the
warfare that Christians have with the world, the flesh, and
the devil, specifically the world here in John chapter 15 verses
18 and 19. where the Lord tells his disciples,
this is on his way to Gethsemane, on his way to the cross, and
he said, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before
it hated you. And what I've been doing is just
showing through John 15 is exactly what it is about believers, followers
of Christ, sinners saved by the grace of God, exactly what it
is that the world hates about us. and this hatred of the gospel
of God's grace. We know the book of John has
a lot to say about that. Over in John chapter three in
verse 19, when the Lord's speaking of the light, talking to Nicodemus
there, he said, this is the condemnation that light is coming to the world.
Christ is the light. His truth is the light. His gospel,
the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ Jesus,
that's the light that lifts him up, that tells the truth of who
Christ is and the glory of his person and the power of his finished
work and how God saves sinners. That's the light. It shows us
what we are by nature. It shows us our sinfulness. And
it says men loved darkness rather than the light because their
deeds were evil. That which men highly esteem
by nature is an abomination to God. And how that has been set
forth in scripture from the very beginning. Think about Cain and
Abel. Cain bringing the best efforts of the works of his hands.
and pleading them before God and God not accepting them because
that dishonors God, that denies Christ, that lifts up the sinner,
that's self-righteousness. And here comes Abel with the
blood of the Lamb representing Christ, salvation by the grace
of God. Abel coming just the same as
that old publican over in Luke chapter 18 who said, God be merciful
to me, the sinner. God be propitious, and that's
the light. And what is it exactly about
believers, disciples of Christ, that the world hates? Well, one
of the things that the world hates about God's people is our
friendship with Christ. And this message today is entitled,
Christ, the Friend of Sinners. Christ, the Friend of Sinners.
And I don't know about you, but when I hear that phrase, Christ
the friend of sinners, it just lifts my heart. It just gives
me an assurance and a security that I wouldn't have otherwise.
What separates Christians from the world? Well, we're in friendship
with the Lord Jesus Christ, and we're not in friendship with
the world. And that's why the world hates
us. Our friendship with Christ and his people. James said something
about that. Let me just read it to you in
James 4 and verse 4. He's talking about those who
profess to be believers here. And yet their character and their
conduct was not consistent with their profession. You know, you'll
have that. You know, it's one thing to talk
about how I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I love Christ.
I love his truth and all. But does my character and my
conduct, does it reflect that grace of God? Well, these people,
it wasn't. And he calls them adulterers
and adulteresses. He says, you adulterers and adulteresses,
know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God. To be friends with the world
in their adultery. And that doesn't mean just sexual
adultery, that means religious adultery also. The Bible has
so much to say about religious adultery, religious spiritual
fornication, which is idolatry, worshiping a false god. And the
other two, but he says friendship of the world's enmity, that's
friction, that's hatred. With God, you can't be friends
with the world and be friends with God. He says, whosoever
therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. You can't be both. You can't
live in two camps. You can't serve two masters. You parents, grandparents, we
instruct our children to run with the right crowd, run with
the right kind of people. I could stand up here probably
for an hour giving you quote after quote after quote on man's
wisdom concerning that issue. Man does have some wisdom in
those areas. That wisdom began with God. Somebody
said you're only as good as the company you keep. Someone said
it's better to be alone than in the wrong company. And here's
one here. It says tell me who your best
friends are and I'll tell you who you are. That's a good quote,
isn't it? Tell me who your best friends
are and I'll tell you who you are. Old Benjamin Franklin, he's
the one who said this, if you lie down with dogs, what do you
do? You get up with what? Fleas.
Somebody else put it another way, if you run with wolves,
what are you going to learn? You'll learn the how. Someone said this, a mirror reflects
a man's face, but what he's really like is shown by the kinds of
friends he chooses. Now all those things are true.
The Bible, as I said, says a lot about that. Over in Proverbs
chapter 1, let me just read this to you. Solomon instructing his
son. And what you have in Proverbs
is Solomon is inspired by the Holy Spirit. It's Christ instructing
his children, us. And he says in verse 10 of Proverbs
1, he says, my son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
Now we're all sinners. He's not denying that, but what
he's talking about here in sinners, he's defining unbelievers, those
who don't know Christ. And he says, my son, if sinners
entice thee, if they try to entice you to come with them, consent
thou not. If they say, come with us, let us lay wait for blood. Let us lurk privily for the innocent
without cause." All of that, he says. He says, don't go with
them. You young people, when you get
in high school and then especially when you get away from home and
you go to college, you're going to meet all kinds of people. You're going to meet all kinds
of weirdos. You're going to meet all kinds, aren't you? There's the drug culture. There's
the sexual culture. There's the unbelieving, I mean
it's all kinds, even the religious kind. I was confronted with them
in my college days. People wanted me to come to their
religious organizations, places where the truth wasn't preached,
where Christ wasn't lifted up. And we don't want you to go with
them. The scripture says don't go with them. Over in 2 Corinthians
chapter 6, Paul spoke of this. Now, a lot of times we quote
this verse talking about a believer marrying an unbeliever. That's
not really the content. That's true. Believers shouldn't
marry an unbeliever. But what he's talking about here,
he says in verse 14, he says of 2 Corinthians 6, he says,
be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? We're righteous in Christ. And
those that don't have Christ are not. What fellowship is there,
you see? And what communion hath light
with darkness? And we could go on and on with
that. And yet, here, in John 15, and then in other places
in the scripture, we read of Christ, the friend of sinners. The friend of sinners. That's
an amazing thing. That's amazing grace. Because,
like I said, we're all sinners. And somebody made the statement
one time talking about that, said, well, if Christ consorted
with sinners, then I can. Well, here's the difference.
Now, let me tell you the difference there. Christ has the power to
save sinners. You don't. The Bible says in
Matthew 121 that his name shall be called Jesus for he shall
save his people from their sins. We quoted there in 1 Timothy,
or read there in 1 Timothy 1.15 where Paul wrote, this is a faithful
saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Christ has the power
to save sinners. I don't, you don't. Christ has
the power to change sinners. I don't and you don't. They have
the power to change you. That's right. Because you have
a sinful human nature that is allied with Satan and with the
world. That's why we're in a battle.
That's why we're talking about these messages, the warfare of
the flesh and the spirit. Look down here at John 15, verse
12. He says, this is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you. That's the
unity of love between brethren, bound together in Christ. And I've talked about that. How
this is a union that is not based on anything but our mutual love
for and experience of the salvation by the grace of God in Christ.
Now we cultivate other areas, and we should, and all of those
things, but that's what this is talking about. He says, greater
love, verse 13, hath no man than this, than a man lay down his
life, For his friends. For his friends. He says in verse
14, you are my friends. If you do whatsoever I command
you. In verse 15, henceforth I call you not servants. For
the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth. But I've called
you friends. For all things that I have heard
of my father I've made known unto you. Friends. You read that
passage that Brother Joe read in Exodus 33, here's Moses. Moses,
a sinner saved by grace, leading a rebellious people out of Egypt
and to the Mount of God. And God says, Moses, come up.
Come up, as God's call. And it had nothing to do with
any worthiness or goodness in Moses, a sinner saved by grace. And yet Moses entered into the
tabernacle. And it says there, God spoke
with Moses face-to-face as a man speaks with his friend. That's
an amazing thing. Don't take that lightly. Does
God speak to you or to me face-to-face as a man speaks to his friend?
That's an amazing thing. Well, how can that be? How can
that be? Well, first of all, let me tell
you something about this friendship that Christ has towards his people. Number one, it's an unconditional
friendship. An unconditional friendship. It's unconditional love and friendship
of Christ toward his people. He says it here. He says in verse
12, he says, this is my commandment that you love one another. It's
a friendship of love. But look at the last line. He
says, as I have loved you. Now, how did he love me? Well,
a lot of people say, well, he looked down through the telescope
of time and he foresaw what I would do in obedience to him in some
way. Well, that's not unconditional
love. That's not unconditional friendship. That's love and friendship
based upon what I would do, a condition I've met, you see. That's not
the grace of God. First of all, the Bible doesn't
teach that. Now man does. I heard a fellow
say one time, he said, he said, God looked down through the telescope
of time and he foresaw what every one of you all would be like,
what you would do, what you would choose and all, and then God
made his choice. No, sir. No, sir. That's a reactionary
God. That's not the God of this Bible.
That's not the God of sovereign mercy and sovereign grace. That's
not Christ the friend of sinners. That's not. It's unconditional
friendship. This love, this friendship is
divine love that binds us together in Christ by his truth despite
all other differences and preferences and personality. All other dislikes. It's unconditional, as I have
loved you. Herein is love, 1 John 4 10.
Not that we love God, not that we love God, not that we love
God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation,
the sin bearer, the satisfaction, the sin offering, who satisfied
justice on our behalf, the propitiation for our sins. He wouldn't say
herein is love that God foresaw what you would do. No, herein
is love, not that we love God. You know, a lot of people, and
we all do this, we establish friendships based on mutual things,
jobs, you may have the same career, same job, personalities, children,
sports, you might like the same team, hobbies, whatever. There's
a lot of things we establish friendships based upon. But Christ's
friendship of His people, Christ's love for His people is given
to those, now listen, you may think this is extreme, but it's
not, it's scriptural, and I'm gonna show you that. Christ's
love for His people, Christ's friendship toward His people
is given to those who by nature hate Him. That's right, turn
to Romans chapter five with me. given to those who by nature
hate him. He says it. He's talking about
the hope of the gospel here. Peace with God through the Lord
Jesus Christ. And he says in verse 6 of Romans
5, listen to this. For when we were yet without
strength in due time, that is according to the time that God
had appointed, Christ died for who? the ungodly. Now you remember what he said
over in John 15 when he was talking about friendship and he said
greater love in John 15 let me read it to you again hold your
finger there Romans 5 we're going to come back to in John 15 he
says he says great in verse 13 greater love hath no man than
this that a man laid down his life for his friends it says
here Christ died for the ungodly He laid down his life for his
friends. Who were they? The ungodly. The unbelieving. He didn't look down through a
telescope in time and see believers and die for them. He died for
the ungodly. And go on, it says in verse 7.
Now, that's an amazing thing. That doesn't make sense to man
by nature. Christ died for the ungodly?
Well, verse 7, for scarcely for a righteous man will one die.
Now, we could see him dying for somebody who he foresaw was righteous. I could see that. Yet perventure
for a good man, some would even dare to die. We can understand
that kind of thing. Somebody dying for somebody who
deserves that kind of love. But verse eight, but God commendeth
his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Think about it. Go on, it says,
much more than being now justified by his blood, being justified
by his blood, being declared not guilty, being declared righteous
by his death on the cross, we shall be saved from wrath through
him for if, listen to verse 10, look at this, for if when we
were enemies, you see that? We were what? Enemies. We were
reconciled to God by the death of his son. Much more being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life. Even when we were enemies, Christ
is the friend of sinners, not those who he foresaw would be
his friends, the ungodly, enemies, the impotent. In other words,
this friendship is unconditional. It does not, listen to him, this
friendship of Christ towards his people does not in any way
depend upon anything good in us or done by us. You see, so
often, that's what we think. We think, well, if I'm his friend,
then he must see something in me. No, he didn't see anything
in his people that would recommend us to be a friend to him or him
to be friends with us. Somebody said, well, if you think
he saw anything in you, you're right. He did see something in
you. He saw sin and depravity. hatred, unbelief, wretchedness,
even more than you see, even more than I see. Think about it. The beginning
of it, all of this that Christ accomplished on our behalf. I
mean, it's amazing. He sees more about me and my
wretchedness and my sin than I do. And yet at the same time,
he says to me, my friend, you're my friend. Just like he said
to Moses. And the beginning of it, the
keeping of it, the end of it, it's not dependent upon how we
do. It's wholly dependent upon who he is and what he did on
Calvary. And how he loves and how he'll
never renounce any of his own. Think about this. Think about
one you call your friend. Think about somebody you call
a friend. Think about somebody you call your best friend. And
let me ask you this question. If that person could see and
know your every thought, your every move, your every motive,
that person who you call friend and calls you friend, if that
person could see every thought you had, every motive you had,
every move you made, would they still be your friend? We'll turn
to Hebrews chapter 4. Now the one who calls his people
friend, Jesus Christ, the friend of sinners. Listen to this in
verse 12 of Hebrews 4. It says, For the word of God
is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart. God, through his word, knows the thoughts and the intents
of my heart. Verse 13, neither is there any
creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things
are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. He knows my every thought. He
knows my every motive. He knows my every move, and yet
he says, you're my friend. Now think about that. That's unconditional friendship. Go back to John 15. Here's the
second thing. Now listen to this. This is going
to be more amazing. It's an honorable and honest
friendship. You know, you young people, When
you do get away from home, if you go into the wrong crowd,
if you get involved with the wrong friends, it's not gonna
be honorable for you to do so. Think about it, have you ever
had a friend who dishonored you? Just like Solomon said there
in Proverbs chapter one, when sinners entice you, unbelievers
or whatever, to break the law, to do against your conscience,
it's not gonna honor you, that's a dishonorable friendship. You
know, they talk about honor among thieves. Well, there's no honor
among thieves, really. But here, the friendship of Christ
with His people, it is an honorable friendship. It's an honest friendship. Now, how can that be? He's the
friend of sinners. The Pharisees, when they confronted
the disciples, one of the charges that they brought against the
Lord is this. They said that he's a friend
of publicans and sinners. Dishonorable people. Who was
a publican? Well, he was a cheat. He was
one who was out to get all the money he could get, no matter
how he could get it. That's what a publican was. He was a tax
collector. He collected taxes for the Roman government from
his own people, and he always skimmed off the top. Remember
when Christ saved Zacchaeus? Zacchaeus said, I'm going to
return all that I stole, more than what I stole. Because he
was a thief. That's why publicans were hated.
Dishonorable people, dishonest people. And they said he's the
friend of publicans. There was an old publican who
stood outside that temple and said, God, be merciful to me,
the sinner. He was the friend of publicans
and sinners. How could that honor him? Well,
it says in verse 13 here, look here, of John 15, it says, greater
love hath no man than this, than a man laid down his life for
his friends. This friendship, now here's the
thing about it, Christ made it honorable because he laid down
his life for his friends. Why did he have to do that? I'll
tell you why, because this friendship between Christ and His people
is a friendship of righteousness. It's a friendship of holiness.
It's a friendship of truth. It's a friendship based on justice. It's a friendship that is made
so by the grace and mercy of God in Christ. This has to be. Because the Bible tells us plainly
that God hates all workers of iniquity. The Bible tells us
that God is of purer eyes than to even behold iniquity. The
scripture says that he loved Jacob and hated Esau. All the
scriptures. God is a just God. He must punish
sin. How can he have a sinner as his
friend? The wages of sin is death. You
don't kill your friend. If a person is your friend, you
don't kill him, you don't put him to death, and yet the wages
of sin is death. How could he be the friend of
sinners? God must do right. He must judge
according to truth. This is why Christ had to die
for his friends. You see, in Christ, in order
to have us as friends, have sinners as friends, he didn't attempt
to skirt the law. He didn't attempt to lower the
law in order that we might be made his friend, accepted of
God. He had to pay the price of our
sins. He had to pay the debt that we
owe to God's law and justice, and upon completion of his death,
the righteousness by which God has justified all of his elect,
his friends, was established in time. For him to be our friend,
God must be glorified and we must be made righteous. Turn
to Colossians chapter one with me. Think about it. You know, it's not uncommon for
people who have a dishonorable friendship, we talk about honor
among thieves, for them to defend one another in their dishonor.
Christ did not defend us in our dishonor. He took care of our
dishonor on the cross of Calvary when our sins were charged, accounted,
imputed to him. He was made sin. That's how he
became the friend of sinners. He laid down his life for the
sins of his friends. He didn't lay his life down for
his enemies. He laid his life down for his
friends who were his enemies. And he took care of the problem.
Look at Colossians chapter 1 and verse 19. It says, for it pleased
the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. And having
made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile,
bring together all things unto himself. Yes, we were enemies.
He died for His enemies and made us His friends. By Him, I say,
whether they be things in earth or things in heaven, and you
that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through
death to present you holy and unblameable and unprovable in
His sight." You see that? The Bible says in Proverbs 17,
17, a friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born of adversity.
Well, Christ loved us at all times, even when we were enemies. And we were born of adversity,
the adversity that he suffered on the cross to put away our
sins and establish righteousness. Look at this one, I want you
to see this one. Look at James chapter two. Turn over to James
chapter two. You know, James, the theme of
his book or this portion of the book of James is the works that
prove faith to be real and genuine. That's what he's talking about.
In other words, you have a claim that you believe in Christ. Well,
there'll be the fruit of that, of the grace of God, the fruit
of faith, the works that prove that faith to be genuine. That's
what he's talking about. And he mentions Abraham. He says
in verse 23 of James chapter 2, now listen to this. He says,
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed
God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. What does
that mean? Well, what did God promise Abraham
in the context of what James is talking about? You know, God
made a lot of promises to Abraham. But what is the main promise
that he's talking about here? What is the promise that applies
to people today, the church today? It's the promise of salvation
and the forgiveness of sins, justification, eternal life,
being made righteous before God by the death of Christ. The promise of Christ. Salvation
by the grace of God in Christ. Romans chapter 4 speaks of that
Abraham didn't get any blessing from God based upon his works.
It was grace through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through
the blood and the righteousness of Christ. Christ being made
sin for us. Christ who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. So when it says,
and the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed
God, he believed what God promised him. Salvation, righteousness,
forgiveness, eternal life, glory by the Lord Jesus Christ. And
it was imputed to him for righteousness. What? The merits of Christ, obedience
and death was charged to Abraham for righteousness. And look at
the next line in verse 23. And he was called the friend
of God. You know what that shows us? that anybody that Christ calls
friends, they're forgiven, they're justified, they're made righteous
in Him. It's an honorable friendship,
you see. Christ paid for those sins. He died for those sins.
He paid our sin debt. He brought in everlasting righteousness. That's how He can call us friends.
The friendship that He has with us at Uninterrupted Unconditional
Friendship was always based upon what He accomplished at Calvary,
the blood of Christ. That's what made it honorable.
And I'll tell you, it's an honest friendship. He doesn't have to
lie to us to be our friend. You know, Proverbs 27.6, listen
to this. Proverbs 27.6. It says, faithful
are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
As our friend, Christ did not tell us what we wanted to hear,
but he told us what we needed to hear. That's right. He told us what we really are
in the gospel. In the preaching of the law and
the gospel, he told us we're sinners. We don't deserve anything
that he has. We haven't earned anything of
salvation. Unrighteous, ungodly enemies. He didn't lie. He's not like
preachers today who scratch the itching ears of people who want
to hear themselves applauded. He didn't say peace, peace when
there is no peace. You remember when, what Joe read
there in Exodus 33 when Moses was called, or God spoke to Moses
face to face as a man speaketh with his friend. Where was Moses
when that happened? You know where he was? He was
in the tabernacle. What does that tabernacle represent?
Christ and his church. That's where the altar, That's
where the altar of sacrifice was. That's where the holiest
of all was. That's where the blood was brought by the high
priest. You see what I'm saying? That's the only way that God,
being honest with us, can call us a friend in Christ. That's
the only way. And I'll tell you another thing,
we don't have to lie to him to be his friend. We come to him
as sinners seeking mercy. Lord, I know what I am. I don't
even see the half of it. Yet I know that through the blood
and righteousness of Christ, you receive me and accept me
and bring me into your fellowship. It's an honorable friendship.
Thirdly, it's a mutual and equal friendship. Look back at John
15 now. He says here in verse 14, listen
to this. He says, you're my friends if
you do whatsoever I command you. Now he's not friends with everyone.
He's not just friends with anyone. Everyone's not his friend. How
can I know he's my friend? How can you know he's your friend?
Well, all whom he has befriended become his friends. And for us
to be his friends, what happens? Well, we're born again by the
Spirit. We're brought to Christ by faith. We believe in Him and
rest in Him. We confess our sins before Him. We confess our wretchedness.
That's what he's talking about. You're my friends if you do what
I've commanded you. That word if is not a conditional
if, it's an evidence. It could be translated since
or when. You're my friend since you do whatever I commanded you.
You're my friends when you do whatever I command you. It's
not a condition. You give evidence of being my friend when you do
what I command. What has he commanded? He's commanded
us to believe on him, to rest in him, to follow him. He's commanded
us to love one another. That's an evidence of being his
friend. You see, this is a mutual friendship. It's an equal friendship.
Paul, think about it. Paul the Apostle, he was a self-righteous
religious Pharisee. Mary Magdalene was a harlot.
And yet when they were saved by the grace of God, they were
equally saved, equally righteous, equally holy in the sight of
God in Christ. Paul was made an apostle and
used of God to begin churches and write over half the New Testament.
Mary washed the master's feet. But they were still equally the
friends of God. Paul wrote this, he said, Christ
came to save sinners of whom I am chief. All with whom Christ
is friends and all who are friends with him receive the same benefit. We're blessed with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. There are many who claim to be
Christ's friends but who are not. The scripture speaks of
those who claim to believe on Him but they wouldn't confess
Him because they were tied to this world. To be His friend
is to know Him, it's to believe in Him, it's to rest in Him,
it's to confess Him, it's to honor and serve Him, it's to
worship Him, it's to love to hear His voice. You ever been
down sometimes and a friend gives you a call and you just love
to hear that friend's voice? It just gives you some comfort
and peace. That's the way it is with Christ's friends. You
love to hear His voice. What is His voice? It's His Word.
Friendship with Christ is intimacy with God. It's friendship with
the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. We're made partakers of the divine
nature, 2 Peter 1, 4 says. We're brought into an intimate
friendship with the Godhead through Christ. For in Him dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you're complete in Him. Fourthly,
it's a fruitful and eternal friendship. Look at verse 16, or look at
verse 15 of John 15. He says, henceforth I call you
not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth.
But I've called you friends, for all things that I have heard
of my Father I've made known unto you. And then look what
he says, he says, you've not chosen me, but I've chosen you
and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and
that your fruit should what? Remain. that whatsoever you shall
ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you." It's
a fruitful, it's an eternal friendship. It stems from the sovereign electing
love and grace of God. He said, you didn't choose me,
I chose you. Do you know right now, if you're his friend, You
say, well, going back to the old analogy that people use,
well, he looked down through the telescope of time and foresaw
that I would choose him. No, he said otherwise. He said,
you didn't choose me, I chose you. We do choose him, but only
because he chose us. We're the reactionaries, he's
not. But you know what he says here?
He says, I call you not certain. Now, we are servants of God.
The Bible says we're servants of righteousness, servants of
the master. What's he saying here? What he's
saying here is this, you're not unwilling slaves under the legal
restraints and constraints of the law. He says, you're not
here because you're forced to be here. God has made you willing
in the day of his power. You have a different relationship
with the Lord of Lord. You're his friend. Now that friendship
is still honorable. It doesn't result in irreverence
like some people today. It doesn't result in lack of
respect for Him. We know who our friend is. He's
our master. He's our Lord. He's the Lord
of glory. But I'll tell you what, He's
made known these things to us that we might bring forth fruit
and that that fruit should remain. He's the vine, we're the branches.
bearing forth the fruit of His grace. And then, fifthly, it's
a motivating friendship. Look at verse 17. He says, These
things I command you that you love one another. This love is
the evidence of God's grace. And here we see what holds believers
together and what sets us at odds with the world. The Bible
says that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness. But unto us which are saved,
it's the power of God. Is the preaching of the cross
the power of God and the salvation to you? Well, if it is, that's
our friendship. That's what holds us together.
We may not like the same ball teams or the same food or all
of that, the same social things, but our hope is this, God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That's what holds us together now. Now, as I told you before,
I know we should cultivate friendships in other areas. That's fine.
And we should be kind to one another. We should do all of
those things. But what is it that glues us together in the
friendship of Christ that opposes the world? Well, look at Galatians
6. Turn over there and I will close
with this one. This is what glues, keeps believers
together. in the friendship of the Lord
and in opposition to the world. Right here. Galatians chapter
6 and verse 14. Paul writes here, he says, but
God forbid that I should glory, that I should boast, or that
I should have confidence in anything God forbid that I should glory,
save, except in the cross, the finished work of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He said in Philippians chapter
three and verse three this way, he said, we rejoice in Christ.
We have confidence in Christ and no confidence in the flesh.
In other words, my only hope of salvation is the person and
finished work of Christ. My only hope of righteousness
before God is the person and finished work of Christ, His
cross, His death, His accomplishment. This is how God is just to justify
me, the cross of Christ, nothing else, nothing else. I'm a sinner
saved by the grace of God. And then look at the next line,
he says, "...by whom the world is crucified, cursed unto me,
and I unto the world." There's my relationship with the Lord.
Because I glory in nothing but Christ and Him crucified, I see
that this world is cursed. What's he saying? Is he being
judgmental here? Yes, he is. He's saying that
without Christ, everything in this world, everyone in this
world, without Christ, what are they? They're cursed. But that's
the way the world looks at me. They said, Paul, you're cursed.
They said, Paul, you've gone crazy. They said, Paul, you have
a devil. They told our Lord that, didn't
they? They said, you have a devil. Why? You think you're saved and
everybody else is lost, Paul. All I'm simply saying is that
if you don't glory in the cross, if you don't glory in Christ,
what does that mean? That means you're cursed of God. You don't have any hope. There's
no salvation. There's none other name given among men whereby
we must be saved. Christ said, I'm the way, the
truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Now, if you come to the Father
by anyone but Christ and Him crucified, if you come to God,
outside the tabernacle like Moses did. He went into the tabernacle. He's pleading the blood and the
righteousness of Christ. You come to God pleading anything
but his blood and righteousness. What does that mean? It means
you're cursed. And they turn on you and say, well, you're
cursed. You're crazy. That's the hatred. Now that's
what binds us together in the fellowship of faith and friendship
of Jesus Christ, the friend of sinners. All right.