Who is the Friend of God?

Q: What does the Bible say about being a friend of God?

The Bible describes being a friend of God as a relationship marked by open communication and mutual understanding, such as when God spoke to Moses face to face. The concept of being a friend of God is beautifully illustrated in Exodus 33:11, where it says, 'The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.' This emphasizes the personal and intimate relationship believers can have with God. Just as Moses encountered God in the tabernacle, every believer who trusts in Christ is considered a friend of God because of the redemptive work of Jesus. God's friendship is characterized by dialogue and revelation, where he shares his will and purpose for redemption with his people, inviting them into a deeper understanding of His nature and character.

Q: How do we know God speaks to His friends?

God speaks to His friends through His Word and by touching their hearts with the Gospel. According to Hebrews 1:1, God has spoken in these last days by His Son, affirming that He communicates with His people, specifically through Scripture, where Christ is revealed. When believers feel the words of Scripture resonate within their hearts, it's evidence of God's speaking directly to them. This is not just an audible voice but a deep conviction and assurance that come from understanding God's truth. Every friend of God can testify to having experienced this when they hear about Christ and His saving work—this is God speaking tenderly and personally to their hearts, confirming their status as His friends.

Q: Why is it important to be a friend of God?

Being a friend of God means receiving His love, grace, and guidance, which transforms our lives. The significance of being a friend of God lies in the relationship established through grace, where believers are accepted despite their sinful nature. Jesus, as the friend of sinners, laid down His life for His friends, making it possible for them to be reconciled to God. This friendship ensures that believers have assurance of their salvation, comfort in trials, and direction in life. Furthermore, because of this friendship, believers are empowered to glorify Christ and partake in the divine nature as they grow in holiness. Ultimately, this relationship shapes a believer's identity and purpose, grounding them in the steadfast love of God.

Q: How does one become a friend of God?

One becomes a friend of God through faith in Jesus Christ, who reconciles sinners to God. Becoming a friend of God is rooted in faith in Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate friend of sinners. According to John 15:14-15, Jesus states that His friends are those who follow His commands, which centers on believing in Him. The friendship is initiated not by our actions but by God's gracious gift of faith. When individuals trust in Christ and accept His sacrifice, their sins are forgiven, and they are declared righteous, establishing a bond of friendship with God. This friendship is marked by ongoing faith and obedience, demonstrating that they have truly received the gift of salvation and reconciliation.

Well, good evening, everyone. If you would care to open your Bibles with me to Song of Solomon 5. Song of Solomon, Chapter 5. And as you're turning, a couple of announcements. Lila's Bible that we'll give her upon her high school graduation is down here for everybody to sign. You all know the drill by now.

You got to sign it before she can get it. So be kind to her. We'll sign that. We'll get that to her. Also, in the midst of me going on vacation, I forgot to get this in last week's bulletin, but there is a shower invitation hanging up in the vestibule there for Claire Floyd. And their little boy, I understand they're going to name him Bo. Saturday at noon, the details are on the invitation. You may already know all that information, but all of you ladies are invited.

And also remember that next Wednesday, we will not be having a service in preparation for the Bible conference. So now you know everything I know. All right. Song of Solomon chapter five. We'll begin in verse one. I am coming to my garden, my sister, my spouse. I've gathered my myrrh with my spice. I've eaten my honeycomb with my honey. I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, oh friends. Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

I sleep, but my heart waketh. It's the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with drops of the night. I've put off my coat. How shall I put it on? I've washed my feet. How shall I defile them?

My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. I rose up to open to my beloved, and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet-smelling myrrh upon the handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone. My soul failed when he spake. I sought him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he gave me no answer. The watchman that went about the city found me. They smoked me, they wounded me. The keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick of love. What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou dost so charge us? My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among 10,000. His head is as the most fine gold. His locks are bushy and black as a raven.

His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk and fitly set. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers, his lips like lilies dropping sweet-smelling myrrh. His hands are as gold rings set with beryl. His belly is as bright ivory, overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold. His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet. Yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O Daughters of Jerusalem." All right, Sean?

Okay, if you would turn to song number 39. We'll sing This is My Father's World. Song number 39. This is my father's world, and to my listening ears, All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my father's world. I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees, of skies and seas, his hand the wonders wrought. This is my father's world. The birds their carols raise. The morning light, the lily white, declare their maker's praise. This is my Father's world. He shines in all that's fair. In the rustling grass, I hear him pass. He speaks to me everywhere. This is my father's world. Oh, let me ne'er forget. That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father's world. The battle is not done.

Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven be one. Okay, if we would now turn over to song number 50, and we'll sing Fairest Lord Jesus. Song number 50. Fair us, Lord Jesus, ruler of all nature. O Thou of God and man the Son, Thee will I cherish Thee will I honor, Thou my soul's glory, joy, and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands, robed in the blooming garb of spring. Jesus is fairer, Jesus is pure, who makes the woeful heart to sing. Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight, and all the twinkling starry host. Jesus shines brighter. Jesus shines purer than all the angels have can boast.

Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations, Son of God and Son of Man. Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and forevermore be thine. All right, let's open our Bibles now to the book of Exodus, chapter 33. I failed to mention how good it is to be back home from vacation. We had such a great time. It took me to today to rest up, feel like I recovered from vacation. So it was a great time together. Missed y'all. Exodus 33, we'll begin reading in verse seven.

And Moses took the tabernacle and pitched it without the camp afar off from the camp and called it the tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass that everyone which sought the Lord went out under the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. And it came to pass when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up and stood every man at his tent door and looked after Moses until he was gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose up and worshiped every man at his tent door. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp, But his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

We'll end our reading there. Let's bow together in prayer. Our Father, we've gathered here together tonight to worship your matchless name and to hear a word from thee. And Father, I beg of you that you would condescend to meet with us this evening that you'd give us a heart of worship, that you would speak to us through your word and let our hearts be enriched with faith and love towards our Lord Jesus Christ as we hear him preached. Father, let us fall more and more and more in love with him every time we hear him preached. Father, meet with us, we beg of thee.

Without thee, we can do nothing. No man can preach or pray or read or understand. None of us can hear and worship. Father, unless you enable us by your spirit, Father, enable us tonight to hear a word from thee and leave here tonight rejoicing in Christ our Savior.

What a Savior you sent to save sinners, who completely and utterly saved all of his people from all of their sins. He truly is worthy of all of our worship. Father, enable us to worship him. Praise his precious name tonight. And Father, I thank you for a place that you've given to us, a family of believers that you've called together.

Father, pray that you continue to bless your word as it's preached here. That you would draw our hearts together in love for thee and in love for one another. And Father, that you might be pleased to enable us to faithfully serve our generation. by preaching Christ to them, just like someone did for us. And, Father, we thank you for our country, the freedoms we have long enjoyed here. And, Father, pray that you continue to preserve and protect this country. Be with our leaders and leaders around the world that you might turn their hearts to peace and to do good, Father, for your people.

Not that we deserve it by any stretch of the imagination, But Father, out of your goodness and grace to your people, we pray that you continue to bless and watch over us. It's in Christ's name. For his precious namesake, we pray and give thanks. Amen.

I titled the message tonight, Who is the Friend of God? It says that the Lord spake unto Moses as a man speaks unto his friend. Well, here's what I want to know. Can you and I be a friend of God? Like Moses was. When we leave here tonight, I want us to leave here knowing whether or not we're a friend of God. I hope we leave here knowing we are a friend of God.

Now Moses had this tent and he called it the tabernacle of the congregation. That's not the tabernacle that we've been studying. That hasn't been built yet. It was a tent of some sort that Moses had and he set it up and it was just a common, ordinary tent from what all the writers tell me.

If I tell you why it was special, the presence of the Lord was there. If a man wanted to hear from God, wanted to worship God, you got to that tent far off from the camp, because that's where God's at. And just like we see so often in scripture, the place of worship is outside the camp, isn't it? It's outside the camp of man's religion and man's way. If you wanted to hear John the Baptist, you couldn't be in the city, could you? You had to go out in the wilderness outside the camp.

And the same thing is true here. and people would worship. But now when Moses went to the tent, he went into the very presence of God, the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look again here, verse 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. Now this is the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. He's the word of God, and he appeared in that tent, in human form, I guess, and he talked with Moses in that tent, face to face, like a man talks to his friend. This has to be one of the most glorious moments in Moses' life. Can you imagine being alone in a room with the Lord Jesus Christ? and have him talk to you as a friend, to tell you the thing.

You know, if you talk to a friend, you tell them what's on your heart. You tell them what you're thinking. You tell them what you're planning on doing and why that you would do it this way. The Lord was talking to Moses as a friend. And I don't know if this is right or not this way. My mind works. What did they talk about? I mean, what did they talk about? We don't know because scripture doesn't tell us. But we do know that the Lord was talking to Moses as a man speaks to his friend. And we have some idea of how that goes with the way we talk to our friends.

You know, the Lord must have told Moses more about what this tabernacle that they're getting ready to build pictured, how it pictured Christ. He didn't just tell Moses there's a Messiah coming. He told Moses how Christ is coming to save spiritual Israel, not just the nation Israel, but spiritual Israel.

He's gonna save them from their sins. He could have told Moses, remember that Passover, you put the blood on the door? Christ is coming as the Passover lamb. He's gonna be crucified and slain for his people, and by his blood, they're gonna be set free. He could have told Moses about how he's gonna save his people, through the obedience of Christ and through the bloody, awful sacrifice of Christ.

I mean, just the things that the Lord could have told Moses about his will and purpose of redemption that, that was just not clear. It's just only in type and picture in the Old Testament scriptures. And he was talking to Moses like this face to face. And I venture a guess that every one of us here would give our eye teeth to have been in that tent. Wouldn't we? To see the Lord? To hear the Lord talk to us? To hear what the Lord was saying to his friend?

But you know what? If you are a believer, you have. You have. Every believer is the friend of God. Just like Moses was. Moses is not a closer friend of God than any other believer. Every believer is a friend of God. And I wanna give you five marks of the friend of God that I found in scripture. And this will let us know if I'm a friend of God or not. Number one, right here in our text in verse 11, God speaks to every one of his friends.

God spoke to Moses face to face. Again, this is just mind boggling. It's just however glorious we think that is, it was much more glorious than that, wasn't it? And he spoke to Moses face to face But if you're a friend of God, God's spoken to you too. Not audibly, but through his word to your heart. Let me show you that in Hebrews chapter one. Hebrews one, verse one.

God who at sundry times and in diverse manners, spake in time passed unto the fathers by the prophets. hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. God speaks to his friends through the written word. And when he speaks, he speaks to us about Christ, the incarnate word.

Now, if you hear of Christ, you hear Christ preached and you hear of His glorious person. You hear of His righteousness. You hear of His holiness. You hear of His mercy and grace and pity and love for sinners. You hear how He undertook to save His people from their sins, and He did it. He did it by sacrificing Himself for the sins of His people.

And you hear of Christ like that, and you find yourself being blessed, you know why you're blessed? you're a friend of God. You're not just hearing the preacher preach or the preacher or someone read the word of God. You're in God speak to your heart. That's why your arch blast is because you're a friend of God.

When you hear about the forgiveness of sins, the forgiveness of all of your sin, because Christ took your sin and his body on the tree and put those sins away by the shedding of his precious blood and his dying agony, that he would do that for you. because he set his love upon you before the world was ever created. Because he was determined to have you as his bride, dressed in white linen, the righteousness of the saints. And you hear of everything that he's done for his people, and you find your heart is so blessed and so thrilled, you're so thankful. You know why that is?

You're a friend of God. You're hearing God speak to the heart. When you hear of Christ, Now, I'm not just talking about what he's done for his people. Believe me, I'm not diminishing that. But you know, Christ is to be worshipped, whether he does anything for us or not. Isn't that right? When the leper came to our Lord and said, Lord, if you will, you have the power, you can make me clean. You know what it says before that? He came and worshipped him.

He worshiped Christ just because of who he is, not because of what he might do for us. He didn't know if the Lord would make him whole or not, but he worshiped him just for who he is. And when you hear about the person of Christ, how he's holy, harmless, he's separate from sinners, yet has fellowship with sinners, that he has the capacity to love sinners Just his person, that he's faithful, that he's just, that he's kind, that he's loving, that he never makes a mistake. Just hearing about his person, and if that throws your heart, and that just makes you think, I just love me more than ever.

You know why that is? You're a friend of God. God's speaking to your heart. You're not just hearing that with your ears, it's to your heart. Have you ever had somebody just read the word of God aloud to you? Just, I know we do all the time here, but I think about times that I've been in the hospital and been so sick and Janet will invariably read to me. She'll find a passage and she's probably picked out two or three.

And just hearing the word of God just settles your heart. It reminds you something about who God is and his word. There's just nothing like the word of God. It just grips your heart. If you know what I'm talking about, you're a friend of God. That's God speaking to your heart. That's not just hearing poetry or good sounding language. That's God speaking to your heart through his word.

When you hear about God's word, what God's word has to say about the final destination of every believer, that we will awake in glory in the presence of Christ our friend, and we'll be like him. And you think about heaven, and I know that heaven's got to be so much more beautiful than we can possibly imagine. But when you hear of Christ, and you think about your final destination, and you think the glory of heaven, it's not gonna be streets of gold. It's not gonna be pearly gates. If the glory of heaven to you is to be with the Lord Jesus Christ face-to-face, like Moses was here in our text, and to worship Him face-to-face in a body without sin, if that's heaven to you, then you're a friend of God.

That's what every friend of God knows, because God has spoken it to our hearts. And you hear it by faith just as plainly in your heart as Moses heard it audibly as he sat talking to the Lord face to face. It's just as real because it's God speaking to your heart. And true friends, you know, when friends talk, you know, it's different than if acquaintances talk or, you know, but when true friends talk, they don't have secrets from one another. They don't operate behind one another's back and keep a secret and do something, you know, that behind their back that would hurt them If somebody's ever done that to you, they ain't your friend.

The Lord had a so-called friend like that, didn't he? Judas. And remember when Judas brought that mob out to take the Lord that night? You know what the Lord said to him in Matthew's account of that? Friend, the Lord said. Friend, wherefore art thou come? Judas was not a friend of God, was he? Friends don't do that. Don't, don't keep secrets like that and operate behind one another's back. And our Lord, the friend of sinners does not operate that way.

He tells his people, he tells his people who he is so that we know something about him, something about his character. He tells us what he is doing for his people and he tells us what he will do for his people because he's not keeping secrets from his people.

Look back at John chapter 15. John 15, 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've heard of my Father, I have made known unto you. Our Lord tells us what it is he's gonna do. He tells his friends how it is God saves sinners.

I was talking with someone the other day, telling me, well, you don't know everything about this. Well, I don't know everything there is to know about God. I hope I never pretend to. I hope I never get off that attitude that I know everything there is to know, because I don't. But I know this beyond a shadow of a doubt.

I know how God saves sinners. I know it, because God told me. I know something about the character of God, the character of my friend. He's holy. He's just, he's loving, he's gracious, he's merciful. He's long-suffering. He's got to be long-suffering. If he can be my friend, he's got to be long-suffering. Oh, what a friend he is.

And trials come. Trials come our way. Our friends didn't do something behind our back and come up and send this to surprise us and stab us in the back. Our friend told us. In this world, you shall have tribulation, but you be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. So that when these trials come, they're not a surprise. Our friend told us.

And we know that the Lord's controlling it. He's the one that sent it. He's the one that controls the heat of it. He's the one that controls the duration of it. He's doing it according to his will. And if you're his friend and you know something about his character, You find comfort in that, don't you? You find comfort in that, and it encourages you to keep going on, to keep pressing toward the mark, because our God's in control of this, and he's gonna do right. How do I know that? Because he's my friend. He let me know who he is.

Now, I said all that, but let's be honest here. The Lord doesn't tell us everything, does he? No, the secret things belong to the Lord. The Lord doesn't tell us everything that he's doing. And you know why? Because this is not an equal relationship between us and God. Sean and I are friends. This is an equal relationship. But Sean, our friendship with God, this is not an equal relationship. But he's still the best friend we will ever have. And he does tell us everything that we need to know.

Everything that you need to know so that you will trust Christ, so that you'll cast your soul upon Him, so that you will beg Him for mercy, so that you'll trust Him to do all the saving for you is found in this book. He's told us everything that we need to know in order to know how God saves sinners and to come to Him begging for mercy. He's told us everything we need to know to trust Him. He's told us how to walk through this world.

He's told us everything that we need to know And this friendship is all the more glorious because it's not an equal relationship. We're not equals, but the Lord has condescended to be our friend anyway, and to speak to us, to talk to us, to teach us out of his word so that we know Christ. Best friend we've ever had, ever will have. He speaks to his friends. Second is this, every friend of God is a sinner. Look at Matthew chapter nine. Matthew chapter nine. Verse 10.

And it came to pass as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. Now, why in the world would all these publicans and sinners come to this party and feel comfortable going up to the table of the guest of honor and sitting right down by him? Why would they feel comfortable doing that?

Look over a few pages of Matthew chapter 11. Matthew 11, verse 19. The son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, behold, a man gluttonous and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. Now, I know they said that as an insult to the Lord. He's the friend of publicans and sinners. But I'm telling you what, that's the best news I ever heard. Christ is the friend of sinners. Now, he's not the friend of the self-righteous. I mean, how many times you see him dealing with the scribes and the Pharisees and these self-righteous people, they're offensive to him.

And in the day of judgment, He's already told us what he's gonna tell him. Depart from me. I never knew you. You never have been my friend. But if you're a sinner, the Lord Jesus Christ is your friend. If you're a sinner, now I mean you're a sinner in the sense that all you can do is sin. You can't do anything but sin. You can't do anything to earn his friendship. Everything you are is sinful.

If that's you, the Lord Jesus Christ is your friend. John chapter 15 again. Verse 13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. The Lord Jesus Christ is such a friend of sinners. He laid down his life to redeem them. I mean, what a friend we have in Jesus. This is the friend that took the sin of his people into his own body on the tree.

And he suffered everything that sin deserved. He suffered the wrath of his father. He suffered the father's shoving that sword of justice into his heart. He suffered being separated from his father. He took all of the filth of our sin, the leprosy of our sin, and took it and washed it away by his precious blood, the blood that he shed in dying agony.

What a friend. And that sacrifice justified everyone for whom he died. completely justify them so that they have no sin, and it's only because our friend took it away. I mean, what a friend. Now, if you've got a friend like that, what do you want to do for him? What would you like to do with him? I want to glorify him as much as possible, don't you? I'd like to say to everyone, look at him. Look at, this is what my friend did for me. Look at him. I want to glorify him, don't you? I don't want any credit for this. I don't want any glory for this. I want everybody to look at Christ. Look at John chapter three. This is what another friend of our Lord said. John three, verse 29. Well, look at verse 28. You yourselves bear me witness that I said I'm not the Christ. but that I am sent before him.

He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom withstandeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He, my friend, he must increase, but I must decrease. Well, of course I should. If I'm a sinner, that's been saved completely by his grace. If I'm a sinner that's been saved completely by his horrible, bloody sacrifice, of course he should increase, and I should decrease. And if you're the friend of God, that's what you want. You want Christ to increase.

Just, if you can find somebody in Danville, Brother Rex Bartley frequently presides over the services, and before you get up to preach, this is what he says. Frank, Jonathan, whoever it is, come brag on Christ. That's what we want, isn't it? Come brag on Christ. I want my friend to be bragged on. I want him to be glorified so that you see him and you trust him to do. What a friend. Now thirdly, listen carefully.

Every friend of God has been made like God. Now I know it sounds like I'm saying the opposite of what I just said. I just said every friend of God is a sinner. That's true. And every friend of God has been made like God. I'm not contradicting myself here. This is something only the friend of sinners can do. See, friends have things in common. I mean, if you're just going to be friends with somebody, you've got to have something in common, something that draws you together.

Well, God's holy. I mean, I don't know anything about God from this book. God's holy. He won't look on sin. He won't tolerate sin. God is holy. He cannot have fellowship with sinners in their sin and their rebellion. He can't have it in his presence.

So you know what Christ, the friend of sinners did? He came and he made God's people exactly what God will accept. He made them the righteousness of God in him. So that of course the father will accept them because Christ made us righteous. He made his people righteous by taking our sin away from us and putting it away by his precious blood. And then in the fullness of time, the Holy Spirit comes and causes us to be born with a brand new nature, a nature of Christ, a nature in mind of Christ.

I'm gonna look at a couple of scriptures here, 1 John chapter three. 1 John 3 verse 9, whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God. Now, whoever it is that cannot sin has something in common with God and God can be their friend because he made them have a sinless nature. Look back at 2 Peter 1. 2 Peter 1 verse 4, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that's in the world through lust. Now, if we're made partakers of the divine nature, we've got something in common with God. This is a nature that he can have fellowship with. It's holy, it's righteous, and he can have fellowship with it and be our friend.

Now one more, Ephesians chapter four. I really wanted to nail this point down with several scriptures because the human mind can never wrap itself around this, that we're born again with a sinless nature. But it's only that nature that God will have fellowship with. Ephesians four, verse 24.

And that you put on the new man. which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Now, if we've been created in righteousness and true holiness, that's the nature God can be friends with. He is our friend and he's made his people what he will accept and what he will have fellowship with. That's utterly amazing that he makes his people what they're not so that he can be our friend. Then fourthly, Every friend of God has this in common, every single one of them.

They believe God. James chapter two. James chapter two. Verse 23. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, And he was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. He was called the friend of God because he is the friend of God.

Now if I have a friend, I trust them. I do, I trust my friends. And I believe what they tell me. They don't have to offer me any other proof. If one of my friends tells me such and such happened, I believe it, because they're my friend. Well, God is trustworthy. He cannot lie. And every one of his friends believe him. When he speaks, we believe him. I believe, by God's grace, I believe every word in this book. Every single word of it. I believe it.

I don't need any more proof of something is true in this book other than God said it. I see these shows on the History Channel, it gets on my last nerve, how they're going and scientifically proving that some story in the Bible happened, that the Red Sea parted, or they even try to prove that Jesus really did live, or he really did perform miracles. I don't need that. If it says it in this book, I believe it. I really do.

I say, like what Donnie Bell said, Donnie says, if the word of God said that Jonah swallowed the whale, I'd believe it. I believe what God says. That's a friend of God. We believe God. Now, we didn't make ourselves God's friend because we believe him. We didn't make ourselves God's friend because of something that we did. We believe God. because God gave us the gift of faith to believe him.

So here's the other thing about friends. Friends give gifts. Give gifts to one another on birthdays and special occasions or whatever. We give gifts to our friends. Almighty God gives gifts to his friends. He gives us the gift. He's already given us the gift. Paul called it the unspeakable gift, the gift of his son. to come and save us from our sin. Faith is the gift of God. He gives that faith as a gift to his people. So just like Abraham, we believe God. We believe God because God has made us his friends. And once he gives us faith in Christ, we believe Christ, we can't quit believing him.

Look at John chapter 15 again. Verse 14, ye are my friends. If you do whatsoever, I command you. Now again, this is not, we don't make ourselves God's friends because we do what he commands us. We do what he commands us because he made us his friend, because he gave us the gift of faith.

And this is God's commandment. Of all the commandments of the law, there's one commandment really of God. Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you believe Christ? Then you're a friend of God. That's the evidence that you're a friend of God, because he's given you that gift. He gives those gifts to his friend, and every friend of God believes him. I bet when I announced my title tonight, Abraham went through your mind fairly quickly, because so often in scripture, Abraham is the friend of God. Well, Abraham believed God. How do we know that? How do I know Abraham believed God? God promised Abraham that the Messiah is gonna come through his son. Not Ishmael, but the son of promise, Isaac. Abraham believed God.

How do we know that? Because when the Lord told Abraham to take his son, his only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, you take him to a mountain that I'll show you, and you offer him there as a burnt offering to me. That very next morning, Abraham got up with the son, got the wood together, got the knife, got the servants, got Isaac and took off walking. And he got to that mountain and he tied Isaac to that altar and raised the knife to slay his son. He believed God. Even if he killed his son, he knew God would raise him from the dead if that's what it took to keep his promise. Abraham believed God. Do you trust Christ to save you simply because he said he came to save sinners? Then you're the friend of God. Here's the last thing. Every friend of God follows Christ. They follow Christ and they'll never leave him. And he'll never leave us. And that's the most important thing, isn't it? He'll never leave us.

All of us here, at least some of us who are probably older than teenagers, have had people who have been our friends in the past that are not our friends anymore. Maybe you got in a big old fight and separated, can't stay in the sight of each other anymore. Maybe you just went different ways and never see each other anymore. Whatever, they're people who used to be our friends who are not our friends anymore. And you know, that's a painful situation, isn't it?

But I find it comforting to think our Lord went through that too. He went through it first. He went through it with Judas who betrayed him. It happened with the Lord in Israel. He came into his own, his own received him not. In Zechariah 13 verse six, someone's asking the Lord, where'd you get those wounds in your hands? Where'd you get these scars? He said, I was wounded in the house of my friends. I came to them as a friend and this is what they did to me. All the sinfulness and the wickedness of man.

But that will never happen to any of God's friends. Never. I know that it won't because this is what our friend promised us. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Never. Look at Proverbs chapter 18. Verse 24. A man that hath friends must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. You think how many friends our Lord has. Solomon said a man that hath friends must show himself friendly. Has our Lord not proved himself friendly?

He proved himself to be the friend of sinners when he came and suffered and died to put their sin away. As he lived on this earth 33 and a half years, obeying his own law, not so that he could be righteous, because he's already righteous. He's already sinless. He did it so he could make his people righteous, give them his righteousness, the righteousness that he earned.

He willingly, I just think about him willingly, giving his back to the smiters, willingly giving his face to those who would pluck out his beard and spit in his face, willingly spreading himself out on that cross to be nailed to the cross and hung up between heaven and earth, to be mocked while he died.

He did that willingly. What a friend. I mean, what a friend. Our Lord has proved himself friendly. That's why he has so many friends. Oh, I want to be the friend of God, don't you? It's my prayer that God, by his grace, will make each of us his friend. Start by speaking to us and speak to our hearts so that we know him, so that we'll trust him, so that we'll believe him, so that we'll follow him and never leave him. To leave this life, well, to live this life as the friend of God, and then leave it as the friend of God.

Can't think of anything better. Can you? All right. I hope the Lord bless that to you. Let's bow together. Our father, how we thank you for such a friend, how we thank you for your condescending love and mercy and grace that you would befriend sinful men and women such as we are. And Father, I know I speak for every one of us here when I say that we want you to make us faithful, to be a good friend, a good friend to you, a good friend to honor your name and preach your gospel and to worship you and a good friend to one another, to help one another as we go through this journey here below. Father, how we thank you for a friend who will never leave us nor forsake us. Father, there's no words but thank you. Thank you, Lord. It's in Christ's name, for his sake we pray, amen. All right, Sean. Okay, if you would turn in your hymnal to song number 354, and we'll sing What a Friend We Have in Jesus. 354. What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry.

Everything to God in prayer Oh, what peace we often forfeit Oh, what needless pain we bear All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful? Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden? ♪ Cumbered with a load of care ♪ ♪ Precious Savior, still our refuge ♪ ♪ Take it to the Lord in prayer ♪ ♪ Do thy friends despise, forsake thee ♪ Take it to the Lord in prayer. In His arms He'll take and shield thee. Thou wilt find a soulless there.

Who is the Friend of God?

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about being a friend of God?

How do we know God speaks to His friends?

Why is it important to be a friend of God?

How does one become a friend of God?

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Who is the Friend of God?

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about being a friend of God?

How do we know God speaks to His friends?

Why is it important to be a friend of God?

How does one become a friend of God?

Sermon Transcript

About Frank Tate

Comments

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