Turn with me now back to John
chapter 15. In chapters 13 through 16, our Lord, this is one continuous train of thought, if you will.
And He's preparing His disciples for His parting out of this world. He's been with them now for several
years. teaching them who he was, why
he came, what it was that he had to do, and where he must
go. And he knew what would take part
in their lives at his departing. And so he comforts them all through
these several chapters. They'd given their all to follow
him, and he was about to give his all for them. Having loved
His own which were in the world, it says He loved them to the
end. And there's comforting words
in all these verses in these several chapters to those who
have an understanding and perhaps even to those who don't right
now, but it may yield some comfort a little later on. My subject
this morning is friends of God. Friends of God. The Holy Scriptures
often speak of God's relationship to us as that of a friend. Hard to imagine it. In Exodus
chapter 33, it says, Moses entered into the tabernacle, this tent
he had prepared. And the cloudy pillar, that pillar
that followed them, God's presence that followed them all through
the wilderness, that cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door,
evidently in a human form, and stood before the door of the
tabernacle, and the Lord Himself talked to Moses, and the Lord
spoke to Moses face to face. as a man would speak to his friend. My soul. In James chapter 2 and
verse 23, the apostle tells us that Abraham believed God. That's
not the first time we're told that. But here he quotes this,
and he said, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him
for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. And during the ministry of our
Lord, a man known well by Him, a man in whose home He'd spent
many nights, had died. Had died. And His sisters had
sent for Him, but He didn't go. He tarried. And now He was dead. And His sisters were mourning,
and His disciples were mourning. And the Lord said to His grieving
disciples, He said, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth." My friend. My friend. And as our Lord visited
and ate and drank in the houses of some pretty rough characters.
I mean, they were rough. Publicans. Prostitutes. The list is long. His enemies
gave this testimony of our Lord. He's a friend of publicans and
sinners. And then before I get to my text,
the wise man, Solomon. The wise man tells us in Proverbs
18, 24, there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. There is a friend. And what I
hope to do this morning is to show you what constitutes this
relationship of being a friend with God. What must it be for
God to call you His friend? To think on you as His friend? What must that be? I sat and pondered this verse
for hours. What must it be for God to consider
me His friend? I've been privileged over the
years to have a few men that were true friends. I remember
having Brother Mahan down for a meeting. I was just a young
man in my twenties. There had been some dissent in
the church and some controversy. Henry came down to preach to
us and to give me some comfort. One of the deacons had invited
him out for supper. My wife will recall this. He came out of his room from
studying, and Brother Mahan noticed that we weren't dressed for supper.
And he said, it's nearly time to go. He said, time to get away
from me? He said, we need to get dressed. We need to be over
there at such and such time. And I said, well, we weren't
invited. Uh-huh. He said, where's your
phone? And I said, right there. He went
on and called that deacon up and he said, now you did invite
the pastor and his wife. You were expecting them to come
with me, weren't you? Because he said, if they're not
invited, I'm not coming. That's a friend. What must it
be to be called the friend of God? How does an ignorant, sinful
rebel like you and I come to be called the friends of God. I've got the weakness of old
age coming upon me even now. I may have to endure suffering. I don't know what lies out there
ahead. Pain. Persecution. And even if I don't, I have a
death to die, and then I must appear in the presence of the
living God. Wouldn't it be nice to have one
there for me who was my friend? Who would never leave me, never
forsake me. One that would stick with me
closer than a brother. Now, how can sinners like you
and I ever hope to have such a relationship with God? in the same way Moses did, in
the same way Abraham did, and in the same way Lazarus did through
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God spoke to Moses by His Spirit,
and by way of this speaking, he was discerned to be God's
friend. In John 15, 14, I want you to
look with me at my text. The Lord said, you are my friends
if you do whatsoever I command you. Now, this is not talking
about a man accomplishing the will of God by keeping certain
commandments and ceremonies and rituals. This is talking about
the believer's surrender to Christ, his loving, willing, and sweet
surrender to Him who is his friend. In Romans 6, verse 16, Paul said,
Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves, that word yield means
to give up. You know, I was watching Zane
up there yesterday. He was running around the church.
I remember my days as a little child like him. And he had a
stick in his hand and he was in there. He didn't know anybody
was watching him. And he was sword fighting. He had that stick
going all directions. He was poking and punching. If
you can vision two men with swords drawn the way they fought in
the old days, and they're hacking and slashing at each other until
finally one wins the battle. And he puts that sword right
to the man's throat. And he said, do you yield? Do you yield? That's what Paul's
talking about here in this verse. Know you not that to whom you
yield yourselves servants, to obey his servants you are? To
whom you obey? Do you know that? Whether of sin unto death or
of obedience unto righteousness. And then that word yield also
means the crop. You know, you go out there, some
of you farmers here, and you go out and plant those crops
and you wait on the yield. see what it's going to yield.
We used to, big farm country up in Ohio, I used to see these
signs when they first started coming out with these hybrid
seeds and stuff, and it projected so much yield per acre for the
corn and all that. But it means the fruit, the fruit,
well, this yielding This obeying Christ is the fruit of our union
with Him and He spends the whole first part of the 15th chapter
of John telling us that He's the vine and we're the branches
and you can't bear fruit unless you're in the vine. The reason
you obey, the reason you yield, the reason you give up is because
God in His garden planted the vine. And then he took this worthless
branch, this wild branch that couldn't possibly bear anything,
and he grafted it into the vine. And he said, if you abide in
me, you'll bear fruit. You'll bear fruit. But if you
don't abide in me, you're going to wither, and men are going
to sweep you up, and they're going to put you in the fire,
because that's all you're good for. All you're good for. This
obedience, this yield in yourself, this is the yield of that union
with Christ, this eternal union and this spiritual union that
we have through regeneration. Those who are friends of God
our Savior are those who have willingly surrendered to Him.
Without Him, they are nothing. Without Him, they can do nothing. They can be nothing. They cannot
accomplish anything. Well, what are these commandments
he's talking about? Well, John said his commandments
are not grievous. They're not grievous. We're to
love God, believe on His Son, and love all those begotten of
Him. That's not grievous. John 15,
15. Listen to this. What constitutes
this friendship? This being a friend of God, God
being my friend, what constitutes that? Verse 15, Henceforth I
call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his
Lord doeth. But I have called you friends
for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known
to you. What constitutes a man being
a friend of God? It is the revelation of God's
saving grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus by the
Father's eternal purpose before the world began. How do I know
that? I'm his friend and he told me.
Isn't that it? Isn't that what this chapter
is teaching? It's just that simple. You're my friend. You're not
my servant. I have called you friends for
all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known
unto you." What has our Lord heard from the Father that He
reveals to His friends? Things that His servants know
nothing about. Things which the angels desire
to look into. Things which the lost have never
even considered, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man, that is, mankind, natural
man. The things which God hath prepared
for them that love him, but God hath revealed them unto us through
His Spirit. What sort of things has God the
Father spoken to the Son for His friends to hear? Let me give
you four or five things. Here's the first one. God has
chosen to save a people in Christ for the glory of His great name. Look at the verse that follows
the verse that I just read to you there in John 15, verse 16. You've not chosen me. That's
the first thing He tells them. You've not chosen me. But I have
chosen you and ordained you, that you should go and bring
forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever
you ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you." Ah, but when I think of
the wonder of eternal election, the privilege of it, the certainty
of it, the unchangeableness of it. I can't hardly take it in. Can you? Huh? Paul said, unto me who am less
than the least of all saints, is this grace given that I should
preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery
which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who
created all things in Jesus Christ." God, through His Son, and through
His Son's ambassador, He tells us what the servants will never
hear. Now, God has servants who are
not friends, but all His friends are servants. Yes, they are. They serve Him. Can it be that
such an insignificant worm as I am be chosen as an object of
God's sovereign grace before the foundation of the world?
Can that be? Winston, we just read that in
a book. Can that possibly be that he chose Winston Worms?
Before He ever created the world, before a bird ever flew in the
air, before water ever floated on the surface, before the land
was ever separated and trees grow and houses built, before
ever man inhabited the earth, is it possible that God has chosen
Winston Ward? That's hard to get a hold of,
isn't it? Oh, my soul. Can that be? Can that be? And throughout time, God has
called His friends aside and whispered in their ears the greatest
news that's ever been heard. God has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He has
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. Now, I'm going
to tell you something. God's friends are the only people
who know that. But He whispers in their ears,
and how sweet it is when He does. Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. But why would
He choose me? Did God look down through the
telescope of time? I was reading an Armenian commentator
one time. I call them fence straddlers
now, but he was trying to acknowledge some of the sovereignty of God
and at the same time hang on to that Arminian view. And he
just straddled the fence and really didn't say anything. But
I'll never forget him talking about election and he's talking
about God looking down through the telescope of time to see
who would and who wouldn't do good and who would and who wouldn't
choose him and all that kind of stuff. That just works. That
just works. Why would he choose me? I have
nothing to recommend myself. I have no potential in me. We'll
all together become unprofitable. Yes, and that's exactly why he
chose me. That's it. That's exactly why
he chose me. Not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble to call. But God hath chosen
the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God
hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which
are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not
to bring to naught things that are. Why would He do such a thing?
That no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him, of
Him, of God, are ye in Christ Jesus, who has made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. There is no greater news to a
lost sinner than to discover that God has by His sovereign
grace determined to save a people out of Adam's doomed race for
the glory of His name. I tell you, if you ever If you
ever are convinced of sin and you're down in that cesspool
of iniquity and inability and darkness, and God throws open
the door of election to you, it'll be an open door till you
die. You'll see it. You'll rejoice
in it. You'll embrace it. You'll sing it and shout it and
preach it and teach it to everybody you know. You won't avoid it
like the plague. No greater news to a lost sinner.
What else does the father give to his son to tell his friends?
He tells us that he himself has been appointed of the father
to be the representative and federal head of God's elect. He would not dare to do for himself,
but to do and to die for his elect. My friend, salvation is
by virtue of an everlasting covenant union which God purposed before
the world began. I've just quoted you 1 Corinthians
1, verse 30, but of Him, of God. How did we get there? Of God.
Are you in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us? That's that representative. and
that federal head of God made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. Christ is the true vine. We're
just the branches. And this vine is placed in God's
garden for His glory and according to the good pleasure of His will. The hope of the fruit produced
in the branches is fully dependent on its connection to the vine. be worth anything that's not
in that vine. If there be no union, there can
be no hope of fruit. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can you except
you abide in me. Any branch not in union with
the vine is a withered, useless branch whose sure end is to be
destroyed in the fire. And while this may have some
bearing on this vital union of faith, it has more to do with
that eternal union in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2, speaking
of that eternal union with Christ, tells us that we were quickened
together with Him. What's He talking about? He's
talking about being laid in that tomb, in Him. Being raised from
that death, that eternal death, being raised from that tomb,
under newness of life, ascending up into glory with Him, attaining
eternal redemption with Him in glory. We've already obtained
it in Him, and now we're seated in Him, Paul tells us. And what
did he say he was going to do with all that information? He
said, when the time comes, when the fullness of the time has
come, he said, He's going to come to you, and He's going to
show you something and tell you something of the exceeding riches
of His grace and His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. And
then you're going to believe. You're going to believe. And
it's all of grace. What else does the Father tell
His Son to tell His friends? Here they are. They're down here.
They're under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and they can't
do anything. They see themselves as wiggling
maggots just feeding on the corruption of this world. No end in sight
except hell itself. And he comes then and he reveals
himself as your friend and he begins to tell you some things
that nobody else in this world knows except his friend. He tells them thirdly to tell
them that their warfare is accomplished. Put your shotguns in the corner,
the war is over. The war is over. Jesus Christ
as our representative and substitute has fully, freely, and perfectly
accomplished our redemption. It's a done deal. I'm not hoping in this life to
accomplish my redemption. My redemption is already accomplished
if He is my Redeemer. Now this world preaches a Redeemer
that can't be redeemed. But the Redeemer I preach, the
Redeemer set forth in this book, redeems. And that redemption
has already been accomplished. It has already been received.
It has already been accepted. Turn with me to Colossians chapter
1. Colossians 1, verse 20. And having made peace through
the blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all things unto
Himself, by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth
or things in heaven, and even you, even me, that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
has He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death to
present you unblameable, holy, and unblameable, and unreprovable
in His sight. If you continue in the faith,
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel which you've heard which was preached to every creature
which is under heaven, were of our Paul and made of minister." Why did the Colossians hear it
while so many others didn't? Because he's willing to tell
his friends what his servants will never know. Christ is our righteousness.
He's the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. And
He's put away our sins by the sacrifice of Himself on Calvary's
cross. And to make this sacrifice to
be for everyone other than those called of God and given to Him
is to declare the Son of God to be an absolute failure. I
can't even imagine such a thing. And I've heard men preach it
on the radio and TV. He obtained, the Scripture said,
eternal redemption for us. He bore our sins in His own body
on the tree, and the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.
And anything other than a particular effectual redemption of Christ
is no redemption at all. And to preach His death in any
other fashion is to reveal a traitor's heart. God tells His friends
of a Redeemer who redeems and a Savior who saves. A justifier
who justifies. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is He that condemns? Christ died. Died for who? His elect. What else does a father tell
his son to tell his friend? He tells them to tell them that
having obtained eternal redemption for them, He now sits in glory,
having full and sovereign authority over all things, to give eternal
life to all that the Father gave Him. This is what this power,
people talk about the power of Christ and the Lordship of Christ,
My friend Christ is God. He had authority over everything
that was before anything was made. He is the Creator. He's
the one who spoke this world into existence. These things
were not only made by Him, but they were made for Him. When
He talks about the Lordship of Christ, that which He bought
through His death, He's talking about a power given to Him to
redeem your souls. A just and righteous power to
arrange providence. to arrange the hearing, to intervene
in your mind and intervene in your heart, a just and righteous
power and authority to redeem all that the Father has given
to him. He does not sit in heaven in
frustration watching those for whom he lived and died being
snatched out of his hands and cast into hell. Jesus Christ
by virtue of His person and work now sits at the right hand of
God justly and righteously arranging all things, ordering all things
to guarantee that all that were given to Him will receive the
full inheritance which was purposed by the Father for them. Listen to the Word of God. Ephesians
1.11. This is talking about Christ,
talking about in Him, our friend, listen to this, in whom also
we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according
to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel
of His own will, that we should be to the praise of His glory
who first trusted in Christ. Isn't that something? Who knows
this? His friends. His friends. John 17, 1 and 2, he says, Father,
glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee, as Thou
hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal
life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And then, fifthly,
God tells His Son to tell His friends that He is coming again. He's coming again. Not again
in humiliation, but in the glory of His Father's house and with
all His holy angels. Not again in obscurity, but every
eye shall see Him. And every eye from every age,
and He includes this in that statement, even those who pierced
Him are going to see Him when He comes again. You men of Galilee,
they were standing out there. I can just imagine. Here's this
one who was raised from the dead. You saw him die on this tree. You saw him die in agony. You
saw him put him in the tomb. You saw the tomb sealed. And
now this man is raised from the dead. And not only is he raised
from the dead and talking to you and feeding you and eating
with you, but he steps onto a cloud with his angels and ascends into
glory. And I can just imagine they're
all standing out there with their mouth open looking up into the
heavens. And the angel said, why stand
you there gazing? The same one that's taken up
from you is going to come again in like manner. Like manner. And this coming, while it means
the end of the world to natural man and everlasting punishment
to all those who believe not on him, will be a glorious time
for all that he has redeemed. At his coming shall be a bodily
resurrection, the like of which has never been seen. Back in
John chapter 5, he tells his hearers, as the Father hath life
in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. And He's given him authority
to execute judgment also because He is the Son of Man. And He
said, Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all
that are in the graves... How many is that? Huh? It's a number that no man can
number. That's what it is. All that are in the graves shall
hear His voice and shall come forth. They that have done good
under the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil
under the resurrection of damnation. And with the righteousness of
Christ imputed to us, he shall look on those he has redeemed
and say, well done, thy good and faithful servant. Enter into
the joy of thy Lord. What a glorious day that'll be
when every trace of the serpent's slime shall be removed. Every
trace of it. Gone. Erased forever. And every eye shall see without
obstruction. Then shall be brought to pass,
Paul said that saying, death be swallowed up in victory. Death
gonna be swallowed up of life. May God whisper in your ear this
morning what I've said to you. In that whispering, you'll know
you're His friend. You're His friend. Nobody else
knows these things. Nobody. How come you don't know? You're His friend.