Friendships
Friends indicates close acquaintances. A person whom one loves and trusts,
close companions.
The Bible guides us in making friendships (Proverbs 17:17) says “a friend
loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”. Proverbs 18:24 says “a
man that has friends must show himself friendly; and there is a friend that
sticks closer than a brother”. And Proverbs 27:17 says “iron sharpens iron; so
a man sharpens the countenance of his friend”. These shows good
friendships, but we are warned the kind of friendship to stay away from,
Proverbs 22:24-25 says “make no friendship with an angry man; and with a
furious man you shall not go. Less you learn his ways, and get a snare to your
soul”. And James 4:4 warns us not to be friends with the world, it says “you
adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is
enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the
enemy of God”.
Abraham was called a friend of God (II Chronicles 20:7, and James 2:23).
When God came down to judge the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah; He stopped
in to see Abraham and said (Genesis 18:17-19) “and the Lord Yahweh said,
shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do. Seeing that Abraham shall
surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall
be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord Yahweh to do
justice and judgment; that the Lord Yahweh may bring upon Abraham that
which He has spoken of him”. Because Abraham was the friend of God,
Abraham was able to bargain to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if there were ten
righteous men there.
Moses was called God’s friend. God and Moses talked face to face in the Tent
of Meeting, just as friends do. God chose Moses, and Moses in turn relied
wholeheartedly on God’s wisdom and direction (Exodus 33:8-11a) “and it came
to pass, when Moses went out to 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 in his tent door. And the Lord Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face,
as a man speaks to his friend, and he turned again into the camp”. Friendship
with God was a true privilege for Moses.
Jesus calls us His friend (John 15:10-17) “if you keep My commandments, you
shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and
abide in His love. These things have I spoken to you that My joy might remain
in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, that you love
one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do whatsoever I
command you. Hereafter I call you not servants; for the servant knows not
what his lord does, but I have called you friends, for all things I have heard of
My Father, I have made known to you. You have 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 shall ask of the Father, in
My name, He may give it you. These things I command you, that you love one
another”.
Jesus Christ is our Lord and Master, He should call us servants; instead He
calls us friends. How comforting and reassuring to be chosen as Christ’s
friends. Jesus said that we are His friends if we obey Him.
Jesus called His disciples friends, so it would be natural for Christians to refer
to themselves as “the friends of Christ”. The early church was known in this
manner (Acts 4:13) “now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men; they marveled; and
they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”.
We are to love each other as Jesus loved us, and He loved us enough to give
His life for us (I John 316-18) “hereby perceive we the love of God because He
laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
But whoso has this world’s goods, and see his brother have need, and shuts
up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him? My
little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in
truth”.
We can practice sacrificial love by listening, helping, encouraging, and giving
to others. What kind of friend are you? There is a vast difference between
knowing someone well and being a true friend. The greatest evidence of
genuine friendship is loyalty. Being available to help in time of distress or
personal struggles. To many people are fair-weather friends. They stick
around when the friendship helps them and leave when they’re not getting
anything out of the relationship.
Because God is love and we are made in His image and in His likeness, we are
to let His love shine forth, because Romans 4:5 says “the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us”. And (I Corinthians
13:4-8) “love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not, love vaunts not itself, is
not puffed up. Does not behave itself unseemly; seeks not her own; is not
easily provoked, thinks no evil. Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the
truth. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether
there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish
away”.
We should be the kind of true friend the Bible encourages us to be.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: July 1, 2011
Friends indicates close acquaintances. A person whom one loves and trusts,
close companions.
The Bible guides us in making friendships (Proverbs 17:17) says “a friend
loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”. Proverbs 18:24 says “a
man that has friends must show himself friendly; and there is a friend that
sticks closer than a brother”. And Proverbs 27:17 says “iron sharpens iron; so
a man sharpens the countenance of his friend”. These shows good
friendships, but we are warned the kind of friendship to stay away from,
Proverbs 22:24-25 says “make no friendship with an angry man; and with a
furious man you shall not go. Less you learn his ways, and get a snare to your
soul”. And James 4:4 warns us not to be friends with the world, it says “you
adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is
enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the
enemy of God”.
Abraham was called a friend of God (II Chronicles 20:7, and James 2:23).
When God came down to judge the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah; He stopped
in to see Abraham and said (Genesis 18:17-19) “and the Lord Yahweh said,
shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do. Seeing that Abraham shall
surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall
be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord Yahweh to do
justice and judgment; that the Lord Yahweh may bring upon Abraham that
which He has spoken of him”. Because Abraham was the friend of God,
Abraham was able to bargain to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if there were ten
righteous men there.
Moses was called God’s friend. God and Moses talked face to face in the Tent
of Meeting, just as friends do. God chose Moses, and Moses in turn relied
wholeheartedly on God’s wisdom and direction (Exodus 33:8-11a) “and it came
to pass, when Moses went out to 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 in his tent door. And the Lord Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face,
as a man speaks to his friend, and he turned again into the camp”. Friendship
with God was a true privilege for Moses.
Jesus calls us His friend (John 15:10-17) “if you keep My commandments, you
shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and
abide in His love. These things have I spoken to you that My joy might remain
in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, that you love
one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do whatsoever I
command you. Hereafter I call you not servants; for the servant knows not
what his lord does, but I have called you friends, for all things I have heard of
My Father, I have made known to you. You have 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 shall ask of the Father, in
My name, He may give it you. These things I command you, that you love one
another”.
Jesus Christ is our Lord and Master, He should call us servants; instead He
calls us friends. How comforting and reassuring to be chosen as Christ’s
friends. Jesus said that we are His friends if we obey Him.
Jesus called His disciples friends, so it would be natural for Christians to refer
to themselves as “the friends of Christ”. The early church was known in this
manner (Acts 4:13) “now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men; they marveled; and
they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”.
We are to love each other as Jesus loved us, and He loved us enough to give
His life for us (I John 316-18) “hereby perceive we the love of God because He
laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
But whoso has this world’s goods, and see his brother have need, and shuts
up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him? My
little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in
truth”.
We can practice sacrificial love by listening, helping, encouraging, and giving
to others. What kind of friend are you? There is a vast difference between
knowing someone well and being a true friend. The greatest evidence of
genuine friendship is loyalty. Being available to help in time of distress or
personal struggles. To many people are fair-weather friends. They stick
around when the friendship helps them and leave when they’re not getting
anything out of the relationship.
Because God is love and we are made in His image and in His likeness, we are
to let His love shine forth, because Romans 4:5 says “the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us”. And (I Corinthians
13:4-8) “love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not, love vaunts not itself, is
not puffed up. Does not behave itself unseemly; seeks not her own; is not
easily provoked, thinks no evil. Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the
truth. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether
there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish
away”.
We should be the kind of true friend the Bible encourages us to be.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: July 1, 2011
