Friend of God

Sunday, January 27, 2013

What does it mean to be a friend of God? Let’s look at some friends of God to find characteristics.

Moses was a friend of God.

But not with my servant Moses.

Of all my house, he is the one I trust.
I speak to him face to face,
clearly, and not in riddles!
He sees the LORD as he is. Numbers 12:7-8

God trusted Moses. Moses saw God as he is.

David was a friend of God.

But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” I Samuel 13:14.

David’s heart was aligned with God’s heart.

Abraham was a friend of God.

21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[g] He was even called the friend of God.[h] 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. James 2:21-24

Abraham was right with God. His faith and actions worked together.

Abraham believed God.

Jesus called his disciple friends.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.John 15

What is the chief characteristic of friendship in this passage? LOVE.

Obedience = Love = Joy = Friendship

Jesus chose us and now he wants us to choose him. Then he wants us to love each other. Friendship is expressed by love.

The Greek has 2 words for “friend.” – philos and hetairos.

Philos means “loved, dear, befriended.” It denotes intimacy. Jesus used philos to describe the friendship of his disciples in John 15. This is the word used in John 11:11 to describe Lazarus. Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

Hetairos means “comrade or companion.” It denotes a misleading friendship, people who are followers but follow for their own advantage. Jesus used hetairos in Matthew 26:50 when he talked with Judas. “Hetairos, (friend), do what you came for.”

We get to decide which kind of friend we want to be. Will be be a friend like Moses, David, Abraham? The Disciples? Will we be an Hetairos friend? Will we be a Philos friend? We get to choose.