Becoming a true friend of God
Greetings in the name of Jesus"
For the last several months our men's group has been doing a Bible study in the book of John where we have been discovering several things concerning the ministry of Jesus that we have all known, and yet tend to overlook.
One of the main things that Jesus was saying in the book of John pointed to our belief in the father being more important than anything else that existed. In John 12: 44- 46 we find "Jesus cried and said; he that believes on me, believes not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that sees me sees him that sent me. I have come to be a light into the world, that whosoever believes on me should not abide in darkness." Our personal belief in Jesus Christ is first of all centered around the fact that we do believe that God is who he said he is. It also centers around our belief that God the father has sent Jesus to us for the purpose of being a sacrifice for our sins. In the very last part of John 12: Jesus said "for I have not spoken of myself; but the father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting; whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the father said to me, so I speak."
That first step we take toward God as a friend, and as a relationship is based upon our belief in the truth of what God is said to us. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life ; no man comes to the father, but by me." God tells us in his word that our relationship with him should be based upon our love and gratitude for what he's done for us. Jesus said in John 14: 21 "he that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me; and he that loves me shall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." It is in the far jump then to recognize the fact that our friendship with God is based upon our obedience to his commandments. John 15: 14 says"you are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you." So it becomes a rather straightforward relationship with God to be obedient to what his desires are for our lives.
When we have a complete relationship with God; a complete friendship and trust in God we become much more than servants. Jesus told us that his servant does not know what his Lord does, but he said he has called us friends because everything that he has heard from his father he is also made known to us. We may think that we have chosen God, but he tells us that he is the one that has chosen us, and has ordained us to go out into this world and to bear spiritual fruit. Jesus tells us that he has commanded us that we should love one another in the same way that he has loved us. Jesus reminds us that if the world hates us we should know that the world hated to him before it hated you. Jesus said "if you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." If we would be a friend to God then we must make a choice about our life, who and what we will believe, and the price that we are willing to pay for that belief. It is pretty much a straightforward fact that when Christ comes again his mission will be much different than it was the first time he came. In John 16:8-11 it is written "and when he is calm, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my father, and you see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." When it comes to being a friend of God the way for us has already been laid out. We have a choice to make, a commandment to be fulfilled, and a heart of love to be gratefully given back to a loving God; but even more than that to our heavenly father. Make you richly blessed God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
For the last several months our men's group has been doing a Bible study in the book of John where we have been discovering several things concerning the ministry of Jesus that we have all known, and yet tend to overlook.
One of the main things that Jesus was saying in the book of John pointed to our belief in the father being more important than anything else that existed. In John 12: 44- 46 we find "Jesus cried and said; he that believes on me, believes not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that sees me sees him that sent me. I have come to be a light into the world, that whosoever believes on me should not abide in darkness." Our personal belief in Jesus Christ is first of all centered around the fact that we do believe that God is who he said he is. It also centers around our belief that God the father has sent Jesus to us for the purpose of being a sacrifice for our sins. In the very last part of John 12: Jesus said "for I have not spoken of myself; but the father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting; whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the father said to me, so I speak."
That first step we take toward God as a friend, and as a relationship is based upon our belief in the truth of what God is said to us. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life ; no man comes to the father, but by me." God tells us in his word that our relationship with him should be based upon our love and gratitude for what he's done for us. Jesus said in John 14: 21 "he that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me; and he that loves me shall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." It is in the far jump then to recognize the fact that our friendship with God is based upon our obedience to his commandments. John 15: 14 says"you are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you." So it becomes a rather straightforward relationship with God to be obedient to what his desires are for our lives.
When we have a complete relationship with God; a complete friendship and trust in God we become much more than servants. Jesus told us that his servant does not know what his Lord does, but he said he has called us friends because everything that he has heard from his father he is also made known to us. We may think that we have chosen God, but he tells us that he is the one that has chosen us, and has ordained us to go out into this world and to bear spiritual fruit. Jesus tells us that he has commanded us that we should love one another in the same way that he has loved us. Jesus reminds us that if the world hates us we should know that the world hated to him before it hated you. Jesus said "if you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." If we would be a friend to God then we must make a choice about our life, who and what we will believe, and the price that we are willing to pay for that belief. It is pretty much a straightforward fact that when Christ comes again his mission will be much different than it was the first time he came. In John 16:8-11 it is written "and when he is calm, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my father, and you see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." When it comes to being a friend of God the way for us has already been laid out. We have a choice to make, a commandment to be fulfilled, and a heart of love to be gratefully given back to a loving God; but even more than that to our heavenly father. Make you richly blessed God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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