1. Am I God’s Friend? Friendship Is of Great Value “We grasp hands, eye lights eye, and great hearts expand and grow on in the sense of this world’s life.” True friendship is the “mysterious cement of the souls of men, the sweetener of life, the solder of society, to which we are all indebted and from which we have derived far more than we can ever repay.” “Friendship produces an entire sameness; it is one soul in two bodies – a friend is another self” (Adam Clarke on 1 Sam. 18:1).

2. Definition of “Friend” 1. “A person whom one knows well and is fond of; intimate associate; close acquaintance.” 2. “A person on the same side in a struggle, not an enemy; an ally. 3. “A supporter or sympathizer.” 4. “Friend” is from two words in the Greek: a. “Loved, dear or friendly” – suggesting that one loves and is loved. b. “Comrade, companion or partner” 5. “Friendship” is to be loved by another per- son, and to love the other person.

3. Is God My Friend, or More Importantly, Am I God’s Friend? 1. Would God Put on Your Tombstone, “Here Is My Friend” ? 2. Abraham Was God’s Friend! a. Isa. 41:8 – “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. b. James 2:23 – And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.

4. c. At the end of your life, will God be able to say that your were His friend? The Purpose of Religion Is To Make Friendship Between Man and God 1. 2 Cor. 3:18 – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2. 1 John 1:7 – But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

5. 3. Col. 1:19,20 – For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. Characteristics of Friendship 1. A Sharing of Vital Information a. John 15:15 – No longer do I call you ser- vants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

6. b. Ex. 33:11 – So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. c. Gen. 18:17 – And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?” 2. Showing Kindness to Another, Job 6:14 – “To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend.” 3. A Friend Is One Who Is Easy to Love.

7. a. Psa. 15:3 – He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend. b. Prov. 22:11 – He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend. c. Prov. 27:9 – Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel. d. Prov. 18:24 -- A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

8. 4. A Friend Will Exert Great Influence on Us. a. Prov. 22:24 – Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go. b. Prov. 12:26 – The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray. c. 1 Cor. 15:33 – Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 5. Friendship Is Constant and Ongoing, Prov. 17:17 – A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

9. 6. A Person Will Sacrifice for His Friend, Jn. 15:13 – Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. IS GOD OUR FRIEND? 1. He Shares Vital Information With Us. a. 2 Pet. 1:2,3 –Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

10. b. 1 Cor. 2:7-10 – But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have cruci- fied the Lord of glory. But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

11. 2. He Has Shown Kindness Toward Us. a. Psa. 117:1,2 – Praise the LORD, all you Gen- tiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His mer- ciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD! b. Titus 3:4,5 – But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

12. 3. In His Goodness, Love, Mercy and Holiness, God Is Easy to Love. a. Rom. 5:5 -- Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. b. 1 Jn. 4:16 – And we have known and be- lieved the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

13. 4. We Should Allow God’s Beauty and Holiness to Have An Influence on Us, 2 Cor. 3:18 – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 5. God’s Friendship With Us Is Never Ending, Rom. 8:38,39 – For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

14. 6. God Has Demonstrated His Friendship for Us by Means of a Great Sacrifice. a. John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. b. 1 Jn. 4:9,10 – In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

15. Am I God’s Friend? 1. Do I Share Vital Information with Him Through Prayer? a. 1 Pet. 5:6,7 – Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. b. Phil. 4:6,7 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

16. 2. Do I Show Kindness and Love for God in My Life? a. 1 Jn. 3:17 – My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. b. 1 John 5:3 – For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. c. 1 Jn. 2:5 – But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. d. John 15:14 – You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

17. 3. Do I Make Myself Easy for God to Love, by Being a “Vessel of Honor”? -- 2 Tim. 2:21 – There- fore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 4. Is My Life an Influence for Good Which Will Shine as a Light to God’s Glory? a. Matt. 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

18. b. Phil. 2:15,16 – That you may become blame- less and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. 5. Is My Friendship Constant and Ongoing? a. Jude 1:20,21 – But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

19. b. 1 Jn. 3:18 – My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. c. 1 Jn. 4:20,21 -- If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

20. d. 1 Jn. 2:15-17 – Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. and the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 6. Does My Love for God Result in a Willing- ness to Sacrifice for Him?

21. a. Rom. 12:1,2 -- I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be con-formed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. b. Heb. 13:15 – Therefore by Him let us con- tinually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

22. CONCLUSION 1. God Wants to be Our Friend. 2. Are the Characteristics of Friendship Present in My Relationship with God? 3. Have You Obeyed the Gospel to Become God’s Friend? John 15:14 – You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.