Study 6
JESUS IS OUR FRIEND
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You through Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father God, we ask You to please provide us the understanding and ability to truly comprehend what a friend we have in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Please Lord, cause us to grow in our faith, belief and love for Him.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
In previous studies we saw that Jesus Christ is the Majestic Lord and God through Whom and for Whom all things were created. As a reminder, let us consider the following excerpt from Paul’s letter to the Colossians,
Colossians 1:15-20
"[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. [19] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."
As we reflect upon the above description of Jesus Christ and consider how, through the sacrifice of His earthly body, He saved us from our sins and from Hades (Hell), one cannot help but realize that Jesus, the Majestic Lord of all and the King of kings, is also our friend.
For us to have a better understanding of what it means to say that Jesus is our friend, we begin our study by finding out what a friend really is. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, the second college edition, a friend is:
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; one who is not an enemy or foe; ally."
3. "A supporter or sympathizer." "Something thought of as like a friend in being helpful; reliable, etc."
With the above definition, let us now examine each one of the above characteristics of a friend and see how our Lord and Savior fulfills each and every one of them.
The first characteristic of a friend is that:
A FRIEND IS A PERSON WHOM ONE KNOWS WELL AND IS FOND OF; INTIMATE ASSOCIATE AND A CLOSE AQUAINTANCE
As we study God’s Word, we find that:
JESUS KNOWS US WELL
To see how well our Lord knows us, let us consider the following Psalm,
Psalm 139:1-18
"[1] O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. [2] You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. [3] You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. [4] Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. [5] You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. [6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. [7] Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? [8] If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. [9] If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, [10] even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. [11] If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," [12] even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. [13] For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. [14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, [16] your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. [17] How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! [18] Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you."
Can anyone know us better than this? Even our thoughts are before Him? Pretty awesome isn’t it?
We find that even though Jesus knows our deepest and innermost thoughts, both good and bad,
JESUS IS FOND OF US
As we read the Scriptures, we come to realize that in spite of our weaknesses and failings, God is not just fond of us but loves us more than we can imagine. The Holy Spirit beautifully expresses this to us in,
Romans 5:6-8
"[6] You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. [7] Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. [8] But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Expanding upon this a little bit more, let us consider what Jesus told His disciples and now us in,
John 15:13
"[13] Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
As we now know, this is exactly what Jesus did. He laid down His earthly life to save us from our sins and provide us eternal life with Him.
In addition to knowing us and loving us,
JESUS IS AN INTIMATE ASSOCIATE OF OURS
The Bible teaches us that after Jesus died, rose, and ascended into Heaven He did not leave us to fend for ourselves. No. What Jesus did was send the Holy Spirit to live and dwell inside the born again believer. He did this so that through the Holy Spirit, He (Jesus) would always be intimately associated with you and me. To see this let us consider what Jesus said to prepare His disciples for His upcoming death and resurrection in,
John 14:15-20
""[15] If you love me, you will obey what I command. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. [18] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. [19] Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. [20] On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.""
Let us notice the following verses,
15 … Jesus told His disciples and now us that if we love Him, we will obey Him. In other words, if we love Jesus we will want to live our lives so as to please Him. We please Him by following or obeying His commands.
16 … Jesus told His disciples and now us that because of our love for Him and hence our desire to please Him, He will send another Counselor to be with you and I forever. In verse 17 we find that this Counselor is the Spirit of Truth, who is the Holy Spirit.
17 … Jesus told His disciples that up until this time, that is prior to Jesus' ascension into Heaven, the Holy Spirit lived or dwelt among them. Now however, when Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit no longer lives among us but actually lives and dwells within us.
18 … Jesus promised His disciples that after He returns to Heaven, He would not leave them alone. He will come to them. He did this then and does this now through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This occurs when we become born again believer in Jesus Christ.
19 … In other words, Jesus told His disciples and now us that even though the world, who are the unbelievers, do not see Him does not mean that He is not alive. Jesus Christ is alive and through the Holy Spirit, the born again believer, knows this.
20 … When we are born again, on that day we will realize that we are in Jesus Christ and He is in us!
In other words, the born again believer has the most intimate relationship or association possible with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In addition to knowing us better than we realize, loving us more than we can imagine and having the most intimate relationship possible with us, we also find that Jesus is more than a close acquaintance of ours. In fact, Jesus considers us as His brothers (or sisters). To see this, we must realize that once we are born again we are now a child of God. This is revealed to us by reading,
John 1:12-13
"[12] … to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- [13] children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
As a child of God, Jesus identifies you and me as His brothers (or sisters). To see this, let us read from,
Hebrews 2:11-12
"[10] Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. [12] He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.""
Just think, because of faith in Jesus Christ, we became a child of God and considered by Jesus to be one of His brethren.
The second characteristic or attribute of a friend is that:
A FRIEND IS ON THE SAME SIDE IN A STRUGGLE; THE FRIEND IS NOT AN ENEMY OR FOE; THE FRIEND IS AN ALLY
As we consider our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all He has done and promises to do for us, we cannot help but realize that,
JESUS IS ON OUR SIDE IN OUR STRUGGLE AGAINST SIN AND THE EVIL ONE
The Bible teaches us that in addition to having made atonement for our sins and redeeming us from the spiritual bondage of Satan and sin, Jesus is ever present to help us when we come under the temptation to sin. To see this, consider the following Scripture,
Hebrews 2:18
"[18] Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."
In other words, because Jesus Christ, during His earthly sojourn, was tempted in every conceivable way and did not sin, He can relate to the temptations that you and I experience. As a consequence He is more than able to help us resist them. What a wonderful, wonderful friend!
Since Jesus is on our side, we find that,
JESUS IS NOT OUR ENEMY OR FOE
Let us never forget that the whole reason Jesus came to this earth was not to condemn us but to save us. The Holy Spirit tells us this in,
John 3:16-17
""[16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
In other words Jesus is not our enemy or foe but our friend. Thus,
JESUS IS OUR ALLY
Perhaps the best way to see this is by reading the following Psalm,
Psalm 23:1-6
"[1] The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. [2] He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, [3] he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. [4] Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. [5] You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. [6] Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
Can there be a better ally than this; that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He is with me?
The third attribute that Webster listed for a friend is that:
A FRIEND IS A SUPPORTER OR SYMPATHIZER
From reading the Bible we find that Jesus fully understands and sympathizes with our needs and hurts. To see this, let us read from,
Hebrews 4:14-16
"[14] Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. [16] Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
Let us notice the following verses,
15 … Jesus was tempted in every way we are. Thus, as the Scripture says, He can sympathize with our hurts and sufferings. Even though this in itself is a comfort, which is to know that there is someone who understands what we are going through; however, Jesus does not stop there. Since in all His temptations Jesus did not sin, He now invites us to come to Him for help. Notice the next verse,
16 … We can come to Him with confidence and receive mercy and grace to help us!
The last characteristic of a friend that Webster identified is that:
A FRIEND IS HELPFUL AND RELIABLE
In reflecting upon all we have covered thus far, one cannot help but conclude that,
JESUS IS MORE THAN HELPFUL
To expand upon this a bit more let us first read how the Apostle Paul was able to withstand and work through all the trials and tribulations that he faced. He reveals his source of strength to us in,
Philippians 4:13
"[13] I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
In addition to bringing us through all of life's struggles and tribulations, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit living within us, enables us to bring forth everlasting fruit from our lives. This is beautifully illustrated to us through the parable of the vine,
John 15:1-8
""[1] I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. [5] "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. [7] If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. [8] This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
Let us notice the following verses,
4 … As no branch of a tree can bear fruit by itself; we also cannot bear good and eternal fruit unless we remain in Jesus.
5 … Apart from Jesus we can do nothing, that is nothing good and of eternal value.
7 … If we remain in Him and we do what He says, that is His Words remain in us, ask and it will be given to you. The key is being in Him and doing what He wants us to do. Thus, as we reflect upon this promise we must be careful to not misunderstand that it implies we can expect God to grant our requests that are intended to gratify the desires and lusts of our flesh. To see this, let us read what the Holy Spirit wrote through the Apostle John in,
1 John 5:14-15
"[14] This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him."
Last and not least we find that:
JESUS IS RELIABLE AND FAITHFUL
To see this, let us first consider what Jesus told His disciples just prior to His ascension into Heaven,
Matthew 28:20(b)
"[20] … And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.""
To expand upon this a bit more let us read the word of encouragement given to us in,
Hebrews 13:5-6
"[5] … God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." [6] So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?""
Let us notice the last portion of verse 6. This does not mean we may not be persecuted, slandered, tortured or even put to death by men. The truth of this is verified by considering the fate and horrific experiences the vast multitude of faithful born again believers, such as the apostles, the Christians in the Roman arenas and today’s believers who are currently undergoing persecution.
However, it does mean that no man can ever take from us the glorious inheritance of eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ has given us. To see this let us consider this tremendous promise Jesus gave to those who truly belong to Him. It is recorded in,
John 10:27-30
[27] My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. [28] And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. [30] I and My Father are one.”
CONCLUSION
In reflecting upon all we have covered in this study, I am constantly awed by the fact that Jesus is not a God who is distant and far removed from us. No! Jesus loves us, cares for us, is an intimate friend and always has our best interests in His heart. In fact, Jesus is the best friend anyone could ever have.
With these thoughts in mind, let us close this study by reading the following words from our Friend Jesus,
John 15:9-17
""[9] As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. [10] If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. [11] I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. [12] My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. [13] Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. [14] You are my friends if you do what I command. [15] I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. [16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. [17] This is my command: Love each other."
Blessed be the Lord forever!
AMEN and AMEN
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