Friendship with God
[ Preached by Pastor Kenneth Chin at Acts Church Malaysia on 7 August 2016 ]
Friendship is a two-way relationship, not a one-way relationship. When we have good friendships, we benefit mutually. There must be evidence from a true friendship. This is seen in following up on each other, in not giving empty promises but being in our friends’ time of needs.
Good friends always know.
Even when you try to hide it, they still see it. Think about when you try hiding something, but your good friend just knows that there is something wrong.
God’s friendship with Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve were recorded as the first man and woman on the face of the earth. God wanted someone to walk and have a relationship with. This is why friends often walk together.
In the Bible, it says, “How can two walk together unless they agree?” (Amos 3:3). A husband and wife will not often walk together when they do not agree or when they are in an argument.
Read | Genesis 3:8
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
It is said that the Earth is God’s footstool. He is much bigger than His creation. So how could Adam and Eve have heard Him walking in the Garden? He made Himself man and walked with us.
Many friendships have
been broken because of lies.
Friendship can be destroyed because of the lies of people. The devil lied in telling Adam and Eve that it is alright to eat of the fruit of the tree. When they ate of the fruit of the tree, they rejected God. He was their best friend but because of their disobedience, they rejected Him.
Friendship is not only a talk,
it is evidence.
The evidence that God was looking for on that day was the very fact that they were still walking together as friends, but Adam and Eve were no longer walking with the Lord, instead, they hid away from Him.
They chose not to walk with the Lord, but God was still there. God is not the one who stopped walking with them that day, He was the one who was waiting to see if they would continue walking with Him. Are we going to be there and walk with Him when the day comes?
You can still be friends even when something difficult happens in your life. You do not have to stop being friends because you can work the difficulty out together.
God’s friendship with Abraham.
Read | James 2:21-23
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God.
Why do you think the writer of the scripture wrote, “And he was called the friend of God” when he was trying to explain Abraham’s faith and works?
This is because faith and works are part of friendship. Abraham had faith and even offered his son Isaac to the altar, this is the perfect illustration of faith and work.
Abraham’s relationship with God is even greater than his relationship with his son.
Family can be close but
friendships may at times
be even closer.
The highest form of relationship is not father and son, it is not mother and daughter, it is not even a husband and wife – none of these. Yes, all those relationships are important, but the highest form of relationship is friendship with God.
God’s friendship with us.
His name is Emmanuel, meaning “God with us”. If God made us only for praise, which in itself is powerful, He could have made everything else He created to do it too.
The Bible says that God can cause these stones to cry out (Luke 19:40) and it also says that “all the trees of the field will clap their hand” (Isaiah 55:12). These are all praises to God.
God desires to be our friend.
Read | John 15:13-15
Jesus makes it clear saying, “I don’t want to call you servants, I want to call you friends.” Servants do not know what their master is doing, but friends do.
Some of us may approach our best friends when we are about to propose for marriage and tell no one else about it. Friends know what others do not know because that is the power of friendship. Friends, are told in confidence and with full trust because you know they can be trusted.
God wants to be our friend. But that is only a one-way relationship, to have this friendship is to respond to Him and to be there with Him.
Reflection
___________
Can God call us His friend? It is not just Him walking with us, but we too walking with Him.
Written by: Jayden Thean
Edited by: Ivy Wambaa & Hailey Chung