FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD, WITH CHRIST AND WITH ONE ANOTHER
[p. 249] FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD, WITH CHRIST AND WITH ONE ANOTHER
John 15: 13 - 15; 2 Samuel 15: 32 - 37; Genesis 18: 17 - 22
My subject this evening is friendship — friendship with God, friendship with Christ, and friendship with one another. I have read these passages, accordingly, as speaking of this great subject — the Lord Himself speaking of it says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you”. We have this great subject set out in the most perfect and concise way from the lips of the Lord Jesus, who Himself answers exactly to what is said in the Old Testament, “there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” — that is the idea of friendship set out absolutely in Christ; and every true christian knows that He is a Friend above all others.
Before proceeding with the subject in a positive way, I may say a few words about friendship with the world. If there are any here who are cultivating friendship with the world, they are not likely to have much interest in what I have to say about friendship with God, friendship with Christ, or friendship with the people of God. James tells us that “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4: 4) — a most solemn statement — so that if there is anyone here who is friendly with the world, he or she would not be interested in what I am saying about friendship with God. James speaks very strongly, and other scriptures are full of denunciation of friendship with the world. It is an insidious thing, and comes out even in a man like Jehoshaphat, for instance — he was a very honoured man and used of God, but he cultivated friendship with the world. Jehu charged him with it and said, “Shouldest thou ... love them that hate the Lord?” (2 Chronicles 19: 2) — a very simple and forceful way of putting the matter. How often that is the case with many of God’s people! They love God, as Jehoshaphat did, and yet go far in forming alliances with worldly people in marriage or in business. But we have this word which shows that it is abhorrent to God and inconsistent with the light which we profess to hold; so James warns us and says if you are on terms of friendship with the world you are at enmity with God. Let us face this matter; whatever excuses we may bring in, if friendship with the world exists we cannot hide it from God. He is not occupied with outward appearances, but with the heart. His word is “sharper than any two-edged sword, ... and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do”; for even if we are to be shut out of the presence of God for ever, we have to do with Him — whether as converted or unconverted persons, we all have to stand before the judgment seat of God. Christians do not stand before Him at the same time as unbelievers, for their matters are settled before — but we all have to stand before God; hence the seriousness of friendship with the world.
James also tells us that Abraham was called the friend of God; others in the Old Testament had said it, indeed Jehoshaphat, to whom I have referred, said that Abraham was God’s friend. Isaiah says it, quoting Jehovah Himself as saying “Abraham, my friend”.
Now we want to see what friendship with God implies. It means that God is pleased to take a man into His confidence. A friend opens up his mind to you — he confides in you. It is a question of confidence. God knows everything, but then it says, “If any man love God, the same is known of him”. This is a distinction. He would regard you as a lover of His. God calls His friends by name. He says, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” He knows every one of His lovers. Everything works together for good to those who love Him. He speaks of the “thousands of them that love me”. He knows them by name and He gives us to understand that He knows us by name. You see that in Abraham, from heaven that name was called twice at one time (Genesis 22). Think of having your name sounded out from heaven! Moses’ name was sounded out twice also (Exodus 3). Where there is evidence of love for God the name of the lover is delightful to Him. It is “written in heaven”. Heaven called to Abraham: “Abraham, Abraham”, and later “Moses, Moses”. Jesus called to Saul: “Saul, Saul”, and God called to Samuel: “Samuel, Samuel” — all showing the interest of heaven. And so Scripture says, “If any man love God, the same” — that is, that particular person — “is known of him”. All this should be a great incentive to us that we should maintain friendship with God.
But then there is more than that. He says: I can trust you! I do not know of anything more to be desired than to be trusted by God, and so it says here of Abraham: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?” And immediately He gives the reason for this — that Abraham was trustworthy. God was about to overthrow Sodom and Gomorrah. God came down as to this. He heard the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah. Of course He knew what the cities were without coming down, but coming down shows His infinite fairness, that as to just what the state was, all should know that the judgment was according to first-hand knowledge. And then He says, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? ... For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice”. These are the reasons God Himself affords for entrusting this information to Abraham — the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, meaning in type the overthrow of the world. What a great position a friend of God has — he knows [p. 252] what God is about to do, he knows more than the statesmen! The friend of God gets the divine secrets — and one would urge upon the brethren the importance of this matter from the standpoint of the testimony. Some might ask: Has God in mind to let the world run on in wickedness? But the world is in reconciliation at the present moment. God is not imputing trespasses today and He is ordering everything through the powers that be, to keep the highways open for the saints. The time is not far distant when God will wind up the whole matter. God has told us beforehand that the day is fixed and recorded in His calendar when the history of the world will be finished in judgment.
We have an example in Daniel of one who was concerned for God. He lived to be a very old man and had a great deal to do with the government of the world. He was employed by the kings of Babylon and Persia, and continued to the reign of Cyrus. Daniel was concerned about the end of matters — about the mind of God. He had plenty of distinction in his service but he wanted the mind of God, especially as to what relates to Israel.
Daniel prayed, as we read in chapter 9, and a messenger was sent from heaven — no less than the angel Gabriel. He says: “At the beginning of thy supplications the word went forth, and I am come to declare it; for thou art one greatly beloved” (verse 23). This is written for every lover of God, everyone who thinks for God, who intercedes and prays. Daniel says, “I Daniel understood by the books that the number of the years, ... for the accomplishment of the desolations of Jerusalem, was seventy years” (verse 2).
It is most important to read the prophets, especially in the light of these things. Paul said to Agrippa “believest thou the prophets?” Do we all read them? Daniel read Jeremiah — he knew “by the books”, referring to Jeremiah, that seventy years were determined, and he began to pray accordingly; but he got more light [p. 253] as to the matter even than Jeremiah, and his own book testifies to this. He got light as to the exact time of the restoration of Israel to their own land. First the city would be rebuilt, but after sixty-nine weeks it would be destroyed and there would be one week to run. That week, or part of it, is pending and is about to be resumed, as the book of Revelation plainly teaches. I do not want to speak on prophecy, but just to make clear to you God’s mind in the book of Revelation, and Christ’s discourse on this subject with His disciples recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke; and that we as understanding it may pray intelligently as waiting upon God. He imparts His mind to us and we thus acquire the character of friends of God.
I read the passage in Genesis, because it sets out the divine thought as to a friend of God. We get a wonderful picture in this chapter. It says: “Abraham remained yet standing before Jehovah” — as His friend he would have a sense of liberty there. “And Abraham drew near” — how pleasing that would be to God! He says to Jehovah: “There are perhaps fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy ... the place for the sake of the fifty?” And the Lord says, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will forgive all the place for their sakes”. See how beautifully Abraham pleads for his relatives! and we may do the same for our fellow christians. There are many of our fellow christians today who are linked with the world, building it up and glorying in building it up. We wish their deliverance out of it, we do not want our brethren destroyed with the world, we want them taken out first. God is still patiently waiting upon men that they may be saved, and we desire that all our brethren should be taken up with the Lord to be with Himself. If there is one here who is linked with the world, the Lord would draw you out in view of the judgment that is pending. God says to Abraham that He would forgive the city if there were fifty righteous in it. Abraham had put the figure too high,
[p. 254] so he gradually drops until he comes to ten, and Jehovah says, “I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake”. But there were not ten righteous persons in Sodom. When the time came there were only Lot, his wife and two daughters — four in all, “And his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt”. She was typically a nominal christian — a worldly woman, and her daughters were like her. You see therefore how little influence for good Lot had in Sodom — even his sons-in-law regarded it as jesting when he urged them to leave. Is it not a warning to us fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters as to what influence we have with our relatives? Only three escaped from Sodom, and had it not been for the angels urging them, even taking them by their hands to lead them out, none would have escaped; it was, as the apostle Jude says, “Snatching them out of the fire”. We do not want to be found lingering in the world. 1 Corinthians 11: 30 - 32 shows the divine urgency that christians should not be condemned with the world — many were sick and some had fallen asleep to prevent this. Abraham stood where Jehovah had conversed with him and saw the doomed cities burning, feeling the judgment, but still the friend of God.
I want now to go on to the thought of friendship with Christ. I wish to illustrate it with the types, as we hardly ever get a clear view of things until we bring the types in. Hushai is called several times “David’s friend”. What you see is, that he came into Jerusalem as Absalom came into Jerusalem. Absalom is a type of antichrist, that feature of him that has got into the sphere of christian profession — Christendom is marked by what is seen in Absalom. Absalom is an out-and-out opposer — an ungrateful rival of his father David. He had been secretly traitorous, but now he has taken up a public position as in rebellion against his father.
Hushai came into Jerusalem. Absalom came in at the same time, and the idea is that Hushai is to be an over-thrower [p. 255] of Absalom. What is it but that true christians are to be over-throwers of the usurper? — the spirit of antichrist whether in this city or any other city. There is “that which restrains” and it will restrain, that the personal antichrist should not come, 2 Thessalonians 2. There can be no doubt that the Spirit of God and the assembly are included in this. Has it ever occurred to you that in our prayers, our feelings, our thoughts, God is using us just as Hushai was used by David to overthrow the kingdom of Absalom? And, we may say, he did overthrow it. You will notice how Hushai was sent back to Jerusalem to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. In this world there are wise men which the world would use, and the presence of the Spirit here in the saints would expose them. For a hundred years the whole system of apostasy has been exposed — by whom? By those who are the friends of Christ. “Ye are my friends if ye practise whatever I command you”. He says as it were, I have attested My love in dying for you, prove your love, therefore, by doing what I say. He says further, “all things which I have heard of my Father I have made known to you”. They were the depositories of His thoughts, and He calls them His friends accordingly. They were left here as such and would maintain the rights of Christ against all His rivals. The apostles, and many others who followed in the spirit of loyalty and faithfulness to Christ, have gone to be with Him, and now it is our privilege and responsibility to continue these marks of friendship to Him to whom we owe everything.
David says, “Hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar?” There were also Ahimaaz and Jonathan, and added to these there was a maid who also served — remarkably like the little maid of Naaman — and she became a link for conveying the information to David which led to the complete overthrow of Absalom. It is a remarkable thing how the defeat of Absalom is effected by means of these five men and the maid. The idea is [p. 256] a divine system of things here, although small and hidden; and, correspondingly, while the Holy Spirit is here, while lovers of Christ are here, while lovers of God are here, apostasy is held in check; but when they are taken away there shall be manifested the man of sin. You thus see, dear brethren, how great the position is!
Then finally there is the thought of friends of one another. The apostle John is writing his last letter; the third epistle says, “The friends greet thee”. Why did he say “friends”? He did not say “christians”, he selected the suitable word, he meant persons who confided in one another, who loved one another. We may assume that he learnt friendship from Christ in leaning on His bosom, as we have seen; and he records Him as using the word “friends” in its truest sense. We must learn everything from Christ, and we learn in Him “a friend that sticketh closer than a brother”. John learnt it, as I said, in the bosom of Jesus, he learnt from the Lord in the place of love. I believe he is the last of the apostles — he lived to be a very old man, but he carried on in love. His ministry is full of the thoughts of love; that we are to love one another and keep ourselves from idols — keep ourselves from idolatry and all that is antichristian. And so he speaks of those with him as the friends — the “friends greet thee”, and also those with Gaius — “Greet the friends by name”. In those days the enemies were always attacking, the lives of the saints were exposed, and therefore they needed particularly to confide in one another. Today the same conditions exist, only more in a spiritual sense, and so the need of true friendship amongst us, that the brethren should dwell together in love, and confide in one another, that we should be transparent and each know that the other would not betray him but rather protect. John says, “The friends greet thee”. That is not a mere handshake but a salutation that comes from the heart — from friend to friend. As Jehu says to Jehonadab, “Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thy heart?” That is, he [p. 257] challenges his love, his candour, and Jehonadab says “It is” — he was true; that is what is needed in the fellowship today. We are to be friends, confidants of one another.
The friends are all known by name to each other. John says, “Greet the friends by name” — every one of them. Paul writing to the Romans sends twenty salutations, each one saluted and called by name. How beautiful for them to be known in that way by heaven! The apostles were representative of heaven, speaking in the power of the Spirit they would convey the mind of heaven.
Well, I hope what I have had in mind is clear to you — as it is essential to our salvation at the present time that the thought of friendship with God, friendship with Christ and friendship with one another, should be maintained.