A LASTING FRIENDSHIP

WITH JESUS CHRIST

Our

FRIENDSHIP

is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

1John 1.1-4

Continue with Me and I with you.

John 15.5

By

Ed Gilpin

INTRODUCTION

The goal of this study is to explain how to experience the simplest reality of life: 

Friendship!

Friendship brings love, joy, and peace.

Or, in the most popular word--

’’Happiness”

Friendship

is what we call

being with someone we like,

doing things together, and

talking about things together.

Friends talk about things they don’t tell anyone else.

Friendship results in sharing discoveries

about life and each other.

Friendship is life-long, even eternal.

Jesus says we are His friends.                                                                                                

Abraham was a friend with God. 

The idea of walk and walking with God is a frequent theme throughout the Old Testament.

The love of God is the dominant theme of the Old and New Testament.

Jesus said,Greater love has no one than this:

to lay down one's life for one’s friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command. I

have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my

Father I have made known to you.

John 15.13-15, 12

We were created by God for friendship—

with Him

and with each other.

Jesus said that we are to maintain this friendship, walking     with Him by the Holy Spirit today as the disciples did with Him on roads in ancient Israel.  (John 15.4-5,7)

The apostle John says that we have the same friendship with Jesus available today that he had had as Jesus’ earthly  disciple.  (1 John 1.1-4)

The purpose of this study is to give substance and content to what Jesus desires with us, for us, and from us as His friend.

Friendship with Jesus enables us to experience the power of His “personality” and therefore His influence of wisdom and love in such a way that enables us to become more and more like Him. 

It is the lasting friendship of Jesus Christ that we experience.

                                 
JESUS IS GOD OF THE UNIVERSE!

ALL WHO BELIEVE IN HIM

RECEIVE                            
                   

THE GLORY OF HIS GLORIOUSNESS.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SCRIPTURE Part II

READ TO UNDERSTAND!

In reading this, then,

you will be able to understand my insight…

Ephesians 3.4

Wonderful!

Read to understand!

We can do this!

Just read. 

Read to understand something. 

Anything.

Whatever the Spirit shows you:  teaching, rebuke, correct ion, instruction…all for righteousness and holiness….

The Holy Spirit will show you what  He wants you to see,

and you will understand what He wants you to learn from it.

In reading…you will be able to understand…

Eph. 3.4

Your ability to understand will increase and never exhaust itself.

Keep reading and rereading.

The Scripture enriches a never-ending growth of friendship enriches your friendship and life with Jesus:

Blessed are those…who walk according to the Law of the Lord.

I will not be put to shame when I consider all Your commands.

I will praise You…as I learn Your righteous Laws.

I will obey Your decrees…

Wa according to the Law of the Lord…

His Commands…

Laws…

Decrees.

Walk…according to the Law of the Lord…

Consider all His Commands…

Learn His Laws…

Obey His Decrees.

Psalm 119.1-8

We can easily consider all God’s commands.  Just read them.  Read them all--every word from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.

The Holy Spirit will speak to us throughout our readings.

As we read all the commands, we will always learn some of what we read. 

We will not learn all, no matter how much and how often we read.  This is God’s Word, a revelation of the eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God. 

But we will always learn more!  For eternity, there will always be more to marvel and wonder at.  The more we learn the greater our ability to learn more!

And, we will always obey some of what we learn.

We WILL Obey.  Not all, but some.  We will obey some of what we read and learn.  And there will always be more

Just as we will never know all the love of God, but always see, learn, and love more like God, so we will follow and obey God in all things as we read.

Nothing more is required of us but

to read to know and understand

what the Holy Spirit says us

according to our ability to read.

Nothing more is required but to read to know and understand.  Nothing.

I pray that you may grasp

how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…

a love that surpasses knowledge.

Ephesians 3.16-19

READ.

TO UNDERSTAND!

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SCRIPTURES --PART I

Those who live according to the Spirit

have their minds set

on what the Spirit desires.

Romans 8.5

Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is…

Set your minds on things above…

Colossians 3.1-2

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

Colossians 3.17

The “things above…

the words and deeds…

in the Name of the Lord Jesus…

what the Spirit desires…”

will be found in the Bible,

the Word of God,

Scripture.

All we need for life and godliness will be found in the Scripture.

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

2 Peter 1.3

Although the Bible is considered difficult, it is the simplest of books to understand and live by.  Jesus taught His disciples His commands and told them to teach others, as did Paul and Timothy. 

The Bible is understandable and teachable.

We are to Do our best to present ourselves to God

as one approved, a worker…who correctly handles the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2.15

To “correctly handle the word of truth,” we need to read the Book for what it’s worth, for what it says about itself.  And we are told what this is.

All Scripture is God-breathed, inspired,

And is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting,

and training in righteousness,

so the the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped

for every good work.

2 Timothy 3.16-17

There it is.  This is the purpose for the Bible.  This is what the Spirit desires.  We are to look for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness as we search the Scriptures for thruth that sets us free (John 8.31-32.

With our minds set these four things the Spirit desires, we have only to read Scripture thoughtfully to find them—

“ask…and seek, and you will find.”

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,

a worker correctly handles the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2.15

In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight… Ephesians 3.4

Wonderful!  Just read to understand!

THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADS TO REPENTANCE

ROMANS 2.4

 “Wrath” is God’s response to everything that is wrong.  He takes action against anything and everything that is wrong.

He begins with a rebuke, which brings repentance to a wise man.  (Proverbs says much about rebukes that correct the wise vs. the destruction that comes to the foolish who keep on going in the wrong.)

The wise man enters the place of refuge, away from the wrong, to learn from God what is the holy and right thing to do and say in these storms of life.

 When wrong attacks and damages our lives, God’s correction confronts my wrong.

We recognize what is wrong and the consequences. 

Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves…

With integrity and godly sincerity…

relying not on wordly wisdom by on God’s grace.

2 Corinthians 1.12

The goal of this command is love, which  comes from a pure heart,

 a good conscience, and a sincere faith…

Hold on to faith and a good conscience.

1 Timothy 1.5, 19; 1 Timothy 1.5

I can enter my refuge (“my room”—Psalm 4.4-5) and confess my failure with repentance. Repentance changes me and my responses.

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.

 He cares for those who trust in Him.

Nahum 1.7

In refuge God restores, rebuilds, and renews the places that have been devastated and ruined.

“The Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob

like the splendor of Israel.”

Nahum 2.2

(See also Is. 61.4 with vv. 1-3 and Luke 4.18-19).)

I meet with God in a place of refuge. 

God meets with me.

I am transformed as I see and contemplate some new glory He reveals to me.

We contemplate the Lord’s glory and are… transformed

into His image with ever-increasing glory,

which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3.18

The way of life you learned and were taught

In accordance with the truth that is in Jesus…

To put on the new self, created to be like God

in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4.20-24

Refuge!

Here I come!

TIMES OF NEED

Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy and find grace

to help us in our times of need.

Hebrews 4.16

Ps 42.1-3 helps us identify the internal troubles that we experience when we are facing hardship and difficulty.

Ps.43.1-2 refers troubles as they are experienced with others--"those who are deceitful and wicked."

  

Ps 42 promises God will provide a refuge where grace will bring us hope, praise, and something to remember.

Ps 43.3 tells us of a holy mountain where God dwells. Here there is light and faithful care for a deeper fellowship with our Lord and Savior.

In this mountain fellowship we find peace and quiet, the rest Jesus promises for our souls--Matthew 11.28-30.  This is like the still water and green pasture of Ps 23 and the bedroom retreat of Ps 4.4-5. 

Special times and places of refuge for abiding fellowship with Jesus soon leads us to walking in His Spirit at all times.

OKLAHOMA TORNADOES

I weep for these and so many others. 
How much grief can we see all about us?
How many more will suffer in these catastrophes?

My heart breaks for the people now and recently.

I fear there is more to come.

I think of Jeremiah's weeping and his lamentations for Israel.
Do we suffer for abandoning God as they did?

Can we plead for som way of brining our nation to faith in God?

Setting hearts much more fully on our own submissions to God as He reveals Himself to us as we earnestly seek Him in the pages, chapters, and books of Scripture?

Do we not need to humble ourselves  before God, turning from our own wicked ways of neglect and indulgences of selfish pleasures? 

While we go about the forms of our churches, our nation is being destroyed by disasters, economic collapse, violence within and enemies who are set upon destroying us.

Can we pray and seek His face for greater grace, love, holiness, and righteousness that we might be a more godly remnant that can turn His wrath away from our nation?

Can we sacrifice the time and energy to seek God in earnest prayer for knowing, understanding, and obeying His will and following His ways for us one by one and day by day?

Follow Me.  Deny yourselves.  Take up your cross.  Daily.
Today.  There is no other day for us.
John tells us we live not in the last days, but in the last hour.

Should we not devote ourselves to God, sacrificing all else, until He brings revival, renewal, rebuilding, and restoration to us?

SET THE SAIL

 

The “GOSPEL” is about the love that flows from the heart of the Father through Jesus by the Holy Spirit into our hearts in the way of a Friendship

 

This love is the most important and most powerful purpose that Friendship with Jesus brings into our life day after day, now and forever.

 

Jesus said:  “I will make you fishers of men”…”salt of the earth”...“light of the world.”

 

Jesus said, “I….”  “I will” do great and might things, which you know nothing of right now, but will learn about more and more in the times you are with Me.

 

This is amazing beyond words, yet the most obvious of all experiences.  We spend time with people we like, who do things and talk about things that are important and enjoyable to us.  And, these times with friends enrich our lives, making us wiser, stronger and better people.

This is what we were created for, and how we were created to grow and develop our heart, soul, mind, and body.

 

This is exactly what happens with nothing more required of us but to spend time with Jesus as our Friend.

 

 He said,                 “Come to Me…and learn from Me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls..” 

Matthew 29-30

 

Perhaps no verse says so clearly and simply what this Friendship is all about, what Jesus our Friend does for us when we spend time with Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Come…learn—just listen to Me.

I am gentle and humble—

I will provide rest for you, for your soul,

deep within yo.

where neither storm nor enemy can reach.

I will calm, quiet, and settle you into a gentle, quiet, humble person, kind and good, compassionate and loving.

Matthew 11.28-30

 

 

These “fisher…salt…light…gentle, humble” changes take place by Faith as we Read, Believe, and Obey Scripture.

 

When we Read Scripture the Holy Spirit will direct our attention to the words that Jesus wants us to Believe and Obey.  Our assignment is Read,,,Read…Read…  Just read and the Holy Spirit will direct your attention to the words Jesus wants us to see and hear.

 

Read and you will see what Jesus has to say to you.

 

The reading is as simple as can be—just read to see what you can see.  Some places are easier at first, of course, but the principle works every time.

 

Psalm 119 tells us not only 176 things our reading will do for us, but also how simple it is for us to what is shown us.

 

As we read, the first and simplest thing the Holy Spirit always shows us is some loving thing Jesus wants us to say or do toward someone else.

 

As we follow, Jesus leads us into a life of loving words and deeds toward others, and we become more and more like Him, more and more of a reflection to others of Who He is becoming to us.

 

 

 

 

 

Those who live according to the Spirit

have their minds set

on what the Spirit desires.

Romans 8.5

 

Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is…

Set your minds on things above…

Colossians 3.1-2

 

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

Colossians 3.17

 

Set your sail.

Do your best…

Make every effort…make every effort…

Possess these…

and receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2.15; 2 Peter 1.2-11