“This is my commandment: Love each other as I have loved you. 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 you. 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.”
JOHN 15:12–15
IN THE NETWORK OF RELATIONSHIPS. First of all, God is my King, then He is my Father, and today He is also my Friend. So which one is He? YES—He is all three, because God is different from us humans. God is my Lord, my Father, and my Friend, and in different seasons of life, different aspects of Him become important to us. IMPORTANT: This is an asymmetrical friendship (Jesus is not a “buddy”), yet it is still a real friendship. (Perhaps some earthly fathers can also be fathers and, to a certain extent, friends.) Friendship is a more direct relationship than that of parent and child. There are things we would never tell our parents, but we would tell our friends.
Many people think of God as someone distant whom they must please and respect—but the Bible paints a very different picture. Some can imagine God as a Father, but a Friend? That seems radical. Can the God who created the universe be my friend? Does He let me come that close? Yes. Today’s topic is exactly this. Song from Hit Hangjai: What a Faithful Friend We Have in Jesus.
FRIENDSHIP IN LIFE
Friendship is extremely important—especially for young people, but also for older ones. A true, good friend is a great treasure. My first memory is my cousin saying, “I won’t be your friend,” and me begging, “Please be my friend.” Then came my university friends, my American friends, and my present-day friends.
Statistics show that in Hungary about a quarter of people have no friends at all. This trend is increasingly common among younger generations as well.
Online forum excerpts:
- Most people have no real friends, just people they hang out with. I don’t know what to think. Some don’t even want friends, but it’s incredibly hard to find someone who will always be there and who you can always count on.
- Why do so many people have no friends? Because having lots of acquaintances doesn’t mean having real friends. Some people don’t even want acquaintances. Exactly. And finding a true friend is almost impossible—you just can’t trust people.
- In trouble I discovered that I had no real friends. Reply: Usually, when you’re in trouble, you somehow end up alone.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE GOD’S FRIEND?
Scripture clearly states, for example, that Abraham was called God’s friend.
ABRAHAM—GOD’S FRIEND
- ABRAHAM
“But you, Israel my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend.” — Isaiah 41:8
“And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.” — James 2:23
MOSES AND HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH THE LORD
- MOSES
“The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” — Exodus 33:11
- According to today’s passage, Jesus calls His disciples—and everyone who keeps His commands—His friends.
- It is very likely that others also had a friendship with God, although the Bible does not always state it explicitly—for example David, Daniel, the prophets, etc.
- WE TOO CAN BE GOD’S FRIENDS By birth we instantly become someone’s child, but deep friendship takes time to grow. It is the same spiritually. When we are born again, God immediately becomes our Father, but through nurturing our relationship with Him, He becomes our Friend.
Teaching
What kind of friend is God?
God shares His plans and secrets with His close friends.A person doesn’t leave their best friend in the dark—they share secrets. God does the same.
“I no longer call you servants … I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” — John 15:14–15
“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” — Genesis 18:17
The same happened with Moses. God spoke with him personally, gave him the Ten Commandments, the Law, the plans for the Tabernacle… Only Moses could enter God’s presence because he was one of God’s closest friends. A VIP.
You can live your life trusting God without having any idea what He is doing in your life—or in the world. Life becomes full of surprises, and you just drift along. But you can also become God’s close friend, and then He reveals what He is doing—explaining what is happening in your life or in your church. He answers questions. God has often spoken with me as with a friend, though I still have much to grow.
God especially blesses His close friends.If you were a very influential person, whom would you help most? Your family—and your best friend. God does the same. He blesses everyone who believes in Him, but He especially blesses His close friends. He said to Abraham:
“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.” — Genesis 18:17–18
And He blessed Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and in the New Testament, the disciples.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit…” — John 15:16
JESUS CALLS US HIS FRIENDS
God listens to the requests of His close friends. In life, too, we listen to our friends. If a stranger asks, we hesitate. If a child asks, we give—unless it is harmful. But if a friend asks, we take it seriously. God hears everyone’s prayers, but He pays special attention to His close friends.
Abraham bargaining with God:
“Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city?” — Genesis 18:23–24
Moses continually talked and reasoned with God, but his prayer after the golden calf incident was especially important. Then the LORD said to Moses:
„And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.” Exodus 32:9-14 ESV
If Moses had not prayed, God would have destroyed the whole nation.
A close friendship with Jesus makes your prayer life far more effective.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” — John 15:7
If you do what God asks, He will do what you ask.
God is a trustworthy friend.A good friend can be told anything—even secrets. In school we had “buddies” we sat next to, who knew everything: who we liked, what we did, what we dreamed, what we thought. And we never told anyone their secrets. God is that kind of trustworthy friend. We can tell Him anything. He will never misuse it. He won’t tell anyone. We can speak honestly—complain, cry, rejoice. We don’t need fancy words—just honesty.
HE WILL NEVER DISAPPOINT
We may be disappointed by earthly friends, but God is a Friend who will never disappoint. He always loves you, is always with you, always seeks your good, and always does good to you. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17) Because He loves you, He will also tell you when something is not right in your life—and He will help you fix it. The more you know Him, the more you trust Him.
God loves His friends deeply.He loves everyone, but His friends especially. Today’s Scripture: Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for his FRIENDS.
Application
According to the Bible, God Himself initiates this friendship.
„You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” John 15:16 ESV
THE KING wants to be your Friend. The question is: Do you want to be His true friend? Do you want to be in the inner circle—the VIP section? What should you do?
- Spend time with Him. If someone says they’re your friend but never want to spend time with you, that’s not real friendship.
HOW CAN WE BECOME GOD’S CLOSE FRIENDS?
- Stay faithful to Him. He is always faithful to you, but if you want to be a good friend, you must also remain faithful. Our hearts are prone to wander. The world’s temptations are strong—but you can stay Jesus’ close friend only by staying faithful.
- Serve Him in obedience. It’s an asymmetrical friendship. God is my Friend, but He is also my Lord. “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” — John 15:14 Deep friendship with God comes through obedience and faithful service. There is no shortcut.Obedience is not duty—it is the response of love. If we trust Him, we obey Him, because we know He wants the best for us.
Friendship, obedience, and honesty
- Do not be ashamed of your Friend. How would you feel if your friend denied knowing you to look “cool” in front of others? Peter denied Jesus three times; we too are prone to this. It isn’t always easy to admit openly that God is my Friend.
- Never lie to Him. If you’re in trouble—be honest with Him. He already knows. Your Friend is the Almighty and All-knowing Lord. Real friendship is built on honesty.
Are there friends who influence you badly? Maybe God is telling you to let them go. You don’t have to hate them—pray for them to turn to God—but you don’t need to seek their company. God can give you far better friends instead.