How to Be God's Friend - Part B

When you're God's friend Preston Gato obey him. I know we love the text I quoted it at the beginning.

We love Jesus said to call you servants, I'm calling you friends we love that storage on 50. You are my friend to whatever I command. The more you get to know some more likely to be your friend. It's no different than relationship with God today on connect with Skip hides Skip wraps up our series, the biography of God sharing will encourage an insight on how you can be God's friend. Before we begin, we want to let you know about a resource that will help you get to know God personally so you can experience richer. Thomas Jefferson Martin Luther King Jr. Winston Churchill CS Lewis.

All are outstanding men with amazing life stories in all of history one biography stands out above the rest. I'm excited to announce the release of my new book, the biography of God which gives an in-depth look at God's character and nature, diving into the theological and personal profile of our heavenly father, I invite you on the journey to search the Scriptures to discover who God is and how sensitive he is to the human condition. This process will both lift you up and humble you to get your copy of my newest book, the biography of God skips the book is our thanks when you give $35 or more today to help keep this ministry only air, call 800-922-1888, or give online securely connectwithskip.com/offer in Genesis chapter 18 for today seven. So let's join Skip if I'm truly worshiping my focus is not on why look around Bonham.

I'm worshiping him how many times have we caught ourselves even in a worship service in response to be thinking about Hammond.

All of our attention is on him were very distracted by personal thoughts that steal away our minds or we just mouthing the words and arm minds in neutral.

Charles Spurgeon wrote. I believe a very large majority of churchgoers are merely unthinking slumbering worshipers of an unknown God, but when I remember God's in the audience. Back when I remember God is the audience I bow the natural response is humility. Humility comes from two things recognizing who God is and recognizing who I am and I'm I think I'm pretty great. Then God steps in the room.

He shows up and it's a change right Isaiah the prophet. He was a prophet. He was Isaiah Kelly saw a vision of the Lord.

I am lifted up what he say hello is me. That's the proper response humility and worship since were on the topic of worship. And since worship is a key ingredient in the friendship that we have with God. I'd like to give you what I consider biblical definition of worship. It's just one sentence is one long sentence permittivity in four stages and will put it all together. This is what worship is, according to the Scripture number one worship is a response to God, something you have to drum up if you responding to God. First John chapter 4 verse nine we love him because he first loved us so he initiated it.

Our response to him is worship love.

We love him we worship so number one. Worship is a response to God. Number two. Worship is the proper response to God not just response is the right response. Romans chapter 12 verse one, the apostle tells us, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service.

It's the proper thing to do so. Worship is a response to God. Second worship is the proper response to God hears the third component of the definition. Worship is a proper response to God from the heart see it has to be real as to be authentic. It has to come from in here is not outward is not just mechanicals are going to the motions as to be from the heart. That's what Jesus said in John chapter 4, he spoke to the woman at the well of Samaria and he said the father is looking for those who will worship him in spirit and in truth authentic from the heart worship so worship is a response to God.

It's the proper response to God.

It's the proper response to God from the heart is the fourth component will put it all together. Worship is the proper response to God from the heart whereby I placed God above everything and every one else that's a biblical definition of worship, such as singing songs once a week.

It's the proper response to God from the heart whereby I placed God above everyone and everything else would Jesus say is the greatest commandment in the first commandment that you love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength was any means. If we worship God we have the place God above all, our hobbies if we worship God, we have to place God first above our occupation. If we worship God, we have to put God above every other friendship. We have to put God above, television and sports, and even listen up. Even our own families take second and God takes first that would Jesus say he spoke about this he said even though the greatest human family. The greatest example of human love. He said he who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. So true worship in humility and that is demanded in a friendship with God is humble worship.

The proper response to God from the heart whereby I placed him about every thing and every one else is the third characteristic of being God's friend ministry ministry service service ministry or activity. Verse three and he Abraham said, my Lord, if I have now found favor in your sight, do not pass on by your servant. Listen to this invitation please let a little water be brought wash her feet and rest yourselves under the tree and I will bring a morsel of bread that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by. Inasmuch as you have come to your servant. They said do as you have said so Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said quickly, make three measures a fine meal and need it and make cakes and Abraham ran to the herd and took a tender and good calf gave it to a young man and he hastened to prepare so he took the butter in the milk of the calf, which he had prepared set up before them, and he stood by them under the tree as they ate something here that you might not know just reading this story if you place it altogether. You understand, but in chapter 18 and a hold.

Abraham is is 99 years old is just keep that in your mind from his and 99-year-old man with three visitors in the heat of the day, and Abraham invites them in his tent and he commences to serve them to minister to them.

What I like you to notice about his ministry to them to the Lord as it was personal was personal. He served personally at his 99. He has how many train paid servants 318 that's on his payroll at the staff could he go I guess and have anyone of them come and say, look, you guys go out and do this for these visitors. He does not do that. He serves personally. He gets personally engage. He doesn't pass the buck to somebody else when example for us.

When example, every Christian has a ministry. In fact, I'd say a Christian without a ministry is a contradiction because the idea of a Christian is that I'm a servant of Christ, not just a follower of Christ, the disciple servant. I served personally and I know that we are in uncertain and tough economic times and maybe you're unable to financially do what you would like to do for the Lord but you can always serve can always give time and talent so he served personally everything I want to notice about his ministry is that he served immediately. Verse two he ran from the tent door to meet them. Verse six he hurried and told Sarah quickly. Verse seven Abraham ran to the herd got a calf gave it to the young man who hastened to prepare okay hello Lizzie 99 and he ran that to me that's that's striking. He must've been in great shape than say use the walker. He ran. He hurried there was an immediacy about his service in fact is I go to the story. I watch this quick movement until verse eight he doesn't stop until they are served and it says he stood by them under a tree question. What if Abraham would've based his service to the Lord in these two angelic buddies if you would've based that upon how he felt meek and set it's hot outside.

There is no AC in the tent here. It's hot and I'm 99 I just don't feel like it probably would.

But he did it personally. He did it immediately. The third thing I want you to notice about his ministry as he served generously. Notice that Abraham gave to God the very best that he had no you'll notice in verse six Sarah baked bread from fine meal verse seven. The meat came from a tender and good calf and that's fully mignon. That's the best he didn't say how we got that that beat up old cow outback gods here give it to them and it left over food and bring it out give it to God and give God leftovers gave him the best serving God should cost something member when David wanted to build the temple forcing you to do secure a plot of real estate. So we went to the guy who owned a threshing floor in Jerusalem named our Rana is now the Temple Mount. He offered to buy it in a Rana said by at a give it to you to your King David. You want to do this for God assures it with his own and all by give me give me a fair price and I'll give you fair market value. Although no said that this donating. David said you will not donate it. Here's what David declared I cannot present burnt offerings to the Lord that have cost me nothing. David believed that if he's going to give to the Lord yes to give generously and it's gotta cost him something. John Henry Jowett said service.

The cost nothing accomplishes nothing here about the farmer that had two cows and he'd always say you know my cow has had birth to calves.

One of them is mine and I'll keep it. The other one I have dedicated to the Lord is always say that I was a spiel. I'll keep one, one belongs to God, one's mind once God never said which was which to one night. Both of wherein it sickened state and quickly went out to the barn to watch over them later on after midnight he came in one died he hung his head and he said honey are bad news. God's calf just died.

She never said which was which Intel that happened. Then all of a sudden he designated which belong to God, the dead one alive when I'll keep. I just want to encourage you to be generous in your giving not because I say so, but because Scripture tells us you can't out give God fact the only time we are called to test the Lord in the Scripture is in the area of tithes and offerings. If you remember a few months back. I said that God is been so good to us and and I were going to be paying off the debt to the church in 50 months will make double payments and we started doing that. But that was course before the economic hard times now were also down 30%.

I just want to encourage you not to ever beg I never will do that is God is fully in charge just to tell you give and it will be given to you press down, running over good measure. I don't how it works. I just know that it works. I just know that it works so Abraham served personally immediately and generously is the fourth component of friendship conformity.

Conformity know what I mean by that. Conformity includes trust. Trust in him loyalty. I'm loyal to him in obedience. I will obey him as part of being God's friend is conformity. Okay Abraham was God's friend because he believed God you believe his promises. He trusted me to conform to that God said, Abraham I know you're old guy but you can have a child a natural child. Okay, I believe that that's why James referred to being God's friend is believing God heard his James to ever get exact rings. Verse 23 and the Scripture is fulfilled that says Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God because he believed and conform to his promises.

Sarah, on the other hand does not believe in does not obey does not conform. Let's look at it verse nine then they said to him, where is Sarah your wife, so he said here in the tent and he said I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son. The parenthetical statement. Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him know Abraham and Sarah were old Bibles is very honest well advanced in age and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself saying shall I have after I have grown old so I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also in the Lord said Abraham. Why did Sarah laugh saying shall I surely bury a child since I am old is anything too hard for the Lord at the appointed time. I will return to you according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Sarah denied it, saying I do love she was afraid and he Lord said no but you did laugh, there's different kinds of laughter right there can be the lighthearted laughter of joy. There can be kind of an arrogant, sneering, scornful laughter, the laughter of unbelief.

Ha ha ha I think that's was I was hers.

Laughter is the Lord rebuke her for it and I remember Sarah was the one who to chapters before came up with the brilliant scheme of not obeying God not believing God's promise. But she said take Hagar my handmaiden Abraham buddy honey you take her and have a child through her so she wasn't inclined to obey.

Chapter 17 God says Abraham didn't have a son. He laughs God doesn't rebuke him. Chapter 18 Sarah laughs God rebukes her two different kinds of laughter.

One was out of joy that was Abraham a clue how cool, but not Sarah, not yet. Now she will come around.

But at this point. This was not conformity. She's not trusting she's not conforming and she certainly did not obey when you're God's friend you trust you. Gotto obey him. I know we love the text I quoted it at the beginning. We love it. Jesus said to call you servants anymore, I'm calling you friends we love that we just don't finish the whole thought is the rest of the story. John 1514 you are my friends if you do whatever I command you buy puts it in a whole different light of it.

Now you can tell, you can tell if you're my friend.

You do what I say and by the way. In Greek it's the present tense a better translation if you keep on loving me. You keep on obeying me.

So here's the thought friendship with God includes the long obedience. The continued obedience and conformity over the long haul in all areas you can say well I'll obey God and my business just not in my marriage. You can't say all obey God in my marriage and my business but when income tax disclosure time comes I might not fit in their or I won't obey God in my leisure. The key is keep falling in love with Jesus you keep on obeying him and you prove that you're his friend I want to close with this question. Let's consider the question God asked. And let's answer for ourselves. Is there anything too hard for the Lord is or so whatever whatever you're dealing with family trouble marriage issue teenage stuff economic hard times plug this verse in your heart.

Is there anything too hard for the Lord know there's close with a letter supposed letter. I had to write to tell you how much I love you and care for you. Yesterday I saw you walking and laughing with your friends and I hope that soon you want me to walk along with YouTube so I painted a sunset to close your day and whispered a cool breeze to refresh you. I waited. You never called so I just kept on loving you is I want to fall asleep last night. I wanted to touch you. I spilled moonlight on your face trickling down her cheeks. So many tears have I wanted so much to comfort you.

The next day I exploded a brilliant sunrise into a glorious morning for you but you woke up late and rushed off to work. You didn't even notice my sky became cloudy and my tears were the rain. I really love you. I try to say it in the quiet of the green meadow and in the blue sky, the sandal whispers or the wind whispers my love to the treetops and spills it into the vibrant colors of all the flowers I shouted to you and the thunder of the great waterfalls and I compose love songs for birds to sing for you.

I warn you with my sunshine and perfume the air with nature, sweet scent. My love for you is deeper than any ocean in greater than any need in your heart if you only realize how I care my dad sends his love. I want you to medium. He cares to fathers are just that way. So please call on me soon, no matter how long it takes.

I'll wait because I love you. Your friend, Jesus, just a beautiful way of saying Jesus loves you no matter what you're going through and he reminds us of his love it. It's crowded in around us in nature and in circumstances every day. But here's the deal.

Here's the deal. Those three people God and the two angels did not come into the tent until they were invited until God works.

He only works by invitation. Right lever barge in force himself in on you, but he will show up and you invite them in vitamin. Jesus said, behold, I stand at the door and knock anyone will open the door all come in and fellowship with him. That's how he works. If you haven't done that. If you haven't allowed him into your life. As Lord please do that. Please do that today. Give your life to Christ today, and if, as a Christian you have invited him into your circumstance vitamin skipping six message from the series the biography of God. Now if you will keep these messages going strong to connect more people like you, with God's truth you Skip to tell you what you can do just that. Isn't it amazing that our sovereign God who created the universe longs to be our dear friend. We want many more people to enjoy this friendship with God and we would love for you to be a part of making that happen.

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