R438 God’s Friend

What a friend we have in Jesus today. Dr. Don Wilton's message is called God's friend. Let's open The Encouraging Word together as we head to the book of Hebrews in just a moment.

Dr. Wilton's message God's friend helps us understand not only the choice that God would want us to be his friend but there's so much more than we can do as we extend that friendship with those around us by being the men and women of God.

We are called to be, as we open the word together. Another were opening the phone line as well. Would love to pray with you at 866899 word that's our phone number jotted down start your cell 866-899-9673 or you can meet us online as well EW online.org DEW online.org now. Today's great teaching from Dr. Wilton. The message called God's friend. If I was strong this morning to take out a plan.

You don't have to do that. I want you to do this in your heart and I was to write down the name of your saloon friend whose name would you put only God know that we've got lots of friends. We do lots of friends, but you… You love the white children.

Children seem to not tell you children will come up to mom and dad and say you know she is my absolute best friend in the whole wide world. That's what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about your best friend. I wonder if you could put someone's name down like no just write a name down now. Once you have written that on. I would like to talk to Austen's?

Why is this person your best friend. What is it about this person. What is it that qualifies a person to be your best friend, someone who is so close to you why one is you write down day one of the reasons I wouldn't be surprised if all of us here today can write down if not one name we could probably write down a lot of names but I'm talking about just your absolute best friend. I tell you something this morning.

It is been my personal experience. The Bible tells me about it, but I've experienced this personally that God has not only given me a friend on this earth. The Bible has shown me and I've experienced that Jesus Christ is the best friend that I could ever have had and and something else that's really remarkable about this. The Bible tells us that those who love God can have that kind of relationship with. But I want us to look at this a little more closely so I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 2, but in James chapter 2 and verse 23 we find a remarkable stipend. I want to read it for you. James two in verse 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. And then comes a statement that I just love and he was cold.

God's friend. Can you believe that Abraham was called God's friend. I began to ask myself this question.

What is it that qualifies a person to be my best friend to be your best friend. What is it about claim nondata give you a couple of suggestions and you will probably have a thousand others that you can write down his will, but I think that someone is a best friend because they have for you, they just make care for you where they care is a very special word that means that they consider relation is put in your direction. They seem to be concerned about everything related to you and to me that was a personal best friend, perhaps because you can confide in a best friend. Now that would confide. Of course, is a derivative of the road to have confidence in the folks that's very important in today's day and I bring something to someone that you can trust. You can confide in them. You can go up to them. You know you gotta be very careful about the things you cited. I don't you about the thing that's out of gossip starts that's out room installed and innuendos and all those stories that break people down and saw little private things and personal things. One thing about this friends as you can.

Gun confide in a best friend because of the confidence factor. You just know that when you talk to them.

They take it and they lack today ha you see friends I please frame to someone who is being transferred from the hand to the heart. They many people that we know in terms of acquaintances we know them in our heads we know who they are all but that we haven't transferred them from our heads to our hearts. You know it's like when you first brought that young lady and there's just something about it. I mean you just cannot stop thinking about Herman so you got invited to go out on the date and eventually the two of you become friends and you go on and you do things together and all of a sudden all some things happen and what is happened is that your friendship is changed from your head to your heart.

The sudden your relationship strong sayings. Anything that you can readily will easily describe what is that as a base frame, a base frame, perhaps a someone who loves you even when you're not loving, is that true best friend to someone who knows that even when you down in the dumps. Were you depressed or you say unwise things will you do something on your ugly or you run kind goal or whatever it might be a best friend is someone who is going to love you even when you are on lovely something special about this friends I think a best friend to someone who wants to do things with you.

You know when you insight today.

I just think I'll call him what's up.

I love that great American phrase that our young people. I can't get a block that I say that Brian I see it says it so well, so plan that means what are you doing in English, how are you it's it's a whole it's just a whole constellation of the stars together. What's up, and Anna best friend was someone that you can just you can just go over and pick up the phone and say what you do want want to come over mandates a and you know when you come over.

You don't have to do anything either with a base frame. You don't have to be in kind. Sometimes you just sit there and look at each other and you basically and says you know you got a black kid right on your notice and and and and you look back and say you know you is getting bigger. You just talk about nothing and you just basically you just do things together.

What is a place to frame the base frame is someone who knows when you have need. Have you ever been down, depressed, or in the circumstance and you can't describe it. And all of a sudden, the telephone rang and it's your best friend and you want to and and I just simply say just calling to see how you want to die and what you want to do is you want to say how did you know who told you somebody told the adjuster best friend that I don't have to be told they don't have to be given an agenda based friend is is someone who wants to share experiences with you and keep company with you Traveling with You. You Know That You Know When You Say Listen, We Just Wanted We Just Want to Do Things Together. You Just Kind of Come on over and Sit down Then Let's Have a Jolly Good Cup of Tea Together and You Know What Happened and I Didn't Know and We Just You Know I Didn't Listen and Then the Frame Just Sits There and Sometimes Doesn't Site Where Just Just Listen, and If If Your Friend Doesn't like What They Hearing on Site You Just a Dummy and You Can Call Each Other Dummy Because Your Best Friends. It's Not It's Not Offensive You're Not There As If Somebody Else Called You Dummy You You Dummy You Calling Me Dummy, but You Base Frame Can Call You Dummy and You Say, Dummy. Okay on Probably a Dummy Just Five Minutes. That's What Basic Friends Are All about, They Share Things They Listen but They People That You Have Fun with You, You Know, We Use the Phrase Where You Can Let Your Hair down You Can You Can Just Do Things and You Can You Can Eat Together a Base Frame Is Someone Who Corrects in Love Best Friend Will Never Hesitate to Say to You, to Me, You Know, I Don't Think That's a Good Idea Why Think You Making a Mistake, a Best Friend Is Someone Who Cares so Much about Your Own Will.

Being the Type They Will Never Hesitate to Tell You What They Think You Need to Do and You Going to Listen to Them. A Best Friend Will Listen to the Truth and Will Hold the Clues in Their Heart and and You Have No Fear of Reprisal. You Know They Not Going to Come Back to Bite You Know That Three Months from Now. They Not Going to Suddenly Dredge This Thing up and Try and Stab You in the Back with It Because They All This Friends but You Know More about What I Love about This Friends More Than Ever.

This Friends of People Who Love You so Much That They Were Willing to Point You in the Right Direction That That's Why We're Here Today and That's Why We Have a Friend Day Here at First Baptist Church Because We Love Because You Very Special to Us. You Know First Baptist Church, Where the Family Together. We Brought People of Every Persuasion in Every Shape and Size. We Brought People from the Corners of God's Vineyard, Young People and Older Folks Little One We Got People in Every Kind of Situation and Circumstance. We Got People to Broaden Writing Jobs and People Who Have No Job.

We Got People Living Big Houses and People Live in Little Houses.

We Got People of All Persuasions but with Friends Together.

It Seems Remarkable That God Would Seed of Abraham That Abraham Was the Friend of God Wanted Designation. What an Unbelievable Start to Think That This Man Abraham Left Everything in Genesis Chapter 12 and Even Adopted His Nephew Locked and They Went down the Claimant and They Put Their Roots down and and the Ups and Downs You Know Abraham Was a Man Who Achieved an Accomplished Great Hikes, but He Also Sign Sank to Unbelievable Load. I Began to Ask Myself This Question. What Is It Qualified Abraham to Be Called a Friend of God.

Let Me Share Some Thoughts with You. How Can I Become a Friend of God. Let's Look at It Together in the Light of God's Word. Now I Think That a Friend of God. First of All, Knows God Personally. I Love That Would Possibly Not Folks I Know A Lot Of People Personally, I Have Come to Discover the Longer That I'm Privileged to Live Together Where People Know Me Personally Than I Know Them First by My Favorite President of All and I Pray That the Day Would Come That Our Great Nation Would Turn Back to These Values in These Moral Principles and Standards and the Ethics That We Found during Pres. Ronald Reagan's Administration but I'm Going to Tell You That I Present like When He Was President. I Know His Wife Is Nancy Fine, Even Though These Children by Working Told Me All about Them Soon, but Even Put It in the Book about Their Acting Days with Folks If I Went up to the White House in 1992 He Knocked on the Girl and Said Hello.

My Name Is Don Wilton and I Just Come to See President Reagan. I Have a Little Encounter with the Security Police.

You Know Why Because President Reagan Doesn't Know Me Personally Folks Listen to Me When You Give Your Heart to Jesus You Come into a Personal Best Friend Relationship You Share the Birth of Your Babies Together You Standing One Another's Ratings Together, You Graduate from High School Together.

You Go to Kindergarten Together You Play on the Mountain Together You Score Touchdowns Together.

You Sit in the Standings Together See One Another Together One Another. Together You Go to Keep Together.

You Go on Trips Together's Main Patients Together. I Think Perhaps the God of Abraham His Friend Because He Knew Him Personally. Please Forgive the Eruption Will Be Back in Just a Moment with the Rest of Today's Message God's Friend by Dr. Don Wilton Dr. Don Wilton Is Challenging Us to Think about How God Called Abraham His Friend Personally. The People We Know Person for the People Who Spend Extended Time Are You Spending Time with God Every Day We Have a Wonderful Source of the Daily Devotional for Dr. Don Wilton Can Be a Tool in Your Email Box Every Morning about 6 AM, Help You Spend Time in God's Word Can Sign up on Our Website at Tewonline.Org Margie That's TW All Online.org Consent of Not Only for the Email, but If You Prefer Even Have a Quarterly Version of Vital Sign up Again Right There on Our website@twonline.org call to sign up to do that with our friends taking your calls right now with 866-899-WORD Dr. number down store yourself.

It's available 24 hours a day and will connect with what I was happy to talk listener prayer. Connect with resources at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866899673. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton is a second reason why I believe he was called the friend of God. I think it was as simple as because he love God you see this friend. Love, I want to tell you something this morning I want to tell you whom I base Frame cannot do that how folks I know that Jesus Christ is my best friend and all of the world but you know he also gave me a best friend on the server you know that is my wife Karen effect on dental work over the and I'm going to give her a kiss right now this is my best friend stand here with me.

She'll talk to me about this like not to come all the way to she got to get on the lights. You know how Teddy this is my best friend folks.

I just love her. Love you, as you know that I've been married to her for 21 1/2 years and she is the best thing that ever happened to me and I just love her with all my heart on in the house to say that she's my best friend.

You know during the day many times I'll be at the office will be down the hospital and all kinds of stuff man. I'll pick up that phone, off-site dark chocolate… Away outside not can we meet down at the sandwich factory and have a jolly good cup of latte or something you know we could we go down to Barnes & Noble. Could we do something together.

I'd love to be with the school man. You know that I made to when she was 16 she had probably socks on and I just fell out of my seat allowing drooling all over the place. I just I just love her so much money that this beautiful lady is the mother of my next three best friend, my two sons and my daughter I tell you what, folks, I'm gonna let you go back down there, the ring about best friends. I do not have the privilege of marrying a lot of couples in our church. I usually end up somewhere in that time assigned to them folks I might be the most old-fashioned and out of date square headed creature you've ever made. But you know something I just believe in marriage, and I believe in families.

I believe in love.

I just believe in getting into that back garden playing games together and burning chicken on my barbecue I just I nothing.

Nothing gives me great in your icon right to go on vacation in the middle of July.

Be with my family play golf with my sons and my daughter. Hi to me that's the stuff those of the things I can't wait to be with my best friend. I tell you I would rather be with my wife than anybody in this place today and I tell you, I couldn't describe the love in this place. You know the ministers in this church jewelry to be able to love one another. Why was Abraham. God's friend.

What is this it's the kind of thing that we have together. When I look at you today. I feel friendship I feel I look up and down these these rows in these, as I see Mr. Dick Littlejohn.

I just love you so love you. The Lord Ron Vargas folks let me tell you, Frank… Thank you for what you mean to me and us in Spartanburg. Thank God for you, Larry brother. We all going to go fishing together. I'm just telling you that if it we will do that Montana catch formal fish than you've ever call as I trip to the Lord, and if you put your mate on the side and if you live for the Lord, like me, you'd Just Kidding Folks.

What Is This All about You Notice about Friendship. You Know the Bible Says. The Bible Says That Abraham Was Friend. There Was Something Very, Very Personal.

There Was Something like This Guy down into the Very Sales It's Law. Why Was He God's Friend. Perhaps Because He Knew Him Personally Because He Love God Because He Was Interested in the Things of God, Look at Abraham's Life. He Was Interested. You Know God Is Interested in Us. He's Interested in Every Detail of Our Lives. But God Says That When We Become His Friends in Turn Are Interested in the Things of God Tried to Say It like This. He Said Let This Mind Be in You Which Was Also in Christ Jesus. What He Was Saying Is Simply This, That When You Come to Know Jesus Christ. You Come into My Mind Relationship and the Word Mind in the Scripture Is Not Talking about Your Head. It's Talking about the Seat It's Talking about.

So It's Talking about the Relationship between My God through Jesus and Every Person Who Is Being Again of the Spirit of God. What a Wonderful Privilege Obviously Was Interested in the Things of God but Let Me Give You a Final One. Perhaps He Enjoyed Fellowship with God.

You See It's Not Togetherness It's Just Wanting to Be around with One Another, Just Wanting to Be around with One Another, Wanting to Be in One Another's Company Wanting to Be with That Person.

Abraham Wanted to Be with God. Everywhere He Went. Everything He Did Every Turn He Took. He Went Out Of His Way to Try and Be with God. He Wanted to Speak to God. He Wanted to Feel God Even When He Took Detours and Went down to Egypt When He Said When His Life Fell Apart. He Knew That His Best Friend Was Always You Know This, Jesus.

That's the Key Question.

Do You Know This Jesus, Perhaps during This Teaching Today for Dr. Don Wilton You Been Stirred by Your Heart of Knowing That God Loves You. He Has a Plan for Your Life and He's Even Using This Teaching to Let You Know It's Time for a Course Correction Time for an Adjustment of Her Doctor with It's Been Preaching for Now As He Steps in the Studio Would You Open Your Heart What He Wants to Share Next Are You Ready to Give Your Heart and Life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so Happy to Hear That Wanting to Pray This Prayer with Me Today. Dear God, I Know That You Love Me Very, Very Much and I Know That the Lord Jesus Christ Came God on the Cross so That I Might Be Forgiven of My Sin. Today, I Repent of My Sin. I Can Face My 79 Invite You to Come into My Heart to My Life in Jesus Name I Pray, If You Prayed That Prayer. Let Me Be the First One to Welcome the Family of God. This Is One I Hope That You Know How Much I'm Going to Be Praying for You and How Very Important This Is for Me to Hold Us so We Can Hope to Connect to the Right Place You Can Begin This Wonderful Journey. And in Just a Moment I'm in a Come Back with the Final What a Glorious Day for a New Beginning, a Fresh Start with God. Perhaps Moments Ago You Prayed along with Dr. Wilson to Give Your Life to Jesus for the Very First If so, Welcome to the Family Were Excited to See What God Is Moment. Perhaps You Rededicated Your Life to Christ and We Are Equally Excited to See What God Is Going to Do Next. Helping You Not Only Bear Fruit for Him Also Just Live the Life You Were Created to in Jesus We Have Wonderful Resources to Help You Grow in Your Faith Absolutely Free. Dr. Wilson Wants You to Have If You Just Gave Your Life to Christ Rededicated Your Life. Jesus Give Us a Call Our Number Is 866899866899967 Would Love to Pray with You to Connect with Those Resources. If You'd Rather Go Keyboard Keyboard. Let's Meet on Our Website. See EW Online.org That's TE W Online.org Just Know They Were Here for You Were Here to See You Grow in Your Faith Can Strengthen Your Faith. If You Haven't Heard about Fortified and the Strategy of Satan a Book and a DVD Series Available. Dr. Wilson You Can Tie Look on Our website@twonline.org, or his list with all the details on how you can receive your copy are you spiritually dressed for today's battles. As Christians the word of God click sites on how to prepare spiritual path of the mind. I think Ephesians 612 for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, spiritual forces and places doing Dr. will fight the power steering understand spiritual battle VR in armor with you. You will receive the bonus strategy for Warren 669966999673 and the strategy for a gift of $20. Thank you for supporting Encouraging Word to proclaim the life-changing Jesus Christ around the world 866-899-WORD with her to that particular resource was how many are asking about the book. Yes, Dr. Wilson's book is still available, the one he wrote about his time with Dr. Billy Graham call Saturdays with Billy. Take a peek@ourwebsitetewonline.org or call about getting your copy and 866-899-WORD 866-899-WORD 9673 before we get away closing thoughts of encouragement from Dr. Don Wilton, you know, before we go today. What a day of worship. We've had you know you and I have in the middle of our hearts, our beloved nation done for you how much I love America. I'm so proud to be an American.

You know this bold cost is seen by so many of our Armed Forces across the world and we hear from many, many of them and we love them. We my name spec they are our real heroes and I want you to join with trying them that God would protect their loved one right now. Charlene just before we got I'm joining with thousands of people) trying for our members help raise right members of many families and Jesus lays.

It's been a great day and we have much to look forward to tomorrow. Chapter 2 and talk about a message Dr. preparing why go to church that's coming up on the next edition of purging word with Dr. Don Wilton between now and then. Let's stay connected on our website TE W online.org