Friend of God

HOUSES PASTOR EDITH CRUZ

BIBLE STUDY #888 – CHURCH IN THE FROM: FEBRUARY 23 – 29, 2016

Topic: “Friend of God” Isaiah 41:8 -13; 2 Chronicles 20:7, James 2:23 Friendship (to befriend) is drifted from loving, it is an affective relation. It can be made fast or slow. We can see in the Bible examples of friendship in Ruth and Naomi, in David and Jonathan, and we also can see it in Abraham and God, something worth knowing till the end. In friendship there is sympathy and trust, there is loyalty and solidarity, it is unconditional, there is love, sincerity and the commitment that is cultivated with an assiduous treatment and mutual interest throughout time. Being a friend is simply: TO LOVE! The best friend is someone whose level of loyalty, attention, care and affection is superior to the habitual in the entirety of all friendly relationships. Friends are those who you can count on for life and are present in every moment. For those who want to be a friend should know what the requirements are. In Isaiah 41:8 God mentions “Abraham my friend.” It is like saying: The one who loves me! God makes commitments with those who love Him. God chose descendants from that man Abraham, “his friend.” God had called Abraham from the City of Ur of the Chaldeans. Ur was far to the east of Canaan; that region was a complete desert. Jerusalem was at the west and Ur to the east; Ur is the actual Irak. Abraham responded to the calling of God with fidelity, for such reason he was the father of the nation of Israel. Israel is the descendants of Abraham and today that nation with all the people are firm and established in the promises of God; we can see that no one can destroy them. God took away the city of Canaan from those who had it and gave it to Abraham. Then God chose Jacob to raise the twelve tribes of Israel because Jacob was from the descendants of Abraham who was called by God: “FRIEND.” God called Abraham from far. “I took you from the ends of the earth from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and I have not rejected you.” Isaiah 41:9 God speaks in this way in these verses of Isaiah 41: 8 -13 with the purpose of encouraging the people of Israel, to silence the fears and to encourage the faith of those who believe. Faith is necessary in the afflictions, it is necessary to believe in God. The verses are to lift up the people’s spirit. God does not want His people to be afraid. Vs. 10 says: “Do not fear.” We have to depend of His presence, know that He is among us, that He is with you as your God (“…for I am your God…”). Do not fear (there is a reason) because I am with you; do not faint because He is your God, He is who strengthens you (the strength you need He gives it to you). He always wants to help us; His right hand upholds you! Although your enemies may seem fearsome the day will come when God will demand their account. There are those who hate you and for this reason war will come to you, but you have to wait on God’s time. Your enemies will be ashamed and confused the day they realize the madness of contending with you. They will crash against

God’s justice and power! “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you: Do not fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:11-13 Abraham was much a friend of God on earth as he is now being in heaven. It is clearly seen what Abraham was to God. The man that befriends God has conquered him out of love. But, the faith without deeds does not work. Our father Abraham demonstrated his justice (integrity) throughout his deeds when he was willing to offer his own son Isaac in sacrifice at the altar. This was a deed even though there was a promise of descendants, but it was necessary for him to carry out that deed because this is what God asked from him. Abraham trusted, he walked with the wood and with his son to do what God asked him to do. So what? It was his friend who asked him to do that. It was He in whom Abraham rested, who called him, who gave him everything: riches, servants, a name, a son; he was his Friend! We can see to what extent his faith cooperated with his deeds. His faith reached its fullness in his deeds making a reality the passage from the Scriptures that says: “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. We see the reason: because he was God’s friend. We can see that it is in deeds that a person demonstrates that he is correct and not only by his faith. The same happened with Rahab, the prostitute (Joshua 6:17). Did she not demonstrate that she was on God’s side when she received the messengers and afterwards sent them to another route? And it is like a body that does not breath is dead, likewise is a faith that does not produce deeds is dead. He who is God’s friend works with trust, in faith, in deeds, in what He says, because like a friend that He is THERE IS A TRUST! This is the trust in a friend. John 15:15 “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.” There are no secrets for a friend. Let us be God’s friend like Abraham was. Amen.