Identity: You Are God’s Friend (Week 6)
I. Best of All God Is with Us
A. God with Us
1. We often view the Christian life as being “about God.” Or we do things “for God.” Or we approach life as a way to get “to God.” Yet God desires us to be “with God.” …”With us is” God’s heart.
a. Isaiah 7:14
b. Matthew 1:23
B. Dinner with God
a. Martha was too busy doing things “for” Jesus to be still and be “with” Him. She was more occupied with her cause than she was with Christ. Mary, however, savored the opportunity to be “with” God.
2. If you are not hungry for a close friendship with God, you are probably filling up on the cheap stuff of life. If you are not hungry to sit at the feet of Jesus, as Mary did, perhaps you are devouring parts of life that will never truly satisfy.
C. More than Servants
II. He Shares, Shows, and Includes
A. He Shares His Thoughts
1. Abraham is called a friend of God
a. James 2:23
c. …as God’s friend, God shared His thoughts with Abraham.
2. Sodom and Gomorrah
a. Genesis 18
i. Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? (Gen. 18:17 NIV).
ii. Why does God share His plans with Abraham?
iii. Or does God share His thoughts with Abraham simply because they are friends?
3. The Holy Spirit
i. Moments after telling the disciples they were His friends, Jesus told them that it was best for them if He left the world because when He left, He would send the Holy Spirit to be their counselor and teacher. And the Holy Spirit would always be with them, always teaching them, always sharing with them everything from the Father.
ii. As a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of you. The Holy Spirit takes the thoughts of God and makes them known to you. He speaks truth into your life. He guides you. He never misleads you because He does not speak on His own. He only speaks from the mind and heart of God. You are God’s friend, and the Holy Spirit constantly shares God’s thoughts with you because He never leaves you.
4. Listening 101
a. But how do you know you are hearing His voice? How can you be sure are hearing His thoughts?
b. Does what you think God is saying to you lie up with what He has already said in Scripture? God will never pull you in a direction that is contrary to Scripture.
c. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will guide you in all truth. If you will listen to Him, He will share His thoughts with you. He does not hold His thoughts from you. You are His friend and through His Holy Spirit, who lives in you, He speaks to your spirit, to your heart.
d. Will we ever stop talking to listen? Instead of listening, our prayers are often long run-on sentences with no commas and no pauses. God speaks to us, wanting to share His thoughts, but we often talk over Him. …As His friend, listen. …He shares His thoughts with you. And He shows His greatness to you.
B. He Shows His Greatness
1. Moses enjoyed a close friendship with God, and God showed Moses His greatness.
a. Exodus 33:11, 18-20
2. I fear we often live bland and boring lives because we don’t press in and enjoy a friendship with God that brings us to the point of asking God to show us His glory. I fear we miss out on the greatness of God because we pray small prayers and attempt small things for God.
3. Elijah’s Story
a. 1 Kings 18
i. But why did Elijah pour water on the altar? In the middle of a drought?
ii. Elijah poured water on the altar so it would be clear that it was God who lit everything on fire. So that no one could say, “I think because of the drought that perhaps some heat from one of the stones caused a piece of straw to catch on fire and then that just spread.” Elijah poured water all over the altar so the fire would have no explanation other than God.
iii. God is attracted to situations where it will be clear that He is the one who intervened. God is attracted to situations where His friends sincerely ask for His greatness and glory to be displayed.
iv. Perhaps you need to pour some water on a situation in your life. Perhaps you need to give up, release control, and allow your Friend to fight the battle. And when God’s greatness is revealed, people will say, “The LORD–he is God!”
C. He Includes You
1. You are included in God’s plan. God does not need us. …He is completely sufficient in Himself, yet He chooses to include us in His plans.
2. From the beginning of humanity, God has included His friends in His plans. God has continually entrusted responsibility to people. Early in the story of humanity, we see God including us….
a. Genesis 2:19
3. You are god’s friend. He shares His thoughts with you. He shows His greatness to you. And He includes you in His plans. How should you respond to this reality?
D. Enjoy Being with God
1. Because you are His friend, simply enjoy being “with” Him.
2. View your spiritual journey as a journey “with” God, not “toward” Him. View your daily life as an opportunity to live “with” God, not simply “for” God. Go to work “with” Him. Enjoy your leisure time “with” God.
3. Because Jesus is Immanuel, the message of the gospel is not about doing things “for” God or to get “to” God. Live life as dinner “with” Jesus instead of dinner “for” Him. The bottom line is an intimate relationship “with” God.
4. Best of all God is with us.
The reality: you are God’s friend.
The response: live with Him.
*This FOCUS University Ministry Bible Study is based Identity: Who You Are in Christ by Eric Geiger. All direct quotes are in italics above.
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