Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of Scripture, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
Out in my living room, I have a small cupboard that I keep all of our tools in. If you took a moment to look through it, you would find many different things that I use to repair things around the house. For example, I have a grinder and numerous files to sharpen my chainsaw blades. I’ve got a tape measure so I can cut all of my lumber at the right length. I even have a claw hammer so I can pound nails into my walls. But if you were to pull out the box and dump all the tools on the floor, you would notice quickly how dissimilar they are from each other. After all, a screwdriver is not a pliers, and a hacksaw is not a pipe wrench. Although each of them can be classified as tools, they share great differences, just like many words that are found throughout the English language.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
There is a huge difference between an acquaintance and a friend. You might know hundreds of different people in your life, but you really don’t have any type of serious relationship with any of them. I mean, if you were to take a moment and write down the amount of hours that you spend one-on-one with them each day, it probably wouldn’t amount to very much. You might claim to know them, but the truth is that you really don’t. True friendship goes far beyond what is on the surface, as it requires developing a closely knit bond with someone. But while many people claim to be followers of Christ, a lot of them have closer relationships with people in the world than with Him. Some people spend more time with their own relatives than they do with the Lord. To be a friend requires the dedication of your time. At judgment Day, these same people will claim to know the Lord Jesus, but they never really knew Him at all. They might have known His name or even heard Him preach and teach in their cities, but they never pursued a deep and meaningful relationship with Him at all.
Luke 13 ²³ Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, ²⁴ Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ²⁵ When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: ²⁶ Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. ²⁷ But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. ²⁸ There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
The more time that you invest in a relationship, the closer it can become. But if you spend fifty hours a week hanging out with others, and only one hour a week with God, how can a close relationship with Him develop out of that? In that state, you treat Him as a religious acquaintance rather than a friend. Instead of building a closer relationship with God, many people will seek to spend time with others instead. Although they quickly claim to be the friend of God, they are only deceiving themselves, because they have placed Earthly relationships before Him. This is why the first commandment is to love God with your whole heart, because when any other relationship becomes greater, you become the enemy of God.
……whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”.James 4:4
Matthew 10 ³⁴ Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
³⁶ And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. ³⁷ He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
A friend is somebody that you hang out with on a regular basis. It’s more than visiting briefly at a grocery store. It’s more than having dinner with somebody. It is the development of a close personal relationship, one that requires the diligent use of one’s time to maintain. The disciples were with the Lord Jesus practically every single day, involved in a very close relationship with Him. They turned away from others in order to devote most of their time to Him. After all, that is what friends do.
1 Peter 4 ³ For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:.⁴ Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: ⁵ Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
True friendship towards God is evidenced by our obedience to His will.
“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” John 15:14
Out of friendship for God we must separate from the world and devote ourselves completely to Him.
2 Corinthians 6 ¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, ¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Friendship with God is to place Him above all others, and it will require the dedication of your time and devotion to His will, in order to prove that status with Him. Many people will be turned away from Paradise, claiming to know Him but there was never a serious relationship there at all. He knows who is seeking Him and He knows who His friends are. Many people will miss out on eternal life simply because they didn’t understand the difference between a friend, and…
….. An Acquaintance
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious goups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️
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