A friend recently called me about a decision he was making. He was simply informing me, but in the course of the conversation, I said to him, “You are my friend, and I’ll support you the best that I can.” This man is certainly one that I admire and am thankful that he is my friend. His decision is an important one. Some will agree with his decision and some will disagree. Whatever the case may be, he is a friend; and I want that to be clear. He has been an encouragement to me personally, and I want to be the same to him.

In John 15:15, the Word of God says, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” If friendship were to be likened to that of a developing flower, friendship would be the bloom of discipleship. Friendship is an end to which true Biblical discipleship leads. We see this here in the ministry of our Lord. Considering this, here are some thoughts about friendship:

1. Friendship is developed.

The Lord said, “Henceforth.” This shows to us that this friendship did not simply begin here, but the process of their relationship together led to this point. You know, in times of trouble, it is good to have true friends. Christ was certainly facing a troubling time; but He had his friends. This friendship was developed.

What is required in order to develop this friendship? It is something I call FACE–TIME. Both words are important. In our technologically-driven society, there is not much time spent face-to-face. We are more apt to use social media and some form of messaging to communicate; but I submit to you that if we desire to develop friendship, we must spend time with people face-to-face. God recognizes this as a quality of friends when He says, “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend…” [Exodus 33:11]. Media is no substitute for face-to-face time.

The second operative word is TIME. We see this consistently through the ministry of the LORD. He spent time with those whom He is now calling friends. If we are to develop friendships, it will require our time and effort to do so.

2. Friendship means disclosure.

In verse fifteen the Lord says, “…I have made know unto you.” Yes, of course, there are boundaries that should not be crossed; but what we do during our face-to-face time is important. We should communicate with each other. We should work to be genuine and transparent.

Specifically-speaking here, Jesus was making known to His friends what God the Father had made known to Jesus. Preachers do this on a regular basis in the public forum; but what about speaking to your friends about something other than the football game? Why not speak to them about what God has spoken to you about from His Word? Why not spend time talking to your friends about what the Lord has taught you in the intimacy of your private time with Him?

3. Friendship means devotion

Both verses thirteen and seventeen of this chapter show this to us. There are two levels to consider. Friendship means devotion to each other. The Lord said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This is the kind of devotion we should show to each other.

Secondly, our devotion should be WITH each other. In verse seventeen, the Lord teaches them that the world will hate them. In John seventeen, Jesus prayed for their unity. As friends, we should be devoted to each other and with each other. We should work together to accomplish what the LORD has called us to do in preaching the Gospel to every creature.

Friendship is a beautiful thing; but it must be developed. Friendship means that you do make yourself vulnerable through disclosure, and friendship requires devotion.

John 7:43, “So there was a division among the people because of him.”

Recently, I had the opportunity to share the Word of God in one of our public schools.  This is the passage I chose, and here are some thoughts that were shared as an attempt to help the students understand the truth of Christ and how He impacts a community.  Contrary to popular teaching, the truth of Christ – if Scripturally adhered to – will divide us from those who do not believe.  Though we will have a greater compassion, as we should, for those who do not believe, the fact is that division over the Person of Christ is inevitable.

1.  There is such a thing as absolute truth (v. 40).  Jesus Christ is called “the” Prophet and “the” Christ.

2.  The truth about Jesus Christ is exclusive (v. 40 – 41).  Jesus Christ also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” [John 14:6].  Some have said that it may be good for you, but it is not good for me.  The truth of the matter is that Christ is the ONLY ONE who can save mankind from his own sins.  A persons belief does not determine truth.

3.  The exclusive truth about Christ does bring division.

People have a right to believe what they choose to believe, but their belief does not determine reality.

i.  Jesus Christ is God in the flesh.

ii.  Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life.

iii.  God’s Word establishes this absolute truth.

iv.  The decision about this truth will cause division.

John 6:61 Jesus Christ said, “When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?”

As Christ completed the teaching of some seemingly difficult truths, he turns to disciples, not the twelve, and asks this question about their being offended.  In our culture and society, generally-speaking, people are easily offended.  These were supposed followers of Christ.  They would ultimately stop following the Lord.  The Word of God says in verse sixty-six, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”

In considering this passage, here are some thoughts about when we know that we are becoming susceptible to being offended.  It is important to identify this because by the end of this story we will see that offense may cause us to no longer walk with Christ, but conviction will cause us to continue with Him.

When are we susceptible to being offended?

1.  When we do not understand everything that is being said.  The people in this story did not understand what Christ was teaching them.

2.  When we allow ourselves to grumble out of ignorance.  The Word of God says that they murmured.  In spite of the fact that they did not understand, they began to grumble about that which they did not fully comprehend.  Pastor Green says, “Ignorance has a big mouth.”  In this case, it certainly does.

3.  When our ignorance and grumbling makes us to be non-receptive to the solution.  Christ had give to the people some hard sayings (v. 53 – 60).  By the time that Christ gives the explanation or solution in verse sixty-three, the people had already complained and grumbled out of their ignorance.  Their murmuring led to hardness towards the solution.  Christ told them that the words He was speaking are spirit and life.  This would have helped them to understand that they did not have to literally eat the flesh of Christ and drink His blood; but ignorance led to murmuring.  Murmuring led to lack of receptivity.

The decision to follow or not follow Christ is a life-altering decision.  As a result of what happened on this day, many no longer walked with Christ.  That is a life-chaning decision.  All things considered, here is some practical advice:

-  Learn to ask questions as opposed to making opinionated statements.  When you do not understand instruction: ask questions and avoid grumbling if you want to truly keep yourself open to the solution.  Many times, what may seem offensive could be cared for if we would seek answers rather than make statements.

Jeremiah 8:20, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”  In the first post [click here], we looked at simple truths about our Lord providing opportunities and periods of opportunities.  Here are some practical thoughts as a follow up to that brief devotion:

The LORD Values His Word

During your summer, remember that the LORD values His Word.  More specifically, the LORD values obedience to His Word (8:9, 7:23).  In other words, take time during your summer to draw closer to the LORD through His Word.  Purpose to make Him, through His Word, the priority.  The summer opportunity is not preeminently for you.  It is for HIM.  When we make it about and for HIM, then we will find fulfillment/satisfaction.  Here are three specific practices that should flow out of our love for Him:

1.  Spend time with Him (Closet Life)

2.  Be faithful to His house (Personal Life)

3.  Be involved in serving Him (Public Life)

A life that considers HIM to be preeminent in all opportunities will not look back with regret and say, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”

Jeremiah 8:20 says, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”

The Lord Provides Periods of Opportunity

The Lord provides to us periods of opportunity as well as doors of opportunity.  What we do with the opportunity will directly impact the result.  God’s people had opportunity to turn away from their idolatrous ways and be delivered; but the summer [time of opportunity] was missed.

In literal terms, the summer time opens up a door of opportunity for most who work with students.  We must take advantage of the time during the summer by emphasizing the Great Commission through the events we plan and the time we invest in teens.  The same can be said for any area of life.

Decisions to Deliverance

What you do with the opportunities you have will impact the deliverance you experience.  It is true that whosoever believes in Jesus Christ shall be saved; but even after eternal life is received, we must learn to daily realize the freedom we have in Jesus Christ.  We are to reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin.  Though we have God’s Holy Spirit living inside of us, this does not guarantee that we will yield to Him.  We are to walk in the Spirit so that we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

In this message from Jeremiah, there is much said about truth.  See verses 7:28, 8:9, and 9:3.  This is all one message given while he stood in the Temple gate.  Freedom is something that is daily maintained by surrendering to the Lord’s Word.

Ability & Opportunity

This is what it boils down to: We have been entrusted with ability and opportunity.  What will you do with it, specifically during the summer?  Remember that freedom is not the goal of the Christian life.  Freedom is obtained and becomes the means to the goal: the LORD.

more to come on how to take advantage of the summer time…

Isaiah 63:16, “Doubtless thou art our father,though Abraham be ignorant of us,and Israel acknowledge us not:thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer;thy name is from everlasting.”

This verse is a cry from national Israel; but it states a fact that is easily understood by any believer.

*  God is our Father.

*  ”Doubtless” – There is no reason to doubt this truth.

*  This is accomplished by adoption through the redemptive [buying back from slave market of sin] sacrifice of Christ (v. 9 & Romans 8:15).

Let that phrase sink in, and speak it to the Lord: “Doubtless thou art our Father..“

Isaiah 44:6, “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel,and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

This is a clear statement that is further illustrated in verse eight, “…there is no God; I know not any.”  The all-knowing and only true God says He knows of no other God.

Thoughts to Consider:

*  To claim the God of the Word as your God is to accept this truth as belief.

*  My true, heart conviction should be that there are no other gods beside this God.

*  This does not mean that I do NOT respect others’ God-given privilege to worship and do NOT respect their God-given accountability and soul liberty.

*  It does mean that I should believe, teach, and preach that there is only ONE God.

How do I reconcile this truth with those who do worship other gods?

1.  There is TRUTH.  TRUTH is TRUTH, and does not change by perception, tradition, or circumstances.  It may simply be considered to be objective, and it is reality.

2.  An individual’s perception or belief does not change truth.  Laws of a land may change due to the digression of the morals in that society, but that does not mean that the “FACT OF THE MATTER” changes.

3.  If someone worships Allah this does not make “Allah” an objective reality simply because of the belief of people.  We mustn’t begin with people, their beliefs and philosophies.

4.  We must begin with Truth.  The very name “God” shows to us One Who is the greatest or best, so how is it even possible to have multiple “true” gods?  There can only be ONE.  His Name is Jehovah.  See other posts for thoughts on the existence of God [click here].

Jeremiah chapters seven through ten contain a message from the prophet.  It was delivered to the people of Judah, and this message was delivered in the Temple gate.  Those who would come to worship were certain to hear this message from the weeping prophet.

7:9 – 10 says, “Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?”  In essence, the LORD is asking if they would live as servants to sin then proceed to the house of God and say, “We are delivered to do all these abominations?”

Paul asked, “What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid.  How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” – Romans 6:1 – 2  As believers, we should not use grace as an occasion to fulfill the lusts of our flesh.

Our Past Deliverance

If you have truly trusted Jesus Christ as Savior, you are become dead to sin by the body of Jesus Christ.  We are in Christ, and our salvation is a matter of historical fact.

Our Present Decision

Though we have been blessed with the power over sin in our daily lives, this can only come as we yield to the Spirit.  ”…Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:16.  Unfortunately, when we yield to sin, we willfully become the servants of sin (Romans 6:16).  The decision boils down to that of surrender.

Were we delivered so that we might live in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life?  Of course, we were not.  We were set free from the penalty of sin, and we do not need to live under the power of sin; but this victorious life cannot be lived apart from God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.

Let’s this be a warning to all of us.  Numbers chapter eleven is a chapter that reminds us to keep our hearts from falling into lust.

The story here takes places after the children of Israel leave Mount Sinai. They were only three days’ journey from the “Mount of the Lord” (Numbers 10:33). The people began to complain so the Lord consumed many with fire. Consider all the they had already seen:

*  The Egyptian Army had been destroyed.

*  The death of the firstborn had taken place.

*  The Lord has miraculously provided manna in the wilderness.

In spite of what they had witnessed, they began to complain and received God’s judgment. The story continues, and the word of God says that “a mixed multitude” (Exodus 12:38) “fell a lusting.” The phrase “mixed multitude” means a foreign group. The phrase “fell a lusting” means the following: wanting for something for the pleasure it brings, a strong yearning or desire. This mixed multitude were Egyptians that, even though God had brought them out of Egypt, still had Egypt in their heart.

It is imperative that we understand what happens when we allow lusting to take root in our hearts. James 1:15 says, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

1.  The company we keep will influence the desire of our heart. (4)

2.  The desires we have generally come from something we have tasted in the past. (4 – 5)

3.  The physical pleasures bring back memories and develops into speech. (5)

4.  The strong lusts cause us to be passionate about what we want, and we will feel sorry for ourselves so that we can justify why we can have it (4 & 10).

5.  The lusting will cause us to NOT see the blessings and miracles in our lives (6)

6.  The Lord sees our heart that is full of lust, and He is displeased (10).

7.  A lust-filled people make godly leaders to be weary and want to quit (10 – 15).

8.  A lust-filled heart is one who has rejected the Lord because they want to be satisfied with something or someone else (20 & Psalm 34:8).

9.  The lust led to the request (speech) which then leads to the fulfillment of the prayer request (18).

10.  The lust then produces the act of sin (32 – 33).

11.  When sin is finished, death is the result (33 – 34).

12.  The place was called “graves of lust” so that they would remember what lust leads to (35).

One of the unique experiences that I had while I was pin Morocco was that of meeting a gentleman who was looking for answers.  It is still unclear what his motives are, but needless to say I learned a few things.