Sermon #282
Title: “This
Is My Friend”
Text: Song
Of Solomon 5:16
Subject: The
characteristics of Christ our Friend
Date:
Tape #
Introduction:
As I look over this congregation
this morning, I am greatly concerned about your many needs. What is the
specific need of your soul at this hour? It is likely that there are as many
different needs as there are faces. How can I meet your need? I trust that God
will give guidance to his servant, so that the needs of his people may be
satisfied by the preaching of the gospel. I wonder, is
there anyone here today who needs a friend; a faithful, powerful, and loving
friend? Oh, some of you, if I may judge by the expressions of your faces,
desperately need such a friend. Well, I have such a friend; and I want to
recommend my friend to you.
I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
He loved me ere I knew Him;
He drew me with the cords of love,
And thus He bound me to Him.
I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
He bled and died to save me;
And not alone the gift of life,
But His own self He gave me.
I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
All power to Him is given
To guard me on my onward course,
And bring me safe to heaven.
I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
So kind and true and tender,
So wise a counselor and guide,
So mighty a Defender!
My
Friend is my subject this morning. You will find my text in the Song of Solomon
chapter five and verse sixteen - “This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend.’ The Friend
that I speak of, the Friend that I want you to have is Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, the Friend of publicans and sinners.
Someone once said, “Friendship is
the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are
agreed.” A friend is one of the greatest blessings on earth. Tell me not of
money: affection is better than gold; sympathy is better than property. The
poorest man in all the world is the man who is
friendless and alone. If you would be happy in this world, you must have
friends. And if you desire happiness in eternity, you must find a Friend in the
Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only Savior of poor sinners.
The world is full of sorrow, because
it is full of sin. It is a dark place. It is a lonely place. It is a
disappointing place. The brightest sunbeam in this dark world is a friend. A
friend will make our sorrows half what they would otherwise be. And a friend
makes all our joys double. But a real friend is scarce and rare. There are many
who will eat, drink, and laugh with us in the sunshine of prosperity. But there
are few who will stand with us in the night of weeping. There are few who will
love us when we are sick, and helpless, and poor. And, above all, there are few
who will care for our souls! The friendship of this world is as bitter as it is
brittle. Trust in it, and you will have trusted a robber. Rely upon it, and you
will have leaned upon a spear that will pierce your soul.
Yet, Solomon has told us that he had
found a Friend, “a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” He did not find this
Friend in his unbridled pleasures, nor in the
wanderings of his unlimited research, but in the pavilion of the Most High, in
the secret dwelling place of God, in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. This
day, I take a lesson from the wise man, and bear witness that Jesus Christ is
the greatest, best, wisest, most loving, disinterested, and faithful of
Friends. How happy is that family whose family Friend is Jesus Christ! How
happy and blessed is that man whose best Friend is the
Son of God!
Proposition:
“There
is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother,” and
his name is Immanuel, the Christ of God. “This
is my Beloved, and this is my Friend.” This morning, I trust that you will
allow me to speak to you personally. It is my desire simply to give a
testimonial in honor of my Friend, Jesus Christ. I will try to point out the
characteristics of this Friend, and press you to receive him.
Poor, weak, and worthless, though I am,
I have a rich, almighty Friend;
Jesus, the Savior, is His name:
He freely loves, and without end.
He ransomed me from hell with blood;
And by His power my foes controlled:
he found
me wandering far from God,
And brought me to His chosen fold.
He cheers my heart, my wants supplies,
And says that I shall shortly be
Enthroned with Him above the skies:
Oh! What a Friend is Christ to me!
But, oh! My inmost spirit mourns;
And well my eyes with tears may swim,
To think of my perverse returns:
I’ve been a faithless friend to Him.
Sure, were I not most vile
and base,
I could not thus my Friend requite:
And, were He not the God of grace,
He’d frown and spurn me from His sight!
Divisions:
As I try to commend to you the love of this Friend, I
am going to make three simple statements, and show you from the Scriptures that
they are true. My words this morning will be plain and affectionate. I pray
that God the Holy Spirit will give me your attention, and make his Word
effectual to your hearts, for Christ’s sake.
1. You all desperately need such a Friend as Christ.
2. The Lord Jesus Christ is the best of Friends.
3. Jesus Christ is a friend beloved by al who know Him.
I. So then, I will begin by saying that - EVERYONE HERE DESPERATELY NEEDS SUCH A
FRIEND AS CHRIST.
That is a broad statement. But I make it without
reservation. Jesus Christ is a Friend in need. And man is the most needy creature on God’s earth, because he is a sinner.
There is no need so great as that of sinners. Poverty,
hunger, thirst, cold, sickness, all are nothing in comparison with sin. As
sinners, we need pardon; and we are utterly unable to provide it for ourselves.
We need deliverance from a guilty conscience and the fear of death; but we have
no power in ourselves to obtain it. Now, I say that my Friend, Jesus Christ, is
a Friend to sinners in need. Christ Jesus came into the world to relieve us of
the great need caused by sin. He came to remove our guilt, save us from sin,
and deliver us from the curse of the law. It was said of the child Jesus, “Thou shalt call
his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt.
A. All of us by
nature are poor, diseased, dying creatures.
From the President in the White House, to the farmer
in the field, from the professor at the University, to the school-boy in
kindergarten, we are all sick from the mortal disease of the soul - sin.
Whether we know it or not, whether we feel it or not, we are all dying, because
of sin. We are as “a sinful nation, a
people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, children that are corrupters:
they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of
1.
The plague of sin
is in our hearts.
“The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer.
17:9). “God saw that the wickedness of
man was great in the earth, and that every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies: These
are the things which defile a man” (Matt.
a.
Man’s problem is
that he has a heart disease, a disease incurable except by the blood of Christ
and his almighty grace.
(1). The
root of all sin is in your heart and mine by nature.
(2). It is the heart
that must be changed. We must have a new heart inplanted
within us. And Christ alone can change the sinners
heart.
b.
This plague of
the heart has so permeated our being that every faculty of man, both body and soul, is defiled with sin. “We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under
sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh
after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an
open sepulchre: with their tongues they have used
deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are
in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of
God before their eyes. Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are
under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become
guilty before God…For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom.
3:9-19, 23).
(1). Man’s understanding
is so perverse that he will never seek God.
(2). Man’s throat is so
corrupt that it is like an open grave.
(3). Man’s tongue is a
deceitful weapon.
(4). Man’s lips are full
of poisonous words.
(5). Man’s mouth is but
a vehicle to express his wrath.
(6). Man’s feet run to
do evil.
(7). Man’s ways are full
of misery and end in destruction.
(8). Man’s eyes look to
do evil, having no fear of God.
2.
This disease of
sin, this plague of the heart, is an inbred, family disease, passed on from
father to son, generation after generation.
3.
This is a disease
which grows worse and worse, with every passing hour.
4.
Christ alone, can cure our souls of the disease of sin.
We could never cure ourselves. No
angel or man could produce a remedy for sin. But the Lord Jesus Christ came
into the world to cure us of the plague of the heart - “Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and
reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth” (Jer.
33:6). He came “to abolish death, and
bring life and immortality to light through the gospel” (1 Tim.
B. All of us by
nature are debtors to God.
We owed our God ten thousand talents, and had not one
farthing to pay. We could never have freed ourselves from the debt of sin; but
only got more deeply involved day after day. But the Lord Jesus Christ came to
pay our debt. He canceled the bill, paying the full requirements of God’s holy
law.
C. All of us by
nature were under the curse of the law.
The sentence was upon us - “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” We
could never satisfy the demands of the law. We could not keep its precepts. We
could not appease its wrath. We could not atone for sin. But Jesus Christ came
to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. He kept the precepts of the
law as our Representative before God. He died under the curse of the law as our
Substitute, putting away sin. “Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it
is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a
tree” (Gal. 3:13). “Who his own self
bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we,
being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were
healed” (1 Pet.
D. All of us by
nature were shipwrecked, perishing, and sliding into hell.
We could never, in ourselves, have reached the harbor
of everlasting life. We were sinking in the midst of the waves, shiftless,
hopeless, helpless, and powerless. We were tied and bound by the chain of our
sins, in bonds under the burden of guilt, imprisoned under the yoke of the law,
and slipping into hell. All the, our Lord saw and undertook to remove. He came
down from heaven to “proclaim liberty tot
he captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isa. 61:1). He came “to
seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk.
E. Yes, I say
that the Lord Jesus Christ is a Friend in need. He is the Friend you need.
1.
We could never
have been saved without the Lord Jesus Christ coming down from heaven. So far
as our eyes can see, salvation would have been an
impossibility without Christ. The wisest men of
a.
Could we have
changed our hearts?
b.
Could we have
satisfied the demands of the law?
c.
Could we have
delivered ourselves from the bondage of sin?
d.
Could we have
paid our debts to God?
e.
Could we have
delivered ourselves from the jaws of hell?
No! No! A thousand times no! Without
our Friend, Christ Jesus, we would be forever damned.
2.
It was our Lord’s
own free love, mercy, and pity that brought him down from heaven to save us. He
was in no way obliged to do so. He came and saved us, unsought, unasked,
unwanted, because he was gracious.
Search the history of the world.
Look around the globe. Examine all of those whom you know and love. I tell you
that there never was such a friend as Jesus Christ, my Friend.
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No not one! No not one!
None else could heal all our souls
diseases,
No not one! No not one!
II. Now, let me show you that - THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE BEST OF FRIENDS.
The wise man, Solomon, tells us that
- “A man that hath friends must show
himself friendly.” And I want you to see that there was never a person who
showed himself so friendly as the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are also told, “And there is a friend
that sticketh closer than a brother.” Now, dear
ones, “This is my Beloved, and this is my
Friend.” What kind of Friend is Jesus Christ? I cannot fully describe him.
I cannot even tell you all that I know about him. But I do want you to see some
blessed characteristics of my Heavenly Friend. Christ is a Friend of
transcendent excellency.
A.
The Lord Jesus Christ is a Friend who has fully demonstrated his friendship.
Do you want a friend indeed? Such a
friend is Christ. The true extent of a man’s friendship must be measured by his
deeds. Tell me not what a man says, and feels, and wishes. Tell me not of his
words. Tell me rather of what he does. “Friendly is as friendly does.” The
things which our Lord Jesus Christ has done for his people,
are a great proof of his friendship for us.
1.
Our Lord agreed
to become our Surety in the Covenant of Grace.
a.
When our cause
was desperate, he engaged it.
b.
When justice was
ready to give us the death blow we deserved, he intervened and absorbed it.
c.
When he knew that
we would run through all our stock and become bankrupt, he became our bondsman,
agreeing to pay our whole debt.
d.
When he saw that
we would fall into the depths of sin and misery, he undertook to bring us out,
to cleanse us from all sin, to clothe us in his own righteousness, and to bring
us safe to eternal glory.
Was there ever such an eternal
Friend as Christ? No, not one can compare with him.
2.
For our sakes,
the Lord Jesus Christ took upon himself our nature, and was born of a woman - “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who, though he was rich yet for our sakes, he became poor, that we through his
poverty might be made rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).
3.
For our sakes,
the Christ of God lived thirty three years in this world, despised and rejected
of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief - “He took on himself the form of a servant, and humbled himself” (Phil.
2:7-8).
4.
It was for our
sakes that the Son of God suffered the painful and shameful death of the cross.
Though innocent and without fault,
he allowed himself to be condemned and found guilty. Though he was without sin,
he was made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him. He who was the Prince of Life was led as a Lamb to the slaughter. He
poured out his soul unto death. He died for us.
a.
My brother,
behold the Christ of God, dying in your stead. Mark his sighs, his groans, his
death, his victory as your Substitute, and know that “This is my Friend!”
b.
Was Christ in
anyway obliged to die for us? Perish the thought!
He might have summoned the help of more than twelve
legions of angels, and scattered his enemies with a word. He suffered
voluntarily and of his own will and purpose, to make atonement for our sins. He
knew that nothing but the sacrifice of his ownself,
body and soul, could satisfy God’s law. He knew that nothing but his blood
could wash away our sins and make peace between sinful man and a holy God. He
laid down his life to pay the price of our redemption. He died that we might
live. He bore our shame that we might receive his glory - “He died the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” ((1
pet.
c.
O matchless love!
Here is unparalleled friendship. “Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends.” But the Christ of God gives even greater evidence of
his friendship, “for when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.” “God commendeth his love toward us in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.”
I ask you, was there ever such a friend who was so
high and stooped so low for his friends? Was there ever a friend who gave
himself at such a cost in proof of his friendship as Christ? Never was there
such a friend indeed as Jesus Christ. Yet, this is not the end of his deeds for
us.
5.
Christ, our
Friend, has also gone to glory to take possession of it in our name, in our
room, and in our stead.
6.
Once more, Christ
is now interceeding for us in heaven as an Advocate
with the Father.
a.
He presents our
services, our sacrifices, and our prayers to the Father.
b.
He pleads for
every blessing we stand in need of.
c.
He answers all of
satan’s charges against his
friends.
B. For another
thing, the Lord Jesus Christ is a powerful, almighty Friend.
There are few in this world who
possess the power to help. Many have the will to do others good, but they lack
the power. They feel the sorrows of others and would gladly relieve them if
they could. They weep with their friends in affliction, but they cannot remove
the grief. How helpless we feel to help our friends in their sufferings! We
say, “If there is anything I can do to help,” but we know that there is nothing
we can do. Yet, dear brothers and sisters, I point you to a Friend who is both
willing and able to help. Though man is weak, Christ is strong. “All power in heaven and earth” is given
to him. No one can do so much for his friends as Christ. Others can befriend
our bodies a little. Christ can befriend both body and soul. Others can do a
little for us in time. Christ can do everything for us in time and throughout
eternity. Let me show you what power there is in this Almighty Friend.
1.
Jesus Christ has
the power to pardon and save the very chief of sinners. “Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal
life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they
might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John
17:2-3). “The blood of Jesus Christ,
God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John
1:7).
2.
Christ has the
power to convert the hardest of hearts and create any man anew. “As many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God” (John 1:12-13). “If any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor.
a.
Christ has power
to break your heart over sin and give you anew heart.
b.
Christ has power
to break your stubborn will and give you a new will.
c.
Christ has power
to overcome your reigning lusts.
d.
Christ has power
to create you in his own image.
e.
Christ has power
to give you repentance and faith.
3.
Here is a Friend
who has the power to preserve all who trust him unto eternal glory. “This man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them
to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth
to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:24-25).
4.
And Jesus Christ
has the power to give to those who trust him and love him the best of gifts.
a.
He gives us life
out of death.
b.
He gives us peace
in adversity.
c.
He gives us
patience in tribulation.
d.
He gives us joy
in sorrow.
e.
He gives us hope
in death.
f.
He gives us a
crown of glory in eternity.
5.
Jesus Christ
alone is such a powerful Friend.
a.
The
self-righteous man has no such friend.
b.
The legalist has
no such friend.
c.
the Romanist has no such friend.
d.
The worldling has no such friend.
C. Again, the
Lord Jesus Christ is a loving and affectionate Friend.
Kindness is the very essence of true friendship.
Money, advice, and help lose half their power and value if they are not given
in a loving manner. But my Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ is a precious Friend,
because his is a “love that passeth knowledge.”
1.
The love of christ radiates in his reception
of sinners.
a.
In love and mercy
our Lord stands before publicans and sinners, inviting them tenderly to come to
him for life and salvation.
b.
It is the love of
Christ that at last conquers our hearts, and wins us to him.
His holiness made us
fear; his wrath made us tremble; his law frightened us away; but his love,
demonstrated at
Oh hope of every contrite heart!
Oh joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? Ah! This
Nor tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus - what it is,
None but his loved ones know.
c.
Christ never
refuses any who come to him in repentance and faith, seeking mercy. Where can
the poor sinner be found who eve went to Christ, suing for mercy, crying, “God be merciful to me, I am the sinner,” and
found that the gate of mercy refused to open?
d.
I say that there
are no bounds to his pity; there is no end to his compassion; there are no
limitations to his mercy; there are no restraints to his love. In lovingkindness, he says, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to
me; and him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out” (John
e.
Read the gospel narratives again and see how our Lord
dealt with sinners in love and pity.
(1). There was woman taken in adultery. The law
demanded her punishment. But the Friend of sinners said, “Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.”
(2). There was a harlot who came and washed the
Savior’s feet in tears of repentance. The Pharisee was indignant. But Christ
was forgiving.
(3). There was a Publican named Zacheus, who was hated by all around him; but he was
befriended, loved, and forgiven by Christ.
(4). There was a Samaritan woman,
who had five husbands. The disciples marveled that Christ would stop to talk
with such a woman. But he not only talked with her, he gave her the water of
life.
(5). There was a dying thief who had
joined others in railing against Christ. But soon his heart was broken, and in
faith he prayed for mercy. To him the Lord promised eternal paradise.
Did ever a sinner meet with so
loving a Friend as Christ Jesus? No, never! His churches may shut their doors
against you. His people may be hardened against you. It may even be that his
ministers will reject you. But he will never turn away one who seeks mercy. Go
to him. Go directly to Christ, and see if he is not so loving
a Friend as I have described.
2.
Yet there is
more, the love of Christ is also evident in every aspect of his dealing with
sinners after they are converted and become his friends.
a.
He is patient
with our sins.
b.
His ear is always
open to our cries.
c.
He is our escape
in the time of temptation.
d.
He is our comfort
in the time of trouble.
e.
He feels our
sorrows and carries our griefs.
f.
He supplies our
daily needs.
g.
He reveals his
secrets to us - “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” (John
3.
There is no love
in heaven above, or upon the earth beneath, that can be compared to the love of
Christ, our Friend.
a.
He loves us at
all times.
b.
He loved us
before the world began.
c.
He loved us when
he created us in innocence, after the image of God, in our father Adam.
d.
He loved us when
we fell in Adam.
e.
He loved us when
we came forth from the womb speaking lies.
f.
He loved us when
we hated him.
g.
He loved us when
we were helpless, ruined, depraved, and dead in sin.
h.
He loved us when
he called us to life.
i.
He loves us in
spite of all our sins.
j.
He loves us
perfectly and immutably.
k.
He loves us
forever!
l.
And the only
reason for his love is in himself. He loved us because he would love us!
Never, never was there a friend so
real, so true, so loving as Christ our Friend.
D. The Lord
Jesus Christ is also a wise and prudent Friend.
The friendship of men is sadly blind. We often injure
those whom we love, by ignorance. We often give our friends bad advice, and
lead them into trouble, even when we mean to help them. But the friendship of
Christ is always wise and prudent.
1.
Jesus Christ
never spoils his friends by extravagant indulgence.
I have but one daughter. And I love
her dearly. But sometimes I spoil her by extravagance. That is not wise. The
Lord Jesus never makes such mistakes in managing the affairs of his friends.
a.
Christ gives us
all the poverty and all the wealth we need.
b.
He gives us all
the sickness and all the health we need.
c.
He gives us all
the sorrow and all the joy we require.
d.
He gives us all
the pain and all the comfort that is necessary for our good.
e.
Like the wise
physician, the Lord Jesus mixes our bitterest cups, taking
great care that we have not a drop too little, nor a drop too much.
2.
Christ faithfully
and wisely rebukes us for our sins. “Open
rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Prov. 27:5-6).
3.
The Lord Jesus
Christ is a friend whose company is always sanctifying.
His fellowship is always to
edification. One day spent in the company of this heavenly Friend is better
than a thousand spent with the best of earthly friends. One hour spent in
private communion with Christ is better than a year in kings’ palaces. Never
was there such a wise and prudent friend as Christ.
E. Moreover,
the Lord Jesus Christ is a tried and proven Friend.
Six thousand years have passed away since the Lord
Jesus began his work of befriending mankind. During those six milleniums he has had many friends in this world. Millions,
regretably, have refused this Friend,
and theya re miserably lost forever. But there is an innumberable company of men in heaven and earth who have
enjoyed the blessed privilege of Christ’s friendship, and have been saved by
him. They all testify that Christ is a Proven Friend. Look at the great variety
of friends Christ has had and know that there was never a friend like him.
1.
He has had
friends of every rank and station in life.
Some of them were kings and rich
men, like David, Solomon, Hezekiah, and Job. Others were very poor in this
world, like the shepherds of
2.
Christ has had
friends of every age known in human history.
Some of his friends were very old
like Sarah and Abraham, Jacob and Moses. Some of them were but children, like
Joseph and Samuel, Josiah and Timothy.
3.
Our lord has had
friends of every possible temperament known to man.
a.
Some were plain
and simple, like Isaac; some were mighty in word and deed, like Moses.
b.
Some were
fervent, warm-hearted, and fiery, like Peter; others were gentle, shy, and
tender, like John.
c.
Some were active
and stirring, like Martha; others loved to sit quietly at the Savior’s feet,
like Mary.
4.
Our Savior has
had friends from every possible background and condition.
a.
Some were
married, like Enoch; others were unmarried, like the Baptist.
b.
Some were sick,
like Lazarus; others were strong and healthy, like John the Beloved.
c.
Some were
masters, like Cornelius; others were servants, like Onesimus.
d.
Some of them had
bad servants, like Elisha; some had bad masters, like
Obadiah; and others had bad families, like David.
e.
Some of Christ’s
friends had been self-righteous Pharisees; others had been harlots; one had
been a murderer; another had been a thief. Blessed be God, Christ Jesus stoops
down to rescue the perishing scum and offscouring men
of the world and make them his friends.
f.
Our Redeemer has
friends of every nation, kindred, race, tribe, and tongue in the world.
Go to Adam and Abel, Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Joshua, Rahab and Deborah,
David and Solomon, Isaiah and Jeremiah, Peter and John, James and Paul; go to
any man or woman in this congregation and ask them if Jesus Christ is not a
tried and proven Friend. We stand as one man and say, “This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend,” and there is none like
him.
F. Once more, I
say that Jesus Christ is an unfailing, present Friend.
Perhaps the saddest part of all good things in this
world is their instability. Riches make themselves wings and fly away. Youth
and beauty are but for a few years. Bodily strength soon decays. Mind and
intelligence are soon exhausted. All is perishing. All is fading away. But
there is one blessed exception to this general rule, and that is the friendship
of Jesus Christ.
1.
Jesus Christ is a
Friend who never changes. He is “the same
yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). He says, “I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not
consumed” (Matt.
2.
The Lord Jesus
Christ will never leave his friends. He has promised “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). He goes
with us wheresoever we may go. And thus he fulfills
his promise - “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20).
a.
In our
afflictions, Christ is a Friend present to comfort. “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name;
thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters,
I will be with thee; and though the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when
thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon
thee” (Isa. 43:1-2). “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I
will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the
right hand of my righteousness” (Isa. 41:10).
b.
When we are upon
the bed of sickness, Christ is the Friend who makes the bed comfortable for us.
“The Lord will strengthen him upon the
bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness” (Psa. 41:3).
c.
In death, Jesus
Christ is a Friend present to sustain us. “Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psa. 23:4).
d.
In the day of judgment, Christ will be our Friend in the court of
heaven. He will stand by our side in the reckoning day, as an Advocate to plead
our cause.
3.
I tell you that
when all other friends have failed you, Jesus Christ is “a Friend that sticketh closer than a
brother.” “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me
up” (Psa. 27:10).
III. Now let me show you one other thing, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS A FRIEND
WELL-BELOVED BY ALL WHO KNOW HIM.
“Unto you
therefore who believe, he is precious.” All
who can say in truth and sincerity that Christ is their Friend, will also
gladly confess with all of their hearts - “This
is my Beloved.”
The world thinks that we are fools for making such a
confession concerning Christ. They say to us, “What is thy Beloved more than another beloved?” But they have not
seen him. They have not known him. They have not embraced him. They have never
experienced his love. Oh, but for us who know this Divine Friend, it is our joy
to confess - “My beloved is white and
ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand…Yea, he is
altogether lovely!”
A. Christ Jesus is a Friend loved by all who know Him,
because we know who He is.
B. Jesus Christ is a Friend beloved by us, because we
have experienced his love.
C. The Lord Jesus is a Friend beloved by all who know
Him, because we know what He has done.
D. Our heavenly Friend is beloved by us, because we know
that he is soon coming to receive us.
Application:
I am finished when I have made a few words of
application to stir up your hearts to love my Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ.
1.
Is Jesus Christ
the Friend of your soul?
2.
If you are not
numbered among the Redeemer’s friends, you are a very miserable creature.
3.
If you really
want such a friend as I have tried to describe, I tell you that the Son of God
is willing to be your friend. He has set before you the terms of friendship.
a.
You must submit
to him as your King.
b.
You must confess
your sin.
c.
You must trust
him as your only Savior.
4.
I finish with a
word to you who can lay your hands upon your hearts and say, “This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend.”
a. Cherish this
Friend above all things.
b. Praise this
Friend and seek his glory.
c. Publish this
Friend’s fame and character far and wide.
d. Love this
Friend supremely.
One there is above all
others,
Well deserves the name of Friend;
His is love beyond a brother’s
Costly, free, and knows no end:
They who once His kindness prove,
Find it everlasting love.
Which of all our friends to save us,
Could or would have shed their blood?
But our Jesus died to have us
Reconciled, in Him to God:
This was boundless love indeed!
Jesus is a Friend in need.
When He lived on earth abased,
Friend of sinners was His name;
Now above all glory raised,
He rejoices in the same;
Still he calls us brethren, friends;
And to all our wants attends.
Oh for grace our hearts to soften!
Teach us, Lord, at length to love!
We, alas, forget too often
What a Friend we have above:
But when home our souls are brought,
We shall love thee as we ought.
“This
is my Beloved, and this is my Friend.” Oh, I pray that God will make Christ
your Friend this day, for his own dear name’s sake. Amen.