“Friend of the King”
John 15:12-17, ESV
“Zariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king’s friend…” 1 Kings 4:5
Friendship with the King is unusual.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you…” John 15:16
“To admit the existence of a need in God is to admit incompleteness in the divine Being. Need is a creature word and cannot be spoken of the Creator. God has a voluntary relation to everything He has made.” A.W. Towzer
“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples built by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation…(17) that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each of us.” Acts 17:24-25
“You are my friends IF you do what I command you.” John 15:14
“No longer do I call you servants…” John 15:
“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” Romans 6:15-18
Friendship with the King is selfless.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
“I am the good shepherd, The good shepherd lays down his life for his friends.” John 10:11
“You did not choose me; but I chose you and appointed you…” John 15:16
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even die—but God shows his [greater] love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8
“…walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…” Ephesians 5:2
Friendship with the King is one-sided.
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26
“Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” 1 Corinthians 2:12
“…so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” John 15:16
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” John 5:14-15
Friendship with the King is fruitful.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16
“…one of the greatest temptations to Christians is the want to be loved by both the church and the world. But in the end, that will turn out to be impossible.” Albert Mohler
John 15:12-17, ESV
“Zariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king’s friend…” 1 Kings 4:5
Friendship with the King is unusual.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you…” John 15:16
“To admit the existence of a need in God is to admit incompleteness in the divine Being. Need is a creature word and cannot be spoken of the Creator. God has a voluntary relation to everything He has made.” A.W. Towzer
“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples built by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation…(17) that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each of us.” Acts 17:24-25
“You are my friends IF you do what I command you.” John 15:14
“No longer do I call you servants…” John 15:
“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” Romans 6:15-18
Friendship with the King is selfless.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
“I am the good shepherd, The good shepherd lays down his life for his friends.” John 10:11
“You did not choose me; but I chose you and appointed you…” John 15:16
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even die—but God shows his [greater] love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8
“…walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…” Ephesians 5:2
Friendship with the King is one-sided.
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26
“Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” 1 Corinthians 2:12
“…so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” John 15:16
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” John 5:14-15
- Pray for the things you know God would say “yes” to.
- Pray God’s word back to God
- Desire God’s will more than your “yes” answer.
Friendship with the King is fruitful.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16
“…one of the greatest temptations to Christians is the want to be loved by both the church and the world. But in the end, that will turn out to be impossible.” Albert Mohler