Sermon
Notes, July 1, 2018
Rev. Garry McGlinchy
Pastor Garry's sermon, the fourth in
the series Come, Take a Walk, a journey through the book of James, was titled "BFFs With the Creator." It was based on James 4:1-10.
Friends
Meet for the First Time. Remember
the first time you met your best friend?
Maybe it was on the first day of school, or at a park, or even in Sunday
School or Youth Group. Every Christian
meets their best friend--God--at the cross.
It was at the cross that Jesus extended his arms, one toward God and the
other toward us, and reconciled us. (2
Corinthians 5:17-18.) Paul wrote about
the change that came into his life at the cross. He hated God and tried to annihilate
believers, but God met him on the road to Damascus and saved him. However, he became God's friend. And he preached the gospel. (Galatians 1:15-16, 23)
Friends
Agree on Essentials. It would be
almost impossible, perhaps impossible, to find friends who hold different
interests, conflicting philosophies of life, and opposing political views. Christian friends may not agree on
everything, but they agree on the essentials of the faith, love the Lord, are
one in spirit, and hold the same purpose in life. In Philippians 2:2 Paul writes "Make my
joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit
and of one mind." Furthermore,
Christian friends endeavor to pass along biblical truth to others (2 Timothy
2:2)
Friends
Spend Time Together. Friends enjoy
one another's company. Similarly, being
a friend of God includes spending time with Him. Jesus, who spent much time in prayer, taught
us to be alone with God in prayer. (Matthew 6:6) And 1 Thessalonians 5:17 counsels us to
"pray continually." This
counsel suggests we walk and talk with our Friend throughout each day.
The apostle James charged that
friendship with the world is hatred toward God.
So there are two kinds of friendships: friendship with the world, and
friendship with God. Which friendship
should we choose? Isn't the answer
obvious? The evil world system under the
rule of Satan is under condemnation, is passing away, and one day will be
completely destroyed. On the other hand,
friendship with God is blessed and eternal.
"The crisis of the American
church at this critical hour is that we know the issues and our stands better
than we know Jesus. Our compromised
public witness and rhetoric suggest we've confused knowing about Jesus with
knowing Jesus. Being with Him is prerequisite
to thinking like Him." --Beth Moore
The
question today is this: Is God your
friend?
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