Friends With the King

Who was your best childhood friend? Was it someone who you went to school with? Lived next to? Maybe they moved away and it was one of the first times you experienced loss. Robert was my best friend. We began our friendship in kindergarten and went to school together every year since until we graduated college. Like any good friends we had our ups and downs through the years, but none as potentially tragic as a 2nd grade lunchtime.

Robert had this affinity to spray his desk off with Windex but sneak up behind me and pretend to spray my eye. This was all fun and games until one day he actually squeezed the spray bottle and I saw my life flash, or I guess spray, before my eyes. I ran off as fast as humanly possible to the bathroom, which was one of those miniature children’s bathrooms, you know the one, and attempted to surgically remove the poisonous spray from my eye by most likely splashing water onto my closed eye because I was afraid of the water actually touching my eye.

Scripture opens up with some pretty bad news. We are all sinners and separated from God due to our sin. But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us has freely given us all things in Christ Jesus (I may have combined like 3 verses there, but it sounded good). In that, we are welcomed back into a right standing with Jesus Christ and invited to fellowship with Him. In fact, Jesus calls us friends.

This is not a free-for-all however, there are stipulations. Jesus told his followers in John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Now, don’t think this is a “works based salvation” kind of thing. But Jesus hold his followers to a high standard. In fact, Jesus elevated the expectations on the law for those who claimed his name.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus famously taught, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matt. 5:21-22) He went on to say, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” (Matt. 5:27-29)

First, Jesus wasn’t messing around! Second, Jesus was really not messing around. It is a serious thing to serve the King of Kings, but it is also a gloriously satisfying reality. To be friends with the Sovereign Lord is to be welcomed into the throne room and be at home.

Return to Blog Feed