In II Peter 3:18, Peter instructs his readers to “. . . grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. Here, Jesus is identified as our Lord. In fact, He is the Lord of lords and King of kings” (Rev. 17:14). Every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Phil. 2:10, 11). But He is also our Savior, our Rescuer (as we say in the Good News Clubs). Most of us don’t personally know any kings or rulers in this world. Some of us might have been saved from a near death situation by a lifeguard or physician, but usually, a savior is not necessarily a personal friend.
Jesus didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). He befriends sinners and gives them eternal life. Notice how he treated the woman taken in adultery. “When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.”‘ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’ “ (John 8:10-11)
John 15:11-16 is a beautiful passage about Jesus being our Friend:
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”
Isn’t this amazing! Our Lord and Savior is also our Friend! He lets us in on His Father’s plans. He chose us to be His friend. And this friendship can become stronger and more intimate throughout our lives here and on into eternity. We can even ask requests of the Father in His name, and He will answer.
This reality deserves some pondering. Yes, we have friends here on this earth, but none compare to Jesus. Last week, we sang the song “Our Great Savior”. Below is the first verse and chorus. You can hear the whole song here – https://duckduckgo.com/?q=our+great+savior++hymn+community+bible&atb=v314-1&iar=videos&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOgZsv6lWKZQ
Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me;
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
This week, we will sing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. Recently, I heard the story of this hymn. Quite powerful!
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=what+a+friend+we+have+in+jesus+hymn+history&atb=v314-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtKjUoE2fack
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Keith Neds