What would Jesus do for his friend? A friend – one he personally is connected with and cares deeply about. One who is more than just known or seen or heard, but one who is truly considered a friend. For his friend, Jesus woke him up from the dead. He literally gave his friend life again.

The one person listed as Jesus’ friend was Lazarus, and Lazarus had become very sick. Lazarus’ sisters reached out to Jesus in despair to tell him. John 11:3, “So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, ‘Lord, your dear FRIEND is very sick.'” Jesus waits two days after hearing the news, then he travels to him. Verse 11, Jesus said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

By the time Jesus arrives to his friend, he’s already been in his grave for 4 days. Jesus demanded they roll the stone away and verse 43 says. “Jesus shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ and the dead man came out.”

This is what Jesus did for his friend. He did the impossible. He went the distance. He brought him out of his grave.

Are YOU a friend of Jesus? Is there a special relationship between you and the Lord?

Do you know that’s actually what God wants for you more than anything else. He wants a RELATIONSHIP with you. He’s not only your heavenly father. He’s not only your creator. He’s not only your savior. But he is your friend.

Somehow that’s the hardest for me to get. How could he WANT to be MY friend? Why would he ever CHOOSE ME as his friend? The truth is, it’s so much easier for me to imagine God as angry, disappointed and distant than it is for me to imagine him as seeking the relationship of a friend with me. Do you feel the same way?

A friend – one you would want to spend time with. A friend – one you want to talk to. A friend – one you find joy in. A friend – one you want nothing but absolute goodness for. A friend – one you will share every emotion with. You can be happy with them, you can be sad with them, you can be excited, you can be quiet, you can be crazy, you can just be real. That’s a friend.

And that’s what God desires of you. Be his friend.

Don’t believe me? Read it for yourself – Romans 5:10-11, “For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”

It’s always fun to name drop. I have a friend who went to high school with Snoop Dog. I have another friend who dated Ricky Schroder from Silver Spoons as a teen. I have none of those great stories. I know no one famous, heck I’ve never even met anyone famous. My name drop game is lame … except for this one. Ready? GOD IS MY FRIEND! That’s right, the maker of heaven and earth is my friend. The one who holds the whole world in the palm of his hand is a friend of mine. And Jesus, well yeah, he died on the cross just so God and I could be friends.

Boom. I just won the name drop game.

And it’s actually true. I’m not making it up. I’m just claiming it. I’m letting it become part of my identity. God is my friend, and I am God’s friend.

It’s true for you too, my sister. Jesus did that for you, all so you could be friends with God.

Now, here’s the really wild part – without Jesus, we were enemies of God. Sin had separated us from our Creator. We couldn’t even come into his presence. There was a thick veil separating us from the presence of God. Only the Priest could enter his presence, and only once a year after sacrifices and atonement. God was untouchable, inaccessible, distant. This strict access was to maintain holiness and prevent sin from entering God’s presence. If you or I were to go behind that curtain to access God, we would have been struck dead immediately.

And in that state of separation where we were enemies of God, he made a decision. A decision to fix our relationship with him. To offer a sacrifice for our sin that would forever make us good enough. That sacrifice was Jesus.

JESUS MAKES US FOREVER GOOD ENOUGH. JESUS MAKES US A FRIEND OF GOD.

So think about this, if while we were God’s enemy he sent his son to save us, what in the world will he do for us now that we’re his friend? Won’t he come save us from our grave just like Jesus did for his friend Lazarus? Won’t he pull us out of what has been threatening our life? Won’t he save us from that threat? Won’t he free us from that trap? Won’t he do the impossible for us?

YES HE WILL! Why? Because Jesus has made us friends of God.

A friend – one you would want to spend time with. A friend – one you want to talk to. A friend – one you find joy in. A friend – one you will share every emotion with. You can be happy with them, you can be sad with them, you can be excited, you can be quiet, you can be crazy, you can just be real. That’s a friend. That’s your God.

God loves to hang out with you. He loves to talk to you. He loves to be there for you. He loves to help you, celebrate with you and be crazy with you. You can be real with him. All this time you may have felt like you had no one to do that with, and all this time you’ve had the best of the best wanting to be friends with you.

God wants to be friends with YOU!

Now, when I think of myself, I’m learning a new identity. I’m Pamela – I’m forever good enough because of Jesus and I’m a true friend of God. God and I are besties. He chose me first and I choose him back.

In this broken world full of hate, let me remind you, LOVE WINS. Love will win over and over again. As a friend of God, you are called to carry that love to this hurting world. In America, we’re hurting right now because an act of hate has tried to silence love. Now it’s up to us. Will we join the hate? Will we be part of the problem or part of the solution? The solution for our enemies is the same solution God had when we were his enemies. Love.

And let’s be clear – love is not just soft and mushy – love is real, love is honest, love is tough. Love speaks truth from a desire to heal, not hurt. Love overcomes.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

THAT IS LOVE. That is what we receive from God as his friends and that is what we’re called to live in and stand for.

God loved us while we were still his enemies. Read Romans 5:10 again, “Our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while were were still his enemies.” God acted in love to his enemies and brought us into relationship with him to be his friends. Now, he gives us not only the power, but the calling to do the same.

Get out there and love. Love those who disagree with you. Love those who hate you. Love those who have been hateful. Sacrifice for them. Offer them friendship. Offer them love. It’s what God did for us and it changed everything.

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