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00:00:01 Our text today really highlights 00:00:03 a very important kind of relationship. 00:00:07 It’s our friendship with our God, Jehovah. 00:00:10 Now, this was really exemplified 00:00:13 for us in the man Abraham. 00:00:15 The Bible, in several areas, 00:00:17 says that Jehovah called him his friend. 00:00:21 And this was indeed a great honor —to be called Jehovah’s friend. 00:00:26 Now, why is it that Jehovah felt so close 00:00:31 to Abraham that He called him his friend? 00:00:34 The book of James, in chapter 2, verse 23, 00:00:37 highlights some points about what it is 00:00:40 about Abraham that made him so dear 00:00:43 to Jehovah God that He drew close to him to call him His friend. 00:00:48 And in verse 23, where, of course, 00:00:51 the concluding phrase says: “And he came to be called Jehovah’s friend.” 00:00:55 If we look in the context of the paragraph of this scripture, 00:00:58 we see that Abraham lived a life of faith 00:01:02 —not just expressing faith in Jehovah, but actually living faith— 00:01:07 doing everything that Jehovah God told him to do 00:01:10 and did so in complete faith 00:01:12 and exactly the way Jehovah expressed to him, or told him to do it. 00:01:18 It culminated, really, when Jehovah told him 00:01:21 to go sacrifice his son Isaac. 00:01:23 And if we stop and think for a moment, 00:01:25 what a great privilege that drama was for Abraham to reenact 00:01:30 —to actually play the part of Jehovah God himself! 00:01:34 And that really showed how close Jehovah felt toward Abraham 00:01:37 and the trust that he had toward Abraham 00:01:39 that he would fulfill this drama to really demonstrate to all of us 00:01:44 the depth of Jehovah’s love for mankind 00:01:46 and also to really show 00:01:50 that He really was a friend of Abraham’s. 00:01:54 Friendships like that of Jehovah and Abraham 00:01:58 are truly rewarding and very satisfying, 00:02:01 and they’re needed. 00:02:03 But at times, they can also be a little bit challenging, 00:02:07 as even Abraham would attest, 00:02:10 because he had to fulfill a very difficult assignment on several occasions 00:02:14 in order to maintain Jehovah’s friendship. 00:02:19 But the Bible paints a very interesting definition for friendship, 00:02:24 if we look at the proverbs, especially. 00:02:26 We think of Proverbs 18:24, where it says: 00:02:30 “There are companions ready to crush one another, 00:02:34 but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”; 00:02:38 and then Proverbs 17:17: 00:02:40 “A true friend shows love at all times 00:02:45 and is a brother who is born for times of distress”; 00:02:48 and further, at Proverbs 27:6, it says: 00:02:51 “The wounds inflicted by a friend are faithful.” 00:02:55 Now, when we put all these thoughts together, 00:02:58 we get a very deep and beautiful composite definition 00:03:03 for what a true friend really is 00:03:05 according to Jehovah’s standards and not man’s. 00:03:08 We see that true friendship means 00:03:11 going the distance with our brothers and sisters (our friends), 00:03:14 showing them love —especially when it is difficult to do so 00:03:19 and even at times giving our friends 00:03:22 some helpful counsel and direction when they need it. 00:03:25 So we can see that friendships 00:03:27 are not only rewarding but even necessary. 00:03:32 We weren’t made to go life alone. 00:03:35 We need friends, as created in Jehovah’s image. 00:03:39 He chose certain ones to be his friend, 00:03:42 and so likewise, we need to follow his example 00:03:46 and build friendships with others. 00:03:49 Now, in the Bible, there are several very good examples 00:03:53 of friendships that existed between men. 00:03:55 We think of David and Jonathan, 00:03:58 Paul and Timothy, and even Jesus Christ loved his apostles. 00:04:03 But there were those whom he was particularly close to, 00:04:06 such as Peter and John and, of course, Lazarus and his two sisters. 00:04:10 And, of course, we cannot forget the loving friendship 00:04:14 that Ruth and Naomi had toward one another. 00:04:18 Now, if we just look on the surface, 00:04:20 we wonder why it is that such ones were even friends with one another. 00:04:23 At times, great age differences were in evidence there, 00:04:28 even perhaps maybe some cultural differences, 00:04:31 or maybe it wasn’t socially 00:04:33 or politically advantageous to be good friends. 00:04:37 Nevertheless, these individuals were very close friends. 00:04:41 And how nicely this was portrayed in this month’s broadcast too 00:04:45 where we saw the young man Akil develop a close relationship 00:04:49 with an older brother in the congregation. 00:04:51 Now, why? 00:04:53 What was the foundation, or the reason, for such friendships? 00:04:58 It was their mutual love and devotion to Jehovah God. 00:05:02 That is what really lays a firm foundation for true friendship. 00:05:07 And this is the key, isn’t it? 00:05:10 We know that in reviewing the accounts of these individuals, 00:05:13 it is noted that their love for God 00:05:15 superseded anything of a physical nature. 00:05:19 This unswerving faithfulness to God 00:05:22 is what enabled them to be a friend 00:05:25 according to Jehovah’s definition in his Word, the Bible. 00:05:29 This is in contrast to friendships in the world 00:05:31 which are oftentimes based on circumstances 00:05:35 or situations or even perhaps a social status. 00:05:40 We think of children in school. 00:05:42 They develop friendships there because of being in class together 00:05:46 and the situation there. 00:05:48 Or perhaps workmates develop a good working relationship with one another, 00:05:52 or work well together, 00:05:54 and they may even consider one another friends. 00:05:57 Some may even develop a very strong bond —emotional bond— 00:06:01 because of a certain situation that they have undergone together. 00:06:05 Now, while many of these say this will last forever, 00:06:08 we realize that they can quickly dissolve, 00:06:11 but not friendships based on Jehovah’s love. 00:06:15 Jehovah endures forever. 00:06:17 He is for time indefinite, 00:06:19 and so any friendship based on the love of God is similar. 00:06:24 Now, like Abraham 00:06:27 and to all those whom Jehovah calls friends, 00:06:29 he also gives us work to do 00:06:33 —assignments to carry out. 00:06:35 And in order to maintain a friendship with Jehovah, 00:06:38 he expects us to carry them out according to his directions 00:06:41 in order to maintain the friendship. 00:06:43 And we think today of how wonderfully our brothers and sisters are volunteering 00:06:47 to serve in areas where the need is greater 00:06:50 —offering themselves willingly in obedience to Jehovah’s command 00:06:54 to preach the good news and to put Kingdom interests first 00:06:57 despite any, perhaps, physical sacrifices that they may endure. 00:07:02 How we see that today! 00:07:04 Just recently, I had the privilege 00:07:07 of visiting the India branch on a branch visit. 00:07:10 And there they reviewed with me some special campaigns 00:07:13 that they had organized and the results. 00:07:16 And it’s fascinating to consider how our brothers and sisters gave of themselves 00:07:21 in order to maintain their friendship with God, to put his Kingdom interests first, 00:07:24 and how Jehovah richly blessed them. 00:07:27 Consider one special campaign that took place recently. 00:07:30 There were some 250 brothers and sisters 00:07:33 from North America and Western Europe, 00:07:36 all of Indian descent, that came to participate 00:07:39 in a special preaching campaign. 00:07:41 And consider one of the blessings 00:07:43 or some of the blessings —actually, many of the blessings. 00:07:46 In one village, 00:07:49 the local congregation that was many miles away 00:07:51 was conducting several Bible studies by phone with individuals. 00:07:56 Now, because of the special campaign there, 00:07:59 the brothers and sisters were sent to this village 00:08:01 to meet up with these Bible students to see how they were doing. 00:08:05 Well, when they arrived, they were surprised to see 00:08:07 that at each home of a Bible student, 00:08:10 at least 15 to 20 other people were there in attendance, 00:08:14 wanting to hear more about the Kingdom good news. 00:08:17 In addition, this group was sent to another village, 00:08:21 and when our brothers arrived, 00:08:23 what greeted them were some 275 people 00:08:28 who were gathered at one of the Bible student’s homes, 00:08:31 all thirsting for Kingdom truth. 00:08:34 Well, the publishers quickly divided up into groups of 20, 00:08:38 and they taught group Bible studies of 20 to interested persons. 00:08:43 One person came up and said: “I’ve got a relative in another city. 00:08:46 I want you to go call on her. She’s a pastor.” 00:08:50 Well, what happened was that when the brothers 00:08:52 called on that woman who was a pastor there at her apartment, 00:08:56 she had 70 others gathered to hear the Kingdom good news. 00:09:01 A similar experience can be seen in the deaf field. 00:09:04 One brother was sent (was given) a referral slip, 00:09:06 and he had to travel some four hours on a train to this village. 00:09:11 And when he arrived, he was greeted at the train station 00:09:15 by over 130 deaf people 00:09:18 wanting to hear the Kingdom good news. 00:09:21 A group was started, and now a year later, 00:09:24 they have over 50 attending meetings regularly. 00:09:28 We can see, then, that the brothers and sisters 00:09:30 are responding to Jehovah’s direction to expand the Kingdom ministry 00:09:34 and to cultivate their friendship with God. 00:09:37 What a blessing! 00:09:39 Certainly, such blessings make us echo David’s words at Psalm 63:3, 00:09:44 where he said: “Your loyal love [yes, your friendship] 00:09:47 is better than life [itself].”
00:00:01 Our text today really highlights 00:00:03 a very important kind of relationship. 00:00:07 It’s our friendship with our God, Jehovah. 00:00:10 Now, this was really exemplified 00:00:13 for us in the man Abraham. 00:00:15 The Bible, in several areas, 00:00:17 says that Jehovah called him his friend. 00:00:21 And this was indeed a great honor —to be called Jehovah’s friend. 00:00:26 Now, why is it that Jehovah felt so close 00:00:31 to Abraham that He called him his friend? 00:00:34 The book of James, in chapter 2, verse 23, 00:00:37 highlights some points about what it is 00:00:40 about Abraham that made him so dear 00:00:43 to Jehovah God that He drew close to him to call him His friend. 00:00:48 And in verse 23, where, of course, 00:00:51 the concluding phrase says: “And he came to be called Jehovah’s friend.” 00:00:55 If we look in the context of the paragraph of this scripture, 00:00:58 we see that Abraham lived a life of faith 00:01:02 —not just expressing faith in Jehovah, but actually living faith— 00:01:07 doing everything that Jehovah God told him to do 00:01:10 and did so in complete faith 00:01:12 and exactly the way Jehovah expressed to him, or told him to do it. 00:01:18 It culminated, really, when Jehovah told him 00:01:21 to go sacrifice his son Isaac. 00:01:23 And if we stop and think for a moment, 00:01:25 what a great privilege that drama was for Abraham to reenact 00:01:30 —to actually play the part of Jehovah God himself! 00:01:34 And that really showed how close Jehovah felt toward Abraham 00:01:37 and the trust that he had toward Abraham 00:01:39 that he would fulfill this drama to really demonstrate to all of us 00:01:44 the depth of Jehovah’s love for mankind 00:01:46 and also to really show 00:01:50 that He really was a friend of Abraham’s. 00:01:54 Friendships like that of Jehovah and Abraham 00:01:58 are truly rewarding and very satisfying, 00:02:01 and they’re needed. 00:02:03 But at times, they can also be a little bit challenging, 00:02:07 as even Abraham would attest, 00:02:10 because he had to fulfill a very difficult assignment on several occasions 00:02:14 in order to maintain Jehovah’s friendship. 00:02:19 But the Bible paints a very interesting definition for friendship, 00:02:24 if we look at the proverbs, especially. 00:02:26 We think of Proverbs 18:24, where it says: 00:02:30 “There are companions ready to crush one another, 00:02:34 but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”; 00:02:38 and then Proverbs 17:17: 00:02:40 “A true friend shows love at all times 00:02:45 and is a brother who is born for times of distress”; 00:02:48 and further, at Proverbs 27:6, it says: 00:02:51 “The wounds inflicted by a friend are faithful.” 00:02:55 Now, when we put all these thoughts together, 00:02:58 we get a very deep and beautiful composite definition 00:03:03 for what a true friend really is 00:03:05 according to Jehovah’s standards and not man’s. 00:03:08 We see that true friendship means 00:03:11 going the distance with our brothers and sisters (our friends), 00:03:14 showing them love —especially when it is difficult to do so 00:03:19 and even at times giving our friends 00:03:22 some helpful counsel and direction when they need it. 00:03:25 So we can see that friendships 00:03:27 are not only rewarding but even necessary. 00:03:32 We weren’t made to go life alone. 00:03:35 We need friends, as created in Jehovah’s image. 00:03:39 He chose certain ones to be his friend, 00:03:42 and so likewise, we need to follow his example 00:03:46 and build friendships with others. 00:03:49 Now, in the Bible, there are several very good examples 00:03:53 of friendships that existed between men. 00:03:55 We think of David and Jonathan, 00:03:58 Paul and Timothy, and even Jesus Christ loved his apostles. 00:04:03 But there were those whom he was particularly close to, 00:04:06 such as Peter and John and, of course, Lazarus and his two sisters. 00:04:10 And, of course, we cannot forget the loving friendship 00:04:14 that Ruth and Naomi had toward one another. 00:04:18 Now, if we just look on the surface, 00:04:20 we wonder why it is that such ones were even friends with one another. 00:04:23 At times, great age differences were in evidence there, 00:04:28 even perhaps maybe some cultural differences, 00:04:31 or maybe it wasn’t socially 00:04:33 or politically advantageous to be good friends. 00:04:37 Nevertheless, these individuals were very close friends. 00:04:41 And how nicely this was portrayed in this month’s broadcast too 00:04:45 where we saw the young man Akil develop a close relationship 00:04:49 with an older brother in the congregation. 00:04:51 Now, why? 00:04:53 What was the foundation, or the reason, for such friendships? 00:04:58 It was their mutual love and devotion to Jehovah God. 00:05:02 That is what really lays a firm foundation for true friendship. 00:05:07 And this is the key, isn’t it? 00:05:10 We know that in reviewing the accounts of these individuals, 00:05:13 it is noted that their love for God 00:05:15 superseded anything of a physical nature. 00:05:19 This unswerving faithfulness to God 00:05:22 is what enabled them to be a friend 00:05:25 according to Jehovah’s definition in his Word, the Bible. 00:05:29 This is in contrast to friendships in the world 00:05:31 which are oftentimes based on circumstances 00:05:35 or situations or even perhaps a social status. 00:05:40 We think of children in school. 00:05:42 They develop friendships there because of being in class together 00:05:46 and the situation there. 00:05:48 Or perhaps workmates develop a good working relationship with one another, 00:05:52 or work well together, 00:05:54 and they may even consider one another friends. 00:05:57 Some may even develop a very strong bond —emotional bond— 00:06:01 because of a certain situation that they have undergone together. 00:06:05 Now, while many of these say this will last forever, 00:06:08 we realize that they can quickly dissolve, 00:06:11 but not friendships based on Jehovah’s love. 00:06:15 Jehovah endures forever. 00:06:17 He is for time indefinite, 00:06:19 and so any friendship based on the love of God is similar. 00:06:24 Now, like Abraham 00:06:27 and to all those whom Jehovah calls friends, 00:06:29 he also gives us work to do 00:06:33 —assignments to carry out. 00:06:35 And in order to maintain a friendship with Jehovah, 00:06:38 he expects us to carry them out according to his directions 00:06:41 in order to maintain the friendship. 00:06:43 And we think today of how wonderfully our brothers and sisters are volunteering 00:06:47 to serve in areas where the need is greater 00:06:50 —offering themselves willingly in obedience to Jehovah’s command 00:06:54 to preach the good news and to put Kingdom interests first 00:06:57 despite any, perhaps, physical sacrifices that they may endure. 00:07:02 How we see that today! 00:07:04 Just recently, I had the privilege 00:07:07 of visiting the India branch on a branch visit. 00:07:10 And there they reviewed with me some special campaigns 00:07:13 that they had organized and the results. 00:07:16 And it’s fascinating to consider how our brothers and sisters gave of themselves 00:07:21 in order to maintain their friendship with God, to put his Kingdom interests first, 00:07:24 and how Jehovah richly blessed them. 00:07:27 Consider one special campaign that took place recently. 00:07:30 There were some 250 brothers and sisters 00:07:33 from North America and Western Europe, 00:07:36 all of Indian descent, that came to participate 00:07:39 in a special preaching campaign. 00:07:41 And consider one of the blessings 00:07:43 or some of the blessings —actually, many of the blessings. 00:07:46 In one village, 00:07:49 the local congregation that was many miles away 00:07:51 was conducting several Bible studies by phone with individuals. 00:07:56 Now, because of the special campaign there, 00:07:59 the brothers and sisters were sent to this village 00:08:01 to meet up with these Bible students to see how they were doing. 00:08:05 Well, when they arrived, they were surprised to see 00:08:07 that at each home of a Bible student, 00:08:10 at least 15 to 20 other people were there in attendance, 00:08:14 wanting to hear more about the Kingdom good news. 00:08:17 In addition, this group was sent to another village, 00:08:21 and when our brothers arrived, 00:08:23 what greeted them were some 275 people 00:08:28 who were gathered at one of the Bible student’s homes, 00:08:31 all thirsting for Kingdom truth. 00:08:34 Well, the publishers quickly divided up into groups of 20, 00:08:38 and they taught group Bible studies of 20 to interested persons. 00:08:43 One person came up and said: “I’ve got a relative in another city. 00:08:46 I want you to go call on her. She’s a pastor.” 00:08:50 Well, what happened was that when the brothers 00:08:52 called on that woman who was a pastor there at her apartment, 00:08:56 she had 70 others gathered to hear the Kingdom good news. 00:09:01 A similar experience can be seen in the deaf field. 00:09:04 One brother was sent (was given) a referral slip, 00:09:06 and he had to travel some four hours on a train to this village. 00:09:11 And when he arrived, he was greeted at the train station 00:09:15 by over 130 deaf people 00:09:18 wanting to hear the Kingdom good news. 00:09:21 A group was started, and now a year later, 00:09:24 they have over 50 attending meetings regularly. 00:09:28 We can see, then, that the brothers and sisters 00:09:30 are responding to Jehovah’s direction to expand the Kingdom ministry 00:09:34 and to cultivate their friendship with God. 00:09:37 What a blessing! 00:09:39 Certainly, such blessings make us echo David’s words at Psalm 63:3, 00:09:44 where he said: “Your loyal love [yes, your friendship] 00:09:47 is better than life [itself].”
