The Friend of God

Gospel—G. Cook
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Good evening.
And welcome to this last meeting of the conference.
Or I believe there might be a young people's meeting, but the last meeting in this room.
And what a privilege that we've had in the last three days to be under the sound of God's word.
To hear his thoughts.
He has more for us.
He has a word for us tonight. Each one of us.
The vessel is nothing.
But God has a word for us.
About his Son, the Lord Jesus.
And he wants us to listen.
He wants us to be attentive to what he would say.
So let's start the meeting tonight.
By singing hymn #10.
There's a savior on high in the glory.
A savior who suffered on Calvary's tree.
A savior as willing to save. Now as ever, his arm is almighty, his love great and free. Oh come now.
To Jesus.
That dear, loving savior.
Receive him this moment.
And peace.
Shall be thine.
Someone please, please raise that him for us.
00:05:16
Nsnoise.
Let's look to the Lord our God and our Father. We thank you for this hymn that.
Tells out in some measure thy heart, thy heart of love and desire, that the soul that is yet in their sin would come in.
That would receive the Lord Jesus, receive that gift that thou hast offer.
And it has been at infinite cost.
To thyself, Lord Jesus.
It's all this gives thyself there at Calvary it shed thy precious blood.
To suffer the reproach from man, to suffer for righteousness at the hands of man, and suffer for sin.
From a holy God.
So our God and Father, we pray, as we open thy word, that thou would show to us more of thy beloved Son, this one in whom thou hast found thy delight.
And we just hire our God that if there's any yet in this room.
That have not closed in on that offer of salvation.
That are waiting.
Or God that that would impress upon their souls the the need, the immediate need of coming to the Lord Jesus. So again we pray that in some way that we can tell forth I love.
Tell forth thy heart our God, and desire for souls to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth that they would indeed desire to be thy friend.
So we ask these things, and we commit the time to be and ask thy blessing in the name of thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus. Amen.
I really love this hymn and have sweet thoughts throughout it, but the expression in the chorus is come now.
You you don't dare trifle another minute. There's so many things that could happen you don't dare wait.
Come now.
To Jesus, that dear loving savior.
00:10:03
You know, you perhaps heard that name all your life.
Jesus.
Thou shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.
I was struck recently in reading Mark 16 and I believe I read it during this conference in Mark 16/6.
You seek Jesus.
The Nazarene.
You know there was reproach with that name. There's reproach now with that name.
Despise. Can there anything good come out of Nazareth? Nathaniel said. And the answer is, come and see.
You seek Jesus.
The Nazarene, the Crucified. Oh, what man has done to him? You know I've enjoyed in perhaps that little pamphlet by J&D called The Sufferings of Christ.
And he points out, and I don't remember all of it, but I just enjoyed the three Psalms that he points out. Psalm 102, which speak of Teleforth of Gethsemane.
Psalm 69 the tail force of those three hours. For he suffered at the hands of man for righteousness. He did not suffer from God for righteousness.
It's impossible.
But then there were the three dark hours when he suffered for sin.
In Psalm 69. And that's Psalm 22, by the way, Psalm 69, which tell of those three hours where he suffered at the hands of man, for righteousness especially.
It says reproach, he said.
Reproach hath broken my heart.
What the Savior went through for you at the hands of man.
But more importantly, and what?
Save the soul is what took place during those three dark hours.
When he had to cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why did he do that?
Well, I've enjoyed there and some in the Genesis 22, the ram that was caught in the thicket by his horns, and we've often said what held him there.
It was the thicket of our sins.
Some said well.
Was it the nails that held the Lord to the cross?
We know it wasn't.
He could have called legions of angels to rescue him.
And we've enjoyed the thought that it was this love. And that's a good thought and it's a true thought.
But I believe there's another thought, a higher thought.
That it was a RAM.
Caught by his horns, the strength and the ram was used for consecration.
Caught and by the strength of his consecrated love to his father.
I held him there.
But in that that gives glory to his father, brings blessing to his own.
This afternoon.
This evening I would like to speak to you.
As if you were all in your sins.
I would like to talk to you about your need of a Savior. And I know that the grace of God has wrought, and many here are Saints of God, holy ones of God, not because of what you have done, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy he has saved. But I'd like to concentrate tonight.
And invite you to know of this love that God has for you. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever put your name there.
Whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have eternal life. God wants you to have eternal life. He wants you to pass from death unto life.
00:15:07
You know, I've been thinking. Several years ago, I was impressed with the thought there in Luke 15.
Where when the soul was saved, he called together the friends.
And the neighbors?
And we've had before us during this conference several times, John 15.
That tell us about God's desire for us to be friends. You know, in.
Exodus 33.
It speaks of Moses.
Verse 11.
And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face.
As a man speaketh unto his friend.
James, Chapter 2.
In verse 23.
And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith Abraham, believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called a friend of God.
I may call you friend.
But the thought of a friend of God cannot be with you.
Unless you have seen.
Your need as a Sinner before a holy God, and that you have believed on the Lord Jesus that he took your place, that he was your substitute.
He was made sin for us. Can you say us?
You're yet in your sins. You can't save us.
Those that know Christ can say He was made sin for us, He that knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
How far to take the vilest?
To cleanse him by that precious blood.
And to make them whiter than snow.
How he could take the the ruined and helpless Sinner to cleanse them?
And to make them a child of God, a friend of God.
Let's look at Luke chapter 10.
God wants you.
To be like Abram.
He wants you to be like Moses, to speak face to face as a man with his friend.
God wants you to tell him what he already knows. He wants you to tell him that you are a Sinner and that he is holy and he cannot allow sin in his presence. He must judge sin.
But there is one that has taken your place.
He died for you.
Whosoever will may come, the invitation is open. Luke, chapter 10. There was a lawyer in verse 25. He stood up and tempted him, took tempted the Lord Jesus Master.
What shall I do? What shall I do?
To inherit eternal life. Are you on that ground of doing? One of the hymns we sing is cast your deadly doing down. You can't do it. There's no way that you can. Please God, all have sinned. That includes you, friend.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
You are guilty before a holy God.
You were born in sin and shaped in iniquity. You are guilty before God. You stand there and you have every right to fear. Because if your life would end, if your heart would cease to beat this next moment, you would be thrust into a lost attorney. Eternity.
00:20:07
That is not what God desires for you. He would have all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Come to him, dear friend, his arms are open, and he is saying, Come unto me, all ye that labor heavy laden.
Oh, he's the one that has his arms open and he's the one that can give you rest. He can relieve you from the burden of your sin. He can wash you clean by the precious blood that was shed for for you on Calvary. His gift. His hand is open to you. His gift is available to you once you receive it. What's keeping you from receiving? You know, I fear for the children of the Saints having heard this their whole life.
You know, I was thinking of Naval in UH, First Samuel 25. He was a calibite.
You read the life of Caleb. Caleb means wholehearted. He was wholehearted for the Lord. He was one of the faithful messengers that went after the UH in the Promised Land, and he sought a good land, and he and Joshua gave testimony. It was ready to go in. Later. 80 he was 85 years old when he possessed Hebron communion.
So here was a KB.
That shows no evidence of life.
You know the gathered things brought into tremendous privilege under the sound of the word of God.
And the truth of God in its purity.
Are you this afternoon like naval? Naval means fool?
The fool has said. Same word the fool has said in his heart. There is no God. Same word, Mabel.
Said twice 2 songs, Psalm 14, Psalm 53.
The fool has said, Are you taking the place of a fool tonight? Shame on you with all the light and love that has been shown to you.
There are many souls.
That have not had the opportunity that you have. What are you doing with that which is being given to you?
Receive it. He's waiting for you. Find out the joy. Find out the blessings that God has for you, like we read in John 15. Not only does he want to wash your sins away, he wants to take you into his counsel, His thoughts. God wants to share with you the things that he is about to do. Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?
Abraham was his friend.
He spoke to Moses face to face, as a man would with his friend. God wants to do that with you. He wants to take that in you, into his counsel, his thoughts, and he wants to answer your prayers. He wants you to be able with a clear conscience, because you know.
These things I've written it to you that you may know that you have eternal life, who believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know you have that conscience. And you know that whatever you ask of Him, he hears. God would have you to know that he loves you and He's interested in every aspect of your life. Why wait? Why put it off? Come now.
Don't put it off.
What shall I do?
What shall I do?
He said unto him, What is written in the law?
The Lord answered a question with a question.
What read of style? So he quotes from Deuteronomy, and he quotes from Leviticus. And he says, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.
You know, and he may have been going down the list in his own mind. You might been thinking, well, I I I love the go. I love God with all my heart, all my my soul and my strength and and my mind.
00:25:11
Maybe you think that tonight?
I don't know your heart.
God knows them. They're his. I don't know your heart.
Maybe there is a tugging and a longing for God.
But maybe you still have this thought in your soul.
That you by your doing completely.
Put it out of your mind. It's a lie on the Dome. It'll keep you from really, what is the path of blessing? And that is faith.
Faith and trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus. He did it. He cried out on the cross. It is finished. Paid in full, It is done.
So when he got though to the thought of loving his neighbor as himself, it just appears as I read this that he kind of stopped.
And he said, well, wait a minute.
Do do I really love my neighbor as myself?
Well, maybe you think, well, who's my neighbor? Depends on who the neighbor is. And maybe I have affection for this brother, but not brother. I don't know. Or that man I don't. So he asked the question to the to the Lord, he says, Well.
He says.
Well, the Lord first of all said, Thou hast answered right this do, and thou shalt live.
But honestly?
No when no one can do.
No one can fulfill this in their own power apart from the grace of God working in a soul that has the life of God in death.
But he willing to justify himself, and unto Jesus said, Who is my neighbor?
Jesus answered. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, and stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
You know you were.
Pretty good clothes you have a Christian countenance on.
But what's your heart like?
Are you real before God?
Have you ever come to the point where you realize you're this one who has gone down from the place, the center of blessing Jerusalem to the city of the curse of Jericho? Jericho was pleasant city of palm trees of the pleasant place.
But it was a place that had been placed, a curse upon it, that whoever built the walls of that city would die. And there was a man.
That had the audacity.
To go against what scripture had promised and built a city and lost his two sons.
Fell among thieves. You know there's a lot of thieves in this world.
A lot of thieves that that rob from us.
Yes, the word is sin, and there's sin that are sins that are pretty obvious. Pretty old dirty file.
But there are sins that are respectable.
There are sins that are OK as far as society is concerned.
But there are thieves, and they want to rob you. And there's an enemy of your soul that tonight wants to take the word of God that's planted in your soul and wants to remove it.
So that there's not a lodging, so that there can be a working within your heart and response unto eternal life.
Their sieves tonight.
That are going to strip you of your raiment.
That outward testimony that you have of righteousness. The seas come in and they start little, but as time goes on, things that you say you'd never do, you're doing.
And pretty soon, it's worse than that.
His conscience begins to be seared.
00:30:03
And you walk out of here and the things that your parents had taught you.
You start to despise as being that which is hindering your liberty.
Tell ya true liberty.
True joy.
True happiness.
Starts when you have a friend. A friend that sticks closer than a brother. A friend that is interested in you in every aspect and knows what will bring you happiness.
The enemy brings the pleasures of sin.
But they doesn't tell you they're for a season.
Then afterwards comes the worm that dieth not the conscience that eats at you and the feeling. And pretty soon you put it on your mind and your conscience gets even more seared. You put it out of your mind and you go. Worse you get you don't want to hear anything about that name, that name which is above every name. You don't want to hear it.
But that name is the only name that's going to deliver you.
Stripped him and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead.
So this priest comes down, passes by on the other side, the Levite passes by. The man can't give an offering, the man can't do a service. And you know, evidently on this road from Jericho to Jerusalem, there was a lot of a lot of priests and Levis that lived in that area and traveled back and forth as they went to their job.
And if they would read, if they would have read their scriptures that they would have read Leviticus 19, they would have read to love their neighbor as themselves. And so I wonder what they thought when they saw their neighbor and they passed on the other side, but there was a certain Samaritan.
He seek Jesus the Nazarene.
The Crucified.
His reason?
There is a certain Samaritan despised as this mongrel race, despised by the Jews.
The Samaritan.
As he journeyed.
You know the Spirit of God is working in this room tonight. The Spirit of God has a message for you and for your heart to give you to know where you are.
Before him, and he would have you.
To realize that he is convincing men of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. He is giving you to know that you are a Sinner before a holy God, that you need a Savior, and you need.
To remedy that right now by coming to him.
His arm.
His open wide. Dear Sinner, come.
The Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. He came where I was. He's come where you are.
He had compassion on him.
There's no compassion like God's compassion for you, friend.
He loves you. He wants you to know that love. He wants you to not be a stranger to that love.
He went to him and bound up his wounds. Only he can, only this one, the Lord Jesus can to bind up your wounds, pour in an oil and wine, and brought him to an end and took care of him.
Heathen. All the way home, Savior.
He came to where he was.
And he took care of him and brought him to the end. And we wonder what was the end like? We could go to chapter one of Luke. Luke writes in order. Luke writes with method.
So as we read this story of the of the Samaritan, he de he departs on the Morrow, but he still is taking care of him, he says.
He took out two pins, verse 35, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him.
00:35:08
You know the paraclete, the comforter.
We have one that manages our affairs here, the spirit of God that indwells the believer.
We have the advocate same word as Comforter above managing our affairs above.
If any man sin, we have an advocate with a Father Jesus Christ the Righteous 1.
But he is given, he says, took out 2 Pence and gave them to the host.
And said to them, Take care of him, And whatsoever thou's finished, more will I come. When I come again, I will repay thee. Which of now of these think? Think of our neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, he that showeth mercy on him. Then he said, Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
What's in the end? What you read of Martha and Mary in the next section you read of the assembly. Is there perfectly smooth things going on there? No, there was some issues, but you find in John 12 no issues.
Blessing you and I have been brought to the end. If you know Christ as your Savior, God wants you tonight. God wants tonight to bring you to the end. He wants you to bring you into a place where you're going to be cared for.
Telecoms.
He cares about you.
So tonight.
You receive the Lord Jesus. You tell him what he already knows.
Lord Jesus, I'm a Sinner.
Thou can save me.
The leper said. Lord, if thou wilt, thou can make me clean.
He knew he could, but he didn't know if he would.
But what the Lord immediately answers him, I will be thou clean, and touched him freely. The lepers he had to flee. He handled him. That man hadn't felt that human touch for a long time. The Lord handled him.
Showed his love, his compassion.
Right now, God would have you to know His love and compassion, to put His arms around you, to feel that that envelope of His affection to give you, to know that whispering in your ear I've cleansed you from all your sins by my blood is sufficient to cleanse from all sin.
So you now are a neighbor.
You've been shown what it is to be a neighbor, and he turns to you and says to you, go and do thou likewise, Luke writes with method. Few chapters later, chapter 15, we see the shepherd, we see the woman, We see the father.
We see the Trinity, don't we?
The Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, the woman, the Spirit of God.
The Father interested in something that he they value God. That God had values. You, dear one, this evening he wants you to come in. And when that soul comes in, what does the shepherd do? What does the woman do? They call together? Who? The Friends.
Rejoice with me.
How you can be from that to change from that one that is half dead on the road to a cursed city?
And picked up.
And to be made part of that company that are friends.
Delighting in the companionship of Christ.
Delighting in the desire that others would come in neighbors, friends, and neighbors.
You know, now I'd like to shift and to make you realize that in this room tonight.
There are a lot of friends and neighbors.
00:40:03
Hallelujah.
Praise God for everyone that knows Christ but you, dear friend.
That are yet outside that yet are saying no it's so simple.
As we pray, as we give thanks to God.
For his gospel, the gospel of the grace of God.
I want you to not put it off another moment, but I want you to bow your heart.
And to say, Lord Jesus, I put it off long enough.
I need thee. I'm a Sinner.
I come to thee, Lord Jesus, let's pray our God and Father, we thank thee.
With our love.
And thou hast manifested that love in the sending of thy beloved Son. The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
And I heart our God, we've explored in just a little measure as we've seen the story of the Good Samaritan.
And how thou dost desire to have companions that thou could speak face to face with.
Patel could share what's on my heart, that thou could have them to talk to thee and to tell them, to tell thee what is on their hearts and to them give them to know that thou is delight to answer the prayers of thy Saints. So we pray for the soul. Father, pray that they would bow their head, bow their hearts.
And receive the Lord Jesus this moment as their savior. We thank thee for thy precious blood, Lord Jesus that cleanse us from all sin. We commit ourselves to thee of sanctity. In Jesus name. Amen.