Friend | Ep. 120

What does it mean to be a friend of God? In today's episode, we take you on a journey of friendship, faith, and obedience through the life of Abraham, a man whom God called "my friend". Alongside, we unravel the essence of companionship, its definition, and the qualities that make a friend truly worthwhile. Find yourself reminded of the joy of shared laughter, the comfort of a shoulder to lean on, and the unparalleled bliss of a friend who is also a confidant. 

We then transport you back to the times of Abraham, analyzing his faith, his doubts, and the profound impact of his relationship with God on his life and the generations that followed. Drawing from the scriptures, we dissect the covenant between Abraham and God, his obedience despite doubts, and the patient workings of God in the lives of His faithful. Discover how trust and belief are the bedrock of a divine friendship, and how Abraham’s obedience solidifies his relationship with God, setting a shining example for all.

As we tie the knots of our narrative, we focus on the essential balance between faith and works, as illustrated in the book of James. By examining Abraham's obedience, we bring to light a practical example of faith in action. The climax of our conversation is an exploration of God's unwavering love and friendship, its conditional nature, and how it impacts us.

Transcript

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:03

The vision received was that of blood cells traveling throughout the body, supplying the much needed oxygen and other nutrients to the differing members of the body to fulfill their purpose. Once the blood cells are spent, they must return back to the heart to be refilled before being sent out again and fulfill their purpose. Good morning everyone. It's always a blessing, it's an honor to be before you and to be able to stand before you and to be able to serve, to serve you the word and hope that it is something that appeals to your desires, your desires of your heart, that we would meditate together on the things that are found in this word, how they apply to us and how they can change and transform us into his very image. I guess my small testimony is that my kids testified today of the Lord. So I gotta give thanks. I thank the Lord that they, weaning one, had the courage to stand up and give testimony to the Lord. That is something I look forward to. It's been a it's been a good weekend. My birthday was celebrated on Friday and Saturday kind of early on, and we got the pleasure of spending it with Lucy as well. Yesterday we were in the rains and my daughter got to play in the game in the rain. There was no lightning or thunder, so there was no danger in that respect. And I just testify that she's been playing on another team as well as our team, and she started out in the midfield, which is not a position she particularly wants to play. She wants to play up front. For some reason she wasn't playing up front at the beginning, but as the season has progressed she's found herself in the front and she's just doing very, very well in the front, and so yesterday she was able to give an assist to start the scoring and she was able to end the game with the game winning goal. So for her she had prayed the prior day. You know that she wanted to play at least one game because we thought it was all going to be rained out and we just said you know it'll happen, and then she got to play and that happened for her. So I praise God that he hears the prayers. He hears the prayers of our little children. So let's get to the word. The word today is about friend Friend.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 2:49

I like to open up by asking you what do you think a friend is? What is your definition of a friend? Yes, you are to participate in this particular moment in time and then I'll close it off. But right now, yeah, I'm asking you a question. It's open-ended and I want you to respond. Raise your hand and let me know what you think a friend is. Yes, in answer to both of you, sister Katie. No, no, no, go right ahead. Go right ahead. What is a friend to you? A friend is a blessing from God. A friend is a confident support. Now, leave everybody else with their own answers. Okay, don't take them all. A confident of support and one more Someone to share a Google with. Okay, a confident of support. Someone to share a Google with? You might want to write that down. I don't know. That's completely up to you. It will be recorded, so if you want to hear it again.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 3:52

Does anybody else have anything to add? What do they consider a friend? What is the definition of a friend? What do you have? I would say somebody you enjoy spending time with. Oh, I like that. One Friend is someone you enjoy spending time with. Yeah, you usually don't want to spend time with someone who's not your friend. Brother John, what do you have? Someone with whom you have a positive relationship and their net result is good towards you, okay. Someone you've got a deep relationship, who has a positive influence on your life, someone you can trust. Someone you can trust, okay.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 4:33

So now she's talking about the qualities of a friend. I haven't gotten there yet. I'm just talking about a definition. Sister, sherry, what do you have? Friend is person of dance. I'm not having this, I'm sorry, sherry. What'd you say? A friend is not only someone that stands with you doing a good time, but doing a bad time with Someone who stands with you in the good times as well as the bad times. I think I saw Lucy, yes, yes, and you're another quiet one. I agree with her, you agree. And I would like to add a friend is the chocolate chip cookie. No, the chocolate chip cookie of life, oh, okay, all right. Someone metaphorical on us with food, the chocolate chip in the cookie of life? Okay, all right.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 5:33

So my daughter kind of opened up now what are the qualities that you think you'd have in a friend? And she said someone you can trust. What are the qualities that we consider a friend would have? If they're really our friend, we'd like to spend time with them, we'd like to share a giggle with them. What are the qualities that that friend has. Anyone, brother Julian, they have to be truthful. Trust Someone you can trust, someone who's honest, truthful. Anyone else? Qualities that are found in a friend yes, someone who sees they see all of you is going to bat in the ugly and they remain by your time, okay. Anyone else? Yes, brother Jordan, someone that's reliable, reliable, trustworthy Same word Trustworthy, reliable. Someone you can count on. Anyone else, forgiving, forgiving Okay, that's a good quality to have in a friend. Wow, why don't I switch places? Y'all come up and teach, yeah, yeah, that's kind of what we're talking about here.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 6:51

Improvers there's a lot that is spoken of regarding a friend. Improvers 1717 is one of the qualities that we, I think we, should want in a friend. It says a friend loveth at all times. You guys kind of came up with that problem because you've been inspired by the word, You've been influenced by the word. It says in Proverbs 1824 that a man that has friends must shoe himself friendly. So friend is friendly to you, right, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. And then it says in Proverbs 27, six faithful are the wounds of a friend, 27, six faithful are the wounds of a friend. You usually don't think of that and you put those together. A friend who's wounding you. Hmm, it's something we probably should consider. But it also says in Proverbs 22, 11. He that loveth pureness of heart and grace is on his lips, it says, the king shall be his friend. Think about that he that loveth pureness of heart and has grace on his lips, the king, will be his friend.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 8:32

There is a man that spoke to God face to face, like a man speaks to his friend. Does anybody know who that was? You could speak up. Go ahead, don't be shy. Moishe, moishe, moishe, moishe. Is that what you said? Think that's what you said. Yeah, moses. In Exodus 33:11 says the Lord spake unto Moses face to face. A man speaks unto his friend.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 9:07

Then I want to bring two other scriptures up and you can write these down, because this is kind of going to catapult us into what I really want to delve into. In second Chronicles 27, it says art, not thou, our God, who did drive out the inhabitants of the land before thy people, israel, and gave us it to the seed of Abraham, thy friend, for ever. Everything else in the beginning is nice, but just the fact that he said he gave it to the seed of Abraham, your friend Forever. Second Chronicles, 20, verse 7. I don't know what they have up there. Oh, okay, I see why you mix up.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 9:56

And then we consider Isaiah, chapter 41, verse 8. It says but thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen. Knowing that both Jacob and Israel are the same person, Jacob before he was kinda' quote-unquote born again, getting a new name, getting his blessing, changing his nature, he became Israel. It says Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend. Now, I don't know if that even impacts you, but to think that God designated an individual and said Abraham, my friend. I mean God is so far away, so high above us, so his thoughts are higher than our thoughts, his ways are higher than his way. He's so omnipotent. I'm just this little ant on the floor, a grain in the sand compared to him, and yet he chose one of his creation and said this man is my friend. That makes me want to look at Abraham. How in the world did Abraham become his friend? But God said that's my friend. So I want to look at Genesis 12. I want to just follow along, take a walk with Abraham as he walks out his life and kind of consider some things that attracted the Lord to eventually say Abraham, that's my friend. The great God of all creation said this man is my friend.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 11:50

And we begin with where Abraham was called out of in Genesis, chapter 12, one, verse five the Lord out of nowhere. It doesn't say there was any history of Abraham before this particular moment other than that his father was. To anybody know Abraham's father? What's the T? E, teron I don't know if it was Teron or Teron, but yeah, it basically spoke of the lineage that got to Abraham.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 12:20

We don't know much about Abraham until this particular moment where the Lord sent into Abram His name was Abram at the time Get the out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show unto thee. He just, he just just appears out of nowhere in Abraham's life. There's no relationship before this point between Abraham and God and he just appears to him and says I want you to get out of your country. I want you to leave your family I'm talking about your tribe, if you will your people. I want you to leave them. I know they want you to leave the country and the people that you've been with all your life. I also want you to leave your father's house and I want you to go to a land that I'm going to show you.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 13:15

And what says later on? And he starts talking about all of the blessings I'm going to make you a great nation, I'm going to bless you, I'm going to make your name great and you, you're going to be a blessing and I'm going to bless those that bless you and I'm going to curse those that curse you and in you, all the families of the earth are going to be blessed. I mean, that's a lot to take when you ain't never met somebody before and he just comes and tells you I want you to leave your country, I want you to leave your family, I want you to even leave your father's house and I want you to go to a place that you don't know anything about, that you've never seen before. Now, if that happened to any one of us, I I question whether we'd actually just get up and go. So Abram, out of nowhere, meets God, and God says all of this to him, and what is the very next words? So Abram departed. Wow, I mean, sometimes you just got to slow down in your reading of the scriptures and put yourself in that situation and say, my God, what I've done, that I mean you say all of this stuff to me. I had never met you before, I had never seen you before, and and then so Abram departed.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:29

Now we don't know the details, we don't know if he had any conversations with his family. I'm probably sure he did. I'm just speculating about. Probably sure he met with his family and his father and they probably weren't too happy with him, but he left and that's powerful in and of itself. He just got up and left. He took Lot, his His brother. He took his wife. I guess he took his portion of inheritance from his father, because when he left he left with some things. But he was 75 years old at the time. That's another important thing. It wasn't like he came to him like like Samuel and he spoke to him at an early age. No, he had already lived his life, 75 years living in his country, living with all of his family and living in his father's house or very near his father's house, because he already had a wife and he just left that 75 years of consider an experience in the world without God. That's all you know is the world. All you know is is what you've raised and grown up with. And yet he left.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 15:36

Something about this God that appeared to him gave him the strength of conviction to just get up and leave. So he took his wife Sarai, he took Lot, his brother, son and all their substance they had gathered and the souls they had gotten in her on, and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. Into the land of Canaan they went to, and then it says when he left, when he heard the Lord and he just left, it says then the Lord appeared unto Abram again and said unto thy seed will I give all this land? And there he built an altar before the Lord who appeared unto him. So it seems like the scriptures are indicating that whenever God came to, Abram ain't nobody else around, it was just him and God. God had a relationship with Abram out of nowhere. And Abram is responding he departs when he says I want you to leave. He built an altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him. It says not unto them, it wasn't unto the family, no, it was just Abram. And so Abram alone, telling his father I'm leaving, taking my brother with me and my wife and everyone else, all of our servants whom we gathered, and all of them, because they had servants back then and cattle and all of that stuff, and they just left. I just think that's so impossible that he would do that. But he must have been. He must have been captured by God in some way to want to go against the grain of 75 years of life and family and the community that you live in and just leave.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 17:30

So there was a point in time in Genesis 12, from verses 10 to 20. I don't want to read it all, but I just want to kind of remind you because hopefully you've been reading the scriptures on your own and this isn't a new story to you. But there was a famine in the land and they were suffering and they were trying to find food. So Abram goes to Egypt and Abram goes to Egypt and he tells his wife listen, as soon as they see you, they're going to want you. So once they find out you're my wife, they're going to kill me so they can have you. So tell them you're my sister.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 18:04

Now, abram didn't have a conversation with God about this. It doesn't indicate he was discussing with God. It doesn't indicate he was interceding with God. Well, god, what do I do? There's a famine in the land. No, it just seems like Abram was making a decision. There was a lot of suffering going on. Let's go to Egypt, let's find some shelter, let's find some refuge. And then told Sarai this but remember, God said Abram, my friend. And when he, sarai, listened to Abram.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 18:35

And when they got into Egypt, the princes of Pharaoh saw her and they commended her before Pharaoh. They were like pushing Pharaoh hey, did you see her? Look at her. She was very fair. And the princes also saw her and they wanted to take the woman into Pharaoh's house. And intreated treated Abraham well for her sake. They were, they were, you know, they were treating him real nice, you know. And here they are suffering famine and he's fine. Whoa, we came to Egypt and they're treating me fine. And oh no, they want my wife, but that's my sister. So they started giving him sheep and oxen and asses and men servants and maid servants and she asses and camels.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 19:14

And then the Lord intervened that's my friend. And he says in verse 17, that the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of who? Sarai Abrams wife. So he did it for her sake, but it's because that was his friend. So whoever his friend was affiliated with was important to God. And Pharaoh called Abrams and said what are you doing? Why didn't you tell me this? Tell me, that's your wife, how do you do? And then he let him go. And he told his whole house hey, let them go, let them leave, let them send them away, go, go, go, go, take them all in. So Abraham not talking with God, not really trying to get counsel just hit the fact that Sarai was his wife and said he was just assisted. Yet the Lord intervened for her sake, because that's my friend.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 20:12

So we go to Genesis 13. And the Lord said unto Abraham. Here it is again. The Lord comes to Abraham. And this is at a point where Lot and Abraham are looking at all the land and saying, well, there's a lot of land, but we need some space because we're just too tight right here. So Abraham, humble man that he was, said Lot, choose a side, come on, I'll let you choose. You choose first, and Lot chooses the one that looks the best, the choicest, and he goes that way. And Abraham, I mean, think of it, you were in that situation, you're humble and you see both lands and this one is like really great, and this one he ain't not so great, and you sort of let him choose and he chooses the best one. How would you feel he like man, I got the short end of stick on that one. How did I do that? But in that moment it says the Lord said unto Abram, right, right after that, Lot's gone away, he's gone his way, he's picked the choices.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 21:16

Then, after lot was separated from him, in Genesis 13, verse 14, he says Abram, lift up thine eyes and look, look northward, look southward, look eastward and westward, as far as you can see, Abram, because all that land which you can see is yours and it's your seeds forever. I know it seems like you got the short end of the stick, but I'm telling you, as far as you can see, that way, that way, that way, that way, that way, that way, that's yours and that's your seeds forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth. So if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land and the length of it, walk through the breath of it, for I will give it unto thee. Then Abraham removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plane of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there another altar unto the Lord. So it seems again that out of nowhere, Abram is visited by God and is spoken to personally by God about his situation. I love this. Back there, this is great. He gets the short end of the stick and the friend of Abram comes to him, comforts him, reassures him that the promise that I spoke to you, I'm gonna bring it to pass, your seed will number the dust of the earth and the land where you walk will be given to you. By who? By his friend. His friend is gonna do that for him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 22:57

So we go to Genesis 15. Several years have passed. Abram is wondering the things that the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision. Again, the word of the Lord comes to him. God comes to him again in a vision. It says fear not, Abram, I am thy shield and I exceeding great reward.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 23:18

And Abram said Lord, God, what are you gonna give me? I don't have a child and the steward of my house is Eleazar of Damascus. I don't have a seed here. Lord, you keep coming to me, you keep making these promises to me. I don't even have a child. How is this going to be my seed forever? How is all of this land gonna go to all of my descendants? I don't even have a child, Lord.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 23:47

It's almost as Abram got kind of fed up at what seemed like empty promises. You don't give me a seed. There's no one in my house that is born of mine. I don't have an heir, Lord, open conversation with the Lord, straight up, if you will, as we speak nowadays, speak to me straight. I don't have an heir. How do you keep coming to me telling me about these promises and visions?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 24:16

And behold, the word of the Lord came up to him saying uh-uh, Eleazar is not gonna be your heir, but he that cometh forth out of thine own bowels shall be in thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad and said look, look now toward heaven. Look and tell the stars. Count the stars, Abram, if you're able to number them. And he said I'm telling you, your seed will number like the stars. And then we see something again. See, I like to read the scriptures to find patterns. It's not because I'm a math teacher, because patterns speak to us of the way that God works in the earth. It says Moses says show me that ways, oh Lord, that I may know Thee. If you understand and can detect the ways of the Lord, then you come to understand who God is. And so it says here that Abraham believed in the Lord and he counted to him his righteousness. So he confronted the Lord. He said Lord, you keep coming to me with all these promises and I'm telling you, I don't have a seed in my house. I only have this guy, Eleazar. How are you gonna do this? And he says, I'm telling you, as the stars are numbered in the earth, so shall thy seed be. And Abram believed him, just flat out believed him. Now, I believe that that's a revelation that only God would be able to tell us whether Abraham believed them or not. But it says that Abraham believed him, and it's the scriptures, and I know that the word of God knows the heart of man. So if the scriptures declare that he believed them, then I have to believe he believed them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 26:00

Now, genesis 16, you see, it's almost, it's kind of funny. God comes to Abraham, tells him all these things, then he leaves and Abraham goes about his life, his daily business. Oh, there's a famine in the land. I gotta escape this. We gotta get out of here, let's go to Egypt. And he goes in, lies about that, you know. Then he goes up to this point and some time passes by again. After he believes him, some time passes by again, and then Sarai says I give you my Hagar. This isn't happening. Okay, go ahead, have her, have my maid servant, because we just don't see this happening.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 26:40

And in Genesis 17, we find out how many years later this is. Actually, it wasn't at this point, but Hagar bears the son and Abraham was four score and six years old. That's in Genesis 16, 15 through 16. So how many years old was Abram when God came to him the first time? Anybody know 75. It says four score and six years old was Abram when Ishmael was born. How old is that? 86,? How many years past? 11. So 11 years, Abram's hearing about yeah, I'm gonna have a seed and all this land is gonna be mine. And 11 years later I still don't have a child in my own house. So I knows what the Lord has been telling him. And so she comes up with a bright idea just go lay with my maid servant. This isn't gonna happen. I'm old, you're old, but Abram is God's friend. And even after Abram does this we see in Genesis 17, not at 86.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 27:53

The relationship continued because at 99 years old, how many years after that? 13. Huh, what 13. 13, thank you, I heard 16. I was like, okay, we gotta go back to math.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 28:06

Okay, 13 years later, the Lord appears him after he has Ishmael. Now Ishmael is 13 years old and the God comes to him again and says I am the almighty God, walk before me and be thou perfect, and I will make my covenant between me and thee and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face. I can't tell you if God came to Abram within those 13 years, but the fact that when God came to Abram and spoke to him and said all of these things, that Abram would pow right in the floor that was his friend. And he went pow right in the floor, fell on his face and God talked with him saying as for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham For a father of many nations. I have made thee. So God really hasn't changed anything that he's been saying to Abram for 24 years now. Yes, I will bless thee. Yes, I will bless all the world because of you, because of your seed. I'm going to do this. And 24 years later, God hasn't changed anything that he said to him. He's reassuring him again and again and he keeps repeating the word I will bless you. And God said unto Abraham in verse nine in chapter 17, Thou shall keep my covenant. Therefore, thou and I seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep between me and you and I seed after thee. Every man, child among you shall be circumcised. Put yourself in that position again.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 29:51

I don't think there's any indication in Bible study. Historical man over here, scholar, probably, it would tell us was anybody circumcising themselves before this point? Or was this a unique issue that was born out of Abraham, the Hebrews and the Jews, unique to all of them, gentiles and the Jews? So think about that. In all the history, think about the genealogy from Adam to Cain to Seth, and just keep going on down the line until you get to Abraham. Nobody has been circumcising themselves, not one individual. That's what made this so unique and peculiar, because it made them peculiar to all the other nations.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 30:34

This act of the flesh, of circumcising the foreskin. That isn't an appealing thing to do. Men know that, especially when you can remember the pain you were going through. And so, at 99 years old, Abraham has said I'm gonna make a covenant with you and this is what you have to do to your part of the covenant You're gonna have to circumcise the foreskin of your flesh and that of your children and that of every male in your house, even though nobody in this earth is doing such a thing. Now, at this point I might consider Abraham is going nuts. The guys flipped what? Okay, we left our country. Okay, I can buy that. You know we're supposed to have a seed. Okay, maybe I can buy that. And maybe it's through Ishmael. Okay, maybe I can buy that. Now you want me to circumcise the foreskin? You're nuts, dude. You have lost your mind. Why would we do that? Why would we go through that pain? What for what point? Now that's me. That's carnal flesh talking and acting.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 31:42

But it says here that in verse 10, God said this is my covenant, which you shall keep between you and thy seed after you. Every man, child among you shall be circumcised, and ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and I shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. It's gonna be a sign that we have a covenant together, because if you do this, your part, I'm doing mine. I've already told you I'm doing mine, but this is our covenant, and he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you. Every man, child in your generation, he that is born in your house or bought with the money of a stranger which is not that I see.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 32:20

So it's not just Abram, it's not just Ishmael, it's not just his servants, it's anybody that is living in your house. That's a male. They all gotta get circumcised. I'm telling you, you must be crazy. How do you expect me to do that with all these people? They're not even my blood and you want me to circumcise their foreskin? That's nuts. But nevertheless, God continues to speak and he says he that is born in the house or bought with the money must needs be circumcised, and my covenant shall be in your flesh for a never-lasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man- child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul's gonna be cut off. He's broken my covenant. I'm telling you. This is a requirement, this is not an option. You and every male in your house are going to get circumcised or they're cut off.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 33:15

And God said unto Abraham as for Sarai, thy wife, thou shall not call her Sarai anymore, but Sarah her name shall be. So now he's changed Abrams name to Abraham, Sarai's name to Sarah, and I will bless her, and I will give thee a son also of her, and I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations. Kings of people shall be of her. I told you you would think Abraham's crazy for doing all of this, but look at what Abraham responded. He fell on his face and he started laughing. He probably thought he was going nuts. He just fell on his face and he started laughing and he said his heart, shall a man be born unto me? I'm a hundred years old. I must be going nuts. I must have had too much to drink. I don't know that. That's not happening. Sarah, Sarah's 10 years younger than me, ninety and a hundred. That's not happening. That's not happening.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 34:14

And Abraham said unto God oh, that Ishmael might live before thee. It's him right, come on, this ain't how. It's Ishmael, it's gotta be. And God says unto him Sarah, thy wife shall bear thee a son. Indeed, he doesn't go explaining how he's gonna do, he just repeats what he already said Sarah's gonna have a son. Indeed, thou shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for a everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 34:47

But as for Ishmael, I hear you. That's what I love about this. We understand because we've studied before how that was a child of the flesh, not a child of the promise. That was Abraham trying to bring about the promise of God in a fleshly act. But even God, being his friend, said I hear you, Abram, Abraham. Now, I hear you. I'm gonna bless him, I'm gonna make him fruitful and I will multiply him exceedingly Twelve princes, shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. I haven't forgotten him. But he's not my child of the promise. So he was so close to be his friend that even people that were not a child of the promise God began to care about because Abraham cared about them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 35:37

Abraham didn't want Ishmael to be thrown off. It wasn't Ishmael's fault that he was born. Ishmael had nothing to do with his father's act, Hagar's act, again for several years, comes again in a vision, comes again and then he walks away and he just says what he's gonna do.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 36:25

So Abraham took Ishmael, his son and all that were born in his house and all that were bought with his money. Every male among the men of Abraham's house and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the self-same day as God had said unto him. Did you hear that crazy idea Abraham got from the Lord? And it says in the self-same day he circumcised his whole house. Was there any wait? Was there any discussion? Was there any counsel that he's getting from some people? Am I going crazy? Nope. In the self-same day he circumcised his whole house. Ishmael was 13 years old when that happened, when he circumcised the foreskin of his flesh. And how old was Abraham at that time? 99. He was 99 years old when he got his flesh circumcised and all the men in his house, all the men bought with money, all the strangers, were all circumcised with him. Wow, it's almost unbelievable that this man did this. But he did.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 37:33

And so we come to Genesis 18 and the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre, in the tent door, in the heat of the day. And you know, this time I'm not going to read the whole thing. We could go through one, through 16. But this is a time where it's real hot. Abraham's just sitting outside his tent. He sees three men off in the distance, but he recognizes them, he recognizes God. And so he runs up to God and says hey, wait, wait, before you go, let me get a fatted calf, let me get you some water, let me wash your feet, let me do all these things. And so he said, okay, we'll sit down with you. And Abraham hastened into the tent. Sarah says make bread to your meals, carry your, make ready meal. And Abraham ran into the herd and took the bread and he said, okay, let's go Make ready meal. And Abraham ran into the herd and took down a calf and cut it up and gave it to the young man. And he hastened the dress and he took butter and milk and calf. And he just, he just went all out for God who came to him as a friend.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 38:36

And Abraham was and Sarah were old and were stricken in age, and it ceased to be Sarah after the manner of women. And therefore Sarah laughed within herself saying after I am wax old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also? In other words, it was reminded of them that he said this is going to happen with you two. And so she laughs within herself. First he laughed out loud at their meeting, now she's laughing within herself at the very idea. Oh yeah, I'm going to have a baby at 99, right? And him too at 100, or, excuse me, her at 90 and him at 99. Yeah, right.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 39:15

And the Lord said to the Abraham why is Sarah laughing? Shall I surety bear a child which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed, I will return unto thee according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. And there again, God is not explaining himself. This is why are you laughing? This is what I'm going to do. Sarah denied it, said I didn't laugh. She was afraid. And he said yes, you did. That's really what God. Yes, you did. You most surely laughed. But gosh God, just the very patience that he has and the disbelief and the doubt that he continues to deal with every time. He said this is what I'm going to do. And then they laugh. And then they laugh. We tell people what we're going to do and they laugh at us and some of us get offended. I don't want to try nobody, no more. But not God. That's his friend. He keeps coming to him. I'm going to do it. Your seed is going to be like the stars, it's going to be like the sand. I'm going to do it and it's going to be through Sarah. Yes, I'm going to do it, don't laugh.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 40:30

And then we know how the men left and Abraham was talking to the Lord as the two men then continued on. And then the Lord says Genesis 18, verse 17, and the Lord said it's almost as if he's not even talking to Abram, but Abraham is there, he says. And the Lord said shall I hide from Abraham the thing which I am to do? It's always like he's standing there watching the two men leave Abraham's right next to him. He says shall I tell Abraham what I'm about to do? He's just talking to himself.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:01

It's a very interesting thing here and seeing that Abraham, and he says all out, seeing that Abraham is going to become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I know him, he's going to command his children, his whole household after him. They're going to keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment. And the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he had spoken him. And the Lord said because of the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great because of their sin is very grievous. I'm going to go down now and I'm going to see whether they have done all together according to the cry of it, which will come into me, and if not, I will know.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:36

And the men turned their faces from thence and went towards Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. Now reminds me of another scripture Surely, see if y'all can finish it. Surely the Lord God will do nothing. But he revealed his secret unto his servants, the prophets. So here God was talking with the two men, and then they go off. Shall I tell Abraham what I'm about to do? And then the two men go, and then he goes and tells him what he's going to do. So even wow, it's just amazing how the Lord just continues to treat Abraham. Through all of these things. He reveals unto Abraham what he's going to do? Because Abraham's his friend, Abraham is his servant and he is a prophet. It may not have been said at that point yet, but but even after this point, after all of Sodom and Gomorrah thing and Lot and all of this stuff, Abraham now Abraham, not Abram.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 42:50

Abraham goes through the land of King Abimelech and tells his wife you are not my wife, you are my sister. He's going to take me out. He lies again and again. The Lord has to intervene and tell King Abimelech what are you doing with that? That wife has a husband. What are you doing? And King Abimelech gets mad at Abraham and he gets released. Because the Lord intervenes, because Abraham's his friend.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 43:23

It says in Genesis 20, verse 7 when the Lord came to King Abimelech, he said restore the man, his wife, for he is a prophet. Now we got the revelation. Why is the Lord revealing all of these things about what he's going to do? Because he's a prophet. Now, you see, Abraham went about his life not ever having in his mind I want to be a prophet. He's just living his life with his family and all of a sudden the Lord appears then and he goes out of his way. He's not trying to be anybody in God. He's not trying to be anybody in Christ. He's not trying to be anybody in the kingdom. But see, that's how you know that the Lord places in his body whosoever he wills to do whatsoever he wills. It's not anybody trying to be a certain thing or a certain that.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 44:17

God is the one that makes someone a prophet, makes someone an evangelist, makes someone a pastor, a teacher or anything else in his body. The Lord is the one that designates that and he designates it to King Abimelech. He is a prophet and he's going to pray for you and that you might live and you will be restored and know that you will not surely die, you and all those that are yours. So even after this, he lies again. I mean, maybe the only thing that's saving him is that the law wasn't in place during the time of Abraham, because the law would have said thou shalt not bear false witness. Okay, it wasn't instituted at the time, but I believe it because Abraham is God's friend, or I should say God was Abraham's friend, and it wasn't very long after this. It was soon after this that Sarah bore Isaac.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 45:18

When, after Abraham got circumcised at 99 years old, because Isaac was born at a hundred years old said had to be within 12 months. And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham a second time after Isaac was born. Isaac was born how many years after God first told Abraham, Abraham? Abram, Abraham, that he was going to do this? How many years? 45. 25. That's right. So, Abraham, God talks to us, God gives us promises and I want you to realize that when God spoke to Abraham, Abraham had to wait 25 years for the promise to be fulfilled. That's a long time and all through that time you had going into the flesh with Hagar and Ishmael. You had lying to this particular Pharaoh in Egypt. You had lying to King Abimalek. He had to rescue Lot from what was going on. He had to bear what was going on in Sodom and Gamorrah when He said I had enough with this city. And throughout all of his stumbling, because Abraham stumbled, God is still faithful. 25 years and God is still faithful.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 46:44

We read in Genesis 22: 15, how the angel of the Lord came unto Abraham out of heaven a second time, be cause at this point Isaac is older in years and he says to Abraham I want you to go and slay your son, your only son, on the mountain, and we all know the account. He heard the Lord. He didn't discuss it with anybody. He told the servants I want you to stay here, me and my son are going to go up and worship. And he did exactly what the Lord, God, called him to do. He did not realize that that was going to be a type and shadow of what God himself would do and sacrificing his own son, his own life, for the sins of what he had no idea. He just obeyed. That's really what it comes down to.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 47:42

When God came to Abraham to get him out of the country, to get him out of his community, to get him out of his family and his father, what did Abraham do? He obeyed when he said I will, I'm going to make your seat as the stars of heaven, as the sand of this, as this seed, the sands of the sea of the sea. What did it say? Abraham did he believed when he came to him and said you are going to have a covenant with me and you are going to circumcise yourself and your child and all the males that in your house. What did Abraham do? He just obeyed.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 48:25

Again, I love to see patterns in the scriptures, because that tells us God's ways when we know his ways, then we get to understand him more. And he said when he went to that mountain to sacrifice his son, he appeared to him as the angel of the Lord and called out to Abraham, said a second time, by myself, have I sworn? Say it, the Lord, because thou has done this day, because you have not withheld your son, your only son. In blessing, I'm going to bless you in multiplying, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven. Is he saying anything new? He's repeating himself again, as the sand which is upon the sea, sore and I see, shall possess the gate of his enemies. In thy sea shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 49:19

Somebody read that last part of verse 18, because I'm not making up what we all just concluded just by the pattern of the scriptures. What does it say at the end of the verse 18? And in thy sea shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. So that has a way Now. Did he only obey his voice in the moment that he took a son on the mount? No, he's got a pattern of obedience all the way back 25 years, whether he flubbed up or not, whether he tried to do something in the flesh or not. Every time God came to him, he obeyed.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 50:02

So we come to James. I just took a walk with Abraham. I wanted you hopefully you see what was so clearly seen and why James, chapter two, why he's able to say what he's about to say right now, from verses 17 through 23. He says even so, faith if it doesn't have works, it's dead. Being alone, alone, alone alone, faith is dead. Yay. A man can say, yeah, yeah, I have faith, thou has faith and I have works. You say you have faith. I say I have works. I say show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 50:52

What James was highlighting here was a principle that was seen from the very beginning of scriptures. It wasn't something new. And the thing is it wasn't talking about the law and I'll get to why he wasn't talking about the law very clearly but it says you believe that there is one God, and you do well. But you know what the devils also believe there is one God and they tremble. So what? So what of it? So you believe there's a God and you believe that there's only one God. So what Will thou know, o vain man? That faith without works is dead.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 51:31

Then he brings up the example. Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works? See, this is why I know James wasn't talking about the law. He wasn't talking about the ceremonies of the law that the priest had to do year after year after year, because he brought up Abraham and Abraham had nothing to do with the law. The law came hundreds of years after Abraham. But he brings up Abraham because Abraham was an example of what we just walked through. It says seeing how faith worked with his works and by his works was his faith made perfect.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 52:17

Was not Abraham justified by works when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? That was an act of obedience. It wasn't his only act of obedience. That was not the moment that Abraham started obeying the Lord. We just went through it. When he was called Abram, he was obeying the Lord, and that was 25 years before Abram. Abraham's life, when he met God His friend was an act of obedience throughout. That is the pattern.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 52:49

That's why James is saying what he's saying now. His obedience worked with his faith to make his faith complete, to make his faith whole, because otherwise, if all he said was I believe in God, but I still live my life the way that I want to and I don't confer with God. Oh, when God confers with me, I don't obey him. Then that's not faith. That's not good enough. Your obedience must go in line with the faith that says I believe in God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 53:18

So the scripture was fulfilled when it says Abraham believed God and it was a imputed unto him for righteousness. When was that said? Was that said when he offered his son Isaac? Do you guys remember Cause we kind of just went through it no, it was not when he offered up his son Isaac. It was before that, when God reassured him that I am gonna bless your seed, and your seed will be as the stars of heaven, as the sand of the sea. It says. Remember, Abraham was kind of arguing with God I don't have an heir, why do you keep saying this to me? I don't have an heir in my house. I have this servant, eleazar. But he said I am going to bless you, I'm going to give you a seed, you shall have a son from your own loins and you will bless all the nations of the earth. And what did it say? Abraham believed God. It wasn't when he offered up his son Isaac. But why is he able to keep saying that?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 54:25

The fact, the record of testimony, shows that whenever God spoke to Abraham, he obeyed, and so, because of his obedience, righteousness was imputed to him that was not his own, it was the righteousness of God that was imputed to him. And then it says and he was called the friend of God. James 2, verse 23,. After all of that, the scripture was fulfilled. That says Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him as righteousness and he was called the friend of God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 55:03

And we've read because Bishop has been talking about carnality over the last what five, six weeks? He adulterers and adulteresses. Don't you know that friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever their friend will be, a friend of the world is an enemy of God. You can't be the friend of God if you're going to be a friend with the world. The law of non-contradiction. You can't do that. And so it makes all the more sense when we read Jesus saying to his disciples you are my friends If ye do whatever I command you. That makes all the sense in the world now because of Abraham.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 55:54

He's our father in the faith. He's our father of the faith because he showed us how to walk by faith with God. Was he born again? Did he have the gift of the Holy Ghost? No, but he obeyed God, and that made all the difference in the world. Now, does that change in the new covenant? Of course not. Do we still need to obey God? Absolutely it. Just now he puts his stamp of approval on our life by giving us the indwelling presence of his Holy Spirit in our life.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 56:30

So I go back to Proverbs 27, verse six. I only read the first half. It says faithful are the wounds of a friend. You don't think you'd put those two together. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 56:52

Jesus spoke in parables and there's two that I wanna bring up to you. We're not gonna read them, but one is from Matthew 20. And if you remember the account, he spoke of a parable about a man who had a vineyard and he was just hiring whoever he could find to work in his vineyard. And he agreed in the early hours of the day, I will pay you one coin to work in my fields today. And as the hours went by, the early people worked the field, they agreed they're gonna get a coin at the end of the day and that vineyard person owner kept hiring people all throughout the day until he got towards like an hour before sunset and he finds some man there not doing anything hey, you wanna work in my field? I'll give you a coin for it. Really Sure. And he goes in. And so all the people that work the field, no matter how many hours in the day you work 12, 11, 10, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one you get a coin at the end of the day and that's the agreement. I remember my young kids would look in that safe.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 58:11

That's not fair. What's not fair about it? The 12 hour people agreed to work in the vineyard for a coin. You agreed to that. How is he not fair? He said he'd pay you a coin and he's gonna do that. The people. Six hours from sunset they agreed Okay, I'll work in your fields for a coin. And the one hour person I agreed to work in your field for a coin, so I get a coin. Where's the unfairness in that?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 58:40

It says in that parable, jesus said but he answered one of them and said friend, friend, I didn't do you wrong, didn't you agree to work for that penny? He called him friend. That's what I wanted to highlight. He called him friend. He was working in his field. He agreed to work for that penny. He made a covenant. That's an agreement. You do this, I do this. That's a covenant. He made a covenant with them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 59:16

There was another parable Talked about a wedding that was gonna happen. He started inviting. Well, first he invited his friends and all these people, literally, were too busy. Another one had something else to do, another one had something else to do, so he opened it up to everybody and then everybody was able to come if they wanted to. And then, when the wedding happened, he saw one individual that wasn't dressed quite right and he said Jesus said unto him, friend, and he sayeth unto him the one who's having the wedding for his son. He said unto him, friend, how did you get into this wedding without having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. And you remember the account. What happened to that man? He was thrown out Because you can't come in covenant with God on your own terms.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:00:20

You can't come in covenant with God dressed the way you want, doing what you want. What makes the covenant valid is that there is an agreement that you will obey and I will do everything else. And then Abraham obeyed, stumbled, fell and his friend came and rescued him. His friend came and rescued his wife. His friend came and rescued him from being in Sodom and Gomorrah. His friend came and rescued him all throughout the time, even though he was sometimes walking in the flesh and stumbling. And we go back to that verse.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:01:01

But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. On the night that Jesus was taken, judas had gone away. He said go, do what you gotta do. Comes back later, after Jesus has already been praying and in the garden of Gethsemane, and Judas comes to him. In Matthew, chapter 26, verse 48 and 50, if we can all turn there, matthew chapter 26, verse 48 and 50, or 48 through 50.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:01:46

Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign. He was with the people that he was conspiring with against and he said I'm gonna give you a sign so that you know who this man is, whom. So ever I shall kiss that same as he hold him fast and forthwith. He came to Jesus and said hail, master, and kiss them. And Jesus said unto him even after that, it's not like Jesus was ignorant and didn't know what was going on. You know what he said to him friend, wherefore art thou come. Why are you here? What are you doing here? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him. I don't wanna imagine being Judas, but if I was Judas in that moment, that right there would have convicted me. Friend, why are you here? What are you doing? He called him friend Even. He walked with Judas for nearly, if not, three and a half years, gave him power over the enemy, gave him power to heal the sick, to cast out devils. He was witness to all the miracles that Jesus was doing. He called him friend even in the moment of his betrayal.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:03:21

He said in Psalm 41.9, yay, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted his heel against me. It breaks my heart to read that, because God is looking fro, to and fro throughout the earth for those that have a broken and contrite heart, for those that have a heart to heed his voice and knows. He knows those that are going to for a while. He knows those that when the kingdom seed is planted in their ground, they're gonna be excited, they're gonna receive it with joy and after a while, when the thorns grow, when the cares of this world come in, they're gonna choke the life out of the word and they're gonna fall away. He knows that and he still loves them and he still calls them friend. He knows those that are gonna have seed planted in rocky parts, hardened hearts, and they're not gonna be able to have deep root and when the sun scorches them they're gonna end up dying. And he still loves them and he still calls them friend. And so it makes it so powerful to me that he says in wow, we were yet sinners.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:04:50

Christ died for us Because he knew those that would receive him. He knew those that would endure him to the end, and he knew also those that would never receive him. He knew those that would receive him only for a while. He knew those that would just utterly reject him. And yet he went to the cross. Because it didn't say that he died for the sins of his saints. It says he died for the sins of the whole world. It says he died for the sins of the whole world. That would break my heart, and yet he did it anyway.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:05:30

That is the kind of love that it speaks about Way at the top when we started, a friend loveth at all times. Our God, if he's our friend loves us at all times, even when we fouled up. But he is gracious and merciful enough to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we will confess our sins, he is faithful to do that. It is not his will that any man should die. He does not gain glory that others are dying. He doesn't take joy in it.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:06:12

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, and sometimes our friend wounds us because he's showing us ourselves. He wants us to see where we're at in the moment so that we can allow him to do a work in us to change us. But he sees us bleeding blood that has cleansed us and washed us. But, great God that he is, is able to help us deal with our sins. He is able to help us deal with ourselves, the way we are now, so that we can be changed by him. So let us remember that to be a friend of God, like it or not, is conditional.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:06:57

You are his friends. If you do whatsoever, he commands you. Thus is the ministry of our Father's heart through us. Our utmost desire is to be in the Father's heart, to know the Father's heart and express the Father's heart to you, if you appreciate listening to this podcast and we're blessed pass it along to someone else by text, email or word of mouth in the hopes that they might be positively impacted, as you were. If you are interested in supporting our efforts, we would ask you to consider the following One pray for us. Two, leave a positive rating or review with whomever you listen to our podcast with. If you desire to contribute monetarily, you can do so at paypalme J Ben Jesus or cash app. Dollar sign J Ben Jesus or Venmo J Ben Jesus. That's J BEN JESUS, god bless.