EIS - Closer than a brother

Good morning teacher and staff of the Kama international School.

It is indeed a great privilege for me to be

invited by Chaplin Asia to stop to speak to you

for this morning worship morning devotion.

And I remember my time over there to teach for

two years that every morning 6:30 a.m. We had a

very nice time to learn the bible together and to

praise God through our morning worship.

So before we begin let's pray together.

Forget didn't happen.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to be here

to worship you.

To listen to your words maybe eliminates your spirit so

that you can understand your words to us in the

semi plain and okay this morning I would like to

share to use short message entitled closer than a brother

as you all know your sister uh institution, the ASia

Pacific International University.

Here we train young people for this world and also

for the world to come and people came from different

parts of the world and I can see that a

very colorful friendships that were happening in this university.

And of course I believe many of you, all of

you experienced during your youthful days.

Friendship is a very important aspect in our life.

That's why many times after graduation people would come back

to the reunions.

This is a picture of me with my friends.

We have a reunion 2000, Many people went there just

to celebrate their friendship and also the to reminisce the

memories. And also of course weddings would be the time

where people would gather from different parts of the world.

Before COVID-19 people would just fly to attend their friends

weddings. Now the scriptures speak much to us about friendship

and actually the subject of friendship is given a high

priority in the bible.

But the bible also warned us about evil friendship James

Forbes forces.

He will, will be the friend of the world, is

the enemy of God.

Very strong and very important.

We can see it proverbs 1824, a man who has

friends must himself be friendly.

But there is a friend whose ex closer than a

brother. So if you look at this text, there is

a very important point that King Solomon wants us to

know that King Solomon here recommends friendship to us and

shows what we must do, that we may born and

cultivate friendship the first one and the most important one.

We must show ourselves friendly.

This one of the greatest versed on the subject friendship

and it makes two vital points.

Number one.

First to have friends.

We must be friendly.

In other words, the secret to meaningful relationships is not

found in seeking France, but in being a friend many

times would like to see what others will do first.

But actually here in the bible proverbs, the book of

proverbs that we need to be friendly first.

We need to be ready to be a friend of

someone else.

The second one is an ultimate friend for each one

of us, a friend who is closer than a brother,

a friend who is truly interested in us with no

thought of what's in it for him.

This one, I will elaborate much later.

Now in the bible you can see an example of

good friendship between David and Jonathan.

Yeah, we know that general Swatter was King Saul, the

king of Israel that time.

So in spite of Jordan's father, King Saul's pursuit of

David and attempts to kill David, Jonathan stood by his

friends. We can see that story in 1st Samuel chapter

18 through Chapter 20.

So these two men truly cared for each other and

have great trust and confidence in each other.

So David was running for his life from Jonathan's father

saw and Jonathan recognized that David was innocent.

So because of this true friendship that they shared, David

survived salt assassination attempts and went on to become one

of Israel's greatest.

No, we can see that in the book of proverbs.

Some uh instructions also advises about friendship Problems.

That was 24.

Again, I would like to say a man of many

companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend

who sticks closer than a brother.

Probably 27 were success wounds from a friend can be

trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Now, another example about friendship, but actually it's, our brotherhood

is between Jacob and Esau the bible gives us the

example of Jacob and S.

O. And they were actually twin brothers.

Yet they were not close spiritually.

They were also very different, totally different when it speaks

here of a broader it is referring to the highest

affection which known among men the faction of physical brother

to his physical brother under the blessing of God.

That is a very intimate type.

But this needs the grace of God and the cultivating

of the word of God because that is not always

so sometimes physical brothers can be opposite and they can

be so different.

But yet it is true that between one's physical brother

sister can exist most intimate bond and a time like

I can testify that my relationship with my brother is

a very close and intimate time and I'm very blessed

to have my brother that God gave to me and

to my family.

So there's nothing so precious as to love your flesh

and blood, broader our system to share each other's feelings

and to support want another.

So what is through friendship?

Through friendship stories are found throughout the bible.

We can see that in genesis 18 verse 17 to

33. Here we read about God sharing his intentions with

Abraham. Abraham responds by telling God his thoughts and feelings

about the situation.

Can you imagine God telling human beings about his thoughts

and feelings about certain she's doing?

Next example is about God and moses In Exodus 33

11. The Bible says the Lord would speak to moses

face to face as a man speaks with his friend.

This is what the bible said.

Brothers and sisters in the price that he would speak

to moses face to face as a man speaks with

his friend.

So God spoke to moses like a friend, directly face

to face.

It is more like a meeting a person as being

directly instead of talking over the phone.

If you therefore spend time with God through prayer and

walk according to his word, he will talk with us

and lead us.

My head Now in John 15 were starting to 15,

it says greater love has no one than this to

lay down one's life for one's friends, you are my

friends. If you do what I command, I no longer

call you servants because the servant does not know his

master's business.

Instead, I have called you friends for everything that I

learned from my father, I have made known to you.

And in romans eight verse 35 the bible says who

shall separate us from the love of christ, shall tribulation

or distress, for I am persuaded that nothing can separate

us from the love of God.

In christ jesus our Lord, this is what the bible

said Brexit is in christ, nothing can separate us from

christ, jesus.

And indeed Jesus christ is the unique friends.

Jesus christ is the friend that sticks closer than a

broader and Jesus himself identifies himself as the friend of

God's people.

This is amazing, Jesus christ, the savior of the world,

identifies himself as our friend.

That's why in Matthew 1119 it says that Jesus is

the friend, that's the explosion than a brother and also

was classified by his enemies.

His enemies identified jesus as our friend when observing his

mingling with his people whom he had come to come

to repentance and seeing that he was unafraid to associate

himself with them, they said democracy.

He is a friend of publicans and sinners.

Now, if you look at the word sticks, the word

stakes is literally cliff or appear.

It refers to the soldering of metals, of joining metals

together. Those who love this stuff would know that when

you soldier in a matter of metal with another metal

that it was thick and would be very hard to

remove. So Jesus Christ is the one who sticks, who

is fatal.

His Children, he described the friend was closer than any

brother. He was our friend, to stand in our place

and to die for us.

That is why joseph M Scriven wrote this poem.

What a friend we have in jesus, all our sins,

our griefs to bear.

What a privilege to carry a return to God in

prayer. What peace we often forfeit while needless pain repair

or because we do not care everything to God in

prayer. To conclude the message this morning, the book or

father care speech 29 size come daily to jesus, who

loves you, Open your heart to him freely in him.

There's no disappointment.

You will never find a better counselor, a saver guide,

a more sure defense.

Through all your trials, you have had a neighbor, never

failing friend who has said I am with you always

even unto the end after world roger.

Sister in christ, jesus is our friend.

Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a broader

jesus loves you and he's always there for mega, Bless

us.

EIS - Closer than a brother

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