The Closeness of Jesus (Part One) by Dr. Rod Mattoon

About this sermon

* John 15:13-15... Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. What a huge blessing it is for anyone to be a friend of the Lord Jesus Christ. A custom from biblical times sheds light on the great honor believers enjoy in being the friends of Jesus Christ. In the courts of Roman Emperors and eastern kings, there was a very select group of men called the friends of the king or the friends of the Emperor. They had special privileges. These friends had access to the king at any time. They even had the right to come to his bedchamber at the beginning of the day. He talked to them before he talked to his generals, his rulers, and his statesmen. The friends of the king were those who had the closest and the most intimate relationship with him. They were very close to the king. In the same manner, Christians enjoy that same honor, blessing, and privilege with the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers can enjoy close fellowship with the Son of God, the Creator of the Universe. In Christ, we have access to the Lord. We can enjoy being close to Him. If Christ is your personal Savior, you can enjoy a close walk with God if that is what you desire. You can enjoy the blessings of being close or near to Jesus. When we look through the Scriptures, that truth is confirmed time and again. We will look at the different examples of our closeness with Jesus in part one of this series. This message was preached on Sunday night, November 19, 2023, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.

Topics

• Jesus Christ