A Friend Like Jesus

John 15:12–17 ESV

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Introduction

How many people do we call friends? Then, out of that group how many would we feel comfortable calling at any time of day or night? For a majority of us, we have many acquaintances but few friends. Among believers, we should be more than just acquaintances, though. Christ calls us to care for each other enough that we would be willing to literally give our own life for them. He wants a united body, of one heart and one soul. Too often, many Christians are known for what they are AGAINST instead of what they are truly FOR. They gripe, grumble, complain, and intentionally try to divide the body.

How we act towards each other is extremely important. If we are not united, but are divided, it destroys the body of Christ, the fellowship of believers, their personal witness, and in the end it keeps us from doing the business we are called for - evangelizing to a lost and dying world.

Christ reminds us of this in these words - He has first loved us, and we should love others in the same way. If you notice, we do not have a list of pre-requisites to be loved by God, and in return we should have no list of pre-requisites to love one another. Now, I understand this does not mean everyone will be lovable. We are told in:

Romans 12:18 ESV

18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

What Paul has learned, and is trying to pass along to us in this passage, is that there will be some people who are simply unlovable. They won’t want to love peaceably, and we all know people like that - those who are disagreeable just to disagree. But Christ, in these verses is pointing this towards the disciples - BELIEVERS! Why should we, as believers, have to be reminded that we are to love one another in a Christ-like love? Because we are human too. There are times when we forget the basic principles of Christianity - that God is love, that He first loved us, and that He sent His Son to die for us. We are to love others in the same sacrificial love that Christ did - even to the point that, as we discussed last week, we would lay our life down for another. So, as we prepare for the upcoming Easter celebration, and look at the life Christ lived as an example for us, let’s prepare our hearts with God’s divine instruction of love, and remember that we have been CHOSEN as friends by Christ through love.

God’s Divine Instruction of Love

John 15:12–14 ESV

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

One primary command (divine instruction) we are given as Christians is to have a divine love for each other . One of the best ways we can grow is by loving, caring, and nurturing each other and it was set by the example of Christ as he served us - by showing us a pure love. Not only was it just a showing of pure love it was the ultimate demonstration of sacrificial love.

He died and sacrificed His life for man. All the while, the disciples were arguing over who would be placed in the highest positions of authority in Christ’s new government. They were critical of each other, they were judgmental of each other, and they were deeply divided. Just as we are today. Christ reminded them, as He reminds us:

John 13:34–35 ESV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Christ, in His later days reminds the disciples that love is the key to the supreme standard set by Christ Himself. He paid the ultimate price of love, as He sacrificed Himself for His friends.

John 13:1 ESV

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

We are reminded that we are bonded together, as believers, through the spirit of Christ. As such, he calls us “friends”. Notice though, that being a friend of Christ is conditional. “IF” you do what He commands. We have to KNOW Him and we have to DO His commandments to be a friend of His. We have to have a close relationship with Christ AND do what He instructs us to do. So, how do we form a relationship with Christ? We have to spend time with Him, learn His Word, and do what He says.

Just as we expect our close friends to spend time with us, get to know us, and be an integral part of our lives, Christ expects nothing less from us. We have to spend time seeking God to ever know Him. If we spend more time with others, and place our priorities on things other than our family and friends, we won’t be friends for long! We HAVE to know what our priorities are AND put our priorities in the right places. If we spend more time with everything else except God, then, do we really know Him?

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

If we put our investment in the right place - in developing a friendship with Christ - the He reveals Himself to us, and makes known what God has told Him. When we get to know Christ, and we spend time with Him, and learn more about Him, then we become FRIENDS in Christ and we, as believers, can develop friendships that are centered around the Word of God.

John 14:23–24 ESV

23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

If we have a relationship with Christ, and we understand the love He has shown towards us, then we have a confirmation of the promise He made. Why would we not want to spread that love to others?

Chosen as Friends by Christ

Friends do not keep secrets from each other, as Christ tells His disciples once we are friends with Him, we are no longer servants - slaves! Why would we be called slaves?

John 8:34 ESV

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

We are a slave to the sin we find ourselves in, yet we are set free from our sins when we choose to follow Jesus Christ. When we realize we have been CHOSEN by God it opens us up to the family of God. As with families, there is communication. No longer are we slaves to our sin where we are kept in the darkness, but we have all of our new families secrets revealed to us through scripture.

Colossians 1:26–27 ESV

26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

We have had the great mystery revealed to us! As Christians, we have been chosen by Christ from the BEGINNING, so even when we choose Him we were already chosen!

But what happens once the mystery is revealed? We realize we have been chosen for three purposes. We are to go - go and proclaim the message of Christ. Believers are not called to a country club where they can sit and relax, once saved our sole purpose is to deliver the message of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

We are to go and bear fruit. As Christians, we are given the same purpose as Christ - to go into all the world and bear fruit among men. But most importantly, we are to receive the things of God. We receive an ear from the Father be believing in His Son, we receive a mediator who approaches the Father on our behalf, we receive an intercessor before God, and we receive salvation making us perfect in the eyes of God.

Once we realize what we receive, it should give us a desire to honor, praise, glorify, and lift up the name of the Lord to anyone we come in contact with. Once God reveals His love to us, then we realize why we are commanded to love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Christ concludes by repeating His initial command - love one another.

Closing

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 ESV

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

We are to love one another, as part of the family of God. Let’s not forget these simple words: Lord, Help us to love as you love. Fill us with your Spirit so that we can choose what is best. We are weak Lord, but we know also, that even when we are weak, you are strong within us. Thank you that it’s not all up to us. Thank you that you equip us to face each day with the power of your love, your forgiveness, and your grace. We pray that our lives would be filled and overflowing with the power of your love so we can make a difference in this world and bring honor to you. We ask for your help in reminding us that the most important things are not what we do outwardly, it’s not based on any talent or gift, but the most significant thing we can do in this life is simply to love you and to choose to love others.