Friend-zoning Jesus

Introduction

Released from Exodus series — obedience vs. control, pride, fear

last year, recurring word from the Lord--”more”

This year, theme from the Lord--”Go deeper”

We know about Jesus, not convinced we really actually know Him

We’ve settled for a casual relationship with Him when He’s called us to so much more!

Enemies—

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.

Not something we like to hear, but the Bible tells us before we are saved, we are enemies of God

Enemies

Hostile to Him

Enmity (actively opposed to)

Original language, can also mean “belonging to another”

Holy God vs. sinful man (have to be by definition enemies)

If/when we are lost, we are enemies of God (describe and elaborate)

gives us the full picture of this idea: For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Even though we were his enemies, he had already made a way for us to be reconciled through Jesus (elab—Gospel—etc.)

So the first relational position is that of an enemy. When we aren’t saved, we are an enemy of God. And when you think about it, what do we know our relationship is like with an enemy?

Football players talking about watching film and their playbook

You actively hide your plan from an ememy, and you certainly don’t include them in it.

When we are enemies of God, the plan, purpose, and activity of God is actively hidden from us—we are not a part of it.

Friends—

Once we are saved, John gives us a key word that clues us in to our relational standing with God. Look at :

13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a 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.

Greater love has no one than this—God’s agape love for us (forfeiture of rights on behalf of another) is greater than any other love.

Notice the phrasing in verse 13 — there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends.

Then Jesus goes on in verse 14 to say that we are his friends if we do what He commands

Greek - philos—a person you know well and regard with affection—> and trust —>

*But, who become those friends whom He trusts and are the objects of His affection? Those who obey; who do what He commands.

Great disservice in the church weakening this

People who are still enemies and we’ve let them think they’re friends

The true mark of a Christian is not that we’ve walked an aisle, said a prayer, or even had a baptism—it’s that we have been radically transformed and we are obedient to Christ

In verse 15 Jesus says he has called us friends because everything He learned from the Father He has made known to us

Did you catch that? When we are saved and walk in obedience, we have access to it all!

(Act like ending service--”Let’s stand and close in prayer”)

I’m just kidding but that’s EXACTLY what the church has done! —>

But heres the thing—I have many friends who I know all about. I know it — but I haven’t experienced it. —>

Jesus says He hasn’t held back anything from us—and yet do we really feel like we are living in that kind of intimacy and overflow?

That’s where the title for this message this morning comes from, because I believe we have friend-zoned Jesus

Explain friend-zoning —>

Example of Whit and I —>

That is what we have done to Jesus! He has pursued us and wooed us but we have friend-zoned Him —>

You can have many friends, but only one lover —>

We’ve made Jesus one of many instead of our one and only

But Jesus doesn’t desire to just be our friend—he desires to be the lover of our souls.

We’ve talked about enemies and friends, but I truly believe this morning that Jesus desires to be the lover of our souls, not just our friends.

Lovers—

The Book “Song of Solomon” is maybe one of the most misunderstood and misused books in the Bible.

Song of Solomon (or Sometimes called Song of Songs) is a book of romantic poetry between a man and a woman—King Solomon and the Shulamite.

It goes into vivid detail about their romantic endeavors, and it portrays marriage as covenant love.

However, as the Bible so often does, this book has deeper, richer, symbolic meaning. It is not only about Solomon’s love for the Shulamite as he pursues her, it’s about the Lord as he pursues us.

When you read the Song of Solomon, the beloved is the Lord, and the bride is us!

Look at :

2 I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.” 3 I have taken off my robe— must I put it on again? I have washed my feet— must I soil them again? 4 My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him. 5 I arose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. 6 I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer.

The Beloved comes knocking—Jesus pursues us!

I’ve gone through a lot to make this possible, why don’t you go ahead and open up? —>

The one she loves is here, and she’s got all kinds of feelings, but she doesn’t take action

Aside—too many times we’ve been content with warm and fuzzy feelings but not done anything or been obedient

Then she starts to make excuses. I’m already in the bed. I’ve taken off my robe and washed my feet.

When Jesus tries to call us to the deeper things—to intimacy—to be the lover of our soul instead of just a friend, too many times we have made excuses, too —>

Notice she gets up and goes to open the door—but delayed obedience is disobedience and He’s already gone. Shes missed this chance for intimacy —>

Her beloved was gone, her heart sank, she went looking for Him but did’t find him for sometime. In the later verses, she endure s a lot of pain and heartache because she didn’t open up.

When Jesus knocks and calls us to intimacy, we will miss out on that opportunity to experience him if we make excuses or delay.

We thrust ourselves into pain and heartache outside of intimacy with Him when we delay or avoid intimacy.

Conclusion

DTR (made popular early 2000s, Idleman in Not a Fan)

Are you an enemy (even if you thought you were a friend)?

Are you a friend? Have you friend-zoned Jesus even as he attempted to woo you to a more intimate relationship?

Or are you living in intimacy, walking with Jesus in His manifest presence, walking step-by-step with the Holy Spirit?

Wrap Up, Invitation