Jesus Our Friend

TEXT: John 15:14, 15

TITLE: JESUS OUR FRIEND

Before we begin the message this morning we need to have a better understanding of what it means to say that Jesus is our friend. According to Webster’s Dictionary a friend is:

1. A person whom one knows well and is fond of; intimate associate; close acquaintance.

2. A person on the same side in a struggle; one who is not an enemy or foe; ally.

3. A supporter or sympathizer.

4. Something thought of as like a friend in being helpful; reliable, etc.

With this definition let’s examine each one of these characteristics of a friend and see how Jesus fulfills each and every one of them.

A FRIEND IS A PERSON WHOM ONE KNOWS WELL AND IS FOND OF; INTIMATE ASSOCIATE AND A CLOSE AQUAINTANCE.

To see how well our Lord knows us, let us consider Psalm 139:1-18:

“(1) O LORD, You have searched me and known me. (2) You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thought afar off. (3) You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. (4) For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. (5) You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. (6) Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. (7) Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? (8) If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. (9) If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, (10) Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. (11) If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," even the night shall be light about me; (12) Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You. (13) For You formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. (14) I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. (15) My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. (16) Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. (17) How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! (18) If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You.”

Is it possible for anyone to know us better than that, that even our thoughts are before Him?

Jesus Is Fond Of Us

As we read the Scriptures, we come to realize that in spite of our weaknesses and failings, God is not just fond of us but loves us more than we can imagine. The Holy Spirit beautifully expresses this to us in Romans 5:6-8 – “(6) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. (8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Expanding upon this a little bit more, let us consider what Jesus told His disciples and now us in John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Jesus laid down His earthly life to save us from our sins and provide us eternal life.

In addition to knowing us and loving us, Jesus is an Intimate associate of ours.

In reading the Bible we find that after Jesus died, rose and ascended into Heaven He did not leave us to fend for ourselves. No, what Jesus did was send the Holy Spirit to live and dwell inside the born again believer. He did this so that through the Holy Spirit, He (Jesus) would always be intimately associated with you and I. To see this let us consider what Jesus said to prepare His disciples for His upcoming death and resurrection.

John 14:15-20 – “(15) If you love Me, keep My commandments. (16) And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—(17) the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (18) I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (19) A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. (20) At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”