What A Friend I Have

What A Friend I Have

“This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you.” John 15:12

Intro: Jesus knows that his earthly life is coming to an end.

Soon he will go to Jerusalem and the crucifixion.

Jesus is giving his beloved disciples some instructions to abide in love.

To show the same kind of love that is shared between a loving Father and a loving Son.

What kind of love was that?

The Father’s love did not keep Jesus from suffering.

The Father’s love did not keep Jesus from feeling forsaken and alone.

The Father’s love did not keep Jesus from dying a shameful death on the cross.

Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.” John 15:9

If Jesus is going to allow me to suffer,

forsaken me

and leave me alone and let me die a shameful death…

With friends like that who needs enemies?

It is a good thing Jesus goes on with the next verses or we would never understand what he is talking about.

“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.” John 15:13-14

Today I want to talk about “What A Friend I Have in Jesus…, And What A Friend I Have in You.

A pastor preached his a sermon from the text,

“Love one another.”

The people were pleased.

The next Sunday the pastor preached the exact same sermon from the exact same text,

“Love one another.”

The people were surprised.

When the pastor preached the same sermon the third week from the same text ,

The people were angry.

The Staff Parish Relations chairperson called the pastor with the obvious question,

“Why do you preach the same sermon every week?”

The pastor replied, “When the congregation learns to practice this one, I’ll write a new one.”

Love, love, love, love.

Let’s talk some more about this. It is really important.

+SLIDE+

AS THE FATHER HAS LOVED ME, SO HAVE I LOVED YOU. ABIDE IN MY LOVE.

To abide is to remain, to linger, to tarry.

We learn to love one another because we first have been loved by God.

Love is an experience before it is an expression.

One reason we are such feeble lovers of others

is because we have yet to really grasp or experience the depth of God’s love for us.

If we are going to love one another,

the first thing we need to do is to abide in God’s love.

Abide in love.

How can we do that?

We get in touch with God’s love through WORSHIP.

If worship were a matter of music, we could attend a concert.

If worship were a matter of entertainment, we could go to a movie.

If worship were a matter of excitement, we could go to a ball game.

If worship were a matter of rest, we could stay home and sleep.

But, worship is a matter of meeting with God.

It is the place where God and people get together.

I am convinced that if I am going to be a faithful disciple,

I have to find ways and means to be consistent and persistent in my relationship with Jesus.

Relationships don’t grow through hit and miss…, on and off…, here and there.

Relationship grow through consistent and persistent interaction.

You cannot be a vital Christian if you do not find ways to be involved in worship.

Worship is the heartbeat of our friendship with God.

+SLIDE+

FRIENDS DARE TO FORGIVE.

Yes, love does mean having to say you are sorry.

Yes, love does include your enemies.

No, love does not keep a record of wrongs.

No, love does not seek revenge.

Forgiveness is the oil that lubricates the human machine.

Without it, all of life becomes hot and screaky.

Friends forgive because forgiveness fits faulty people.

Jesus forgives us and so we forgive.

Forgiveness sets us free.

The person feeling free is the one doing the forgiving.

There is so much to the concept of friendship.

The actual definition is one a kin. Friendship means like family.

Of course if your family is like many others, there are family members you don’t have much in common with.

But there are some things that friends and family do represent that the bible tries to teach us about.

The book of Job tells the story of a good man, overwhelmed by troubles.

+SLIDE+

“When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.” Job 2:11-13