What A Friend We Have In Jesus

All year I have been dealing with the subject of Love. I went to God and asked why still. And he told me, stop and take a moment and look and think about love and what it entails. We have heard folk profess love in love songs and writings and in attempts to get someone to understand the depth of their profession of love, “I’d die for you”. Some of us may have even said it to our spouse or loved ones, you know baby “I love you, and I would die for you”

But would we really? Well I want to challenge you to look at the scripture where Jesus is talking to his folk. I challenge you to understand the level of his friendship to us. I challenge you to absorb the level of his love. Then I compel you to comprehend what he expects of us.

Jesus died so that we might live. Jesus came so that we might have a chance to go. Jesus sacrificed so that we might have salvation – Wonder friendship. Jesus loved us enough to be convicted for our crimes. Jesus loved us enough to go to the garden and await his captors so that we the captives could be set free. Jesus loved us enough to hang on the cross so that he could be lifted up from the earth and draw all men unto him.

Jesus expects us to die for him if we are his friend. No greater love can be shown. But he is not speaking of a physical death. He is telling us to let our sinful lives go. Release our wordly ways – let flesh die so that we can become closer to him. Turn to someone and tell them What a Friend I have In Jesus, How about You?

When we think of a friend, we think of someone who we can count on. Someone we can call in the midnight hour. Someone who we trust with our secrets. Someone we know will be there for us through thick and thin. Someone who would be willing to feed you when you are hungry. Someone who can tell you when you are wrong but still love you. When we think of a friend we think of someone who has our back. Somebody who won’t let someone destroy you. Someone who will stand in the gap for you. Anyone who says they are a friend but will not help you when you need help or support you when you need support or comfort you when you need comfort I got to tell you is not really a friend. Now I have a friend who will do all of these things and then some! Look what he told his boys. “I love you so much I will lay my life down for you!” What a friend we have in Jesus. Someone who left his heavenly mansion to be born in a lowly manger. Someone who left a place of peace to be in a place of chaos and confusion. A man who left a life of being exalted to come to a place where he would be rejected. A wonderful friend!

Now someone may be sitting here and asking themselves, well how do you get a friend like Jesus, and I would have to simply respond, get to know Him.

I don’t mean like a guy you may have bumped into on the street. A mere acquaintance. Someone in the office you have Lunch. Or someone you say hello to at the church on Sunday morning. I talking about a relationship that is closer then a brother. I am talking about understanding the benefits of His love and the mercy of the cross and the importance of having a fellowship with Him that will lead us to the Cross”.

We have begun the season of celebrating the importance of the Cross. A place where the love of Jesus was exemplified. The Cross-is a place of death, but also a place that Life can start anew.

This is because His love was so great for you and I that He laid His life down for all Humanity. What A friend we have in Jesus!

No man can give a greater gift then to lay down his life John 15:13 state “Greater love has no

Jesus was speaking of the present time. For his whole life lived was only to one end, His Death on the Cross on Golgotha’s. Who else would do that??? Heck there are times we are to unary to speak to the person sitting next to us, no less die for them. But if you actually took time out to get to know Jesus, we would spend more time trying to be like Him. Have you ever wondered why there seems to be a stifle on the growth of the church? Well are we letting people know we are a friend of Jesus? Are our actions showing them that we are more than a mere acquantence of His word. Are our ways an indication that we understand the benefits of the cross and we cling to them. Do our words show someone that we love Jesus because he is a friend who will go with us to the end. If someone new visited our church this weekend, you know the one that had been turned out of every other church because of the way they looked, or smelled; and sat down right beside one of us, would we welcome that person or would we lean over and ask Sis. Burn Ann, “Who is that or what are they doing here?