Christ, The Faithful Friend
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- May 2, 2010
- Series: Back to Basics
Back to Basics: (Part XIV)
CHRIST, THE FAITHFUL FRIEND
John 15:13-17 (NIV):
13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his 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.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
17 This is my command: Love each other.
Since God has created us as social beings, it is quite natural for us to pursue friendships. I’m sure, today, there are people in your life that you consider as casual friends, and they are usually your acquaintances. Then, you also have close friends; these are the people you get to see on a regular basis. Lastly, there are those whom you trust the most, you refer to them as our best friends or our committed friends. There is no question that great friends are gifts of God to us because they can definitely boost our happiness in life.
I found this poem written by James Pleitz, A pastor from Dallas, Texas, entitled “Portrait of a friend.” Listen to the words:
When things don’t come right, he comes right in.
When none of your dreams come true, he remains true.
He never looks for money except when you’ve lost it.
He never gets in your way except to clear for you.
Nothing is so important to him than making you important.
He’s in your corner when you are cornered
He turns up when you get turned down.
All he wants in return for his helping is your handshake.
He never insists on seeing you except when nobody else wants to.
The only way he sponges you off is to absorb some of your troubles.
When you’re taking bows, he bows out
You can do anything you want with his friendship except buy it or sell it.
He makes you realize that having a real friend is like having an extra life.
All he asks of you is the privilege of deserving it.
Do you have friends like the one described in this poem? We all long for this kind of friendship, a friendship that would add value in our lives. When you go to the Bible, you would find great stories of friendship like that of Jonathan and David, Elijah and Elisha, or the friendship of Paul and Timothy. But, the best one is the friendship that is mentioned in our Scripture text this morning. What makes it very special is because it emphasizes the fact that Jesus wants to be our friend.
Now, think of that for a minute. First, why would a great being, the Son of God himself desire to be our friend? Second, can you imagine what this friendship can contribute to us? We have many friendships that had often become a burden to us than a blessing. We should never ignore the possibility of making Jesus Christ our friend. So, let’s take some time to examine this friendship and find out how we can positively benefit from it.
I. THE BEGINNING OF OUR FRIENDSHIP:
Does God consider man as a friend? Originally, after Adam and Eve were created, both of them have enjoyed the privilege of relating to God as His close friends. Unfortunately, their disobedience to God built a separation between them. They were not just thrown out of the Garden of Eden; both of them were punished to die. Do you know that death literally means separation?
- Physical death – separation of body from soul and spirit
- Spiritual death – separation of God and man
- Eternal death – eternal separation of man from God by going to hell.
However, because of God’s deep love towards man, he decided to initiate the restoration of their friendship. He gave His one and only Son to sacrifice His own life so He can pay the penalty of man’s sin. Verse 13 reads, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
This is truly a great act of sacrifice. You know why? The apostle Paul understood how awesome this sacrifice is:
Romans 5:6-10 (NIV):
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
10 For if, when 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!
We need to follow the logic of Paul to appreciate what he was actually saying. Think about this; first, how many of you have good friends? Paul was saying, if you have good friends, it is possible that if they need you to sacrifice your life to help them, you probably will do it. But the fact is: there is a big chance that you won’t. How about if it is for your enemy? There is absolutely no possibility!
Yet for Jesus Christ, because we matter so much to Him, despite of the fact that we are His enemies because of our sins, He endured the cruelest death on the cross in order that He can forgive us. So that, when we go to Him and surrender our hearts to Him He can treat us as His friends and give us eternal life. I hope none of us will miss this. He has already offered His life to be reconciled to us. We just have to decide and believe in Him. We all know this great passage:
John 3:16-17 (NIV):
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Remember, He had initiated the friendship, we should respond to Him.
II. THE BLESSINGS OF OUR FRIENDSHIP:
Choosing the right kinds of friends is always critical in our lives. The Bible is explicit about the truth that not all friends can affect us positively.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV):
33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."
We need to be extra careful with the friends we allow to influence us. It has been said that if you would interview the people who are addicted today to some destructive vices or people who are behind bars, majority of them would say, “They became like that because of wrong friends.” This is where the biggest contrast lies. Our friendship with Jesus Christ will surely result to some great blessings to us. Here are some of these blessings:
A. He Cares For Us: (v.13)
How many friends do you have who would really care about you to the extent that they are going to put their lives on the line for you? Well, Jesus did not hesitate to do that – “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Once you have taken Him as your friend, rest assured that He will be there for you. He is a friend who will never hesitate to share in your burdens. In fact, the Bible says, He will carry them for you.
Matthew 11:28 (NIV):
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
B. He Communes With Us: (v.15)
We all have to appreciate the words of Jesus Christ saying, “I no longer call you servants . . . Instead, I have called you friends.” To be His friend, He has elevated us to a position where He can commune with us. He is willing to treat us as a peer, someone who is equal with him. As a result, He has communicated the Father’s will to all of us.
The truth of the matter is: Jesus wants to have an intimate relationship with us. First, He accepts us as equal. There can never be intimacy between friends when you are not willing to do this. Second, He is not willing to hide any secrets from us. He shared to us His Father’s will. Communication is always the key to intimacy.
C. He Has Confidence In Us: (v. 16)
Genuine friendship is not only sharing and spending time together, it also leads to productivity. Notice verse 16, Jesus would show He trusts His friends by leading them a path of productivity – “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last.”
Beginning from verse 1 of chapter 15, Jesus has been talking about fruit bearing. He wants His friends to know that this is God’s will for them. But more than telling them, He also reveals to them that He is there to help them be able to accomplish God’s will for their lives. Clearly, our productivity depends so much on our reliance in Him.
John 15:5 (NIV):
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
D. He is Committed to us: (v.16)
I want you to see this truth implied in the idea of productivity. As Jesus leads us to the highest level productivity, we know it is not going to happen overnight. We have to go through a long process of development. Think of His disciples for example, I am amazed with His willingness to persevere with them despite all their shortcomings. He was not willing to forsake them in the midst of all their imperfections and failures.
We all know the three denials of Peter. How many of us will still take the time to help a friend who has openly denied us? Jesus, because of His love for him remained faithful to him. Likewise, He remains faithful to us despite of all the hurts we have caused Him. Here is a great verse on friendship that is true with our friendship with Christ:
Proverbs 18:24 (NIV):
24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Indeed, He is a friend that can stick to us whatever happens, and he sticks to us even closer than a brother would. Let’s not forget that we are the recipients of great blessings when we choose Him to be our friend.
III. THE BOND IN OUR FRIENDSHIP: (v.13-14, 17)
Great friendships must be sustained in the bond of love. Jesus has demonstrated His love for us by going to the cross. We in return can show our love for Him by living a life of obedience and productivity.
Verse 14 states it plainly – “You are my friends if you do what I command.” If you back track a little bit in verse 10, he said the same thought with a slight difference, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.” Truthfully, there is no way you can say that you love the Lord without obeying him.
Lastly, let me also emphasize productivity. We should all recognized that serving the Lord and living a life of productivity is also another way we show our love to Him. If you don’t believe me, examine the conversation Jesus had with Peter after the resurrection. Peter had returned to fishing and Jesus met up with him to restore him back to productivity:
John 21:15-17 (NIV):
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16 Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
How many times did Peter denied Jesus? Peter was also asked three times if he loves the Lord. Every time he verbalized his love, Jesus pointed him to his ministry. Clearly, we show our love to Him by being faithful to our ministries, by staying productive for our Lord.
How is your life today? Is Christ your friend already? We live in a world where it is so difficult to find a good friend. Jesus wants to be that friend for us. If He is already your friend, have you truly appreciated your friendship with Him? Do you still pursue Him seriously, showing Him you really love Him? I hope and pray that we all realize that there is truly no friend like Him.