Friend
Theme Verse: "Who do you say that I am?" Matthew 16:15
Readings: John 15:9-17; John 11:1-15, 33-38; Matthew 11:19; Exodus 33:10-11; Isaiah 41:8
Memory Verse: "There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24 His name is Jesus! (Pre-K to grade 3)
How would you describe what it means to have a friend? to be a friend? What does it mean to have Jesus as a friend?
First, let's look at some people in the Bible who were called friends of God. Abraham: King Jehoshaphat refers to Abraham as God's friend in his prayer to God for help. (2 Chronicles 20:7). In Isaiah 41:8 God speaks to the prophet Isaiah, "But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendents of Abraham, my friend." (Also James 2:23) Moses: "Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent of meeting, they all stood and worshipped each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." (Exodus 33:10-11) (See vs. 1-14 for more of the story.) Lazarus: In the story of the raising of Lazarus it is clear that he, Martha and Mary were friends of Jesus as well as his disciples. (John 11:1-15, 33-38) What was there about these people that God would call them friends?
Now look at God's original purpose in creating us human beings. Before people chose to follow their own desires (SIN) rather than obey God, Adam, Eve and God spent time together daily as friends. (Genesis 3:1-13)
"And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3:8) A word received: My heart's desire is to walk with you, to be a companion and a friend.
"Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, 'Where are you?'" (Genesis 3:9) A word received: I called to him then and I call to you now. I desire to have you come to me.
In sending Jesus to pay the cost for our sins, He (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) made it possible for us to become children of God, to be friends of God, children of our Heavenly Father. God longs for us to turn to him, spend time with him, obey him and be his friends. The only way you can be friends with your Creator, who made you, is to do things his way--obey him, choose him. Once I read about the Bible being called the "Manufacturer's Handbook".
So what does it mean when Jesus is called "a friend of tax collectors (very corrupt) and sinners"? (Matthew 11:19) Jesus sought these people out and spent time with them because they knew they were sinners who needed help! The trouble with many of the religious leaders was that they didn't know their need of God, or their need for his forgiveness. Romans 5:6-11 tells us that God demonstrates his love for us "when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him, through the death of his Son" (vs.10) "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (vs.8).
In John 15:9-17, Jesus says something new to his disciples the night before he died on the cross. He not only gives them an example of how to be both servants and leaders but then he says this astonishing thing, "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. You did not choose me but I chose you --to go and bear fruit." (vs.15-16).. We are called to be both servants to Jesus, our Lord, and friends. What would be the characteristics of this kind of friendship?
How does Jesus define friendship? "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. 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" (vs.9-10). What command? "My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. " The word for LOVE all through this passage is agape, the kind of love God has for us--not indulgent or just a nice feeling but caring for us and doing whatever is best us for us. (Did you ever as a child resent someone telling you, "I did it for your own good" or "I did it because I love you.") We are to love each other they way Jesus loves us!!!
Jesus refers to his death on the cross for us, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lays down his life for his friends."(vs.15). Then comes the punch line, "You are my friends IF you do what I command."(vs.14). "Laying down our lives" for Jesus means doing what God wants us to do, perhaps something we might not want to do but we do it for him. Remember what we learned before, being a friend of the King is not just being buddies. We have the privilege of a close relationship but there are conditions--doing things his way. "Laying down your life for a friend" can be many things. It means serving the other person and sticking by them no matter what happens. What else do you think it can mean?
Being Jesus' friend and servant could be difficult and costly sometimes. Remember how Jesus told Peter after the Resurrection how Peter would someday die a martyr's death. (John 21:17-19) Jesus told Paul how many things he (Paul) would suffer for him as Paul followed him. (Acts9:15-16) Sometimes Jesus calls people to be far away from their families or to choose between family and friends and Jesus. It is not always easy but Jesus will always be there with you and help you. You will never be alone and you can know his joy (vs.11) in the midst of difficulties. See Memory Verse.
"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24) A word received: I AM that friend. Turn to me and receive my friendship. I will stick with you through everything.
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you." (Isaiah 43:2a) A word received: I will stick with you through everything. I AM with you.
One of the risks of friendship is that sometimes a friend can let you down or betray you. That happened to Jesus with Judas, who betrayed Jesus with a kiss of friendship. But Jesus still reached out to him with the word "friend" (Luke 22:48).
"Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." (Proverbs 27:6) A word received: Judas betrayed me with a kiss; yet I called him "Friend." There is a risk in friendship -- only a friend can truly wound you, but life without friendship is a loss terrible to think about. Turn to me for guidance in your friendships. I want you to teach the children that not everyone who calls you "Friend," is a friend. Turn to me for guidance. Look to me when there are wounds in your friendships. (Matthew 26:49-50) Proverbs 27:6 warns that a friend might hurt you with a difficult truth but an enemy could gush all over you and then betray you. Jesus will never betray us but sometimes, like Peter we can get in a tight spot and pretend we don't know him. Think how that wounds Jesus heart!
Jesus promises those who choose to follow him that he will be with us always--even to the ends of the earth. (Matthew 28:20). "Surely I will be with you always, even to the ends of the earth(or the end of the world)"
"These things he said, and after that he said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.'" (John 11:11) A word received: I wept for my friend Lazarus; I wept for my friends Mary and Martha. I weep for your sorrows and griefs. I AM a friend who sticks with you even when you think you are all alone. (John 11:35)
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