Maryville Moms

CH 42:  FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND HATERS

 

Read John 15:9-17.  Jesus is still preparing the disciples for what is to come after he departs.  The previous chapters and verses have been spent mostly comforting them, promising to send a Counselor (the Holy Spirit) and teaching them to bear fruit.   

Part 1:  “A body is not free to chose what other body parts it wishes to respond to, and neither is a Christian free to pick his or her spiritual friends.”  We are all part of one body, the body of Christ.  Our muscles must be coordinated.  To stay plugged into Jesus, we must obey.  The greatest commandment of all is John 15:12-13, “My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”   Jesus loved us enough to die for us.  We may not have to die for someone else to love them but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love.  In our lives as parents, the most valuable asset we have is time.  It’s hard to find and it’s hard to give.  We MUST make time to sacrifice ourselves for others:  listening, helping, encouraging, giving.  Whom do you find hardest to love?  We’re commanded to love everyone – believers and unbelievers, not just our friends.  I am sure that even the Manson Family exhibited love towards their friends and other ‘family’ members.  Loving the people you like is the easy part, even the most unChristlike person on the face of the earth can love his friends.  Think of someone specific who needs this kind of love and give all you can, and then give a little more. 

 

Part 2:  John 15:14-15 “You are my friends… I no longer call you servants… Instead, I have called you friends.”  Essentially, Jesus was telling the disciples that they had just finished their training course, that they were graduating.  He is no longer calling them servants and orphans, he is calling them his friends.  

 

Having a friend with influence is great.  You can call this friend with connections when you need him to pull some strings and score some tickets, or get you out of a ticket, or help you find a job.  Friendship is not for favors, that is just a benefit of the friendship.  Friendship is intimate.  With master-servant relationships, there is always a barrier.  Friends are close and share good times, and bad times.  Friends are also for sharing.  Verse 15 says, “Everything that I learned from my Father, I have made known to you.”  First we listen to what he wants to share, then we share with him. 

 

What does it mean to be a friend of Jesus?  How comforting and reassuring is it to know that Christ has chosen us as friends?!  Because he is Lord, we owe him our unqualified obedience, but most of all, Jesus asks us to obey him because we LOVE him.   

 

 

It’s so easy to forget that we are not the ones that did the choosing.  Usually, there is a moment of decision on our part, like choosing to follow Christ, but Christ’s call comes first.  He calls us to him.  He drew us to him before we were even aware of his action.  We are chosen.  Jesus picks us and then puts us to work – bear some fruit! 

 

What was God’s purpose in choosing us?  Um… well the answer is to bear some fruit, to glorify him.  Without HIS choice to choose us, we would have no choice to make!

 

Those are not gushy words of comfort.  We live in a hostile world.  We get cold shoulders.  We are in a family of love, but this family is filled with evil people.  We are evil.  If we weren’t evil by nature, we would not need God.  Those words are a little scary, but it’s also pretty comforting.  Jesus was PERFECT, and was hated.  Sooner or later, you will face opposition.  If you are never opposed as a Christian, are you really being bold and sharing your faith?  As we remain plugged in to him, his victory becomes ours.  1 John 5:4 says, “Everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 

 

What sort of difficulties have you had with the world?  Christians will get plenty of hatred from the world; from each other we need love and support.  Do not let small problems get in the way of loving other believers.  Jesus commands that we love them.  We have expectations of others, but because we are all evil, this expectations will occasionally (or frequently) be left unmet.  My God will never let me down, so I put my faith in Him.  After Wednesday 6/23, the podcast from this week’s sermon at the Vineyard will be available.  It goes right along with this lesson.  Touch Part 3.  Check it out here:  http://www.maryvillevineyard.com/sermons/.