February 21, 2010E. I CALL YOU FRIENDS.

St. Jn. 15:12-27

You need Adobe Flash Player to hear this sermon.
Click here to get Adobe Flash Player

Review:

1. This morning Jesus taught us that He was the Vine, His Father was the Husbandman, and we are the branches.
2. And if we don’t bear fruit we will be cut off, and thrown into the fire. I take that as pretty blunt, and to the point. However, the gospel that the Bible teaches us about, consists of love, mercy, and forgiveness. So it is going to take someone very careless to miss the joys of heaven.
3. God will work with us, help us in any way we need help, to see that we don’t miss it, so hang on, and stay for the duration of the trip.

Let’s see if we can’t finish chapter 15 this evening.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF BELIEVERS TO EACH OTHER:

(12) This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (13) Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (14) Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (15) Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. (16) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. (17) These things I command you, that ye love one another.

· Again the Lord teaches us just how important it is to love one another.

· It is a commandment to us.

· This is the amazing thing about the Lord. He acknowledges at the foot washing that He is their Lord, and that He is worthy to be served. Joh 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. However, He had such a Spirit, that He didn’t thrive on being called Master, and Lord. Notice what He says;

· “I call you friends, not servants.” And truly servants is what we should consider ourselves, to everyone. Jesus is bringing Himself down to the common mans level. This is the Lord of Glory, the great I Am, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Yet He condescends to the lowly position that we are, as He calls us friends. I see a humility, and Spirit here that cannot be matched by anyone.

· Paul had a similar Spirit when he corrected Peter for his aloofness with the gentiles. When he told the Ephesian elders that he had not shunned to declare unto them the whole gospel of God. When he told the people that were ready to worship him after being bit by the snake. “Don’t worship us, we are men with like passions as you have, worship God.”

· Jesus never ask anyone to bow, and kiss His ring. He never ask anyone to call Him Reverend, or Right Reverend. He never thought of us common people as the laity. He called us friends.

· The Scriptures teach us that because we are adopted children of God, we are joint heirs with Christ. John tells us “what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the Sons of God.”

· Jesus calls us friends, and that is so wonderfully amazing to me. Isn’t it easy to love, and respect Him?

THE RELATIONSHIP OF BELIEVERS TO THE WORLD:

(18) If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. (19) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

• This is a tough one. None of us want to be hated by anyone, especially those we are trying to win to the Lord.
• Yet, we cannot compromise our calling. 2Co 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. (18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
• Jesus ate, and drank with the sinners, but only for the purpose of letting them know that God loved them, and that there was a better live awaiting them.
• We cannot allow satan to lure, or trick us back into the worldly way of life.

(20) Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you;

• Paul said; 2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

• If they have persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.
• I don’t know about you, but I feel persecuted when I can’t pray in public school.
• I feel persecuted when I can’t see a manger scene at Christmas around our public buildings.
• I feel persecuted when the world warns me, and tries to tell me what to preach. But I trust the Lord that if this time ever comes I will have enough of the Spirit that I can stand with the Apostles, and tell the world, “ I have a friend, and He it is that tells me what to teach, and preach, and nobody else. Persecute away, for this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue, the angels beckon me from heavens golden shore, and I don’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

• My sheep hear my voice, and another they will not follow. As long as we continue to speak His words His sheep will continue to hear His voice, and will long to see Him face to face one day.

(21) But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. (22) If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. (23) He that hateth me hateth my Father also. (24) If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. (25) But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

• Oh what a statement of judgment on these Jews. They saw Him, they heard Him, they killed Him. But this had to come to pass so the Scripture would be fulfilled, “they hated me without cause.” Psa.109:3.

THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

(26) But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (27) And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

Luke recorded it like this:

Luk 24:46-49 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: (47) And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (48) And ye are witnesses of these things. (49) And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

And then:

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Friends, you and I also will be witnesses for the Lord when we are filled with His glorious Spirit. Don’t gloat, just enjoy, and function. Praise His holy name.