The Friends of Jesus: Volume 2 (Life-Changing Bible Story Series)

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Both women were kind and faithful disciples of Jesus, but their characters and temperaments differed. Yes, we have a friend in Jesus, but the question I want to ask: Does Jesus have a friend in me? Am I the friend of Jesus? Lesson 4) We notice how different the temperaments of true Christians may be. The two sisters in this lesson were faithful disciples. And in friendship with Jesus, there is also challenge. Because of course this isn’t a friendship of equals. And so, we, the friends of Jesus, are also to be obedient to him: ‘You are my friends if you do what I command’ (John 15:14, emphasis added). Obedience doesn’t make us friends of God, but our obedience flows out of our friendship with him. (Just as Jesus’ obedience to the Father doesn’t make him God’s Son, but it flows out of his position as the son. See John 15:10.) Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1976". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018 . Retrieved October 30, 2017.

In experiencing and living into this kind of love, the disciples would not only be called servants and children of God, but also friends. A friend was one who knew Jesus, who knew his love and the plans that he had for them. They had lived with Jesus and received his revelation. Jesus entrusted them with his words, his Spirit, and his kingdom. What an amazing gift! And he offers it to us, just as he did the disciples. Just as He stated when He gave His new commandment (John 13:34), so here Jesus repeats, “… just as I have loved you.” Jesus’ love for us is most vividly seen at the cross, where He offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 5:2). We can define Jesus’ love as “a self-sacrificing, caring commitment that shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved.” The highest good for all people is that they would have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. And, once a person has come to know Christ, his highest good is that he be conformed to the image of Christ. Those goals should be our aim in all of our relationships. A solid theology of friendship finds its foundation and models in the Gospels, especially the Gospel of St. John. There, in the Johannine Gospel, the unique innovation of the Christian understanding of friendship emerges and shows the eternal and holy way, beyond all temporal alliances of profit and politics. The Gospel of St. John proclaims the profound truth that friendship with God, through trusting and following Jesus, serves as the basis for all authentic friendships. The Blessed Trinitarian God is the ground of all being, including friendship, and of perfect happiness and communion. Moore, Addie (April 28, 2020). "How C.W. McCall's 'Convoy' Became a Cultural Phenomenon". Wide Open Country . Retrieved May 5, 2023. Friendships are also relationships of openness. We cultivate true friendship when we are open and honest. As we share with one another, intimacy is fostered, hearts are united. Openness creates connection, and the gospel allows openness. We can be open, even about our weaknesses and our failings, because we know that we are always loved and accepted. We need not feel ashamed, because Jesus says that we are his friends. Of all people, we as friends of Jesus should have the freedom to be open in our friendships with others. The challenge of Jesus on friendshipOr more importantly, what does it mean when He calls us His friends? We have over simplified and sermonized endlessly on the question, skirting all around the issue but never getting to the point. We have reduced the profound concept of becoming His "friends" to the shallow notion of being His "buddies."

Now we have the Holy Spirit and the Spirit-inspired Word of God to reveal to us all that we need to know for life and godliness (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:9-13; 2 Pet. 1:3-4). If you know Christ, you know things that the most brilliant scientists and philosophers in the world don’t understand! You know the living and true God, who spoke the universe into existence! You know His plan for history. You know how to have your sins forgiven. You know why He put you on this planet. You know that you will spend eternity with Him in glory. You know how He wants you to conduct yourself in all of life’s difficult situations. All of this and more is revealed to us in God’s inspired Word! John was eventually released from exile on the island of Patmos and returned to pastoral ministry. Church history reports that much of his time was then spent in Ephesus, where he is still buried in a tomb. John is a man who really lived and really walked with Jesus. In 2000, Priceline aired a television commercial featuring actor William Shatner performing the song with altered lyrics about the company's services.Martha was disturbed by the fact that Mary seemed to have no concern about helping her to prepare and serve the meal—and in a mood of desperation, she came to Jesus and lamented the fact that Mary had left her with the work of food preparation. Martha said in essence, “Doesn’t it seem unfair to you that Mary just sits here while I do all the work?” Martha said to Jesus, “Bid her therefore to help me” (verse 40). In the warm climate of Palestine, a dead body would decompose rapidly, so the bodies of those who died were often buried the same day as the day of death. Lazarus had been dead four days by the time Jesus arrived. Jesus and His disciples were on the other side of the Jordan River when they received the news about Lazarus. The journey to Bethany meant traveling more than 20 miles (all by walking). The road to Bethany involved climbing from more than 1,000 feet below sea level, to an altitude of 2,700 feet above sea level. It took a long, long day of difficult up-grade walking to get from Jericho to Bethany. Before we look at these characteristics, you need to know that Jesus is not automatically your friend or everyone’s friend. You especially need to know this if you’re inclined to think that you’re His friend because you’re a good person. The Bible teaches that by nature we’re all God’s enemies because He is holy and we all have sinned (see Rom. 8:7; James 4:4; 1 Pet. 5:5). The bad news is that you can’t have a worse enemy than God, because He always wins! And what will these friendships look like? I think Jesus has already shown us. Friendships are relationships of love – genuine love, expressed love, love enacted through self-sacrifice. Is that how we view friendship? Is that the sort of friendships we seek to cultivate? Often we don’t. Perhaps we think we don’t need them. Perhaps we fear we’ll be misunderstood if we love our friends too deeply. Perhaps we just don’t want the disruption. But if friendships are about the love of self-sacrifice, perhaps they should be disruptive. There’s a cost to laying down our lives for others. Real love costs something, and real love is what Jesus calls us to in friendship.