Jesus Christ, Our Ultimate Friend Good morning. In making our plans for 2007 we designated today as Friend & Family Day. Today is a day we want to set aside to specifically examine God’s word for our Friendships and Families. So this morning our lesson is Jesus Christ - Our Ultimate Friend, and this evening we will study together Jesus’ Church - Our Ultimate Family. To reinforce our understand and appreciation of the friendship and family ties we share with God Himself. So to begin this morning, let’s go to John 15, and read how Jesus defines our friendship… Jesus Christ, Our Ultimate Friend

Jesus Defines Our Friendship “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15 Slavery & Friendship Contrasted The Primary Difference Is The Loving Communication Master/Slave relationship - Go plow that field! Master/Friend relationship - The Master sits down at the beginning of the work day and gathers his servants to tell them: I want to make sure my family has all the food we need, and has plenty of extra to share with the poor and helpless in our community. So I want to plant 10 rows of corn, and 10 rows of potatoes, and 10 rows of beans, and 10 rows of tomatoes, etc… so go plow that field and I promise you that you will enjoy every blessing in my household. We all immeditatly see the difference. In fact, we practically expect that kind of work relationship in our everyday jobs. But those jobs are with other humans. What is phenomenal about the theology of this passage, is that we are not just reading about a man sitting down and instructing his disciples. We are reading about GOD HIMSELF who has come down to earth, and engaged the creatures He created in communication - as a friend! Jesus is sitting down and telling the apostles, I’m not treating you like mindless slaves. I’m not a dictator barking out orders and cracking the whip. I’m a friend calling on you to serve me as friends always do. No matter what else we might say about Jesus as our friend, the primary meaning of this verse is that HE HAS RADICALLY DEFINED our relationship to HIM AS OUR GOD and our FRIEND in loving and friendly terms that we should treasure, respect, and respond to. With that understanding…lets see what else he has communicated in the heart of this powerful chapter.

A Friend Like No Other The Most Loving The Most Abiding Vs. 9 The Most Abiding Vs. 10 The Most Joyous Vs. 11 The Most Caring Vs. 12 The Most Sacrificial Vs. 13 The Most Forgiving Vs. 14 The Most Open Vs. 15 The Most Fruitful Vs. 16 The Most Consistent Vs. 17 The Most Honest Vs. 18-27 Not just a best friend, an ultimate friend. A friend who is the most extreme example of friendship possible. STRENGTH: He Builds Friendships With Love - John 15:9 - Love that is of the same pure nature, as the Father has for the Son. Love that is not driven by self-serving motives, but by seeking our best. We see this trait throughout the chapter. He Builds Friendship To Last - John 15:10 Some friendships you know will only last for a while. My college room mate my freshmen year: we agreed to get along and respect each other’s space. But never formed a lasting friendship. Jesus wants this relationship to be different. He wants our friendship to be abiding. To not be just for a year, not even for just a lifetime. Jesus is extending to us a friendship that will last through eternity. He Builds Friendships Full of Joy - John 15:11 - He wants us to experience HIS JOY. Think about what that means for a moment. Really great friends like to share experiences together. If you have dinner at a wonderful restaurant, you tell your friend “You’ve gotta try that place.” Because you want them to enjoy it as much as you did. Well, Jesus has done something that has brought HIM INCREDIBLE JOY - He has lived loving God with all his heart and loving his neighbors as himself - and it has FILLED HIM WITH JOY! He has experienced the joy that can only be found in pleasing the Father and producing fruit in the Kingdom of God. Now he wants us to know that same irreplaceable joy. Jesus knows us so well that He knows it is the only way our capacity for Joy will ever really be full. DEPTH: He truly cares: He cares so much about us, that he not only wants us to have a great friendship with Him, He wants us to have great relationships with each other. Growing up I generally refered to my friends as my: “School Friends” and my “Church Friends.” Sometimes you may talk with your family and tell them about a “Friend from Work” or a “Friend from College” or a Friend from “back home” We tend to break our friendships out into groups…but aren’t the happiest times in our lives, when all of our friends are together in one place, enjoying each other’s company. This usually happens at big anniversary parties, where people from various parts of your life all come together to celebrate. And when things go just right. They actually all get along. Jesus wants our friendships to be this way as well. To not just love Him - but to love each other too! Deep Enough To Help His Friends Get Along - John 15:12, 17 EXTEND OF HIS LOVE…Shown in his sacrifice. No friend has ever loved us like this before. Not so fully, so completely. Even if your life has been saved by a friend, no friend has been able to give you life, fill your life, and even save your soul. There’s just no other friend like Jesus. Deep Enough To Sacrifice For His Friends - John 15:13 Deep Enough To Open Up To His Friends - John 15:14-15 “all things” He had performed his job in giving all that it was right for him to reveal. HEALTH: In His Choices - Vs. 16a - HE CHOOSE US! He didn’t just walk across the room at a potluck and say hi. He left heaven in order to fully introduce Himself. This was a big choice! In His Plans - Vs. 16b - He knew what He was looking for in His friends. He is looking for people who will help HIS PERFECT DIVINE AND HOLY WILL be accomplished on earth. In His Hopes - Vs. 16c - He has great hopes for our friendships. He is looking toward the future of our friendship and sees enduring blessings in our lives. In His Promises - Vs. 16d - He is committed. He is telling us upfront the pleasure of being His friend and is expressing His desire to share the treasures of heaven! CONSISTENT: You see that He is still re-inforcing the same simple principles. He’s not a fickel frined that wants one thing one minute and something else the next. He knows what is important to Him and he is clear about it. This is a trait we often take for granted in our friends until we find it missing. Until we have a friend that is unreliable, confusing, and flakey. Then we really appreciate our consistent and dependable friends. Honest: This section beings to cover the cost of Friendship, and it another whole lesson, but notice what the existense of this section says about Jesus! He tells us the cost upfront. Satan calls us to have a friendship with Him, and LIES, LIES, LIES about the cost. Satan tells us we can have our cake and eat it too, only to watch our sins blow up in our face, ruin our lives, and condemn our soul. Jesus is differnet. Jesus tells us the blessings of accepting His friendship, but he is totally upfront about what it will cost us. The trials we will have to endure.. The persecution, rejection, and isolation from the world. NOW THAT is a friend!

Jesus Christ, Our Ultimate Friend There is a country song that came out this summer called “You find out who your friends are” TRACY LAWRENCE You find out who your friends are Somebody's gonna drop everything Run out and crank up their car Hit the gas, get there fast Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far’ They just show on up with their big old heart That’s the way it is with Jesus - Seeing us in the turmoil of sin. He walked away from everything, not thinking about himself, not thinking about the journey, but showing up with the heart of a friend. As our most amazing friend, and our most inspirational friend, Jesus proves himself to simply be our ULTIMATE FRIEND. What we have to consider, is what Kind of Friend have be been to him…have I neglected to value the wisdom and comfort Jesus offers. Have I rejected his love and sacrifice…Have I put him off. Like a friend you know you need to talk to,, but you keep on avoiding… He wants you to build an amazing friendship with you…He has already laid down his life to make it possible. Please come to Him this morning. We’ll be happy to pray with you, or if you’ve never been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, we’ll be happy to do even that, this morning. Just don’t reject or neglect this amazing friend any longer. Come while we stand and sing. Jesus Christ, Our Ultimate Friend