No Longer...

John 15:15

“No longer do I call you servants,

for the servant does not know what his master is doing;

but I have called you friends,

for all

that I have heard from my Father

I have made known to you.”

We have an interesting position before God, and God uses the many different relationships in culture and society, or in creation to help us understand it as parts instead of a whole. We are His beloved, but not only that. We are His unprofitable servants, but not only that. We are His brother or sister, but not only that. And how wonderful to know we are His friend. I think God must have to break it down that way because we probably wouldn't be able to grasp it as a whole. And why does He call us friend? The reason is wonderful. Because He has told us everything He heard from His Father, not some, but all.

Who do you tell your deepest thoughts and plans to? You're friend. Who do you tell what your Heavenly Father is doing in your life? Your friends right.

But more than just calling them friends, I think Jesus is really being a friend, because He didn't hold back the truth. Am I being a friend in this area of my life? I hate to say it, but this is an area I struggle with, again I really don't like to make others uncomfortable. And sometimes telling the truth does that. But good friends now how to speak truth into your life in a way that does not threaten, or put us on the defense. I only know this because I have been lucky enough to have one or two friends who could do this. I wish I could remember where the verse is, I think it is a proverbs, or psalms, but I think it applies here so I will quote it as best I can from memory, “The rebuke of a friend is better than the kisses of an enemy.”

The rebuke of Jesus is better than the kisses of the devil. An enemy will pretend to be your friend in order to destroy you. But a friend will tell you the truth even if it means looking like an enemy.

So a friend will tell you what he is doing, and he will tell you the truth.

A friend will also choose you. How many friendship have you had last where someone would be you're acquaintance and it stops there? Why? They did not really want to know you, even if you choose a friend that friend may never respond and choose you. In verse 16 Jesus says He chose His disciples. And Jesus chose us, that is a huge comfort. But as the disciples had make the choice so do we. You can see this if you contrast Peter and Judas Iscariot. Judas responded, but it was with betrayal. Peter try to follow Jesus and ended up denying Him. Judas gave up and hung himself. Peter Went back to fishing, but Jesus called Him again and Peter responded. I think everyone here has responded, or else you would not be at ignite. Looking back at verse 13 we see the ultimate form of friendship and love. Is it marriage? No. Jesus says that a friend lays down his life for his friends, and that this is the greatest form of love. Every day as friend with Jesus we are to lay down our lives, even as he laid down His life for us. Not only that but in verse 12 he commanded us to love each other with the same love with which He loved us. We are to Continually lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

There are so many other ways to describe friendship, it is a wonderful and intimate thing we have with Jesus. We are His servants, but we are also servants known and loved so well by our master that He calls us friends. I must note there is one condition to this friendship, that is to do whatsoever Jesus commands us. It says in another place of the bible The work of God is to believe on the one Whom He has sent. But in context Jesus is commanding us to love as He loved. We cannot do this ourselves, it is a supernatural love that comes when we believe, confess, repent, and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Application

Love My Brothers and Sisters as Christ Loved me.

How?

Today I will show love to my room mates by doing one act of service for them of their choosing.