Jn 15:13 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.
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.
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;
if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because
they know not him that sent me.
INTRO: I want to share with you part of our tip last weekend.
I missed you!
We visited Greg and attended his Church.
We, I was a bit apprehensive. I was sure the church was too big for everyone
to talk, speak, sing, and sit up front-- or in the back, to know everyone,
and I was most certain that it was too large to be friendly.
Even tho everyone was shaking hands,
smiling, and talking as we entered (just on time), I was sure they were
just pretending, faking, being ostentatious. I am confident they were not
really a friendly as they certainly appeared.
Even tho their music and songs were
lively, worshipful, moving and LOUDLY SUNG…WITH ENTHUSIASM -- I am sure
they were simply putting on a show just to impress some other visitors
and me. I am sure all those clapping and the few raising their hands were
only doing so to wave at gnats or bugs or maybe just to show off and look
IMPORTANT for the people around them they were wanting to impress. I am
confident there were just there because they had to be, they probably wanted
to be elsewhere, and they were just as uncomfortable as I was!
And the PREACHER! In his fancy suit….
He wanted to tell us something about prayer. How could he know anything
about prayer. The pastor of a big church, why would he have to pray anyway?
What could he share that could be on my level? Of course, he did tell us
it was something about what Christ talked about…The Lord's Prayer of something
like that.
And after the service…All those people
were standing around talking not rushing for the door. I mean there was
somewhere around 1000 people ther. It was going to take forever to get
out. Come on Greg, let's get out of here while we can!
I really had desired to visit Liberty
Free Will Baptist., but Greg wanted us to see his church. I suggested the
early service. He shot that down. Not only it was earlier, but he said
he did not know hardly anyone in that service.
So as I pondered this, I asked my
self what had attracted him to such a church anyway? FRIENDS. HE HAD AND
HAS FRIENDS THAT GO THERE.
Today I want to talk about friends. HOW IMPORTANT ARE
FRIENDS? HOW IMPORTANT ARE WE AS FRIENDS???????
We can see from my scripture that…
Also, we find John's observation of Christ's feelings
about friends…
Jn. 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
John 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
11:35 Jesus wept.
36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,
whom Jesus loved.
Prov 18:24 A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and
there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Prov 27:10 Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither
go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a
neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
Prov 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance
of his friend.
Eccl 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward
for their labour.
10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him
that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
2 Tim 1:16 The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he
oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:
Mat 27:55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed
Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and
Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.
As we look at all these we can see that…
Remember the popular song several years ago…"YOU'VE
GOT A FRIEND."
BE A FRIEND TO THE LORD, AND BE A FRIEND TO THOSE YOU
KNOW AND THOSE YOU MEET
Gary Marcum - East 38th Street Free Will Baptist Church - 030500am