John 15 (New King James)
Verse 13: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Friend – The Web Dictionary Defines Friend this way:
Verse 13: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Friend – The Web Dictionary Defines Friend this way:
1. A person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
2. A person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile.
NOT HOSTILE – Hmm; we’ll come back to that…
Christ referred to His disciples on a few occasions as “friends”. They were an interesting lot, with the diverse makeup in both personality and profession; much like our Churches we sit in today.
He spent His entire ministry teaching how the Old Testament Law was a product of Love and Submission to the Father in this New Kingdom – The New Church. He gave us Spiritual outlines through the Beatitudes. He taught us how to pray. He showed us that while we dare not judge the heart of a man, we can watch for the fruit of the Spirit that lives within him.
He showed us the Love of a friend, when He sorrowed over his ill friend, and then briefly grieved for his dear friend Lazarus. In that was also a lesson, that while grieving is natural to the flesh, we should not be consumed by it – for those departed in Christ we will see shortly.
There are many, many lessons that Christ teaches us in the Gospel’s, the most important was His ultimate sacrifice for His friends. He paid the ultimate and final price needed to satisfy God’s demand for a Blood Sacrifice, to redeem the sinful lost. He took the sin debt of the entire world, opening the door for God’s Mercy – sparing those that would accept His payment from His Eternal Judgment. Intertwined with that Mercy was the Gift of God’s Grace and His Son’s Righteousness that we believers are now wrapped in. Because He calls us Friends, we stand joint Aires with Christ before the Throne of Almighty God, and Christ intercedes in communication to Father on our behalf.
Oh, and I didn’t forget about the Dictionary definition of “a person that is not hostile”. In James 4:4 the scripture boldly states “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with GOD? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of GOD”! An enemy would indicate a reality of hostility towards God if we hold the world too close to the breast. While we may convince ourselves that this is not the case from our perspective – in the end, it’s God’s point of view that will matter. Are you holding the line? How is your Spiritual Armor holding up? If you are a Friend of Christ, the Holy Spirit will keep you Patched up. If the battle gets tuff, take it to Lord in prayer…
Christ referred to His disciples on a few occasions as “friends”. They were an interesting lot, with the diverse makeup in both personality and profession; much like our Churches we sit in today.
He spent His entire ministry teaching how the Old Testament Law was a product of Love and Submission to the Father in this New Kingdom – The New Church. He gave us Spiritual outlines through the Beatitudes. He taught us how to pray. He showed us that while we dare not judge the heart of a man, we can watch for the fruit of the Spirit that lives within him.
He showed us the Love of a friend, when He sorrowed over his ill friend, and then briefly grieved for his dear friend Lazarus. In that was also a lesson, that while grieving is natural to the flesh, we should not be consumed by it – for those departed in Christ we will see shortly.
There are many, many lessons that Christ teaches us in the Gospel’s, the most important was His ultimate sacrifice for His friends. He paid the ultimate and final price needed to satisfy God’s demand for a Blood Sacrifice, to redeem the sinful lost. He took the sin debt of the entire world, opening the door for God’s Mercy – sparing those that would accept His payment from His Eternal Judgment. Intertwined with that Mercy was the Gift of God’s Grace and His Son’s Righteousness that we believers are now wrapped in. Because He calls us Friends, we stand joint Aires with Christ before the Throne of Almighty God, and Christ intercedes in communication to Father on our behalf.
Oh, and I didn’t forget about the Dictionary definition of “a person that is not hostile”. In James 4:4 the scripture boldly states “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with GOD? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of GOD”! An enemy would indicate a reality of hostility towards God if we hold the world too close to the breast. While we may convince ourselves that this is not the case from our perspective – in the end, it’s God’s point of view that will matter. Are you holding the line? How is your Spiritual Armor holding up? If you are a Friend of Christ, the Holy Spirit will keep you Patched up. If the battle gets tuff, take it to Lord in prayer…
We are His, we were bought with a price, there are NO EXCUSES for not living a life pleasing to the Father thru the Son Jesus Christ... NO Exuses to betray our Friend in sin.
No comments:
Post a Comment