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Mar 05, 2023

John - The Friend (click for resources)

Passage: John 15:12-17

Speaker: Brian Land

Series: John: Come and See

Category: Grace Brevard

Keywords: love, sacrifice, obedience

Standing on the last few teachings about the greatest commandment being love and how all believers are mutually abiding with each other and with The Lord, Jesus gives this apex declaration that we are infinitely and sacrificially loved by God which, when grasped and owned, propels us to sacrificially love one another.

Theme: Standing on the last few teachings about the greatest commandment being love and how all believers are mutually abiding with each other and with The Lord, Jesus gives this apex declaration that we are infinitely and sacrificially loved by God which, when grasped and owned, propels us to sacrificially love one another.

Central Text: John 15:12-17
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 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. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

Describe a relationship that was entirely dependent on your behavior and one that was (mostly) not dependent on your behavior?

Does it seem like Jesus is saying that his love is dependent on our obedience (“you are my friends...IF...”)?

Talk about these two contrasting phrases:
Our obedience doesn’t result in Jesus’ friendship
Jesus’ friendship results in our obedience

How do we tend to believe the opposite?
Have you ever felt or said that God must be mad, sad or simply disappointed in you?
How is it that this thought is entirely based upon your behavior?

We often say that “Agape” love is unconditional.
But consider this: “God’s perfect love IS Conditional...on Christ and his record, not on you and your record.”

Jesus is weaving together the two main words for love:
1) Agapeo -- The Greatest Love (literally “Mega Love”)
2) Philio - The Affectionate Love
(“friend” is simply the noun version of the verb ‘philio’)

Talk about these two loves that Jesus weaves together:
1) I sacrificially love you; and proved it on the cross.
2) I affectionately like you; I have united your hearts to the Father’s

What is the difference between like and love?
How does your heart receive Jesus saying that he “likes you”?

Are you more prone to see Jesus as your boss or your friend?
Can both be true?
Explain what it would mean for Jesus to be your friend.

Talk about how Jesus didn’t merely give us the command to sacrificial love (that would simply be called religion), but rather sacrificed on our behalf and imputed this sacrifice to our “spiritual scoreboard” -- and THEN calls us to live out of our new identity -- “We are loved so that we would love”

Talk about what it would mean to “lay down your life”.
To do that would mean that I would die to...
my need to be right
my desire for approval
my craving for comfort
...what else...?