“Renewing Your Love for One Another”

John 15:13-17

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.”

You’ve been out there serving, you’ve been out there doing good deeds, and you’ve been out there giving yourselves away. But you perhaps lose your motivation at times. Perhaps have forgotten why you do it. Could it be that you have become a servant of Christ instead of a friend?

Four Reasons Jesus Calls Us His Friends and Not Just Servants

v  FRIENDS LAY DOWN THEIR LIVES FOR FRIENDS(vs. 13)

If Jesus were a master over His servants, would a master lay down his life for a servant? Jesus is not just a master over us His servants, but a friend; He was willing to lay down His life for us.

v  FRIENDS KNOW FRIENDS BETTER(vs. 15)

With friends, we look them in the face and talk to them. With servants, a master might not even look at him and just give an order.

v  FRIENDS ARE CHOSEN AND BLESSED

SERVANTS ARE HIRED AND PAID (vs. 16)

We choose friends so that we can be blessed by the friendship, whereas servants are hired to get the work done.

v  FRIENDS DO THINGS OUT OF LOVE(vs. 14,17)

Friends really want to listen to their friends and do what pleases them.

Live a Life on Loan to one another from God

ü  Be willing to make sacrifices of time and money for one another.

ü  Be willing to say truthful things to each other that need to be lovingly said.

ü  Be willing to forgive one another when there have been hurts.

ü  Be willing to serve one another.

ü  Be willing to support each other during difficult times.

There are several applications that we can draw from this understanding of our relationship to Jesus in serving Him.

o   SERVE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO AND NOT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO

Friends do things willingly for each other.

o   SERVE TOGETHER WITH A FRIEND

There are many relationships that can become friendships.

o   AS WE IMITATE JESUS, WE DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS SO THAT THEY BECOME FRIENDSHIPS

Jesus has changed the relationship we have with him so that we call Him our friend and He calls us his friends.