John 15:13 (NKJV) Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
As believers, you and I have a friend in Jesus. In John Chapter 15, Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine and the branches to illustrate our connectivity with Him and the importance of abiding in Him and His Word to bear fruit. We also need to remind ourselves that God works through covenant relationships, and we are connected with a more powerful friend than ourselves in this friendship. Just like we need to take the initiative to update our earthly friends regularly to maintain our friendships, we also need to intentionally and constantly connect with God because He won’t impose it on us.
Friends are part of God’s design for our lives, and a community of believing friends is one of the best protections against temptation and ungodliness. God never intended for us to isolate ourselves from others. It is unhealthy to be alone because isolation and loneliness make our minds vulnerable to becoming the devil’s workshop. Therefore, it is always good to have a community, better still, a community of believers to spur us on.
There are many kinds of friends, from lifelong friends to acquaintances, and the depths of our communications with them will vary accordingly. Nonetheless, even with our lifelong friends, with whom we may have no inhibitions regarding what to share, what they can do for us is still very limited compared to our friendship with Jesus Christ. Lifelong friends might do something within their ability for us when needed, but Christ did and still does far more. Jesus willingly laid down His life for us so that we could have our sins forgiven, our souls made righteous, and have a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father. When we were still in our sins, Jesus died for our sins so that He could be our lifelong close friend, one who sticks closer than a brother.
To have a close relationship with God and to bear fruit, we must abide in Him, and His Word in us. However, it is our choice, but a wise choice indeed. Because Jesus cares for us, we should cast all our cares upon Him as we intentionally and purposefully live out our lives for Him. As we live a missional life to make Him known to the people around us, we are bearing fruit that will last forever. While we should do well in our jobs and businesses, it must not be apart from making Him known by sharing the gospel, and our lives can truly be a testimony when we have joy and peace amid difficult times. Therefore, let us continue to abide in Jesus, and let His Word abide in us because apart from Him, we can do nothing.
Sermon Series: Friends of God
基督的友谊
约翰福音 15:13 人为朋友舍命，人的爱心没有比这个大的。
作为信徒，你和我都有一位朋友——耶稣。在约翰福音第15章中，耶稣用葡萄树和枝子的比喻来说明我们与祂的连结，以及在祂和祂的话语中常存的重要性，才能结出丰硕的果子。我们还需要提醒自己，神是通过立约关系来与我们同行的，而在这段友谊中，我们与祂的连结远超过我们自己的能力。正如我们需要定期更新与世上朋友的关系，保持友谊一样，我们也需要有意识地、不断地与神建立联系，因为祂不会强迫我们去亲近祂。
朋友是神为我们生命设计的一部分，而信徒之间的团契是我们抵挡试探和不敬虔生活的最佳保护。神从未打算让我们与他人隔离，孤单是对身心不健康的，孤立和孤独让我们的思想容易成为魔鬼的温床。因此，拥有一个团契总是好的，也是重要，团契之间能互相激励、彼此扶持。
朋友有很多种，从一生的挚友到普通的熟人，我们与他（她）们的沟通深度也有所不同。尽管如此，即使是我们终身的朋友，彼此之间毫无保留的分享，他们为我们所能做的事情也有限，相比之下，我们与耶稣基督的友谊。终身的朋友可能在能力范围内为我们做些事情，但耶稣为我们做的远不止这些。耶稣愿意为我们舍命，使我们的罪得以赦免，灵魂得以称义，并恢复与天父的关系。当我们还在罪中时，耶稣为我们的罪死了，使祂成为我们的终生朋友，一位比兄弟姐妹还亲密的朋友。
要与神有亲密的关系，并结出果子，我们必须常常住在祂里面，让祂的话语常存在我们心中。然而，这需要我们的选择，但这是一个明智的选择。因为耶稣关心我们，我们应当将一切忧虑交托给祂，并在生活中有意识地、全心全意地为祂活着。当我们活出一个使命感的人生，使祂的名被人知道时，我们结出的果子将是永恒的。虽然我们应当在工作和事业中做得更好，但这不能脱离让祂的名被人知晓，分享福音，当我们在艰难时刻依然拥有喜乐和平安时，我们的生命便能成为见证。因此，让我们继续常住在耶稣里面，让祂的话语常存在我们心中，因为离了祂，我们什么也不能做。
讲章系列：神的朋友
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