Two Misunderstood Words!!

Text – John 15: 13-14, 17 (read vv. 12-17)

INTRODUCTION 

With the amount of words in the English language being so great, to say that there are two words in the English language that are misunderstood would seem like I am stating something obvious. But when the words I am talking about are “Friend and Love,” that kind of makes you wonder where I am coming from doesn’t it? 

I dare say that most people have strange conceptions about what it means to love someone or to understand when someone loves them. Also, most people cannot really tell you what a friend is, or what it means to be a friend to someone. When most people answer these questions they usually answer it by stating how they would like someone to show them love the way they would like to be loved, or they say what kind of friend they would like to have.  So you can only imagine what answer you would get if you ask a person: “what does it mean to love a friend?”

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 (KJV)

“This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. 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. 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. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.” John 15:12-17

POINTS – Let us take note of how the Lord is showing us how love is involved in the relationships between brothers and friends.

• • “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs‬ 17‬:17‬ (KJV) – A friend and a brother are given equal status here; a friend has enough care, concern, and commitment to be there for their friend no matter what adversity comes along! 
  • “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 (KJV) – When you find that you have someone who is willing to stand by you through “thick and thin,” you need to shew that you are willing to do the same for them. It is expected for brothers to treat each other that way; a friend will do that  . . . and more! (use the example of when the Carpenters were chasing Mose. 

• “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – Jesus is letting us know that there is no greater way to show your love for your friend/brother than to lay down your life for theirs. Jesus is letting us know that by laying down His life for ours, He was showing us that there is no greater expression of love He could have shown.

• “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” – Don’t miss this! Jesus is telling His disciples (Believers) that if we want to be Jesus’ friend we will do what He commands us to do.

• “This is my command: Love each other.” – Jesus is telling us that the love we have for each other as brothers/friends should be enough to have us willing to die for one another.

CONCLUDE  

We need to understand what we are saying to someone when we tell them we are their friend, we are their brother/sister, and when we tell them we love them because we are children and followers of the Lord, and it doesn’t matter what WE think, but we need to understand that the Lord has expectations for us when we put our word out there, because we are HIS representatives.