John 15 - Love One Another

Summary

v1+ Live in Jesus like branches stay vines.
v9+ Love one another.
v18+ The world hates you. They will also persecute you, but He will send you a comforter, and you will be His witnesses.

Meaning

v1+

Big branches were falling out of the tree in our backyard and breaking things, so we had the tree cut up into pieces and got rid of it. I've enjoyed breaking, chopping, and sawing branches to get rid of. Neighbors have seen the tree being cut down, because it was huge, and even asked about it. I had my pocket Bible with me, and a page kept blowing out of the Bible. I had to chase it down, and prayed I would find it. I found it, and it was at John 15. I said the page wouldn't abide in the Bible, like the branches wouldn't abide in the tree :-) I told our neighbors that we're all headed toward being chopped up into little pieces and thrown into the fire for burning because of our sin. That instead, we need to continue reading the Bible and believing the Word.

v12

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

How can we forget to Love one another? Realize right now, if you never did before, that this is our whole battle. Remember that next time your mad at a brother or sister, and saying they're stupid or telling them to shut up. It's our job to overcome that, and it's the reason we're here now- to Love one another.

Application

v9+ My application is to write this poem.

1 Timothy - How You Ought to Behave Yourself in Church

Chapters

1 "...The law is not made for a righteous man..." (v9)
2 Prayer is first of all.
3 Supervisors and errand boys must be blameless.
4 Don't pay attention to old wives tales.
5 Treat each other like a family.
6 Godliness with contentment is great gain.

Summary

We hear about how we ought to behave in the Church. We hear about good and bad teaching, and about the purpose of the law. We hear how prayer should be "first of all". We hear how women should be in subjection, and how men should supervise and run errands. We hear how to treat each other like a family, and how to take care of widows. We're warned to flee the love of money.

So how does this stuff practically apply to your lives today? Maybe more than you think. What does "in the house of God" mean? I don't think it's just about the "Pastors" and "staff" for a couple of hours on Sunday morning in a special building. We're all called to participate everywhere, 24/7, because we are the house of God!

Meaning

Chapter 2 sticks out, especially verse 8.

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

In the Lord's house, of course prayer is supposed to be first of all, because the Lord's house is supposed to be a house of prayer for all people.

But you might ask where we ought to worship. Your parents might have worshipped the Lord in certain places, and Bible teachers might say a different special place is where men ought to worship. What does the Lord say? Where is the Church!? Well, to find where the Church is, let's remember what the Church is. Is it a hand-made building in this world?

Isn't it ourselves, God's Spiritual house? So where should we pray? "I will therefore that men pray every where..." (en pas topos.) Now that's awesome.

Application

1 Timothy 2:1

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men;

I usually pray before I go out and preach the gospel. One time I didn't. I wondered why it seemed to be going so badly. When I read this verse, I finally decided to go back and pray, and then come out and preach the gospel again. I'm going to make prayer first.

My Heart is Fixed

Psalm 108:1-7a

O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

Awake, psaltery and harp: I [myself] will awake early.

I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

For thy mercy [is] great above the heavens: and thy truth [reacheth] unto the clouds.

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;

That thy beloved may be delivered: save [with] thy right hand, and answer me.

God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice...

My heart is fixed, I will sing and give You glory!
My heart is fixed, I will sing and give You praise!
My heart is fixed, while I'm trusting in Your mercy!
My heart is fixed, while I'm trusting in Your grace.

What it Means to be a Friend

To be a friend, means to Love, truly, all the time.

A Friend Loves

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

The Greek word, friend, "philos," is from "philein," "to love," like the word Love, "phileo." The Spanish word friend, "amigo," sounds like the word Love, "amor." Those are from the Latin "friend," and "Love," "amicus," and "amo." If that's not good enough for you, the English word friend, from the Old English "freond," is from "freon," which means "to love."

"Friend," and "Love," really mean the same kind of thing, so talking about friendship is really talking about Love. Answers.com says, "A friend is a lover, literally." I usually think of somebody who's your friend, as somebody who Loves you. If you're somebody's friend, you Love them. 2 people are friends with each other if they Love each other.

John 15:13

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

A Friend Rejoices

John 3:29

He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

I could also say, "A Friend Hears." A real friend doesn't just hear, but listening, even from far away, makes him glad. It doesn't just tantalize him. It makes him rejoice greatly, and it makes his joy full. This is where fullness of joy is found.

It's not even in romance. Remember what's perhaps the most famous friendship in the Bible? David said, "I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women." Now, be sure that David was not a Sodomite. God rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorra for those "exceedingly," "wicked" sins. Just friendship is better than romance.

People can be romantic, and if they're not friends, it's not good. It's more important to be friends than it is to be romantic. It's terrible when there's a husband and wife who don't really Love each other. They need to be friends, first.

Acts 12:13,14

And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

Notice the importance of the voice. It's mentioned in the Song of Songs too. This young lady, Rhoda, was so glad to hear that voice she knew, because Peter was her friend. The joy of the Lord comes from hearing Jesus.

John 15:11

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full.

A Friend Obeys

John 15:14

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

A Friend Knows

John 15:15

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

A true friend knows his friends, because he has a desire to understand everything about them. He recognizes them, and they're familiar to him. He also makes everything that he hears and does, known to them. No wonder hearing one another, and speaking to one another, is so important.

Are you sure you know your friends? Are you sure they know you?

Works Cited

"friend." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 16 Nov. 2005. http://www.answers.com/topic/friend

Works Consulted

"friend*." Blue Letter Bible. 16 Nov. 2005. http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/words.pl?word=friend*

"friend." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, 2001. 16 Nov. 2005. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=friend

"friend." Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. Answers.com 16 Nov. 2005. http://www.answers.com/topic/friend

"Definition of friend." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2005. 16 Nov. 2005. http://m-w.com/dictionary/friend

John 13 - The Time of Love

John 13

v1+ The Time of Love
v6+ You Are Clean
v12+ Jesus gave us an example. We should do as He has done to us.
v17 How to be Happy
v18+ Jesus even Loved the one who betrayed Him.
v31+ Love One Another

Meaning

v1 A friend Loves at all times. Jesus was a true friend, because He had the greatest Love there ever was. He laid down His life for His friends. He didn't just wait until the cross to show His Love. He patiently did a normal little job that people do all the time. We don't get to be crucified very often, but we can do little things to take care of our friends.

v10 I like the promise, "You are clean." Once I've turned to the Lord, and am not hiding my sin, but have admitted it to other people, He has forgiven me. But sometimes my conscience plays tricks on me and I still feel like the Lord will hold something against me. It's like water mixed with chlorine bleach, or like well water that's gone through a water softener. After you're done washing your hands with them, your hands still feel soapy or greasy, but they're actually clean.

That must be how Peter felt. Sometimes I worry that I've done sins that I don't know about or remember. Sometimes I feel like, "I've done it again. I knew better than doing it, how could He forgive me again, just like that, when I ask Him to?" In those cases, I'm being like Peter. I'm saying to the Lord, also wash my hands and my head. He promises that we don't need that. It's like He told Peter in that vision later: What God has cleansed, that call not thou common.

Application

v34,35 Since Jesus came from God, and since it was in the same hour in which Judas would betray Him to be crucified, it might not have seemed like the right time for Jesus to wash Judas' feet. A friend Loves at all times. We should lay down our lives for our friends every day, even when it seems like the wrong time, even when it's a hard time, and all the way to the end.

A Couple of Promises for Today

My 2 promises for today are from Deuteronomy chapter 31.

1. Verse 6.

   Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

2. Verse 8.

   And the LORD, he [it is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

A Few Verses About Friends

Proverbs 6:3

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

What do we need to do with our friends? We need to be humble, and we need to "make sure" of our friends.

18:24 It says that a friend is close.

In order to have friends, you must be a friend to other people, first. Not only must you be a friend, you must show it. Open rebuke is better than secret Love. Display it. Be open.

22:24 You shouldn't be friends with just anybody! Here's a serious warning not to be friends with an angry person.

27:5,6 Sometimes when your friend says something to you because he cares about you, it hurts. It's better for your friend to say and do the hard things because he cares. An enemy could act friendly and comfortable, but be deceiving you. Remember Judas.

If you really care about someone, as their friend, sometimes you need to be willing to rebuke them even if it will hurt.

v10

Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: [for] better [is] a neighbour [that is] near than a brother far off.

Do not forsake your friend.

v17

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

We've heard the popular saying, "Iron sharpens iron." But did you know that when it's really true, is in the case of 2 friends?

28:21a

To have respect of persons [is] not good...

There are these things in this world, called "best friends," and "clubs." Look at the first part of this verse. We need to be sure we aren't treating some people better than others. We shouldn't be "respecters of persons."

Especially listen, children! if you have a special club or group with certain people in, and leave others out, that's not kind. And if you always talk to and play with the same 1 person, or few people, and ignore or even tease other people, that's being "a respecter of persons," and that's not good.

John 15:13-15

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.