John 15:14-17 You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.… If we are friends of Christ — I. WE SHALL BE FREQUENTLY THINKING OF HIM. His image will be often in our minds. Almost all remarkable occurrences, at least, will suggest Him, in one way or another, to our hearts. In common life you could scarcely be regarded as being a warm-hearted friend of that man, of whom there had not been a single thought in your mind during the course of the day. And, yet, are there not a few in our churches who, from one Sabbath to another, have their thoughts wandering in every direction but toward Christ. II. WE SHALL SEEK HIS COMPANY, and embrace opportunities of meeting with Him. When, and where do we find Him? 1. In the reading of the Word. 2. In prayer. 3. At the prayer meeting. 4. At His own house, amid the ordinances of the Sabbath. 5. In His sacraments. How easy, then, is the application of the test? III. WE SHALL READ WITH INTEREST THE LETTERS HE SENDS US AND DELIGHT IN CORRESPONDING WITH HIM IN RETURN. On being asked, When you heard from an attached friend? were you to reply, "Some days ago, but! have not yet found leisure to open and read it" — what would be the inference? Well, is not the New Testament literally an epistle which Christ has sent us? And ought not a Sabbath's sermon to be waited on expectantly as containing some message from Him? And is not the return of correspondence on our part exemplified specially by prayer? How, then, do our professions of friendship for Him stand this test? IV. WE SHALL HAVE RECOURSE TO HIM FOR SYMPATHY AND HELP IN SEASONS OF AFFLICTION. Friendship is often manifested and proved better by applying for aid than by bestowing it. If you have two friends of whom you cannot at present tell who is the more endeared to your heart — watch, when some Evil may befall you, and see whose image presents itself first to your mind. In applying these principles for the determination of the question of your friendship for Christ, observe, that there are two classes of evils, for deliverance from which you need friendly help. 1. Your sinfulness, with its two-fold evil of guilt and servitude. To whom, then, do you apply for deliverance? Now Jesus is the Friend of Sinners; and that, too, in the sense of His being "the only Mediator between God and man;" and in the sense of His taking the penitent by the hand, and leading him up to the throne of grace. Can that, then, be a friend of Christ, who, as He stands, inviting the guilty to come unto Him, passes Him by. 2. There are your temporal wants, difficulties and distresses. How many, who ween of themselves that they are good friends of Christ, have yet much of the lesson to learn of giving Him the dependence of their hearts, without exception or reserve! V. WE SHALL BE THE FRIENDS OF HIS FRIENDS. 1. We will take a friendly interest in them, for His sake. I should feel there was a want of entireness in the friendship of that man who treated with negligence even the dog in which he saw I delighted. 2. For their own sakes, as bearing a resemblance to Him, and possessed of properties which we admire in Himself. VI. WE WILL BE FRIENDS OF HIS CAUSE — interested in the welfare of His Church: will grieve for its losses; rejoice for its gains; plead for it, spend for it, work for it, and, if need be, suffer for it. VII. WE SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED TO CONFESS HIM (Romans 5:5). There is nothing by which friendship, in common life, is better manifested, than by avowing yourself a friend of your friend. But — 1. Friendship for Christ does not require that we be always obtruding on our company professions of love for Him, and His claims on their embracement of His cause. 2. When challenged and accused for your declared or suspected faith in Christ, by either the magistrate or the mob, though it might imperil your life to confess Him, it would imperil your salvation more to deny Him. 3. There are manners, customs, and fashions of the world which are inimical to Christ's honour and interests, compliance with which His friends will refuse and resist. VIII. WE SHALL BE SCRUPULOUS IN OBEYING HIS COMMANDMENTS. (W. Anderson, LL. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. |
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