May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 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. (John 15:9-17)

In Christ' name and to his glory, dear friends: "Friends"--this is what Jesus talks to us about today. He speaks of it in such a way that we are reminded of two aspects of being Jesus' friends. There is both the blessing of being Jesus' friend and the responsibility of being Jesus' friend. To put it another way. Jesus says to us today: You are my friends, and then adds, Now live as my friends. Let's listen to his words. And may Jesus, our best of friends, send us his Holy Spirit.

Jesus says, You are my friends. What a blessing that Jesus would look at us and say, You are my friends. We might think that Jesus would only say that to a select group, like the 12 Apostles, but this is not the case. Jesus says to every Christian, You are my friend In fact, he lets it be known in Scripture that there is no one to whom he does not want to be a friend.

How did it happen that we have this blessed status as friends of Jesus? Why am I your friend, Jesus? Listen to our Friend's words. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you (v.9). That is why, says Jesus, because I love you. And my love was not just a feeling; my love took action. Why are you my friend? You ask. Because I have obeyed my Father (v.10). He asked me, says Jesus, to come to earth, to rescue you from Satan and sin. This I gladly did. I rescued you by obeying my Father, by loving him above all and loving my neighbor perfectly. Then, as a true friend would do, I laid down my life for my friends. (v.13) Now you are without sin for my obedience and death have removed your sin from you. You are my friend and any friend of mine is a friend of my Father. In fact, so much does he consider you friends that he told me to tell you his secrets--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 (v.15). His secret is not difficult. In fact it's so easy that a child can grasp it. Even more, you can have it in your heart without even being conscious of it. It surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). God's secret is his grace which he reveals to us in Scripture and which is ours by faith. Why are you my friends? You ask. Because of my grace and love, that is why. I made sure you would hear about my grace and love. I appointed these men, like John, to go and bear much fruit (v.16). The fruit was the evangelizing of the world. And you believe my message not because you have chosen me, but I have chosen you. (v.16) That is why. Jesus says, You are my friends because the Father and I wanted you to be our friends. And so it is.

Oh, take this to heart, dear friends. What blessing is ours that we can look in the mirror and say, I see a friend of Jesus. Now Jesus is not done speaking about friendship yet. There is more.

Jesus adds, Now, be a friend. Remember, there is the blessing of being Jesus' friend, and also the responsibility of being Jesus' friend. You are my friends, says Jesus. Now, live as my friends.

What does it mean to live as your friend, Jesus? What do you want? What are you looking for? Listen to what our Friend says. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love (v.9). Remain in me, says Jesus. That's how you can live like my friend. Remain in me. Keep professing and confessing that everything depends on my grace. Don't give the impression that you are a self-made man. Talk more about what I give you than about what you have accomplished. Go to the Lord's Supper often, worship me, listen to me. In that way you confess and profess that I have made you what you are and hope to be. That's how my friends live. You are my friend; live that way.

And part of remaining is also obeying. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love (v.10) I know, says Jesus, that not one of you can obey perfectly. It's difficult to put it in words, but what I ask, says Jesus, is that you keep your eye on my commands, pay attention to them. Look to Scripture when you want to know what to do. Simple, you say. No, not really. I ask you to swim against the tide of popular opinion. There will be other people who claim to be my friends, who may even be my friends, who in weakness will ask you to ignore some of my commands. Then it's not so easy. But you, obey, pay attention, keep an eye on my word. That's how my friends live and you are my friends.

And look at my commands with the friend's heart that I gave you. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends (v.15). My friends do not work like servants--not really interested in the work or the estate, just doing what has to be done, always asking, How much more do I have to do? My friends work like friends--from the heart, asking, What else can I do? My friends see opportunity to join the work, not so many chores and jobs that have to be done or else. You are my friends; obey me like friends. Don't just show up. I could get servants to do that. Get involved in my business, says Jesus. Don't just try to do the right thing. Strive to be right in all you do at home, at church, at work.

And love each other (v.12). This is something else my friends do. They love each other. Don't overlook my important words, as I have loved you. That means look at each other the way I look at you, says Jesus. Have the same motives and goals. Think about souls, not bodies...think about heaven not earth...think about forever not now...think about these things when you are striving to be nice to people. Then you will truly be a loving friend and what you do for others will last forever. In fact, put yourself in the company of the Apostles and say, I will love my neighbor first by being a part of Jesus coming to their souls. And expect the Father's blessing in this labor or love. For Jesus has set it up--the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name (v.16). That's what my friends do and you are my friends, says Jesus.