1st Retreat: A Friend Loves At All Times Session 6
30 May 2005
YAG RETREAT
Session #6
Monday, 30 May 2005
Evening Message
Text: John 15
“You are My friends”
1. The possibility of a friendship with the Lord (Old Testament)
a) Abraham (“Friend of God”- Isaiah 41:8)
i) Called Genesis 12
ii) Instructed Genesis 12-22
iii) Protected
iv) Tested Genesis 22
v) Blessed Genesis 12-25
b) What is God looking for in a friendship?
i) Interactive Faith Romans 4; Hebrews 11
ii) Fear of God Genesis 22:12
iii) Deed Genesis 22:15
iv) Obedience Genesis 22:18
2. Friendship with the Lord Jesus Christ (New Testament)
a) Friendship Proven John 15:13
i) Greatest demonstration of friendship
ii) Laying down one’s life for a friend
b) Friendship offered John 15:14
i) Profundity (not ordinary)
ii) Condition of Obedience
c) A Deeper level John 15:15
i) Teacher-disciple relationship
ii) Master-servant relationship
iii) Friend-friend
iv) “All things made known”
3. The Circles of Friends
a) Noticeable Circles
i) Seventy disciples (Luke 10:1)
ii) Twelve Disciples (Matthew 10:1)
iii) Three disciples (Peter, James and John- Matthew 17:1)
b) Forging of Jesus’ circle of friends
i) Calling
ii) Training (discipling)
iii) Learning (practising)
c) Recognizable traits
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13
d) The things that bind Believers together as Friends of Jesus (Cf. Ephesians 4:1-16)
i) A Common Faith
ii) A Common Love
iii) A Common Cause
4. The Power to become all that God wants us to be
i) Power of the Spirit of God
ii) Power of a Fully united Church (Many models in the NT era)
5. Discussion
a) Personal Endeavour to Discover and develop Friendship with the Lord Jesus
b) Practical Steps that need to be taken
c) Discover- by exploration/experimentation
d) Unafraid of mistakes and failures
e) Chart and measure growth of friendship