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Following is an excerpt of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" by J. Gerald Harris added on 10/07/2009.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
John 15:12-17
Dr. Gerald Harris


On Sunday, October 25- just four weeks from today- we will be having in our church what we have chosen to call "Friend Day." On this day we are being challenged to bring our friend with us to the House of God for Bible study and worship. Boys and girls, we want you to bring a friend that Sunday. Teenagers, we want you to bring your friends with you on October 25. Ladies and gentlemen, it's important that you lead the way. Bring your friends with you on a friend day.

When you bring your friend on "Friend Day" I want you think particularly about inviting that friend who has not yet come to know our best friend- the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to think about inviting that friend who is hurting and needs to hear a message of hope and encouragement. I want you to invite a friend who needs to know about the unconditional, unilateral love of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, friend day is not some promotional gimmick to pad our Sunday school attendance. At the very heart of friend day is the challenge to reach out and touch those who need to discover the joy and the peace and the love which we have found I Jesus Christ and in being a part of His family and His church.

In fact, I hope and pray that you will covenant with me today to bring at least one friend to God' house for Sunday school and worship on friend day, October 25.

Now, I have entitled my message this morning "what a friend we have in Jesus." Because I think we all recognize that He is our best friend and if our relationship with him is what it ought to be, then our relationship with others is going to be growing strong each day. In fact, if your relationship with Jesus Christ is a deep, beautiful, persona, intimate relationship, you are going to want to bring your friend to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will provide a wonderful new dimension for their lives and He will be a friend who will never leave them nor forsake them.

Have you ever thought about what it means to be a friend in Jesus? You know, when we talk about something like friendship with Jesus it is absolutely thrilled to realize that the Son of God who is responsible for the creation and the upholding of the universe is literally a personal, intimate friend of those who are His own. It is an overwhelming thing when you really grasp that truth. This morning I want you to see what it really means to be a friend of Jesus.

In our text for this morning, Jesus is talking to His beloved disciples. There are eleven of them present to hear what Jesus is saying, because Judas is perpetrating his deed of betrayal. He is gone. These were the eleven remaining disciples. They are sad, because they are awaiting the departure of Jesus. They are filled with sorrow. They know that He is going to leave them. In His farewell speech that Jesus is giving, HE is seeking to comfort the disciples. This beautiful concept that they are to be His personal, intimate, beloved f ...

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