{"id":4391,"date":"2021-03-16T03:46:08","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T03:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/?p=4391"},"modified":"2021-03-16T03:48:41","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T03:48:41","slug":"friends-of-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/friends-of-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Friends of Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

14\u00a0<\/em><\/sup>You are\u00a0my friends\u00a0if you do what I command you.<\/em><\/span><\/span>\u00a015\u00a0<\/sup>No longer do I call you servants,[a<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0for the servant\u00a0does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for\u00a0all that I have heard from my Father\u00a0I have made known to you.<\/span><\/span>\u00a016\u00a0<\/sup>You did not choose me, but\u00a0I chose you and appointed you that you should go and\u00a0bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that\u00a0whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.<\/span><\/span>\u00a017\u00a0<\/sup>These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:14-17)<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Friends of Jesus<\/b><\/p>\n

In verse 13 Jesus said that \u201cgreater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.\u201d Then in verse 14 Jesus calls His disciples His friends, (and remember Judas has departed from them at this point) saying, \u201cYou are my friends if you do what I command you.\u201d Then on down in the second part of verse 15 saying, \u201cI have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In considering this text before us today, one thing we cannot do is import our twenty first century definitions of friendship into it. We think of friends as those who have some kind of common bond or common interest, so they enjoy spending time together. However fine that sort of thing may be, it is not relevant to the \u201cfriendship\u201d discussed here in John 15. In verse 13 we saw that the greatest love lays down oneself for his friends, which is certainly more than modern friendship. Then in verse 14-17, as we are considering today, we get further insight into what it is to be called a friend of Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we consider the verses before us, we do not do so in a vacuum. We recognize that when Jesus spoke, He explained, taught from, and built upon the Scripture, which was the Old Testament. So to really catch the weight of what is said in the verses before us today, we have to keep in mind two things: 1) A proper Christology, and 2) the Old Testament in light of that. Here\u2019s what I mean: when Jesus said that the disciples are His friends, He is saying that the disciples are friends of God. Now, in that moment, I am sure the disciples did not grasp that implication of what Jesus said to them, though later on in reflection, I am sure they did. Consider the gospel writer himself. The emphasis of John\u2019s gospel is the Christology and teaching of Jesus. John begins his gospel with the deity of Christ in John 1, and much of the teaching of Jesus that is documented in the gospel has to do with the relationship of the Father and the Son, which testifies to the deity of Christ. So the second part of what we are to keep in mind, the Old Testament. Where else have we heard someone being called a friend of God? There is only one Old Testament Saint that is explicitly called a friend of God – Abraham. In Isaiah 41 the Lord says, <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;<\/span><\/i> you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, \u201cYou are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off\u201d;<\/span><\/i> fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.\u201d <\/span><\/i>King Jehoshophat thought this was significant, for during his prayer to God for help he references God\u2019s promise to His friend Abraham, saying in 2 Chronicles 20,<\/span> \u201c<\/b>Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?\u201d <\/span><\/i>The significance of Abraham being called a friend of God was also not lost on the New Testament writers, as in James 2 it says, <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, \u201cAbraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness\u201d\u2014and he was called a friend of God.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

So this was a known theme throughout the canon of Scripture that Abraham was called a friend of God. So when we read that Jesus tells His disciples that they are His friends if they do what He commands, and that He has called them friends, it should grab our attention. No other Old Testament Saint was called a friend of God – Only Abraham – and now Jesus tells His disciples that He has called them friends. Think of how mind-blowing it would\u2019ve been for a first century Jew to be put in the same category of Abraham as a friend of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abraham\u2019s Life as the Outline of These Verses<\/b><\/p>\n

So if Jesus has called the disciples His friends, and by obeying His commands we show that we also are friends of God, it would be helpful to look at Abraham\u2019s life to see what it means to be a friend of God, as one who was first called by that title. And you know what\u2019s interesting? Abraham\u2019s life is outlined by these verses we have before us today in John 15.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

God Called Him out of Ur<\/em><\/p>\n

Consider first God\u2019s calling on Abraham\u2019s life. God called Abraham out of the land of Ur of the Chaldeans. Abraham was off doing his own thing, worshipping false gods, but God had chosen Him, and called Him out of that land, to give him a land to possess. God reminds Abraham of this in Genesis 15 when He makes a covenant with him, saying, \u201cI am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.\u201d This corresponds with John 15:16, where Jesus tells His disciples, \u201cYou did not choose me, but I chose you\u2026\u201d The disciples likewise were off doing their own thing, fishing, collecting taxes and what not, but Jesus called them to follow Him. Jesus here reminds His disciples that it was He who called them, and not the other way around. This is actually the center point, and the most important point of John 15:14-17 as it is the center point of a chiasm that we have in verse 14-17. A chiasm is simply a literary structure where the text builds to a center point and then descends back out, and the ascending and descending points correspond to one another. It is used all throughout the Bible, big and small, and in fact the whole Bible itself is a chiasm. So the point is that God\u2019s election is the central reason for everything that God commands and gives to Abraham, as Christ\u2019s choosing of His disciples is the main reason for everything He commands and gives to them. He chose them, they did not choose Him.<\/span><\/p>\n

From this we begin to see what it means, biblically, to be a friend of God. It is first and foremost to be called of God and elected by Him. It is not our decision or choosing that makes us a friend of God, for how could we ever have the audacity to say that sinful rebel creatures such as us have the authority and ability to call down the Holy Almighty and demand that He be our friend. What an absurd arrogant thought that would be. Fallen rebel creatures cannot pull themselves up to God, or pull God down to them. It must be that the Holy One on high, the Superior One, condescends to us, or raises us up to Him, that we can be made and called a friend of God. And it is not as if there is some effort on the part of the rebel creature to choose God, but He just won\u2019t let them, no. As Jesus says, \u201cyou did not choose me, but I chose you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So this is the most necessary and fundamental aspect of what it is to be a friend of Jesus: that He calls you friend. If you reverse it, then you effectively have made sinful man the sovereign and Christ the subordinate in that He can be called down at the sinner\u2019s wish and choosing. But to be a friend of God, is to have the Sovereign call you His friend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

God showed Him what He was Doing<\/em><\/p>\n

Secondly, what it means to be a friend of God, is to be shown what God is doing. Jesus says in verse 15, <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>No longer do I call you servants,[<\/span><\/i>a<\/span><\/i><\/a>] for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.\u201d <\/span><\/i>Being a friend of God does not negate the responsibility we have to obey His commands, we are still subject to serve him. When Jesus says that He no longer calls them servants, He explains what He means. He does not mean they are no longer to serve Him. When we are friends of Jesus, we are not less than servants, but we are more than servants. Unlike mere servants, we are near to Christ, and as such, Christ reveals what He is doing to us. This is the pattern in Abraham\u2019s life as well. God told Abraham to look at the stars in the sky, and count them if he can, for so numerous shall his offspring be. God did not just tell Abraham \u201cdo this and do that,\u201d but He showed Abraham his offspring and land that God was going to give him. Think also of Genesis 18, where Yahweh comes to Abraham in a theophany and with two angels, appearing as men. They reveal that Sarah will have a son. But then they also look down toward Sodom as they set out, and Abraham goes out with them. Then it says in Genesis 18, beginning in verse 17, <\/span>\u201cThe Lord said, \u201cShall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?<\/span><\/i> For I have chosen[<\/span><\/i>f<\/span><\/i><\/a>] him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.\u201d\u201d <\/span><\/i>Then of course as the story goes, Abraham asks God to spare Sodom if He can find righteous men there. This is what it means to be a friend of God: God reveals what He is doing, to you. How many times have we seen Jesus revealing the things of God to His disciples? Jesus says He has made known to them all that He has heard from the Father.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was Appointed to Bear Fruit<\/em><\/p>\n

Third, friends of God are appointed by God to bear fruit. Jesus says in verse 16, <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide\u2026\u201d <\/span><\/i>We are here of course brought back to the vine and branch fruit bearing imagery. And again, this was Abraham, the friend of God. He was appointed by God to be fruitful by having offspring more numerous than the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore.<\/span><\/p>\n

God gave what He asked for (according to God\u2019s promise)<\/em><\/p>\n

Fourth, a friend of God receives from God in prayer, as Jesus says in verse 16, <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.\u201d <\/span><\/i>Abraham asked God what God would give him, since he did not have a son. God said He would give Him a son, and indeed God did, giving Him Isaac, the child of the promise. Anytime that Abraham would ask God for this, he was indeed asking according to God\u2019s promise, which is how we are to pray and receive in prayer: in the name of Jesus according to the Word of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abraham believed and obeyed God<\/em><\/p>\n

Fifth, as Jesus says in verse 14, \u201cYou are my friends if you do what I command you.\u201d Corresponding to that in verse 17, \u201cThese things I command you, so that you love one another.\u201d Abraham believed God and obeyed God. Hebrews 11:8-12, <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.<\/span><\/i> By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.<\/span><\/i> Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

To obey God is not to make oneself a friend of God, or to earn friendship with God, nor is it the cause or ground of our friendship with God. But it is indeed a true description of friends of God. They obey Him. The ground of our friendship is God\u2019s choosing, the result is that we obey Him. All of these things present in John 15 about being Jesus\u2019 friends, are seen and displayed in the life of Abraham, the original friend of God. And by faith, we are His children. But there is one other very important thing that I must mention and I must go back to verse 13.<\/span><\/p>\n

To be God\u2019s Friend is to be provided for by God (V. 13)<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus says in verse 13, <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.\u201d <\/span><\/i>This may be the most important point: to be God\u2019s friend, is to be provided for by God. Probably the most important time of testing in Abraham\u2019s life, Abraham finally has his promised son Isaac. God tells Abraham to take his only son up the mountain and kill him as a sacrifice. After all that time of waiting and waiting and waiting, Abraham finally has a son, and now God says to give him back. And what does Abraham do? He obeys God. He believes that since God brought life out of his wife\u2019s barren and dead womb, then God can raise his son back to life. So they climb the mountain, and as they do, Isaac is asking his father where the sacrifice is, and Abraham tells him that God will provide, and they get there, and Abraham has his son Isaac on the altar, and he pulls back the knife, and God stops him with an angel. God stops him and God provides a ram in thicket to sacrifice in Isaac\u2019s stead. To be God\u2019s friend is to be provided for by God. And we know what that story pictures forth, and is really all about. It is all about how God provides a sacrifice for us in our place, the Lamb of God, God\u2019s only Son, who God did not hold back, but indeed sacrificed for us, for our sin, in our stead, on our behalf, so that God could provide for us everything that we need to have eternal life – namely the forgiveness of sins. To be the friend of Christ, is for Christ Himself to lay down His life for you. Abraham needed a sacrifice, and as God\u2019s friend, God provided one for Abraham. So we also need a sacrifice for sins, and as God\u2019s friend, He has provided one for us, His own Son, who willingly laid down His life for us, who He has called His friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

How dare we ever think that it is in the commanding will power of man to make God do something like that for us or to appropriate such a sacrifice to ourselves. It is only all of God\u2019s choosing and voluntary laying down of Himself, on behalf of those whom He calls His friends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Herein we also see a connection between divine election and the atonement of Christ. In the Greek text, the same verb is used in verse 13, which the ESV translates as \u201clay down,\u201d where Jesus says, \u201cGreater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.\u201d So the verb translated as \u201clay down\u201d is the same verb used in verse 16, which the ESV translated there as \u201cappointed,\u201d where Jesus says, \u201cYou did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you\u2026\u201d The common verb there being \u201cEtheko\u201d meaning \u201cset apart.\u201d A form of the word Ekklesia, meaning \u201cthe called out ones.\u201d Now I am not saying the translators were wrong to translate how they did, because the meaning of a word is not built solely on it\u2019s etymology, but the context, how it is used, and can have different meanings based on those things. My whole point here is that there is a connection between Christ\u2019s choosing of His friends, and His laying down of His life for His friends. Another way to put it is to say it is that Christ laid His life down for those He chose to be His friends and bear much fruit. This is what it means to be a friend of God: to be chosen and atoned for. Jesus did not theoretically or hypothetically provide for His friends. He actually and effectually provided for His friends. His life was specifically for you. Not possibly for you. But truly for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This means that you don\u2019t have to go around trying to atone for your sin, or trying to atone for someone else\u2019s sin, or trying to make someone else pay for their sin. It\u2019s already been taken care of. This means we are free to confess and repent and hold others accountable to the same, without requiring that we or they atone for sin, for that cannot be. We couldn\u2019t if we wanted to, and if we are friends of Jesus then He has already done it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Application<\/b><\/p>\n

God\u2019s choosing us is what all else flows from<\/em><\/p>\n

Everything in the Christian life, all else in this passage flows from this twofold reality of God\u2019s choosing of us and Christ\u2019s laying His life down for us. Because of that He calls us friends. Because of that we are freed and able to obey His commands. Because of that we are able and called to love one another. Without divine election and definite atonement we don\u2019t have a Christian life.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Abraham is our Father, we are to be taught by him<\/em><\/p>\n

If Jesus has called us friends, and if we are Abraham\u2019s offspring by faith, then our life will have a similar outline as Abraham and as laid out in John 15:14-17.<\/span><\/p>\n

God shows us what He is doing in Christ<\/em><\/p>\n

Since God has chosen us he calls us friends, and is near to us, unlike a mere servant. He lets us know what He is doing and reveals such to us. This of course is the revelation of Scripture as the Spirit opens our eyes to see and understand. It is also providentially when we see answered prayer. By answering our prayer God has revealed what He is doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are appointed to bear fruit<\/em><\/p>\n

Like Abraham, we are likewise appointed to bear fruit, as was the whole discussion earlier in John 15 with the vine and the branches.<\/span><\/p>\n

Believe and look for fruit that abides generationally<\/em><\/p>\n

If we are Abraham\u2019s children, then we are his children by faith, meaning we have the same faith as Abraham. This means that we believe God and we look for fruit that abides. And if we are looking for fruit that abides, we are looking not just at what does or doesn\u2019t sprout up in the moment. It means we are looking for fruit over generational lines. Christian faith believes, and thinks, and acts generationally. We recognize that God works over time, and often beyond our time. Abraham did not see all of his offspring. But He saw it by faith, looking to the future. And if we are thinking in faith toward our grandchildren, great grandchildren, and their grandchildren, we are going to be living and acting a certain way here and now with our current children and our spouse. If teenagers are thinking that way, they are going to go about their teens a certain way, beginning to look for their spouse in a certain way, not like the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If we are looking into the future by faith, then that means we don\u2019t need to see certain results here and now. It means we give up our lives for the sake of the future. It means, like Abraham, that we can give everything back to God that He gives to us, because as Christians, central to our faith, is belief that God raises the dead. So whatever we give back to God, whatever seeds we put in the ground, we do so as Christians, knowing that even if we never see the fruit, God can produce a crop 100 fold beyond our imagination. The Christian life is a life of death and resurrection, and resurrection is always better than death.<\/span><\/p>\n

Believe and Obey God<\/em><\/p>\n

If we believe this, then we will obey God and show that we are indeed His friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Children of Abraham and friends of God – love one another<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/b>Verse 17, <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>These things I command you, so that you will love one another.\u201d <\/span><\/i>If we believe Him, we will obey Him and thus how we are His friends. And if we are the friends of Jesus, we will love all of the other friends of Jesus. We will love one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Click here for the full sermon audio<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

14\u00a0You are\u00a0my friends\u00a0if you do what I command you.\u00a015\u00a0No longer do I call you servants,[a]\u00a0for the servant\u00a0does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for\u00a0all that I have heard from my Father\u00a0I have made known to you.\u00a016\u00a0You did not choose me, but\u00a0I chose you and appointed you that you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":4395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,25,27,30,32],"tags":[96,274,277,1448,382,483,1506,557,562,615,678,679,687,699,747,765,775,877,988,1161,1172],"class_list":{"0":"post-4391","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentary","8":"category-faith","9":"category-gospel","10":"category-preaching","11":"category-theology","12":"tag-abraham","13":"tag-christ","14":"tag-christian","15":"tag-command","16":"tag-disciples","17":"tag-father","18":"tag-friends","19":"tag-god","20":"tag-gospel","21":"tag-holy","22":"tag-jenkins","23":"tag-jesus","24":"tag-john","25":"tag-joshua","26":"tag-life","27":"tag-lord","28":"tag-love","29":"tag-obedience","30":"tag-promise","31":"tag-son","32":"tag-spirit","33":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/stars-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4268,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/praise-the-lord\/","url_meta":{"origin":4391,"position":0},"title":"Praise the LORD!","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"December 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"*This was a sermon preached at New Start Community Chapel in Springfield, MO, 2020. Praise the\u00a0Lord, all nations! \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Extol him, all peoples! 2\u00a0For\u00a0great is his steadfast love toward us, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and\u00a0the faithfulness of the\u00a0Lord\u00a0endures forever. Praise the\u00a0Lord! (Psalm 117) Introduction I count it an honor to preach the Word of God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gospel"","block_context":{"text":"Gospel","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/gospel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/cliff.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/cliff.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/cliff.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/cliff.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/cliff.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/cliff.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4337,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-true-vine-in-gods-garden\/","url_meta":{"origin":4391,"position":1},"title":"The True Vine in God’s Garden","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"February 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cI am the\u00a0true vine, and my Father is\u00a0the vinedresser.\u00a02\u00a0Every branch in me that does not bear fruit\u00a0he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes,\u00a0that it may bear more fruit.\u00a03\u00a0Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. (John 15:1-3) Introduction Compared\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/02\/Vine.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/02\/Vine.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/02\/Vine.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4280,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/a-new-commandment\/","url_meta":{"origin":4391,"position":2},"title":"A New Commandment?","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"December 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"31\u00a0When he had gone out, Jesus said,\u00a0\u201cNow is the Son of Man glorified, and\u00a0God is glorified in him.\u00a032\u00a0If God is glorified in him,\u00a0God will also glorify him in himself, and\u00a0glorify him at once.\u00a033\u00a0Little children,\u00a0yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just\u00a0as I said to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/faith\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/mountain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/mountain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/mountain.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/12\/mountain.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2175,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/protecting-gospel-purity-in-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":4391,"position":3},"title":"Protecting Gospel Purity in the Church","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. 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For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.\" - Matthew\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/07\/gate.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3993,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/supreme-satisfaction-john-635\/","url_meta":{"origin":4391,"position":5},"title":"Supreme Satisfaction; John 6:35","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"December 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 35\u00a0Jesus said to them,\u00a0\u201cI am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 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