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Living Water Bible Church – February 1, 2026

John 15:12–25 — “A Friend of God: Loved Deeply, Hated Openly, Kept by Truth”

Friendship with Jesus flows from His love, brings real opposition from the world, that is overcome through the comfort of God’s word.

Biblical / Cultural Context
Jesus is still in the Upper Room on the night before the cross. He has just taught that abiding in Him produces fruit and joy (John 15:1–11). Now He gets very honest about what life will look like for His friends. In that first-century setting, openly identifying with Jesus could cost you relationships, status, and even safety. Jesus does not hide that reality. Instead, He tells His disciples that love and purpose are real, but so is opposition.

Passage Outline
I. A Friend of God Lives in Jesus’ Love (John 15:12–17)
II. A Friend of God Should Expect Rejection from the World (John 15:18–19)
III. A Friend of God Is Comforted by God’s Word (John 15:20–25)

I. A Friend of God Lives in Jesus’ Love (John 15:12–17)
📌 Jesus calls His disciples to love others the way He loved them, and that love is the pathway of friendship-level fellowship with Him. Jesus sums up His commands in one clear direction: “love one another as I have loved you.” His love is not based on convenience—it serves, sacrifices, and gives without demanding payback. Jesus then explains something important: all believers are loved by Him, but living as His “friends” speaks to closeness and shared life with Him in discipleship. Friendship with Jesus is not earned salvation—it is enjoying deeper fellowship through obedience, especially the obedience of loving others like Christ.
💡Love others with Christ’s kind of love, not your kind of love.
Have we been loving only when it’s easy, or only when it benefits us?
Choose sacrificial love that reflects Jesus, because His love is the standard for how we treat one another.

II. A Friend of God Should Expect Rejection from the World (John 15:18–19)
📌 The world system hates believers because it hates Jesus, and believers should not take that rejection personally. Jesus warns that if the world hates you, it hated Him first. The “world” here is not the planet and not every person—it’s the system that pushes God out, loves darkness, and resists truth. Jesus says the world would love you if you belonged to it, but believers have been chosen out of it. That new identity will create friction, and Jesus wants His friends to be ready for it, not surprised by it.
💡Don’t chase the world’s approval—stand firm in your identity in Christ.
Have we been tempted to blend in so we won’t be rejected?
Remember you belong to Jesus, and let His acceptance matter more than the world’s reaction.

III. A Friend of God Is Comforted by God’s Word (John 15:20–25)
📌 God’s Word strengthens believers to endure opposition, because persecution fulfills scripture and exposes the world’s rejection of God. Jesus explains that much of the hatred comes “for My name’s sake,” because the world does not know the Father. The religious leaders in Jesus’ day had no excuse: they heard His words, saw His miracles, and still chose rejection. Their deepest sin was refusing Jesus—because to reject Jesus is to reject the Father. And even this hatred fulfilled Scripture: “They hated Me without a cause.” God’s Word prepares believers so they can suffer without fear and remain steady in truth.
💡Let God’s Word steady you when people reject you for following Jesus.
Have we been discouraged because truth brought pushback instead of praise?
Hold tightly to Scripture, knowing rejection for Jesus’ sake is not failure—it fulfills scripture.

📖 John 15:13 (NKJV)
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

🙏 Father, thank You for the love of Jesus that does not hide, does not quit, and does not fail. Help us love one another with His sacrificial love, stand firm when the world rejects us, and stay comforted and courageous through Your Word.
In Jesus’ Mighty name, Amen.