Here's Pastor Alan Wright with today's blessing, a biblical faith-filled vision for your life. I bless you with the certainty of your adoption in Christ. You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. You received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry Abba, Father. Romans 8.15.
It means you belong to to him now. and forever. He won't unfriend you. He can't undo his eternal word.
So he can't un-adopt you. He has spent too much on you to let you go now.
So, revel in the joy of your place in the family of God. Child of God, you're His. Period. Pastor, author, and Bible teacher Alan Wright. a follower of Christ, a disciple.
is an invitation into A real friendship. with the Lord of the universe. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt.
Excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series Abide, taken from John 14 through 17, as presented at Renolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire broadcast today, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now, which can be yours for your donation this month to Allen Wright Ministries.
So as you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. At any point, contact us at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Or call 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860.
More on this later in the program. But now, let's get started with today's teaching. Here. is Alan Wright. We are in a series, simply called Abide, that's based in John 14, 15, 16, and 17, sometimes called the final discourse or the upper room discourse because it's on the eve of his crucifixion.
And now we're in the middle of John chapter 15, verses 9 through 17. Follow along. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.
These things I've spoken to you, that my joy may be in you. and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone laid down his life for his friends. You're my friends if you do what I command you.
No longer do I call you servants. for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends. For all that I've heard from my Father, I've made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you.
and appointed you. As 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. These things I command you.
So that you will love. One another.
Okay, family, are you ready for some good news? While we are, of course, called to serve God. You are, according to Jesus, as his disciple, his child of God. You are not primarily a servant. He looks on you as a friend.
You're a friend of Jesus. That's what, in many ways, it means to be a Christian. And I want to talk to you today about friendship with Jesus. And to get started on this, I want you to think about two things, if you would, please. The first is, I'd like you to think about the worst job you ever had.
Go here, just think about it. Everybody, surely you had some job. And if you can't think of a pay-in job, think of something you had to do even though you didn't get paid. I'm talking about a job that was laborious to you and you found very little meaning in it and your boss didn't help. I can easily tell you my worst job I ever had.
It was supposed to be a summer job that I had during college. And I went to work for a market research company and it seemed like it was going to pay pretty good. And what I was going to do was I was going to call people on the phone at dinner time. And this is kind of back when people, you know, didn't have cell phones and they answered the phone. And then you would start asking them questions.
And I had a script, this particular Research that we were doing that summer was for a cigarette company, and they were wanting to know about some people's smoking preferences.
So, I would call and I say, Do you smoke? Yes or no? If it was no, then, you know, I would kind of end the conversation, but it was yes. Then we go into a whole script that I had on my computer in front of me. Do you like regular menthol?
Do you like this or this? You know, and then it was like this 15-minute survey, and then I'd hang up and I'd call another number, and I would ask the same questions, and then I'd call a number, and I'd ask the same questions, and I'd call another number, and I'd ask the same questions. And I did this for nine hours in a row. And I went home that night, and I was just like, Regular or menthol? Do you like this?
How many cigarettes a day do you smoke? What would you prefer about? And I couldn't even sleep. And the next day, I got up to go and do it all over again. I pride myself on not being a quitter, but I did that job for two days.
I just said, there is no way I will not be able to do this for the summer, so I quit. That was the worst job ever.
So think of the worst job you ever had. It was laborious to you. You didn't like doing it. You had to do it. And your boss was not much of a help.
And maybe you didn't even like the boss. Think about that. And then Think of one of the best friends that you're... ever had. I mean, think about the laughter, think about the...
joy that you've shared. Think about what it's like to have A confidant, think about what it's like through the ups and downs to not feel alone because you have such a friend. Think about that friend.
Now just compare those two things in your mind. Worst job ever, best friend ever. Being merely a servant versus friendship. If you can kind of think about that contrast, then. Maybe you can begin to get into what's so extraordinary about this statement of Jesus.
I do not call you servants. The friends. This rich and wondrous text that we're in today is so spilling over with good news and actually just mind-bending invitation into intimacy with God that it's hard to choose where to put the focus. But let's put the focus here on verse 15. No longer do I call your servants, for the servants does not know what the master's doing.
But I've called you friends. For all that I've heard from my Father, I made known to you. being an apprentice of Jesus. A follower of Christ, a disciple. is an invitation into A real friendship.
with the Lord of the universe. And I'd like you to revel in that. and think about this invitation. a friendship with Jesus. It starts at verse 9.
with something that is a thousand sermons unto itself. As the Father has loved me, So have I loved you. Abide in my love. We've already seen that the invitation to discipleship is not about producing fruit for God. in order to abide in him.
But it is instead an invitation to abide. to be attached to him in love. And from that, to produce fruit. And now this verse. goes even deeper.
It takes us to the very depths of the nature of Christ's love. For all. of his disciples. This is a statement that says essentially That to the extent And in the same measure, and by the same quality. That thought.
Father loves the Son. In the same way that God the Father loves God the Son, in the perfect unity of the triune Godhead. That is the way. Let the sun Loves you. It means that only if the Father could stop loving the Son could the Son stop loving you.
It means that the Perfect love of the Father for the Son is the same perfect love both in its expression and its reliability. This covenant love. that has been put upon you. And this is mind-bending. and life-changing.
If we could live loved, With the authentic experience and consciousness That the love of Jesus for us is as strong Irreversible. and eternal. as is The Father's love for the Son. Wouldn't it change everything? Mm.
That's Alan Wright. and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Are you ready for some good news? In a world filled with confusion and false advertising, Jesus knew exactly who he was and exactly what his work would accomplish. He did not leave us guessing.
He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. What if the Christian life is not about striving harder? but about abiding. Living with God, not just under Him or for Him. But in him.
Living as secure, spirit-filled children of God, not as spiritual orphans. Living with the Holy Spirit as our live-in teacher, helper, reminder, and guide, so we do not have to rely only on our own voice. This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is Abide, Experiencing Jesus in John 14 through 17, a powerful digital audio series that explores Jesus' most intimate words to his disciples. Through teaching from these chapters in John, you will discover the freedom and confidence that come from living in Christ's finished work. As our thanks when you give today, you will receive digital access to Abide, Experiencing Jesus in John 14 through 17.
The gospel is shared when you give to Allen Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. And today is the final day we're offering this special product. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries.
Call us at 877-544-455. 4860. That's 877-544-545. 4860. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org.
Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. I've returned from Jamaica this week. We're finally. I got to go see part of this mission that was planted by the Revises in Jamaica so many years ago.
And to this particular outpost of mission at the new, at the children's home and medical clinic at the New Vision Center in Christiana in the Manchester parish of Jamaica, I finally, I've been praying for this place for 29 years, hearing all the reports and hearing of the great life change and all that people have been doing. Dr. Rich Montgomery has been going for over 33 years to this medical clinic, and many of our doctors and nurses and team members have been there. And we've had scores of our people that have gone to minister to kids there. And finally, I got to go, and I'm just spilling over with that thing that happens whenever you go somewhere and there is an opportunity to serve the Lord in that way, and it just, you know, wrecks you for Jesus, and you're just fall in love with the people that you went to serve, and that happened, and everybody comes back.
And they've fallen in love with these kids, these 40-ish kids, 30-some kids at New Vision Center that would have no place to live otherwise, and from little to up through high school. And one of the things that we did was our kids, our students that went just played with the kids. We'd have devotions in the morning, and a little teaching, and songs, and games, and activities for the kids, and then they just play with them. And the idea was to get to know them and just love them. Because when you have been orphaned, when you have been left without your parents and without connection to family, you need love.
Everybody needs love as much as you need bread and water and clothing and shelter. And so they love them. And on Thursday, we had opportunity to have an individual blessing spoken to every one of the children. And it was just beautiful.
So our team had gotten to know kids well enough that they could personalize a blessing. And by that, we mean a positive vision, affirming virtue in the child. seeing a positive future over their life and expression and faith and love. And we wanted every child to receive that. And the atmosphere of it was just beautiful.
We were wondering how to administer these blessings like with all these kids who they're kids, you know, and they're playful and they're rambunctious and they're squirmy and they're loud. And I got done with that. It was like so much love in there. I said, that's like just being, you know, in the middle of a bunch of puppies and you just don't, you don't want to leave it. And we were wondering, like, could we give this blessing?
You know, should we just pull each child aside? And we thought, let's just try to do it corporately, even though maybe they're going to be loud and squirmy. Let's see. And so when I stood up and just said, We're going to do something very special. We're going to have a moment to tell each of you how special you are, how much God loves you, and it's a powerful thing when we bless.
And y'all All I can say is the Holy Spirit does this, they just grew completely quiet. For the whole time. And our youth and our leaders began to kneel down and invite them to look them in the eye and speak blessing. One of the things we were debriefing after this beautiful holy time. was One thing that almost universally happened was And this is not just in Jamaica or some orphanage.
It's almost all the time. It's very difficult. for someone receiving a blessing to really look you in the eye and just receive. In fact, almost every child just would look down. And we try to lift up their face and say, look at us.
Yeah. We're all a little bit like that. That On the one hand, there's something so holy and glorious That there was a literally a holy hush that just fell on these rambunctious kids. And For a long time, listened in as we blessed and blessed and blessed. As if like we know This sort of love and receiving this sort of blessing is what our soul craves.
Maybe. more than food or water. And yet, there's also something in us that feels. suddenly unworthy of it. Because maybe it's not been spoken before.
And so we have this admixture of wanting it, knowing we need it. And part of us daring to step into the atmosphere of such glory to be able to receive, but. It's kind of hard to receive because it's a fearful thing. to believe finally. that you could be loved that way.
I want to say it again. Jesus is saying explicitly, That he loves you. to the measure. and in the manner. That the Father Loves him.
Dare to step into that glory. And look him squarely in the eye. and allow the brilliance of his countenance. to radiate upon you. And take it in.
If we could live love like that, It'll change us. You're no longer an orphan once you know that you're loved permanently. I love Dale Bruner's translation of this verse. Just as much as the Father loved me, there. That's how much I loved you.
Make your home in this special love of mine. and relax. Ha ha ha. Maybe you could say it this way: this is the means. and the mark of Christian growth.
How much do we believe? and experience the love of Jesus. Think on his love. Wake up and think on his love. Think on it.
Meditate on it. And ask yourself: is there a chance that the Father could stop loving the Son? No. then there's no chance the stun will stop loving you. Is there a limit to the Father's love for the Son?
No. Then there can be no limit. to Jesus' love for you. Is there any reason for the Son to turn away from the Father's smile? for fear that it could become a frown?
No. Then child of God, there is no need for you. to turn away from the father's smile. On you. And this receiving and abiding that we have been speaking of so much in this little series.
We've been learning is not a reward for keeping his commandments. It is the fuel for such obedience. Verse 10, if you keep my commandments, you'll abide in my love. Just as I've kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. What we're learning is that where analogies fall short, but it's like.
Two sides of a coin. It's like two. facets of one truth that in a love relationship. There is a kind of Submission. And there is a kind of Conforming and obedience that flows out of the love.
There is a way in which the vine has life, the branch is connected, and so fruit flows from it. And when we discover this love, There is a condition. of delight that happens in the soul. Pastor Alan Wright, our good news message, friendship with Jesus, from the series Abide. Please stay with us.
Pastor Alan is back joining me in the studio, sharing his parting good news thought for the day here in just a moment. Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace-filled vision for your life by signing up for Alan Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement, get Alan Wright's daily blessing. It's free, and just to click away at pastoralen.org.
Are you ready for some good news? In a world filled with confusion and false advertising, Jesus knew exactly who He was and exactly what His work would accomplish. He did not leave us guessing. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. What if the Christian life is not about striving harder?
but about abiding. Living with God, not just under Him or for Him. But in him. Living as secure, spirit-filled children of God, not as spiritual orphans. Living with the Holy Spirit as our live-in teacher, helper, reminder, and guide, so we do not have to rely only on our own voice.
This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is Abide, Experiencing Jesus in John 14-17, a powerful digital audio series that explores Jesus' most intimate words to his disciples. Through teaching from these chapters in John, you will discover the freedom and confidence that come from living in Christ's finished work. As our thanks when you give today, you will receive digital access to Abide, Experiencing Jesus in John 14 through 17. The gospel is shared when you give to Allen Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.
When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. Today is the final day we're offering this special product. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-455. 4860.
That's 877. five four four forty eight sixty or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Friendship with Jesus is the teaching, and we'll place the bookmark here. You know, we hear a lot of teaching about God the Father, God as creator and sustainer of all that is, but there's something precious and sweet when you think that He calls us His friend. For Jesus to say, I don't call you servants, I call you friends.
I mean, it's one of the most extraordinary things he ever said. And I can't even. Imagine how much it was. shocking to those disciples, but it is still to us today. This is the Son of God.
Who Unlike other Religions and even religious figures in history didn't come to In a sense, say, everybody look at me and serve me. But to come up close without losing his divinity or glory. and yet becoming intimate up close friends with ordinary men and women. Yeah. And that invitation is still there.
He wants to be friends. Yeah. It's amazing. Yeah. Thanks for listening today.
Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastoralan.org.
Today's good news message is a listener-supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.
