It's All About Jesus.

No one is more love or hated than Jesus.

This is not surprising, since he’s the most famous person in all of human history. More songs have been sung to him, artwork created of him, and books written about him than anyone who’s ever lived. Even our calendar is based off his life, dividing time before and after him. Naturally, someone this important will have fans and foes. And a lot of people have an idea of who Jesus is.

Jesus is a good friend.

We’ve all been a bad friend at some point.

Maybe we’ve taken advantage of friends or been short with them or simply not been there when needed. And we’ve probably experienced that as well. But Jesus is a good friend. In fact, he’s a perfect friend. And even when we’re horrible friends to him, he’s always a good friend to us.

Jesus is such a good friend and we’re such bad friends, that he knew the only way to save our friendship was to die for our sins—and he did so willingly. Because of Jesus and his death on the cross, we have the opportunity daily to become better friends to Jesus and with Jesus.

And as we do so, we learn some amazing things about him:

As a good friend, Jesus loves us better than we could ever love him, love others—or even love ourselves.

As a good friend, Jesus guides us, showing us how to live and how to love in a way that brings glory to God and fulfillment in life.

As a good friend, Jesus forgives us our sin though we don’t deserve it—sacrificing his life so that we can live.

As a good friend, Jesus is fun, having enjoyed parties and time with his friends.

As a good friend, Jesus listens. And not only that, he prays for us when he hears our prayers. He cares about what is happening in our lives.

Jesus is a truthful friend.

Jesus is a truthful friend. He speaks the truth about himself, about us, and about the world.

As a truthful friend, Jesus taught that he is God, that he came down from heaven to be a man among his creation, that he was sinless, that he would die on the cross for our sins, that he forgives sin, and that he is the only way to heaven.

As a truthful friend, Jesus taught that we are sinners, that it’s impossible on our own to be friends with God because of our sin, and that the only way to be friends with God is through him.

As a truthful friend, Jesus taught that this world is broken and needs fixing. Jesus promised to return and fix this broken world. On that day, there will be no more tears, no more sickness, no more pain. Creation will be good again through Jesus.

Jesus is a power friend.

Jesus is a powerful friend whom the Bible speaks of as a King and conquerer.

As a powerful friend, Jesus is the King of all creation—and he’s establishing his kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. This means that nothing is out of the influence of Jesus and everything is subject to him.

As a powerful friend, Jesus has conquered Satan, sin, and death. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from death in victory. Today, he is alive and well! And Jesus is coming back to forever destroy evil. For those with faith in Jesus, there is no need to fear as Satan has no power over us, sin is no longer in control of us and our sins are forgiven, and death is not the end but the beginning of life after this life with Jesus.

As a powerful friend, Jesus leads his church through the Holy Spirit. He calls leaders and empowers them to lead well. He brings people to him out of sin and shame into life and forgiveness. He creates community in which people serve one another and the world.

As a powerful friend, Jesus is generous. He gives forgiveness and grace freely to all who ask, having given his own life to provide it. He also gives us his Holy Spirit, who empowers us as Christians to live in Jesus’ victory and strength.

Learn more about Jesus.

If you want to learn more about Jesus, the Bible is a great place to start. The following are some parts of the Bible that speak of Jesus. If you want to dig deeper, we encourage you to start reading the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the book of Romans.

Jesus as a good friend: John 3:16, John 15:3, John 15:15, 1 John 3:16, 1 John 4:7-21, Romans 3:21-26, John 2:1-12, John 14:4-6, 1 Corinthians 11:1, John 10:7-18, John 16:13, Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25, Hebrews 4:16, Luke 22:31-32

Jesus as a truthful friend: Mark 14:61-64, John 8:58-59, John 10:30-33, Colossians 2:8-15, Hebrews 4:15, Philippians 2:1-11, John 10:17, Luke 24:44-49, Matthew 9:6, Luke 23:34, 1 John 1:9, John 14:6, Romans 1:16, Ephesians 1:13-14, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Hebrews 5:9-10, Revelation 7:10, Revelation 21, Romans 8:18-25, Acts 4:11-12

Jesus as a powerful friend: Revelation 19:11-16, Matthew 26:64, Isaiah 6:1-5, 1 Corinthians 15:3-11, Acts 1:1-11, Revelation 21:1-2, Ephesians 6:10, Colossians 1:17-20, 1 Corinthians 15:50-56, Romans 8:15, Matthew 16:18, Acts 1:23-25