Loyalty to God and Man

Are you a user of mankind? Or are you an abuser of mankind? You've probably heard of abusers of mankind. In fact, God states that the abusers of mankind will not be in the kingdom of God. The abusers of themselves with mankind will not be in the kingdom of God. Let's note 1 Corinthians 6 and 9. We're titling the sermon today, Loyalty to God and Man. There are some people who are not loyal to man, not loyal to any kind of leadership. They are what you call users of mankind. Of course, we have here abusers of themselves with mankind.

And that has to do with the homosexuals and, as they call themselves, the gays, which agenda we talked about in the announcements briefly. In 1 Corinthians 6 and verse 9, I know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God, be not deceived. Neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, in other words, homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revelers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Now, all of those things can be repented of. The Bible says that God is angry with the wicked every day. God loves humankind regardless as to their behavior so much. And all of us at one time walked according to the print for the power of the air and the spirit that now works for the children of disobedience, as Paul talked about in Ephesians 2.

But we have repented, we have come out of that hopefully, and we're not in this category, any of these categories. But we need to be aware of them. Viewers of themselves as mankind, whether it be male or female, they are homosexuals. And the Bible condemns that behavior. Of course, one of the things that's in this article that I've printed here is the fact that they are now trying to make the Bible appear to be a book about racism.

That if you're against that, you are the same as a racist. The greatest revolution that has taken place in the U.S. and the western world is the sexual revolution. It's been going on now for about 50 years. It has four main components, sexual promiscuity, assybiousness, in other words, lawlessness, looseness and morals, pedophilia, that is abusing children in sexual sense, homosexuality, and gender blending, women's liberation, radical feminism, that movement.

The entertainment world, the advertising world, is filled with sexual undertones and overtones. And subtly, subtly, not suddenly, but subtly, slowly, gradually, subtly over a period of time, our people are being perverted and subverted, and the fabric of our society is being ripped apart. The above deserves to be labeled for what it is, and God's people need to be warned of the insidious nature of the sexual revolution. That's not what the sermon is about today, but it's a lead-in because of talking about abusers of themselves with mankind, and there are people who are users of mankind and have no avowed loyalty to God or to man.

So there is something that is perhaps even more subtle that we need to be aware of that destroys the fabric of society. It destroys human relationships, and it destroys alleged friendships. On the one hand, we may call this politics, and it's surely an element of politics, but a person could be somewhat apolitical and still fall into this trap of being a user of mankind. Users of mankind are sometimes just felt to identify. We've all heard about apple polishers and less flattering turns that some people use to appreciate themselves to others, to the boss, to the leader, maybe to the teacher, to the minister, to those people who are in positions of influence. In other words, we know that some people play up to the boss, or people of influence, and try to advance themselves.

They are users of mankind. They feign to be friends. They feign to be loyal, but in their hearts, they really aren't. So having had the life experiences that I've had, and I've had a wide range of jobs, everything from plumbing crews and working with Derek on oil fields, to growing up on the farm, and everything involved from following mule, chopping cotton, picking cotton, pulling corn, shucking corn, you name all that stuff, and on and on it goes.

I've had sort of the lowest job, too, but the world would consider a job of prestige. The college president. I've seen so many different people come and go. So many different things. So I've had a wide range of experience. I've witnessed just about every behavior in the book.

I taught the first leadership class that was ever taught at Ambassador College for credit. Over the decades, the church has really emphasized leadership, leadership training, with the expectation that we are being trained to rule and reign with God and Christ, in the Kingdom of God. Sometimes we've used the weak analogy of the training of the members of the English royal family, what they go through to become kings or queens. The English royal family is one of the most morally corrupt groups of people who has ever walked the face of the earth.

I said that one time in a class in General Cussles College back in the 1980s, and a girl from New England was, not New England, New Zealand, was greatly offended for talking about her queen in such a way. But I tend to call him a thesean, and I see very little noble from that. The queen, I must admit, has set a better example, and has set a pretty good example compared to the philosopher. I have a thick book that catalogs the history of the theories of leadership, and a library on leadership. You might have, when you teach a college course, on leadership. The book contains the various definitions of leadership and the various theories. It goes back and traces the theories from basically the early 1900s up to the present time.

This leadership management movement that we've seen in the United States in the past, it's really been talking over the past 40-50 years, is something sort of new on the world scene. One of the first assignments that students were given in the leadership class was to write and explain their definition of leadership. After much study and reflection, I developed my definition of leadership. Here is my definition of leadership. Leadership is the art, the skill, and the gift of helping people achieve their God-ordained potential. Helping people achieve their God-ordained potential.

God and Christ, that's what they are leading us toward. Toward the Kingdom of God, our God-ordained potential. That's what we should be doing with our skills. What is the God-ordained potential, every person who's ever lived? It is to become, as you heard in the sermon, a glorious, radiant spirit being in the Kingdom of God.

There are hundreds and thousands of books that have been written on leadership and management. And there are some valuable insights into how to lead and help people achieve their life goals. Unfortunately, most people tend to view life in a very limited way of basically the here and now. We were created for the purpose of living forever. But we were created subject to vanity. Let's go to Romans now. Romans chapter 8. Hopefully we can explain this. One of the things that the Doctrine Committee will be taking up in the August meeting.

Something that's been out there for quite a long time since 2007. Where one minister in an area gave a sermon on the nature of man, in which basically he was the pastor of the church. Basically, he followed the same line that we have taught through the years, which I think is essentially correct. Humankind was created neutral. Humankind was not created evil. If that were the case, then God would be the author of evil.

God said after he created mankind, you heard in the sermon, at verse 26, 27, read, at the end of that chapter, it says that God saw everything that he had created. It was very good. So we cannot attribute the evil that man does, or the human nature, as we call it, in and of itself, to God. But humankind was created subject to vanity. Now, it's not vanity in the sense that the old Helen Redding song of Yerso Vane talked about. I guess you take the songs about you. Not that. Vanity in the sense of humankind was created subject to wanting their thing here and now.

And that's the way a baby is born. A baby is born not knowing good or evil. They are morally neutral in that sense. And they have built within their being this need for survival, to survive. They want to be fed when they want to be fed. And they want to die for change when they want to die for change. So we could go on and on with just those basic needs that a child needs.

They want instant gratification. In Romans 8, verse 18, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory, which shall be revealed in us, for the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.

For the creature of the creation was made subject to vanity. That means temporary, temporal, lasting a short time. Not wigglingly, but by reason of Him who has subjected the same and whole. It's almost like a contradiction, but it's not, because God created us with what we call free moral agency. And He expects the parents to rear the children, and the fear and the admonition of God, to nurture them in such a way that they learn right from wrong, and they have their conscience, knowing within themselves, trained that they can make valid decisions based on the Word of God.

And the old motto, old, new, recapture true values, the Word of God is the foundation of knowledge. But by reason of Him who has subjected the same and whole, they were created subject to vanity, but at the same time, there is something in humankind in which they hope for, they yearn for, something better, because the creation itself also should be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glories of liberty of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groans and prevails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which are the first fruits to the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the sonship to know the redemption of our bodies. So God created humankind subject to sin and death, but He didn't create things in sinners, but they were subject to sin and death. Did this obey?

Wait until sin is dead. The gift of God is eternal life. Humankind is subject to wanting their thing now. Satan the Devil is very aware of this weakness, I guess you would say, this innate equality within human beings. So you remember after Jesus Christ was baptized, led away in the wilderness, he tried and tested the devil 40 days, 40 nights. After that, the devil came to him.

And three great temptations jumped off the pinnacle of the temple. Angels would bury you up, and first the dead turn these stones into bread, jump off the pinnacle of the temple. Angels would bury you up. And number three, he took him up on the high mountain and said, I'll give you the kingdom for this world. Now, you can have your thing now. You claim to be born a king, you claim to be the son of God. Well, if you bow down and worship me, you can have the kingdoms of the world right now.

And from the Garden of Eden to the present time, Satan has been getting to people by this deception. He lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden, deceived her into believing that there was a shortcut to eternal life. Eve said that God said, to eat of this tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall surely die. And the devil's big lie to Eve was, you shall not surely die. You can have your thing now. And humankind was made subject to vanity. And since human beings were created subject to vanity, they tend to follow the leader that they perceive will help them achieve their short-term goals.

Virtually every person is tempted with this. I'll be loyal to the person that I believe will help me get where I want to be. I am a user of mankind. I'm not really a lover of mankind. And loyal to mankind, I'm a user. I'm a user which, in a sense, can be an abuser. In the world of politics, the candidate that promises the most in the short term usually wins if his propaganda machine can convince the followers that he will deliver on his promises. And you have the honeymoon period for the first few months. And then you begin to get down to brass taxes and say, and if he doesn't deliver, then, as they say, the natives get restless. Basically, people will follow you as long as they believe you will help them achieve their goals. Dean, I see you sitting there. You only seem to sometimes respond when we turn to a scripture. These are the points that you need to be aware of. These are the points that you need to write down. These are the things that you need to remember. People will follow you as long as they believe that you can help them achieve their goals. This is perhaps the main reason that lame-duck leaders are so ineffective. Well, he's only going to be in office in the short term. He's only going to be the boss, the teacher, the minister, the whatever, the pastor. So, we have to turn somewhere else. Well, there is a time for everything and every purpose, every season under heaven. It is there the kind of love and loyalty among us, the people of God extended, and were portrayed by David and Jonathan and the Bible, or perhaps some other examples that we can note. There's lame-duck situations, but you really find out at times who the true friends were, and you find out those who are really in their hearts and minds, really committed to loving God and man as they should. For some people, you're only useful to them as long as they perceive that you can help them achieve their goals. I saw this in a recent church clip. There were certain people, almost from the day that I came to Houston, who were determined that they were going to separate from the United Church of God, and as some praised it, the United Church of God was going to go down. And I think that some believed that the entire church would follow them. The United Church of God would no longer be. And if you are useful for that, we have time for you. But if you're not, we don't have any time for you. Brethren, this is the Church of God. We stand before the living God and Jesus Christ. If life is important, we have had great philosophical movements in the past few hundred years, including Nietzsche and others, the existential movement in which they glorified death, kneel is nothingness, instead of what God really created every human being, that's normal, natural, that is, to have love for life, to have this innate instinct, as it were, to be driven, to live.

Long time friend up in Big Sandy, I talked with after services last week, he said, well, if you're looking at me, it looks like I'm staring at you, it's because I now have a glass eye in my left eye socket. Because I had a tumor in that eye, and they advised me to take that tumor out. I said, I took it out, I chose life over the possibility that the tumor would take my life. Of course, we always say, well, God could have healed him in the various things that we say, and that's true.

I'm just trying to illustrate there that some people have come to the point that they really treat life as if it didn't exist, and we've been desensitized to the preciousness of life, once again through the media, movies, the gore, killing. And it's not just, and then as you see now, you see innocent men, women, and children gunned down, blown to bits, as if they were clay pigeons out on the shooting range. So what?

We live in an impersonal environment, and we find ourselves tending to view people as objects. And it can spill over into our character life, into our relationships with one another.

Every human being, I don't care whether they're in the jungles of New Guinea, or any other place that you want to name, every person has emotions. They have feelings, and with all inherent elements of what it means to be a human being, created, as you heard in the sermon, and in the image of God. Every human being that has ever lived has this God-ordained potential of being in the kingdom of God and ruling and reigning with God and Christ as kings and priests. And are we providing the kind of leadership that will help them? And one of the challenges of the church is to awaken every human being to this realization. The New Agers, the people of the so-called light, the people of Oprah Land, have their followers believing that you're already God. All you have to do is realize the God within. Their rhetoric is very similar to that of the devil in the Garden of Eden. So now we come back to the original question. Are you a user of mankind? Or do you love God? And are you loyal to God in Christ? Do you love humankind? Do you love life? Are you loyal to humankind? We can all ask ourselves, are we an edifier, a comforter, and exoder of our fellow men? Remember the two great commandments. Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul. Love your neighbor and yourself. I got to thinking about this this week and asked myself, do I really love that person? I was driving along and I loved myself, and I said, you know I don't. The person, I don't know that person driving down the road there to say, I love them and I love myself. Have I come to that point yet? And sometimes, even with people that we have worked with, that we have known, that we have said that we have loved for years and years. So what character trait do you admire most in others? In other words, what quality of character would you rather your friends have than any other quality? Would it be honesty? Would it be dependability, sincerity, courage, perseverance? Just what quality do you want those for your friends to have? For me, that quality of character is loyalty. And if they don't have this trait towards me, then I don't consider them to be friends. Nothing hurts more than being stabbed in the back. You know we sang a hymn, the second hymn today. But as for me, I'll call on God. You know, I thought this person was my friend. We went to church together. We did this and we did that. And his words were as smooth as butter. And he really came down to it. Evil was in his heart and stabbed me in the back. So let's take a closer look at the word loyalty. Loyalty is the act of being faithful to those persons, ideals, etc. That one stands under conviction to defend or support. Once again, the act of being faithful to those persons, ideals, etc. That one stands under conviction to defend or support. At first, it may seem that this character trait of loyalty is a duplication of honesty and personal integrity. But there is a distinct difference. The principal difference lies in the word conviction.

Loyalty is an extension of honesty. There is also an extension of love. It goes above and beyond honesty. This love is the greatest. Loyalty and honesty are components of love because you can't say that you really love somebody if you're not honest with them. You can't really say you really love somebody if you're not loyal to them.

Honesty can almost exist and avoid. Commitment, conviction, devotion, and loyalty will come only at the expense of great effort and no small sacrifice. It requires giving up itself. Christianity requires our lives. Loyalty is second only to love as a character trait. In fact, you cannot truly love another person without being loyal to that person. Love is greater in that it is general and all-inclusive. Love summarizes the law. Love summarizes God's character. Loyalty is a dimension of love and an extension of love as I've already noted. It is similar to honesty, but it transcends honesty and personal integrity.

It is academically possible to be an honest traitor. Judas openly betrayed Jesus Christ. Of course, Christ knew that Judas was going to betray him. It is to him to whom I give the soft. His hand is on the table here tonight. Go do that what you do. Do it quickly. When Judas joined the band, took Jesus Christ and arrested him, he betrayed him for the kiss. Thinking that he was doing, I guess, God a service. I could say that I'm going on a dangerous mission tonight. The probability of being killed is very high. Will you go with me? You could say, no, do you think I'm crazy? Think I've lost my mind? Do you think I want to risk my neck for you? You would be honest, but not necessarily loyal. A wife can say, I don't want the responsibility of being a wife and mother anymore. She may be honest, but she sure isn't loyal. A husband might say, I don't want the responsibility of supporting your family anymore. I've been tied down too long. I want my freedom. I'm going to go do my thing. So he leaves wife and children high and dry. He may say he loves them, and in a certain emotional way he might. He is, according to the Bible, he that divides not for his own, is worse than an infidel and has denied the faith. It is almost impossible for a person without firm convictions and commitments to be anything other than an individual of transparent integrity. You've got to have firm convictions and be committed to those convictions. That's why God said of Israel, Oh, that there were such a heart in them that they would obey me and keep my commandments and fear me all the days of their lives. That's why God is writing His law and stamping His character on our inward parts. The law was weak in that it did not change the mind, but the Spirit and Word of God together. And right within you, can purge your conscience, and you can have a new knowing within yourself. If you're not a person of conviction, commitment, and loyalty, you will only be a person of transparent integrity. A person who stands for nothing will fall for anything, as they say, because he's not convicted of what he is doing. We're admonished before we ever take this journey to count the cost. Let's go to Luke 14, verse 28. Luke 14, verse 28. When you finally come to the point where the minister in baptismal counseling turns to the Scripture and reads it or talks about it, really, you don't have any other choice, except death. And basically, when he gets down to it in life, there are only two choices. Life and death. Therefore, she's life. Only a fool, only a person who's lost their mind, will choose death. Luke 14, verse 28. For which of you intend to build a tower, sit not down first, and count the cost? Whether he has sufficient to finish it. Verse 26. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes, in his own life, he cannot be my disciple. See, that's the extent of the loyalty that God expects of us. And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. We're instructed to prove all things. Hold fast, which is good. That's 1 Thessalonians 5, 21. You prove your convictions by acting on them. You prove your convictions by acting on them. It's easy to say, be warm, be a cuddle, be dead. Something else to make sure that people are clothed and are fed. You prove your convictions by acting on them. You do as the Bereans do. You receive the truth of all readiness of mind. This is Acts 17, 11. You receive the truth of all readiness of mind. And you search the Scriptures daily, whether these things be true.

Don't sit in the seat of the scornful and be some kind of cynic. God says that you prove or test Him by acting in faith. Some people try to bargain with God, saying, if you will bless me, then I will obey. There have been a lot of people, and you've heard the stories, on battlefields and different situations, in which they were in this life or death situation. They cried out to God and said, if you will deliver me from this, then I'll serve you the rest of my life.

And some people, after those vows, have tried to live up to those vows. God expects more from us than just to deliver me from getting killed here, and I'll serve you. You know, the person that tries to bargain with God is deceiving himself and will receive only the blessings of time and chance. The blessings of time and chance, basically, is the Scripture that says it reigns and adjusts and the unjust summarizes time and chance. Now, our vibrant song leader, Mr.

Dr. Weber, he talked about people coming to work on Wednesday morning here, wet, and they were happy about it. Well, in Big Sandy, Texas, north of here, by about 250 miles, it lightning in its thunder, and it blundered all night long. It came one little jiggly shout that very much progressed. So all the unjust people in Big Sandy, without rain and all these righteous people in Houston, two inches. It rains and adjusts and the undies. It was sort of like a funnel starting in north of Tyler and going a little bit west to Hawkins and Gladewater and up to Mount Pleasant, sort of like a pear shaped hardly any rain, maybe two tests in the end.

Places around west out west of Tyler in Athens, six inches. A lot of places got one to two inches and it's so dry up there, but it's not as dry as it has been here. So once you have proved and once you are convicted, you cannot look back. You cannot turn back. As I said, there are only two choices, life and death. Let's look at Luke. Let's go back to chapter 9.

Luke 9, verse 62. Jesus said unto him, No man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. You can't use any excuse to say, Well, I've got to go bury my daddy. I've got to go do this or do that. That doesn't mean you can't do that, but as an excuse to say, I can't follow God. Because I've got to do this thing in the world. So the whole story there goes back. Starting in 58, Jesus said unto him, Foxes have the holes and birds of the air have nest, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

And he said unto another fellow, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury the dead. But go then, but go you and preach the kingdom of God. And another said, Lord, I will follow you, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home in my house. Jesus said unto him, No man having put his hand to the clown, looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Because oftentimes, if you look back, then the pull of the emotion, one of the most difficult things, and I was thankful that we actually made our move from Mississippi to Texas.

What's that? We were on the campus of Delta State University, where I was preaching and coaching, and really there was no family member there. Because I know if my mother and my daddy, we'd already said bye to them, and it was hard enough to see that vehicle pull out of sight. And to know that from that point on, your life would be much quicker.

See the conviction, the commitment, and courage to do those things. Once you put your hand to the clown, God expects you to be loyal to him, if you've already read from Luke 14.26, unto death. Now what we just talked about above is necessary to show that to have loyalty, you must be committed to principle. You must be devoted to duty. You must stand the courage of your conviction. You must act from the Word of God.

It's not sufficient just to be honest without action from the Word and the mind. See, Satan believes and trembles. James 2.19 says, his devils believe in Trenton. But will you know vain man, faith without works, is dead? This is not a world best characterized as possessing firm convictions, strong commitments, with untiring devotion to principle and representative of principle.

Writers of the New Testament knew that there would come a time toward the end of this age in which the people would be tested and tried. The very fabric of our character would be tested, and it is being tested now. It has really been tested in recent months, and most people don't even realize the test.

It's about loyalty to God. It's about loyalty to a fellow man. It's about the two great commandments of which hang all the law and the prophets. New Testament writers knew this. Jesus Christ, of course, knew this. Look at Matthew 24. Matthew 24. Olivette prophecies. Probably the most turned to chapter in the New Testament. I don't know for sure, but surely in the church of God, it's been turned to there many, many, many times. Backdrop, these were the last days of Christ's life. He and the disciples are going in and out of Jerusalem every day to the temple.

After one such day, the disciples came to Him and said, Lord, what will be the sign of Your coming in the end of this age? And Jesus began to give them the signs of that and answers those two questions. Verse 7, nations shall rise against nations, kingdom against kingdom, be famines and pestilence and earthquakes in different places. These are the beginnings of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you out to be afflicted and shall kill you. You shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, be loyal to God and to neighbor, even family members who go out to London.

Many shall be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another. Of course, you don't have to be at the time of the Great Tribulation for this to happen. It has happened many times in the course of human history. And many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many, and because the nicwity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. And he that shall endure until the end, the same shall be saved. Now we go quickly to Luke 21 and Luke's account of this. Luke's account of this.

Luke 21 verses 16-19. Luke's account of the Olivet Prophecy. Luke 21-19, we break in on 16, break in on the thought. You shall be betrayed both by parents and brethren and kinsfolk and friends, and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. You shall be hated of all men for my name's sake, but there shall not in hair of your head perish.

Even though some may be put to death, they are as good as alive in resurrection. And your patience possess you your souls. Now quickly back to Matthew 24. Matthew 24. So you see Luke closely parallels what's said in Matthew. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels. Synoptic means seeing through the same eye, different accounts of the same events. In Matthew 24 again, we pick it up again in verse 45. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over his household to give him meat and deuces?

Blessed is a servant whom his Lord, whom he, when he comes, shall find so doing. Verily I send you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delays his coming. He doesn't say it openly. He can go around and say, well, I don't think the price is going to come for 10 years, 15 or 30. Says it in his heart through his actions. My Lord delays his coming and shall begin to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken.

There are many different ways to smite your fellow servants. The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with a hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of tea. Then, when these things are going on, then shall the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven be like another 10 virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridebird. Chapter 25 is a part of the argument of prophecy. You know the parable of the 10 virgins. Five wise and five foolish. Five had oil in their lamps and five did not. The loyalty to God and the man. In Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul lists several behaviors that will be extended at the end of the age. In 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 3, the first part of it says, verse 1, that in the last days perilous time shall come. Look at verse 3, without natural affection. So the homosexual movement without natural affection, or even this thing of parents loving children as they should, and children loving parents as they should. Church breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. Man-users, but not really lovers of God and man. From such, turn away. If we want our lives to have meaning, direction, and purpose, then we have to develop loyalty. Loyalty to God, and loyalty to man. Man is created in the image of God. How can any man say that he loves God, who he has not seen, and hates his brother whom he has seen? So if you want your life to have meaning, purpose, direction, then develop loyalty. Be ever devoted to truth. Don't just go along with a crowd, as so many have done in recent times. Let's contrast the loyalty of David and Jonathan to each other, and the loyalty of David DeSaul with another one of David's sons, and see what we find.

Want to talk about loyalty? Let's note the love and loyalty that David and Jonathan had for each other. Let's go to 1 Samuel 17. I want to find out a little more about Jonathan. We usually just focus on David, but Jonathan was a man of great character. Jonathan was a brave and great warrior.

You can read about some of his exploits in chapters 14, 15, 16.

1 Samuel, let's pick it up in 1 Samuel 17, in verse 44. 1 Samuel 17 is taken up with the showdown between David and Goliath. How that Goliath for forty days and nights had defied Israel, and had come out and boasted himself. And David, you know the story, came to bring food to his brothers, three older brothers, one of whom made fun of him, told him, in essence, get lost. What are you trying to do? Exalt yourself. David saw what was happening, and he determined that his loyalty was so great, his conviction toward God was so great, that he would not let this, as he called it, uncircumcised Philistine, defy the living God. And so he went to Saul and got permission to go against Goliath. Saul gave him all this armor. David said, I don't want it. I haven't tested this. I've killed the lion. I've killed the bear. I know what I can do. I'll do what I've been doing. So we look at verse 44, 1 Samuel 1744. And the Philistine said to David, that is Goliath, come to me and I will give your flesh into the fowls of the air and the release of the field. And David said to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day, will the Lord deliver you into my hand. I will smite you and take your head from you. And I will give the carcasses of the hosts of the Philistines this day in the fowls of the air, the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands. And he came to pass and the Philistine arose and came and drew an eye to meet David. David hasted and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag and took a stone and slung it and smote the Philistine in his forehead that the stone sunk into the forehead and he fell upon his face to the earth. David cut off his head and brought it before Saul. The armies of Israel pursued the Philistines and defeated them. He came before Saul in verse 58, that is, David and Saul said unto him, Whose son are you? Whose son are you, young man? And David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse, the Bethel of Mark. Or Bethel of him. In other words, Jesse who believed in Bethel of him. And it came to pass when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan, the very life essence of Jonathan, was knit with the life essence of David. And Jonathan loved him as his own life. And Saul took him that day and would let him go no more home to his father's house. And Jonathan and David made a covenant before because he loved him as his own life. And Jonathan stripped him of the robe that was upon him, stripped himself of the robe that was on him, and gave it to David. Gave his robe and his garments even to his sword and to his bow and to his girdle. No, not one else of jealousy. No envy at all. Jonathan is the king's son, not David. Jonathan saw what a man David was and what was in his house.

Jonathan's father, Saul, was quite different. Verse 5, And David went out to wherever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war. He was accepted in the sight of all the people and also the sight of soul service. And he came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul the cabaret with joy and with instruments of music. And the women answered one another as they played and said, Saul has slain his thousands of David's ten thousands. Verse 12, And Saul was afraid, because the Lord was with him and was departed from Saul. Saul became very jealous. He became very paranoid. To the point that he sought to kill him. Notice verse 14. David behaved himself wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. Wherefore, when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. Not only was he afraid, he was jealous and he was paranoid concerning David. In verse 26, Saul had said he was going to give his firstborn daughter, Markov, in verse 17 to David, but he changed his mind and gave her to somebody else. Then, when Saul saw that David was so loved by the people, he decided to give him Macaul, his daughter. And he said, in essence, he said, David, you know you're a poor man. You can't really give a dowry. The only dowry I'm going to require of you is a hundred foreskins and fillestones.

And Saul was hoping that when he went out against the Philistines, almost sure that they would kill him. But instead, David and his men brought back 200 foreskins of the Philistines. And so, David and Macaul were married. Verse 28, Saul knew that the Lord was with David and that Macaul, Saul's daughter, loved him.

And Saul was yet more afraid of David, and Saul became David's enemy continually. Then the princes of the Philistines went forth and came to pass after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was met much set by them. And Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his servants that they should kill David. The first few verses of chapter 19 is Jonathan defending David. Eventually, some peace was made, and for a short time, David was back.

But Saul and his heart wanted to kill David. And he continued to pursue David all the days of his life. And David was on the run until Saul was dead. You go to 2 Samuel chapter 1, and David, here we see his grief and his remorse at the news of the death of Saul and Jonathan. In 2 Samuel chapter 1, verse 12, David said unto the young men, well, verse 12, They mourned and wept and fasted until even for Saul and for Jonathan, his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they were fallen by the sword.

And David said unto the young man that told him, Where are you? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger and a malachite. And David said unto him, How was it you were not afraid to stretch forth your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? And David called one of the young men and said, Go near, fall upon him, and you smote him, and he died.

So David had the man killed who killed Saul. And David said unto him, Your blood be upon your head, for your mouth would testify against you, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed. And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son. Also he made them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow, who hold what was written in the book of Jasher. The beauty of Israel is slain upon your high places. How long? How are they mighty? How are the mighty fallen? Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets, askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice.

Let the daughters of the uncircumcised, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. And so the lament goes on, showing the great love and affinity that David had, the great loyalty. And you contrast death with abstinence. We go now to 2 Samuel 15, follow the few pages. 2 Samuel 15. The story of Absalom, the background I'll briefly rehearse.

Absalom had a beautiful sister. Absalom, of course, was from a different wife than some of David's other sons. One of David's sons raped Absalom's sister. And Absalom killed that brother. Then he fled for his life. And after a period of time, Joab, as the mediator, got David to consent that Absalom could come back. To come back home, to be a part of the royal entourage, royal family, lived within the palace gates and all of that.

And what did he do? He was really a murderer at heart already. And he came to pass after this, 2 Samuel 15. Absalom prepared him chariots and horses and tipped him in to run before him. And he would stand in the gate and use flattery and deceit, undermining his father, the king. Verse 5, and it was so that when a man came to him to do him obesiance, he put forth his hand, took him, and kissed him. And on this manner, in Absalom, all Israel's became the king for judgment.

So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. He came to pass after 40 years that Absalom said to the king, I pray you let me go pay my vow that I vow unto the Lord in heaven. He even used deceit in what he was going to do now in his rebellion against his father. Said he was going to pay his vow that he had vowed. And what he did was that he sent out spies throughout the tribes of Israel, verse 10, to subvert his father.

Verse 11, when Absalom went, 200 men out of Jerusalem that were called, and they went into, in their simplicity, knew not anything. And Absalom set forth a Hithafel, the Delianite, David's counselor from the city, even from Geboah, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong for the people increased continually with Absalom. There came a messenger to David saying the hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. Absalom used trickery and seed, flattery, to subvert his father. Before David knew it, it was like all of Israel was against him. Greatest king that Israel had ever known.

Everybody had been turned against him, save about 300 people. You talk about loyalty to God and demand. You see the very raw nature of human time. David said in all his servants that were with him in Jerusalem, and the king said unto the king, Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever, my lord the king shall appoint.

And the king went forth, and all his household with him. And the king left ten women which were concubines to keep the house. And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and he waited in a place that was far off. And all his servants passed on beside him, and all the Jerusalemites, the Levites, and all the Gittites, 600 men, which came after him from Gath, passed on before the tomb. Now here's a great example of loyalty. Then said the king to Idi-I, if they I, to Gittite, Wherefore go you also with us?

Why are you going with us? Return to your place and abide with the king, or you are a stranger and also an exile. Whereas you came, but yesterday should I this day make you go up and down with us, seeing I go where I may not return and take back your brethren, mercy and truth, be with them. In other words, David said, what I was talking about earlier, we're on a dangerous mission, and you may not come back alive. And Idi-I answered the king and said, As the Lord lives, and as my Lord the king lives, surely in what place my Lord the king shall be?

Whether in death or life, even there also will my servant or your servant be. And David said to Idi-I, go and pass over, and Idi-I, Gittite, passed over. And all his men and all the little ones that were with him, and all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over, the king also himself passed over, the broke chedron, and all the people over towards the way of the wilderness. You talk about loyalty, and here is Idi-I, who came on the scene just a few days ago, or I don't know how long the time was, it might be a figure of speech, but not very long.

Idi-I stayed with David when the pressure was on. All of Israel was against David except about 300. Eventually, there was a great reward for Idi-I, he was given one third of Israel's army later on. You know the story of Absalom, and Absalom met his death.

As he was hanging in the tree, he was speared and killed. Since he's gonna be loyal when things are going good, it's easy to support a winner. The test comes when you are on the unpopular side of a cause. Then you can determine who your loyal friends are, as David did here. How could it be a king of the magnitude of the statue of David? We have only 300 people left with him.

Some of the reason that some people give, well, look at all these people. Can all these people be wrong? Well, basically the majority, through the history of humankind, they're wrong. They're the majority, the multi-pronged kill of Jesus Christ. Absalom stole the hearts of all the people of Israel, saved just a few hundreds. In order for a person to develop loyalty, he must develop some worthy goals, leading to his central purpose in life and above all, how the courage of his convictions and remaining ever devoted to principle is special. And the chips are down. And, brethren, the chips are down. This world is very different. The chips are down.

And it is amazing that we are able to maintain the appearance of normality to the degree that we're able to in our society. But our society is being ripped and torn as humans. We must develop a complete philosophy of life. Know what and why you believe what you believe. Do as a Berean. And just as importantly as developing a complete philosophy of life is the development of a plan for implementing that philosophy. You must be convicted and committed to a body of beliefs and have the courage to die for those beliefs, as we saw in Luke 14.6.

This is one of the requirements for spiritual survival in the days that lie ahead. Go now to Revelation 12. Revelation 12. Satan the devil is alive and well on planet earth. He is deceiving the whole world, as we know here. And furthermore, there's much more about this. Revelation 12.9. The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, who's deceiving the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying, in heaven now has come salvation and strength in the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ. For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accuses him before God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb. See, when they stumbled and fell, when they did things wrong, the sin, they went before the throne of God and claimed the blood of the Lamb, which covers our sins.

By the word of their testimony, the word of their testimony, hidden in their hearts, God gave them the words to speak. And they loved not their lives, but to the death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast under the earth, he persecuted the woman who was brought forth the man child. The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, and she might fly into the wilderness and to her place, where she is nourished for a time and time and half a time, from the face of the serpent. I believe it will be only those who are loyal to God and to man.

We read from Matthew 24 and Matthew 21, how many shall betray one another? You'll be brought before kings and rulers and all of that. Shall turn to you as a testimony. Think not what you're going to say, because God will give you the words to say at that time, and those who have the courage to speak their convictions.

They do not betray God or Christ, or any member of the body of Christ. And they love not their lives unto the dead, yet they are the ones who understand. Probably not in every case. In the commitment to fear those who draw back. God says, my soul shall have no pleasure in them. So she flies into the wilderness and to her place, where she is nourished for three and a half years, from the face of the serpent. The serpent casts out his mouth and water as a flood, after the woman, a great army, that he might cause her to be carried away of the army.

The earth helped the woman. The earth opened her mouth, swallowed up the flood, the army, with the dragon cast out of his mouth. The dragon was mad with the woman, went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. And, as we've already read, love not their lives unto the dead. The delicate faithfulness, the marine motto, Semper Fi, always faithful. Always faithful to the truth, to God, to Christ, to your fellow man, serves it at once as both a drive and a control in life. Devotion to principle makes life meaningful and purposeful. Without it, life is meaningless. And man has lost his way. And he is filled now with nihilism and nothingness. Faithfulness and loyalty go hand in hand. Here's where you want to say at the end of your life. Let's go to here in 2 Timothy 4. This is what we will be able to say, as Paul says here, if we are loyal to God and to our fellow man as Christ gives command. We'll be able to say this in 2 Timothy 4, verse 7. I have fought a good fight. I've finished my course. I accept the faith. I've been loyal to God and my fellow man. Henceforth, you have laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous, that I shall give me at that date. And not to me only, but unto all that also love and to Christ. Brethren, let us always be simple facts.