True Friendship

David. The famous David. God gave David something he could not buy. It was priceless. Notice with me. 1 Samuel 16. 1 Samuel 16 and verse 1. And the Lord said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul? Seeing I've rejected him from reigning over Israel. Fill your horn with oil. Go, I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided me a king among his sons. So Samuel did as he was told. And we know the account. And he goes through the sons. And God lets him know it's not one of these. Jesse, are these all the sons you have? Well, all except one. The youngest. And he's just a stripling yet he's out with the sheep. Well, bring him in. Send for him. And so when he came in, God let Samuel know this is the one. Verse 13. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Rama. David had to have had an idea of what was going on. Whether he fully understood what the anointing was or not is not revealed right here.

But for the whole family to know that every one of the brothers was passed up to the get-down to the kid. To the youngest one. And Samuel is the famous prophet of Israel. He hobnobs with kings, you know, so to speak. Not that hobnobs is the best word to use, but this is a top echelon person as far as involvement in the affairs of the nation. And he's coming to this family and he is anointing the kid brother of a pretty good-sized family. I think they knew what it was about.

See, what God gave David that he could not buy that was priceless was a throne. A throne. And that throne is so long-ranging that it actually extends throughout the millennial reign of Christ and beyond. Let's just read a couple of scriptures in Ezekiel. Ezekiel 34, 23. Ezekiel 34, 23. Speaking of a future time, regarding the man that God gave a throne to back when he was just a young fella.

Not that he sat on that throne right away, but it was his. He was lined up for him. And speaking of a future time, in Ezekiel 34, verse 23, it says, The resurrected David. Resurrected when Christ returns to set up his millennial reign. He shall feed them and he shall be their shepherd. And then Ezekiel 37, verses 22 and 24. Ezekiel 37, verses 22 and 24. And again, speaking of that future time, when he'll take the house of Israel and the house of Judah, the ten tribes that split off leaving Judah, with Benjamin staying with Judah, and of course Levi primarily with them.

He says, When this restoration comes in future time, Neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all. And verse 24, and again he names the one he'll set on that throne when they're combined again. And David, my servant, shall be king over them, and they all shall have one shepherd. They shall also walk in my judgments and observe my statutes and do them. There was a song years ago.

I don't know that this is the title of the song, but it was a catchy song, a catchy little melody, and there was a lyric in it. And I think it might have been the title. Some of you would remember it. I won't try to sing it for you, but it's good to be king. Remember that song that had the line of the title, It's Good to be King? And you know, it is, isn't it? It is good to be king.

It is good to have kingship in your future. When David was anointed king, the throne was as good as his, but it would be years before he would actually sit on that throne and exercise the rule of a king. Well, kingship is in our future, isn't it? I mean, we don't have to turn to Revelation 5.10. We're very familiar with Revelation 5.10, which says, has made us into our God kings and priests. That's in our future. We have that to look forward to.

And we're familiar with the verse in Revelation 20 verse 4. I'm not going to turn there either, but Revelation 20 and verse 4 about how that we will rule with Christ on thrones, plural. And if you're on a throne, you're given a throne. You know, kings are given a throne. Thrones and kings go together because Christ is king of kings, king of lesser kings, Lord of lesser lords. But will rule and reign, it says there, that thousand years with him in that millennium. So a throne is something we can all have to look forward to.

And I do look forward to it someday. David looked forward to his, but he didn't have it right away, did he? He was an only king while still a king. We don't know exactly what his age was at that point in time. Was he 13? Was he 15? Was he 17? What his exact age was the Bible doesn't give? But he had to be somewhere in his teenage years.

Yet he would not actually sit on that throne that he'd been anointed for until he was 30. So from his teens, to age 30, were years of having a throne or looking forward to a throne, but he didn't sit on the throne. Somebody else sat there. Somebody that God said, I've rejected. But God didn't remove that person that he'd rejected. He didn't remove him right away. And if you take those years of David's and you read the account, and I think the account of David the record is one of the most popular, famous, well-known in the Bible.

But if you look at those years from his teens, to age 30, they were some of the most exciting. They were some of the most challenging. They were some of the most difficult times of his life. And in many regards, they were critical.

They were crucial. They were hard. They were difficult. And they were lonely. They were not what you'd expect for a future king. They were trying years in many respects. And again, though he had been anointed king, it would be years. And with many hardships before he would actually sit on that throne, those years from the anointing till he sat there would be some of the roughest of his life. See, God gave David a throne.

Which is interesting. He didn't need the throne right away, did he? In fact, the reality is there was too much training that David yet had to go through. So we could say, couldn't we? The throne could wait for a while, couldn't it? Sure it could. David needed some training yet. The throne could wait for a while. But you know there was something else that David needed and it was something that couldn't wait. It was something he needed desperately for the challenging and hard years ahead. And yet it too was something he could not buy.

You cannot buy it. It too is priceless.

And you cannot buy it. People have tried it. You cannot buy it. No more than David could have bought the throne. He could have offered Samuel money for the throne. There was no way David could have bought the throne. There's no way that he could buy also that which he really needed before the throne became his at a later time. And God was about to give him that also. 1 Samuel 17.

We know the account. Again, is there an account that's better well known than a shepherd boy going to visit some of his brothers who were in the army? And while he's there, witnessing this giant of a man who was at least nine feet tall, may have been taller, stomping up and down the little valley between the two armies of the Philistines and the Israelites for 40 days, which is a number of trial and testing and proving, and shouting at the top of his lungs every curse he could think of against Israel and against their God. And this shepherd boy, the stripling still stepping out to meet him with the shepherd's sling and five stones and felling him and then running up and pulling the man's own huge sword and cutting his head off and holding it up so it'd be obvious to all the Philistines, your champion is dead. And fear filled him and they fled with Israel chasing on their heels. We know the account, so I'm not going to take the time per se to go through the account, but I want to go to the aftermath of the account. 1 Samuel 18 verses 1 through 4. And it came to pass, 1 Samuel 18, verse 1. It came to pass when he had made an end to speaking to Saul. He was brought before Saul.

He'd been before Saul in pleading his case to go down and fight Goliath. Now he's back after the battle. And when he made an end to speaking to Saul, that the soul, the being, the fiber of Jonathan, was knit, was woven with, was bound to the soul, the being, the fiber of David.

And Jonathan loved him as his own soul, as his own being. And Saul took him that day and would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own being, his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him, royal robe, royal attire, and gave it to David and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. And we have the first touching upon what I call, and what I'm talking about today, true. And I do emphasize the word true friendship. If you want a title for the sermon, I can think of no better title than true friendship.

Because on that day, though the throne was not David's, and the throne would not come for a decade or better. And David could live without the throne during those years, but he needed a friend. He needed a true friend. He needed a friend that would be with him and be supportive during those hard years. And that's what Jonathan was. He was a true friend for better than a decade until his death on Mount Geboah. And for better than that decade, until his death in battle on Mount Geboah, Jonathan would prove to be just that, a true friend. He would fill a special place. He would play a special role in David's life, so much so that David would later say and write in the aftermath of Jonathan's death in 2 Samuel 1, verses 25 through 27.

2 Samuel 1, verses 25 and 27. You know, there was a point where David walked that battlefield, where Saul had died, sons of Saul had died, Jonathan among them, and he had walked that battlefield where probably what was the truest friend he had ever had during his lifetime had lost his life. And he says, beginning in verse 25, he wrote this, he says, How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle? O Jonathan, you were slain in your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant have you been unto me. Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished? I am well aware that there are those in today's society who want to take that statement, your love for me, passing the love of women, and want to make something sexual out of it, something perverse out of it. It was none of that. And many times it's because of the small-mindedness of people who cannot grasp the caliber of the man David and cannot grasp the caliber of the man Jonathan that they relegated to that. For one thing, if you look up the Hebrew for the word love, it just simply has to do with have affection for, to like, to befriend. I want you to think about something.

Up until this time in David's life when Jonathan was killed, he had never had—I just think about this for a moment—he had never had anyone, anyone, as concerned for his welfare and his well-being, the state of his being, the state of his welfare as much as Jonathan. And maybe, if you know the story of his life, maybe never did again to the same degree. This was an individual that put David's welfare truly on a par with his own and proved it. And when I read the account of David, the whole entire account, I have trouble finding anybody else humanly among men or women, among men or his wives, who ever put him on that counterpart as far as the concern for his welfare.

Might come back to some of that later. But God knew that David needed such in his life while he waited, while he was prepared for the throne that was coming. So God gave David another priceless gift that money cannot buy. Jonathan means Jehovah's gift. That's what it means, Jehovah's gift. It means gift from God. A question that I asked myself and searched out years ago was what was the caliber, what was the quality, what was the measure of the man Jonathan and his friendship, what was he really like as far as a man as caliber, quality, measure. And so I looked into it. Let's look at it briefly. We don't have to go through all of it. But for instance, 1 Samuel 14. 1 Samuel 14. Saul has a very small army with him, about 600 men approximately at this point. He's not attracting too many soldiers. Too many have slipped away in the night because they're situated at one point. The Philistines who outnumber them are situated at another point. He probably looks at the numbers and says, we can't join battle. He's kind of a stalemate, a standoff.

So in 1 Samuel 14 and verse 1, it came to pass upon a day that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man that carried his armor, hey, come with me. Come on. Let's go over to the Philistines garrison on the other side over there. But he didn't tell his father. Now, Rick and White didn't tell his father. He probably didn't tell his father because his father said, you can't go, Jonathan. It's suicide. You and your armor bear go over there to the Philistine garrison? What do you want to do? Get yourself killed?

And you're the heir of the throne. You're the future king, half your mane, no way.

Anyhow, he didn't tell his father. But I want you to think about the actions of a man. But with his armor bear coming with him, he's willing to go take on whatever the numbers were.

Verse 4. And between the passages by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a sharp rock or cliff on the one side and a sharp rock on the other, kind of, you know, facing off to each other. And verse 5, the forefront of the one was, you know, northward over against McMash, etc., etc., and the other one southward. Basically, two hills or cliffs facing off. And Jonathan said, verse 6, he said to the young man that carried his armor, he says, Come, let's get over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. Now notice what he says, because these are insights that begin to tell you what his caliber is, what his quality is. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for there's no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. Would you say this is a man that's connected to God? Would you say this is a man of nerve, a man of courage, a man of faith, a man of conviction?

Verse 7, his armor bear said, Do all that's in your heart, whatever you want to do, you do. I'm with you. Verse 8, Jonathan said, Okay, here's what we'll do. We'll pass over to these men and we'll reveal ourselves to them. You know, we'll come out of hiding. We'll let them see us. If they say, Come up here to us, then we will go up, because the Lord has delivered them into our hand and that will be a sign to us. And so they discovered his nose to them and the Philistine said, Hey, look at this. Look at this. Now I did miss one. If I back up to verse 9, if they say, to us, wait till we come to you, then we will just stand in our place and we'll not go up there. But again, verse 10, which I read, if they say, Come up here, then we take that as a sign from God and we're going up. So they revealed themselves, verse 11, to the garrison and the Philistine said, Hey, look, the Hebrews, the sneaky little critters are coming out of their holes where they've hit themselves. And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his summer bear said, Hey, come up here. We'll show you a thing or two. Come on. And Jonathan said to summer bear, come up after me. You follow me for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel. Now I want you to notice verse 13, what he climbed required his hands and his feet both. He climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet. You know, they could have dropped something on him as he's climbing up. Again, take the caliber of a man that's willing to do this and also put himself to the kind of risk that he was putting himself at. But he climbed up there. And of course, the Philistines, they just see these two individuals coming and they're going to have their sport in the process of obviously killing them when they get up there. But whoa, when he got his feet planted up there, it says they fell before Jonathan and his armored bear slew after him. Imagine he waited into him with his sword. He would cut him down and his armored bear would come behind him and finish off the wounded. And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armored bear made, was about 20 men. About 20 fell and were killed within, as it were, a half acre of land, which a yolk of oxen might plow. And then there was a trembling in the host because God has a way to put fear into hearts if he wants to the kind of fear that paralyzes, that destabilizes, that just panics. And he can do that with an enemy, which evidently he began to do here as well as shaking the ground, causing a a small earthquake. But it says there was a trembling in the host, in the field, among all the people, the garrison, the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earthquake. So it was a very great trembling. And then all of a sudden the watchmen of Saul, they were keeping watching in Gibeah of Benjamin, they looked, they saw the multitude melt of the way, they saw him beating each other down, even turning on each other. And Saul said, verse 17, to the people that were with him, hey, take the count now, take the count and see who's missing, who's gone from us. And of course, when they counted his and checked and looked, they said, Jonathan and his armor bear, they're not here. They're missing. So here you've got Jonathan displayed as a man of courage, convicted of God, willing to sacrifice. Thus, first Samuel 18.

One, this kind of man with that kind of nerve, that kind of courage, that kind of conviction, that kind of faith. When he sees a young man who is still in his teens, walk out before a huge champion of the enemy with the nerve, the courage, the faith, he saw an equal kinship to himself. I've often wondered, and I think I know the answer, though it's not given in Scripture, why Jonathan didn't go out to meet Goliath. And I think I know the reason. It's twofold. The first one is a human reason. The second one is God's reason.

The first one is, I don't think Saul would allow it. I think Jonathan probably voiced, I will meet him. And Saul wouldn't allow it because Saul didn't have faith.

Son, you go out there and meet him, you're going to get killed, and the throne is yours someday. I will not allow you, as my heir, to go out there and get yourself killed. I think that was the first reason, the human reason. The godly reason was God was not going to lack because God was going to use the situation with Goliath to bring David to the attention of a whole nation because he was going to be the future king. And it came to pass when he had made an end to speaking to Saul that the soul of Jonathan was nipped with the soul of David. Kindred spirits, on a level of functioning with faith and conversion and nerve and conviction, that was extremely rare. And Jonathan loved him, had a concern for him, had an outgoing concern for him, even as his own being. You know, Jonathan was a man who felt and gave deeply, and he recognized and attached to a kindred spirit. He bonded in friendship, and it was a friendship that was true, it was dedicated, and it was sacrificial. Notice 1 Samuel. Let's just look at a few brief scriptures here. 1 Samuel 19. 1 Samuel 19, verses 1 through 7. Just hit a few scriptures to show some of those highlights through those years until David sits on the throne. Verses 1 through 7, 1 Samuel 19. And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all of his servants that they should kill David. But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David, and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul, my father seeks to kill you. Now therefore I pray you take heed to yourself until the morning. Be wise, be cautious, and abide in a sacred place, and hide yourself, and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will commune with my father of you. And what I see, I will tell you. And Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul, his father, and he said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been toward you very good. For he put his life in his hand, and he slew the Philistine. And the Lord brought a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it! You rejoiced! Why then will you sin against innocent blood to slay David without a cause? And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, as the Lord lives, he shall not be slain. And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things, and Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past.

Things were restored. Chapter 20, 1 Samuel 20, verses 1 through 3.

Time moves on, and David fled from Naoth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, he says, What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father that he speaks my life? And he said to him, God forbid, you shall not die, David. You shall not die. Look, my father will do nothing, whether it's a big matter or a small one, but he shows it to me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It's not so. It was kind of hard at this point, maybe for Jonathan to accept that his father could be so unjust and be trying to kill his best friend. And David swore more over and said, Your father certainly knows that I have found grace in your eyes. And he says, Don't let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved. But truly, as the Lord, is alive as he lives. And as your soul lives, as you're alive, Jonathan, there is but a step between me and death. Skipping down to verse 30, 33-34.

Vincenzo's anger was candled against Jonathan. And he said to him, You son of the perverse, rebellious woman. That's about the best the King James can do with it. And that's, I'll leave it at that. Don't you know that you've chosen the son of Jesse to your own confusion, to the confusion of your mother's nakedness, for as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the ground, this side of the earth, this side of the grass, you shall not be established nor your kingdom. Wherefore, realizing that, and please realize that now, send and bring him here to me, for he shall surely die. And Jonathan answered, saw his father, and said to him, Why shall he be slain? What has he done?

And saw cast a javelin at his own son, grabbed a javelin, and threw it at him, to smite him, depending on the wall. Of course, obviously, whereby or by that, Jonathan knew that it was determined it was resolved of his father to slay David. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger and ate no meat, no food, the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had done any shame. And then you go over to 1 Samuel 23, 1 Samuel 23, and verses 14 through 18. 1 Samuel 23. 1 Samuel 23. 1 Samuel 23. 1 Samuel 23. And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziphthah. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziphthah in a wood. And Jonathan, Saul's son arose, went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. And he, Jonathan, said to him, David, don't fear, because the hand of Saul my father shall not find you, and you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto you. And that also Saul my father knows. My father knows that I support you in the throne. My father knows that I'm going to be behind you to be on the throne. What he thinks is mine is not. It's yours, and I'll be second to you. And they too made a covenant before the Lord, and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house. You know, brethren, that kind of friend and friendship has always been very rare. Jonathan's friendship with David probably stands for all time as the most classic and most powerful example of what friendship can and should be. I have a question for you. Think about this. Given a choice, you, given a choice, which would you pick?

A throne or a friend? A throne or a true friend? Think about something. David wasn't given a choice, was he? God didn't say, David, you can have a throne or you can have a true friend. He wasn't given that choice, but he was given both, wasn't he? He's given both. And I want you to take it a little bit further. He could do without the throne for a time. He did without it for better than a decade. He could do without the throne during that decade a whole lot better than he could do without a true friend. You're sitting in these metal chairs. Some of you may have cushions, and that's fine. Soften them. We're used to sitting in metal chairs. We're used to sitting in easy chairs in our homes, maybe comfortable chairs in our vehicles. But is there anybody in here? I don't think so. I look around. I know you. None of us have a throne that we go home and sit on. I mean, we don't, we don't want on a throne, do we? I don't miss a throne. I don't say, oh, I miss my throne. I don't have a throne. I have one lined up for me. And in due time, it'll be there at the resurrection. But see, what I'm saying, none of us think it's strange or odd to be without a throne, do we? I don't get up in the morning and think, oh, I really feel odd today. I feel strange. I don't have a throne. It never crosses my mind. We don't feel anything missing, do we? But you know, if we don't have a friend, a real good friend, we feel left out. Because friendship is what gives us connection. It's what gives us belonging. It's what gives us involvement. Remember that old, wasn't it a Beatles song that says, one is the loneliest number?

Beatles did that one, I think. Was it another group? Who? Was it the Beatles? Anyway, I thought it was the Beatles. But the song, if you go back and you listen to it sometime, they'll play it occasionally. One is the loneliest number? Yes, it absolutely is. You know, to share life through deep and meaningful friendships is one of the greatest blessings there is. To experience true friendship. If a person could live their whole entire lifetime, and in the end of their life, look back and say that they had, I had a true friend. David could say that at the end of his life. Regardless as to what happened in the years that came with the people in his life, he was able to say at the end of his life, I had a true friend. I had somebody that cared just as much for my welfare as they cared about their own. I had a friend that was so true, they even put themselves out and ran risk for my good, for my benefit. If a person at the end of their life could look back and say, I had a true friend, then that person has shared in some of the greatest riches there are. And if a person could look back and say that they had more than one true friend, that they had any number of true friends, then wow, what riches? One of the greatest poverty and tragedies is to have none. It's one of the greatest poverty, whether you're rich and you have none, or you're financially poor and you have none, one of the greatest poverty and tragedies is to have none. It was interesting you looked around society today and you start thinking in regards of a true friend or true friendship. What's often counted as friends day is simply poor company. Think about that a moment. Just poor company. Proverbs is failed with versus dealing with warning of cautioning about poor company. I serve at a camp with youth every summer. Sometimes I serve at two in the same summer. And, of course, basically dealing with teenagers as far as the campers. They range anywhere from generally around age 12, approximately up to 19, depending on when they graduate from high school, etc. An issue like this is something that I will focus on. We have Christian living classes and some of these type issues we emphasize. I will tell them things like a true friend doesn't introduce you to drugs. You think about that. Hey, man, we're friends, aren't we? I want to share this with you. Try this. Man, you'll like it. Wow, what this will do for you? You can't believe it. You've got to try it. A true friend will not introduce you to drugs. And I'll point out about how, you know, give me an example of true friendship and false friendship. But I say, a true friend, okay, guys, you know, you're young men, you've got your driver's license, you know, you're 16 or 17 or 18, and you got your driver's license, and now you've got wheels, and you can go, and of course you'll share rides, you know, you'll go with this buddy here, and then he'll ride with you, and y'all will pile in the pickup or whatever. That's not a true friend. When he pulls up, he'll say, hey, come on, pile in with us. Let's go. A true friend, when you get in, won't make fun of you when you buckle up your seatbelts. Hey, man, look, don't buckle that thing up. What are you saying? I'm a crazy driver. I'm going to get you killed or something? Besides, we're young. We're invincible. Think about it. The macho of a lot of young men will not wear seatbelts because it's a macho thing, but a true friend won't make fun of you for buckling up.

A true friend will not dare you to do something that will hurt you. I double-dog dare you to do such and such. I have known people that it didn't matter how dangerous it was, if somebody dared them to do it, I've known individuals like that, that if somebody dared them to do something, they would do their best to do it, even if it got them hurt or killed. A true friend will not dare you to do something that will hurt you. And I point out about when you talk about true friendship, a true friend knows that the R in friend, you know what that R stands for in the word friend? R in friendship stands for responsibility. Don't you think about that a minute? It stands for responsibility because those examples I just used are all examples of irresponsibility. Now, how do you spell friend? Anybody want to venture? We could have a little mini spelling bee here. How do we spell friend? F-R-I-E-D. Correct? Now, I want you to think about something. If R stands for responsibility because true friendship has responsibility in it. If there's no responsibility in it, it's not true friendship. So, if you remove responsibility from friendship and the R stands for responsibility. So, if you remove the responsibility and you remove the R, what does it spell? Fiend. F-I-E-N-D. Fiend. And you actually are hurtful to the person, not beneficial. I remember years ago, doing a shared funeral for an elderly couple who ran a very bad accident and both were killed instantly.

And another preacher and I did a double service of this elderly couple. And at the visitation at the funeral home, you know, a lot of them have two or three parlors where they can have more than one deceased. There was a young man lying in a casket in the next room. And I inquired as to what happened to him. And what happened to him was he and his buddies were in a vehicle. Were in a vehicle going somewhere. And one of his buddies that was a passenger thought he would be funny. And he reached over and yanked the steering wheel.

Control of the vehicle was lost. And the young man in the casket was the fatality because of a very irresponsible act. Those guys were buddies, but they were not true friends. Because true friends don't do things that can get you hurt that are against your welfare. And so that young man lying in that casket, this life is cut off for him until a future time. So your true friend is thinking about your welfare because they're truly concerned for you. And because of that, sometimes it needs to be done in a loving way. It needs to be done in a very gentle, loving way. But sometimes a true friend will do what we call crawl your case, get on your back, ride you a little bit. They'll tell you what you need to hear. Might not be what you want to hear, but it may be what needs to be said, what you need to hear. Now, with that thought in mind, in reference to true friendship, notice Proverbs 27 verse 6. Proverbs 27.

Because see, that's what this is talking about when it says, Proverbs 27 verse 6. Faithful or full of faith are the wounds of a friend. What do you mean, wounds? You mean a friend would wound you?

What it is saying, a true friend who does that which is good for your welfare might say or do something that stings a little bit or kind of hurts a little bit or is not pleasant and you might feel a little bit wounded, but it's coming off of a true love for you and concern for you. It's faithful. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses are flattery of an enemy or deceitful. And see, the wounds of a true friend. If you look at verse 9, I mean, it comes from the depths of his being or her being for you. So verse 9, it says, ointment and perfume, cologne, perfume, etc., rejoice the heart, smells good, you know, so does the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel, by hearty, meaningful, responsible counsel. And the result is good. Verse 17, the result is good. Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Now, something I've noticed in life, and this is a sad notation, it is true that some people would rather have poor company than true friends. Have you ever known somebody like that that would rather have poor company than true friends? I've seen that. You know, I will talk again, going back to the camp experience and in the Christian living classes and different times and conversations and all. We know that teens like to have fun. Well, I like to have fun. You like to have fun. We all like to have fun. Fun is fun. That's why we call it fun. And a lot of times you can ask a teenager, well, what are you going to do this weekend? Or what are you going to do Saturday night? Or whatever. Well, my friends and I, we're just going to hang out. I think they still, that term is still used pretty much. We're just going to hang out. Well, what do you mean? You're going to get a rope and hang out somewhere? Or hang out the window? Or what? No, I know what they mean. I'm just being a little facetious. But all they mean is we're going to spend some time together. We're just going to be together. And a lot of times it doesn't matter so much what they're doing. And when I say that, I'm talking about as long as it's legal and moral and clean and all of that. But what I'm saying is the issue is not so much what we do, is the fact that we just have some time together. I can remember when my kids were growing up when we were in Huntsville, Alabama. And how on a Saturday night, our place was one of the places. It wasn't the only place, but it was one of the places where the young adults who took the teens under wing, which I was very thankful for that, but where the young adults and the teens, they would get together on a Saturday night. A lot of times at our place, they had other places that go, but it has some very good level-headed people. And they'd get together and it might be to watch some TV, it might be to watch a written movie, it might be to play Scrabble or Scattagory or games, make popcorn, have chips, just be together and just enjoy being together and doing together.

And sometimes if there was a good movie to go see, they'd go together. But just spending time together. And that's fine. And there's not a thing wrong with that. And that's good. And I know myself as a parent, I really appreciated the group. And I know Angela did too. We really appreciated the group of young people that we had and how they were so mutually supportive of each other and responsible and having just good, clean, fun and time together. There's different kinds of hanging out. There were certain individuals that used to hang out, usually generally back in the old west and in some of the canyons in all, they would hang out in the cotton woods and they were usually known as rustlers. That was a very poor situation. See, a true friend is a strength and a support. They're not an accomplice to weaken you. A true, you remember that saying years ago, and I guess they still use it occasionally, not as much as they once did, but a friend doesn't let a friend drive drunk.

It's very important to realize the caliber, the quality of our friendships are going to be based on the caliber and quality of our friends. You know what life is about? Do you have a life that always has its ups? Well, if you do, you're a rare bird. I don't know anybody who has a life where everything is up all the time. We say life has its ups and its downs. We have our ups and we have our downs. If you have friends that are only there with you and for you when you're up, but as soon as you're down or things are down, you can't find them anywhere, you've got what's called a good time Charlie or a fair weather friend, a good times friend. In other words, you don't really have a true friend. They're only there when things are going good. You know, a guy can walk into any bar. If I wanted to, I'm not going to do it because I don't do it. But if I wanted to run a certain experiment, I could go into any bar that I could find in this county or this town tonight. And I could walk in and yell at the top of my lungs, belly up to the bar, boys, drinks are on me. I could fill that bar just like that. And I could have guys patting me on the back and shoulder, oh boy, you're a good old Joe, you know, blah, blah, blah.

A lesson that seems to escape some folks is it's better to have only a few true friends throughout your whole lifetime than a whole crowd without a true friend in the bunch. Again, a true friend is a strength to your character, not a wear and tear on it. And a true friend is going to be there for you and you can trust a true friend. And a true friend can be understanding without always agreeing. And a true friend can be objective without being condemning. And a true friend never writes you off. And a true friend does not use you. I know we could inadvertently, not deliberately, not intentionally, we could unconsciously use a friend sometimes not meaning to that there is a possibility of that happening. But a true friend does not use us. They don't deliberately or intentionally because, guess what? Jonathan was on a give basis. He wasn't on a get basis. You can see that very quickly. And a true friend is on a give basis, not a get basis. I know that true friendship is an extremely, extremely powerful thing. Support, strength, comfort, companionship. There's a tremendous power and comfort in it. I'd like you to turn with me to Matthew 26. Matthew 26. You know, we're coming into a season where, as part of this season, we rehearse to a certain degree the tremendous and almost unbelievable pain and suffering and hardship that our Savior Jesus Christ went through with all that led up to His crucifixion and with the crucifixion itself as the culminating act. And we're all very familiar with the fact that He's the Son of God.

That He had pre-existence, that He had always existed. And there came that time where He came from the Father from heaven to earth. He became flesh. He became a human being so He could experience death for us. We're familiar with that. He was God in the flesh. He was fully human in that He was composed of flesh and blood, but He had become flesh and blood. He didn't originate as flesh and blood. He was God, had always been. And so, as He faces that, you're dealing with God in the flesh. You're dealing with the very Son of God. And notice, when He goes to the garden of Gethsemane and He knows that this is it, that shortly after He prays, they're going to come, they're going to take Him, and His ordeal is going to begin in earnest, although the mental anguish and all is already starting. And this, we're dealing with the Son of God. We're not dealing with just a regular human being, even though He's composed of flesh and blood, but we're dealing with the Son of God. And notice, Matthew 26, in verse 37, it says, And He took with Him Peter. He took with Him Peter. The other disciples were there, too, but they went so far, and then Christ took with Him Peter. And the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, John and James, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. He was extremely wrought, but He wanted them with Him.

We look for someone to stand with us. We look for someone to share with us, consciously or unconsciously, who are searching for such. We need comfort. We need support. We need companionship. We need connection. We need involvement. We need acceptance. And true friends supply that. Without true friends, there's a vacancy. There's an empty spot. And there's nothing in this life on a human level that we will need more than a true friend or friends. And a true friend could be a brother. It could be a sister. It could be a mother. It could be a father. It could be a person you're not related to at all. It could be your mate. And, of course, ideally, in time, it should be your mate.

It should be. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Don't you think about David? Go back to David.

Did David... You go back and read the account sometime. Did David ever have a wife that cared as much for his welfare and well-being as Jonathan? I don't think so. David did not get, from what I can read in the Scripture, did not get to experience that depth of friendship with a woman called his wife that he actually experienced with Jonathan as far as that outgoing concern for his well-being. I said this in the other congregations where I gave this sermon. I'll repeat it here. My best friend, my truest friend, is sitting right over there.

It's my wife, Angela. She's a true friend. She's my best friend. And that's the way it's supposed to be. But again, sadly, that's not always the way it is. You know, a true friend softens a hard world. They take some of the edges off, some of the sting out of life, out of the hurts that come. The skies are bluer with a friend. The mountains are taller. The valley is deeper and greener. Connection with life is richer and more real. And that brings me to a very important point that I want to cover as I close this sermon. Be there for someone.

In other words, be a friend. Be a true friend. Don't necessarily go looking for a true friend. Simply set out to be one. And as the Scripture says in Proverbs 18, 24, one that will have friends must show himself friendly. In Proverbs 18, 24, be a true friend. Don't just go looking for one. Be one. And in all likelihood, you'll automatically have a true friend or friends anyway. And even if you don't, even if you yourself set yourself as a one-man or one-woman crusade to be a true friend, you, even if you never yourself have the response of a truly true friend back, you'll have the wonderful experience of being one. And it is a wonderful experience of being one. And another or others will be blessed with your true friendship.

But to be a true friend, you have to be strong in courage and conviction. You have to be strong in character. You got to be strong-minded for what's good for you and your friends. You got to be strong in the Lord, but you don't boast about it. And you don't brag about it like some spiritual badge of vanity. See, that way, your companions, your friends, they get a true friend. And so does God. So let me go back to David in closing. Before God gave David a true friend in Jonathan, David was a true friend of God. Otherwise, he couldn't have faced the bear, the lion, and Goliath.

And God was a true friend of and to David. And so it was with Jonathan also. That's why their bond, the bond of David and Jonathan, was so strong. When you think about the season that we're coming into now, and you look at what it's all about, we have to all acknowledge, wondrously and gratefully, that the absolute best and truest friends that we all have and that we ever can have are God the Father and Jesus Christ. And they certainly know the value of true friendship and will help us and bless us with the issue of true friendship at the human level with others, especially as we value that and cherish that and pursue that, even as we have our best friends, absolute best friends, sitting in heaven looking upon us and serving us and helping us.