The Power Of Friendship
DAVID | Part 4
In "The Power Of Friendship," Pastor Peter Seide shifts our focus from David, to his beloved friend, Jonathan. We all need at least one good friend in our lives, and we need to be a good friend to others. Someone to walk with through the twists and turns of life. What does it mean to be a good friend? How can we learn from Jonathan's example of friendship?
Watch:
Listen:
“True friends will put aside their own desires to love, protect, and strengthen each other in the Lord.”
Scripture:
1 Samuel 18:1, 3-4
After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.
1 Samuel 20:12-17
Then Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father. But show me unfailing kindness like the Lord’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord call David’s enemies to account.” And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.
1 Samuel 20:40-42
Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”
After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.
Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.
More From This Series:
We all have hopes and dreams. But sometimes our dreams don't turn out as planned. And when our dreams don't work out...it can be hard to swallow. So what do you do when the legacy you thought you'd leave will never be realized? How do we deal with broken dreams?
Even when we're at our worst, God is for us. As we see towards the end of David’s prime, God was not done working in His life. And as long as there's breath in your lungs, He's not done with you either.
What good is it if you win all the prizes offered to you by the world and in the process lose your children? In "The Sins Of The Father," Pastor Tim portrays a first person narrative from the perspective of David during the most devastating time in his life...the loss of his son.
The cycle of sin, repentance, and forgiveness is a normal part of the faith journey. We're broken people that are prone to messing up and making bad decisions. But what if we messed up really bad? What if we’ve made choices that still haunt us to this day? Is there hope for repair?
Disastrous decisions often never just "happen." More often than not, the most destructive decisions we make in our lives are built on a series of smaller, less damaging choices. How do we pursue better choices that lead to a life well spent instead of just...spent?
There is a simple spiritual act that maybe more than any other can change the direction of a person's life. It is a gift that God has given to everyone, and calls us to spread to others. By it cold hearts become soft and enemies become friends.
Have you ever experienced times in your life where your plans just didn't work out the way you expected? You're not quite the person you’d hoped to be by now. Your career didn't excel in the way you wanted. You had dreams of being or doing more and yet God said, “No.” How do we navigate these instances when God shuts a door on the plans we've made?
How often do you connect fear and amazement with experiencing the presence of God? We're comfortable with a God who is always with us and is all loving. Which are true, but the Bible also tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. As loving, gracious, and faithful as God is, He is also holy, different, other worldly. Those who know Him best, will reverently fear Him.
Sometimes there are people in our lives that make our lives simply unbearable. People that genuinely cause us suffering, hurt, and frustration. For David, this was Saul. If it's true that God hates our suffering, why does he allow people like this to remain in our lives?
Have you ever had the things you lean on for support in life kicked out from under you? It happened to David. One by one David lost his support systems, and the courageous shepherd who defeated Goliath was suddenly overwhelmed with fear. How do we overcome seasons of fear like this? How did David?
In "The Power Of Friendship," Pastor Peter Seide shifts our focus from David, to his beloved friend, Jonathan. We all need at least one good friend in our lives, and we need to be a good friend to others. Someone to walk with through the twists and turns of life. What does it mean to be a good friend? How can we learn from Jonathan's example of friendship?
Everything in David’s life seemed to be coming together. He was instantly a national hero after defeating Goliath; his career was about to skyrocket as he's chosen by God to be the next king of Israel. He was an overnight sensation. Yet, not everyone was excited about all of David's success. Sound familiar? We live in a society fueled by envy, but like in David's life, nothing can derail God's plan for our lives when we pursue His heart.
The story of David and Goliath is a familiar one, and it's an important lesson on how to face life’s most difficult challenges with courage. But what really is courage? Where does it come from? And why is courage still as relevant to us as it was for David when he battled Goliath?
The Bible calls David, "a man after God's own heart." And yet, at times he was brutal, faithless, and a lousy father. He was an adulterer. He was a murderer. And still, "a man after God's own heart." Sometimes God chooses the most unsuspecting people to do His work in the world. So what is it that God is looking for in the people he chooses?