A recent game show vividly illustrates the opposite of true
friendship. In the game called the weakest link the players vote to see who will be
the next to get the boot off of the show.
The player with the most votes is the next one to leave.
Then of course the last player left standing is the one who wins the
prize. It is very similar to the
popular survivor show. The last
to survive the physical challenges and the voting is the winner of the
million-dollar prize. The epitome
of our society is winner takes all and it ain’t going to be you.
Survival of the fittest means that you do what you have to do to get
rid of the competition. This survivor, weakest link mentality carries over into our
every day life.
Do you have any good friends?
Friendship in
the game called LIFE is the color in a black and white world.
The joy of living is being able to share your experiences with others
that you care for. People who choose to leave their friends find that loneliness
is a hard pill to swallow. Without
good friends our lives are missing some very important color.
The weakest link is the person who chooses to sacrifice their friends
for personal gain.
Scripture Text:
1Sam 18:1 (KJS) And it came to pass, when he had made an end of
speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David,
and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day, and
would let him go no more home to his father's house. 3 Then Jonathan and David
made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped
himself of the robe that [was] upon him, and gave it to David, and his
garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
1.
Welcome to the hospitality center.
Every place should have a hospitality center.
This is the place where you find a smiling face along with a body that
really cares for you. Hospitality
is a gift that comes from God and it means to be a lover of strangers.
A hospitality center is a place where strangers find care.
It is a place where we find friendship.
This should be the true picture of the life of the Christian, the home
of the Christian, and the Christian home.
2.
Friendship is a relationship.
Jonathan’s soul was knit with David.
Although they were both competing for the same position they were still
the best of friends. Every good
friendship must have some common ground that brings the two together.
Jonathan and David were brought together through the working of the
Lord in their lives. David had
been brought into the house of the King through his triumph over the giant
Goliath. So then Jonathan, the
king’s son, and David became the best of friends.
The Lord became a man so that He could walk on the same ground and
experience the same things as His creation.
When we couldn’t go up to Him, He came down to us.
Now we can know Him as a friend.
3.
Friendship is an unwritten promise.
Jonathan and David had made a pledge to the other so that they would
continue to look after each other. In
John 15:15 Jesus made a promise to us to call us His friends.
Promises today are easily broken but the promise that Jonathan and
David made is like the promise that God has made to us. It is forever. The common ground that held these two friends
together is the same ground that holds us together as a church.
It is the Lord. He binds us together with the bonds of love through the
Spirit. 1Sam
20:41 (KJS) [And] as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of [a place]
toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three
times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David
exceeded. 42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have
sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and
thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed:
and Jonathan went into the city.
4.
Friendship is based on unconditional love.
Without the unconditional love of God then we would never be able to
know God. He unconditionally
forgives and accepts us on the basis of the sacrifice of His Son.
Without this we would be unable to remain friends with the Lord.
One sin would be enough to prevent us from knowing Him and having Him
in our lives. But, with the
Lord’s love and forgiveness or grace then we can have him and know him
through all eternity. Our earthly
friendships must have the same type of love that God has for us.
If we only love conditionally then we don’t know the depth of
friendship that we could. Love
builds a basis of trust and security that opens the door of intimacy.
Knowing one another and loving each other regardless of the obvious
imperfections is the beginning of having a love that lasts a lifetime.
Jonathan and David loved each other unconditionally.
Do we love one another with the same love that the Lord has for us?
We must love one another as He has loved us. This is his command. If
we have this kind of love then we will be willing to forgive, forget, and
accept one another. This is the
love and forgiveness that God gives. Have
you received Him then you have this capacity for unconditional love within
you. It is a gift from the
Lord to us. Have you given it
away? There are those in your
life who will never be able to measure up, because they aren’t perfect. They need your unconditional love and so do you.
5.
Friendship is a gift that we can give.
Once we have received the unconditional love of God then we have a
well full of love that we can freely distribute.
We are literally giving ourselves to one another as God gave himself
for us. Let God come between you and your friends to be true friends
forever. Welcome to the
hospitality center. A place where
you can find love, friendship, and God. Come
to Jesus for care and come to the people of the Lord to find people who will
love you unconditionally. This is
the way that we will be identified as people of the living God.
It is His love that produces unconditional friendship.