Welcome to Steadfast Baptist Church. Great to see everybody here this
afternoon. If we can go ahead and take our seats we will get started. For our first
song this afternoon we'll go to song number 410. Number 410, victory song.
Let's go ahead and help serve us with a word of prayer. Thank you so much and we just thank you
for this unto you Lord and to the people and we just ask that you be with those
that are given the gospel and thank you for all the salvations and Lord we just
ask that you bless this church and everything that it does. We just ask all
these things in Jesus name. Our next song let's go 296, 296, follow on. Song number
296. Let's all sing it out together.
"Down the valley with my Savior I would go, the sweepers flowed everywhere, steps to the ground"
Coming to Steadfast Baptist Church. I didn't bring a bulletin with me can I
steal one from you? If you don't have a bulletin like me you can lift your hand
nice and high and they can get you a bulletin. On the front we have our Bible
memory passage, Jude 1 verse 10. Also on the inside service and soul winning times,
regional soul winning times. Please make sure to update our chat group with your
soul winning for the day and the weeks. Also on the right we have our
list of expecting ladies, please be in prayer for them. Upcoming events again
the Streetport Louisiana Marathon, the sign-up sheet should be out there in the
four-year. Springdale Arkansas, Brother Foley is gonna be help leading this. If
you have any questions you could ask him. Our semi-annual business meeting July
13th and so if you can partake in that it'll probably be the right after the
evening service. It's kind of our normal meeting it is just for members. We have
soul winning marathon Lancaster July 19th. Our men's retreat is August 14th
through the 16th and then FBBF August 27th through the 31st. Again there's
gonna be a preacher every single night of the conference and so just as a
friendly reminder we'll have services. We might bump our service time up a little
bit so maybe it just frees up the evening. We're only gonna have one
preacher every night so it should be just kind of one preacher in and out and
hopefully we will fit in here. Also we have the missions trip September 8th
through the 12th. Brother Diego is gonna help lead that. We have our Bahamas
missions trip October 6th through the 11th. We have the teen summer event July
26 bowling night. August 9th is the adventure park and so we've got a lot of
events there. On the back is our prayer list and thank you all the people that
helped us you know resolve some of our power issue this morning and let there
be light right you know it's really nice to have some light in here so we're not
trying to go nom the nom or something you know or it's all dark or whatever we
actually like lights on everything so no it's it's great to have some power again
and with that we'll sing our psalm of the week psalm 11 psalm 11 psalm 11 in
your binders in your King James Bible let's all fall along pay attention to me
for the timing on that first it does change a little bit from the rest so
psalm 11 let's all sing it out together now as the offering plates are being
passed around good and open your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 27 that's the book
of Proverbs chapter number 27 chapter 27 the Bible says boast not thyself of
tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth let another man praise
thee and not thine own mouth a stranger and not thine own lips a stone is heavy
and the sand weighty but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both wrath is cruel
and anger is outrageous but who is able to stand before envy open rebuke is
better than secret love faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an
enemy are deceitful the full soul loatheth on honeycomb but to the hungry
soul every bitter thing is sweet as a bird that wandereth from her nest so is
a man that wandereth from his place ointment and perfume rejoice the heart
so that the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel thine own friend and
thy father's friend forsake not neither go into thy brother's house in the day
of thy calamity for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off my
son be wise and make my heart glad that I may answer him that reproacheth me a
prudent man foresee it the evil and hide it himself but the simple pass on
and are punished take his garment that is surety for a stranger and take a
pledge of him for a strange woman he that blessed his friend with the loud
voice rising early in the morning it shall be counted a curse to him a
continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike
whosoever heighteth her heighteth the wind and the ointment of his right hand
which bereth itself iron sharpeneth iron so a man sharpen at the countenance of
his friend whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof so he that
waiteth on his master shall be honored as in water face answer it to face so
the heart of man to man hell and destruction are never full so the eyes
of man are never satisfied as the finding pot for silver and the furnace
for gold so is a man to his praise though thou shouldest bray a fool in a
mortar among wheat with a pestle yet will not his foolishness depart from him
be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks and look well to thy herds
for riches are not forever and doth the crown endure to every generation the hay
appeareth and the tender grass showeth itself and herbs of the mountains are
gathered the lambs are for thy clothing and the goats are the price of the field
and thou shalt have goats milk enough for thy food for the food of thy
household and for the maintenance of thy maidens let us pray dear Heavenly Father
thank you for the soul saved out today I thank you for the message this morning
please help us to be more loyal friends and to be loyal to you Lord please bless
pastor Shelley as he preaches your word now in Jesus name amen amen I want to
look through this chapter it actually has a few different verses in here that
kind of talk about friendship look at verse 6 the Bible says faithful are the
wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful of course a friend
is gonna love at all times the Bible says sometimes your friends have to tell
you things that you don't want to hear sometimes it kind of hurts your feelings
or may offend you but that's what a faithful friend would do is he tells you
things that are uncomfortable it says in verse number 9 ointment and perfume
rejoice the heart so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel we
shouldn't only criticize our friends but sometimes we should give them good
wisdom and counsel and so there's good and bad and then of course the really
verse I kind of want to focus on verse 10 thine own friend and thy father's
friend forsake not neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy
calamity for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off so the
Bible just explicitly commands you not to forsake your friends and it goes
beyond that it says you're not even allowed to forsake your dad's friends or
your father's friends it's saying it's really important because a lot of us
don't always live near our family we may not always have relatives or kin to
help us and so we need friends friends are an important part of life and
friends are there to help you now we live in a digital age where you can just
call someone on the phone that's not even that close and you can reach out
to them and that's a great benefit it's a great blessing but we need local
friends we need people that are close to we need people that we can count on
that are gonna be there to help you and I think that the Bible shows us an
example of having this attitude of being someone that will never forsake your
friend now the title that I'm kind of coming up with my evening sermons is
called ride or die friends and it's kind of slang it's kind of used in popular
culture this this idea of quote ride or die it's just really a phrase to explain
how you know you're gonna be a lifelong friend your BFFs right your best
friends forever you're not gonna you're not gonna leave them you're not gonna
forsake them and the attitude of ride or die is more of like I'm willing to go to
battle for you I am willing to lay down my life for you I am willing to die for
you I am with you and I think we see this in the Bible over and over and over
again and to me this would be great but it takes two to tango when it comes to
friendship I can say that to you and I can mean it and I can even do it but for
it to be reciprocated that's your part that's where you have to come into play
you have to make that decision and it's sometimes hard to find people that are
like this it's hard to find people that are quote ride or die now hopefully if
you got married that you get one built-in ride-or-die friend right I mean
that should be your just automatic ride-or-die friend and of course my wife
is my best friend I believe that she will be my best friend until I die or
she dies and then in heaven I think we'll still be best friends so you know
but I don't know for sure you know she's always telling me she'll visit me in
lower heaven you know what I mean but I'm still gonna be her friend right but
I mean at the end of the day you know we should have that kind of mentality
with our marriage with our spouse hey we're ride-or-die like I'm with you but
I think that you know beyond just your marriage you should also just have
friendships that are ride-or-die and that's what I really want to focus in
on is not just the marriage aspect that's a different sermon I really want
to focus on just the friend aspect having just people that you're not
married to but you're just dedicating yourself as saying hey I'm just gonna be
your friend I'm not gonna forsake you I'm ride-or-die and I want to show you
this in the Bible now go backwards a little bit to chapter 18 the Bible also
brings up something similar here in Proverbs chapter 18 verse number 24 but
let me make it clear even if you're not quote ride-or-die forsaking a friend is
a sin it's sin it's a sin to be disloyal it's a sin to forsake your
friend it's a sin to not back up your friend and it really just shows you're
not a real friend you're not a true friend you're not a sincere friend
because a friend loves it all times is what the Bible says Proverbs 18 verse
24 also has an interesting verse here it says a man that hath friends must show
himself friendly and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother how
could this be true if friends always are forsaking each other or not backing
each other up or not helping each other in fact the Bible is saying you can many
times have someone that you're closer with that's not related to you they're
just a friend and I would say you know in my life I probably do have a lot of
friendships now that are much closer than I do with my personal family
members it's not because I don't want to have a relationship with my family it's
not because I'm not willing it's just how life works and I do have a lot of
friends that are closer than my brother a lot of people also then take this and
apply it to Jesus and of course Jesus is a friend that stick it's closer to us
than a brother or to anybody else and Jesus is our friend and I you know what
we should model our friendship and our lives after Jesus and how he's a friend
and how he never gave up on his friends and now he loved his friends and the
good unto his friends and he stuck close to them and look Jesus closest
friends were not his brothers I mean his brethren didn't really believe in him he
didn't pick his brothers to be the disciples he picked other people he
picked James and John he picked Andrew and Peter and of course John if you
think about it became Jesus is like kind of best friend like it seems like from
the text John is Jesus Christ's best friend and he's the disciple in whom
Jesus loved he's constantly leaning on his breast or his bosom it seems like
they're buddies even when Peter wants to get something out of Jesus he's kind of
like all right let's ask John John's kind of got the inside track John's got
the inside scoop but you know think about this isn't it kind of interesting
that Jesus is the closest to John and then John's like the most powerful book
in the Bible like I don't think that's a coincidence I've always thought about
that if you kind of think about like Jesus's relationship with these people
it's also like kind of like they're part of the Bible in a sense too and it's
like Jesus is just really clearly outlined in the book of John you see
the closest of their relationship you see the importance and impact of the
gospel of John and a lot of people get saved through the gospel of John and you
can see how this is just the this is the one in whom Jesus like really loves
because honestly if we're gonna get someone saved John's kind of like our
go-to isn't it and you know you can kind of see that thing why because a
friendship and a relationship is often based on your works and it's the output
that John is giving it's what John is doing it's the gospel of John and of
course that is why Jesus is so close with John I mean John just just an
awesome awesome book of the Bible it's one of the most incredible books of the
Bible and John doesn't like Jews that's you know another bonus there so go to
Deuteronomy 31 go to Deuteronomy 31 I mean if there's any gospel you want to
just rebuke Jews I mean the gospel of John you got it all day long and that's
the one that Jesus loves Jesus loves the gospel of John you know I love the
gospel of John now it encourages us that Jesus does not fail us or forsake us and
we need to realize that there is a friend that stick us closer than a
brother and it's Jesus and look even if you don't ever have a great friend
relationship because not all of us will you may never have that lifelong friend
you may never have somebody that sticks with you and you know that's sad but
there is somebody that will always stick with you and it's Jesus no matter what
no matter how down you get no matter how many people desert you nobody how many
people forsake you no matter how low it gets Jesus will never forsake us now
Deuteronomy 31 look at what it says in verse 6 be strong and have a good
courage fear not nor be afraid of them for the Lord thy God he is that doth
go with thee he will not fail thee nor forsake thee wow isn't that an
incredible promise I mean the Bible is telling us hey God's gonna go with us
God's gonna be there he's never gonna fail us he's never gonna forsake us you
got the great promise in Matthew 28 where he says you know I'll always be
with you he's just always with us where two or three are gathered together in
his name there I am in the midst God doesn't fail us he never leaves us he
never forsakes us yeah we can grieve the Holy Spirit of God but he's always with
us and Jesus is always that advocate for us and Jesus has already paid for all of
our sin and we're allowed to go boldly under the throne of grace to find help
in a time of need because Jesus is always that intercessor always that
mediator always advocating for us he's just always that friend and that's what
we should look at like what does a friendship look like what does a true
friend look like what does a friend act like what does Jesus act like that's the
best friend you could ever have and that's what you should be like to other
people go if you would to John chapter 15 Hebrews 13 let your conversation be
without covetousness and be content with such things as you have for he has said
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee I will never leave thee nor forsake thee
God is making this promise unto us and then he's telling us hey don't forsake
your friend or your father's friend now Ephesians 4 also says and grieving out
the Holy Spirit of God whereby you're sealed under the day of redemption
he's not going to leave us we don't want to grieve him and again it's not to say
just because your friend says I'll never leave you or forsake you doesn't mean
you should treat your friend like trash or not be a good friend back but isn't
it nice to know if someone said hey I'm just going to be your friend and it
doesn't really matter what you do it doesn't really matter what you say
I'm just going to keep being your friend and I don't want to stop being your
friend and you know what I'm all in that's a great feeling wouldn't it be a
great feeling if someone told you that and especially when they're sincere or
they're not being flattering they're not you know using hyperbole or something
they're sincere person they're not a light person
you know that's that would be a comforting thing to hear and it's
encouraging unto you and that's what Jesus does
now one thing you have to understand about friendship though is of course
friendship is circumstantial look what it says in verse 13 greater
love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends
you're my friends if you do what serve I command you
so it being a friend to someone is circumstantial
but what I want you to understand is that what I'm teaching is you just don't
make it an option yeah I have to be friendly to you if
you're going to be friends yeah I have to do that work to to put
in to our relationship for us to stay friends
but the one that says write or dice is I'm going to always put in the work
I'm always going to put in the effort and I'm always going to be the I'm
always going to be the friend there and so that's what it really means you're
making that commitment to be that friend now go to the second kings
chapter 10 I want to go through a couple stories in the Bible and show you
examples of people that are what I would call ride-or-die friends and you kind of
see this attitude where they're trying to they're trying to test each other
they're trying to figure out like are we right or die or not and they want to
know and people will often say this you know the Bible says every man will
proclaim his own goodness but a faithful man who can find a lot of people say
I'm your friend but then are you their friend and again being friends is not
saying we're friends being friends is not I accepted your request on Facebook
because there's a lot of haters and trolls that that accept my request too
or send me invites that doesn't mean we're friends
there's those there's those are stalkers and trolls and weirdos
okay being friends is beyond just saying that you're friends
and it's strange to me how some people say like oh we're friends
but we can't hang out and we can't see each other
i don't want anyone to think that we're associated with each other
we're not going to do anything with each other no one can know that we're
you know doing anything together and i'm trying to distance myself from you
but we're friends and i mean if you call every once in a while i might answer
well if that's the definition of a friend if the definition of a friend is
we don't hang out i don't want anybody to know that we hang out
we don't really do anything together we're not going to do anything together
and in fact i'm trying to distance myself from you
but i do have your phone number and i may call you well then what's the
difference between me being a friend of that person and me me being friends with
every indian scammer out there apparently i'm best friends with every
indian scammer because i don't hang out with them i don't want to hang out with
them try to distance myself from them but they have my number and occasionally i
answer you know and when i answer i'm like would you
like to buy camel you know and then they just hang up on me you know it's like
they don't want to buy my camel you know i try to sell them something
but but at the end of the day it's like you know friendship is beyond just
saying that you're friends you know there has to be meaning there
otherwise it's not really being a friend is it what does a friend look like okay
2nd kings chapter 10 verse 13 "jihu met with the brethren of aaziah king of
judah and said who are you and they answered we are the
brethren of aaziah and we go down to salute the children of the king and the
children of the queen and he said take them alive and they
took them alive and slew them at the pit of the shearing house
even two and forty men neither left he any of them"
now this is what i like about jihu is he doesn't mess around he
he isn't everybody's friend some people he's just slang he's just
in fact he's getting his hands dirty he's going around
he drives fast and crazy that's what i really like about him you know
i can relate but then it says in verse 15 "and when he was departed thence he
lighted on jahunadab the son of recap coming to meet him and he saluted him
and said is thine art right as my heart is with thy art and jona
have answered it is this is what he says if it be
give me thy hand and he gave him his hand and he took him up into the chariot
and he said come with me and see my zeal for the lord
so they made him ride in his chariot now we know what a real friendship looks
like hey is your heart right yeah it is okay
then get in he got in the car now they're going to go together now
they're hanging out now they're doing work together
because that's what a real friend is what have you said hey are you want to
be my friend yeah okay see you later let's not talk let's not hang out i
don't want anybody to know that we're doing anything together that's not a real ride or die
friend this guy's like hey i'm killing people and i'm not taking any names i'm just slaying heads
do you want to come with me and he's like yeah well then get in it wasn't even just like yeah
it's like okay well then get in because a lot of people will say like yeah well then get in
because if you're not going to get in and if you're not going to start chopping heads off then yeah
you didn't get in buddy we're ride or die these are some ride or die friends and you know what i
like jihu i like johan adab the son of recap go good to first sam was chapter 14 you know what
you'll notice about men in the bible that are friends is they slay together they kill together
they get their hands dirty together they're not the one that's just kind of afraid to get their
hands dirty or afraid to fight anybody or afraid to do anything hard or afraid to ruffle feathers
they say hey I'm ready to slay with you look at 1st Samuel chapter 14 verse 6 and Jonathan said
to the young man that bears armor come and let us go over into the garrison into these uncircumcised
it may be that the Lord will work for us for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by
few and his armor bearer said on him do all that is in thine heart turn thee behold I am with thee
notice this according to thy heart what an awesome friend what an awesome friend that says hey let's
go do this and he says hey whatever you want to do wherever you go whatever is right with you
I'm on I'm on board ride or die let's go I'm ready to do what's whatever is right with your heart
that's a true friend that's a true friend that says hey whatever you like whatever you want
my heart's with your heart I'm ready to go I am with thee according to thy heart then said
Jonathan behold we will pass over under these men and we will discover ourselves under them if they
say unto thus thus unto us tarry until we come to you then we shall stand still in our place and
will not go up unto them but if they say thus come up unto us then will we go up for the lord hath
delivered them into our hand and this shall be a sign unto us and both of them discovered themselves
under the garrison and the philistines and the philistines said behold the hebrews come forth
out of the holes where they have hid themselves and the men of garrison answered jonathan and his
armor bearer and said come up to us and we will show you a thing and jonathan said to his armor
bearer come up after me for the lord hath delivered them into the hand of israel and jonathan climbed
up upon his hands and upon his feet and his armor bearer after him and they fell before jonathan
and his armor bearer slew after him now this is an important story and you have to understand how
god operates because you could just have left the story and thought oh the armor bearer is good
because he said he was going to do it but then the bible tells us that they did it there's an
important difference between saying you're going to do it and then doing it he said hey whatever you
want let's do it he's like okay if they say come up we're going to go kill him and then like they
say come up he's like all right you ready let's go and then he followed him and then he slew
with him and he killed with them because he was ride or die he said yeah i am going to do that
yeah i am going to fight with you yeah we are going to get our hands dirty and it makes sense
you know jonathan has this great friend and i like this guy's attitude and i i almost you know would
think it may have shaped his attitude into how he ends up becoming someone else's friend and has the
same attitude for someone else skip forward to chapter 18 for just a moment skip forward to
chapter 18 you know i heard this idea like you could love somebody too much or be obsessed with
loving somebody too much and i'm like where's that in the bible i mean these guys seem like
they're pretty much like in lockstep like i'm just gonna love you the max that i can i don't think
you can quote love somebody too much i don't think you can even be obsessed with loving somebody too
much and really if there's anybody that loves somebody as much as possible it's jonathan
loving david did you notice this in verse one and it came to pass when he had made it in speaking
unto saul that the soul of jonathan was knit with the soul of david and jonathan loved him notice
this as his own soul the bible says that jonathan loved david so much it was like he's just he's
loving him at the same level as someone would love their own selves that's extreme love he's
saying like you're just like my own flesh and blood in a sense and the bible talks about this
in marriage in the concept of you know no man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and
cherisheth it and so in the same vein it's like hey he just like loves this guy and he loves him
as his own soul verse 2 saul took him that day and would let him go no more home to his father's
house then david and jonathan i'm sorry then jonathan and david made a covenant because he
loved him as his own soul again reiterating hey i don't want you to go i don't want you to leave
i want to hang out because i actually love you if you actually love somebody you're not embarrassed
to hang out with them if you actually love somebody you're going to hang out with them
if you actually love somebody you don't want to leave their presence you know it's interesting
how our church like after the service people stay here forever i have to kick y'all out sometimes
i had to be like hey you don't have to go home but you can't stay here right because when you
actually like somebody you don't want them to leave you love hanging out in fact time just flies
when you're having fun time flies when you're fellowshipping and just it's it's a lot of fun
whereas you're around somebody you don't like in-laws the family reunion takes forever you're
listening to a lame sermon and it's like 45 minutes and it feels like 45 hours it's just
like man just time does not fly whenever you're you're around someone you don't like you don't
really enjoy their company when it's somebody you love and you like time flies and we all know the
feeling and you don't want it to leave you don't want it to end you want to hang out with this
person you know one of the things I know about my wife is she loves me because she's obsessed with
me she wants to hang out with me all the time my wife really wants to hang out with me I feel like
all the time and I'm like that's flattering unto me because you know it makes me realize hey she
actually really likes me she really wants to be around me you should be afraid when your spouse
doesn't ever want to hang out with you and doesn't like you and is like please go you know it's like
then it's kind of like if they really like if they really want to be around you that's a good
thing just like Jonathan and David made this covenant and he doesn't want to let him leave
verse four and Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David and
his garments even to his sword and his bow and his girdle he even lowers himself and gives all this
praise unto David he loves David he does good unto David he elevates David above himself he acts like
David is better than himself and at this point in history he's not better than David David's just
a shepherd boy David's just been Saul's armor bearer David's just you know just kind of a lowly
position but Jonathan is the son of a king I mean Jonathan is the son of a king and he's basically
putting his authority and putting all this garment on David and lowering himself and you know what a
good friend will elevate his friend and look at his friend as being more important and significant
he won't try to tear his friend down to build himself up but rather he'll build his friend
he'll tear himself down to build his friend up go to chapter 20 and look at verse 30 it says in
verse 30 then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan and he said to them thou son of a
perverse rebellious woman do not I know that thou has chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion
and under the confusion of thy mother's nakedness for as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the
ground thou shalt not be established nor thy kingdom wherefore now send and fetch him unto me
for he shall surely die and Jonathan answered Saul's father and said to him wherefore shall
he be slain what have he done and Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him isn't it interesting
hey what's David's problem just throw us just just throws us just a javelin what's his problem
what's his fault what did he do what's the cause well i'm going to be really clear i'm just going
to throw a javelin at you whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay
David now Jonathan does not want to lose David he doesn't want David to go away he's like begging
for David to stay but David's just kind of explaining him look your your dad wants to kill
me i can't stay and Jonathan doesn't want to believe it Jonathan doesn't want it to be true
and he's arguing with his dad and his dad finally after trying to kill his own son
Jonathan it clicks and he's like yeah it's it's over and he has to say bye to his friend they go
out in the field and they weep and it's a very sad time and it's it's kind of frustrating he loses
his friend and he doesn't want to lose his friend now he didn't forsake his friend because even in
the story there's times when Jonathan just goes out into the woods and he finds David and refreshes
him and they hang out they never stop being friends but obviously sometimes distance you know can
can separate their friendship temporarily go over to second Samuel chapter one second Samuel chapter
number one but even even post death these guys still love each other it says in second Samuel
chapter one look at verse 23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives and in
their death they were not divided they were swifter than eagles they were stronger than lions couple
couple thoughts I had here number one you know I like David's attitude because David is still
a friend towards Saul even though Saul didn't do him good you know I'm not focusing on their
relationship as much but because they weren't really right or die only because Saul didn't
reciprocate David was right or die with Saul it's just that Saul wasn't like that but at the same
time even after all the evil I mean Saul has tried to kill David multiple times threw spears at him
multiple times chased him down hunted him down multiple times went and left and then came back
again Saul did all kinds of evil things he inquired of a witch at indoor and all the shady
stuff's happened he through the through doe eggs slew 85 priests of God and all their family I mean
there's a lot of things we could bring up in the obituary for King Saul you know what David just
still is just like no Saul's a good guy Saul's awesome hey look what did he say he was lovely
and pleasant in their lives don't you think if anybody had or had an excuse to say that Saul
wasn't lovely at some point or wasn't pleasant in his life David had that excuse to say that
but then he still just says he was still lovely he was still pleasant he's focusing on the positives
he likes Saul and of course we see that Jonathan even though his own dad ran off his best friend
caused all these problems caused them to die Jonathan was right or die with his dad too wasn't
because Jonathan's that kind of a friend Jonathan's a right or die kind of friend
and he stuck with his dad and even died in battle now the Bible describes the relationship of
Jonathan and David in verse 26 "I am distressed for thee my brother Jonathan very pleasant hast
thou been unto me notice this thy love to me was wonderful passing the love of women how are the
mighty fallen on the weapons of war pairs you know the Bible describes how the love that they had the
bond that they have was closer or stronger than any relationship that David had with the woman and
you know I think of this is mostly just because David never ended up having like a super close
relationship with one of his wives you know Michael kind of just disses him and it's really
bad and then he just kind of has these other shady relationships with women and so it seems
like maybe David just kind of struggled in that area a little bit his life he never really had
that close relationship with a wife so he ended up having such a close relationship with Jonathan
that it ended up surpassing that's probably not normal it's not that shouldn't be typical
most of us our closest relationship should be our spouse but it's just saying obviously they were
really close they were great friends and because of this David ends up wanting to show kindness
unto his friend skip the chapter nine and look at verse number one second Samuel chapter nine
and let's look at verse one and David said is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul
that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake and there was at the house of Saul a servant whose
name was Ziba and when they had called on them David the king said in him art thou Ziba and he
said thy servant is he and the king said is there not yet any of the house of Saul that I may show
the kindness of God in him and Ziba said under the king Jonathan hath yet a son which is lame
on his feet and the king said in him where is he and Ziba said under the king behold he is in the
house of Maker the son of Amael and Lodobar then king David sent and fetched him out of the house
of Maker the son of Amael from Lodobar now in Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul
was coming to David he fell on his face and did reverence and David said Mephibosheth and he
answered behold thy servant David said and fear not I will surely show thee kindness notice this
for Jonathan thy father's sake and will restore thee all the land of thy Saul of Saul thy father
and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. Now you know the Bible had said forsake not thy
friend nor thy father's friend and kind of in a sense you know we see this like extending
of the friendship like we don't just love the person we love everything about the person we
love their family for the friend's sake we're going to be kind unto all of them for even the
friend's sake we're not just going to love my friend I'm going to even love my father's friend
because of who my father is and in the same way he's like I don't even just love Jonathan I just
automatically love Jonathan's son because I love Jonathan and we see that the extension is even
going beyond just the actual person to the things of the person to the possessions of the person
and we see how true friendship and true love I mean this is a true right or die hey I want to
even show kindness unto all of his family members and everybody I mean where's somebody I can be
kind to because of what Jonathan did go to Romans chapter 16 go to Romans chapter number 16 I just
see all over the Bible people that are just these right or die friends and you know what to me
that is what we should strive for and in a world where people are just constantly just
forsaking people and deserting people and leaving people and doing that like it would be nice if we
could say hey there's actually some people that are going to stick it out you know there's actually
some people that are going to be faithful there's actually people that are steadfast like it's not
just a logo it's real. Romans chapter 16 look at verse 3, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers
in Christ Jesus who have from my life laid down their own necks unto whom not only I give thanks
but also all the churches of the Gentiles likewise greet the church that is in their house."
So we see Priscilla and Aquila and we never see the relationship between them and Paul ever change
it seems like they were just that ride and die friend to the apostle Paul they had a like
profession they were tent makers so they kind of had that connection for whatever reason
but they were just ride or die and in fact they literally laid down their lives for the apostle
Paul because you know what the Bible says to not forsake your friend and hey it's the apostle Paul
he's my friend I'm going to be willing to lay down my life for my friend I'm going to be like
Jonathan's armor bearer I'm going to slay behind him I'm going to be like David I'm going to love
not just Jonathan I'm going to love his whole family and I'm going to keep showing him goodness
no matter what and even if Jonathan and his dad get mixed up and die and bad stuff happens well
they were still lovely and pleasant in their lives and I'm still going to show kindness under them
and I'm still their friend go over to Ruth chapter one go to Ruth chapter number one
and you know what friendship is not only about dudes it's also about ladies and you know what
ladies you can have friends too you don't always have to gossip about everybody and pick everybody
apart now again I'm not saying y'all are like this but at the end of the day it's like women
they're like stereotype is they're all these like you know cat fights and they can't get along or
whatever you know what that's a stereotype that you know can have exceptions I think in the
Christian world we should have women that break that stereotype and show hey they can be ride or
die friends too my mom had a lot of you know friends and she had a couple lady friends that
were kind of a ride or die friend friends that they she had known for decades and decades and
decades and knew her to the very bitter end showed up to her funeral still loved her and in fact her
friends would just give me money just because they were friends with my mom they didn't even
know me i didn't know them like it was just totally just like random just kind of like
you know David and Mephibosheth is like we don't even know each other but just instant gifts
instant blessing you can eat bread at my table just whatever you need just because i just like
your mom i just liked your dad i just liked whoever it is that's in your relationship you
know what that's a real friend what a great testimony of someone that just loves somebody
and loves them to the bitter end and just loves them forever Ruth chapter 1 look at verse 8 and
Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law go return each to her mother's house the Lord deal kindly
with you as ye have dealt with the dead and with me the Lord grant you that you may find rest each
of you in the house of her husband then she kissed them and they left up they lifted up their voice
and wept and they said under surely we will return with thee unto thy people notice it says in verse
10 and they said unto her so this is both ladies both ladies are saying we will return unto thee
and we will be with y'all verse 11 and Naomi said turn again my daughters why will you go with me
are there yet any more sons in my womb that they may be your husbands turn again my daughters go
your way for I am too old to have an husband if I should say I have hope if I should have an husband
also tonight and should also bear sons would you tarry for them till they were grown would you stay
for them from having husbands nay my daughters for it grieved with me much for your sakes that the
hand of the lord has gone out against me and they lifted up their voice and wept again and Orpah
kissed her mother-in-law but Ruth noticed this clave under her and she said behold thy sister-in-law
is gone back under her people and under her gods return now after thy sister-in-law and Ruth said
and treat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee for whither thou goest
I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge thy people shall be my people and thy god my god
where thou diest will I die talk about a ride or die friend it's Ruth Ruth said hey wherever you die
that's where I'm dying what a proclamation and you know Orpah said hey I'm going back with you
but then went a little bit opposition oh not really I mean I said that we're friends but
we're never going to hang out again I'm going to go over here I'm going to go to this thing
and we're not going to talk and we're not going to do stuff together no no Ruth said hey wherever
you die I'm dying there too hey whatever you wherever you're going whatever you're doing
I mean a true ride or die friend saying hey I'm yours she says and there will I be buried the
lord do so to me and more also if but death part thee and me you want to talk about a ride or die
friend it's Ruth what a great example for women to say hey we're we're stuck together whether you
like it or not I'm dying wherever you're dying you can't get rid of me we're joined at the hip
and then I love this verse 18 when she saw that she was what steadfastly minded hey this is
steadfast baptist church we don't we don't just play around with friends we're ride or die friends
here because we're steadfastly minded we're saying hey wherever you die I'm gonna die and we're gonna
bury each other and we're just gonna be buddies until the bitter end and you know what we're not
gonna give up we're gonna actually be friends I mean wouldn't that be great if people could just
say hey we're ride or die buddy you're stuck with me I'm gonna love you yes sometimes I might hurt
you sometimes fateful are the wounds of a friend yeah sometimes I may disappoint you I might struggle
or whatever but you know what I'm not gonna give up wherever you go I'm gonna go we're friends we're
ride or die she's steadfastly minded to go with her then notice she left speaking under because
the speaking is talking about trying to get her to quit she said no you just go back go back go
back she's like stop telling me that wherever you be wherever you're gonna die I'm dying with you
don't even bring it up anymore and she said when she was steadfastly minded what she could tell hey
this person's see it see her this person's real then she's like all right let's go and boy you
know Ruth really is the hero of the story I mean that's why it's called Ruth and Ruth gets greatly
blessed by God whereas Orpah we don't even know what happened to Orpah she then became Oprah and
put on a show or whatever you know I mean it's like no Ruth is the star of the show isn't it
and she got a great husband out of it and God blessed her and then God blessed Naomi and look
God looks down from heaven and he likes it when people are ride-or-die friends because you know
what that's what he's like to us and if you really love God you'll love people and you'll say hey I
want to love you like Jesus loves me go over to Proverbs 25 go to Proverbs 25 you know we need
more friends that are real in this world because the world's getting worse the world's getting worse
it's getting darker there's going to be problems there's going to be issues there's going to be
more attacks as we approach the end times the Bible says men are being lovers of their own selves
so you know what we need we need more friends to be like real and sincere and lifelong and
being genuine but when you don't have somebody like that it's a problem what does it say in
Proverbs 25 verse 19 confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth
and a foot out of joint you know it's frustrating when you think you have that ride or die
and then they drop you like a bad habit it's kind of like you're ready to take a big bite out of the
apple or whatever it is and then it's just like your tooth just wrecks you're just like oh you
thought you're going to enjoy this apple and now you're in pain it's like the exact opposite you
finally get that steak and it's like if you had a tooth that is loose and it's going to hurt and
you can't you can't have the steak the steak's taken away from you now you're going to get the
feeding tube you're like i don't want the feeding tube i want to eat the steak you need that solid
strong tooth you know if you have that tooth that can't you know grind and get in there and do the
dirty i mean your teeth do some dirty work i've seen some of the food y'all eat you know this is
like it's dirty you know what i mean corn dogs and whatever it's gross yeah your your teeth have to
do the dirty job don't they they have to do some dirty work in there but at the end of the day
you need them to be strong and get in there and do that dirty work and you know what when you have
an unreliable tooth wow it's just going to cause you all kinds of problems. Tooth pain can be some
of the worst pain you'll ever get and look having a friend break your heart can be some of the worst
pain you'll ever have too. Don't be that person don't be that don't be that tooth that it's ready
to chomp on a steak and it's just it's not ready for it it's not going to handle it it crumbles.
So if you went to Proverbs 17 verse 17 I've quoted this a few times but it's important to look at
this Proverbs 17 verse 17 a friend loveth at all times and a brother is born for adversity.
You know this probably needs its own sermon I was thinking about preaching it this week but
I wanted to preach these sermons is there's an emphasis by a lot of churches and a lot of
pastors especially even in baptist circles where they they emphasize carnal family over spiritual
family and the bible does not do this the bible emphasizes spiritual family over carnal family
and what does the bible just what does the bible just explicitly state it just explicitly says a
brother is born for adversity it's like it's like everybody just wants this picture perfect family
they just want to have their little photo album of their hundred little descendants and whatever
and the five generations and everybody likes each other but it's fake if you have a hundred people
in a family photo there i guarantee it there's plenty of people that hate each other they're
like i won't stand on that side with them or whatever and they won't stand over here and they
hate each other and they don't like each other but then it's just like all right everybody smile
you know they all smile and it's just like look at us we're just this big happy family
look i've been in the photos where it's like we're just trying to pretend like we're actually this
like normal happy little family or whatever and it's like it's fake it's not real it's not
legitimate and let me tell you something the bible does not emphasize your carnal family it
emphasizes your spiritual family i mean jesus christ has his mother and his brother and knocking
at the door trying to talk to him and he's like who is my mother who is my brother is they which
hear the word of god and do it and he refused to even go out and see them he was like i'm more
focused on these people he focused more on his disciples than he did his family does that mean
that we disregard all the commandments about honoring that father and mother and loving our
family and providing no of course we put those in balance and we need that you know what the bible
emphasizes spiritual family it doesn't emphasize carnal family and the reality is the best
relationships you will ever have that are on the table are spiritual not carnal the spirit is more
powerful than that that flesh the spirit bond that we have spirit brother is better than a flesh
brother and we need to realize that importance go over to psalm 41 go to psalm 41 you know don't be
that friend that just that hurts your other friend because then you're not a friend it's it's a
special kind of evil psalm 41 i want to look at verse number nine and of course this special kind
of evil happened to lord jesus christ happened through judas look at verse nine yay my own
familiar friend in whom i trusted which did eat of my bread hath lifted up his heel against me
of course this prophecy is about the lord jesus christ but i also believe the psalmist could have
probably applied this to his own life david obviously had absolem perform like a whole judas
thing against him we have people turning on david and of course we can apply this to our own lives
we can apply this to current situations where there will be people that will turn on you
people that you trusted that they attack you verse 10 but thou will lord be merciful on me
and raise me up notice this that i may requite them that's kind of a scary verse he's saying
hey when you would you go against your friend he's like hey god's gonna allow you to sometimes get
them back go over to job six i want to go to an interesting passage in job chapter number six
you know a friend loveth at all times just just just get that in your heart and mind a friend
loveth at all times and you just you're gonna do good you're gonna think good about them and
obviously we we understand that there can be some times where there's separation needed right
obviously if your friend becomes a raging heretic well you might have that relationship is going to
change probably like i said all relationships are conditional if your friend stops being friendly
obviously or is attacking you or whatever there may be distance now right obviously Saul's
attacking David so there's this there's this separation that naturally occurs but it's not
that David isn't willing to be friends with Saul it's that Saul's trying to kill him yeah if your
friend's trying to kill you you should probably separate physically but it wasn't that David was
going to reciprocate or David was not still willing to be his friend and even when people get into
heresy or they get backslidden or they do these things often it's not like I'm saying hey I don't
want to be your friend it's just like hey I want you to change right hey I need you to do this
differently so that we can then hang out try not to kill me when we hang out right hey don't be a
raging heretic hey get a king day's bible like don't be a drunkard don't be a fornicator right
there's going to be times when there's lines that get crossed that may change or alter the relationship
but you know what a true friend will do if you cross a particular boundary you'll go to that friend
you'll say hey hey brother diego here's where you cross the line with god and this is causing
an issue in a relationship i want you to change this so we can be tight again because we're right
or die man like i need you to fix this you know what you won't do is you won't just be like hey
we're not friends why i don't know just we're not don't ask me about it don't talk to me don't call
me just get ghosted that's not cool don't be like that or obviously it could be worse so they just
start lying about you making things up about you job has a bad situation happen three friends come
job answers his one of his friends here in verse 14 notice this to him that is afflicted pity should
be showed from his friend but he forsaken the fear of the almighty job is going through a bad time
job is no longer the friend you want to hang out with job is a liability and this is what happens
many times people are your friend when you're benefiting them but as soon as you become a
liability now they're no longer your friend and you know what the bible says hey if you're a real
friend when your friend's afflicted you'll show notice this pity on them to him that is afflicted
pity should be showed from his friend you should empathize for them you should feel bad for them
you should show them grace you should be kind to them what does job's three friends do they just
simply falsely accuse him of being evil with no facts what does he say in verse 15 my brethren
have dealt deceitfully as a brook and as the stream of brooks they pass away which are blackish by
reason of the ice and wherein the snow is hid what time they wax warm they vanish when it is hot
they are consumed out of their place he's saying hey it's like this little stream that you thought
you're going to get a drink from but when the heat got turned up now all of a sudden it's gone and
there's no water to drink from it's like hey are we friends yeah well what happens if i need you
what if it happens if it's a little hot what happens if you get a little bit of you know heat
from me as your friend well these are deceitful friends they just vanish as soon as you need them
as soon as the temperature gets hot as soon as it gets a little bit of heat as soon as you're
getting a little bit of pushback oh they just vanish not a real friend deceitful friend the
real friend is hey i got water for you no matter how hot it gets no matter what the temperature is
no matter what's going on says in verse 18 the paths of their way are turned aside they go to
nothing and perish the troops of tima looked the company's shiba waited for them they were
confounded because they had hoped they came thither and were ashamed he's saying look it's like this
battle and you thought you were going to get help and then nothing happened verse 21 for now you're
nothing you see my casting down and are afraid notice it's like hey i got knocked down i i'm
kind of on the on the outs a little bit people are making fun of me the attacks are coming i'm less
popular and notice you're afraid of my bad reputation being ashamed of the apostle paul
for being put in prison that happens he gets knocked down and they're like oh well now i
don't really i'm afraid of being your friend anymore you're kind of a liability i'm afraid
of how that's going to hurt me i'm afraid of what that would do to my reputation did i say bring
unto me or give a reward for me of your substance he's saying like was i asking for money was i was
i trying to get something out of you or is i you know needing something verse 23 or deliver me from
the enemy's hand or deem me from the hand of the mighty teach me and i will hold my tongue and
cause me to understand notice this where and i've erred what did i do wrong show me how forcible are
right words but what doth your arguing reprove there's a lot of people they just talk and they
say nothing and it's just it's one of the most frustrating things especially when they say i'm
going to be super clear i'm going to be really blunt i'm just going to call it as it is and then
you walk away thinking i have no idea what he just said here's how you know if you're clear if
everybody can articulate what you said if everybody if everybody walks away and say
this is exactly what that person believes or said but when everybody has a different response a
different answer a different idea you weren't clear how forcible are right words go to axe
tap number 15 go to axe tap number 15 you know we need to be that ride or die friend that doesn't
just vanish when the heat gets turned up we need to be that ride or die friend that when the enemies
are coming they can hope that will come to bat for them that we will be there to defend them
we need to be that ride or die friend with people that say hey if i have a problem i'll just clearly
articulate the problem and if i don't have a problem well then we don't have a problem if i
can't even tell you what's wrong then why in the world would i be mad at you and you know isn't it
frustrating when someone's mad at you and they won't tell you wink wink nod nod every marriage
no i'm just kidding it's like it's like why are you wrong i'm not mad and it's like yes you are
i can you're like physically showing me that you're mad no this is like you know it's like it's nice
and they just tell you isn't it and look your kids do this sometimes don't they kids can have
attitudes like this teenagers act like this obviously in relationships and marriages people
act like this and look even grown men act like this sometimes it's embarrassing it's really
embarrassing when a man a grown adult male acts like this it's like bro just tell us what's up man
just just be like be honest with us okay man up and just say what's on your mind just speak your
mind like if you're mad at me just tell me bro i can handle it but don't don't act all cold
shouldery and don't act all don't act like a woman just frankly let's just be honest okay
and it's not to be attack on women it's just that's kind of a more timid common temptation for them
acts chapter 15 look at verse 36 it says in some days after paul said in the barnabas let us go
again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the lord and see how
they do and barnabas determined to take with them john whose surname was mark but paul thought
not good to take him with them why who departed from them from pamphylia and went not with them
to the work hey if you're trying to pick people to go on a really hard journey don't you want to
ride or die guy and mark already showed he's not so then paul's like this just isn't the guy i just
don't want to take somebody i don't want to put confidence in an unfaithful man if he already
forsook us you know he's probably going to do it again and so he just doesn't want to do it and again
that doesn't mean that he won't be better it's not saying he couldn't be but because he already
failed in the track record it makes sense for him to just say look this is the right timing he
hasn't proven himself he kind of proved himself to be wrong so we should just go with someone else
but barnabas just really wants him to go doesn't he says and the contention was so sharp between
them that they departed asunder one from the other and so barnabas took mark and sailed in a cypress
and paul chose sylas and departed being recommended by the brethren under the grace of god and he went
through syria and salicia confirming the churches notice this and paul chose sylas and departed
being recommended by the brethren under the grace of god barnabas wants to take mark no one's saying
take mark barnabas is saying take mark paul chooses sylas the whole church is like yeah pick
sylas all this is a great guy makes sense you read the chapter the whole context is about how
sylas is great and how the church loves sylas but then barnabas just chooses mark and in fact if you
look up in other epistles it says this in colossians 4 10 it says in marcus sister's son to barnabas
so it seems like they actually have a family relationship they have a family connection
that's why barnabas has the soft spot it's a nepotism soft spot not because you know mark is
actually the right guy in this situation you know what's interesting after this we never hear
about barnabas in the book of acts ever again it's the acts of the apostles and sometimes you're
kind of like wonder like well who was right in this situation well i don't know how about the
guy that the bible mentions for the rest of the book versus the guy that's not mentioned don't
you think that's important one guy makes his decision and then he just disappears off the
planet i mean he's just riding with paul and he's just doing great it's just good good good
they're doing the work of the lord they're starting all these churches all these great things are happening
and then finally he deserts paul he backs off paul and then it just disappears because barnabas
wasn't right or die with paul was he he chose family he chose someone close to him over paul
which was not the spiritual decision it was a carnal decision and as a result of that he ends up just
disappearing off the map because we need to pick the spiritual decision not the carnal decision
sometimes you don't just pick the person that's close to you or the family member you do what's
right and you know what god will bless and honor that pretty much the only other really mention we
have of barnabas in the new testament there's one in first corinthians but that's kind of like an
early epistle is galatians and barnabas is making a mistake barnabas is getting carried away
in the the simulation of peter and james and their persuasion and he makes a big mistake in
the book of galatians so we see look it's not like barnabas is perfect barnabas makes mistakes
barnabas gets carried away in the simulation which is the same thing that the apostle paus
to call peter out on later barnabas forsakes paul and clings to mark and then guess what
we don't hear from him that doesn't mean that barnabas didn't get someone saved it doesn't
mean that barnabas wasn't saved it doesn't mean bad things about barnabas it's just look it was
the wrong move to forsake paul and it's super interesting go if you would to second timothy
chapter number four go to second timothy chapter number four this is what i think is interesting
why can paul and barnabas not work together because of john mark because you know they
don't agree on this so then they end up separating okay so they can't really work together so
there's no way for john mark to work with paul because you know they're they're divided on this
particular issue but then later in second timothy chapter number four it says in verse 11 only luke
is with me take mark and bring him with me for he's profitable to me for the ministry now this
is interesting because it doesn't mention barnabas so it's like mark is now hanging out with paul
but he's not hanging out with barnabas it's almost like he realized hey barnabas didn't really make
the right decision and then he gets on paul's team because he's now benefiting paul and he's
on paul's side of the equation and you know what that even to me confirms even further that paul
was on the right side of this paul made the right decision of course obviously god was with paul
paul and sylas do these great works and you know what sylas is that ride-or-die guy that sticks
with paul and then we see sylas all the way through don't we obviously the bible ends you know we
don't always know but even throughout recorded history fox's book of martyrs things like that
sylas ended up continuing doing great things as well i don't know if that's true but that's the
rumor right from fox's book of martyrs go through to luke chapter number 16 go to luke chapter number
16 hey you know it's important the decisions that you make and and some people think like there's
there's no problem in forsaking people or dropping people or switching friends or doing whatever
but that's not bible the bible tells us as a commandment to not forsake your friends
and i even think you should find some people that are real faithful and are going to reciprocate and
you become ride or die friends with them you just say hey i'm going to stick with you i'm going to
be your friend i'm your ride or die and it's not about saying it it's about doing it because saying
it's meaningless really for the most part i'm not saying it's meaningless completely but i'm just
saying like it's not that important because i've had people tell me that i've had people
that i'm almost best friends if not virtually best friends with literally tell me i'm ride or die
with you i you're stuck with me you can't get rid of me no matter what and then just totally drop
you like a bad habit won't text you won't do anything just gone so like if someone so if
someone came up to me and said that to me and i'm not just like cool awesome or whatever just
because i may be jaded all right but i'm just telling you it's the one thing to say that
and it's another thing to do it you know don't worry so much about saying it to that person just
do it just be that person and you know what the bible even says you should make friends uh look
this is what is interesting to me you should make rich friends so the bible literally says look at
luke chapter 16 verse 9 and i say unto you make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness
that when you fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations you know i'm not saying
don't be friends with poor people because you should we shouldn't be respected persons but
you should also be friends with rich people and notice when you fall when you fail when you screw
up they're always ready to catch you because they have they have so much money it's like they have
an everlasting habitation i mean i'm not i'm not making this up this is the bible the bible is
saying hey make some rich friends there's nothing wrong with making some rich friends that hey they
can help you out when you need when you need something but you know what that's the kind of
guy you want to be a ride or die friend with don't you matthew 24 go to matthew 24 i have a
few more verses that i want to finish on like there's just there's so much bible in this
and i i just showed you a handful of examples there were some pretty cool ride or die friends
in there wasn't there jonathan and david ruth and naomi i mean we could just keep going through the
list and you know it'd be nice if people could have that kind of a relationship with others
matthew 24 look at verse number nine then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall
kill you and you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake and then shall many be offended
notice this and shall betray one another and shall hate one another you know it's important
for you to have some ride or die friends because there's coming a day when you trust is going to
be at an all-time low and it would be nice that when when everybody's just kind of failing you
family members are betraying you all kinds of things are uncertain that you just have well but
i have this one guy and he's on he is with me he is my ride or die you know it and isn't it sad
that like when we're reading this i mean they're delivering you up to be afflicted and killing you
and it's like people today will forsake their friend when there's not even a threat of being
punched or hurt like if like if you can't even like stick with somebody because of just like
online pressure or social pressure how are you going to do it when it's like your life's on the
line you know you're going to be beaten i mean you know people help help lord for the godly man
ceaseth for the faithful fell from among the children of men they speak vanity every one
of his neighbor with flatting lips and a double tongue do they speak i mean it's just like sad
and there's coming a dark dark dark dark time go over to luke 21 go to luke 21 the bible says now
the brothers shall betray the brother to death and the father the son and the children shall rise up
against their parents and shall cause them to be put to death you know sticking with family might
not be the best in the end times this is what i was telling you like when i read the end times this is
like dang and i think some of us if we were real brutally honest we could say we have some family
or extended family that would probably do that to us right now let alone with the anti-christ system
in full power and all that pressure just right now they might not even have that big a problem with
it luke 21 verse 16 the bible says and you shall be betrayed both by parents and brethren and
kinsfolk and notice this and friends and some of you so they cause to be put to death and that's
sad that's sad go to second timothy we'll finish in the book of second timothy we need some real
ride-or-die friends because trouble is times of weight the world's getting darker and i don't know
if we're in the end times if we ever will be in the end times in our lifetime but no matter what
it's it's slowly trending just being worse in general anyways and because people are just so
unfaithful and just so unreliable it's nice to have some real friends some people that are just
really going to love you really do you good they're going to stick by your side they want to be with
you. 2nd Timothy chapter 3 look at verse number 4 the bible says let's get a little context i'm
sorry i don't want to get dried into it verse 1 this know also that in the last days perilous
times shall come for men shall be lovers of themselves covetous boasters proud blasphemers
blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy without natural affection notice this
truce breakers false accusers and continent fears despisers of those that are good notice this word
traitors just sad just traitors look at chapter 1 verse 8 be not thou therefore ashamed of the
testimony of our lord notice this nor of me as prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of god paul said you know what is not right for you to be
ashamed of me you should never be ashamed of me or jesus christ or the work of god you know what
you need to be a partaker of the afflictions you need to be willing to be suffering some
you know what being my friend you might have to take some hits and you know that's i i have to
be honest with people if you want to ever be my friend you have to be willing to take some hits
there's a little bit of there'll be at least a little bit of affliction i'm not the most
popular person you know people don't really like me i don't have a good social online reputation
but but people that like actually know me they're not going to give you a bad testimony
i'm just saying like online and persona and whatever go over to chapter four go to chapter
four hey you want to come to this church you're going to have to be willing to be a partaker of
some of the afflictions but you know what it's light affliction and and you know what if you're
not my friend and you don't go to this church and you you leave right now you can leave right now
let me explain something you will still have afflictions it's not like it's not like on the
table is like no affliction or afflictions you will have afflictions it's just choose your suffering
it's choosing what you really want to go through and look if you're anybody's friend it doesn't
matter whose friend you are they're not going to always be perfect they're not going to always
have money they're not going to only be a benefit sometimes they're going to be a liability because
we're all liabilities at some point we're all centers we all have problems and you know what
a true friend is just there to bear each other's burden to be with you in the mud to pick you up
when you fall to lift you up and pick you up two or better than one as the bible says i mean
there's just so many examples of the bible where we all fall we all have issues and we need people
to not forsake and i'm just telling you it's a sin it's wrong what it says in verse 10 for dimas
hath forsaken me it's wrong dimas just forsakes people having loved this present world and is
departed unto thesilenica crescens to glacia titus into dalmatia only luke is with me and that's sad
how many people just gave up on paul and of course dimas problem is he having loved this present world
he loves what he can see right now he loves the the pomp and he loves the praise of men and he
loves all the attention and he loves all the accolades and the money and the pleasures of
this life and he loves all the special music and whatever you know he loves everything and he doesn't
want to sacrifice anything he's just having loved this present world you know the people that are
loved in this world are not godly paul is the great guy in the bible and he's in prison and afflicted
and all bad like bad things are happening to him the people that are loved of this world woe unto
you and all men shall speak well of you look if a hindu democrat likes you you're bad like i was
trying to think like this how could a fundamental baptist pastor and a hindu democrat go to lunch
and hang out like i was like what conversation points do they have like hey i'm pro faggot well
then it'd be like oh sorry have you seen sodomy deception yeah i hate faggots it's like oh well
i'm into false gods and hinduism okay well those are false gods and hinduism he's like oh i didn't
order beef because i'm a hindu oh i'm eating steak because i love god oh i'm pro abortion oh
abortions murder i mean i'm like what talking points do you even have it's insane if you don't
think it's insane if i said i have a good friend that's a hindu democrat and he's inviting me to
the national prayer breakfast if you don't think that's a problem there's something wrong with your
head something wrong with your brain there's something wrong with that relationship it's not
normal it's not natural it makes no sense it can't naturally exist there's no talking point now
maybe if they're like fags together or something i'm just telling you there's not there's something
off about that show me in the bible where there's this godly man of god is hanging out with the
prophets of bail or something it just doesn't exist it's not real it's fake what does it say
verse 16 at my first answer no man stood with me but all men forsook me i pray god that it may not
be laid to their charge notice this forsaking paul was a sin and the apostle paul had to pray to god
that their sin would not come upon them because forsaking the apostle paul was a sin i don't know
why people don't understand what the bible is saying here however even if every single person
forsakes you on this planet we all have at least one ride or die friend his name is jesus not
withstanding the lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me the preaching might be fully known
and that all the gentiles might hear and i was delivered out of the mouth of the lion and the
lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom to be
glory forever and ever amen praise god that we have the most faithful friend that a man could
ever want it's not a dog it's the lord jesus christ you know the bible tells us as pastors to
be an example of the believers in word in conversation and charity and spirit and faith
and purity conversation is your behavior and the way you act it's important for a pastor to
demonstrate being faithful to friends and being loyal because there's so many people that won't
be loyal and won't be a good friend and won't continue and you know when pastors do that it
just it just makes the it sows this seed of disloyalty in the minds of the congregation
and people that's just bad and it needs to be eradicated that leaven needs to be eradicated
and i don't want you to ever think that that's cool it is not cool to desert people it's not
cool to abandon people it's not cool to forsake people it is not cool to do these things no you
should be a ride or die friend you shouldn't forsake people and especially if you have to
distance yourself in a relationship it should be crystal clear and it should be a clear biblical
line and you should spell it out vague accusations not evil surmising clear and the whole point of
clarifying is saying this is the problem as soon as you change we're best buds again not just like
bye well how do i fix it bye well how do we make it better bye that's not a ride or die friend you
know the bible says about charity it bears all things believes all things hope us all things and
endures all things right let us be friends that endure all things amen not some things not the
pleasant things all things because you say you know what i'm ride or die let's close in prayer
thank you heavenly father so much for giving us such a great example of of what a friend really
looks like a friend who lays down his life for us who never leaves us or forsakes us who hopes all
things for us and believes all things for us and constantly intercedes for us of course he gives
us faithful wounds when we need it instructs us he loves us he rebukes us he chastens us but he
never leaves us never forsakes us he always wants that friendship he always wants that relationship
and i pray that we could take that example that model that you've given us and we can apply that
to the friends in our life and not just our friends our father's friend we could extend that
i pray that you can help build lifelong relationships and lifelong friendships in
this church i pray that you'd help encourage and strengthen the marriages in this in this
church that people would say you know that they're ride or die with their spouse that they could go
beyond their spouse though and they could also do that to their parents they could do that to
their friends they could do that to the church of god wherever they find themselves they could
find men of god that they would just love with their hearts and i pray that you could just form
bonds that could not be shaken and cords that could not be torn asunder and i pray that you
would just help us to have a greater love towards one another in jesus name we pray amen for our
last song let's go to song number 412 song number 412 onward christian soldiers song number 412
let's all sing it out baptism this evening uh brother jamison is coming for baptism
jamison have you trusted christ your savior yes sir then i baptized in the name of the father
son and holy ghost buried in the likeness of his death raised to walk in newness of life
Make sure to congratulate our baptism.
God bless.
You are dismissed.