Intro: We’ve been talking the last few weeks about times when the world looks at us and sees failure, but where also God can see success. Almost everyone here has heard of a man called Dale Carnegie. He won notoriety and became rich teaching people a few basic principles of how to relate to others. He called his course, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” And these were very good courses. A friend of mine went through them. He really enjoyed them. Yet, the question we need to ask ourselves this morning is this: “Am I really called to have a lot of friends?”
We want to talk about friendships this morning. The truth we need to see is that there were many great men and women of God who faced the loss of friendships for the cause of Christ. We could talk about Jeremiah, who was mocked and thrown into a miry pit. God had told him not to be afraid of the people, but to speak only the words He gave Jeremiah. We could talk about Isaiah, who was told about his prophecy that the nation would have eyes and ears, but not see and hear. Tradition tells us they put Isaiah in a log and sawed him in half. We could talk about Elijah who went off into the wilderness and complained that he was the only one standing for God.
We could look at the example of Jesus Christ. Here was a man who was a model for us. Here is a man who was accused of being the friend of sinners, and he was. Yet there came a time in his life when many of his disciples turned away. Jesus even turned to his 12 closest disciples and asked if they too wanted to turn away. Later, at the time of his arrest and mock trial, all had deserted him and gone their own ways.
Sometimes the will of God is that we lose friends, or rather those who we would consider to be “friends.” Really, we find out who are true friends really are. Let’s talk about friendships this morning, and see what God has to say about them.
I. We know that friendships are desirable
*Friends help one another - Ecc. 4:9 - Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up!
*Friends are trustworthy - Prov. 17:17 - A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Prov. 27:6 - Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
*You have to be a friend to get a friend - Prov. 18:24 - A man [that hath] friends must shew himself friendly
*Not all those claiming to be friends are friends - Prov. 19:4 - Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man’s friend deserts him.
It’s so easy for us to focus on the benefits of friendship, that sometimes we fail to realize that there are times when it is because of successfully following God’s will that we lose friends. This is where I would like us to truly focus this morning.
II. Sometimes following God means standing alone
Turn with me to 1 Kings 22. Here in this chapter we find the story of the prophet Micaiah. Jehoshaphat is a godly king of Judah, the southern Kingdom of Israel. Read with me in chapter 22 of I Kings, starting with verse 1. Read verses 1-9
2 Chronicles 18 tells us that God blessed Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, and he had peace with all the neighboring nations. He married into the family of Ahab, king of Israel, the northern kingdom of the Jews. No wonder that Ahab comes and wants this King to help him. Being a godly king, Jehoshaphat seeks for advice from God. Yet, we know that Ahab was a wicked king. Remember in chapter 19 of I Kings, Elijah has just called down fire and he killed the 450 prophets of Baal who served Ahab and his wicked queen, Jezebel. So, look here in verse 6. When Jehoshaphat wants to find out God’s will, what does Ahab do? He consults with his 400 prophets. Who were they?
To find this out, we have to go back to I Kings 19 and the story of Elijah. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table." These were pagan prophets of Ahab’s idol, Ashtoreth, the goddess of fertility. The 450 prophets of Baal were destroyed, leaving the 400 prophets of Asherah. No wonder Jehoshaphat asks Ahab, don’t you have a prophet of Jehovah. [Remember, whenever you see LORD it means, Jehovah, the name of our God.]
Look in verse 8 - only one man is currently in Ahab’s court who is known for speaking the truth of God. His name is Micaiah. It is interesting that we can look in 2 Chronicles 17 at a parallel passage. In verse 7 it says about Jehoshaphat, In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah. With them were certain Levites--Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-Adonijah--and the priests Elishama and Jehoram. They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD; they went round to all the towns of Judah and taught the people. In chapter 18 it goes on to record the parallel account we find here in 1 Kings. I believe this is the same Micaiah. A man who was committed to teaching others the truth of God.
In 1 Kings 22, Ahab, the wicked king of Israel says about Micaiah in verse 8, I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. Those who live wicked lives against the word of God usually look at those who follow God’s word as “goody-two-shoes”, stick-in-the-muds, they always see us as complaining. Why? Because God’s word speaks out against wrong action. When we obey God’s truth, we won’t be doing, and going, and saying the same things as the world.
I went to a city council meeting last week. There was testimony given about all the strip bars in Fort Wayne. Some of the quote-unquote “entertainers” got up and were complaining because in their words, “I’m a person too, and the Bible says you shouldn’t judge.” Well, God’s word judges people, and sinful behavior.
Micaiah was hated because he followed God and told others what God had to say. Whenever we speak out for God against sin, we will be seen as judgmental and unloving. Yet, while God is love, He is also a God of truth and judgment.
Let’s read on in 1 Kings. Read vs. 10-14. It’s interesting, here is the prophet of the pagan sex goddess, attempting to tell what the one true God of heaven has to say. As if they would know. It’s sort of like a stripper quoting scripture! Yet, in the midst of this, while urged to go along with the crowd, comes Micaiah, who is convinced that he is only going to speak what God has to say.
We need that kind of conviction in our lives, to not just follow the crowd, even when it is convenient, but to be committed to speaking out for God. It might not make us a lot of friends, but that is okay. We are never called to have friends, just to be faithful. Some people are more concerned about not offending any of their friends than they are about speaking out for God.
Read vs. 15-28. It is interesting that as Micaiah comes, and I believe facetiously, telling them what they want to hear, King Ahab gets upset. He is a pagan, not worshiping Jehovah, but he wants to know the truth. He hates the messenger, but he wants to know the message.
I have often found that people who don’t want to hear you “preaching at them” still want to hear the truth. They don’t want to listen to someone who is going to tell them something they know is not true. When it comes right down to it, they may not like you very much, but they want you to be true and genuine.
How does Micaiah respond to Ahab? He declares his vision of God. We need to make sure we keep a clear vision of God. Our job is not to change lives, but to speak the truth in love and let God change lives. We are not God. That job is already taken. But we need to make sure we keep our eyes on God, and not focus on ourselves.
In verse 24 we see Micaiah persecuted for his obedience to the word of God. We see Zedekiah claiming that God had spoken through him. It is easy for us to see others who claim to be following God, and yet are disobeying God’s word. Some people want to divorce their spouses, and want to get married claiming that God was bringing them together. Some people justify not paying their income tax so they can give more to their church. Yet, God’s word is never contrary to his word.
In verse 28, we see Micaiah gives the proof of a messenger of God: God’s message always comes true. If anyone ever claims to have a message that doesn’t come true, he isn’t from God. Did you hear about the latest cult where the leader predicted the end of the world, then changed the date, then ended up killing everyone else? Micaiah knows his message will come true, for it was from God.
In verse 28 we also see that Micaiah proclaimed the truth not just to Ahab and Jehoshaphat, but to all the people. We need to always look around us to see who their might be that we could have a chance to minister to. Often we look for those important or those who will give us recognition. Micaiah speaks to the whole crowd.
Being a prophet isn’t a fun job. It isn’t a job that wins a person a lot of friends. Yet it is a job Micaiah was called to do. It also is a job each one of us is given.
2 Cor 5: 20 says - We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors
Phil. 2:15 - 16 - That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life
Concl: Are we willing to lose friends to stand for God? Let’s realize that sometimes we need to reexamine our friends, for those we call “friends” really aren’t! Let’s be careful about our friendships. James 4 reminds us - don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. I John 2 tells us - Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever.
It is easy to seek to have friends. Let’s choose to be a friend of God. If He blesses us with friends, great. But if we serve him and don’t get a lot of friends, that’s still great. Friendship with God is the greatest friendship we could possible have. Will we seek success in the eyes of man or success in the eyes of God?
Shall we pray!
