“There Is A Friend!”
Proverbs 18:24
I. The Availability of this Friend
Our text states that “There is a friend…” and implies that this friend is available to all those who look for a friend who goes beyond even the closeness of a biological connection. There is only one person who fits this profile and his name is Jesus!
a. Our nature directs us to this friend.
When God created us in His image one of the things that He did in making us like Him is to give us a desire for relationships. God is a relational being and He placed that same quality in us. We see this in the Trinity and in God’s relationship with Adam. And it is especially true when you consider why God created Eve.
Genesis 2:18 “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”
We are intended by God to have relationships and friends are one of the relationships that He intended for us to have.
b. Our needs demand that we find such a friend.
Several years ago on PBS there was a Library of Congress series. The program featured the National Archives and they were going to open sealed drawers in which had been deposited the evidence of famous crimes. Very dramatically they opened a drawer that had in it a sealed plastic bag with the effects of Abraham Lincoln from the night he was assassinated in Ford’s Theater, April 9, 1865. He was watching a presentation of “Our American Cousin,” when from the rear of the Presidential Box he was shot by the best-known actor of that day, John Wilkes Booth. Booth jumped from the box onto the stage but ironically his boot spur got caught in the American flag draped in the front of the box. This caused him to fall onto the stage breaking his leg. What he said when he limped to center stage gives you an understanding of that time. He said, Sic se per tyrannis (Thus always to tyrants), the motto of Virginia. They put the box on top of the cabinet and opened the plastic container. It had not been opened since the trial of the assassins. They pulled out some keys, a handkerchief, a little pen knife, and a piece of paper all folded up and as the program went on they unfolded that paper. Remember it was being unfolded for the first time since the trial, on May 10, 1865. It was a newspaper clipping. And as they looked closer it was discovered that this was a newspaper clipping that was about Abraham Lincoln. As the commentator read the article it was discovered that Lincoln had underlined with a pencil the positive comments that were made about him. It was commented that he had read that paper and then cut it out with his penknife and stuck it in his pocket to read. Also, from the age of the paper it looked as if Lincoln had carried this article in his pocket for some time. Many people do not know what Abraham Lincoln went through during his presidency. First of all he was elected by only a 40% popular vote and then he had to virtually turn the presidency into a dictator ship for the first four years of his presidency to keep the country together. He had many enemies and he was looking for friends. You would have thought that this dearest of all our presidents and the most integral to the thriving nation of America today would not have had a problem getting encouragement. Can you see Abraham Lincoln pulling out this little article and glancing at it from time to time to gain encouragement?
There is an old story told about a little girl who had been passed from one orphanage to another. She was very shy and felt rather unattractive. The other children would not play with her and her teachers considered her to be a problem child. In this particular orphanage there was a rule that all outside correspondence had to be screened by the staff. One day the director of the orphanage happened to see the little girl carrying a letter toward the wall that surrounded the institution. She climbed a tree near the wall and hung the envelope on a branch that could be reached from the other side. The director went outside the gates, took down the letter, and opened it. It simply read, "From Susan. To whomever finds this letter, I love you."
The most heavily used service provided on campus at Harvard University and others like it are the offices of psychiatric services and according to Los Angeles psychiatrist, Dr. Leonard Zunin, despite the fact that the average American meets as many people in one year as their ancestors met in a life time 100 years ago, loneliness is the main problem facing Americans today. Everyone needs friendships.
II. The Attributes of this Friend
a. He is a sympathetic friend.
Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Brotherhood is the Highest Form of Earthly Friendship.
My brother Danny and I are very close. He lives about 500 miles from here as the crow flies and we talk a couple of times a week. I love my brother, admire and respect him very much. We went through a lot together growing up. I wish that I had time to tell about some of the stuff we got into. I remember the day that my brother came to Christ like it was yesterday. That’s something I’ll never forget. There is just the two of us and with my dad already in glory we are pretty tight and he knows a lot about me but he doesn’t know my thoughts, my dreams, my desires, my faults, my aspirations like Jesus does. It’s impossible for someone, even my brother Danny, to know me like Jesus does.
Brothers have a close relationship with each other.
They have similar experiences....
They played together....
They fought together....
They cried together...
There have been many cases where brothers have given much for each other.
Brothers have died for one another...
Brothers have given organs to one another..
Brothers have taken the hit for one another...
Brothers have gone to jail for one another...
Brothers have rescued one another during perilous situations...
b. He is a steadfast friend.
Hebrews 13:4-5 “….for he hath said, I will never leave thee, not forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
Do you remember our definition of a friend from last weeks message? “A friend is one who comes in when everyone else is going out.”
Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
c. He is a strong friend.
Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”
Psalms 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped….”
The friendship of David and Jonathan in the Old Testament is legendary. It is an example of close friendship. We live in a day when the homosexual lifestyle and terminology is so in vogue that we tend to shy away from close friendships. David had to have a friend like Jonathan. David was a man destined for the throne of Israel. At an early age God’s hand was upon David. He had been anointed to be king of Israel. Jonathan’s father, King Saul learned very quickly that God’s hand was upon David to be king. He did every thing he could to kill him to discourage him, to run him off. One passage of scripture, I Samuel 23:16 says, "And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went into the woods and strengthened his(David’s) hands in God.".
III. The Accessibility to this Friend
Proverbs 18:24 (NIV) "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
The first part of this verse tells us that friends sometime disappoint us but that there is a friend who will never disappoint us. David McFadden writes, “Even those who are our truest friends are subject to limitations that keep them from fulfilling their obligations to us as a friend. Because they are mere mortals, there will always be limits beyond which they cannot go.” This is not true of the Lord Jesus Christ “who is not ashamed to call us brethren.”
a. He will accept us.
John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
Make no mistake, you and I are not acceptable because we are good but because of what Jesus has done for us.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
We find acceptance when we accept him by faith. When we trust him he receives us.
John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
b. He will affirm us.
When you accept Jesus, not only will you find acceptance, but you will find affirmation, as well. Jesus never calls anyone to follow Him on the basis of who they are, but on the basis of who He knows they can become by His power! As a result of your relationship, your friendship with Jesus, He will work to bring out the best in you.
A man had a warehouse property for sale. Vandals had smashed the windows, broken the doors and scattered trash all over the place. As he was showing a prospective buyer the property, he assured him that all would be repaired and made right before the sale was complete.
The man replied, "Don’t worry about repairing anything. When I buy this place, I am going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building, I want the site."
That is what Jesus says to us. He doesn’t want us to try to repair things, He simply wants us to surrender ourselves to Him and let Him build out of our lives something new!
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore is any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
c. He will assist us.
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”
Here’s that same verse from the Amplified Bible: "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]."
Jesus is the friend who sticketh closer than a brother. He’s more than a brother.
A Brother can cry with you/Jesus can wipe away all your tears.
A Brother can pray with you/Jesus can answer your prayer.
A Brother can share your storm/Jesus cam calm your storms.
A Brother can die for you/Jesus rose for you.
A Brother can be your lawyer/Jesus can set you free.
A Brother can carry your body to a dark grave/Jesus can carry your soul to Bright Glory.
A Brother can stand by you/Jesus can stand for you.
What A Friend We Have in Jesus
________________________________________
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge,
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to
Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there
will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship
will be our sweet portion there.
Words: Joseph Scriven (1857)
