Do Your Have a Real Friend?
15 ¶ Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel. And when David and his men were in the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted. 16 Ish-bi-ben-ob was a descendant of the giants; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds, and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him. 17 But Ab-ish-ai son of Ze-ru-iah came to his rescue and killed the Philistine. After that, David’s men declared, “You are not going out to battle again! Why should we risk snuffing out the light of Israel?” 2 Sam. 21:15-17 (NLT)
25 ¶ One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?” 26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” 29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied with an illustration: “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a Jewish priest came along; but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt deep pity. 34 Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two pieces of silver and told him to take care of the man. ‘If his bill runs higher than that,’ he said, ‘I’ll pay the difference the next time I am here.’ 36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now o and do the same.” Lk. 10:25-37 (NLT)
1. Share the Story of Sir Earnest Henry Shackleton
Shackleton’s epic tale of survival and courage began with dreams of being the first expedition to cross the Antarctic continent. En route, the Endurance became beset in the ice deep within the Weddell Sea and drifted with the pack for ten months before finally being crushed and sunk in November 1915. Shackleton’s party sledged lifeboats over the ice toward Paulet Island, eventually taking to the sea, and landing on Elephant Island. After setting up a small camp at nearby Cape Wild, Shackleton and five other men first braved the freezing, stormy ocean in their 22-foot lifeboat, the James Caird, on an 800-mile journey to South Georgia Island. Then, he and two of the men traversed the 6,000-foot mountain range to reach help at Stromness, a whaling station on the opposite side of the island.
One night nearing the end of this desperate journey across the frozen wasteland Shackleton woke to find a friend who he would have entrusted his life to at a moments notice opening the food box of their companion.
They were down to their last pieces of food and the other man was extremely weak from the terrible journey. That night Shackleton couldn’t sleep. It ran over and over in his mind, a picture of the man who he never dreamed could steal another man’s last food reaching into his box.
When they awoke the next morning Shackleton is both relieved and encouraged when he learns that his friend has not stolen the other man’s food, but instead had opened his box in order to place his own ration inside.
Perhaps this quote from Sir Raymond Priestley, a member of Shackleton’s earlier expedition on the Nimrod, puts it best:
"For scientific leadership, give me Scott, for swift and efficient travel give me Amundsen. But when you are in a hopeless situation, when you are seeing no way out, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton."
2. Our world is built on the concept of what I would call, DISPOSABLE RELATIONSHIPS!
3. Benjamin Franklin said, “Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing!!!”
4. North American Indian’s word for friend. “One-who-carries-my-sorrow-on-his-back”.
These two stories teach us about three kinds of people in our world.
1- There Are Those Who Need A Friend Very Badly! (v. 30) (N’s & S’s)
1- In Luke 10 the man was a nameless “nobody”.
1. This man had been assaulted! (Jericho was the oldest, hottest and wildest town in Israel)
2. He is representative of all who have been injured by other men. (Even in church!!!)
3. He illus. those who have been hurt by the world system. (Stripped, wounded & deserted)
4. He represents all who has been brutalized by Satan.
• If you really want to know who your friends are, make a mistake!!!
2- In 2 Sam. 21 the man was David, a “somebody”. (Expound the story - teens to 50’s)
1. He had slain a giant, but was now about to be slain by one!! (Spear 1/2 size of Goliath’s)
2. David, he is representative of those who are in the body of Christ who need help!!!
3. Lessons: •Giants come back! •You can’t always slay them alone! •You will need others someday!
3- Without help these people - Somebodies & Nobodies- will not make it!!!
"The New Testament records tell of forty people, each suffering from some disease, who had been healed by Jesus. Of this number, thirty-four were either brought to Jesus by friends or Jesus was taken to them. In only six cases out of forty did sufferers find their way to Christ without assistance." --The late Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, quoted in SWORD
2- There Are Those Who Could Have Been Friends (vv 31-32)
1- The Priest and the Levite were…
1. Spiritually Blind: They had closed eyes spiritually.
2. Without Compassion: They had closed hearts that showed no mercy.
3. Selfish: They had closed hands!!! (The gospel calls us to a radical selflessness!!!!)
4. Maybe worried about getting polluted. (“Holier than thou…smoke in My nose” Isa. 65:5)
• They were religious, but not caring. (They were mindlessly carrying on tradition.)
2- They could have been a friend to someone who needed a friend badly!
3- Were there others on the field with David who could have helped? (Either didn’t see, or didn’t care)
3- There Are Those Who Will Be Friends When Need Comes (vv. 33-37)
1- The Good Samaritan.
1. He had open eyes – LOOKED. (robbers might still be around!)
2. He had an open heart – FELT. (Sympathy vs. Compassion)
3. He had open hands - ACTION. (Even though it cost him personally!)
2- Abishai, David’s nephew. (David no doubt felt a little embarrassed, but very grateful!)
3- Both of these men were the deepest kind of friends even at risk of their lives!!!
We are called to selflessness - SERVANTHOOD!!! (Stop living by the world’s system)
APPLICATION : Wounded , hurt or deserted? - I want to introduce you to the best Friend!!!
• “No one ever had a friend like Jesus” (Jn. 15:13) (RECONCILE= friends)
• Are you hurting? - I want to be your friend, I’ll pray and help you bear the burden?
Homiletic Subj. : God desires for us to be friends to all who are hurting just as He is. (Open Arms)
