Father God, we thank you for this day that we are once again gathered to share your

Word. May you give us enlightenment, give us wisdom to grasp the lessons you want us
to learn. Madami po kaming gustong ilapit sayo pero alam namin God na kahit pa ang
dami dami naming plans in life,ikaw pa rin ang magpprevail. Turuan mo po kaming
makinig at magtiwala sa iyong kagustuhan.Patuloy mo po kaming bigyan ng lakas sa
araw na araw ng aming pamumuhay. We also pray for our kasama na hindi maka
attend ganun din po sa lahat ng aming officemates, bless them as you have blessed us.
This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Dahil masyado na nakakapagod ang mga nagdaang araw, physically, mentally and
emotionally draining,God must have led me to share a very light topic tonight. Hindi ito
yung tipong gusting gusto natin marinig tulad ng usaping forgiveness, marriage,
kindness etc., ito ay tungkol sa power of friendship which I think was precipitated by
what happened last week na dapat ako magshare last Friday. I requested Lisa to
substitute. Nainspire ako sa kabaitan nya. Thank you for the accommodation.

The power of friendship

The Life of David in 1 Samuel 18:1–20:42

Yung Life of David is found in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel.

Brief synopsis- Saul was chosen as the first king of Israel, but he was eventually
rejected because of his inability to heed the voice of God. David was anointed as the
next king, but has not yet taken the throne. Sa chapter 17, he showed his fitness for the
throne by trusting in God and slaying the Philistine giant Goliath.

Tonight, we’ll study selected portions of 1 Samuel 18-20, particularly David’s

relationship with King Saul’s son, Jonathan.

1 Samuel 18:1-4 - After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the
king's son. There was an immediate bond of love between them, and they became the
best of friends. 2 From that day on Saul kept David with him at the palace and wouldn't
let him return home. 3 And Jonathan made a special vow to be David's friend, 4 and
he sealed the pact by giving him his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt.

Pagkatapos mapatay ni David si Goliath, Saul kept him close para he can keep an eye
on him. Then he became very envious of the attention and respect David received.
Kaya gusto nya patayin si David.
In 1 Samuel 19:
1 Samuel 19:1-5 - Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate
David. But Jonathan, because of his close friendship with David, 2 told him what his
father was planning. "Tomorrow morning," he warned him, "you must find a hiding place
out in the fields. 3 I'll ask my father to go out there with me, and I'll talk to him about
you. Then I'll tell you everything I can find out." 4 The next morning Jonathan spoke
with his father about David, saying many good things about him. "Please don't sin
against David," Jonathan pleaded. "He's never done anything to harm you. He has
always helped you in any way he could. 5 Have you forgotten about the time he risked
his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the LORD brought a great victory to Israel as a
result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent
man like David? There is no reason for it at all!"

Saul promised not to kill David, pero nagbago ang kanyang promise. Later in this
chapter David has to flee for his life. Jonathan devised a plan whereby he will find out if
his father has forgiven David or still wants him dead. Unfortunately, he finds that Saul
still wants him dead.
David and Jonathan’s goodbye is at the end of ch. 20:

1 Samuel 20:27-42 - But the next day, the second day of the month, David's place was
empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to
the meal, either yesterday or today?" 28 Jonathan answered, "David earnestly asked
me for permission to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, 'Let me go, because our family is
observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have
found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.' That is why he has not
come to the king's table." 30 Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him,
"You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the
son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31 As
long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be
established. Now send and bring him to me, for he must die!" 32 "Why should he be put
to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. 33 But Saul hurled his spear
at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill
David. 34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the
month he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of
David. 35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He
had a small boy with him, 36 and he said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot."
As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place
where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, "Isn't the arrow
beyond you?" 38 Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up
the arrow and returned to his master. 39 (The boy knew nothing of all this; only
Jonathan and David knew.) 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said,
"Go, carry them back to town." 41 After the boy had gone, David got up from the south
side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the
ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together-- but David wept the
most. 42 Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each
other in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD is witness between you and me,
and between your descendants and my descendants forever.'" Then David left, and
Jonathan went back to the town.

Hindi na muling nagkita sina David at Jonathan after this moment dahil nga si David ay
tumakbo na para iligtas ang kanyang buhay. Habang sila Jonatahn at Saul naman ay
mamamatay sa digmaan.
Kung naiimagine nyo, this is a terrible time in David’s life – the king is after his life, and
made six attempts to kill him.
From a human perspective, the main reason nasurvive ni David ang matinding
pagsubok na ito ay dahil sa kanyang friendship with Jonathan, a young man willing to
risk his own life for the sake of his friend.
Isipin natin ang ibat ibang relationships/ friendships na meron tayo. Alam natin na ang
friendship is a very unique thing, different from family, romantic relationships, and
work relationships.
Think about it - you don’t choose your family: they have to be there, or at least they
should be there. And it is not as glamorous as romantic love. Pati yung kung pano
makaget along yung mga co-employees natin ay iba pa rin sa friendship.

Friendship is the one relationship you can do without, in theory. Friends seem
expendable, and it takes such effort and time to build a solid friendship.

But as David found out, it’s critical to have good friends. As any parent can attest, the
friends you choose will have an enormous impact on your life and how wise you
become.

As Proverbs 12:26 says, “A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the
wicked leads them astray.”

Ngayon, aalamin natin Why having friends is so critical tsaka what it means to be a real
friend, and how to find that kind of friendship.

Why we need friendship:

(1) Because life was meant to be shared

Because it is not good to be alone. Even though friends seem expendable, we were
meant to share life with others. Balikan natin ang creation – everything was good that
God created until God declares that it is not good for man to be alone. Even in
paradise, with God present, there is a need for friendship, kaya ginawa ni God si Eve for
Adam. God made us to need others besides himself. And this desire for community
reflects God’s character, for God is at His essence a Trinity, a relational being, Father,
Son, and Spirit. Friendship is at the very essence of God. Life is meant to be shared,
and there is joy that comes in sharing life. Even in romantic relationships or family
relationships, it is friendship that makes the difference.

(2) To make it through life’s troubles.

Tayo ay magkakaroon ng troubles and tragedies and we will not make it without
friends. David learned that without his friend, Jonathan, he never would have made it
through the difficult trials he faced.
He very likely would have gone back to a simple life of tending sheep, or developed a
murderous spirit of retaliation to get back at Saul, or been killed. Isipin natin yung mga
hard times na hinarap natin ang hamon ng buhay, and how important it has been to
have friends encouraging you, walking with you and sharing the burden.
Even with spouses, hindi yung erotic aspect of marriage that gets you through the hard
times kundi yung friendship.

(3) To guard against self-deception

The third reason we need friends is that we all have blind spots, and we need people
who will be true friends to us and point out the character flaws that we cannot see.
Kung wala tayong mga kaibigan e malamang, we will go through life convinced that our
view of reality is accurate. We may go through life believing that people are out to get
us, or conversely that the world is a safe place. We may believe we are the greatest
thing ever, or the worst. Friends can help us see the world and ourselves from another
perspective.

2 things that I believe comprise true friendship, more than just being an
acquaintance.

(1) Commitment – In 1 Samuel 18, Jonathan sees that God has anointed David,
and so he gives him his robe and his sword. Even though Jonathan is a mighty
man, and even though as the king’s son he is heir to the throne, he gives his
robe and sword to David, essentially saying that he recognizes God’s anointing
on him and will serve David.
As Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Jonathan committed himself to David, kahit pa it meant risking his own life with his
father. True friendship means sacrifice.

Ngayon nga kahit sa Facebook, it’s possible to have 1000 plus friends, pero ilan kaya
sa kanila ang magstay with you?

As Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a
friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

(2) Openness & transparency – sa Bible mababasa natin na sila David and
Jonathan were one in spirit, that Jonathan loved David as himself.
First, with a real friend, you have the freedom to be yourself, to share your true feelings.

One author said:

“We live in interwoven networks of terminally casual relationships. We live with

the delusion that we know one another, but we really don’t. We call our easygoing, self-
protective, and often theologically platitudinous conversations ‘fellowship,’ but they
seldom ever reach the threshold of true fellowship. We know cold demographic details
about one another (married or single, type of job, number of kids, general location of
housing, etc.), but we know little about the struggle of faith that is waged every day
behind well-maintained personal boundaries.

Second, you can openly share encouragement.

As another author said

“the greatest thing any person can do for another is to confirm the deepest thing
in him, in her – to take the time and have the discernment to see what’s most deeply
there, most fully that person, and then confirm it by recognizing and encouraging it.”

Third, you give your friends the right to speak into your life, to exhort you and challenge
you. With David, hindi lang si Jonathan ang nag speak sa kanya kundi pati si prophet
Nathan. Friends are not afraid to confront in love, and friends have earned the right to
do so by their commitment.
Proverbs 27:5-6,17 - Better is open rebuke than hidden love. 6 Wounds from a friend
can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses… 17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man
sharpens another.

Proverbs 29:5 - Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet.

Medyo startling yung Proverbs 27– hidden love is hiding the truth instead of openly
rebuking, and it is paired with an enemy multiplying kisses. If you are afraid to confront,
you are doing the work of an enemy.
Proverbs calls you a flatterer – someone who compliments because you want the other
person to like you – not a real friend, and says that you are only spreading a net for his
feet. You are leading them right into ruin by not pointing out their sin.

Make it safe for people to confront you. And be committed enough to someone to
confront them in love.

San natin makikita ang friendship na katulad ng kina Jonathan at David?

Not everyone finds that kind of friend here. But it points us to the true friend, Jesus.
Remember what Jesus said:

John 15:12-17 - My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater
love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends
if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not
know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I
learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I
chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last. Then the Father
will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

Jesus is the friend who sticks closer than a brother, who loves at all times, and who
speaks the truth in love. Even when his friends fell asleep on him in the Garden of
Gethsemane, he chose to sacrifice His life for them. He gave up his status as prince,
laying down his rights as the Son of God to die for us. Jesus is the ultimate friend you
are looking for. And he teaches you how to be that friend, to be willing to be transparent,
to serve, to be committed through thick and thin.

Once we have Him, look around you. Jonathan and David were knit together by their
shared desire for God to be glorified and Israel to be great. There is something
incredibly unique and powerful here. People from all different backgrounds –young
and old, galing sa city o sa probinsya, we are all brought together by one common
affinity – Jesus. There is such potential in having friends who love Jesus but may be
completely unlike you, that perhaps you never would have gotten to know if it weren’t for
the church. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. That is the
blessing.

Let us serve alongside others. Or, just be a friend to someone. Invite someone over, or
serve someone else. Si Jesus yung friend na kelangan natin, and He teaches us how to
be the friend that the people in this world need.

Lord Salamat po unang una sa friendship na ibinigay mo sa amin, ganun din po sa mga
kaibigan na meron kami. Give us the heart oh God na kami ay maging mabuting
kaibigan din sa iba. Like Jonathan to David, tulungan mo po kaming magserve sa
kapwa, na ibigay ang best para sa iba. Tulungan mo kaming maging tunay na kaibigan
at walang bahid ng personal na interest. Father, may we be able to offer friendship to
lead people closer to you.