"Advocate" 9-8-24

Overview

Friends: Jonathan the Advocate

Scripture commends the gift of true friendship. "Perfume and incense make the heart glad, but the sweetness of a friend is better than one's own counsel" Proverbs 27:9, and "a friend sticks closer than a brother" Proverbs 18:24. One of Scripture's most striking friendships is that of David and Jonathan. After David killed Goliath, Saul welcomed him—until the women's song, "Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands" 1 Samuel 18:7, poisoned the king with envy. Saul plotted David's death, but Jonathan "took great delight in David" and warned him, promising to speak to his father on his behalf 1 Samuel 19:1-3. Jonathan's friendship reduces to a single word: advocate.

Scripture is full of advocates. Paul pleads for the runaway slave Onesimus, "If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account" Philemon 1:18. Friends beg Jesus to heal a deaf man Mark 7:32, and others tear open a roof to lower their paralyzed friend before the Lord. Yet our greatest need is one no human friend can meet: how shall a sinner stand before a holy God on judgment day? Here Scripture announces our greatest comfort: "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" 1 John 2:1-2. Jesus pleads our case not on the basis of our works but on the basis of His own—His atoning death and resurrection by which we are "justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" Romans 3:23-25.

Having been redeemed by such an Advocate, we are sent to advocate for others. The Hebrew word rea means both "friend" and "neighbor," and the New Testament unfolds friendship as love. Advocacy is one of love's truest forms: "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause" Isaiah 1:17; "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute" Proverbs 31:8; "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" Mark 12:31.

Practically, advocacy looks like putting the best construction on a neighbor's words, speaking well of others, and standing up for those who cannot stand for themselves. It looks like a tuition-free preschool that opens the gospel to families who might never hear it, diapers gathered for crisis pregnancy centers, lunches made for the Union Gospel Mission, twenty thousand meals packed for the hungry, support for missionaries and local ministries, and mission trips that send our own people into the world. Ask yourself today: who is the David in your life that needs a Jonathan? Who can you stand beside, speak up for, and bring to Jesus?

Transcript

Would you open your Bibles, please, with me, to first Samuel the 19th chapter for our study 3s

today. 8s

If you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that in the Old Testament, 9s

page 244. 15s

First Samuel the 19th chapter for our study in God's Word today. 17s

On this rally Sunday, as we rally a new, around the Word of God, we begin a new sermon 22s

series that we've simply entitled Friends. 29s

Scripture tells us in Proverbs 27th chapter, it says, perfume and incense make the heart 36s

glad, but the sweetness of a friend is better than one's own counsel, or Proverbs 18 tells 44s

us. 53s

Some friends play at Friendship, but a true friend sticks closer than one's nearest 54s

kin. 63s

And so from today, until the end of October, each and every week, we're going to explore 65s

a different Friendship in Holy Scripture. 72s

And we're going to ask what is it that we can learn from this? 76s

So in the weeks ahead, we're going to take a look. 82s

It fill up and Nathaniel. 84s

We're going to take a look at Elijah and Elijah and Mark and Paul. 86s

We're going to examine Paul and Timothy and Epiprodiatus, Dorcus and the widows and Jesus 91s

and us. 99s

Today, in sermon number one in this series, we look at it just a tremendous friendship, 101s

a friendship between David and Jonathan. 110s

Jonathan was quite a friend today, but in fact, to have a best friend like Jonathan, 121s

what a blessing. 133s

I think of the author that talked about the fact of how great people in the faith never 136s

emerged from their mother's womb that way. 145s

But their forged, their writer said, their forged on the end of God's affliction. 150s

First King of Israel was Saul and Saul was the Envol to David. 170s

Saul had a son by the name of Jonathan and David and Jonathan became best of friends. 187s

But with Saul, initially Saul was just a lighted in David. 199s

After all, David had killed giant Goliath. 204s

He was absolutely delighted with David. 208s

But then things sourd, it's sourd and you can see it's sourd because of Saul's ego. 211s

Why, look at me please, at first Samuel 18 will pick up in verse 6. 220s

There we read. 227s

As they were coming home when David returned from killing the Philistine, 229s

the women came out of all the towns of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul 234s

with tempering with songs of joy and with musical instruments. 240s

And the women sang to one another as they made Mary. 247s

Saul has killed his thousands and David his 10,000s. 251s

Saul was very angry for this saying to please them. 258s

He said, they've described to David 10,000s and to me, they've described thousands. 262s

What more can he have? But the kingdom. 270s

So Saul, I'd David from that day on Jonathan and David, friends. 274s

And notice how the friendship is expressed. 291s

Gover pleased to chapter 19, verse 1. 293s

Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his servants about killing David. 298s

But David's son Jonathan took great delight in David. 305s

Jonathan told David, my father's soul is trying to kill you, therefore, 310s

beyond guard tomorrow morning, stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 316s

I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are and I will 321s

speak to my father about you. If I learn anything, I will tell you. 326s

That expression of friendship of Jonathan, toward David, 335s

that expression of the friendship, it can be reduced to one word, one word. 341s

I think of the book of filement. It's sandwiched in between Titus and Hebrews just a little thing. 351s

But God's word nonetheless. And there in that little letter, it tells us. 362s

It tells us the story about a slave by the name of Onissimus. Onissimus must have run away from 370s

his owner, filement. Interestingly, he wound up ministering and supporting the Apostle Paul. 377s

So, Paul then writes to filement. And he writes this. If he onissimus, if he has wronged you in 386s

any way or owed you anything, charge that to my account. If you summarize that down to one word, 396s

it's advocate, isn't it? It's advocate. In our gospel text for today, from Mark 7th chapter, 409s

there's the story of those that brought the deaf man to Jesus. And the scripture says that they 418s

gaged Jesus to lay his hand upon the man and healed him. That's advocacy, isn't it? 424s

I think of the man who was paralyzed. People bring the paralyzed man, they're bringing him to 437s

Jesus. And they notice that the house that Jesus is in is so packed, they can't get the paralyzed man 443s

in front of Jesus. So what do they do? They go up on the roof, they take apart part of the roof. 450s

And they lower the man down right in front of Jesus. That's advocacy, isn't it? That's advocacy. 456s

Jonathan, in our text today, is an advocate. Is an advocate? And what's the response? 468s

Chapter 19, picking up in verse 6. Sol heated the voice of Jonathan, Sol swore, as the Lord lives, 477s

he shall not be put to death. So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. 488s

Jonathan then brought David to Sol and he was in his presence as be for. 497s

So we keep turning that pages of scripture. Do we see Sol on his best behavior? 507s

No, we don't. We don't. That's a whole other series of sermons. What I want to focus with you today, 515s

though, is on the advocacy, the advocacy of Jonathan. 525s

Consider your own life, right? What is the greatest problem that you have? 536s

All of us come here today with problems. All of us come here today with hurts. There's not one of us 544s

here that's problem free or hurt free. It comes with living in a sinful world and being sinners 551s

ourselves. There's not one person here. Problem free, not a one. But what's your greatest problem? 560s

What's our greatest problem? Our greatest problem is how do we stand before God on judgment day? 568s

That's the greatest problem. Now that's not to minimize the problems and the hurts, 578s

et cetera that you come here with today. But when you put that up against the lens of 584s

standing one day on judgment day before God Almighty who determines whether you're a sheep or a goat, 591s

in other words, where you are spending eternity, that is the greatest problem that a sinful 600s

human being has. Why? Because a sinful human being cannot spend an eternity in the presence 607s

of a holy God. That's impossible. And what we deserve is hell itself because of sin. That is 614s

human kind's greatest problem. That, what do we read? What do we read in first John the 625s

second chapter? We read, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ, the righteous. 637s

And he's the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Our sins separate us. What's the atonement? 649s

You break down the word at one meant through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are brought 657s

back into relationship with God as Jesus bears our sin upon the cross. He's the atoning sacrifice 662s

for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. He is our, 672s

and notice how Scripture describes him. He's our advocate. He's our advocate. In ancient day, 681s

the advocate was a term for an attorney that would argue the case before a judge. 690s

And here Jesus described as the advocate. And so as Jesus is our advocate before the Father, 700s

what is the case then that is made? It's his own actions. 709s

Paul writes in Romans the third chapter, since all have sinned and full short of the glory of God, 716s

they are now justified. Break the word down, being made just as if we never sinned. 723s

They are now justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption. Break the word, 732s

redemption to buy back through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 739s

whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood effective through faith. 745s

Jonathan was a friend who was an advocate. Paul was a friend who was an advocate. 761s

Those that brought the blind man to Jesus were friends who were advocates. 774s

Those that brought the paralyzed man to Jesus and tore off part of the roof and lowered him down. 783s

They were friends who were advocates. And the second member of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ, 790s

who bore our sin on the cross and was raised from the tomb, who has affected atonement, 799s

who has bought his back, redeemed us. The Lord Jesus Christ is an advocate. 807s

Example after example, after example, in Holy Scripture of advocates. 814s

Now what does that say then to us? 823s

What does it say to us as by God's grace we live out our faith? What does it say to us? 829s

Ria. Ria. It's a Hebrew word. It's a Hebrew word for friend. Ria. 846s

But interestingly, that word, it does double duty because not only is it the word for friend, 857s

it's also the word for neighbor. Same word does double duty. 865s

You get to the New Testament, though, and neighbor is one word and friend is another word. 875s

There's two different words. It doesn't do double duty. 885s

Neighbor is understood spatially in terms of spatially your close to someone. 889s

He's the idea of that spatial closeness. Friend has the idea of love. 898s

Of love. So as we express our friendship to others, we are loving them. 912s

And a way to love them, a form of the expression of loving friendship, a way to love them. 929s

Is advocacy. Advocacy. As they are the first chapters, says this, 944s

learn to do good. Seek justice. Rescue the oppressed. Defend the orphan. 955s

Plead for the widow. That's friendship love in the form of advocacy, isn't it? 965s

Proverbs 31st chapter says, speak out for those who cannot speak for the rights of all the 977s

best-to-toot. That's friendship love in the form of advocacy. 986s

Jesus said, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. That's friendship love in the form of advocacy. 995s

When we put the best construction on what someone else says, 1009s

we put the best construction on it instead of the worst construction on it. 1019s

And when we speak well of them, that's advocacy. 1026s

When this congregation started a preschool, that now serves over 40 children, 1035s

and we decided not to charge a dime for families that participated in it, 1045s

because we wanted to communicate the importance of making sure the gospel 1053s

goes out into our communities, into homes perhaps the gospel has never been heard in before 1059s

to homes that perhaps struggle to be able to afford to send their child to preschool, 1069s

who wanted nothing more than to send their child to a Christian preschool. When this congregation 1078s

opened that preschool that serves now over 40 children, you know what that is, right? 1084s

That's friendship love in the form of advocacy. When this congregation collects diapers for 1093s

crisis pregnancy centers, that's friendship love in the form of advocacy. When today, 1104s

we will gather and we will make lunches for those that are struggling in the union gospel mission, 1110s

that's friendship love in the form of advocacy. When later on this month, we gather once again, 1116s

and we put together 20,000 meals, and we totally fund it, and those meals are sent to some place 1124s

on the globe where people can't have nothing to eat, you know what that is, right? That's 1133s

friendship love in the form of advocacy. When this year, this congregation will support 1140s

four different church entities. When this year, this church, this church will help support 1149s

13 worldwide mission outposts. When this year, this church will help to support 14 local 1159s

ministry opportunities. When this year, this congregation will have eight mission trips, 1172s

birthed out of this congregation, and the participants in the mission trips are our own people. 1180s

That's friendship love in the form of advocacy. That's standing up for 1190s

that speaking out on behalf of that strengthening and supporting 1202s

that's advocacy. That's advocacy. Friends and Christ, you have been redeemed 1215s

by your advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has opened up for you baptized child, 1229s

the bliss of heaven. Who can you be a friend to today? Who can you express 1239s

friendship love in the form of advocacy? Who's the David 1257s

that you can be Jonathan? 1272s