Good morning, Saylorville! I’m honored to be opening up God’s Word with you once again this morning, and I’m distinctly honored and humbled to accept your call to be your Connections Pastor. God in His grace. Thank you. Thank you. You know, Kudos to you guys, because eight o’clock didn’t do that. (Laughter) God in His grace has used Saylorville Church, this church, mightily over the last 11 years to show me a bigger view of Himself. And in doing so, He’s radically changed my life. So thank you! Thank you for being a church that faithfully and boldly preaches and lives out the Gospel. And thank you to many of you for being my role models, my mentors and my friends. My prayer is that through God’s power I’ll just simply give what’s been given to me, and Lord willing, that after this sermon, you won’t have buyer’s remorse. That being said, why don’t we go to the Lord in prayer?

Father God in heaven, Lord, we praise Your name.  Lord, we thank You for the way You’re working powerfully in this church through the proclamation of Your Gospel. Lord, it’s Your church. It’s my home. And Lord, as You have done countless times, Father, I pray that You might open our eyes, open our hearts, and just do a magnificent work before us now, Lord. May Your Son’s name be glorified. In His name we pray. Amen.

C.S. Lewis, the famous Christian author, he once said that:

“Friendship is the moment when one person says to another, ‘You too? I thought I was the only one.’ C.S. Lewis

But if we’re honest, in 2025, friendship, as we know, it has fallen on hard times. In fact, according to a 2025 Harvard study, they say this quote. Here’s what it says:

“Friendship is no longer seen as an integral part of American life, but rather something we squeeze in when all of our other responsibilities have been met.” A 2025 Harvard study

I don’t know about you, but as a new father, I can say, ‘Amen.’ But what do the Scriptures say? Proverbs, chapter 17, verse 17 says:

Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born (or a sister is born) for adversity.”

You hear that? A friend, a brother or sister, is born for adversity. Contrary to our quote, friendship is not optional to the Christian saint. It’s essential! And it’s our topic as we open up God’s word. That being said if you have a copy of Scripture I would invite you to 1 Samuel, chapter 18, verse 1.

If you’re joining us for the first time today, we just opened up a series on King David. What a legendary character! — a shepherd who killed a giant, and then became the king of God’s very own people, Israel. You think he faced some adversity? Yes, he did. But God in His grace provides David with a friend. And with that being said, let’s open up God’s word, first Samuel, chapter 18. This is right after David had slayed Goliath.

1 Samuel 18:1-5

1 “As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan (That’s Saul’s son. He’s the prince of Israel. The soul of Jonathan) was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

2 And Saul took him (that is, David) that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.

3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.

4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.

5 And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. (David becomes a military commander) And this was good in the sight of all the people (of Israel) and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.”

So according to Scripture if a brother is born for adversity, then Jonathan is that brother to David. And if you’re familiar with this story you know that Jonathan and David’s story of friendship, it’s like the quintessential example of powerful, God-focused friendship, and it was a special friendship. I love the ESV’s translation of that word in… verse 1, “knit.” Their souls were knit together. The word in Hebrew, it denotes that same picture. It’s the idea of sewing something together almost like the binding of a book or even your own Bible. And then if you look at verse three it says that Jonathan and David made a “covenant.” When’s the last time you made a covenant with your friend? This is a special friendship. Covenant is theological language, and this is actually the first of three covenants that Jonathan and David are gonna make with one another. And so my goal today… we’re gonna kind of jump around a lot… going to go through David and Jonathan’s story through many chapters. But what I want to do is, I want to give you a 30,000 foot view of this beautiful, God-focused friendship.

And so, what we’re going to do is, we’re going to look through each of those three covenants, and as we do so, here’s our question for today. Why is Godly friendship like what David and Jonathan had necessary and even essential for Christians, for you today? So here’s our first point. Godly friendships provide substance in a superficial world. I don’t know about you, but if you’ve read this before and you read about Jonathan, you’re like, ‘Whoa, dude! Slow your role, Jonathan!’ All of a sudden he sees, you know, I mean, to be fair, slaying Goliath is pretty cool! But Jonathan’s like, ‘Let’s be best friends!’ Just comes out of nowhere, right? It seems like it’s, you know, why all this affection from Jonathan?

And though David’s triumph over Goliath was amazing, it wasn’t the first time that God would deliver Israel from incredible odds. In fact, if you turn back in your Bible to 1 Samuel chapter 14, verse 6, again, the Israelites are fighting the Philistines and just like with David and Goliath, There’s two armies facing down each other. And per usual, Israel is outgunned, outmanned, and no one wants to fight. Classic Israel! But then in 1 Samuel 14, verse 6, we see this account. It says:

1 Samuel 14:6

6 “Jonathan…”(the son of Saul. This is when he’s like 20 years old. This is about 20 years ago before David and Goliath. Jonathan) said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by (saving from) few.”

And if you know the story, Jonathan and his armor bearer, they do go up to the garrison and through the power of the Lord and Heaven’s armies, Jonathan and his armor bearer kill 20 Philistines by themselves! Does that remind you of anybody? Yeah, I actually wanna show you a comparison here. This is what David says about Goliath. The language is almost exactly the same.

So what was Jonathan thinking when he watched young David swing his sling towards Goliath’s head? ‘You, too? You, too, have faith in the one true God? You, too, trust in His mighty hand? You, too, are willing to stand on His promises alone?’ You see, seeing David kill Goliath, Jonathan just saw a younger version of himself, and the Scriptures say that their souls were knit together. Why? — friends, because a friendship is only as strong as what binds it. For David and Jonathan, it was a deep love and dependence on the one true God.

What knits you to your friends? Is it sports? ‘Can’t wait for that big game!’ ‘Can’t wait to watch our team lose for the 16th time!’ I’m not gonna say any names, okay? Is it parenting? ‘I’m in the trench… you’re in the trench… Let’s be friends.’ Is it your hobbies? Is it your work?

As many of you know, I’m an avid disc golfer, (not the greatest sport of all time, but still really fun, okay?) and some of my really good friends are disc golfers. In fact, I have two friends that are basically my disc golf friends. Great guys! I’ve actually known them for 13 years. We went to college together. They taught me basically everything I know. But you know what’s funny about that friendship? Whenever disc golf season’s over, I never see them… because our bond as friends is seasonal, therefore our friendship is seasonal. Lasting relationships require substance. And here’s the good news. There is nothing more substantial than the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Friends, when you put your faith in Jesus, He doesn’t just save you from hell and give you salvation, though He does do that, hallelujah! — but He adopts you into His family. You become a child of the living God, which means that every Christian on planet earth becomes your spiritual brothers and sisters.

In our age of division, polarity, political assassinations, the Gospel is truly Good News. Why? — because the Gospel of Jesus Christ, transcends all other bonds regardless of your race, your age, your economic status, your political leanings, your personal background. It’s all swallowed up when you get adopted into the family of God! I am closer to Christians I’ve known for two months than friends I’ve known my entire life, because our bond is forged by the very Holy Spirit of God. Your friendship is not of this world. So are you nurturing these kinds of friendships?

Notice verse 4 and 5 in our text. As soon as Jonathan makes that covenant with David, he gives him his armor, and gives him his sword. I wonder, what are you arming your friends with? That is, what do you talk about? What do you do for fun? Now don’t get me wrong. You can do things for fun… watch your sports, go play disc golf. But listen… is your friendship substantial? Is it God-centered? Do you share truth with your friends? Do you pray for your friends? And do you ask your friends hard questions about their walk with Jesus? A friendship is only as strong as what binds it together.

Jonathan’s heart is knit to David’s, and a brother is born for adversity. And honestly… just at the right time. If you look at verse 5 here, initially David is celebrated in Israel after he kills Goliath. I mean, this guy is a war hero! He’s like a celebrity! — but the good times don’t last. Check out verse 12. It says:

1 Samuel 18:12, “Saul (King Saul) was afraid of David because (he knew that) the LORD was with him (David) but had departed from (him) Saul.”

That’s a summary sentence of the next couple chapters, because what happens is that Saul, by the power of God, he actually slips into madness! King Saul is possessed by envy and jealousy of David, and so he tries to kill him! And so Jonathan, Saul’s very own son, has to stand between his father and the king of his nation, and his new covenant brother. That’s a friend! — and Saul tries everything, and we’re not going to go into it, but at one point he tries to pin David to the wall with the spear! David survives! At another point he tries to send David to the front of the army to fight the Philistines. David survives! And then there’s this really weird account. [Saul] says, ‘Hey, I’ll give my daughter Michal to you in marriage if you go kill 100 Philistines.’ Not only does David survive, he kills 200 Philistines! David doesn’t just survive. He thrives!

I’m reminded of what Paul says in the book of Romans.

Romans 8:31b, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Every plot against David fails, not because of David’s strength, but because of the Lord God’s faithful love to David. And you know where that love is best expressed? — best shown? — in Jonathan. Go ahead and go down to chapter 19, chapter 19 of verse one, here’s what it says.

So Saul’s tried everything at this point to kill David. He’s just, he’s slippery. He just can’t get him. And here’s what it says:

1 Samuel 19:1-4, 6

1 “And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David.

2 And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself.

3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.”

Verse 4 And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father…”

I’m gonna skip down to verse six, here’s what it says.

6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he (David) shall not be put to death.”

Why else is Godly friendship necessary? — because it provides you, my dear friend, with a space where you can have an open heart and you can share your burdens. Don’t you see that in Jonathan? I mean, your father, the king, comes to you and says, I want to kill David. And Jonathan doesn’t even skip a beat, like a true covenant brother. He immediately goes to David and he tells him. There’s this free transfer of information. And not only that, Jonathan stands between his father and his friend, and creates peace. It’s amazing!

But God is in the descent of Saul. And King Saul slides deeper into a sin-induced madness, and for the rest of the chapter, he continues to try to kill David. So let’s skip down again to chapter 20 verse 1. This is the next conversation they’re going to have, and this time David is going to come to Jonathan.

1 Samuel 20:1-4

1 “Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

2 And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” (‘David, you’re jumping at shadows. Saul doesn’t want to kill you.’)

But in verse three:

3 But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he (Jonathan) thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, (Jonathan) there is but a step between me and death.”

(He’s worried. He’s afraid. He’s sharing his burden with Jonathan.)

4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

It’s beautiful! But again, notice the free transfer of information. You notice that Jonathan actually thinks that Saul’s not gonna kill David, and David completely trusts Jonathan. Did you notice that? The fact that Jonathan says it’s not so, David’s like, ‘Well clearly Jonathan doesn’t know, ’cause if my brother knew he’d tell me.’ Such is the trust between these two brothers. And so they come up with a plan. They come up with a plan to try to determine what is Saul actually gonna do? And Jonathan says, David, you go hide in a field far away from the palace, far away from Saul. And I’ll go to my father, and I’ll figure out what all this is about. And if he really actually does want to murder you, I’ll come to you and as a signal of the danger, I’ll shoot an arrow over you in the field. But if Saul wants peace, I’ll shoot an arrow to your side. It’s kind of a secret plan to keep David safe. They both agree, but before they put it in action, Jonathan speaks candidly with his friend. Look at verse 13 in chapter 20. Here’s what it says. This is Jonathan talking.

1 Samuel 20:13-17

13 “But should it please my father to do you harm, the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father.

… and then, this is the point here. Jonathan says:

14 If I am still alive, (after all this, David, after your confrontation with my father) show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die;

15 and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” (And here we go)

16 And Jonathan made a covenant (again) with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.”

17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.”

So this is the second covenant between these two men. In the past, David came to Jonathan, but this time Jonathan’s sharing a burden with David, and it seems kind of weird to us our modern audience. But see, back in Biblical times, when you took over a kingdom through your military exploits, when you kicked out the old king and you took up residency on the throne, the very first thing you would do is you’d kill all the descendants of the last king, because those people were rivals to your monarchy, to your throne. So what’s Jonathan saying to David? He’s saying, ‘David, whatever happens, whatever the future holds, protect my family. Protect my descendants, my brother,’ — and, of course, David agrees.

So David goes off, he hides in the field, Jonathan goes to his father and sure enough, Saul is mad with rage! He’s still murderous! He still wants to kill David! — and not only that, he tries to kill Jonathan! Saul is so driven by envy and jealousy, he tries to kill his own son! And so by the end of chapter 20, probably with tears in his eyes, Jonathan goes out to the field where David is hiding. He brings a servant boy with him. He looses an arrow beyond David. It’s a signal that David has to run for his life! David has to leave his community, leave Jonathan, and then in verse 41, you get this beautiful scene. It says:

1 Samuel 20:41-42

41 “And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times (to Jonathan.) And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most.

42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’”

And they went their separate ways. Why, dear friends, is Godly friendship necessary for us today? — because it provides a space for open hearts and shared burdens. Do you have burdens? Yeah, of course you do. You’re human. The real question is, are you sharing your burdens with other people? Like David and Jonathan, do you have someone in your life that you can just open your heart to and that you are actively doing that? — or are you closed off? — just stuff it. Just stuff it. Remember, a brother or a sister is born for adversity. But friends, if you don’t share your adversity with your brothers and sisters, it defeats the purpose.

This is gonna shock some of you, but my favorite movie series… not my favorite…. one of my favorite movie series is The Lord of the Rings. I know that’s not really shocking to most of you. Someone said, “Amen!” That’s amazing! (audience laughs) The Lord of the Rings is a great movie! A Masterpiece, but it has a scene… I have seen that movie 20 times, 30 times, no matter what, I always cry at this scene. It’s in the final movie, The Return of the King. It’s one of the very final scenes of the movie. It’s been Frodo, the hero. He’s carrying the one ring, a symbol of evil and burden, and he’s so weighed down by the power of the ring that he gets delusional, he can’t even stand! He literally just collapses under the weight of this burden. But he has a friend with him, Samwise Gamgee… Oh man, my favorite character! — and Samwise Gamgee he looks down at Frodo, this friend that he’s had all this adversity with, all these trials, all these adventures, and he says, “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry… you.” Oh, I’ll start crying right now! (audience laughing) And the music swells, and he lifts Frodo up to finish that journey!

But what if Frodo looked at Sam and said, ‘Nah, I’m good. I got it. I’ve just got to rest a little bit. I’ll be fine. I can carry it.’ That would be a terrible scene! It would ruin the entire movie ’cause it defeats the purpose of their friendship! That’s why Sam signed up… to carry Frodo!

And that’s why Jonathan signed up, to carry David. And what is the living God’s purpose for your friendships? We’ve got tons of verses to talk about it.

[Romans 12:15] “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

[Proverbs 27:5-6a]

5 “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;“

Proverbs 27:9b, “… the sweetness of a friend comes from his (or her) earnest counsel.“

Friends, you can’t do any of those things… if you don’t share, if you’re not open with your heart, and your burdens, and your sins, and your struggles. So… are you? In your community groups, are you just hanging out? — or are you bearing your heart to your Christian brothers and sisters? Are you in a community group? When you go down to the Coffee Cove, you just having those donut holes, or are you sharing community with your brothers and sisters, sharing your burdens? And you young people, when you go to youth group, is that just a hangout time, or are you sharing burdens? Are you opening up your hearts?

For David, opening up to Jonathan was a matter of life or death. And Christian, if you’re aware of the spiritual realities that you currently live in, that’s true for you too. We can’t do this alone. And listen, we’re not meant to do it alone. And men with us today, I want to just throw you under the bus. A study that I found from 2021 talks about the intimacy between friends. The pink are women, the blue are men, and it shows this amazing discovery! Guys suck at this! Why? — because men are tough! We eat nails for breakfast! And vulnerability? — that’s for the weak! Really? Notice verse 41, when Jonathan and David say, goodbye to each other. They weep! They embrace! Are Jonathan and David weak men? Are they wussies? No! These two men were battle-hardened warriors! These two men were completely secure in their masculinity. And lest you forgot, David killed Goliath! So men, my brothers, I’m convinced that one of the greatest things the church could do for the sake of the Gospel and for this broken world is to reclaim biblical, masculine friendships. To say unashamedly, that sharing your heart is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength. So open your hearts, share your burdens and experience your loving God’s purpose for friendship.

But this isn’t the last time that David and Jonathan meet. David does many other exploits beyond this. He’s still running from Saul, but they meet again in chapter 23. You can go there if you want to. Chapter 23, verse 15, and here’s what happens.

1 Samuel 23:15

15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.

16 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, (David’s brother, he) rose and went to David at Horesh, (at great risk to himself, he went to him) and strengthened his hand in God.

17 And he said to him, (David) “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.”

18 And the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.” (They went their own ways.)

So here marks David and Jonathan’s final meeting, their final covenant. And hopefully by now you haven’t missed the explicit example that Jonathan gives us all. Who has the most to gain from David’s death? It’s not Saul. It’s Jonathan. Jonathan’s the prince of Israel. His father at this time is 50, maybe 60 years old, back in those days. He’s… one of his foot’s in the grave. Jonathan is next in line to be crowned king of Israel… and yet he steps to the side.

Why are godly friendships necessary for us today? — because Godly friendships provide an example to us of Christ’s sacrificial love. See, only in this final covenant does Jonathan say what’s been implied the whole time. ‘David, you will be the king of Israel and I will voluntarily step aside.’ Why? — because true, Godly friends, they don’t just say ‘You too?’ — they say, ‘You first.’ You first. Remember, David and Jonathan made three separate covenants with one another and they each build on each other. The entire narrative these two brothers have stayed in contact. They sought each other out. They initiated. Their friendship was not passive. It was active and it was beautiful.

Do you have that kind of friend? If not, you can… today. This was so cool when I found this out! It is so cool! —You know what “Jonathan” means in Hebrew? Literally… Here it is… “Jonathan” literally means “Jehovah has given.” So Jonathan’s literal name is “a gift from God.” And isn’t that what every true friend is? — a gift from God?

That’s what Jonathan was to David, but dear friend, listen to this. Jonathan’s friendship wasn’t just a gift to David. It was a foretaste of a greater gift that’s been given to you! — that when the God of the universe saw you in your sin, He sent His very own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And like Jonathan, Jesus willingly gives up His throne. He willingly gives up His kingdom to be born in a manger, to be born in the mud, to be crucified by the people He came to save, that they may reign with Him! And like Jonathan, Jesus… if you put your faith in Him today, He makes a covenant with you, and He clothes you in spiritual armor, and He stands between you and His Father and intercedes for you on your behalf, and He hears your heart when you’re broken, when you’re burdened, when you pray, and He picks you back up. Jesus, Himself, said in John chapter 15:

John 15:13-15a

13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.”

15a No longer do I call you servants. For a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing, but I’ve called you friends.”

You see, Jonathan, he wasn’t just a picture of Godly friendship. Jonathan was a picture of Jesus, the greater Jonathan, the greater friend.

Is He your friend? — That is, have you confessed to Jesus Christ your sins? Have you repented and turned away and put your whole trust on His sacrificial death, His burial and His resurrection? Have you done that? Friends, everything, everything that Jonathan did for David, Jesus wants to do for you. Perhaps the old hymn puts it best.

“O… What a friend we have in Jesus… all our sins and grief to bear!

O… what (perfect) peace we often forfeit, because we don’t carry everything to God in prayer!”

Jesus is the greatest friend! Is He your friend? Let’s pray.

Almighty God, Creator of the universe, Lord our Redeemer, our Savior, Father, we need a friend, and I pray, Lord, that through the ministry of Your word, Lord, that all the souls in this room, they might realize that a friend has been provided, the greatest Friend! So I pray for the believers in this room, Lord, that they may see you as King, and Redeemer, and Savior, and Lord, but also as a Friend, and I pray for those in this room that have never known You, that are still lonely, broken, carrying all kinds of burdens. Lord Jesus, You said, ‘Come to Me, all you who are weary, and I’ll give you rest.’ So Lord Jesus, I pray, God, that you might make new Friends today. May Your name be magnified. We ask this all in Jesus’ Name. Amen.s