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Alright, well we're here in 1 Samuel chapter 14. We're continuing our series on the alphabet of characteristics. And we're looking at the characteristic of being neutral, basically not taking a side. And we're going to be looking at the character of Jonathan in the Bible. Now, this sermon is a bit different than most sermons I've preached, because I'm going to show you a lot of scripture and really kind of do the preaching more toward the end. But when it comes to Jonathan being a neutral character, I want you to realize point number one, that Jonathan is a good guy. I'm not saying Jonathan is a bad guy. Jonathan is a good guy. I mean, he's a humble guy. He's a great guy. And we see that here in 1 Samuel chapter 14 as we get an introduction to Jonathan. 1 Samuel 14 verse 1, Now it came to pass upon a day that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armor, Come and let us go over to the Philistines garrison that is on the other side, but he told not his father. And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree, which is Migron, and the people that were with him were about six hundred men. And Ahaiad the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas the son of Eli, the Lord's priests in Shiloh, wearing an ephod, and the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. And then go down to verse number six, and it says, Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, Come and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. You know, what we see with Jonathan is he's the one that steps up to the plate. He's the one that's not afraid. He says, you know what, God doesn't need a multitude of people to win the battle. He can save whether it's a small group or a big group. So we see here in 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan's a good guy. There's no question as you're reading in 1 Samuel 14, he's a good guy, right? Go to 1 Samuel 16, 1 Samuel chapter 16. Now, of course, who is Jonathan in the Bible? He is the son of King Saul. In our modern day, we'd use the word prince. He's basically the one lined up. He's going to be the next king, right? King Saul's the king. His son Jonathan is the one that would rightfully take over if you have a monarchy passing down from father to son, right? That's what his father expects. But did God choose Jonathan? No, God did not choose Jonathan. He chose another man, David. Notice what it says here in 1 Samuel 16 verse 7. But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. And see, what the Bible's saying is that if you were to look at the outside of David, he would be unimpressive. He would not look like the greatest warrior. He would not look like the greatest Christian. He would just look like a normal person. Now, what's interesting is if you were going to look at the person that on the outside was impressive, who was that person? Saul. He was head and shoulders above everybody else. He was the tallest person. He would have looked like the king, the warrior, the tough guy. But God said, Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. It might look like Saul is the right man, but on the inside the one who really loves me and I can really use is actually David, not Saul. Now, look, imagine if your father was the king of a country and you're lined up to be the next king. I mean, I imagine most kings probably have a pretty good life, a good salary, nice house, nice food, all those things. I mean, it's kind of like you were born into a nice life, right? It would be very nice to be the next king. You have everything you want, all the money in the world, and imagine if that got taken right from you. It could cause you to get bitter. It could cause you to get envious. That's not what takes place with Jonathan, though, because as I said, point number one, Jonathan's a good guy. He actually gets behind David. He likes David. He supports David. 1 Samuel and 17 is the famous David and Goliath battle where David kills Goliath. And you can see David has the Spirit of God upon him. Now, look, when it comes to someone who's filled with the Spirit of God, what is the smart thing to do to basically become friends with that person? When you see someone who loves God and they're zealous for soul winning and you're reading the Bible, what should you do? You should try to become friends with that person. It's like, man, I see your zeal. I see your love for God. Teach me how to be like that. It's like, David, I support you. I want to be with you. You're the one who God has chosen. You're the next king. I'm okay that I have not been chosen. I'm okay that you replaced me because my father became wicked. I just want to get behind you and support you. So look, Jonathan makes the right choice. And look, that's what we should do in our lives today. If you want to love God, what should you do? Become friends with people that love God. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Look, if your best friends are all a bunch of drunks, guess what you're going to be? You're going to be a drunk. You say, Pastor, how is it that you became a soul winner a long time ago and started going soul winning when you were a teenager? Because my friends also wanted to go soul winning. So it's like, well, let's just go soul winning. And my friends read the Bible. Guess what I did? I read the Bible. But if you're friends with a bunch of losers, you're going to be a loser. That's just the way it works. You're going to be like your friends are in all areas. So become friends with the sort of person that you want to be. If you want to be someone who loves God and is serving God and is zealous for the things of God, here's the friends that you should have in your life. People in this room. People that are going soul winning. People that love God. And this is what Jonathan does. 1 Samuel 18, verse 1. And it came to pass when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. So Jonathan basically becomes best friends with David. He becomes very close to him. He loves him as his own soul. He says, you know what? I care just as much about you as myself. I would be willing to lay down my life for you. The Bible says there's a friend that sticketh close to a brother. Naturally, if someone is your blood brother, you're going to be very close to them. But the Bible says there's a friend that sticketh closer to a brother. Anyway, if you're serving God, you can understand this because your spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ, you're going to find yourself closer to them than even your own bloodline. You're going to find yourself close to the people that love God and are serving God. Verse number 2. And Saul took him that day and would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David and his garments, even to his sword and to his bow and to his girdle. Now look, Jonathan has the clothes of the next king. Jonathan has the sword of the next king. Jonathan has the bow and the girdle that are designed and meant for the next king. And you know what Jonathan does? He just takes them off and he says, you know what? You're the one that God's chosen. I'm giving you the sword. I'm giving you the bow. I'm giving you the garments. I support you 100%. I don't want to look like I'm going to be the next king when God has chosen you. I am supporting you. And look, he publicly supports him. You see him getting behind David and you say, what are you seeing? You're seeing that Jonathan was a good guy. He's a great character in the word of God. You come across him and you're like, man, what a great guy. He's fighting battles. He doesn't get envious. He gets behind David. That's what you're seeing here in 1 Samuel 18. Verse 5, And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music. And the women answered one another as they played and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. So look, the number one hit in the land of ancient Israel was Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. Now, in general, a number one hit is usually a very annoying song that you hear over and over again. It gets stuck in your head. How much more annoying to Saul when it's like David slew his ten thousands, right? And it bothers Saul. He gets very envious. He gets very upset. He gets very prideful, and he's not okay with David being more righteous than him. And let me just say this, that in your life, if you're serving God, but somebody else is getting more praise because they're more zealous than you, you should not let that bother you. Look, if you read your Bible three times a year, that's a lot. And if somebody's reading four times, don't develop this attitude of comparing and getting envious where it's just like, ah, it's not fair. They've only ascribed to me thousands. Did you know that's a compliment, Saul? I mean, that's literally a compliment. Now, it's kind of an ignorant statement to make, and you can see how it offends somebody. But if they say, Saul, you've slain your thousands, did you know that's a compliment? No, I think it would be an ignorant statement, but if somebody walked up to me and said, you know what, I think you're a really good pastor, but I think this other pastor is better than you, honestly, even though that's a rude and stupid comment to make, it's actually a compliment. And we shouldn't take offense because somebody said something that's kind of foolish. These women are making a foolish statement, but why is Saul letting it bother him? Because here's the thing, if you're right with God, you don't really let small things bother you. The Bible says that if you love God's Word, nothing's going to offend you. And Saul gets very offended. Why? Because he's not right with God. Because he's already backslidden. Then it says this in verse 8, And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him, and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and me they have ascribed but thousands. And what can he have more but the kingdom? Look, I think on the inside, Saul already realized, I mean, Samuel kind of told me, I'm already rejected, David's the one that's chosen, and then this one little thing just kind of sets him aboard. And it says, And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. From that moment on, Saul is trying to kill David. Right? Go to 1 Samuel 19. You know, there's a range of emotions I feel when I read the Bible. There's some parts of the Bible that are very exciting, some parts make you angry, some parts are kind of sad. I find the parts with Saul as very comical, because it happened a long time ago. I mean, if it was happening today, then I wouldn't feel that way. But it's like, Saul feels bad. It's like, I'm so sorry I tried to kill you. What am I doing? The next chapter, he's trying to kill David. Right? So to me, it's like unintentional comedy. I mean, I love the sections of the Bible with King Saul. It's just very, very entertaining to read. But it says, Saul eyed David from that day and forward, pretty much until the very end, until Saul dies. He's trying to kill David, except for momentary, small time periods where he's actually thinking clearly and not acting crazy. 1 Samuel 19, verse 1. And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee, and what I see that I will tell thee. And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul's father and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant against David, because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been indeed to thee weren't very good. So we see here that Jonathan knows his father wants to kill David, but Jonathan is very close friends to David. And what does Jonathan do? He talks to his father to try to make sense to him. He says, What are you doing? David's a good man. He's doing everything you say. He's not against you. He's not fighting against you. He's a godly person. He's a righteous person, and he's trying to make sense to his dad. And it says this in verse 5, So, so far, what have we seen about Jonathan? He's a good guy. In fact, I'd say he's a great guy. He's a humble guy. He's a man full of boldness. He's a man who's defending his friend. He's a godly person. Right now, so far, what do you see with Jonathan? He's a good guy. There's no disputing that to this point. Go to 1 Samuel 20, 1 Samuel chapter 20. You know, one of the things you notice when you're reading the Bible, especially when you're looking through the kings, a new king will rise up, and they've got a lot of good things, but there's this one major problem that destroys them. And they have 99 good things, and one thing destroys them. You know what? That's true in our lives also. You could be 99 good things, but if you really struggle with one besetting sin, that can destroy your life. And here's the problem with Jonathan, and we're going to see this very clearly. The problem with Jonathan, he's a good guy, but here's the problem with Jonathan. He was neutral. He did not want to take a side. Now, it seems at this point like Jonathan is siding with David against his father, but you've got to closely read to the next chapter. We're going to see that is not the case. 1 Samuel 20, verse 1. And David fled from Naoth and Rhema, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? What is mine iniquity, and what is my sin before thy father that he seeketh my life? Remember, they've already been down this road. They've had this conversation. I mean, Saul is trying to kill David. Jonathan knows it, and then David's like, He's still trying to kill me. I came back. I did everything right. He's still after me. And he said unto him, God forbid. This is Jonathan. Thou shalt not die. Behold, my father will do nothing, either great or small, but that he will show it me, and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so. So what Jonathan says is no, no, no. If he was going to kill you, he would tell me. That's what Jonathan says to David. If he was going to kill you, he would tell me. And David sware moreover and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes, and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved, but truly as the Lord liveth, and as I so liveth, there is but a step between me and death. So David says, No, your dad didn't tell you. He's trying to kill me. Now, look, this is not a minor dispute that people can kind of handle one on one by themselves. I mean, if somebody is trying to kill someone, here's a situation where you've got to kind of step in and help with the situation. Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. Drop down to verse number nine. And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee, for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? And what Jonathan says to David is, I helped you out before. I warned you that my dad was trying to kill you. Look, if evil is going to come upon you, if my dad is going to kill you, I will let you know that this is going to take place. Go down to verse number 39. Verse 39. Verse number 39. Now, I don't have time to go into all these stories. Obviously, there's long chapters here. And this story, if you're familiar with Saul and Jonathan and David, this is several chapters things are taking place, right? Where Saul is going after David, and then he's not because, you know, God defends David, and then he's going after him again. It's just this endless cycle that's taking place. And they basically have this elaborate thing, Jonathan and David, to find out, okay, is Saul really trying to kill David or not? And notice what it says in verse 39. But the lad knew not anything, only Jonathan and David knew the matter. And Jonathan gave his artillery on to his lad and said unto him, Go carry them to the city. And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times, and they kissed one another and wept with one another, and so David exceeded. These are best friends. David and Jonathan, they're best friends, best buds, they hang out, they talk. Jonathan is willing to lay down his life for the sake of David. He's a great guy. Verse 42. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace for as much as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee and between my seed and thy seed forever. And he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. Jonathan basically tells David, I'm behind you 100%, right? Why is it then that David is dwelling in the wilderness and Jonathan's going home to a nice bed and nice food and a comfortable life? I mean, David's without the camp. David's in the wilderness. David's a man by himself, and Jonathan's like, I'm there for whatever you need. I'll see you later. And he goes back to the city to his nice bed, his nice house, his nice life. Everything's great for Jonathan. Now, I'm not saying Jonathan's a bad guy. I said he's a good guy. In fact, I'm saying he's a great guy, but here's what I'm saying. Jonathan didn't want to give up a comfortable and nice life and go 100% serving God. You say, well, I don't know. I think you might be reading into that. Oh, really? Go to 1 Samuel 23, and it's going to be more clear here in 1 Samuel 23. And I hate to break it to you, Jonathan, but you know what? Actions speak louder than words, my friend. I'm with you 100% no matter what. I'm there to defend you, and yet he's going out to the wilderness where he has no certain dwelling place. He doesn't know what he's eating. He doesn't know where he's going to sleep. He doesn't know what he's going to do, and then Jonathan just goes back under the kingdom with his father, and he has a nice life, and what he's doing is, well, David's over here, and Saul's over here. I'll just kind of be in the middle. I'm not going to take a side in this situation. 1 Samuel 23, verse 13, Then David and his men, which were about 600, arose and departed out of Calah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Calah, and he forbear to go forth. And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph, and Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. So Saul is trying to kill David over and over, and at this point, David has 600 men that are with him, right? Verse number 15, And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. I mean, this is the person that Jonathan was best friends with, and he goes out to the wilderness to encourage David. That's a good thing. I said he's a good guy, but notice what it says here in verse 17. And he said unto him, Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee, and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee, and that also Saul my father knoweth. And Jonathan says, Hey, you're going to win this battle. You're chosen to be the king, and I'm going to be your right-hand man. Is that not what he says in verse number 17? Verse number 18, And they too made a covenant before the Lord, and a David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house. I'm sorry, but actions speak louder than words. I'm here to defend you. I'm here to help you. I'm here through thick and thin. I'm going to be there with you. I'll be your right-hand man. And then he goes out into the wood where he's on a run for his life, and then Jonathan just goes to sleep at night to his house, a nice comfortable... I mean, imagine the king's son has a nice house, comfortable house, nice food, nice life, no persecution. Let me ask you a question. If you're serving God, are you going to have persecution? Absolutely. You know what Jonathan's a picture of? And this is a real person, a real story, and this is a good guy. You know what he's a picture of, though? He's a picture of most Christians, these people that they kind of go in serving God, but they don't want to be without the camp completely. So what do they do? Well, let's just take a neutral position. It's like, I love David. I love my father. You know what I'm going to do? I'm just going to do both. I'm going to pick his side and his side. You know, in life, sometimes you can't pick both sides. In some life, sometimes you've got to choose a side. You say, Pastor, I believe salvation is by faith alone. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, not by works. But I also believe repentance of sins is okay too. So I agree with you, Pastor, but I also kind of agree with them. So you know what I do? I just kind of do both. You can't do both, my friend. I agree with you that the LGBT is a sin. It's wrong. It's wicked, but I want to reach them. I don't want to hate them. So what do you do? Just do both. Amen, Pastor. I agree with you, but you know what? I still watch Vice Pong Eat on TV. You can't do both, my friend. And look, as a Christian, you must understand, the world is all the way over here. And we're all the way over here. As a church, we are without the camp. That's just the way it is. And you've got to decide, you know what? If I want to do what's right, I cannot do this in-between position. Think about how foolish this is. You know, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Jesus is the only way to heaven. No question about it. There's a lot of Christians that say, Yeah, you know what? I believe Jesus died for my sins, but I don't know if I believe He's the only way. So it's like, I agree with you, Pastor. It's by Jesus, but I also, you know, what about those in the Muslim world or the Hindu world? I kind of believe both. You can't believe both, my friend. You've got to make a decision. And look, I understand that there are some times in life that you can take a neutral position on stuff. Like two people get in a small fight over things, just let them figure it out themselves. But you know what? When someone's trying to kill somebody, you can't take an in-between position. I support you, David, through thick and thin. I'm your right-hand man. And then you go home to your house. You know what? David had 600 men that actually were his right-hand man. And you know what? I've known a lot of people like this through the years, that they're good people. They're safe people. They're people I like, people that I would love to have come to our church. I mean, I know people in this area that have visited our church that are good people. I'd love to have them come to our church. But you know what the problem with a lot of people is? They're neutral. They're not willing to just stand up for the truth. Because here's the truth of the matter. Our church is like all the way over there. And you know what? Most Baptist churches, they're a lot closer to this side than that side. And so when people try to take this in-between position and please everyone, you know what they do? They're going to go to the other side. That's just the way it is. Jesus was dwelling without the camp. That's what the Bible teaches. But it says here in verse 18, And David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house. What is the Bible trying to teach us? The Bible's trying to teach you that Jonathan was neutral. Because here's the truth. He's saying, I'm on both sides, but who is he literally physically closer to? He's dwelling very close to King Saul. And there's people like this where they'll say, Well, I agree with you, but there's also this side. And they'll say that they're actually on our side, but in reality it's like, you're right by King Saul. What are you talking about? You're watching the same movies that they are. You're listening to the same music as them. What are you saying you're on our side for? You're not. And that's what we see here with Jonathan. Good Exodus 32. Exodus 32. Look, I'm not down on Jonathan. I mean, he's a good guy. If Jonathan was alive today, he'd be the sort of person where he'd want to come to our church. But he probably wouldn't come to our church. He'd probably go to some other Baptist church. That's just the way it is. Anyway, I've seen this a million times where people come to our church, and they love our church, they love the preaching, and they believe in our church. They think this is the church I should be a part of. But yet they just kind of fade out and go to a church that's not so controversial. They go to a church that is more liked by the world. I'm sorry, but you know what I see with a lot of Baptist churches here? They're really close friends with all the politicians and the policemen, and it's just like, I'm just not that well-liked by the politicians. And I don't think Jesus was either. I don't think John the Baptist was. I don't think any of the men of God you're seeing in the Bible are. What I see is that when you link up with God, you're going to be persecuted. That is what the Bible teaches. And the problem with Jonathan is he's neutral. He tries to be on both sides. Exodus 32, verse 25. And when Moses saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked under their shame among their enemies. Now, this is the famous chapter where they worship the golden calf. And the Bible's discreet. It's not extremely clear. Everything that took place. But here's what I would say. The Bible's saying in verse 25 that people are naked. I can pretty much guarantee drunkenness and fornication are taking place. And you say, well, how could that be happening if they're doing something spiritual? Yet you always see this with false religions. Countries that are very spiritual, very spiritual, but they got the wrong religion, they usually are pretty wicked countries. That's usually the way that it works. Verse 26. Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. So basically Moses is like, hey, there's a line in the sand. There's side A. There's side B. Moses, can I be in the middle? No. You can't be in the middle. You're either with God or you're against God. And then there's a lot of people that take this middle position. Verse 27. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and there fell to people that day about 3,000 men. Look, I'm here to tell you that sometimes in life, situations come up where there's a line in the sand and you've got to decide, I'm going to do what's right or I'm just going to give in. There's no in-between position to take. There's a lot of people in the Philippines that would get saved and they know it's true, but they have a Catholic family. So basically, I support you, pastor. I'm with you, but I don't want to go to church because then my family's going to realize that I've rejected Catholicism. So just skip church altogether to please everybody. You know, I think to myself, hey, you know what? I'll be happy to see you in heaven, but just go back with them to the Catholic church. We don't care. It's like you're either for us or you're not. There's no in-between position. It's like, well, you know, I'm for you, but... And look, we've had a lot of people through the years that have visited our church, people that listen to our sermons, and, you know, we've had people that... I mean, I remember, you know, the first service we had when we were at Bayview, I didn't really know anybody. So I showed up, and it was like the opposite of Filipino time. The room was filled, and I was like, who are all these people? I don't know, right? You know, there's a lot of people there that are... I mean, look, and the people that were there were good people. There's a lot of people that were there one time and one time only, even though they would say they're new IFB, they've been looking for a church just like this, they're so excited, and they made it to one service. You say, are you against those people? I'm not against those people. They're good people. They're brothers and sisters in Christ. People that I would love to have come back to our church. I mean that. But the reality is, if you're not able to be without the camp, if you're not able to stand up when there's a bit of persecution, you're not going to make it. And just the way it works is this. These sides are very far from one another. They're not close to one another. I mean, look, if you come from a Catholic family and you break the news to them, you know, Mom, Dad, sit down. I've got news for you. I'm going to a Baptist church now. What? You're not a Catholic anymore? See, a lot of people, they don't want to deal with that. So they just kind of pretend, well, you know what? They just stop going to church. It's like that appeases their Catholic family. But it doesn't appease us. Because you're either with God or you're against Him. That's the way it works. And look, I'm not saying Jonathan's a bad guy. That's not the point. I'm saying he's neutral. Because at first, at first, it appears that Jonathan is on David's side, right? But when he really had to make a choice, he just tried to stay in between. He gives advice to Saul, and it works. But when Saul just permanently is just against David, it's kind of like, all right, I can't be on both sides. What does he do? He's actually with Saul most of the time, not David. He comes out and encourages David. I'm sure David was happy to see him. And he's like, you know what? I'm going to be your right-hand man. My father knows it. I'm going to be with you. And David's probably thinking, I've got 600 men with me. I haven't seen you in like a year. What are you talking about? Go to First Samuel 31. First Samuel 31. Point number one, Jonathan's a good guy. Point number two, Jonathan was neutral. He didn't want to take his side. You say, I don't know if I see that in Scripture. I think maybe you're kind of reading into that. Okay, well, we saw him in First Samuel 23. Does Jonathan appear in First Samuel 24? No. Does he appear in Chapter 25? Nope. Chapter 26? Nope. Chapter 27? Nope. Chapter 28? Nope. Chapter 29? Nope. Chapter 30? Nope. Explain to me how someone who appears more than 50 times before First Samuel 23 just disappears from the Word of God. He's forgotten. Here's the next time you see Jonathan. Verse 1. Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons, and the Philistines slew Jonathan. And Abinadab and Melchishua, Saul's sons. The next instance you have of Jonathan is being killed. It's interesting to me that you went back to your comfortable and easy life, and it didn't really work out for you that well, did it? David was dwelling in the wilderness when fear was on every side, and yet David came out fine. I would say to people that are afraid to be without the camp, look, the safety's of the Lord, my friend. God can protect you. God can bless you when you do what's right. But the problem with Jonathan is he's neutral. He does not want to take his side. And then what takes place? He dies. I remember when I first started reading the Bible, and I'd read through a couple times, I was confused. I was like, why does Jonathan just disappear? Because isn't it true when you're reading 1 Samuel, Jonathan's a big character. He's in the Bible, he's a significant character, and then all of a sudden it's like, what happened to Jonathan? He's forgotten. The Bible doesn't mention him. You say, why? Because he's basically a nobody at that point. He's just like the average Christian that gets saved and never does anything for God. That's what takes place. But you know what? After I kind of realized that, I was still confused, though. Because it's not just that he's kind of forgotten according to the word of God. It seems like David doesn't really care that much. Isn't that true when you're reading the Bible? Now, I'm not saying Jonathan was happy, or David was happy to find out Jonathan died, but considering they were best friends, you would expect David to fall down on his knees and be in pain and crying, and you don't see that with David. And that used to confuse me, like, why is it a man, David, who truly did have a lot of compassion, why is it he just didn't seem to care that much? Go to James chapter 4. I said I used to be confused, but it doesn't really confuse me now. I remember after I got saved, I got saved when I was 18, and me and my friends, we started going to a Baptist church. And as a Baptist church by name, now it does not have Baptists on the name, but Christian contemporary music, a non-denom type of fun center. And I was newly saved, and me and my friends, we didn't know as much about the Bible, so we were just happy. It taught eternal security, and that was good enough for us and everything. But over the course of a year and a half when we were at that church, we started to learn what the Bible said, and we started to learn these new things. We started to learn new doctrines. We learned about the King James Bible. This is a church that did not use the King James Bible, and that was a new doctrine to us at the time. And then we're going to a church that is using the new King James and the NLT and the NIV, and then I had become King James only, so it's like vexing my soul every time they're reading from these false versions. And so I realized, and look, many of you can probably relate to this. When you started to learn these doctrines, you liked the people. You want to stay there. You care about them, but you're like, man, I can't take it anymore, right? And so me and my friends, we had a group of people. You know what? We ended up meeting with the pastor several times and talking to him, and at that point, the pastor was completely okay. We didn't go anymore because we're King James only now, and we decided to leave the church and find a King James only Baptist church. At the time, I was really close friends to this one person that was part of our group, and I was friends with all of these people, but one person I was talking to all the time, hanging out, working out with, he's the person I was probably closest to at that time, and he was not able to come to the meetings with us when we talked to the pastor, but he calls me up on the phone, and he's like, you know, how did it go? What happened? And so I explained it to him over the course of 10 minutes what the pastor said and everything, and I was like, you know what? We decided to leave the church. I said, we're going to start on Sunday. We're going to look for a different Baptist church to go to. You know, start fresh, start brand new. It's just like, you know, it's just not going to work out, and he's like, you know what? I'm behind you 100%, but I'm still going to go to blank, blank, blank Baptist church. It's like, what? You're still going to go to the church? And of course, you know, on the phone, I was very shocked. I was surprised, but of course, I said, well, you know, it's up to you what you want to do and everything like that, but I was just thinking, like, what? It's like someone I go sowing with, and he's just like, you know, I've made a lot of connections. I've made a lot of friends. He's like, for me personally, my best situation is to stay at the church, and I'm just like, hey, here's the thing. I didn't hate my friend. I mean, I like this person. He's a good person. I haven't followed him in a long time. I don't know what's going on with this person. I mean, he's a good person, but here's the reality. I didn't intentionally just stop being friends with him, but it just kind of happens because as he's not going all in to serving God, it's just like I hang out with my other friends and talk about the Bible. I go sowing with my other friends. We're in church together, and what do I find after a few months? You know, this is a person that over the next couple of years, I'd see every once in a while at college. You'd see them saying, hey man, how's it going? How's class? You know, how's work going? But the reality is it's not really the same. I mean, I'd imagine that David's thinking, Jonathan, I appreciate the encouragement, but I got 600 men with me right now. I really don't need it. Inside his head, he's probably thinking, you're probably not going to be my right-hand man anymore. You know why? I'd imagine David was a lot closer to the people that were there for him thick and thin than he was to Jonathan. I'm not saying Jonathan was a bad guy. I'm just saying, I mean, when you read 1 Samuel, is it not true that he just, Jonathan's a forgotten man, and you know, is David sad about what took place? Yes he is, but not specifically about Jonathan. It's not like that was my best friend. You don't see that. You say why? Because David didn't care about Jonathan. David didn't care about Jonathan as much as he used to. Anyway, that's one specific story, but that's not the only story I know from my life. There are people in Sacramento, California, when our church was protested by the LGBT, and there were people that were members of the church, people that we were friends with. We had been to their house. They had been to ours. We had eaten together, fell asleep together, gone soul-winding with, and once the protest happened, they hit the door running. Now, were they bad people? No. They're good people. They're nice people, but here's the reality. As close of friends as we were with them, it just kind of fades out over time. There's probably people you know in your life, people that you used to be pretty close to, you were kind of on the same page religiously, and they kind of just went a different direction or didn't go all in serving God, and you know what you find? You just don't miss them as much. You're just not as close. I mean, look, I'm far closer to people that are part of our church that I'm here around all the time and talking to you and fellowshiping and going soul-winding with than people that did love God, but they were kind of just neutral. And here's the reality. Unfortunately, there's a lot more Jonathans in this world than there are Davids. I promise you, David felt a lot closer to those 600 men than he did Jonathan. Jonathan's there. He encourages David. He's like, man, this is my old best friend. It's like, how are you doing? It's been a couple years. Yeah, how's it been going, Jonathan? Hey, I've had nice food. I've slept really well. My life is going great. How's it been going for you? Well, your dad tried to kill me, you know, in February. Then, you know, March rolled around. He almost got me, but I got away. Then June rolled around, and, you know, there was an arrow that went straight over my head. And, you know, I slept on a rock last night. Right? I was eating like locust and wild honey for my diet. I thought I might starve to death. I thought I might die of thirst. That's how it's been going for me, but I'm glad it's going good for you. I'm glad that taking a neutral position where you're not willing to stand up for what's right, I'm glad it worked out for you. I'm glad your life is blessed and everything's great. But here's the reality. I doubt David really felt and looked at him really like that was his best friend anymore. Not that he hated him. Jonathan's a good guy, but here's the problem. When people are not willing to be without the camp, you know what? We're just not going to be that close to them. That's the way it works. James 4. James 4. James 4, verse 4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. You say, Pastor, why do you think that God allowed Jonathan to be killed? Because he became the enemy of God? That's why. Because of the fact, when push came to shove, he was not willing to make a choice, and honestly, he really sided with Saul, not David. Because you know what? In situations where you've got to take a side, sometimes there's actions that come along with that, like where are you going to live, and if he was going to side with David, that meant he was going to dwell in the wilderness with David. Now look, does anybody want to dwell in the wilderness? Of course not. Let me be honest with you. Here's what I would like for my life. No problems. No stress. No difficulty. Everybody loves me. Everybody thinks highly of me. Everything in my life is just going perfect, but is that the way it is when you serve God? No, it's not. When you got saved, did every single family member of yours just rejoice? I remember being shocked when I got saved, and you start trying to give the gospel to your relatives, and you think they're going to receive the message with such joy, and now all of a sudden, I'm the outcast from the family. It's like, I was just explaining that salvation's a gift. I thought it was good news, and they don't really take it that way. And you know what? That's the way it is. And you know what? That's step one, but when it comes to a church like ours and actually standing up for the truth, especially in how wicked of a world we live, when you believe the things that we do and teach what we do and really believe the Bible in 2024, that is going to make you an outcast from the rest of the world. I mean, statistically, roughly 80% of the Philippines is pro-LGBT. Last I saw, 79% was a statistic. 79% of people support the LGBT. 79% are completely okay with gay marriage and support the LGBT and have no problem whatsoever. You say, well, pastor, is it that big of a deal? Well, it's a big enough deal. The Bible has the death penalty associated. Sounds like a pretty big deal to me. It's a big enough deal when in Romans 1 it says they hate God. And here's the thing. When you try to side on both sides, you know what takes place? Now you're the enemy of God. And I'm sorry, but I don't know if people are blind because somebody's crazy. Either it's the world or it's me because I don't think what's going on in the world is normal. And if you think what's going on in the world in 2024 is normal, I'm sorry. You're insane or very brainwashed by the world. I can understand 15 years ago, not willing to admit it, but in what's going on in 2024, the world has become insane in the last 10 years. I would say, I mean, I guess this is a skewed perspective, but I feel like when I was a kid, it was a pretty normal world. You get home from school and the guys are playing basketball or football. You're just hanging out. People are normal. And then all of a sudden it's like 25 years later and it's like, am I living in the twilight zone? Like, what is going on? That's the way that the world is today. And you know what? When you try to do this neutral thing, this in-between position, you know what's going to take place? You're now the enemy of God. Turn your Bible to Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13. There's a lot of people like Jonathan in 2024. There are a lot of people that are good people. And look, there are people that don't come to our church, but I hope they start coming or come back to church, people that are nice people. Now, I'll be honest with you. There are people that I do not want to start coming back to our church or that are not welcome to come back to our church, but there are people that, you know what? They're good people. They're nice people. They came to our church. Are they thinking about coming to our church? And there are people that came a few times and I reached out to them trying to get them to come back and encourage them, people that I'd love to see. But here's the problem. If you pick this in-between position, what takes place? You're not going to be at our church. That's just not the way it's going to work out. When you want to please everybody, our church is just not going to please everybody. Now, last I checked, even on a Sunday where we have a lot of our brethren in Cavite for the monthly service, it's not like we're starving for members. It looks like in the Philippines in 2024, there's a group of people that love God and are willing to be without the camp and stand up for the things of God. There's a group of people that love the Lord and go soul winning and are all in serving God. I don't stand up here and say, you know what? Man, it's like everybody's bowed the knee to Baal. It's just me. I don't feel that way at our church. I feel like there are a lot of people that love God. You know what? There's more people that are Jonathans than people that love God. It says here in Hebrews 13 verse 12, Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Amen. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. The Bible's saying, hey, Jesus suffered without the gate. He was rejected and despised of men. The Bible's saying, hey, we should be willing to bear that reproach. I mean, take the name of Jesus with you with happiness and with joy and not being ashamed of the things of God. But you know what takes place? When that persecution comes, it's very easy to be like Simon Peter, where basically you're not willing to bear the reproach. Now, look, I'm not preaching against Simon Peter because he got it right, and I'm sure he's going to get a lot more rewards than me in heaven. But it's very easy during times of persecution to just be like, you know what? What I've found in life, there's a temptation in the flesh where basically you try to stand up the persecution, and sometimes the trials just keep coming where it kind of wears out on you to the point where you're just like, I don't want to fight it anymore. I just want to be well liked. I don't want to have to battle it. That's just the way it is, my friend. Toughen up. Make sure you're filled with the Spirit, because yeah, there's a spiritual battle you fight. Look, if you're going to serve God, there's spiritual warfare that you're going to fight. And look, Satan wants to devour you. He's roaring about like a lion looking to devour people and destroy them. You must be willing to stand up for what's right. Go to 2 Timothy 3. 2 Timothy 3. And look, it really doesn't take much in 2024 to get persecuted by the world, because the world is so bizarre in 2024. Things that would not be considered extreme, I mean, you can get persecuted for in 2024. You know, by statistics, and it depends on the country, but in a lot of countries, in the United States, it's like 50% pro-abortion. It's like, look, abortion is murder, and it's beyond dispute. Even if you don't believe in the Bible, just common sense, yeah, it's murder. And yet, you know what, if you were to say abortion is murder in office in 2024, you might get fired. Oh, how dare you say that? That's offensive. I mean, if you were to make a joke or mock some guy wearing a dress in 2024, you're going to get fired from your job. That's the way it is. It doesn't take much to be without the camp in 2024. But here's the thing. What the Bible said is, Here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. You know what the Bible said there that we just looked at in Hebrews 13? Here's what it's saying. You know what? Jesus is without the camp. And here's the thing. Our life, our home is not here on earth. Jonathan, that house that you went home to with the nice pillow and the nice food, guess what? That's not your home. Instead of looking at the things of this life, why don't you look at your home as being up in heaven? We seek one to come. And look, nobody wants to go through persecution. Nobody wants to be rejected. That's not what I want, but it just is what it is. And it's frustrating to me to meet so many people that are good people. They're nice people. They're saved. They know what the Bible says, but they are unwilling to stand up for what's right. And you meet people like this all the time. Look, when we go soul winning and we get people saved, if you ask people after they get saved, do you want to serve God? Everybody says yes. And yes, there is a part to that person that wants to serve God. You know what the problem is? There's a larger part that just wants to be neutral and doesn't want to be without the camp. It's just the way it is. 2 Timothy 3, let's close up here. 2 Timothy 3, verse 10. That was fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long suffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. What persecutions I endured, but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Look, if you're serving God, you're going to be persecuted in your life. Jonathan was a good guy. I would say he was a great guy. And in fact, when you're reading through 1 Samuel 19, there's really nothing that you can see that would cause you to say, man, this is a bad guy or anything like that. And here's the thing. We tend to believe words. And when Jonathan says, I'm your right-hand man, you're reading that, you're thinking, man. But then if you actually pay attention, was he really his right-hand man? Because that kind of implies that you're like right beside him, that you're there through thick and thin, that you're there to protect him. Was Jonathan there in 1 Samuel 20? Nope. Went back to his house. Was he there in chapter 21? Nope. Chapter 22? Nope. Chapter 23, he saw him briefly. Hey, my father knows you're going to be the leader. And I'm going to be your right-hand man supporting you every step of the way. Anyway, here's what I found in Christianity that a lot of people tell you that, man, I'm going to be at every service. I'm going to be soul winning. I'm going to be on fire for God. It's like, all right, I doubt it. We'll see, though. Right? Anyways, it's not just Jonathan. I think Jonathan's a great example in the Bible. But what are some other examples? Well, I mean, think of Orpah versus Ruth. Weren't they basically in the same position? It's like, am I going to go to be with Naomi and line up with God's people, or am I going to go back to Moab? And Orpah is this close. In fact, she's mentioned first, we might be reading Orpah chapter 1 instead of Ruth chapter 1. There might be a book named after Orpah, but she chooses to do the comfortable route and go home. Another great example in the Bible, think about Elisha, Elisha, really Elijah and Elisha versus the sons of the prophets. Were the sons of the prophets good people? Yes, they were. When Elijah and Elisha talked to the sons of the prophets, they don't hate them. They're not against them. They speak friendly to them. But it's kind of like there's Elijah and Elisha that are really willing to stand up for what's right, and then you got the sons of the prophets that are like, well, I'm just going to kind of be in between. And unfortunately, that's what you find with most Christians in 2024. You know, the problem in 2024 is not a lack of saved people here in the Philippines. There are plenty of saved people. And look, there's people in other Baptist churches that we have not given the Gospel to, but they got saved. They're Baptist churches, and they're saved. But you know what the problem is in 2024? There's too many people that are neutral. They are unwilling to actually stand up for what's right. And you know what the end result is of someone like Jonathan? They get forgotten. It's interesting because in this earth, the Bible says we are unknown and yet well-known. But people that seek to be well-known end up being basically just unknown or forgotten. I'm not against Jonathan. I look forward to shaking his hand in heaven and apologizing for preaching against him. But I'm just saying he wasn't on fire for God like David was. Hey, you know what? No matter what the topic is, be willing to stand up for what's right. And look, I don't think our church is going to get protested like I've seen in other churches. But if we do, just make a decision now. You know what? I'm not going to back down at a time where I really need to stand up and choose a side. Let's close in a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today, and thank you for allowing us to see the Scripture here in the Bible. And help us to be people that are willing to be without the camp and bear the reproach of the Lord. Help us to be people like David that are willing to stand up for what's right and not back down. And help us during times of persecution, not to give in to the desire of the flesh to have an easier life or to please everyone, but be willing to stand up for what's true, God. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.