First Samuel chapter 18 First Samuel 18
it's in the Old Testament in the
historical books go to Psalms and then
go left a few books and you'll get 1st
Samuel 18 and it's a book first and
second Samuel deal with King David among
other characters and as you know we have
been talking in recent weeks about the
idea of love what does it mean to be a
community of people what does it mean to
love one another for real not just in a
sentimental way but in a practical way
we walk through 1st corinthians and all
of those messages by the way are up on
the website you can there's a link there
to take you to a YouTube page where we
have those catalogued so I especially
would encourage everyone to listen to
sermons such as love is not rude now I'm
not saying you're rude but we should all
hear that message love does not delight
in evil but rejoices with the truth I
would want every member of this
community to hear that message these are
important seminole foundational messages
for us as a community of who we are of
what our spiritual church culture will
be but so I thought I was maybe moving
on from the concept of love but I think
I'm not quite done yet talking about
love so we're just going to keep going a
little bit and what I'd like to do is
look just briefly at a friendship in the
Old Testament famous friendship between
Jonathan and David the man who would
eventually become king david now next
week we're going to go into much more
detail about the dynamics of the
friendship and what it meant for them to
to love one another as friends we're
going to look at that much more detail
next week this week we're going to use
this as a launching pad for a particular
concept so we're going to read three
texts about this friendship between
Jonathan and King David and just so you
know Jonathan was the son of the king
that came before David he was the son of
King Saul he was supposed to be the next
king
but then God rejects all in his line and
chooses David and so you would expect
Jonathan and David to be enemies because
they're natural rivals but on the
contrary they become intimate friends
and committed to one another so we're
just going to read three texts about
their friendship and I'm going to ask
you two to try to figure something out
okay ready to do a little game here I
want you to look for a particular topic
a particular theme that is present in
every one of these texts okay you ready
to that First Samuel chapter 18 we'll
start with verse 1 2 3 it says after
David had finished talking with Saul
Jonathan became one in spirit with David
and he loved him as himself and from
that day Saul kept David with him and he
did not let him return to his father's
house and Jonathan made a covenant with
David because he loved him as himself
we'll go into more detail of that next
week skipping ahead to First Samuel
chapter 20 the next page for Samuel
chapter 20 verse 16 and 17 / Samuel 20
16 and 17 so Jonathan made a covenant
with the house of David saying may the
Lord call David's enemies to account and
Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out
of love for him because he loved him as
himself First Samuel 23 verse fifteen
through eighteen so next page first
samuel 23 well there's 15 18 now and
once you look for what comes up in all
three texts okay this is very tricky
very complicated First Samuel 23 verse
15 says while David was at whorish in
the desert of ziff he learned that Saul
had come out to take his life and Saul's
son Jonathan went to David at whorish
and helped him find strength in god
don't be afraid he said my father saw
will not lay a hand on you you
be a king over Israel and I will be
second to you even my father saw knows
this and the two of them made a covenant
before the Lord and then Jonathan went
home and David remained at whorish okay
now what did you hear in all three texts
the word covenant what I want to talk
about today is the coven ental nature of
love some of you are thinking what's a
covenant we'll get to that don't worry
but this for me is the framework in
which we should approach all of our
relationships let's pray together dear
God I pray that you would speak to us
today gotta thank you that you are a
covenant ill gotten you keep them lord I
thank you for the way you take care of
us and the way you have invested us God
with unique authority to make covenants
with one another and to love one another
in this way and that you honor the
covenants we make and so God I pray that
you would bless this reflection I pray
in Jesus name for simplicity for clarity
for anointing and God I pray that i
would live this out that we would live
this out amongst one another in our
homes and in all of society bless this
message speak to us Lord let the
Shepherd's voice be the one that your
people here in Jesus name Amen covenant
what I want to talk about today is that
covenants are written into the fabric of
creation itself just like we breathe air
if we're human we breathe oxygen in
order to be in relationship covenants
need to be part of that covenant oh love
Old Testament and New Testament God is a
covenant oh god I don't know what
Testament means ever wondered what does
Testament mean Testament means covenant
right it's a will it's the old covet
and the New Covenant the whole Bible is
about God's covenant to love for us and
how he calls us then to live that out
what I want to talk about today is that
loving people in a covenant away is part
of being human okay so let's start with
what in the world is a covenant what
does covenant mean what I'm going to say
is a covenant is a commitment we make
towards a person or a group that takes
God into account a covenant is an
agreement or a commitment that takes God
into account where I made promises to
you not just to you but to God who is
listening to those promises to and that
God then watches over how we behave in
our relationship towards one another a
covenant a covenant is an agreement in a
context that knows that it's not just
about me and you there is another who is
watching over us I am accountable not
just to you but to god there's a verse
where Jonathan says to David now he had
a real reason to make a covenant with
David we'll talk about this more next
week but after David becomes king what
could happen to Jonathan right Jonathan
knows God's going to make him King and
so he really wants to be sure that David
makes promises to him in the sight of
God so that he doesn't yeah okay so
let's read what Jonathan said to David
in First Samuel 2042 Jonathan said to
David go in peace for we have sworn
friendship with each other in the name
of the Lord saying the Lord is witness
between you and me and between your
descendants and my descendants forever
when we love people in a covenant away
it means the way I treat you is being
watched by God God is watching God cares
about what I say and do to you and that
means that it's a bigger relationship
it's a relationship not just with you
but with god as i connect to you so
covenants might be different right
some covenants may have economic
implications right you make a commitment
to pay a certain amount of money or
they're going to take the car away right
some of them are financial contracts
some of them might have family
implications or or affection or intimacy
into in terms of marriage covenants and
things like that some covenants are
conditional I and both parties need to
do their part some are unconditional
some covenants are bilateral some are
unilateral some covenants are good and
some are bad God makes it clear there
are some people you are not to enter
into covenant within a certain formal
way because it's only going to get you
in problems anyone ever signed a
document that afterwards you wished you
hadn't anyone gotten tangled up with a
business partner and later you're like
oops that was a bad idea bad covenant
God made it very clear to his people
when they went into the Promised Land do
not make covenants with the people in
that land they are they're just going to
drag you down so some covenants are
meant to be made formal some or not some
can be renewed I love it when when a
couple renews their wedding vows some
covenants can be revoked for whatever
for certain reasons if there are certain
violations some involve major
responsibilities that you're devoting
your whole life to a person and some are
much more limited in nature it's just an
arrangement or a commitment to do a
particular thing at a particular moment
there's different kinds of covenants but
what they all have in common is their
commitments that are made formally where
there are consequences where God is
watching or society is watching in some
way and that if the Covenant is not
fulfilled there's a problem so typically
a covenant has oaths and promises or
vows what I like to say to couples when
they're getting married before they say
their vows that a vow is a promise
you're not just making to the person but
you're making the God so your
faithfulness is not just to the person
but it's to God because you promised
both the person and God that you'll do
your part right so it's a it's that kind
of promise and it's a big it's a big
deal right anyone remember that if you
were married
once there you know what that's like do
you take this woman to be your lawfully
wedded wife to live together in the holy
estate of matrimony do you promise love
comfort honor and keep her and forsaking
all others to keep yourself only big
deal big promise big covenant that you
make in the sight of God now there's
other types of oaths and promises you
make right never sure if you've had to
give testimony in court you know before
you give testimony in court what do you
do raise your right hand do you swear to
tell the truth the whole truth and
nothing but the truth and do they still
say so help me God they still say that
right why because the whole idea could
take God out of the picture well then
who then what's the deal so even now
with everything they're trying to do our
society they can't do that because our
whole legal system is based on the
sacredness of an oath the sacredness of
a promise that you're going to tell the
truth and that we're going to use that
as evidence and so it's all based around
that the president takes an oath right
to preserve protect and defend the
Constitution of the United States and
his hands I'm the Bible still on the
Bible right it's still in a Bible you
know if they're making the the promise
right it's a vow I understand Sabharwal
lawyers take that do doctors take vows
we got some doctors floating around
doctors take vows of some sort that I
assume there's important stuff in that
vow I hope right I'll you doctors out
there that you'll do your best for us
right politicians civil servants we have
some police officers among us but I
won't point them out but police officers
take vows civil service exams
firefighters people who are serving
society make a promise that I will be
faithful to the community I'm serving
and it's an important promise it's a
promise they won't break because they
know or that they feel the importance of
because they're making it to God you
make a commitment you make a vow when
you sign a contract right you're signing
it and there are results if we violate
those vows right if we violate that
contract if you purchased a house or a
car there's all these scary documents
you have to sign
multiple times and there's people
witness and you sign it and there's
another one and another one another
you're like this feels really important
I'm starting to get nervous it starting
to get the feeling I can't back out of
this right yeah that's the idea it's an
important vow it's an important
commitment and there are consequences in
a covenant if the vow or the commitment
is violated there are our negative
consequences we already talked about a
financial contract you make a promise to
make certain payments and you get to
keep the car no payment no car right
unfortunately this way it worked
employment you you make as you sign a
contract you will fulfill certain
responsibilities and you get paid a
certain amount no work no job right
there's treaties there's that there's
consequences now usually these things
are so important the covenants have
ceremonies that come with them or
symbols or signs you make a wedding vow
and you wear this little ring around to
remember oh yeah yeah you're married I
say that to recent newlyweds getting
your brain formatted around the time
around the idea that you're not single
anymore might take a while right you've
got to look at that ring and remember oh
yeah don't forget to call don't forget
you know you're married right it's a new
way of thinking so you have a symbol to
remind you of the Covenant you made
there's other types of symbols it can be
as simple as a handshake right it could
be much bigger than that right there can
be there documents you sign we talked
about in the old world in the ancient
world when there was a covenant between
two countries they would often build a
pile of rocks and name it these rocks
are a testimony that we made a treaty
don't break the treaty and then they
would sit down you know what they would
often do is there cover dental ceremony
they would have a meal together isn't
that beautiful you know where the word
companion comes from this is in the lot
you know companion means con with pan
pond bread I on breaking breaking bread
together so a companion you break bread
together you have a meal a covenant
Emile the Lord's Supper is a covenant Oh
meal that we have with God where we eat
together with God
show that we're in a covenant ill
relationship with him there's all kinds
of symbol in the Bible how about a
rainbow right God makes a promise to
Noah and says I'm going to give you a
sign that you won't forget and that I
won't forget there's a rainbow in the
sky and every time I see the rainbow I'm
going to remember I'm not going to flood
the earth again like God needs to remind
himself right it's really more reminding
us that God is faithful to his promises
baptism right different types of
ceremonies are covenantal ceremonies
they're meant to be unforgettable if
it's a very important covenant having a
wedding usually there must be witnesses
they're watching you make this
commitment so when you try to wriggle
out of it there's people there's a I saw
you you signed or I saw you I was dinner
right next to you the whole idea of
witnesses yeah I did get married till I
was in I was in my mid 30s when I got
married I was in a lot of weddings
before I got married a lot a lot of
weddings I do all kinds of money on
tuxes all just tuxes okay whatever it
wasn't till my own that I realized the
importance of the witnesses that there
is a feeling that people are watching
that this is a public commitment that
you're making that promise not just to
the person but also to God but also to
that person's mom and dad also that
person's best friend also to all these
random people who are watching
commitment public covenants symbols
signs promises in the sight of God in
the ancient world in the Bible times now
the reason I'm talking about all this is
because the Bible is all formatted
around this idea of covenants now I'm
talking about a lot of theology here so
I can ask you to buckle in and stay with
me it's going to be important okay for
practical implications in the old world
Kings would make contracts in a very
interesting way a great king a powerful
King would make contracts with those who
became part of his empire lesser kings
that would have smaller dominions and it
would usually start with something
called they would follow a very specific
format for their contract between
it would start with a historical
prologue where one King would talk about
all the reasons why it's a good idea for
you to enter into this covenant because
I'm a good king I'm a powerful King I
can protect you I'm Abba nificent King I
didn't destroy you when I could have if
they would say these kinds of things so
it is to your benefit take on viene
estado en este pack though it is to your
benefit to be in this covenant
relationship and then they would usually
move on to the expectations that would
be on the vassal state or the lesser
King there were certain laws or
commandments that they would have to
follow in order to be inappropriate
relationship with the leading King and
they would often write these laws down
on tablets are there any bells going off
for you of places where laws in the
Bible are written on tablets well that
would happen between two kings they
would write down those laws and then
there would be certain blessings if you
keep this covenant if you obey these
laws there will be blessings the leader
king will protect you he will provide
for you he won't destroy you all kinds
of things and then there are curses
covenantal curses if you violate it so
they would go through this whole thing
and there would be a ceremony and
sometimes they would do this ceremony to
ratify the Covenant that would be so
vivid that you could never forget it you
ever heard the phrase to cut a deal we
cut a deal they cut a deal right you
ever wonder where that comes from I
believe it comes from the Bible it comes
from the Old Testament world where you
know what they would do to ratify the
governor this is kind of gross okay I
hope you haven't eaten just recently
right they would take animals they would
slaughter them they would cut them in
half and they would form an isle of the
cut pieces all that you know entrails
all the stuff you know it's messy it's
meant to be messy right the animals are
all lined up and the lesser King walks
through the parts and says if I violate
the terms of this covenant may I be like
one of these
whatevers that just things didn't go too
well for them it's a covenant it's a
self curse almost saying may I keep this
covenant or may I be like one of them so
it's a very severe thing unforgettable
and it's meant to shake them up a little
bit now this is going to become
important because God has this kind of
ceremony with Abraham at one point in
the Bible we're going to talk about that
a little later so there are covenants
now we see as I'm talking about this
laws a special bonded relationship the
whole Bible is about God entering into
this kind of covenant with the people of
Israel with Moses and there's a
historical prologue I am the Lord your
God who brought you up out of lead a jip
tout of the land of slavery you shall
have no other gods before me and God
gives them Commandments why just so
they'll obey a bunch of rules no so that
you will be my people and I will be your
God God is marrying his people he's
making a covenant with his people they
become one and it's a conditional
covenant if they violate the Covenant
and worship other gods they're going to
lose that privileged relationship
they're going to lose the land their
temple destroyed deported and that ended
up happening is you read the Bible so
God is a covenant Oh God a God who makes
promises and keeps them a God who makes
promises that are two way with people
you know it was even like that without
him and Eve wasn't it God blesses them
with the garden he puts them there he
provides for them but it was not
unconditional in the day you can have
this beautiful garden will have this
intimacy but there is one particular
tree the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil that's the one tree I don't
want you eating from right in the day
you eat of it you shall surely die
there's a covenant there's an agreement
that obviously is violated God makes
commitments I'd like you to go with me
to Genesis chapter 12 and I'd like you
to look with me at the Covenant that God
makes to Abraham it's the beginning of
it it goes on and on but Genesis chapter
2
says the Lord had said to Abram go from
your country leave your country your
people in your father's household and go
to the land that I will show you and
there are promises I will make you into
a great nation and I will bless you I
will make your name great and you will
be a blessing I will bless those who
bless you and whoever curses you I will
curse and all peoples on earth will be
blessed through you so Abram went as the
Lord had told him and he took his family
with him he was 75 years old how about
those promises I will make you into a
great nation and I will bless you anyone
attacks you and curses you I will curse
them I will fight your battles you give
up i will make your name great you'll be
famous through you and your descendants
all nations on earth will be will be
blessed God promises Abram of future a
destiny protection greatness provision
all kinds of blessings but it doesn't
come without something that Abram has to
do it's a two-way covenant right what
does Abram have to do for all this to be
fulfilled he's got to believe and go God
tells him you've got to leave home
you've got to leave your people your
father's household and go to the land
that I will show you he didn't even know
where he was going but he had to trust
that God was a faithful covenant Oh God
that God would fulfill his promises and
so Abram went God is a covenant to God
he enters into these relationships with
people throughout the Bible but there
was something that people had to do to
keep their part and if they didn't keep
their part there were consequences I
mentioned God's promise to the people of
Israel that if you you know I'm the Lord
your God you'll have no other gods
before me the first and most important
commandment and then he explains the
terms of the Covenant God gave them a
land he gave them a temple he gave them
his presence but he said if you violate
this covenant and worship other gods you
will lose everything I've given you and
you'll be deported to another land and
they were for
70 years God let their enemies defeat
them so God is a covenant Oh God and he
takes his covenants seriously that he
makes and we need to take his covenant
seriously too but there's another type
of of covenant that God makes and that's
what I want to talk about and then i'm
going to start bringing it home to how
we love one another some are wondering
okay what does this have to do with how
i love people and it's the Covenant it's
the concept of grace grace covenants see
all of these other covenants were
contingent on obedience God makes
promises and in order for those promises
to be fulfilled you must obey the rules
that God gives but God in His grace also
makes away so that even when people
violate the terms of the agreement he
picks up the penalty for them in other
words they don't do what they're
supposed to do there are consequences
and God finds a way to suffer those
consequences so that people can still
experience the blessings that were
promised remember how I talked about the
Covenant where they would separate the
animals and they would cut them right
and all the the person would walk
through God told Abram one night I want
you to take animals cut them put them in
pieces form an aisle and in the middle
of the night there was a deep darkness
that fell over Abram he fell into a deep
sleep and then he kind of has this
trance and he wakes up and he has a
vision he sees a flaming fire pot with
sort of a pot with with smoke coming out
of it remember I made that though I
won't repeat I was teaching this to my
kids once and my daughter was asking so
there was so God was smoking pot or
something kind of like no it was a
smoking pot God was a smoking pot any
what and thankfully she doesn't know
what that means but there's a smoking
pot that appeared along with a torch of
fire so there were two columns a column
of fire and a column of smoke and Abram
is there and God appears to him by the
way where else do we see a column of
smoke and a column of fire when God took
them out of Egypt he appeared to them as
a
pillar of fire in a pillar of smoke so
Abram is watching this and then God
makes promises to him your people will
be enslaved but I will take them out of
slavery I'll bring them to this land I
will give them this land and then
something amazing happens the the fire
the smoking pot and the burning torch
move through the pieces now can you see
how that is a shocking thing never in a
treaty or a covenant would the greater
King walk through the pieces it was
always the lesser king who would walk
through the pieces saying if I disobey
you can do this to me well God said I'm
going to do your part of this deal I'm
going to keep your part of the Covenant
and God Himself passes between the
pieces as if to say if the Covenant is
violated God is saying may I be broken
and bleeding as a consequence now the
covenant between God and Abram and then
God and Moses a little later is violated
and what happens to make it possible for
us to be forgiven the Bible says the
penalty of sin is death that is the
consequence of sinning of breaking the
eternal covenant with the eternal God
death and God says I will take the
penalty of your disobedience on myself
Jesus when he was at the Last Supper
said this wine is the this is the cup of
the New Covenant in my blood jesus said
this is my covenant my body broken for
you it's broken separated for you God
took the curse for us God enters into a
covenant with people that has an element
of grace grace means that God shows
favor on you even though you don't
deserve it grace means God doesn't just
give me he doesn't just not give me what
I deserve the punishment but he even
gives me the good I don't deserve but it
doesn't come without a cost
there needs to be death and sacrifice
God is a coven mental God now here's
where I'm going with this our
relationship with God can be based on
the assurance that God is faithful that
God makes promises and God will fulfill
those promises I can count on him no
matter what even if I am faithless God
remains faithful because he cannot deny
himself even when I sin and blow it God
is still there for me God made promises
you know I discovered something when I
was reading in Jeremiah chapter 31 about
the new covenant listen to this about
the new covenant you don't have to turn
there but Jeremiah 31 says the days are
coming declares the lord when i will
make a new covenant with the people of
Israel with the people of Judah it won't
be like the Covenant I made with their
ancestors when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt because they
broke my covenant though I was a husband
to them declares the Lord this is the
Covenant I will make with the people of
Israel after that time declares the lord
I will put my law in their minds and I
will write it on their hearts I will be
their God and they will be my people no
longer will someone teach his neighbor
saying no the Lord because they will all
know me from the least to the greatest
declares the Lord for I will forgive
their wickedness and remember their sins
no more and you know what's something I
noticed afterwards in the next part of
the text it says this it says this is
what the Lord says he who appoints the
Sun to shine by day who decrees the moon
and the stars to shine by night who
stirs up the see that its waves roared
lord almighty is his name only if these
decrees vanished from my sight declares
the Lord will Israel ever cease being a
nation before me isn't it amazing that
Israel is still a country after 5,000
years it's still there most nations from
5,000 years ago no longer exist Israel
still exists God is faithful to his
covenant no matter what he will come
through for his people maybe you are
someone who is painfully aware of the
ways you have failed
I hope we all are because none of us is
perfect we all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God we can know
God is faithful to me not because of
anything I have done because I have
broken the Covenant but God is faithful
to keep my end of the Covenant for me he
is a faithful God he is a coven until
God just like he put the rainbow in the
sky and said I'll never flood the earth
again God says I am with you I will
never forsake you God is a covenant till
God now here's where I'm going with this
all right jesus said some amazing things
to his disciples after he washed their
feet and talked about the Covenant in
his blood jesus said in the same way I
have loved you so also you are to love
one another just like God is a coven
ental God and keeps his promises and it
shows grace we are to love people
covenant alee firmly in the sight of God
with a sense of commitment and sacrifice
we owe every person what the Bible calls
a debt of love listen to this in Romans
13 8 it says no let no debt remaining
remain outstanding among you except the
continuing debt to love one another for
whoever loves others has fulfilled the
law I owe you love I owe you love I have
a continuing debt to love you two love
each person that God has put in my life
now some people don't believe this
because they never signed a contract to
love right as some people you never
signed a contract saying I promise to
love Greg except for one of you you know
there's one of you that did that but not
another the rest of you whoever's behind
the Contras saying I have to love you
you know there's an interesting dialogue
that God had with a man named Cain the
beginning of the Bible you know the
story Adam and Eve cast out of the
garden they have two sons Cain and Abel
there's jealousy between them God is
pleased with Abel's offering not with
canes he's jealous he invites him out to
the field kills him God comes to Cain
and says Kane where is your brother Abel
how does Kane answer anyone remember the
answer what am I my brother's keeper I
don't remember signing a contract that
saying on my brother's keeper is that my
responsibility don't to watch out for my
brother yes he is your brother it
doesn't have to be an explicit covenant
it is an implicit covenant it comes with
the very nature of being a brother that
you are responsible for him you have a
duty to love him as opposed to the
opposite of killing you see there are
covenants that are implicit that you
never signed a document but you're
responsible anyway right I have the
honour sometimes of accompanying people
to their naturalization ceremony when
they become citizens praise God we have
many immigrants in our church I'd say
this group is about half immigrants some
of you have had the experience of going
and becoming a citizen and there's a vow
they have you take remember some of you
had to do it it's kind of a scary Val
you're promising really to fight wars it
sounds good but part of it is i abjure
or i renounce political loyalty to other
nations in favor of my loyalty to this
nation now they're having people make
that promise so that if there's a war
with the nation you came from you won't
fight for the right you could see why
that is right so let's say I've never
taken that vow I was never a naturalized
that I was just born in Connecticut kind
of blurring right is Connecticut run in
Connecticut there's no palm trees no
beaches no Connecticut House but I never
took a vow promising to be a citizen but
I am one by birthright praise praise the
Lord now does that mean because I never
took that vow that if there's a war and
I just decide you know say we go to war
with I can't take a country because
everyone's here from somewhere i went
there any country we're not from let's
say we go to war with canada i know we
got a few random canadians floating
around but I
say that lets say we decide okay war
Canada we really want we really want
that what's that Island were in of Green
Gables you know prince edward island we
want Prince Edward Island for our own
vacation spot we go to war with them and
let's say i decide i really like canada
I is it ok I never took the oath can I
go fight for Canada right you put but I
didn't sign anything there's an implicit
covenant by being a citizen you are
automatically responsible for certain
things well here's where I'm going with
this by being human it comes with your
humanity that you are and I am my
brother's keeper I have an implicit
covenant with each person on the face of
this earth when I encounter a human
being I am responsible to love that
human being but even my enemies like
didn't either with what did Jesus say
about the enemies shall love your
enemies pray for those who persecute you
bless those we are called till then now
some people ask that question but wait a
minute you know Jesus brought this up
again he said you shall love your
neighbor as you love yourself and there
was a lawyer in the crowd I don't know
if we have any lawyers among us but
there was a lawyer in the crowd said I'm
supposed to love my neighbor well I live
on a big street got a lot of neighbors I
don't like some of my neighbors who
exactly is my neighbor no now why does
he ask that question is he really
concerned about because I really want to
love my neighbor now why does he ask
that question he's trying to get out of
it by saying that how do you define who
my neighbor is he can't really defies
the person one house over two houses
over the whole street is the whole town
because you can't define it well then
I'm off the hook I don't really have to
do anything you know what Jesus does he
turns it around on him he tells a story
remember the story Jesus tells that
lawyer it's a story of a particular
person who was on a trip going to some
Jericho of course he was on the road to
Jericho he gets beaten up he's left for
dead he's mugged a priest and levite
passed by and ignore him and
hated despised Samaritan walks by and
has mercy on him takes care of him
brings him to the hotel washes his
wounds pays for them even when he goes
on business as I'll cover anything else
that happens and then at the end he asks
who was a neighbor to the person who was
beat up as well as the one who had mercy
on him but wait a minute that wasn't the
question he asked the question wasn't
who can I be a neighbor to the question
who is my neighbor Jesus says you're
asking the wrong question you're looking
to get a run away with the minimum to
get out of it to find a loophole Jesus
saying it should be different it should
be looking for opportunities to be a
neighbor any person God puts in my path
at that moment is my neighbor now you
can't take care of everyone in the world
of course we could take care of a lot of
people who can do a lot of good if we're
asking the right questions if we're
saying God who can I help who can I love
who can I serve today not just here but
in other countries of the world what can
I do and when a person is willing and
says to whom can I be a neighbor God
will pour out the the riches of heaven
on those people to be an amazing
neighbor to people they may be never
even met before who can I be I know I'm
in covenant with people I my brother's
keeper and I have a responsibility in
the sight of God to love people because
God loved me in that way he loved me
with grace he loved me covenant alee
okay now I want to talk about this a
little bit though because when I say
that you are in covenant with all people
I'm not saying that all of your
relationships with all people are
exactly the same right right everybody
is my neighbor but not everybody is my
wife amen it's pretty important to get
that straight folks pretty important
because there are some people who take
care of everybody else except the one
you've actually promised but
or you know just gotta get our even
within a family there are levels of
responsibility with levels of covenants
that we've made and that's okay the
Bible says for this reason a man will
leave his father and mother and cling to
his wife they'll become one flesh
primary this person is my number one
loyalty but we're to honor our mother
and father so that will live long in the
land and if we don't honor them were
worse than an unbeliever so there are
different responsibilities with even
within a family right you know often
we'll talk about this now even though we
have to give a hundred percent to take
care for those of you that have children
or taking care of kids that you've
adopted or that you're watching out for
we are responsible we're responsible to
take care of children because they can't
take care of themselves but the number
one person in your heart and affection
should be the spouse that's number one
the kids who comes like and ill get me
wrong I'm not say that your spouse is a
grown-up they should be able to feed
themselves I'm not saying that you don't
take you do take care of them but it's
we go through this every year when our
anniversary we ditch our kids for a
night so that we we steal away it's now
it's winter its snowy it's sub-zero and
we usually go to Maine so it's not like
we're you know having again it's not
like we're at a beach so yeah but for a
night and every every year is the same
thing those that look from the kids as
we're dumping them with great bachata
and gchat Grandma and Grandpa and
Japanese we're ditching them they're
there they're just and they're giving us
those puppy-dog eyes how can you do this
to me don't you love it's like mommy and
daddy got out of this it's hot okay now
I'm talking about marriage a lot but in
other relationships we have different
levels of relationship and God cares
about it Jesus himself had different
circles of intimacy with people right
there were the multitudes but he also
had the 70 that he sent in a special way
he had the 12 that he chose within the
12 he had three that he was especially
close to and I get the impression that
within the three he was close as friends
with John does that mean that Jesus
doesn't love me because I'm part of the
multitudes no not at all as a human
though there had to be circles of
intimacy so we're not talking about
everything being exactly the same
towards everyone but there is something
that is exactly the same towards your
spouse and your employer and the person
that you just bump into in the elevator
at work every single one of those people
is a human being created in the image of
God and you have an implicit coven ental
responsibility before God to love that
person in some way and God is watching
that's the same it revolutionizes the
way we see our different relationships
it can revolutionize how you approach
your job because you're responsible not
just to work for your boss but to love
your boss didn't isn't that taught about
in the book of Colossians serve your
boss as if you're serving who Jesus
himself she'd love you but in your job
how about the client you serve let's say
your job is to fix cars I hope you fixed
that car as if it were your mother's car
do you love your clients do you love the
people you work for now here's a toughy
sometimes okay love your boss that's a
that's a real tough one loving your
clients I think most people although
it's not so easy to work with the public
view work did a cash register people are
obnoxious to you right they don't see
you as a human sometimes they just see
you as you worked at a cash register
people just feel like they have a right
to be obnoxious to you called to love
each person across that's amazing it's
like how can that be it's even harder
though to love your coworkers how about
that one when there's office politics
and dynamics and they're difficult
they're out to get me there are two stab
me that happens with all of us in any
work setting there's toxic stuff there's
politics i am called coven entally to
love my coworker also doesn't mean i
can't look for a new job it took if you
could look for a new job if it's awful
but I'm just saying that we approach the
people around us in society as well
right how about our leaders we are
called i'm going to say not just to
honor we are called to love our governor
our president our mayor our selectmen
police fire department all to love them
and honor them pray for your leaders and
key
in those roles are called to to love
those they serve and God will hold them
to account there in a covenantal
relationship with society when they fail
that relationship God will deal with
them with that injustice how do we treat
people in society the Bible talks a lot
about the fatherless the widow the
Sojourner among you we are responsible
as we jesus said I was hungry and you
fed me I was sick and you took care of
me I was in prison and you came to visit
me trade know that you were visiting
someone in prison you're visiting Jesus
himself because you are covenantal
irresponsible to that person we should
view and it's an awesome thing when I
know that every person that comes in my
sphere God is watching and God cares
about how I treat them I'm covenant God
takes our covenant seriously in the Old
Testament when they would make covenants
they would use a phrase they would see
they would say may God deal with me be
it ever so severely and then they would
fill in the blank if I don't do XY and z
there's a feeling of responsibility you
know God has given us as human beings an
awesome power to make promises and keep
them and even if we make sometimes not
so smart promises by keeping them we
honor God you know there's a case in the
Old Testament where God has explicitly
commanded the people do not enter into
covenant with the nations of the
Canaanites that I'm going to do well
there was one Canaanite nation that knew
they were in trouble they were called
the Gibeonites and so they tricked the
Israelites and what they did they put on
old clothes they had moldy food and they
came pretending like they come from far
away and they asked Joshua to make a
covenant with them Joshua forgot to pray
the way he normally did they didn't seek
the Lord and they entered into a
covenant with them and then the next
week they discover wait a minute those
were Canaanites I'm were supposed to
make war on them we're not supposed to
make agreements with them but God said
not anymore you made a promise to them
you need to keep it
now hundreds of years later there was a
king king Saul Jonathan's father will
come back to that who made war on the
Gibeonites and God even hundreds of
years later remembered know you made a
promise you're violating it and so
because of that famine on the land God
takes our covenant seriously when we
interact with people coven entally when
i know i am going to treat this person
with love because god loves this person
and when I do it unto them I do it unto
God God is with us he is our witness
when I approach a person coven entally
and I say I am this person's brother and
I am my brother's keeper when I say I am
this person's neighbor and I will be a
neighbor to this person God is
witnessing now in order to witness
something by definition the witness is
present when we love in this way God is
present Jesus is there witnessing and
watching us god is love if we live in
love we live in God and God in us this
is how to cultivate intimacy with God
very often we talk about fast and pray
and read the Bible we're big believers
in that I hope you fast i hope you pray
i hope you read the Bible but loving one
another is the most powerful thing you
can do horizontally speaking to
cultivate the anointing of God in your
life when we love one another coven
entally God's power flows through us and
gives us the ability to do it wisely
powerfully and even with spiritual gifts
I really believe that when there is an
attitude of love in a community and
there is proper prayer and faith that
powerful miraculous gifts are unleashed
and I believe that is what God wants for
us here I'm going to invite the
musicians to come on up but I invite you
we talk about renewing vows in a wedding
or renewing a contract each of us has an
implicit covenant or responsibility to
the people around us I'm going to invite
you as we close this prayer time to
renew your covenant with God and with
the people around you
now this may have hit some very
sensitive chords because you may have
experienced some pain and some covenant
ille relationships god bless you some
covenantal relationships you've been in
know that God is a God of grace that he
is with you that he is there to empower
you to love your neighbor as you love
yourself we can do this guy's we can do
it we won't do it perfectly but we can
do this with God's power and Jesus can
shine through us as we do so I'm gonna
invite you to stand with me and let's
pray and we're going to pray and just
renew this sense of responsibility
before the Lord next week we'll talk
more specifically about Jonathan and
David but here it's just the idea that
goes behind a covenant ille relationship
and friendship god I thank you that you
are a coven ental god I thank you God
that your love for us is not just
sentimental God that it's not just
feelings but that you promise to be
there for us in the good times and the
bad times when we are pleasing to you
and also when we do things that
displease you I think that you have made
a promise to be our God and to forgive
us through Jesus Christ thank you that
you are a covenantal god and lord I pray
in Jesus name God that you would
revolutionize the way we view the people
around us God that we wouldn't just see
them as part of the scenery or it's just
or even worse as dangerous contaminants
to be protected against but that we
would see each person as a human being
made in your image to whom we are
responsible in your sight god I pray
that we would love people because of you
and through you and by your power and in
the name of jesus lord I pray in Jesus
name that you would help us especially
in the relationships where there is much
pain and maybe we've had to even
withdraw to protect ourselves in
different ways god I pray that even in
those complicated situations
that our heart could still have a
posture of love and forgiveness even in
the midst of the complexity of the evil
around us Lord father I pray Jesus that
you would enable us God to show love in
every level of the relationships of our
lives Lord God for our family for our
friends for the people in our church but
also God for the stranger God also for
the people who are far away and who are
suffering god I pray that we would be
before you as we love them and as we do
god I pray that you would be present not
just to witness what we're doing but to
empower what we're doing that you would
give us wisdom to love that you would
give us power to love Lord God and the
ability to love I pray God that this
church would be a coven ental community
Lord God it would be a place of profound
security God because we know that you're
our God and that we can count on you but
I pray also God that it would be a place
where people feel secure because they
know they can count on one another Lord
God they know that people will be
faithful to one another Lord because of
you I pray that this place would be a
refuge Lord Jesus a community into which
people can come and let down their guard
and find healing because love is in this
place because of you the people could
come as they are God with all their
brokenness with all their complexities
even with their prickly edges God and
they could experience grace because you
have kept both ends of the Covenant for
us Lord God let your love rain in this
place God that we would love because you
first loved us God that we would love as
Jesus loved us Lord don't let it be let
it be Lord send your spirit in your
power so that this could become a
reality in our lives in Jesus name Amen
you