Amen. What a tremendous hymn we're
going to turn in our Bible. The second Samuel.
The second Samuel I'm going to read from the chapter 1.
Find Judges and Ruth. Just keep coming on.
You'll eventually get to first Samuel.
Come to second Samuel, Second Samuel chapter 1, Second Samuel
chapter 1. We're going to read from verse
13. Let's hear the word of God,
reading of course from the King James Bible, Second Samuel
chapter one, verse 13. And David said unto the young
man that told him, Whence art thy?
And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.
And David said unto him, How was thou not afraid to stretch forth
thine hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?
And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near,
and fall upon them. And he smote him that he died.
And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head, for thy
mouth have testified against thee, saying, I have slain the
Lord's anointed. And David lamented with this
lamentation over soul, and over Jonathan his son also he bade
them teach the children of Judah the use of the bull.
Behold, it is written in the book of Joshua.
The beauty of Israel is slaying upon thy high places.
How are the mighty fallen? Tell it not in Gath, publish it
not in the streets of Ashkelon. Let the daughters of the
Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised
triumph. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let
there be no Jew, neither let there be rain upon you, nor
fields of offerings for there the shield of the mighty is
vilely castaway, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been
anointed with oil from the blood of the slain, from the fat of
the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword
of soil Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan were lovely
and pleasant in their lives and in their death.
They were not divided. They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions. He, daughters of Israel, weep
over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with other delights, who
put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle?
Oh, Jonathan, thou was slain in thy high places.
I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan.
Very pleasant hast thy been unto me.
Thy love to me was wonderful. Passing the love of woman.
How art the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished.
Amen. We know God will stump with His
own divine approval and blessing this reading of His own precious
and infallible word. The My text tonight is taken
from Second Samuel chapter one, verse 26.
David said I'm distressed for thee my brother Jonathan, very
pleasant has thou been unto me. Thy love to me was wonderful.
Passing the love of woman and have entitled this message a
wondrous love in the time of weeping.
These words were spoken by David upon hearing the news of the
death of Jonathan. Jonathan was King Saul's son,
but Jonathan was also one of David's best friend.
And once David discovered this sad news of Jonathan's death, he
was plunged into a moment and a period of deep sorrow and
genuine mourning. His words here, I believe, are
deeply personal. They are painfully honest, but
they're also profoundly helpful. You see, this was a sacred
moment, yet it was also a sorrowful one.
Why was it sacred? Because it speaks of love, a
wonderful love, a true, genuine friendship.
It speaks of Providence. Here it's sorrowful because of
whether it was the wonderful love of a loved one or the
wonderful love of a dear friend, we know and feel the deep winds
of loss. When death comes.
David doesn't hide his grief. He doesn't pretend all is OK.
He speaks clearly and plainly. Think of these words.
I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan.
Isn't it wonderful that the Bible gives permission to
grieve? You see, genuine grief is not
unbelief. Tears are not trivial.
Many people, when a loved one dies, shed tears.
But those are tears of love. And of course, those tears of
love flow freely because that individual or those individuals
are enduring and processing the shock of bodily separation of
their loved one. Saul's son Jonathan would have
normally been expected to be the heir to the throne.
It would normally in the passage of time, he would be the one who
would occupy his father's throne.
David was a shepherd boy, yet he was the one chosen instead of
Jonathan to be king. And even though Jonathan knew
that David was chosen by God to be king, you would have expected
a conflict between these two boys.
But there was no conflict. Rather there was a concourse.
You'd expect fighting between these two boys, The heir to the
throne and a shepherd boy. No, but there was no fighting
between them, but rather one of the greatest displays of
friendship. You see, true friendship is one
of the greatest in human relationships.
I only say 1 because there's others.
Remember, Proverbs 17 and seven says that a friend loveth at all
times, and a brother is born for adversity.
David and Jonathan were true friends, real friends, and they
had a genuine, wondrous love for one another.
And this friendship of David and Jonathan, as we see here, David
mourning the loss of his best friend.
Yet that friendship between David and Jonathan is a pater, I
believe, of the godly friendship between Jesus Christ and his
people. See, true friends are not just
acquaintances. True friends just don't know
each other. True friends are not just united
with a common bond of faith. We can maybe say culture as
well, maybe loving the Lord. No, it's deeper, it's more
personal. Because true friendship is a
life of loving loyalty toward another individual.
In fact, David's and Jonathan's relationship and friendship is
but a shadow of Christ's friendship and relationship with
His people. You see, here's something that I
want you to think about. The Lord Jesus Christ is not
just our prophet, priest, and king.
The Lord Jesus Christ is not just the Redeemer and the
righteous judge, but He's our friend.
Remember what Proverbs chapter 18 and verse 24 tells us?
Proverbs 18 and verse 24, it says this, A man that hath
friends must show himself friendly, and there's a friend,
the stick of closer than a brother, that's the Lord Jesus.
And Solomon, the wisest of kings, spoke of the Lord, and
this is what he said, This is my beloved, and this is my friend.
The Lord Jesus was known as the friend of sinners and publicans.
He often met with individuals, He talked with them, He he
mingled with them, He ate with them.
Remember what he said to his own disciples before He left them in
the upper room? You're my friends if you do
whatsoever I command you. And when I thought of this text
of scripture, thought of funerals, the week that has gone
past, this text came to my mind. A wondrous love in the time of
weeping. Listen to the words again.
And I give you a wee out lying. I am distress for thee, my
brother Jonathan. Very pleasant hast thou been
unto me. Thy love to me was wonderful.
Passing the love of woman now 4 things very quickly.
The painful distress of love. Can you feel the weight of these
words? I am distress for thee, my
brother Jonathan. You see, David is experiencing
here the reality of godly grief. Oh yes, he's a man after God's
own heart. Yet he was a man who knew grief,
a man who wept bitter tears, a man who knew the painful sorrow
of heart. You see, deep love always
results in deep grief. David doesn't hide his sorrow,
he honours it. David is not rebuked for being
sorrowful. No, he is recorded here in the
Bible. The Bible doesn't silence grief,
it sanctifies it. And this pain reminds us of
something very important. Death is an enemy.
Death was never part of God's original creation.
It entered the world because of sin.
Remember we read there in the book of Romans, in Romans
chapter 5 and in the verse 12. Wherefore as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death
passed upon all men for that all of sin.
Romans 6 and 23 tells us for the wages of sin is death.
Sin pays wages and death, remember?
Whenever it comes, we discover the death of a loved one hurts.
It feels unnatural. It takes us away from all that
we knew and loved, the places we lived, the people we loved, the
possessions we liked. And you see, that's how I feel
this evening about the death of Mr Andy Alexander.
He was my spiritual father. He was a personal friend.
He was a confidant in earlier times.
The death of the Reverend Roy Stewart.
I know exactly how her brother David McCullough feels this
evening. The death of Mr Joe Peyton down
in Tandrige, the death of others.
You see, there's a reminder here.
There's two ways to die. All men will die.
You can die in Christ. Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord, or you can die without Christ.
Jesus said if you die in your sins, where I am there, you
can't come. But there's not only two ways to
die, but there's two ways to grieve.
See, there is a grief that is without hope and many tonight
don't know and love the Lord Jesus Christ.
Many tonight when they're plunged into death and sorrow
that they know nothing of real gospel victory.
They they know nothing of gospel comfort.
They know nothing of the certainty and the enjoyment that
comes through trusting Christ as Lord and Saviour.
But there's another way to grieve.
There's a grief that flows from a heart of love.
Isn't it wonderful to know if we think of Revelation chapter 14
and in the verse 13, a very special verse that says in
Revelation chapter 14 and the verse 13.
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, right, blessed
are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth.
Yeah, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours
and their works do follow them whenever a loved one dies in
Christ, having professed A genuine love for Christ as Lord
and Saviour, and are anchored in the wonderful promises of God,
what tremendous gospel comfort flows from that to the hearts of
those who feel that hurt and sense that loss.
See, David here's not questioning God.
He is quoting something. He is telling us how he feels.
I am distress for thee. He's expressing his emotion.
Here's the true cost of love in a fallen sinful word.
There's an old preacher one time said true grace doesn't make the
heart less tender. Rather, it makes it more tender.
You see, the closer the friendship, the deeper the
feeling of loss. That's the first point.
The second point, as we go on from the painful distress of
love, is the providential depth of love.
Notice these words my brother Jonathan David calls Jonathan my
brother. Now this is more than sentiment.
You see, I believe it was special.
They were not blood related, they were not blood relatives,
but both men didn't know and love the Lord.
As I've told you, this was not just a friendship.
This was a deep, genuine friendship.
This was a life of loving loyalty to one another, a bond
that was formed providentially by God.
A true covenant friendship is one of the sweetest gifts God
gives us in this life. The Lord in His Providence
brings people together into our lives, not by accident, but by
design. And He uses those very people to
shape us, to show us how to live, to strengthen us.
David and Jonathan had a friendship knit together by God,
not accidentally, but providential, easy and reformed
theology. We believe that God not only
sovereignly orders the great events of history, but also
orders the relationships that shape and strengthen our lives.
The person you meet, the friends that you love, the one that you
helped or helped you, the brother or sister that you
leaned on, those are not just random blessings, but they are
gifts. I believe from the hand of God.
A friend loveth at all times. Such friendship, such care.
They're rare, but when God grants them, they become
instruments of grace. Now.
Now think of how God uses the people that are brought into our
lives on the journey. Think of the individuals that
have pointed us to Christ and showed and taught us our need of
Him. Think of those who have
encouraged us when we were weak and maybe at the point of
despair and wanted to quit and give up.
Think of those who corrected us. We went astray and said, ah,
brother or sister, that's sin. That's wrong.
You need to repent. Think about those who have aided
us and strengthened us in our walk with God.
Think of those who have walked beside us in days of affliction,
in days of adversity, in days of tears.
You see, true, genuine friends are part of the means of grace
to our soul. Let me illustrate very quickly.
I met Andy Alexander when I was 16 years of age.
I started to serve my time as an apprentice Carpenter in a place
called LMA Construction in Coleraine.
Andy was a very quiet man. He went to church 3 times, twice
on the Sunday and once through the week.
He didn't curse, didn't drink, he didn't smoke, he didn't
gamble and he didn't read The Sun newspaper.
I watched his life. This sweet man was different
from everybody else that worked there.
He was happy, he smiled, and when something went wrong at
work, as it often does, he didn't get mad.
He didn't get upset when I screwed up the joiners
workbench, some task he'd give me to do as an apprentice, he
didn't get mad. He then re showed me how the
thing ought to be done. At 18 I spoke to him about
church I I said to him, if the church is the answer, I would
like to come to church. Andy at that time my life was
spiralling out of control. I've already told this, but we
have testimony and remember him leaving down his tools at the
bench and coming and putting his arm around me and he said this.
The church hasn't got the answer, but Christ has.
That was the double Dutch. I didn't know what that meant,
but two weeks later, the Providence of God or thinking
about God's Providence one Friday night.
He invited me to a tent mission in Limavady.
He paid for a pane of glass that I had broken, and on that basis
I went with him to Limavady. That night, for the first time
ever, I heard the Gospel. John 10 and 10.
I'm come that you might have life and that you might have it
more abundantly. I heard this call from the
Reverend Sam Workman, young man, young woman, you're in this
church tonight and you're looking for life.
You're trying to find it in sexual fulfilment out of
marriage. You're trying to find it through
experimentation with drugs and and alcohol.
And, and, and then he said, Nate, you're blocked out of your
head and you, you maybe wake up and you wonder where you're at
or you're you're maybe waking up in the horrors of drink and
you're thinking to yourself, what's life all about?
And, and, and, and, and, and, and this is a rat race.
And he says, come with me tonight, come with me.
He said, young man, I want to introduce you to the giver of
life. We'll see.
That night I come under conviction of sin.
I didn't know what conviction was.
Andy drove me home the 14 miles to Coleraine.
I was to go on with Andy's assistance to Kelly's and
Portrush to meet up with others and I couldn't go.
Cut a Long story short, I went back to church on Sunday.
I haven't been there for five years.
I sat in Sunday's seat, told off left, spoke to the rector after
the service. He said, young man, sorry
there's not much I can do for you. 10:00 PM at night, I'm
walking the streets of Coleraine.
I'm under conviction. I'm afraid I'm thinking I'm
going to go to hell thinking of all the bad things that I have
done. And I wouldn't want to glorify
the devil by telling you some of those things.
But again, you see God in Providence had another man who
also worked in LMA construction and his name was Jackson
Mcvicker and he was in the year a few some days ago.
And we say hello to Jackson and Jean if they're listening in
this evening. He gave me a little tract cut.
Long story short, I took it home bedside of Roman Catholic
lodging house in James, the street in Coleraine and I knelt
down at the side of the bed and I said to the Lord, Lord, I'm a
Sinner. I've done a lot of bad things
and you forgive sin and I'm asking you now in Jesus name, in
the ground of the blood to forgive me my sin.
Get off my knees and went to bed.
Got up on the Monday morning, was at work early.
I'd asked a neighbour for a Bible.
I went and told Andy, I remember he's a quiet man.
He had one word here was the word great.
That was it. Great.
I remember standing up in a workshop bench and testifying
that I would trust with the Lord and no more drink or cigarettes
or cursing or some newspapers for David and they laughed and
mocked. You know what the Reverend Sam
Workman used to say? Friends can laugh you into hell.
They'll never laugh you out of it. 3 weeks later, I then
started attending the Coleraine Congregational Church.
At that time friendships were formed.
I, I named some of the families deliberately, the McFarlane
family, Reverend Colin McFarlane was here.
Who's now in the glory? The McClellan family, related to
the Alexander family. The Alexander family, Oliver,
Andy and the five girls. The Atchison family.
Mr Paul Atchison's the minister over there in the Congregational
Church in Newton Arch. Now the the Norris family.
There's a number of others. The Hare family.
Raymond Hare used to own Hare brothers.
Still have a companion Bible that he gave me.
The Johnston family, 2 dear ladies who were unclaimed
treasures, as they called themselves, called Fanny and
Rachel. And you know, there's a wee
story that I must tell you one day we were in Bally Sally.
All right. That's a way down in Coleraine.
That's a very good. Well, we'll not say nothing more
about Bally Sally housing this date, Right?
And it's a wet morning, Andy and these out in the van.
We're going to do a wee Homer. And he wanted to go home and get
his lunch for he had forgot it all right?
And he was upstairs having a toilet break.
And I'm waiting and Andy standing with the back to the
fire. The fire is not lit, although
it's set. And when I turn around, I see a
picture of my dad and Andy on the mantelpiece.
I didn't really know my dad because my dad died when I was
young like my mother. So I said to him, Andy, that's
my dad there. You and him are standing with
your arm around each other. Oh yes, he says.
We worked together a long time ago.
We shared a lodging house in Belfast when we worked on Samson
and Goliath, setting the blood mats there.
He says, I'm awful proud of that, that I knew your dad.
Well, so am I. You see, that was God in
Providence. I'll tell you another wee thing
that happened in the Coleraine Congregational Church basement
hall. We were working there, Andy and
me. I was his apprentice and there's
another man, Misty Eddie Norris, and he looked at me and he said
I know who you are, son. You're you're Gerry Mclachlan's
son. And I said, Oh yes, but did you
know my dad? No, I'm son.
I was there the night he gave us testimony in Cologne, Orange
Hall in Coleraine. And then he went away to Belfast
by Andy and the both of them backslid.
Think they'd get in there? We better drink, son.
But Andy, come back to the Lord. Now.
That was thrilling because you see, God in Providence had
placed me to work alongside a man who was my dad's best friend
in his younger days. And I'm proud to say tonight
from this pulpit that Andy Alexander was a good loyal
friend, not just to me, but a friend to the Reverend Colin
McFarland, a friend to others, a friend who was loving, a friend
who was loyal, and a friend who was life giving of his time, his
talent. You see, the friendship between
David and Jonathan was not by accident.
It was not by chance. It was by divine design.
And that's why I called it there this evening.
As you think about those words, the providential, not just the
painful desire, but the providential depth of that love.
But one final thing. Bear with me.
Think of the pleasant description of love.
Notice what it says in the text. Very pleasant has thou been unto
me. Thy love to me was wonderful.
Now think with me as we wrap this up.
Think of the existence of this love.
Love is the highest form and emotional connection that we can
have in relationships. David and Jonathan had real
moments of joy and laughter. They had fellowship.
David remembered their conversations in the words that
were spoken. David remembered their times of
communion together. He remembered their conquest
together. He remembered their
companionship together. Even going to the House of God.
David recalled it all. It was not overlooked in his
grief. He enjoyed the pleasant memories
of fellowship. He remembered not just the loss
of his dear friend, but he remembered the life.
And that's why at funeral times we have a celebration of the
life because we want to remember the life that was lived,
remember the legacy that was left, remember the shared
experiences for family and friends because when they recall
it, the memory, as David says, very pleasant, has now been unto
me. Now you think also very quickly
here of the expression of this love.
Notice what it says in the text. Thy love to me was wonderful.
We were singing as the love of Jesus, something wonderful.
You see, he was not diminishing other relationships, but he's
delighting in the relationship that he had with Jonathan
because he was delighting in the depth of a faithful purity of
Jonathan's love. It was a special love, a
sacrificial love. It was a sweet love.
It was a steadfast love. You see, this boy, the King's
son, stood by David, supported David, strengthened David, even
when it meant surrendering his own claim to the throne.
I put it to you, this is true covenant love.
Here's a mark of true love. Jeremiah 31 and three.
God says I've loved you with an everlasting love.
You never ever doubt that the Lord loves you.
Sometimes the devil will fill that mine with that thought, but
just remember this, the Bible says.
But God commanded his love toward us, and while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. And over there in first John
chapter 4 and in the verse 10, we read here in his love, not
that we love God, but He loved us and sent the Son to be the
repatiation for our sins. Verse 19 He says we love him
because He first loved us. Is he?
Why did God set his love on us? We were sinners.
We were dead in trespasses and sins.
We were blind to God. We couldn't see spiritual truth
or see that we had a soul and needed to be saved, that we we
were diseased in our affections. We know love or fear or thought
of God and then that state and condition with a heart full of
depravity and a love for sin. Then this wonderful love of God
was revealed to us and I believe tonight all true love as a
reflection of the greatest love of all.
And I'll tell you tonight, there is no love like the love of
Jesus, whether it's the love of two friends in a covenant
relationship like David and Jonathan or the love of true
friends like Andy Alexander that did Colin McFarlane.
We've seen a wee picture of them standing with their arm around
each other. And I was thinking of the love
and I knew the love that they had.
Reverend Colin McFarlane left a special letter that was read
out. It was never read before.
It was given before he died, sealed, and then it was read out
at the funeral and it spoke about my best friend.
But you see all of that, even the love of a man to the woman
it peels into in comparison, when we think of the love of
Jesus, there is no love like the love of Jesus.
Now let me ask as we wrap this up, do you know the love of
Christ tonight is that love of Jesus gripped your heart and
night Peter remember was asked the question love us to me.
Do you love him tonight? Is your heart one with him?
Can you say with Solomon, this is my beloved, this is my
friend. We we love him.
Why because he first loved us gave himself for us.
This little glimpse of the Saviour's love.
We can recall the love of Christ, especially in times of
trouble, especially in times of hardship and distress.
See, even in such times as that your heart and mind can be full
of thankfulness. Nothing can break our heart or
deliver us from coldness or worldliness or waywardness, but
a glimpse and a taste of the love of Jesus.
Surely we can say tonight this we don't meditate on them
enough. Surely we can say this.
We often rush headlong into sin, sinful paths, and sinful ways.
Oftentimes we forget the great urgency to be where Christ is.
That's why it's important to be at morning worship, evening
worship, the prayer meeting, because He is there for two or
three are gathered together. I am there and we're there to
meet with Him. Instead of having closer ties
with the world, we should have closer ties with Him.
Who is the Word? Where's our hunger and thirst
for the Word? See, little or no hunger for the
Word is a sign that we're not filled with a deep sense of the
love of Jesus. We need a sight of Him.
We need a taste of Him very quickly, and our time is gone.
The evidence of this love. See, one day He would come to
live in a palace. He killed Goliath of Gath.
First Samuel 18, verse 4. And whenever he came in, he came
in with a shepherd dress. I don't know what it looked
like. We could get an artist's
impression. Just the rags of a shepherd boy.
Imagine him coming to the palace and a lot of tethering going on.
Not on head nod and you know, look at the cut of hem.
Well, do you know what Jonathan the King's son did?
He gave him his clothes, He gave him his royal robes, He gave him
his sword, He gave him his bow, He gave him his girdle, He gave
him his horse. Jonathan gave his royal robes to
David. You see the love that David
experienced. And Jonathan points us again to
Christ. Because the Lord Jesus stripped
off his clothes at the cross, and the Lord Jesus gloved
himself in the garments of our unrighteousness.
He was made sin for us, that is He.
He bore the guilt and punishment of our sin as He died in the
cross in an offer sails. We were not fit to enter into
heaven. We were sinful and unclean.
The Lord Jesus went to the cross after His resurrection.
He stood before the Father's throne, and He stands there
clothed in the garments of righteousness in our room
instead. And because He is there in
heaven, we can enjoy pardon from all sin.
The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all the We
can enjoy the Father's presence because he says, no, I'm with
you always. We can enjoy the Father's
provision. We can enjoy the the the
Father's protection. Jonathan promised to defend
David, to protect David, even when Saul's father wanted to put
David to death. David and Jonathan made a
covenant of friendship that they would not turn on each other,
that they would trust each other.
See, that's the evidence of this love, and it's expressed in
their last meeting. The last meeting I had with Andy
Alexander was in the nursing home in Cornfields.
The last meeting that David and Jonathan had is recorded in
First Samuel chapter 20, verse 41.
They could not bear to be parted from one another.
That place was a place of tears. That place was an intimate
embrace. The design, the purposeful
design of love was displayed. I wonder tonight, do you know
Christ? Are you trusting him as he your
Lord, as he your Saviour? I believe that David didn't
fully understand why. Jonathan, his life ended as a
dead, he died in battle. Of course he didn't understand
it. He'd do answers, but he had a
trust in the purposeful sovereignty of God.
The purposeful design of love was displayed here.
He affirms that God is not mistaken.
Job remember said the Lord giveth the Lord of taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. This is not about resignation.
This is about rest and trust. God is not absent in the hours
of grief, in the hours of loss. Our life is not random.
Our lifespan is numbered. Our life bounds are set.
And if we think of those words as we finish, isn't the love of
Jesus something wonderful? Again, I press home this truth.
Do you know Him? Are you trusting Him?
Have you turned from your sin? Have you believed in the Lord
Jesus Christ? It says believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ and as you behave, not try harder, not do better,
but believe Have you believed? Have you put your trust in
Christ? He's entered into heaven on our
behalf. He's praying now with the ground
of the shed blood before his face.
David's love for Jonathan, John, his love for David past the the
love of woman. Can you think of David having
two waves and yet he says both of them together.
Jonathan's love was greater than the love of his wife to him.
A godly life leaves a legacy. A godly life continues to speak.
A godly life touches lives. I trust and pray this evening
that what I've said that the Lord will bless and apply this
truth to our.