PowerPoint

Guest (Female): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham.

Jack Graham: I don't want any of you to underestimate the value of having a friend, because these friends are vital parts of our lives. A real friend is a true gift from God.

Guest (Female): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how your friendship can share Christ's transforming power with others. Now here's Dr. Graham with his message, "The Gift of Friendship."

Jack Graham: Take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Samuel 18. We are studying together significant episodes in the life of David. You can spend a long time in the life of David. He is one of the most compelling, interesting, dynamic personalities in history. Certainly, when we read the Bible, we cannot miss David. He is described as a man after God's own heart because he did the will of God in his life. To be a man after God's own heart is to be committed to following Christ passionately and purposefully in your life every day. That's what it means to have a heart for God.

I want to have a heart for God. I want my heart to reflect a love for Christ and a commitment to Christ that truly makes a difference in my life, in my work, and my relationships. Men aren't all that interested in relationships. A lot of us leave in the darkness and we drive to work, spend all day, we come down our street, we hit our garage door opener, and we roll into the garage and shut the door and walk inside. Maybe work in our backyard, which is sort of the moat around our castle. We rarely talk to our neighbors. Many of us do not even know our neighbors' names.

We don't have relationships at the office; we don't have relationships in our neighborhoods because we just don't value friendship. For some reason, we have the idea that we don't really need friends. We buck up and muscle up and think that we can make it on our own. Yet to do this is to deny a basic human need. When God created the man, he created the man and said the man is good, and then declared it is not good that man should live alone. Primarily, that speaks of the relationship of a man and a woman, and God created Adam's wife.

But the principle is also true in terms of relationships beyond the marriage. We were not meant to live alone. I don't want any of you to underestimate the value of friendship, the value of having a friend, because these friends are vital parts of our lives. Thank God for friendship. A real friend is a true gift from God. In our scripture in 1 Samuel chapter 18, Saul is still the appointed king of Israel, though he is no longer the anointed king of Israel. David is the anointed king; he is the king in waiting. David has slain the great giant as we saw the last time that we were together.

It is just a matter of time when David ascends to the throne. He will go through a tremendous battle against Saul and the carnal forces of Saul in order to ascend to the kingdom and into his kingship. All the while, Saul, who is the king, is sinking deeper and deeper into sin and uselessness. After the slaying of the great giant and David became the most popular man in Israel, Saul became insanely and violently jealous of David. This young man who is destined for the throne ends up in a tremendous battle against the king. Saul desires ultimately to kill David.

David begins running for his life like a fugitive, hiding in deserts and dens. He is living in the furnace of affliction. God often puts us through the fire and through difficult tests, even with people, in order to strengthen us and prepare us for leadership and the responsibilities. But in the midst of this conflict and in the midst of David's ascent and rise to power, God did something for David that I pray you will allow God to do for you. God gave David a friend, a friend by the name of Jonathan. What an influence, what an encouragement, what a strength this friend was to David.

Verse one of chapter 18 says this, "Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit," note that word knit, "it was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." Then look down at verse three, "Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt." Let me just say parenthetically before we proceed in this conversation about this manly friendship that some have tried to take these verses and use them as an illustration for some kind of a perverted or homosexual relationship.

None of that is here. That is absolutely false. That is an abuse of the scripture, and anyone who says that about the David-Jonathan relationship is simply twisting the word of God. This is a godly relationship; it is a spiritual relationship. It is a relationship that is perhaps unique in all of the Bible, this lifelong, loving friendship between David the shepherd and Jonathan the son of Saul. Yes, Jonathan was the son of Saul, and in that sense, he was a prince in Israel. So now these two men meet, and they are knitted together in heart and in soul.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge said that a friend is like a sheltering tree. Just as a tree must be planted and a tree must be cultivated and nurtured, so should friendships, like trees, be planted in our lives. We should cultivate them and take care of them. This is a day to take care of your friends because a friend is a rich resource from the hand of God, a rare find in a believer's life. It's important that you not try to have too many close friendships. Wisdom tells us that friendship must be cultivated, and you can really only cultivate a few deep, deep friends.

In fact, there's a verse in scripture in Proverbs 18, verse 24. It says, "A man of many friends comes to ruin." Interesting verse, isn't it? "A man of many friends comes to ruin." Why? Because it takes time, effort, and energy, and even money, to really cultivate friends. Friends are costly. It will cost you in prayers and devotion and commitment. A friendship and the need for friendship is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of strength to hook up with godly men in friendships that are based upon a relationship in Christ. To deny friendship is to deny your basic humanity.

Even Jesus had close, intimate friends. He loved everyone, and he ministered to people who came into his pathway, but he chose 12 men to be with him, and these were his closest friends. Even among the 12, there were three, Peter, James, and John, that were seemingly the inner circle of the disciples. God doesn't have favorites. Jesus didn't play favorites, but he does have intimates. Even among the three, there was one who went all the way to the cross when Jesus died. While Peter denied and others fled, John, the son of thunder, stayed.

He was the guy who was so angry one day he said, "Let's just pray that God will send down judgment upon these people and kill them all." He was the son of thunder. But he learned in a relationship with Jesus, as he was so close to Christ, to hear the heart of God for people. He would later write, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." The son of thunder became known as the Apostle of Love because Jesus changed his life. So friendship, if God the Son needed friendships, all of us need connections, relationships in life.

Guest (Female): You are listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "The Gift of Friendship." July 4th, 2026, will be a day of great celebration for the 250th birthday of our great country. However, there has never been a more important time in our 250 years as a nation where we need God to move in power and heal our land. That's why I'm inviting you to join Dr. Graham in a prayer challenge for our nation. To join, simply text the word CRY to 59789. Again, text CRY to 59789.

Remember that your support of PowerPoint Ministries helps people encounter Jesus through clear biblical teaching. Through the support of friends like you, lives are being strengthened, faith is being renewed, and seekers are discovering the hope only found in Christ. Your partnership is so vital that when you give this month, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, *Life According to Jesus*, as our thanks. It's a powerful journey through the Gospel of John that shares wisdom from the life of Christ to help you respond to real-world struggles. To give your gift, text APRIL to 59789. Again, text APRIL to 59789. Now, let's get back to today's message, "The Gift of Friendship."

Jack Graham: This friendship, this relationship is a selfless friendship. I see that in verse one of 1 Samuel 18. It says that Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Every man, every woman for that matter, has a basic love of self. We take care of ourselves. It is healthy, it is wholesome to have a respect for yourself and even a love for yourself. Jesus said that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. I can't love my neighbor if I first do not have a healthy love and respect for myself.

I can't love you until I first love me. Now, those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have an advantage because the Jesus in me can love the Jesus in you, and we have an immediate connection in Christ. We have a spiritual relationship in Jesus, though these must be developed, and yet we have this advantage in life because we have these built-in friendships, this brotherhood in Christ. If I hate me, if I don't like me, what do you think I'm going to do to you? I'm going to dislike you.

A lot of guys, this is a problem because we don't love self in the way that self ought to be loved, but we loathe self and we don't have the basic self-respect and self-esteem that we need. Therefore, because we don't have a healthy self-image, we are unable to love someone else. Our own wives, our own kids, and certainly friends as we ought to love one another. But when I am secure within myself, when I am strong inwardly, I no longer feel threatened by others. Like David and Jonathan, their souls were knit together and I can share myself because I feel I have something worthwhile to share.

Think with me just for a moment what we have in Christ. Knowing Christ is knowing that we are accepted by him. Now, when I accept the truth that God accepts me, that's salvation. And when I accept the fact that Christ has accepted me, I can accept me, and that's self-esteem. It's really Christ-esteem. And when I accept the fact that God accepts me, then I accept me, then guess what happens next? I can accept others. Now, when I read about Jonathan here, I am amazed that he became David's friend.

In the sense that Jonathan was the king's son; he was Saul's son. He was potentially the heir to the throne. And yet knowing that David has been anointed by God to be the king, knowing that David is ascending in popularity and power in the nation, he loves him. There's no jealousy here. There's no envy here. There's no anger here. There's no putting David down in order to raise himself up. Jonathan was selfless. It was a selfless relationship. It was an unconditional friendship. This is what a real friend does. A real friend elevates his friend.

But not only that, it was a steadfast, lasting friendship. Look down in verse three. Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt. A covenant was made. It was unchangeable; it was unbreakable. Put it down: this friendship never changed. Over in 1 Samuel 20 and verse 42, here's what the Bible says about this covenant.

Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, 'May the Lord be between you and me and between your descendants and my descendants forever.'" So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. In other words, this was a spiritual bond that lasted a lifetime. This friendship was steadfast. Over in 1 Samuel 23, I just want to give you a flavor of this friendship. Verse 16, David's down at this point. He's discouraged. Saul is hunting him down, and it looks like some of Saul's men are about to take David out. He's hiding in caves at this point. He's struggling with who he is and what he's supposed to be doing. He was down, down, down. Have you ever been like that?

Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. Don't you love that? Here's this brother in the battle and he's down, and Jonathan, rather than thinking, "Now wait a minute, David's down. Maybe he's out. Maybe this is my chance to get back in the picture here for the big job." No, he didn't put him down. He built him up and he did it by strengthening his hand in God. He encouraged him. He strengthened him in the Lord.

Proverbs 17:17, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." You want to find out who your friends are, who your real friends are? Fall down and see who's there to pick you up. Make a mistake and see who's there to encourage you to pick you up, no matter what. Get in trouble and find out who will be there to get you out of trouble. A brother is born for adversity and a friend loves at all times. Listen to Proverbs 27, verse 10: "Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend, nor go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity; for better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away."

It was a selfless friendship, it was a steadfast friendship, but there's a third thing: it was a sacrificial friendship. Verse four, the scene when Jonathan took off his robe that was on him and gave it to David with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt. Jonathan invested in his friend. Jonathan shared. He had much; he was a prince. David had very little; he was just a shepherd. And a friend is willing to give to another person in order to profit that person's life.

So real friendships are costly. 1 Samuel 20, verse four: Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you desire, I will do it for you." Said, "You need something, buddy, and I got your back. Whatever you need, your heart's desire, I'm going to be there for you." Friendship, this kind of loving, lasting friendship never seeks its own reward. What a friend is Jonathan to David. And ultimately, David returned that friendship in many ways when he loved the household of Jonathan and brought Jonathan's crippled son into his own house. That's another story we'll get to later.

But there's one final thing in closing: it was a sanctifying friendship. The word sanctifying means to make godly. It was a godly friendship and it built godliness in one another's lives. In the chapters that followed, you will find David is a better man, a more godly man, because of his friendship with Jonathan. A true friend, a real friend will make you a better person, a better man. The Proverbs also say, "A companion of fools will be destroyed." And bad company corrupts good morals. You hang out with fools, you'll be a fool.

And that's why you better make sure that you choose your friends careful and that you choose godly friends, friends that will strengthen you, not just buddies that drag you down, the guys you hang out with that don't do anything for you, but men who will challenge you spiritually. Now, my best friend is my wife, and I hope you can say that your wife is your best friend. But be that as it may, not only do you need to say that your wife is your best friend, but every man needs some men, at least a man or two in their lives that can build them up and encourage them and strengthen them in their faith and hold them accountable in their lives.

Proverbs 27:17, mark it down: "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." What does that mean? A real friend will put an edge on your life, will sharpen you and strengthen you, will make you better, keener, if you will, polishing you, preparing you for spiritual battle. And the best thing you can have is a friend who loves you enough that his purpose in your life would be to make a better man out of you. A real friend will make you more like Jesus. That's what a real friend does. It is a sanctifying relationship. And that includes being man enough and being friend enough to confront you when you do the wrong thing. Will love you enough never to forsake you when you do the wrong thing, but will love you enough not to condone your wrongdoing and will call you out if you're doing the wrong thing. That's a friend. It's a life-building relationship.

Guest (Female): You are listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "The Gift of Friendship." Let me remind you that your support helps bring the life-changing truth of Jesus Christ to people across the world through PowerPoint Ministries. And this month, we'd love to send you a powerful resource as our way of saying thank you for your gift. It's Dr. Jack Graham's book, *Life According to Jesus*. In this transformative journey through the Gospel of John, you'll discover not just what Jesus might do, but what he actually did when facing life's hardest questions.

And we'll be excited to send you this resource because your generosity helps place this kind of biblical teaching into the hands of seekers and believers alike, equipping them to live according to Jesus's example every day. To give your gift, just text APRIL to 59789. Again, text APRIL to 59789. July 4th, 2026, will be a day of great celebration for the 250th birthday of our great country. However, there has never been a more important time in our 250 years as a nation where we need God to move in power and heal our land.

That's why I'm inviting you to join Dr. Graham in a prayer challenge for our nation. To join, simply text the word CRY to 59789. Again, text CRY to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: Everyone grows up looking for friends. Usually, your friends are the people you like to be around and the people you enjoy doing things with and certainly having shared interests. Well, that's the starting place for friendship, but there are two things that you simply have to have in your good friends. As a believer in Jesus Christ, it is important that these essentials be a part of your friendship factor. First, a good friend will be one who is faithful to God, faithful to Jesus Christ. This is the friend that delights in purity and whose influence will always be in the ways of God, the ways of truth and righteousness.

And because they love God, they'll be the kind of friend that really cares, that really loves because the love of God is in their heart. So when you pick a friend, make sure they know Christ and are faithful to God. I'm talking about the people you're closest to. We all have acquaintances, and we ought to make acquaintances and share friendship with everyone, especially people who need to know Jesus. But I'm talking about your closest friends, your band of brothers or sisters. Let these be men and women of God.

If someone wants to leave God out of their life, then really that's not the kind of friend you need because that friend will not build you up but ultimately could tear you down. The second thing you want is a friend that is faithful to you. You see, a real friend will walk in when everybody else is walking out. A good friend is committed to the best for you and the best in you. Now, I know that friends like these are rare. They're hard to find.

And if you're looking for a friend, yet you have never met Jesus personally, then let me tell you: he is the best friend. He is the greatest friend. He will love you and care for you like no one else. And remarkably, even though he is Lord of life, even though he is God and knows everything about you, your failures, your mistakes, he walks in when the world walks out. He still loves you and will make you his own. As you look for friends, make sure that you come to Jesus first. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He will forgive you of your sins, give you a brand new life, never let you go, and walk by your side forever.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, *Life According to Jesus*. Just text APRIL to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can overcome evil with good with God's help. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.