Well, that's not what I was going
to preach on. Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 17. Proverbs chapter
17. I'd like to look at one verse
of Scripture. Proverbs 17, 17. The Scripture
says, A friend loveth at all times. And a brother is born
for adversity. The word friend is from a root
word that means this, to associate with. To associate with. That's what the word friend means. To associate with. And according to this scripture,
and this is the only authority, God's word is the last word,
first and last, first and last word, a friend loveth at all
times. Now, you know, we have many in
this world that we consider to be our friends. And they are. They're dear and precious associates. We associate together. We come
together. There's friendship here. There's
friendship. I like to be around you. I like
to talk to you. I like to hear what you have
to say. Friends. But what we call friends. A friendship actually is something
that begins in time. That's friends. But according to that Scripture
right there, John 17, 17, a friend loveth, and you know the rule
of ETH on the end of a word. It is present progressive, forward
and backward, loveth. It never stops. So according
to the Scripture, a true friendship never started. A friend loving
at all times. Now this is what the Scripture
says concerning the friend of sinners. That's what the Lord
said. The friend of sinners. That's who He was. Jeremiah 31
says, The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love. That means before God's people,
God's elect, God's chosen were ever created in time, before
they ever came forth from their mother's womb. they were always
loved by the Lord. He said, I've always loved you. He told Jeremiah, before I formed
you in the belly, we just looked at this the other day, before
I formed thee in the belly, I knew you. I knew you. I created, I formed what I already
knew and loved. You were always mine. God's people
have always been chosen. Chosen in Christ, Ephesians 1-4
says, from before the foundation of the world. They were always
in Him. Before they were ever made? Yeah. God knew them. They were in God's mind. True
friendship never started. A friend loveth at all times. And if friendship never started,
then it never ends. It loveth. It goes both ways. You know what? What we refer
to as friends, that may fade. I had some fellows that I knew
in college and I called them my friends. These are my friends,
you know, my buddies. But by the grace of God, I don't associate with them anymore.
I mean, we were close, we associated, but differences, and distance,
but differences, caused that friendship to fade. I want you
to just hold your finger right there. Turn to 2 Samuel 1 verse
26. Let me show you how the Scripture,
2 Samuel 1 verse 26. You know, Jonathan and David,
they were dear friends. They loved each other. And Jonathan
was Saul's son, and Jonathan knew that God was going to give
the throne to David. And Jonathan, his daddy, was
the king. Jonathan's daddy was Saul. And
Saul, Jonathan knew, God's going to take it away from my daddy,
and He's going to give it to David. And he loved David, and
David loved him. And Jonathan asked him, he said,
when God gives you the kingdom, would you remember my family? And you know, Jonathan had a
boy named Phibosheth, and you know that story. But here's what
scripture says about earthly friendship. It ends. It ends. Jonathan and his daddy
Saul were killed by They were in the battle and an Amalekite
killed Jonathan and his daddy, the king and his son. And David,
that Amalekite, he was going to brag about it. He was going
to come to David and tell David. Now, King Saul was trying to
kill David. But David had respect under Jonathan
because that was the Lord's anointed. God had raised up that king.
That king was trying to kill him, but David recognized God's
authority. And this Amalekite killed Saul
and Jonathan, David's friend. That Amalekite came to David
and said, Saul and Jonathan's dead. He said, how do you know? Amalekite told him. He said, I came up on him. He was being pursued. And Saul
told me, he said, go ahead and kill me. so I don't get captured. Amalekiah killed him. And Amalekiah
came and told David that he did it. He thought David would reward
him. And David said to one of his
soldiers, kill him. He laid his hand on God's anointed. He lifted up his hand against
God's anointed. You kill him. And he killed him.
And here's what David said in 2 Samuel 1.26. because of the
death of his friend, Jonathan, I am distressed for thee, my
brother Jonathan. Very pleasant hast thou been
unto me. Thy love to me was wonderful. Passing the love
of women, how are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war
perished? Your friendship, Jonathan, was
wonderful to me. You and I were great friends. You and I had a close, close
relationship. Friendship in this world ends
by death, but according to Proverbs 17, 17, a friend loveth at all times. This is the one who said, I will
never leave you, nor forsake thee. So true friendship is eternal. True friendship can only be found
in one who is immutable, who never changes, never thinks differently,
never acts differently. Almighty God said, Malachi 3.6,
I am the Lord, I change not, therefore your sons of Jacob
are not consumed. If Almighty God has set His love
upon an object of His mercy, Listen to this, nothing you can
do can ever change that love. He said, I don't change. That's
the reason you're not consumed. He who has everlastingly loved
his people did not stop loving them when they fell in Adam.
He didn't stop. I cannot do anything to change
him and thanks be unto God. A true friend never changes. A true friend loveth at all times the merit of Almighty God that
He has put upon friendship. Abraham was called the friend
of God. I think to myself, Lord, could
it be that You could say to me that Marvin is your friend, that
Marvin Stoniker is the friend of God. If he is my friend, he
has made me so. The Lord said, ìGreater love
hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.î
He said, ìYou are my friends. If you do whatsoever I command
you, and Godís people do.î Do you know how I know that? Because
in his high priestly prayer back in John 17, The Lord says, I've
given unto them the word that you've given Me, and they've
kept it. What word is that? They believe Me. That's His commandment. This is the commandment of God
that you believe. That you believe Him. Boy, I'm
thankful for natural friendships and relationships. I've got some
dear, precious friends in this room right here. And for that,
I'm thankful. But I need a friend that sticketh
closer than a brother. I need a friend that God Almighty
delights in. I need a friend that can answer
to God for me. I need a friend that will speak
for me, that will approach God for me, that God accepts. I need a friend that God delights
in. I need a friend that is God. And I need a friend that is man. John 1 says, ìIn the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.î I need a friend that I can hide
in. Moses said, Lord, show me your
glory." And the Lord said to Moses, He
said in Exodus 33, I'm going to cause all my goodness to pass
before thee, and I'm going to hide you in the rock. I need
one that I can hide in. I need one that will protect
me. I need assurity. that's going to answer for me. Ephesians 1, verses 3 and 4,
we've read this so many times, but here's the one that I want
to answer for me. The surety Himself. Ephesians 1, 3 and 4, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed
us. with all spiritual blessings.
We've got some temporal blessings right now. We live in a wonderful
country. It's wonderful. I know people
think, and I'm very, very disappointed in a lot of things I see, but
I'm going to tell you something. I wouldn't want to go anywhere
else. I've been in another country and I think, I want to get back
to the United States. I just want to drink some water.
out of a tap. You want to get some water out
of a tap and drink it. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings and heavenly places in Christ. According as He has
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy and without blame before Him in love. having predestinated
us, determined the destination beforehand unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good
pleasure of His will. I need a surety that will answer. I need a friend that Almighty
God always looks to, to answer for me. I don't want God to look
to me to answer. I do not want God to look to
me to answer. I want Him to look upon my surety. The One who has undertaken for
me, that has said, I will answer for Him. I will live for Him
perfectly. I will obey every jot and tittle
of God's law. For Him, for all you've given
me, and everything that He owes because of His disobedience, you put that on my account. And
I'll be made what He is. I'll be made sin for Him. And I'll die under the judgment
of God Almighty. And I'll answer to the law's
demand for justice. And the soul that sinneth is
going to die and I'll be made sin. And I'll die that He goes
free. That's the friend I need. That's
the friend I need. that Almighty God would give
me friends in this world. But I need a friend that will
answer for me, Mitch, forever. I need a friend, a real friend,
a true friend. A friend that not only wants
to, but can answer, that can answer. You take the blood, you kill
that animal, you kill that lamb, you put that blood on the side
post and on the top, on the lentil. And I'm going to come through
Egypt tonight, and I'm going to kill the firstborn. Except where that blood is put
on the door. The blood shall be to you for
a token upon the houses where you are, and when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. And the blood of the plague shall
not be upon you when I smite the land of Egypt. I need a friend that can clothe
me. Adam and Eve sinned against God
and Scripture says both of them were
naked and they weren't ashamed. Nothing to be ashamed of. And
they rebelled against God and God Almighty came in the cool
of the evening. Scripture says back in the Garden
of Eden, Adam and Eve and hidden themselves from God, and got
them some fig leaves, the Scripture says, and tried to clothe their
nakedness. And God said, Adam, where are
you? As I said before, God knew where he was. He was going to
let Adam know where Adam is now. Where are you now, Adam? Well,
here's where I am. I'm scared. I'm naked. And I'm
going to have to face you. He said, did you eat? Yeah, the woman that you gave
me, she gave it to me. Here's what I need. I need to
be clothed before God because of the nakedness of my own rebellion.
Isaiah 61 and verse 10 says, I will greatly rejoice in the
Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my
God, for He hath clothed me. with the garments of salvation.
He hath covered me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom
decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself
with her jewels." I need a friend that will cover me before God
in absolute holiness. I need a friend that can robe
me in perfect obedience. I need a friend. I need a friend
that according to his merit alone, according to his merit, my friend's
merit, there can be said of me, because of my friend, there is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus
who walk not after the flesh, that is, after the attempt to
justify themselves before God by their own works. But they
walk after the Spirit. Faith in Christ. But what's the
grounds? What's the grounds? That justice before God. That's the friend I need. Where
can I find a friend like that? Where can a friend be found like
that? What does a friend like that
What must he do to do for me what I can't do for myself? Well,
back in Proverbs 17, 17, the last part of this verse answers
it. The first part says, A friend loveth at all times, and a brother
is born for adversity. A brother is born for trouble.
And man is born in trouble. I can tell you that right now.
This precious friend, that Word that was made flesh and dwelt
among us, He is our kinsman-redeemer. He is one made like unto us,
as I said before, yet without sin. Here is the brother right
here that was born. He had to be born. God humbled
himself and allowed himself to be conceived in the womb of a
virgin. And for nine months, for nine
months, God, God grew in human flesh in the womb
of a virgin for nine months. and was born just like His people
are. Came forth, not speaking lies,
because there is no sin in Him. Here is God-man born for adversity,
born for His people's need. Why? Because all had sinned and
come short of the glory of God. This One that was born for adversity
is the One who eternally loved me and saw me polluted in my
own blood when I fell in Adam. He was born for my trouble, born
for adversity. A child was born, a son was given. The Son of Man. And He lived
before God and God looked upon Him as the federal head and representative
of all of God's people. And everything that they needed,
that their friend supplied, God looked to and accepted. And accepted
us in the Beloved. We deserve to die. And He bore
our griefs and carried our sorrows. And He finished the work of redemption.
And now that He's answered for every sin that I've ever committed
and every one of His people's committed, He's answered for
every one of them. He's answered for every one of them. How about
the one I'm going to commit tomorrow? How about the one I'm committing
right now while I'm preaching? Because I can't think on Him
perfectly as I ought. That's sin of omission. Commission
and omission. Not only what I did, but what
I should have done. What about those? Listen to this. Let me ask you this. Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's will? It's God that justifies. God has declared them not guilty.
Who is He that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. His very presence, His blood. And in the time of love, the
time of God's regenerating grace, he passes through mysteriously
and causes his people to get unto this sound. This is the
only message, the message of God's sovereign grace. This is
the only message that God is going to bless to the salvation
of his land. The message that Paul said, I'm
not ashamed of. And what happens is he causes
those that He is going to show mercy to, to get unto this sound,
and they are going to hear this gospel. And when He pleases God,
He is going to bless it to their heart, and He is going to give
them a new heart, a new mind, a new spirit, and He is going
to reveal to them what He has done. And He is going to say
unto them, when He pleases Him, live. And they live. He speaks life to them. I need a friend. I need a friend
that can save me, because I can't save myself. I need a friend
that can keep me, because I can't keep myself. I need a friend that loves me,
that will ever love me, and has given me His Word. I'm not going
to change. truly the friend of sinners is
the only hope that a sinner's got. Lord have mercy upon us
for Christ's sake. Amen.