Choose A Wise Companion 4-10-96 WED

4-10-96 WED

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Proverbs chapter 13 tonight. Proverbs chapter 13. Now on Sunday night uh we went about two and a half hours in that service, and I'll give you a little bit of that time back tonight. Uh make it up to you slowly but surely maybe. Proverbs chapter 13, verse I'll tell you in a minute. Um Sunday night uh I don't think you would find a service where it was uh more accomplished in that period of time than cantata than the preaching and then the Lord's Supper. There was no downtime or dead time, and I didn't hear anybody complain about it. I figured they'd wait till they got to their car to do that. Uh but I noticed some people just stayed around in fellowship, so I thought, well, that's uh that shouldn't be a proverb then. Proverbs chapter 13, and look if you would at one verse of scripture here, and I know many of you read through the book of Proverbs many, many times in your daily devotions, but look at one verse of scripture that you know. But let me explain it to you maybe just a little bit more tonight. Look if you would at verse number 20. Verse number 20. He that walketh with who? Wise man shall be wise. But, here's the flip side of it, a companion of fools shall be destroyed. I'm going to make a statement to you tonight, and I want you to think about it with me. You know, God our Father in heaven is concerned who his children keep company with. Would you agree with that statement? Now, when you think of companionship or keeping company with somebody, I don't know if that's necessarily uh maybe somebody you work beside, uh, although you do work beside them, and they may have a little bit of an influence on you. It may not be so much that you you companion with that person or you keep a lot of company with that person, other than at your workplace. Um maybe you have a neighbor and you know the neighbor, but but you don't keep a lot of company with them. What I'm talking about and what he talks about here is but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. A companion is somebody that we let influence us. A companion is somebody that we let shape our opinions and our attitudes. Let me say it again. Our attitudes. Let me say it again, our attitudes. Because if we're not careful, if we company with the wrong kinds of people, and we say, what do you mean, kinds? Well, the wrong people that have the wrong kinds of attitudes towards what we're doing, it can have an impact on us, which will have an impact on what we do for God. So again, he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Now, probably this is becoming more and more in my life. You know, I'm I'm a little past the teenage years of Christianity now, and I get a little farther into it, and I'm certainly not an old man in the Lord or anything like that, but the the farther I go in the Lord, and the farther I go in leadership, the less I want to be around negative people. Now, I'm not saying that I don't work with people from time to time, and we all have our negative attitudes at times, don't we? Man, I do too. Every once in a while I'll have a bad hair day. Yeah, yeah, laugh, laugh, laugh. What, is it out of place? The idea, though, is uh every once in a while we all have our negative attitudes days, but there's a difference between uh running into it from time to time and living in it. And the more the farther I get as long, the less I want to live in negativity. Why? You say for yourself? No, because I realize I got eight people in my family watching me. From my wife to my children, and then I've got a church watching me. And I've got a church that's being influenced. And you have people you're influencing too in your life. And the idea here is if we're not careful who we company with, we do pick up some of their habits. In fact, if we walk with the wise, we get to be wise. If we walk with the fools, what do we do? We become foolish. And we do foolish things. Um the older I get, the more I want to be around people that edify. The older I get in the Lord, the less I want to be around critical people. Well, you mean what do you mean critical people? People that are constantly, it seems like everything coming in their mouth is criticism. Now, I criticize from time to time. I'm not saying it doesn't happen from time to time, but I'm talking about somebody, you ever been around somebody? It just seems like nothing's going right, and nothing's going to go right, and nothing's ever going right, and they're just living in that in that sorrow, in that, in that hurt, and they just don't ever want to get out of it. Now, we all go through sorrow and hurt, but brother, I don't know about you, but I want to learn from it and get out of it. Amen? I don't want to dwell in it and let that seethe into me or anything like that. So the idea is edifying and and and forbearing, if you would, and encouragement. Look, if you would at the book of Ruth. Stay with me. The book of Ruth. Now, there is something I'll get to, but we need to build a little bit of a foundation tonight. The book of Ruth. If you look in the Bible and just start thinking about companions, uh, some are negative and some are positive, some go both ways. For example, uh, you may or may not know these names. Uh, Gideon and Furah. Uh Phorah was the guy that God said, if you need to go down, Gideon, and get a little bit more uh help, uh, take thy servant Phhurah with you. And uh Gideon and Fura were companions and they propelled each other along. Uh David and Hushai. You know those names maybe. Uh David had a companion whose name was Hushai. Hushai was the guy that met him at the top of the hill just before he ran into Shimei when Absalom took over. So the idea, if you look in companions, uh, when I think of companions in the Bible, uh I think of two Marys that ran to the tomb together or went to the tomb together that morning. And it was uh Mary who? Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus. It seems like there was a companionship there uh during a time of a necessary time where there needs to be comfort. When I think of companions, I think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. That's pretty good companionship to have, amen. Those guys didn't have negative spirits, they encouraged one another, amen? And by the way, that's what in our leadership in our church. I want that for our leadership. Why? Because leadership influences the attitude as it comes down. And if the attitude in our church is more positive and forward-looking and doing something for God and willing to look at our problems when they come up and deal with those problems and not live in denial, that attitude will bleed down in the church too. Amen. But so will a critical attitude. So will a critical spirit, so will gossip. Amen, amen, amen. So the idea, look in the book of Ruth, and you know Ruth and Naomi, I would say they were two good, pretty good companions. If you know the story and maybe you haven't read it for a while, uh I I've been doing jury duty, so I've had a little bit of a time uh here recently. And for whatever reason, this morning, I uh I was saying, okay, Lord, uh, I've done my devotions and everything. What do you want me to do? And and uh Lord just kind of thought about in my mind the book of Ruth. You know, reading the book of Ruth only takes uh, I don't know how long it takes, uh 25 minutes, a half an hour to read it through. Uh it doesn't take very long. And I enjoy the book of Ruth. I was reading through it this morning, and you know, old Naomi, she had some problems. Uh her husband died, then her two sons-in-laws dies. Uh, one of her uh uh uh I'm sorry, her two sons die, and one of her uh daughters-in-law uh doesn't want to come with her. The other one, Ruth, does, and uh, if you know the story, Ruth leaves her culture and everything. But when Naomi comes back at the end of chapter one, she comes back to her hometown and and she's kind of, you know, the Lord has not treated her very well in her own mind, and she says, I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. But you know, Ruth has a good attitude. Ruth comes home and and and and the first thing she does is she she wants to go uh look at Ruth chapter two and notice verse two, again, talking about companionship here. And Ruth the Moabitist said unto Naomi, let me now go to the field and glean ears of corn after him in whose side I shall find grace. You know, I like that because Naomi was down a little bit, and Naomi was kind of, you know, wasn't moving ahead real fast right now, and she wasn't thinking about the future that much, and Naomi, and rightfully so, I'm not down on Naomi. Naomi was kind of living in the past and what had happened to her, and Ruth said, I'm going out to the fields, you know, we need to keep going here. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. So if you know the story, oh old Ruth goes out and goes into the field and she behaves herself properly, and she runs into Boaz out there, and Boaz says, you know, stay by my maidens, and I'll tell the guys to stay away from you. That's a safe place, amen. And uh, and and she goes on out there, and and uh Boaz says in verse 11 of Ruth chapter 2, look at it. And Boaz answered and said unto her, It's fully been showed me all that thou hast done unto my mother-in-law since the death of thine husband. So word has spread. And uh later on, Boaz tells his men, let some handfuls uh of purpose, uh, some of the handfuls of purpose fall out for her, so she can have them. And notice if you would, verse 20. And Naomi said unto her, this is Naomi talking to Ruth, daughter-in-law, blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. What's going on here is Ruth, by her actions, is encouraging Naomi. Is that right? And by the way, that's the kind of companionship we want. We want to have the kind of companionship that encourages one another. In fact, that's what marriage is supposed to be. That's what ministry companionship is supposed to be. That's what we're supposed to be to each other, not stumbling bots, but stepping stones to help us propel. Is that right? Stay with me. So he goes on down, if you know the story. Now uh Ruth has got out there, and boy, she's done it and found some favor. Now uh, verse uh chapter three. Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, verse one, said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? Hey, Ruth's back on her pace, or I'm sorry, Naomi's back on her pace again. Now she's thinking, let's get this thing going. And she starts to tell Ruth, if you would. Naomi tells Ruth what to do, uh, the cultural thing to do, and how to make contact, uh, the proper way. And Ruth uh decides to do what Naomi says, and before long, if you know the story, Boaz and Ruth are married, and the end of the whole thing, if you would, look at chapter 4. Chapter 4, verse 13. And these are two companions that help each other along, two ladies. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife. And when he went into her, the Lord gave her conception. She bare a son. And the women said unto who? Naomi. Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And verse 16, and Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom. The idea is, Ruth helped Naomi, and Naomi helped Ruth, and that's what command companionship is all about. One falls, the other one lifts the other brother or the sister up, and they go on. Is that right? Now listen, that's the right kind of companionship. It's he said, if you walk with the wise, you shall be wise, but if you if you mess around with fools, you're going to be destroyed. I uh I want you to turn to 1 Samuel 23. 1 Samuel chapter 23. And you may say, I know all this. Stay with me. 1 Samuel chapter 23. 1 Samuel 23. And also, would you pick up Proverbs 27? I know you just left the book of Proverbs, but I'm sure you can find it again. Proverbs 27. And 1 Samuel chapter 23. I want to make a statement now, and I want you to listen carefully. One of the ways we choose companionship is by the way we choose a church to serve. Let me say it again. One of the ways we choose companionship is by the choice of the church which we serve in. I want you to think about that. You see, brethren, uh, we say and we understand that the Lord leads people to church. Now, some he leads through salvation to a church. Other people who are he saves, he leads to a church. But also he gives us the desires of our heart. And I don't know about you, but uh I'm of the mindset that I'll just give you three kinds of churches, and I'm really being general about this. You when you start thinking about the companionship that we can have at a church, uh, for example, there's the type of church that's kind of the couch potato church. And by that I mean they come Sunday morning. But they probably don't even have services on Sunday night. And an outreach during the week? No, no, no, no, no. No. Uh maybe a fellowship once in a while. But you, you know, it's basically, well, I come to church. I go to church Sunday morning. They're the kinds when you knock on their door and ask them about their soul, they are the ones who say, I don't think you ought to be doing it this way. You ever run into that? And they're they're kind of offended that you've come and asked them at their home when that should be done only at church. Amen? They're the kind if you pass them on the street corner and you're passing out tracks or something, they're kind of, you know, going the other way, just embarrassed about the home. Then they call the pastor later and say, you know, some of your people were out and they were passing out tracks in a shopping center, or they were passing out, I get these calls frequently, or they were passing out tracks uh, you know, on the street corner. And do you know uh I'm a Christian, and and you know, I just don't know if you realize uh that some people are offended by that. I I get that stuff all the time, and I'm glad I do. I'm glad I do. Last week we got a few calls that way. In fact, we got a few really negative calls from the brethren, or I shouldn't say the brethren because they're not saved, probably, and I'm not talking about couch potatoes, but from people who say, if you show up at my door again, I want you to know I'm calling up, you know, all that stuff, and they cuss over the, you know, really, and they never give their name and phone number. Never. So we got a bunch of those, and I thought, good, that means we're out doing something. Now, don't take that wrong, we're not out to antagonize, but when you hand out thousands of invitations to come to church, you're gonna get a few irate people who feel like you've invaded their privacy. We got one that uh, boy, he just went off on a tirade on the answering machine, and uh and boy, I mean, he just let that answering machine have it. You know, I heard it once and it was simple. Just push that little button and all erased. No big deal. You say, who was he? I have no idea. Where did he live? I don't know. Wherever we had probably 10 soul winning groups out different places. I don't know which one it was. So there's no way we can respond. If he calls back again and says, now listen, I called, I said, Well, listen, you didn't leave your name, you didn't leave your phone number, didn't need say where you live, because chances are we're gonna hit his apartment complex again. Nothing we could do. So the idea is we get those kind of calls, but it's the Christians, uh, so-called, that they're kind of in those couch potato style churches, you know, they're just kind of comfortable and everything's fine, and you know, don't rock the boat. Now, on the other side of that, stay with me, and we're talking about companionship. On the ways side of that, there's the churches that would be uh very uh biding and devouring, uh critical, analyzing other churches, and you know, typically they're the only church in town, just ask them. And nobody else is doing it right, and they're the only ones standing for anything, and you know, the reason the churches that grow it is because people can't take hard preaching. Do you know what I'm talking about? I find people who are growing in the Lord can take any kind of preaching, amen. Sure. They just they just you know eat the chicken and spit out the bones and go on. Sure, people that are growing in the Lord. But you know, they're the biting and the vowing, the creating. Those kind of churches, the people that kind of end up in them, those are the people that's been hurt maybe some along the line, but they want to stay hurt. Now we got people in here that's been hurt, but the people in here don't want to stay hurt. Amen, amen, amen. So sometimes those churches, you know, it's the kind of, well, I'm I'm hurt and I want to stay hurt and I want to talk about it, and you know, and and and I understand all that, but they're not doing a whole lot either than either than uh kind of biting and devouring and being kind of a negative influence. Then uh then there's the kind of churches, if you would, that uh I want our church to be uh forward-looking, uh uh going for the Lord by faith, doing some things, some outreach, uh, as we're outreaching, learning some things about ourselves. Uh you see, to me, I want our church to be a promised land church. Does that make sense? You see, uh, now wait a minute. What's the what's the Couch Potato Church? Those are churches that stayed in Egypt. What's the critical backbiting? Those are the ones in the in the wilderness murmuring about everything that comes up. Amen? They got as far as Katiesh Barney and stopped. And their hearts were back. Do you understand what I'm saying? Uh then there's the ones who said, hey, it's the next generation. We're going on to the promised land. And I want a promised land style church. And that's the kind of people I want to be around. People that are heading for the promised land, not just stopping in the wilderness and not just staying in Egypt. Amen? You say, now you're being critical of other churches. I'm just telling you, there's a lot of different churches out there. And they got a lot of different names on it. But I want to be around a company of people, if you would, that want to do something with their life, that want to face things when they come, and they know there's a promised land that can be lived. Please look up here, right down here on this earth. Oh, you say, no, no, no, no. That's a type, the promised land was a type of heaven. Sure, fighting a lot of battles in heaven, amen. Because the promised land, they still had battles to fight, but please look up here. God was fighting for them, and cities were falling, and God was saying, Listen, I'm going to bring you in the land that you didn't build, but I'm going to give it to you, and then you use it and propel forward from there. Amen? We didn't build this building. We're just passing through this old puppy, amen. Amen. You say, what about the next building? We probably won't build that one either. Promised land, amen? We just use other people's buildings that they've built, and when we, Lord willing, we grow out of that, we go somewhere else, amen? Just keep on going. But the idea is promised land. You have to have a forward looking. You look behind to learn things, you look behind to correct yourself, but you keep forward looking what the Lord wants to do. Now that kind of companionship from time to time is more like a Jonathan and David. Look at Jonathan, what he says to David here. And David was uh he was a fugitive, he was in in what you would consider trouble. Look at 1 Samuel 23. And notice verse 16, brother. Verse 16. Jonathan had a forward-looking style of companionship with David. And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David where? Into the wood. And what did he do? Strengthened his hand in God. What I want you to do tonight is think about this. Who I'm hanging around, are they draining me? Or are they strengthening me? Alan, please look up here. We all drain each other once in a while. But it shouldn't be constant. Are they draining me or are they strengthening me? You know, the right kind of marriage, and may I say this, um some people they they go through marital problems and everything like that, and the first thing they think about is breaking up. You know, better than breaking up, change. Amen? Brethren, calling the marriage off, change. Because two new natures can get along real well. Normally, what needs to change in a marriage to keep it together is change the carnality part of it. Get away from that carnal part and get in the spiritual part, get in the walk in the spiritual. Uh, my wife and I were put together not to hinder each other, to help each other. We're companions. Amen. So his strength is hand of the Lord. And look at the forward-looking, and he said unto him, This is uh Saul, um Saul Jonathan saying to David, Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee. And thou shalt be king over Israel. You know what that is? Forward-looking. And I shall be next unto thee. It never happened, but at least he was looking forward by faith. Amen. And that also Saul my father knoweth. You know what Jonathan says? He just lays it all out. He says, Listen, my dad knows that you're going to be king. As far as I'm concerned, I'm going to be next to you. You know what he's saying? Me and you, David. That's a forward-looking companionship. That's not a backwards-looking, negative, stumbling block routine. And by the way, God lifts that companionship up and that and that uh friendship up. Uh, for example, look at Proverbs 27. Holding your place in 1 Samuel there where you're at. Don't lose that place. 1 Samuel, and go back to Proverbs 27 real quick. Because every once in a while we just need to see who am I hanging around? Who's influencing me? Look at Proverbs chapter 27. You know the verse, but look at verse 17. Verse 17. Iron sharpeneth what?

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Iron.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Now listen, that's what happened with David and Jonathan there. Jonathan came to him and strengthened him in the wood. So a man sharpeneth the what? The countenance of his what? Wouldn't you agree with this? And I'm just relating to this thing's marriage. Shouldn't be a husband picks a wife up, and a wife picks a husband up. Let me say it again. A wife can pick a husband up. Let me say it again. A wife can pick a husband up if the husband will let her. Say amen, guys. If the husband will let her. Amen. And once in a while, my wife, she'll leave me, uh, uh, she goes out different places and she'll she'll leave leave me a book with a section marked in it to read. Last night was interesting. On our bed, she went out with the girls for a while, and on our bed was a book. It was just laying there. And there was a certain uh paper in there, it was marked, and I just thought, well, the book Patty wants me to read. Must be a chapter in there, she wants me to read. So I picked up the book and opened the chapter. And it was uh Mrs. Hiles' book about uh keeping up the roof. And what it dealt with uh first thing says, if your husband's backslide. And so I thought, well, you know, I'm going to read it. My wife left it for me. It's obvious it was sitting right there on my pillow. And, you know, it marked that chapter. So if your husband backslide, and then it talked about the next paragraph, said, you know, if your husband's going along and doing great, be careful, because some of them just leave the ministry and quit it all of a sudden. And I'm reading that thing and I'm going, hmm, this. And then it tells the wife what to do in that case. So I read the whole chapter. In fact, I read it twice. Didn't say anything. And uh tonight, just before I came to church, I said, Patty, I read that book last night. She said, What book? I said, Well, the book you left on my pillow, and the chapter was marked. She said, Oh, oh yeah, I was reading it, but I said, That wasn't for me? She said, No. So I guess the Lord's in it in some way, shape, or form. I don't understand. But I was willing to take the rebuke. Why? Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Oh, by the way, that's in our scripture right there. Look at Proverbs chapter 27. You're right there. Look at verse 5. It says, open rebuke is better than what? Secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a what? A friend. But the kiss of an enemy are deceitful. Brother, wounds of a spouse in this situation, and Patty wasn't trying to ruin me, but there are times Patty's left me notes about. I remember she wrote me a note, uh, I won't tell you how long ago, a while back, and it had to deal with something the way I was working with our children. I didn't get mad at her. Because it was a wound that was needed. She's a friend. And he says she's your wife. The two equate. She's my wife and she's my friend. In fact, uh, she's she is my best friend outside of the Lord. Absolutely, without a shadow doubt. She knows me better than anybody else. I tell her more things about me than anybody else. I spend more time with her than anybody else. Without a doubt. Without a doubt. I mean, don't even, you don't even have to, well, you mean, you, oh, it's because you spend that time at home. No, I mean, throw away at the nighttime, from when we go to bed to when we get up, I spend more time with her in the day than I do anybody else. True story. And now she would say, Wow, you don't spend much time with anybody, do you? And that's true. So uh anyway. The idea, though, faith for the wounds of a friend, uh, when when someone, you know, I I watched this thing with companionship marriages, whatever you want to call it. Um, brethren, uh, we're supposed to wound each other, but for edification, not for destruction. A fool tries to destroy, a companion tries to edify. Faith for the wounds of a friend. Look it down a little just first, a little bit farther in 27. Oh, by the way, you say, give me an illustration of that in the Bible. Nathan wounded David. Is that right? Not to destroy him, but to wound him, to get him right with God. I mean, there's plenty of prophets that came along to wound the ones they were prophesying. Isaiah to Hezekiah. Amen? I mean, it's it's all over the book. So, Proverbs 27, look if you would at verse 9. Who are our companions, they're out for our edification. Verse 9, ointment and perfume rejoice to the heart. So doth the what? The sweetness of a man's friend by what? Hearty counsel. Thine own friend, thy father's friend forsake not. Neither go into thy brother's house in the day of the calamity, for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off. Sometimes, and don't take this wrong, sometimes our blood relatives are not as close as our friends in church. Amen? See, I don't know, I don't know about you, and I'm not trying to be unkind about this. You understand Christianity better than my blood relatives. You would understand what I go through better than my blood relatives. I could talk to some of you more about Christianity and the battles of principalities and powers than some of my blood relatives. I wish my blood relatives were saved. But that's not always the case. Amen? Now, if you have both friends, people in church, and blood relatives, man, you got you got you got something. That's tremendous. But the idea is he says there, thine own friend, thy father's friend, forsake not. Why? Because that hearty counsel, and sometimes it wounds us, and sometimes it edifies us. I'm just asking you tonight, who are your companions? Who do you keep company with? Who's influencing? I'm gonna say something in just a minute, not to hurt anybody, but uh to help somebody. Look back again at 1 Samuel 22, 1 Samuel 22, and pick up 1 Kings chapter 1. You're doing great. 1 Samuel 22, 1 Kings 1. I'm still gonna give you some time back. 1 Samuel 22 and 1 Kings chapter 1. Now let me make a statement to you. 1 Samuel 22 and 1 Kings chapter 1. It is uh it is possible by biblical example for people to go in and out inside of some companionships and go out of those into other companionships and in and out, in and out, in and out. For example, I'll give you an illustration. Uh Moses and Aaron started out doing for the Lord. If remember Moses went up to the mount, what happened to Aaron? He stayed down and got in the wrong influence of the wrong companions down there. And he let them influence him to where he built the golden calf. Is that right? Comes back down and gets back right again with Moses and back with Moses again, but it's not too much later that he's now in affinity with Miriam. And now they're coming against it's the wrong companionship, wrong attitude, wrong spirit. Is that right? And you'll see Aaron, he kind of goes ins and outs a couple times, and Christians do that sometimes. They are in this companionship for a while, and then they're out, and then they're over here, and then they're over there, and they kind of go in and out once in a while. I want to show you a guy that did that, and it's kind of depends on the choices of companionship. But look, if you would, just as an example, look at 1 Samuel 22. And notice, if you would, verse 19. We won't go through his whole life. I preached a message on it a few years ago, but look at verse 19. And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword. This is Doag the Edomite killing the priests that are in Nob because of a situation where the priest helped David, and David was a fugitive. If you haven't read it, read it, read it sometime. So the idea here is verse 20. And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitab, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. So only one gets out, one man, one male, and Abiathar showed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priest. David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul, I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house. We'll give him just a couple minutes. Must have looked up here and saw my face. Amen. Always happens that way. That's what my wife did when she first met me, too. Now I'm just kidding. It's fine. It's fine. No big deal. Usually when my children first see me, they cry and everything. So what are you laughing at, sir? They cry when they saw you. No, okay. They'll get off over it later, especially when they need money. So, anyways, uh Doeg the Edomite, uh, he David is told by Abarthar what's happened. And notice what David says in verse 23. What's the first word?

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Abide with it.

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What does that mean? Stay with me. Abide thou with me. You know what he says? Hey, just just come in, be with us. Hey, just just just come with us. Abide thou with me, fear not, for he that seeketh my life, that's all, seeketh thy life. But with me, thou shalt be in what? Safeguard. You know what David says to Abidhar? Just come with me. Listen, come into our company and just stay with us, you'll be in safeguard. You ought to study the man's life out sometime. He uh he becomes the keeper of the ephod. The ephod is what David called upon. Uh, if you would, uh, David doesn't have access to the uh ark of God during this period of time. And if you would, every time David wants to inquire of the God, he pulls out the linen ephod, if you would, that represents the priest office. And Abiathar is the keeper of that ephod. And so anytime David has to make a major decision, he calls for the ephod, and Abiathar brings the ephod out, and David holds it and prays to God and asks for direction. Abiathar is well thought of, if you would. He becomes one of the priests that bear the ark of God, the ark of the covenant, him and Zadok, if you remember the stories. You say, I don't know any of these people. Well, get in your Old Testament and study them, man. They're all in there for our example. Anyway, so he he puts the uh, he's one of the guys with Zadok that carries the ark. In fact, when David is removed from Jerusalem by Absalom, Zadok and Abiathar are charged with keeping the ark of God. And he stays in David's companionship and company as David becomes king. But look if you would at 1 Kings chapter 1. 1 Kings chapter 1. Abiathar changes the company that he keeps right at the end of his life and makes a major decision and a bad decision. In 1 Kings chapter 1, notice if you would, verse 5. Verse 5. Then Anonijah, the son of Haggath, exalted himself, saying, I will be king. Now Anonijah is not the right king Solomon is. And he prepared him fifty horsemen, fifty chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run before him. And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? He was a goodly man, and his mother bare him after Absalom. Verse 7, look at it. And he conferred with who? You know anything about Joab? He had his own agenda, amen? The son of Zuriel. And with who? Abiathar, the priest. And they, following Anonijah, did what? Helped him. You know what? Anonijah, I'm sorry, Abiathar chose the wrong company. Solomon was going to be king. And Abiathar chose the wrong company. If you follow it out later on, Solomon says to Abiathar, you're worthy of death. Why? Because Abiathar changed company and went the wrong way. And it influenced what he was doing in the rest of his life. He started out great, but he changed company. Brethren, the companions that we keep is vital to what we do for the Lord. That's why it's so important to me that our church has the right attitude. Now, you may say, oh man, you just don't know anything, preacher. You don't know what's going on in the church. Every church has problems. Every church goes through attitude problems, and it depends on who you talk to. But if you come to our church and after all, you say, Well, you know what, I just I just don't know about the attitude of this church. Let me just say this to you. You're talking to the wrong people. I could introduce you to a large number of people who have the right attitude. See, it depends on who you find. And you say, now wait a minute. You're saying there's people in our church? Everybody goes through slumps. Come on. You ever go through a slump? You say, what do you mean slump? I mean batters in baseball. They may be great batters and great hitters, but every once in a while they go through a slump. Every good batter goes through a slump. You know what makes a good batter a good batter? They come out of the slump. Every Christian goes through a slump. Amen. And isn't it interesting? It just seems like sometimes when people come in, if they're not careful, they get around slumping Christians. I can introduce to a number of people that aren't slumping. Well, preacher, uh do you know and there's different attitudes? Yeah, but please look up here. I don't dwell on it and I don't live in it. I don't hang around it. I try to help it. I try to influence it. Do you know uh as a pastor? If I uh if I said, you know what, man, oh, that person has that attitude and I'm their pastor, man, I'm responsible for that attitude. Oh, I'm responsible for that. I'm a terrible pastor. You know what I would have quit 14 years ago? I've only been pastoring 13. It's just like a parent who says, Oh, my child, oh, I'm responsible for for their attitude. If they're adults and you've tried to do the best she could and they've got a bad attitude, what makes you a bad parent? You know, out of my seven children, sooner or later one's gonna have a bad attitude? They're sitting there going, yeah, I know. But I'm not gonna look at myself and say, oh, I'm a I'm a terrible parent. I'm responsible for that attitude. If two of my children backslide and become prodigal for a while, that doesn't mean I'm gonna quit. Because I'm trying to do everything I can to help them. And yeah, I'm learning along the way, and you know our youngest is gonna get the benefit of all the others, you know, teaching to us along the way and all that. But just because I maybe have one or two that have a difficult time, I'm not gonna quit. And say, oh, I'm responsible. And you know, that's hey brother, in a church it's gotta be that way too. You say, what do you do when you when you hear this bad attitude? Well, if they don't bring it to me, I got one blind eye and one deaf ear. Spurgeon, is that right? I'm not trying to be unkind, but I don't look at it. Unless it begins to affect too many. And then you say, What do you do? We'll preach a message like this. Now I'm not doing it because of it, but uh that that seems to help. Amen? Come on now. Why? Because it happens from time to time. Depends on who we company with. We all have slumps, but it doesn't mean we have to we have to live in that thing. Abiathar uh made a decision that was made. Look at 1 Kings chapter 12. Are you getting it tonight? I mean, this is practical, and I know it's practical. It's meant to be. 1 Kings chapter 12. People sometimes get to the place where they where they go in and out of who they company with, depending on where they're at when they're with their Christianity. And sometimes people you know they'll go in and out of churches. And and uh I hope this, I want you to know this. 1 Kings chapter 12, I'm gonna make a I want to get want you to get there, then I want to make a statement to you. 1 Kings chapter 12. I, as a as a father, as a dad, and tr am without a shadow of doubt, trying to ruin my children. I'm trying to ruin them to the opinion that they will never be comfortable in a couch potato church. I never, you say now what do you mean? I'm not, I didn't name any names. I didn't, I'm just talking about a church where Sunday morning only Christians, and that's all they ever do. I never want my children to be comfortable in that. Never, ever, ever. I don't I don't I don't criticize other churches that they only do that, but by what we do in our church, in our family, if they weigh that out and compare it to a Sunday morning only routine, it's kind of like this. Somebody says, well, you know, how do you decide what error is? By looking at truth. You just keep looking at truth long enough. For example, illustration um the uh the tellers in the banks, they handle real money. How do they know counterfeit? They've handled real money so long that they can just sometimes tell by feel what counterfeit is. Is that right? How do you know what error is? Just by handling truth so long. You know what air is. How do you know what couch potato is? By being around this kind of church so long. Sunday morning only would be, oh, uh, yuck, you know, that's not Christianity. Amen? And so I'm trying to ruin my children to the fact that Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, soul winning, involved in activities and everything like that. I want them to grow up that way, so if they ever become couch potato Christians, they will feel uncomfortable. At least they'll be uncomfortable around me. I won't have to say anything. I won't have to say a thing. Well, you say, why are you trying to ruin them to that? That's not fair. Because I want them to have a good judgment seat. And I know by them staying in a promised land type of church that's trying to do something for God, please look up here. By staying in that, they'll have a good better judgment seat. I'm trying to ruin them to where they never will be comfortable in a critical church. A backbiting uh uh wilderness church that people just live in there murmuring and complaining. Sooner or later, if they ever get in that kind of church, I want them to look at it and say, yeah, let's find something else. Or let's go back home. You understand what I'm saying? Sure. Why? Because I want them to have a good judgment seat of Christ. So therefore, they're gonna get that attitude, if you would, from somewhere, and I want them to get the right attitude. Look at 1 Kings 12, stay with me. Are we okay tonight? Are you thinking? Oh, I hope you're thinking. I haven't got to the main part, and that won't take very long to show you. 1 Kings chapter 12. Uh, here's here's a here's a man who had to make a decision on who he's gonna who he is gonna accompany with. Verse 6. Verse 6, and King Rehoboam consulted with the who? With the who? Old man that stood before Solomon his father, while he yet lived, and said, How do you advise that I may answer the people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and will serve them and answer them and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants forever. But he forsook the counsel of the who? The old man. So he goes to his peer group, his young peer group, which they given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, which stood before him, said unto them, What counsel give ye that ye may answer, that we may answer this people? And uh they go on and say the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him. They weren't they weren't knowledgeable, they didn't understand leadership. Thou shalt thus shall thou speak unto the people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter, uh uh, but thou make it lighter unto them. Thus shall they thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. And now, whereas my father did laid you with a heavy yoke, I will add to you. My father has chastised you with whips, but I will chastise. You know what he's saying? The young people are? Be harder on them. Be harder on them. And the old men said, Serve them. Just serve them. The old men had been around Solomon. The young men, they grew up and they thought they knew it all. Now, right here, Rahboam's got a choice who he's going to accompany with. Right here, he's got a choice. And we face that from time to time in our life. We have a choice which way to go. Well, verse 13, the king answered the people roughly, forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him. And if you know what happens, there's a church split. Is that right? Sure, ten break off to Jeroboam, a wicked. He makes a man-made religion, the golden calves, makes makes priests the lowliest of the people, and everything. But but the real problem here was Rehoboam had a choice who he's going to accompany with, and he accompanied with fools. And it destroyed what he was trying to do. We have that choice also. I want to illustrate something to you, and I want to want you to listen. Uh Bill, why don't you come up real quick? Uh who else am I? Charlie, come here. Let me illustrate something to you, and we'll watch our time, and we'll be dismissed. Uh I want to ask you to turn there, but there's a man in the Bible named Jehosaphat. Remember that? One of the fat boys? Jehoshaphat. True story. Jehoshaphat uh joined alliance with Ahab. And Ahab said, uh, will thou go with me to Ramoth Gilead? Now, make a statement to you. Let's say that, uh, let's say that I'm uh the fat boy. I guess I'm the fat boy up here. All right. I'm Jehoshaphat. And I'm uh I'm going to join alliance with uh Charlie, you go over there, Bill you come here. Okay? I'm going to join alliance with Ahab. Is that right? So basically what I'm doing, uh just for tonight. No, no, this way. Basically, what I'm doing, this is so you remember. Basically, what I'm doing is uh the Bible says that Jehoshaphat joined affinity to Ahab. Affinity talks about companionship, is in a close word in approximation to marriage. So he joins affinity with uh stay with me with Ahab. But here's a problem. You know what I just did as Jehoshaphat? I joined up with fools. You say, well, how do you know that? Because who is Ahab attached to? Yeah. Come on, join hands. Who is Ahab attached to? Who? Jezebel, that's right. Mom, I'm Jehoshaphat. This is who and this is your minute. You guys keep holding hands. In fact, come out here where they can see you right again. Come. Now look up here. You say, now wait a minute, what are you saying? Jezebel is one of the most fool, foolish fools in the Bible. If you study Proverbs sometimes, what makes a fool? A fool messes around with mischief. Uh a fool utters slanders, uh, a fool can't keep their spirit. Given to uh anger. You look in the book of Proverbs, there's lists of what fools do. A fool makes a mock at sin. It's Jezebel. Probably one of the biggest fools of the Bible is Jezebel. There's so many things, and I'm just trying to remember some of the scriptures that the foolish person and what they do. As you look at that list, it's Jezebel all over again. But Jezebel influences who? Ahab. Give me one place where she influenced him was Nabal's what? Vineyard. And she lies and she she cheats and she falsifies, which is what a fool does. Amen. We read the book of Proverbs. And she influences Ahab to be a fool. Now, when I come over and join affinity with him, what's that make me? Indirectly, indirectly, I'm going to probably be destroyed. Amen. And it does happen that way, because you know what Ahab says? He says, let's change costumes. You wear mine, I'll wear yours. Because all the kings had certain colors and garbs they wore to battle. And it was interesting when they went to battle. All they were looking for to do the enemy was to kill Ahab. But I happened to have his clothes on. So you know what happens? They're after me. But my problem wasn't the clothes. My problem was when I joined affinity with Ahab, knowing that he was married to a fool. Amen? Companionship. The daughter of Amri. O-M-R-I. He should have checked that out. If he would have found out who Amri was, he would have known. Well, anyways. Amen? Oh, yeah. We could talk about choosing a spouse and we go a long way with that. Amen. Now you say, now, wait a minute. No? Think with me. That's why we counsel people and pray and get God's will and make sure. And, you know, check them out and time and, you know, testing and, you know, all that kind of. Let God have veto power and we tell them all that. Amen. Sure. Now, stay with me. So I joined affinity here. Let me make another illustration. I'm uh I'm in teenager in Lighthouse. And uh, you know, go soul winning, different things like that. But you know, I meet some meet some uh people, uh, some nether teens, and they don't go to all kinds of church. Maybe they go to a couch potato church. Or, you know, they're Christians, they say, but you know what they do? This this teen is really in tight with some teens that are of the world. And they run around with them a lot in company with them and all that, but I know them and everything. And if I'm not careful, here's what happens: I join affinity to them and learn some things through them that they've learned from the world. Now, parents, let me make a statement. I'm not telling you who your kids run around. That's none of my business. I don't have control over that. I'm not coming to you and say, well, you know your child and all that. That's none of my business. You are the head of the household, that's your business. That's none of my business. But it is my business to teach. Amen? To help, to edify. I'm not going to come out and say, well, you know who he's talking about. I'm not talking about anybody. I'm talking about a general principle here. Let me say that again. I don't have you can stop holding hands, you're getting sweaty there, I'm sure. I have no control over anybody here. I'm not coming checking out and saying who's running around. I don't know who your kids are running around. I'm not saying any of that. All I have is influence. And all I have influence is when you come in. And you can take it or leave it, you can do something with it, you don't have to. Amen. I don't come and check you out. I don't have a white glove, I don't have a checklist, I don't do any of that stuff. I don't have time. I got enough time to watch my own back doorstep and my own home. And to try to help you as I can and when you ask me to. Amen? But I do know this if my children join affinity to someone who's gray area and leaning a little bit more towards the world, if they're not careful, they're going to be influenced that way. Now, let me make a statement. My children work with the bus ministry all the time. And I want to say something to you. Don't just say, well, that's those bus kids. I'll tell you what, some of those bus kids have done this. Let go over there. Some of those bus kids have moved this way. Oh, yeah. Some of them are hot for the Lord. You don't know it. There's a young man, I don't know if he's here tonight, I haven't looked around that. There's a young man here that he comes to church. He rides on a public transportation two hours to get to church on Sunday night and two hours home. Now that's commitment. Amen. Amen. Amen. So what I'm saying though is this my children ride buses and work buses and work with bus kids who are not yet in. Do you understand what I'm saying? Not yet in. But there's a difference between this and working with them without companionship. Are you listening to me? Now, you say, now, well, where when you decide? Well, you know what? You look at a you look at their heart. You look at what goes on. May I say this? We can have kids growing up in our own church. Who could do this? Well how would they? It doesn't matter how. Kids find ways to meet people. That's why it's important for us to know who their friends are. And who they're talking to on the telephone. And who they're hanging around. And who they're companying with. Amen. Amen. Amen. And then we have to decide with our children, okay, who are we going to let them befriend? Amen. You know where it starts? With who we befriend. Who we company with. You two make such a nice couple. I'm sorry I got to break it up. Charlie. You turn a nice shade of red. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Jezebel. Do you understand what I'm saying? Who we company with? Now you say, now wait a minute. I don't care what you say. I I hey, wait, hold on right there. I didn't say you can't have friends with whoever you want. I'm not a dictatorial pastor that's checking out your friendships. Well, you know, it sounds like if I don't keep the right kind of friends that he won't let me do anything. Oh, come on, that's in your mind. I don't know who you keep friends with. I don't have time to check it out. The church is a little bit bigger than me following you around. Amen. I'm not trying to be unkind, but I don't have time to follow you around and keep a logbook, amen? So we just do it here a little bit. You say, well, I can keep friends whoever I want, but how are they influencing you? And then how are they influencing our next generation? Statement, I'll get ready to finish. Who influences me does influence those I influence. Let me say it again. Who influences me? The way you say, man, you're not in the workplace, but I was in the workplace and pastoring for two and a half years. I'm talking about going out and the same thing you were in and worse. You know, sales and and the and the lunches, and and you know, you go, you gotta go to this sales thing, and they're they're getting the cocktails out and everything, and you're going, man, I gotta get out of here. All that stuff. But I still pastored. And I still had people that I was influencing. Please look up here. I still had my family that I was influencing. So, you know, it was very pronounced at our workplace that Doug Fisher was not one of the group. Oh, you say, oh, you're just, you know, no, I wasn't one of the group. And they knew it. But you know what? They didn't kick me out because God was using me to make them money. Money talks. In business world. All God's got to do is bless you, and they won't kick you out. Oh, they'll talk about you and murmur about you and all the rest of this stuff. But if your bottom line is that you're making money for them, they'll say, Glad to have you here. You don't want to come to the Christmas party? That's okay. Are you sure you don't want to come? We'd really like to have you there. No, we can't come. Well, you and your wife, wouldn't you love to come? I think we went one time and we had dinner, and they started, you know, into the second phase of it and we took off. We felt very uncomfortable. You do when you sit by yourself. Why? We didn't want to join up. Amen? We just didn't want to join up. I remember one sales meeting I took her to. Uh La Costa. Yeah, they had a big three-day deal up there. And my wife and I went up. Uh, you guys, this is terrible. You guys say, oh, you can't. Yeah. We were up there, you know, the $120 night in the hotel and all that. I said, Patty, what are we doing here? Let's go home. We had dinner together, I think, there. And yeah, we did, I remember. Signing the big bill and everything and signing off and everything. I said, Patty, we don't fit here. Let's just go on home. Remember that? She goes, yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, uh, I can exonerate myself. I remember to the T. She was with child, and she wanted to be back in her waterbed. So I said, we're going home, baby. But the idea, we didn't fit. Why try to fit? This is where we fit. This is a companionship. This is a group. Save, blood-bought, born-again, committed, fanatical Christians. That's where I fit. That's where I want to fit. So please look up here. I chose this peer group. No, no, wait a minute. Wait a minute. You as a pastor? No. I as a church member chose this peer group. God chose it for me, but I like it. No, you say, now wait a minute, what are you saying? You as a pastor chose us. No, let me say it again. I, as a church member, chose this kind of church to be in and be involved with because it's good for me, it's good for my wife, it's good for my family. We do choose our companions. We do choose our peer group. Sooner or later, statement I'm I'm closing. Sooner or later, you're gonna be hurt in this church. Sooner or later, somebody's gonna hurt you. Hasn't happened yet, it will. Oh, don't say that. I don't want to think that. You don't have to think about it, it'll just happen. Sooner or later you'll be hurt by somebody. You'll make a choice. Do I leave this peer group and go to another? Or do I tough it out and weather it and stay right here? Because this is the companionship and the company that I want to be a part of. Brother Fisher, you've ever been hurt here? Oh, come on. What do you mean? Sure. Absolutely. Who was it? None of your business. It's all forgiven, forgotten? Go on. Oh, well, who was it? I want to be oh, go away, Finney Ans. You don't need to fight my battles for me. There's no battle. I don't have anybody sending me notes and, you know, condemning me and leaving daggers on my door with a note of blood or anything like that. I don't have anybody calling my home and leaving ugly messages on my answering machine at home. We don't have one. I mean, but some pastors go through that. We don't have that. Our people here, you know what? You are so kind to my family and myself. We get so much encouragement and notes and different people do different things for us. I don't have anybody that. You know, once in a while someone gets a little bit disgruntled, but you know what's so great? They come to me and work it out. And if they don't, what can I do? Make myself available. But we don't have any of that. But even if I wasn't pastor, this is the kind of church I want to be involved in. Because it helps me be what I can be. His workmanship created in Christ Jesus into what? Good works. Who we choose to company with will impact what we do for God. And I make this statement, the same statement I started with. God, my father, is concerned with who I keep company with. I know family visiting here from Brother Chapels, is that right? Paul Chapels? I keep company with a guy like Paul Chapel. Why? Paul Chapel is forward-looking. He wants to do something by faith. He's doing something up there. Started the church how many years ago? Ten years ago, running 2,600 now? Started from scratch. I think that's the kind of guy I want to keep company with. Yeah, why? Because some of that might bleed off with me. I might learn something, which I have. Get together with him once in a while, and uh we spend a little time together and we talk. Why? Because I want to pick up something, I want to have that attitude. They're doing some things that I'm interested in, but we're not clones. He's different than me, and I'm different than them. And we can be ourselves and be genuinely honest with each other. But that's kind of I want to hang around with why? Because that's influencing us. Amen? Oh, there's a group of pastors out there that I could hold hands with. Critical. Backbiting. Gossip. Bitter. Bitterness is forming. And boy, you know what? This guy and that guy, and boy, that guy over there and that guy. And that's what they talk about. You know what? That's repulsive to me. That's repulsive to me. Why? It's not going to help edify me. It's not going to help me at all. And you know what, sooner or later, if I'm not careful, I'll let that stuff come through the preaching and you'll pick it up. I'll make this statement. You haven't got it from me. If you know of any dirt going on out there, it hasn't come from this pulpit. It's not that I stood up and said, Well, this person, that person, this person, that pastor, that. Why? Because we're not going to major on that. That's not what we're going to major on. I'd rather stand up and say, hey, there was a lady here on Easter morning and she got received, she received Christ yesterday morning. And there was a lady that uh called up and uh and then this. I'd rather give you that kind of stuff. Why? Because that's forward looking. That's motivating, that's encouraging, that's going the right direction. And I think that's pleasing to the Father.