Embracing the Jonathan Ministry

Welcome to the Rimstown Church of God podcast.

Wherever you're listening from, we hope you are blessed by

today's message. I'm going to first Samuel 23 and

I let me give you the backdrop. David, it's a story about David.

And David, as you know, was anointed by Samuel to be the

next king because Saul had failed God and Saul had rebelled

against God and God had set him aside and it chosen David.

But David did not become king immediately.

In fact, it was years before David would actually be crowned

king over the nation of Israel. There were many fights and

battles and struggles and difficulties that went on for

about 10 years before the reality came to pass that he

actually became the king. And this is one of those stories

that came out of that. David is on the run.

He did this many times because Saul had threatened his life and

wanted him dead. And so David is on the run.

So we read in First Samuel 2314. And David stayed in the

strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in

the wilderness of Ziff. Saul sought him every day, but

God did not deliver him into his hand.

So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life, and David

was in the wilderness of Ziff in a forest.

Then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods

and strengthened his hand in God.

And he said to him, Do not fear for the hand of Saul.

My father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel,

and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.

So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord, and

David stayed in the woods and Jonathan went to his own house.

May God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of his

words. You may be seated.

I want to speak to you today on this thought embracing the

Jonathan ministry. This is a story, as I mentioned,

about David on the run, Saul. The Bible says, we just read it,

that Saul was after him every day.

He wanted him dead every day that Saul lived.

His desire above all other desires was to kill David.

But there was a son of Saul. In fact, he was the oldest son

of Saul, and his name was Jonathan.

And Jonathan, because he was the first born of King Saul, was the

heir apparent to the throne. We might call him the Crown

Prince. We don't know a lot about

Jonathan in in scriptures as far as his growing up, but we don't

know that he's older than David is and probably considerably

older. But he recognizes that God has

raised up David to be the king. It's no threat to Jonathan

because he has a humble spirit, a humble heart.

You talk about humility. David is going to take the

throne that by succession belong to Jonathan.

But Jonathan had a heart for God and he had a heart for David,

and he went out to be a blessing and an encouragement to David,

who had been anointed to be king but wasn't king.

And it was a tremendous friendship in bond.

And I would like to say that I really believe that Jonathan was

a mentor actually to David because he was apparently

considerably older, if you follow biblical history.

But the Bible tells us that David is out in the wilderness.

He's out somewhere in the wilderness.

It names the wilderness of Ziff. It talks about different places

that he happened to be. And let's read what it says in

verse 14 and 15. And David stayed in strongholds

in the wilderness and remained in the mountains in the

wilderness of Ziff. Saul sought him every day.

I want you to think about that. You come in and enter me that

wants you dead, and he is after you every day.

But God did not deliver him into his hand.

And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life.

And David was in the wilderness of Ziff in a force.

David who's been anointed to be King, David, who's called of

God, David who's already killed the giant Goliath, finds himself

in a wilderness experience in a place of what would seem utter

hopelessness. How many of you know that even

God's chosen, God's children, go through wilderness experiences.

They go through trials and difficulties.

There are plenty of examples in the Bible.

In fact, when you think about the whole nation of Israel, when

they came out of Egypt, what did they go through?

They went through a wilderness. In fact, when they got near the

promised Land, Moses spoke to them in Deuteronomy chapter 8,

Deuteronomy 8:15

verse 15, and he said, God LED you through that great and

terrible wilderness in which were fiery serpents and

scorpions and a thirsty land where there was no water.

Who brought you water out of the flinty rock?

Who fed you in the wilderness with manner which your father's

did not know? They do my humble you, and then

He might test you to do you good in the end.

So even God's people, we know that.

We know that Moses himself was in a wilderness experience when

God called him. We know that the children of

Israel went through the wilderness, and now we've got

David and he is hiding in the wilderness, going through an

experience of darkness. How many know that?

Even Jesus went into the wilderness.

The Bible says that when he was first anointed, when Jesus had

been baptized by John, listen to what it says in Matthew 4 and

one. Then Jesus was led up by the

Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

So even the Son of God had a wilderness experience, and you

might be in that kind of experience that that doesn't

mean necessarily. In fact, most times it doesn't

mean that you're doing anything wrong.

It is an experience that you are walking through.

But I want you to know, if you're a child of God and you're

in a wilderness today, God knows exactly where you are.

He's not lost sight of you, and He knows how to bring confidence

to you and He also knows how to bring encouragement to you.

The fact that you're going through a wilderness doesn't

mean that God has abandoned you. Listen to what it says again in

verse 14. And David stayed in the

wilderness stronghold. He stayed there in the

strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains,

in the wilderness of Ziff. Saul sought him every day, but

God, God did not deliver him into his hand.

David was strengthened first by God.

God was there in the wilderness, and even though Saul was after

him, God was protecting him. God was strengthening him.

God was helping him and no matter what demons and devils

and all of hell that comes against you, you have a God in

heaven. If you are a child of God, you

have a God in heaven that will strengthen you and will bless

you. How many know that when you

serve God, the enemy will come after you?

The Bible tells us in first Peter to be sober and be

vigilant because our adversary, the devil, is as a roaring lion

walking about, seeking whom he may devour.

So every child of God needs to know that the enemy will come

after you. Saul, the Bible says, sought

David every day. Every day when Saul got out of

the bed, this is the day I want to find him and kill him.

But I want to tell you that God protected him and God was with

him and would not allow Saul to carry out his motive.

How many of you realize today, maybe there's some of you in

this church, You feel like David.

You feel like the enemy is. He's relentless.

He's going after me every day of my life.

I can't catch a break. And don't raise your hand.

But there's probably a number of you in here who feel like that.

You feel like I'm in a wilderness.

The enemy is after me. I don't get a break.

I'm just always attacked on the left or on the right.

The enemy's after I got good news for you today.

Even though the devil may be relentless and Saul might have

been relentless, God is greater. God is greater than your enemy.

God is greater than your adversary.

God is greater than the devil that wants to take you down.

God is greater and he knows how to get you through.

God's protection might be quiet, you may not always hear what you

want to hear, but God's protection is constant.

But listen, here's what I want you to see today.

God not only strengthens us himself, but he often uses

others to strengthen us. It says in verse 16, Then

Jonathan saw son arose and went to David in the woods and

strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, to David, do

not fear for the hand of Saul, my father shall not find you,

You shall be king over Israel and I shall be next to you.

And even my father Saul knows that.

What does the Bible say? The Bible says that Jonathan,

the son of Saul arose and found David in the woods and

strengthened his hands in God. The New International Version

says there that he found him and went to Horace and helped him

find strength in God. So Jonathan had a mission.

He knew David was in the wilderness.

He knew David was battling. He knew David was discouraged.

He know David was battle weary. And he said I've got to do

something to encourage this man. I've got to do something to

strengthen him. I'm going to find him and I'm

going to tell him the devil's not going to have his way.

Saul isn't going to have his way, God.

God is going to have his way. I won't encourage him.

And I want to tell you that when Jonathan came to David, he

didn't come to him and say, you poor soul, I just came to mourn

with you. I just came to weep with you.

How hard life is. No, he came to encourage him.

He came to point him back to God's promises.

He came to put faith in him. He came to remind him that God

had called him. He came to say, David, look

here, you might be a little bit afraid today and fearful, but I

want you to remember that it was God that called you from the

your father's sheepfold. It was God that sent you on the

battlefield against Goliath the giant and gave review the

victory. Be encouraged today.

God is still with you. Sometimes we need to be reminded

of past victories. We need to be reminded of what

God did for us at the altar. We need to be reminded of when

He filled us with the Spirit, when He saved us, when He healed

us, when He delivered us. Remind us of the greatness of

God and the power of God encouraged by Jonathan.

That's why I said pursuing or embracing the ministry of this

man, Jonathan. It is a it is a ministry of

encouragement. Point people to God, point

people, remind them of God's calling.

Listen to Paul the apostle said in First Thessalonians 511.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.

Now he said to that church that's in Thessalonica, you're

doing that. I said, I want to remind you

that you need to encourage one another, speak encouragement to

one another, say positive and powerful things that come from

God's Word. This is not mind over matter.

This is the Spirit of God over matter.

It's the word of God over circumstances.

Speak to one another, encourage one another.

Have the ministry of Jonathan who goes into the wilderness for

one purpose to strengthen the man of God who is weak at that

moment, discouraged and despondent, but he's going to go

with the message of hope and say that something better in store

for you. That's why the writer of Hebrews

and we read it so much, but he says in the New International

Version in 24 of Hebrews 10. Let us consider how we may spur

one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up

meeting together as some are in the habit of doing.

But but here we go, encouraging, encouraging one another.

And all the more as you see the day approaching when you come in

this House today or any Sunday, That's my hope.

I want to hope that somehow I can encourage you that somehow I

can say something, minister something.

Now, encouragement doesn't mean there's no correction.

In fact, I would tell you the opposite is true.

But even in, in the correction, even when we have to deal with

subjects that sometimes hit the core of who we are, yet there is

the encouragement of the law. Let me put it this way.

If there's a school teacher in here that's got little, little,

little kids that trying to teach math to them and that understand

it. And, and, and let's just say,

for example, they say to the student, how much is 5 + 5?

And, and that student thinks a minute and says, it's 9.

I got it. It's 9.

If that teacher would look at that child and, and say to that

child, oh, that's great, you got it.

That's what you think it is. So that must be what it is.

That's your truth wouldn't be helping that child, but that

same teacher could encourage little Johnny or whoever it is

and could say to little Johnny you're close.

Can I encourage you maybe get out 10 coins and and put them on

the table or on the desk and say count them off now, in other

words, you want to help him get it right, but fact that he

didn't get it right. It's no reason to throw him out,

but it is a reason to say you you're close, but you got a

little ways to go. So folks, sometimes we preach

and and some sometimes it's like we got a little ways to go.

And I know that because I'd have the same issue myself, but I

don't want you leaving discouraged and despondent.

I want you to believe that God has victory for your life, that

God has something better than the enemy ever had planned for

you. Amen.

Now, I, my mother's not here. I gave my wife Mother's Day card

and I put on the front to not my mother.

That's how I dress the card, not my mother.

I thought it must mean something more special because it came

from somebody that's not her child.

And I think I've put in the corner from who?

I love you anyway. Thank God.

Oh, that's good. Thank you.

Back there. God bless you, Ralph.

I'm getting some points. Thank you.

Thank you. Amen.

I want to look at a New Testament version of Jonathan.

And you don't really, probably you don't even know his real

name. His real name is Joseph, or

Joseph says the King James Bible says it, Joseph, that's short

for Joseph. But we don't know him as Joseph.

We don't talk about him as Joseph, but it says in Acts 436,

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus whom the apostles called

Barnabas. You know that name, right?

You know about Barnabas, which means son of encouragement.

So we got a man named Joseph. And if you read that Acts

forward, follow that out, you know what one of the first

things you read about him is? He was a giver.

He sold property and gave it to the work of God.

He was an encourager, so much so they got a nickname.

He was born Joseph, but they changed him his name and they

call him Barnabas, son of encouragement, because he was

always encouraging someone. In fact, when when Saul New

Testament Saul was converted and became Paul, it was Barnabas the

encourager that got him started in ministry, really got him

started. Let me read that for you.

In Acts Chapter 9 verse 26, it says when he came to Jerusalem,

Acts 9:26

that's that's Saul Paul. Now after he got saved, he tried

to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not

believing that he really was a disciple.

But Barnabas, Barnabas the encourager took him and brought

him to the apostles. And he told them how Saul on his

journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord has spoken to him

and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name

of Jesus. So stop Saul stayed with them

and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in

the name of the Barnabas. The encourager had a huge hand

in the early success of the ministry of Paul the apostle

because people didn't believe in him.

He had been such a wicked and evil man.

Nobody wanted to believe that he could be changed like that.

But here comes this son of encouragement.

He says, I'm going to help you out.

And I believe Barnabas was a mentor to even Paul.

He was a mentor to him at Follow me and I'll get you some help

here. And he began to speak words of

encouragement. He encouraged Paul, he

encouraged the people that listen to Paul and the rest is

history. That man became the man that

wrote the biggest portion of our New Testament and he had a

Barnabas. He had a Jonathan from the Old

Testament in the form of a Barnabas.

Now, that's not the only time we find, and I, I won't read you

the scriptures about this per SE, but I will tell you that

Paul and Barnabas, as you knew, know, became missionary bodies

and they journeyed together in missions and they went from city

to city and they went on these various missionary journeys and,

and they had with them a young man named John Mark, Mark and

Mark was with them, but Mark kind of got a little off course

and he ended up kind of deserting them and leaving them.

And so Paul and Barnabas went on their way and, and, and time

goes by and after a while a Barnabas is reaching out to, to,

to John Mark and, and trying to kind of steal him back in and

mentor him and encourage him and help him.

And so he, he comes back to the apostle Paul and he said, hey,

John Mark, he said, he, he's ready to join us again.

And Paul said, I'm not taking him on.

He said, he deserted us. He abandoned us.

I'm going without him. And there was contention between

Paul and Barnabas. They didn't agree on this.

And Paul said, OK, you take him and go, and I'll go this way.

And so Paul went one way, took Silas.

And we know that Barnabas went the other way.

Barnabas, he encouraged her. He said, come on, let's give him

another chance. You know, some folks just need

another opportunity. They just need another chance.

They blew it. We'll give them another

opportunity. Well, you know what he he was so

successful at that that the Bible tells us later in the book

of second Timothy that Paul had asked that Mark be brought to

him because he said he would be good for my ministry.

In other words, there was such a change in John Mark that even

Paul who said I don't want him now said, bring him back.

He could be a blessing to my ministry.

He can help me in these days I'm going through in this difficult

time. Why?

Because somebody. Was an encourager.

Somebody wouldn't give up. Somebody said you failed, but

it's OK. We're going to get you back to

where you ought to be. Aren't you glad that you had an

encourager somewhere in your life?

We're called to be encouragers. God has called every one of us

to be encouragers. Paul talked about someone else.

He he talked about a man by the name of Ticicus.

I don't know how you get that name, but in Colossians chapter

Colossians 4 · chapter mention

4, it says he's saying to the church at Colossae.

Ticchius will tell you all the news about me.

He's a dear brother, a faithful, ministered fellow servant in the

Lord. I'm sending him to you for the

express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and

that he may encourage your hearts.

So sometimes, as in David's case, in the beginning, he's in

the wilderness and God is his strength and his help.

But then God says you could use a little encouragement and he

moves on Jonathan. And Jonathan comes with the

ministry of encouragement. Sometimes God's answer for you

will be through a faithful friend.

It might be through a sermon preached, a Sunday school lesson

taught somebody. God has put in your path that

has encouraged you. God's promises are there

regardless. So Jonathan said to David, who's

fretting for his life. He said don't worry about it,

you shall be king. David is hiding in caves and

wilderness, but Jonathan said God's promise is still true.

God hasn't forgotten you. You're going through something

now, but God will bring you through it.

Circumstances change folks in our lives, but thank God that

God's promises remain no matter what the circumstance.

Thank God for those who've encouraged.

I would like to hope that somewhere in all of the years

I've been here that God would have used me in some way to

encourage you. I know God has used numbers of

you to encourage me, and I'm thankful for that.

I'm thankful for the encouragement.

I'm thankful for those who forgive when they didn't have to

forgive that love where they didn't have to, love that came

back when they didn't have to come back.

Where would we be without the Jonathans?

Where would be we be without those people who have a heart

like Barnabas? The wilderness doesn't change

what God has promised for your life.

So when you are in the wilderness, number one, trust

God's provision. Trusted God is providing for

you. Receive his encouragement and

hold on to the promises God has. And you may say to me, Pastor, I

don't have a Jonathan. I don't have a Barnabas.

You have God. Can I say it again?

You might say, well, I don't have, I don't have a Barnabas.

I don't know anything about this Jonathan ministry.

Nobody's encouraging me, even if you don't, even if you don't

have a Jonathan. Isaiah 4110 says this.

Fear not, for I this is God. I am with you.

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you.

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

If you feel abandoned and left for dead, God said, I'm still

here and I will hold your hand and I will pick you up and I

will lift you up if no one else cares.

Paul knew that as well as he goes on trial in the New

Testament, as he goes on trial, as he gets to Rome and life is

coming to is about ready to finish his course.

He says this in Second Timothy 416 at my first defense.

No one, no one, now Barnabas, now John, Mark, no one stood

with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against

them, but the Lord? But the Lord stood with me and

strengthened me so that the message might be preached fully

through me and that all the Gentiles might hear.

And also I was delivered out of the mouth of the the lion.

Now let me just tell you something.

There may be a time in your life, there may be one right

now. And you, you might have said

that nobody seems to notice and nobody seems to care, and we may

have missed something. But I want you to know that this

was only the first defense Paul would have people come, but they

did fail him then. But he said it's OK because the

Lord still was there. The Lord stood with me.

Nobody else knew what I was bearing.

Knew what? No one else seemed to care.

No one else seemed to have any thought about helping me through

this. But God was always there and I

don't want anybody harm because they failed me, because there'll

be a next time that somebody will stand with that person.

Someone ask a question. Are you, are you a Jonathan?

Let's call him John for sure. Look at your neighbor and say,

can I call you John? It's important question.

Or let's think about Barnabas. Let's call him Barney for short.

Look at your neighbor. Can I call you Barney?

Come on, look at him. I'm not talking about that

purple character. What did I mean this?

Could I count on you? If I needed some encouragement?

Could I call you? Could I ask you to pray for me?

Could I call you Jonathan? Do you have a Jonathan ministry?

Or are you so wrapped up in just you, you don't see anything

else, You don't see anybody else?

Be an encourager. Be an encourager.

As we read the story of David, you know, Jonathan eventually

lost his life, the battlefield, died with his father.

But everything that Jonathan prayed for, David happened.

David got to the throne, and David became the greatest Old

Testament king over that nation. But he didn't get there alone.

He had help. Thank God for help.

Thank God for those that embrace the ministry of Jonathan.

They're encouragers. I want to encourage you and

that's what I'm trying to do today is to encourage somebody

that may feel like giving up quitting and maybe you failed.

I've certainly failed. I've certainly failed.

I'm so thankful to people that you can't be in do something

like I do for this long and say all the things I say for all

this long and not fail somebody, not mess something up.

But thank God who for those who forgive when they don't have to,

thank God for those who give the second opportunity that one

strike doesn't make you out. Thank God for those who said

I'll stay. Thank God we can't go anywhere

without a Jonathan. We can't accomplish anything

without a Barnabas. Now, that neighbor of yours just

asked you, could they call you John Barney?

You'll be an encourager. What's your answer?

What is your answer? I hope that answer is yes.

I may fail and I may not know and I may not be there in every

situation, but you can count. I'm there spiritually.

I'm there for you. Thanks for joining us today.

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