Proverbs - Wisdom For Troubled Times

And if you'd like to grab a Bible and we're gonna be continuing in our series in Proverbs. So we need to turn to Proverbs chapter 18. And as well as Proverbs chapter 18, can you please turn to Luke chapter 7, because we're gonna be reading from there as well. Proverbs chapter 18, and we're gonna read just 3 verses, 10, 11, and 24.

So verse 10, The name of the lord is a fortified tower. The righteous run to it and are safe. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city. They imagine it a wall too high to scale. Then verse 24, 1 who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

And then turn with me to Luke in chapter 7, and we're gonna be reading from verse 36 to verse 50. Luke, chapter 7, verse 36. When 1 of the pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, He went to the pharmacy's house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the pharmacy's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears.

Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. When the Faracy who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he wouldn't know who was touching him, and what kind of woman she is, that she is a sinner. Jesus answered him. Simon, I have something to tell you. Tell me, teacher, he said.

2 people owed money to a certain money lender. 1 owed him 500 in our eye, and the other 50. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now, which of them will love him more? Simon replied, I suppose the 1 who had the bigger debt forgiven.

You have judged correctly, Jesus said. Then he turned towards a woman and said to Simon, do you see this woman? I came into your house, You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman from the time I entered has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven, as her great love has shown But whoever has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, your sins are forgiven. The other guests began to say among themselves, who is this? Who even forgives sins? Jesus said to the woman, Your faith is saved.

You go in peace. Pete. Well, good morning. My name is Pete Woodcock. I'm 1 of the pastors of the church here.

It's lovely to have you with us. If you're visiting, you might see someone walking around and you think, that reminds me of someone. What's what's going on? And it's it's Nathan Breins is back, but he's bigger and where where is he? See, you sort of sort of recognize that face, but then you don't.

You think what's going on there? Anyway, nice to have you back. And lovely to have my young friends here. We can't publicly quite say where they're from. They're from the same place as my young.

They've got incredible stories about life. Please welcome them. They are honored. Guess you are honored lists from where you're from. So it's quite exciting to have you with us.

Let me pray. Father help us now as we look into your word, help us to hear things that perhaps we've not heard before, help us to hear things we have heard before, but settle them in our heart, cause us to be people that hear and do what we hear you say. By your spirit in Jesus' name we ask, our men. Now we I guess we all know that friendship is very, very important. Really important if you're gonna thrive in life.

You need friends. It's it's as necessary, friendship as food, and water, and air. You need friendship. Good things in life are always better when you have a friend to share them with. And they're always duller when you don't have a friend to share them with.

Bad things in life are bearable when you have a friend, and they're just amplified when you don't have a friend. Even if you're 1 of these sort of people that are happy with your own company, and you quite like a lot of time on your own. You still need a friend. You need someone to back you. You need someone to encourage you to fight for you.

You need someone to correct you. You need someone to push you into the right direction. You need someone that will have an outside perspective of your life and be able to speak into it. We need friends. We need someone to laugh with, we need someone to cry with.

We express our emotions amongst our friends, someone to give us backbone. Now the proverb I want us to look at today is all about friendship and it's chapter 18 and it's verse 24. Have a look at it. Chapter 18 verse 24 of proverbs. 1 who has unreliable friends soon comes into ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Now obviously, unreliable friends you know, they're terrible. In fact, you could even go as far to say that it's better to have no friends than to have unreliable friends because they are a misery. And it's 1 of the reasons why people hide away and and you know, go into their own cave of themselves. They don't want to rely on any friends because they've been hurt by unreliable friends. You know, the old phrase.

Once bitten twice shy. And that's what happens with friendship. So you get people that hide away and rather their own company or the company of cat or a dog or a guinea pig or a mouse or just the TV rather than friends because they're scared. They've been bitten and they're twice twice shy. So unreliable friends, it's like trusting a Robert with your wallet or like trusting a burglar to house sit.

You're on holiday. You rely on an unreliable friend if you put lien on an unreliable friend. There'll be like a thin cane that will break and won't take your weight. The ESV version translates verse 24 a little bit differently, and I think it's more in line with the actual original Hebrew. Verse 24 in the ESP says, A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than the brother.

So the first half is quite different. The second half is exactly the same. And the emphasis there in this translation is that there are there are many companions compared to 1 friend. The emphasis is on the many and the 1. Many companions many friends.

And it takes the Hebrew words a little bit more seriously because there are 2 Hebrew words there. 1 for companion, and 1 for friend. The companion is like acquaintances. You're friendly with them. They're work colleagues.

You're friendly with him, you like them. They're your schoolmates. They're your neighbors. You know, they're those sort of people. They're your Facebook friends.

Your social media followers. That's companions. That's that type of friendship. You can't really rely on them even though you've got loads of them. You've got hundreds on your Facebook, hundreds on and you feel sort of quite good, don't you?

Because I've got another hundred people that are following me, you know, from I did from last year. But you can't rely on them, and they might cancel you at any moment by the way. They're that sort of thing. You may be popular You've got companions, but be careful. They're not real reliable friends.

The second half of verse 24 then is, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. There is 1, Out of all of the company, out of all people on Earth, there's 1, there's a friend. There is 1 friend who stands out He's more than a friend. He's more than a brother. He's a friend that's chosen to be your friend.

He doesn't have to be, but he's chosen to be your friend, and not only that he's going to retake responsibilities like a brother, and more than that. He sticks closer than a brother, closer than a blood brother. He's chosen to be your friend and he sticks closer than blood. More committed. He's more interested.

More aware of what's going on in your life. The word sticks when it says sticks closer, means cling to. He holds on to you. It means cleave in English, and you might this is the funny thing because my young, we always laugh at the the English words. But English has the word cleave.

We use it in marriage, We leave our parents and we cleave to our married partner. Now the funny thing is, but the word cleave can mean separate and it can mean joined together. That's how stupid English is. Yeah. Yeah.

But here it means cleave, it means come together. So this isn't just acquaintance word here. This is someone who not just presses the like button on your photographs and your experiences and sort of thumbs up to you. This is someone who's committed who cleaves to you, who clings to you, for better, for worse, enriches, or in poverty, in sickness or in health. This friend sticks closer than the brother.

Now last week, we were looking at verse 10, particularly in Proverbs 18. This wonderful proverb, the name of the lord is a fortified tower, the righteous run to it and are safe. And we were looking at, you know, running, run to the fortified Tower. And who's the fortified Tower, the place of safety? When the enemy comes, you run to the tower, run to the 45 tower.

Who's the tower? Well, it's it's the lord. The name of the lord. And that word is Yahweh, the covenant name of God to his people, run to Him. But as you read through the bible, you see that the Lord, Yahweh, has lots of names.

And 1 of the names is friend, friend. We're told that the Lord talked to Moses like you speak to a friend. We're told Abraham is a friend of God. Friend. Run to the Lord, the name of the Lord, Friend.

At the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, he gives his manifesto, you know, like politicians do, they say, this is you vote for me, this is what we're going to do and then they don't do it largely. But Jesus does do it. He says, this is my manifesto. This is This is what my ministry is going to be about. And he quotes from the book of Isaiah and it's right at the beginning of his ministry.

Lovely. Listen to this. The spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoner, and recovery of sight for the blind He has set and to set the oppressed free to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. That's Jesus manifestor. Yeah?

Now, when people first heard that, it was all, yeah, we love the manifesto. But as Jesus started to work that through, the religious leaders hated it. When they understood what it meant, they hated it. So much so that when he was fulfilling his manifesto, the religious leaders said, he's a friend of tax collectors He's a friend of sinners. They hated it.

And in that story, we read in Luke 7, it such a beautiful story. You have this beautiful encounter with a woman that's called a sinful woman. And she comes to the Lord Jesus Christ, have a great gratitude because she knows he's a friend, and she weeps and her tears wash his feet And the religious leaders are revolted by this. They're revolted. Who does Jesus think he is?

And then he says, if this man were a prophet, If he was a prophet of God, he would know who's touching him and what kind of woman she is. She is a sinner. The truth is Jesus did know what kind of woman she was and welcomed her because he had come into this world to save sinners, Jesus, to her, sticked closer than a brother. And even though he was condemned for being her friend, Even though the crowd was booing him, he stood by her and said, I'm a friend of sinners. Do you see that?

In John chapter 15, Jesus is talking to his disciples, and he says, you're my friends. He says this in John 15, greater love has no 1 than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. I I so love you. I stick closer than a brother. I lay down my life for my friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command, he says. So I think verse 24 of of Proverbs 18 is talking about the lord Jesus Christ. Let me open it up a little bit more. I've got 4 points, I think. We'll see how it goes.

1, Jesus is the friend. Jesus sticks closer than a brother. He's the seeking savior. You see that he sticks closer than the brother because he's a seeking savior. See, Jesus purpose in befriending sinners is not to join them in their sin, but to save them from it.

Jesus doesn't see sin as something fun as we often do, It's no small issue for Jesus. He doesn't dismiss sin. He he doesn't make excuses and say, oh well, they're obviously sinners because if you knew their background or he doesn't make excuses, he sees it as poverty. And slavery when you sin. Your soul is imprisoned.

He sees it as blindness leading to darkness forever, That's how he sees sin. He sees it as a blasphemy towards God and bringing death paralysis to the very soul of the sinner. People need saving. They need saving from self and sin and satan. People need to be brought back to God.

That's how he sees sin. People need to have their sin dealt with forgiven, cleansed from it. People need their offense to God sorted. The whole of sin is in affront to the living God and his character. Sin makes us enemies of God.

We are much more like Judas than we think we are. Judus who sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver because Jesus wasn't coming up to what Judas wanted God to be like. Jesus who kissed Jesus like a friend but actually it was an enemy's kiss. We looked like the friend of God sometimes, but actually our actions show us that we're his enemy. Jesus looks at sin and sees what it's done to his creation and what it's done to us and we are enemies of God, but, and it's 1 of the buts of the Bible, isn't it?

But God the father has shown his amazing grace, his amazing love in sending Jesus. And he's anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit to proclaim good news to the poor sinner. To proclaim freedom for the prisoners of sin, to recover the sight of the blind so that they may see the wonder of God, to set the oppressed free. To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. You see?

Jesus, the friend of sinners. Jesus sticks closer. Than a brother. Paul, in the New Testament part of the Bible, hated Christians. Had the first Christian martyred, Stephen, was put to death under Paul.

And then Paul becomes a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, praise the Lord. Paul says, here's a trustworthy saying, he's underlining it. Not that anything else he said was not untrustworthy, but he's just saying, Hey, mark this 1 down, will you. At all that I've written this is a pretty cool 1. Yeah.

Here's a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. Christ jesus came into the world to save sinners. We love rescue films, don't we? I mean, the film club last night were watching Dunkirk. That is that right?

Yep. Film club? Right. It's a great it's a great film, isn't it? Do you enjoy it?

Who enjoyed it? You enjoyed it. Yeah. There's 2, 3 that enjoyed it. It is a it's a really fantastic film.

And if you've seen it, it's it's it's a really good film because it's about rescue. You've got people on a French beach that are gonna get slaughtered and killed and then all kinds of little boats from all over the country just little boats come and rescue. It's a wonderful film of rescue. We love rescue films. Have you seen them hacksaw Ridge, who's seen hacksaw Ridge?

Hands up? Fantastic film, true story of of 1 man who was in the army but the soldiers despised him, mocked him, ridiculed him as a coward. He wasn't a coward. He just was a conscientious objector. He refused to kill anyone, although he was in the army, the American army.

And he wouldn't carry a gun. And they called him awardly for not carrying a gun when he went into battle. They mocked him, despised him, beat him up, treated him in all kinds of bad ways, but then it all went wrong for their platoon. And he saved every 1 of them. He went back into fields of death without a gun and carried people that were wounded off the ridge down to safety.

It's a true story. He was a Christian man And why we love those stories is because it's a picture of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. He seeks and he saves, even those that have despised him. Here's a very very famous little song in in a book in the bible that Christians love. It talks about Jesus.

It says, Christ Jesus, who being in the very nature God. This is God, the son. Nissan, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, rather he made himself nothing. God made himself nothing. By becoming the by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human like this, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even the death on the cross.

Do you see the steps there? It's extraordinary friendship, isn't it? Seeking, saving, those who have mocked him. When I was when I was a bloke looking for girls, got a lovely wife now, so they need to do that. When I was a teenager, there was an old rock and roll song revitalized and it was 3 steps to heaven.

Do you remember that song? Do you know know that song? You ought to. 3 steps to heaven. Yeah.

Step 1. You take her in your arms. Yeah. Like this. And then it led to step 3 which was the kiss.

Do you remember that? Steve, do you remember that song? You don't. You have to go and hear it. 3 steps to heaven and the kiss was heaven.

Well, this is 3 steps from heaven to earth. It's the opposite way around. And and you had 3 steps to the girl that was really attractive. You went to the I used to run discos for 1 purpose. Yeah.

But I'm There we go. Anyway, it was to get to the slow song at the end and you would dance with the slow song at the end of discos in those days and it was the slow song and it was often very long. Sometimes we put their way to heaven on, which is a massively long song. And it's not really a kissing song, but it took a long time so you could kiss for longer. And so step 1, step 2, step 3.

Here's Jesus coming not to someone he fancies in the crowd, but someone who's rejected him, who's a sinner, makes him sick, but he steps down. 1, Being in the very nature God made himself nothing. Step 2, took on, being a servant, Like a human, step 3, dies on a cross. Jesus is the friend of sinners, my friend. He sticks closer than a brother.

He came into this world who made the world made. 9 months in a womb, the maker was being made. How extraordinary is that to go out of his way to be our rescuer? There on the cross, the sinless 1 having sin ticked all over him. How extraordinary is that?

You've seen those things, haven't you where some oil tanker smashes against the rock and all the oil goes into the sea and it's a horrific disaster and and you get a beautiful bird like an albatross that should have its wings out and it's it's pristine white and it's flying in the sky, but now oil is all over it and it can't even lift its wing up and it's walking sideways and preening itself and digesting even the oil and it's it's tragic It should be free. Here's the Lord Jesus who never sinned. With the sin of the world tipped on him. Hanging on a cross, say, my God, I'm abandoned. That's a friend.

That's the friend of sinners. That's the friend who wants to set you free. That's the friend who sticks closer than a brother. So run to him, the fortified Tower, the name of the Lord, the friend of sinners. That's my first point.

Jesus, sits closer than the brother. He seeks and saves people. Here's my second point. Jesus sticks closer than the brother. Whoever comes to him, he will not turn away.

Whoever comes to him, he will not turn away. Jesus said this, it's not the healthy you need a doctor, but those who are ill. I have come not to call the righteous people, but sinners to repent. He's come for sinners. Or we've been looking in John's gospel in the evening services.

Jesus said this, all those the father gives me will come to me, listen, and whoever comes to me, I'll never drive away. Jesus sticks closer than the brother, whoever comes to him, He'll not drive away, and all kinds of people. When you read this book, it's it's extraordinary the Bible. Because you get all kinds of people coming to Jesus. There's a leper, someone who In himself, his whole nature is rotten through.

It's a picture of us before God, just our very nature. He comes to Jesus. And what does Jesus do? Touches him. Of course, he does because he's a friend of sinners, and he sticks closer than the brother.

This drug's riddled in disease, but Jesus and it's not just touches him, hugs him. And cleanses him. In that same little story line, you've got levi. He's a sinner, willfully. It's not just his nature.

He he turns from God and his background, and he He becomes a tax collector and sells God for money, and he has an experience with Jesus who touches him. Jesus comes for sinners, whether you're deliberate or it's just your nature, He speaks to a little man called Zakius, who again had sold God and sold his faith for money. Was ripping people off. He was a chief tax collector and Jesus is coming the way and it says that he was quite intrigued and he climbed a tree because he was a short man, to see who Jesus was, and Jesus comes to the tree. Out of the crowds that are around him, he comes to the tree.

And he said, Zachia, so I must eat with you. With you. You've deliberate violent, turner away from God for money have come for you. Today, salvation has come to this house. He's a friend of sinners.

He sticks closer than the brother. Jesus said these amazing words, come to me. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. My yoke upon you, take my yoke upon you, and lean on me. A yoke is something that you put 2 sort of cows together.

It's the wooden thing that goes over. You see it in in in countries that use cows to sort of plow fields. And it's and he's saying, look, even though you're gonna be yoked to me, even though you're gonna be tied to me. If you're tied to me, you'll find rest for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. Your very inner being.

My yoke is easy and my burden is light. If you come to me, you'll know a likeness in your step even though you're tied to me. Run to him, all types of people, whoever you are. Thirdly, my third point. Jesus sticks closer than a brother.

He brings you into the family. He brings you into the family. See, because Jesus humbled himself, God became a servant, died on a cross. Because he did that, God, the father exalts him. That's the way of life, he likes.

God loves servants and servers, not proud arrogant lords, So it says this in that song that I was quoting from Philippians 2. Therefore, god exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in the end In heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, God exalts servant Jesus. And because he does that, and Jesus is the friend of sinners and has come to buy sinners. He'll take you there with him. When he's exalted, you're exalted.

Imagine that. Everything is bowing to Jesus and you're next to him. The whole world is seeing that he's the center of the universe and what everything is about. And you're standing next to him, and he's proud to have you there. Jesus is more than a brother, more than a friend.

He's more. He talks about us being his bride and him the bridegroom. He's closer than a brother. He sticks closer than a brother because he's the bridegroom and we, if his people are the bride, and he loves to introduce us to the father. Here's my bride.

And there's a clapping going on. He clothes us in white where he's treasure, he loves us. Jesus tells 3 stories in a wonderful chapter in the Bible. Luke chapter 15 about lost things, things that are lost. There's a lost sheep.

There's a lost coin which is like a wedding ring and there's a lost person and everyone is found by someone. And when there's found, guess what happens? There's rejoicing in the presence of the angels. There's rejoicing in heaven. God is rejoicing.

God is rejoicing over the lost who've been found. And here's Jesus, who has come to us, the friend of sinners who sticks closer than a brother, introducing a father here's my wife, father here's my bride. And and the father is go Oh. This is fantastic. Come into the family.

Jesus said for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. He went to the cross for the joy of presenting you to father God for all eternity. You're in the big party of the universe. And God is waiting and going. I'm so overjoyed at this.

He sticks closer than the brother because he's a bridegroom, and he will introduce you to the family, God's eternal family. And then 1 last point. Jesus sticks closer than her brother, full stop. Jesus sticks closer than the brother because he's the seeking Savior. Jesus sticks closer than the brother because All kinds, he welcomes.

Whoever you are, but Jesus just sticks closer than the runner. It's the same point, but I'd sort of run out of things to say, except that I hadn't. So I had to say more. He's 6 closer than the brother. He's always a true friend.

He's always a true friend. False friendship is like a rope made out of cotton wool. You test it and it's easily broken. True friendship is a rope made out of the strongest material and can never be broken or cut Good news is that in whatever dark days you're going through, The rope of friendship is always there with you. When you have nothing left, when you're a rather miserable company to be around.

He will be around you. He's not a cotton wool rope. You'll lose your good looks. Those of you ever had it. You're losing good looks.

Even I will 1 day. You'll lose your good looks. You'll lose your emotions, maybe, and your mental health. You'll lose your physical health, sometime you will. You may even lose your faith for a time.

But he'll always stick there. He sticks closer than a friend. He's the friend of sinners. He's described as the true and the faithful 1. It says of Jesus that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever he's forever faithful to you even in your unfaithfulness.

His goodness, his character, the fact that he's the god man, the fact that he is the truth, and he cannot lie guaranteed his faithfulness, to you. He's the friend that sticks closer than the brother. This isn't an infatuation. This isn't a crush. It's our long term commitment of a friend who will stick closer than a brother.

He loved you, we're told. Before the foundation of the earth. This is a long lasting love affair. That never ends. He won't turn aside his commitment to you.

Throughout your life, he's hounded you. He sought you that you would see him as a friend. Haven't you ever noticed those things? Then you ever look back on your life. You know, when you get to a certain age, you look back and think, isn't that amazing that that happened?

That I met that person that this thing happened and you suddenly start stringing things together. It was all about the Lord Jesus Christ. When I was 18, I met a bloke on a train who told me about Jesus. I didn't know what he was talking about. I I said to him I didn't believe in communism.

That's how thick I was. I was so thick I didn't know what he was on about. He was kind and gracious and said, I'll pray for you. At the age of 17, there was an old man at Windsor Castle because I was born in Windsor. Giving out Christian tracts.

And I remember with my mates taking 1 and ripping them up in front of him as a big lad that I was. And he cried. And I I laughed. Don't you think he prayed for me? You go through life and you suddenly see.

Wow. God's been seeking me. To save me. He's been my friend when I've rejected him, when I've wallowed in sin and selfishness, and anger against God. Haven't you noticed that friend wooing you, calling you?

Come to me. He says, He sent messengers. This isn't just an infatuation or a crush. This is long term commitment. So run to him, I'm saying to you.

As a friend to you, The best thing I can say is run to the lord Jesus Christ, run to the fortified Tower, run to the name of the Lord, He is a friend, he is your friend. He'll stick closer than a brother. When you're on your deathbed, Will you need more money, a new car, a bigger house, another wife? When you're on your deathbed, The friend will be there. The great shepherd who laid his life down for the sheep will lead you through the valley of the shadow of death because he's the friend that sticks closer than a brother.

Don't run to money. Don't run to the false companions. What a friend we have in Jesus. Can I encourage you to come to him? You've never done that.

You've never asked him. Be my friend. Be my savior. You've sought me. You've loved me.

You've laid down your life for me. Would you do that? Ask him? I'm not asking you whether you come to church. I'm not asking you whether you are a Christian.

Because you would call yourself that if you're here. I'm asking you, is Jesus your friend? Have you said, be my friend, the friend of sinners. Ask him. And let's pray in in response to what we've heard.

Father, we we thank you so much for the Lord Jesus, and we thank you for that song that has reminded us. What a friend we have in Jesus. We thank you for the reminder that Christ is much better than any other in this world that he sticks closer than a brother. We thank you that the Lord Jesus was willing to take those steps down from heaven to earth, to a sinful people, to a people that are in offense to you, Yes, he's still stuck by us. We thank you that he has hounded us to be our friends.

We thank you that he has used the various people and situations in our life, to bring us to a knowledge of you, to bring us into your family, and we We long for the day that we have been reminded of when Christ presents us to the Father as his dear bride, and and we thank you father that you will do that, that we will be spotless and innocent, and so we pray father, that we will cherish the Lord Jesus as the greatest of friends. We thank you for all we have heard about the Lord Jesus that he died to win us. And so we pray father that we will remember this In the darkest of days and in the lightest of days, until we are with you forever. We pray this in Jesus' name, our men.