First Samuel chapter eighteen, verse one through verse four. And then we’ll go to First Samuel chapter twenty, verse thirty through verse forty-two. First Samuel chapter twenty, verse thirty through verse forty-two. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Lord. Look at chapter eighteen.

1. And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

2. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.

3. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

4. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

Now let’s go to First Samuel chapter twenty, verse thirty through verse forty-two. It says,

30. Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?

31. For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.

32. And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?

33. And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.

34. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.

35. And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.

36. And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

37. And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?

38. And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

39. But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

40. And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.

Let’s read on.

41. And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.

42. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

Let us pray.

Most holy and gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Presence in this house. Father, hide Your son behind the cross, that Your people would see You and not me. And Father, as I decrease I ask that You would increase. Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart...(tongues)...be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. In Jesus’ Name.

You may be seated in the house of God tonight.

In verse forty-two it said,

42. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

Look at your neighbor and say, “Loyalty.” Loyalty suggests a very personal or powerful kind of faithfulness. And also it suggests a fighting of an urge to desert or betray. Loyalty is one of those life’s most costly qualities.

You see, we have many different qualities about us. But being loyal will cost you everything. Let me say that again. Being loyal will cost you everything.

Loyal people are not (glory to God) afraid of their commitment. But they are willing to even suffer for them. When you find somebody that has a true quality of loyalty, they’re not afraid to be committed to you.

Let me say that over again. When you find somebody that’s really loyal, when you find somebody that’s really faithful, they’re not afraid to be committed to you. Glory to God. And not only are they not afraid to be committed. They are also not afraid to suffer through their commitment.

You see, it’s so easy to say that I’m loyal. But my actions prove louder than my words. Hello, somebody. You see, when I become loyal to God, God begins to move on me. And God begins to trust me with things. Because He knows that come hell or high water I’m going to be faithful to whom I know to be faithful to. We’re talking about being loyal tonight.

When we look at Jonathan, he was a shining example of loyalty. Sometimes he was forced to deal with conflicting loyalties. You see, sometimes in your life there will be conflicting loyalties. You see, when we look at Jonathan, Saul was not only his father but he was his king. But when we look at David, David was his friend. David was (glory to God) his soul mate according to the Spirit of God.

But let me tell you something. He had a position where he had to choose. Sometimes your loyalty will put you in a position to choose whether you’re going to go with God or whether you’re going to go with flesh.

Let me tell you something about flesh. You see, we have been rooted and we have been reared to go with flesh. But when you begin to understand God, you know you can’t go with flesh no more. Let me tell you something. When you begin to understand truth, you know you can’t go with flesh no more.

When we look at Jonathan, he knew that blood was thicker than water. But he wasn’t worried about blood. He was concerned with the spirit. Let me say that again. He wasn’t concerned with the flesh. Let me say that one more time, because somebody ain’t hearing me yet. He wasn’t concerned with the flesh.

You see, we concern ourselves with the flesh too much. See, you can’t continue to be loyal to flesh. Because every now and... Every now and then flesh is going to let you down. But when you concern yourself with spirit, you can’t help but to have victory in your life.

He had conflicting loyalties, whether he would be with his father, Saul, or whether he would be with his friend, David. His solution teaches us how to be loyal. And it begins to teach us what we must be loyal to.

You see, your loyalty has got to have guidance. Your loyalty has got to have direction. You see, many times we’re in a thing, but we’re not loyal to that thing. Oh, let me say it again. Because some of you all are trying to tune me out.

Let me tell you something. We’re in a thing, but we’re not loyal to that thing. Because when the boat begins to rock, you can’t find you no more. Because you’re trying to swim to the shore. Because you’re trying to get out of danger. Because you’re trying to save flesh.

Not only does a good captive go down with the ship, but a good crew will go down with the ship also. Oh, the body of Christ don’t want to hear that, do they?

He understood what loyalty was all about. If we could get an understanding of real loyalty, then we won’t be so wishy washy in our relationships. We’re so wishy washy in our relationships. I’m with you today, but I’m not with you tomorrow, because I got other things to do. Do you hear what I’m saying?

If I’m going to learn how to really be loyal, I’m not going to be wishy washy with you. I’m going to be the same, just like Jesus is the same–yesterday, today, and forevermore. In the Name of Jesus.

Who are you committed to? You see, he was committed to God. That’s why he could be committed to David.

You see, if you’re not really committed to God, you can’t be committed to your brothers and sisters. If you’re laxidazical about God, you’ll be laxidazical about each other. If I treat God any kind of way, Lord knows I’m going to treat you any kind of way. Who am I preaching to in this house?

He was loyal. He understood what he needed to be loyal to. See, we’re trying to loyal to flesh. You can’t be loyal to flesh. Because as soon as flesh mess up, as soon as flesh mess up, then I don’t want to be associated with it any more.

Loyalty, it must be guided. And not just by flesh. It must be guided by truth.

When we look at what Jesus said in John seventeen and verse seventeen, He said, “Sanctify them in Thy truth.” Why? Because, “Thy Word is truth.”

In John eight, verse thirty-one and verse thirty-two, He said, “If you continue in My Word, then ye shall know the truth. And the truth shall make you free.”

You see, I’ve got to be guided by the Word of God. My loyalty has got to be guided by the Word of God. What does the Word have to say about it? Remember our motto, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Or am I just going to stand by and see my brother die?

He understood loyalty. He understood that truth was directed from the character of God. He understood the anointing that was on David’s life. You see, he understood that his father was anointed to be king. But he wasn’t chosen by God.

You see, you got to go with the ones that are chosen. Hello, somebody. You see, too many times we sit up in a dry church, a dead church, because we’re trying to be loyal to flesh. You don’t want me to preach tonight, do you? Hey, I feel the Holy Ghost.

And they be just as dry and dead and making us just as dry and dead. Iron sharpeneth iron, don’t it? And we wondering why we can’t never get a breakthrough. Because they don’t never get a breakthrough.

See, we’re loyal to flesh. Because mama and daddy were in tradition, I’ve got to say in tradition. Knowing all the time that the Spirit of God is moving on the inside of me to make a change.

He knew he couldn’t be loyal to flesh. Flesh wasn’t acting right. Flesh got jealous. It got jealous of somebody else that was anointed. So instead of being a help he turned into a murderer, didn’t he?

See, flesh will make you a murderer. It’ll make you want to murder those that stand in the Presence of God. Because you can’t stand them no more. Because they got too much Glory around them.

Your loyalty is so important in the body of Christ. We’re more loyal to our jobs than we are to God. We’ll do everything that boss tell us to do, and have it done by the end of the day. And break a sweat. But let God ask us to do something. It’ll take us weeks at a time before we decide wether or not, “Lord, was that You?”

Who are you really committed to? Who are you really loyal to? Who? Who? Do we just come to God for a quick fix when things ain’t going right? Then we’re not really loyal to Him. We just want Him to patch it up, don’t we? So that we can go on about our merry way.

Who are we committed to? Too many of us are not committed to anything but self. We will make sure self is taken care of, won’t we? We will pamper self. All God wants you to do is lift up your hands. But we don’t got time to lift up your hands. We’re committed to self. We’re committed to looking after every aspect of us.

But how many of you know those that lose their lives are going to gain it? And if you’re trying to save your life you’re going to lose it. Oh, I need to say that again tonight. If you’re trying to save your life, you’re going to wind up losing it. He’s putting it in my spirit one more time. If you’re trying to save you, you’re going to lose you. Because you’ll find yourself completely loyal to you.

Tonight we got to make some quality decisions. Who am I going to be loyal to? Am I going to be loyal to flesh? Or am I going to mind the things of God and be loyal to the things of God and the people of God? That’s what we need to decide tonight.

Jonathan realized his source of truth was God. And he knew that He was the ultimate one to be loyal to. It was His relationship with God that caused him to have a real relationship with his brother.

You see, if I can’t have a relationship with nobody, then there’s a problem. If everybody... I can have a relationship with not one person in the body of Christ, there’s a problem. There’s a problem there.

His relationship with God was right. When your relationship with God is right, you can have a relationship with anybody. Because you’ll act just like God. And you won’t look at all of their faults all the time. You will begin to look at them like God looks at them.

How does God see you? How does God see me? How does He see us? We’re His children. We’re the sheep of His pasture. And in any family you’re going to have different personalities. Isn’t that right? When you got a group of brothers and sisters in one house, you’re going to have different personalities. And a mother and father have got to adopt themselves to every personality. And brother and sister have got to adopt themselves to every personality in the house.

Sometimes it happen, but most time not, that brother say, “I ain’t dealing with you,” or sister say, “I ain’t dealing with you,” and they really mean that thing, and it’s for life.

Relationship. The relationship with God was right. It was no pretending. It was not a physod. It was real. He was loyal to Saul because he was his father. But he was loyal to David because it stemmed from truth. He went with his father as long as he could. But when his father’s true colors came out, he said, “I can’t go with you.

See, what we do is we go with who’s closest to us. Isn’t that right? God can be saying something totally different. But we’re going to go with that flesh. Because we’re afraid of being rejected by man more than being rejected by God.

We are so afraid of being rejected by one another. And all the while God is sitting there saying, “What about Me?” We’re not afraid of being rejected by Him. Because we begin to take Him for granted like He’s always there, because He said He’s always there.

Who are you loyal to? Don’t tune this out tonight. Who are you loyal to? The conflicting demands of our relationships challenge us. Pastor could be right as rain, but we’re going to go with somebody else flesh.

If I’m wrong, then you need to say, “Pastor, I don’t understand that.” Do you hear what I’m saying? So that we can get clarity. So that there’ll be no mis-communication. See, because I’m human. And I’m fallible, aren’t I? So I can make mistakes. Can’t I make mistakes?

But see, if you focus on me as flesh and not Spirit, then when I make a mistake, you’ll be all jacked up. Because it’s based on flesh.

Who are you loyal to? He understood loyalty. Do you understand it tonight? Do you understand how to be loyal?

Some people’s just in them. It’s just in them. You ain’t got to say nothing. You ain’t got to do nothing. They’re just loyal. It’s just in them. It’s a quality that they have. Some folks work at it. They work at it. It’s still a blessing, but they work at it. They work at it.

Others could care less, because their attitude is, “What’s in it for me?” You see, if my attitude is, “What’s in it for me?” then I won’t get anything, will I? But when I go into a thing not trying to get something out of it for me, then God can bless me.

When I’m in a thing without a gender or a motive, then God can bless me. But as long as I have an agenda, as long as I have a motive for being loyal...

Saints of God, who are you loyal to? Who are you loyal to? If you’ve been loyal to flesh, it’s time to make a change. Just because it’s flesh, it’s time to make a change. Just because you done known them for years, if they wrong, they wrong.

You’ve got to be loyal to truth. And Jesus said His Word was truth. We’ve got to be loyal to this Word. Every line, line upon line, precept upon precept. That’s what you’ve got to be loyal to.

You see, if I’m loyal to the Word, then I will be loyal to my brothers and sisters automatically, because of what the Word says. But when I’m not loyal to this, then I can’t be loyal to you. If it’s half-hearted about this, it’ll be half-hearted about you.

Some people are willing to go to distance. They’re willing. They’re willing to go the distance. Remember what I said earlier. Loyalty is not afraid. It’s not afraid of things not working out for them. Let me say that again. Hey, I feel Jesus. It’s not afraid of things not working out for them.

What did Jonathan do? He stripped himself. He was supposed to be the next heir to that throne. But he wasn’t worried about himself. He was concerned about David and what was going on with David.

Can I step into that realm? We’ve got to learn to step into that realm. We’ve got to learn to step there. Stop worrying about you. (Tongues.) Stop worrying about you. He’ll take care of you. I promise you He will. He will see after you.

Now see about somebody else. Make a commitment to see after your brothers and your sisters. And He’ll take care of you. He will take care of you. Give all you got.

For years my wife and I sacrificed helping somebody else build their ministry. Now they got this big old church in Atlanta. I’m talking about humongous. Folks everywhere. Do you hear what I’m saying? But see, we’re going to reap what we sow. And see, you can’t always try to get the best folks to be loyal. Do you hear what I’m saying?

You see, there was... When David... During that time he was being chased by Saul. His family and some of the outcast in society heard about it. The Bible said they came to David. The Bible said that David began to train them.

Let me tell you something. He didn’t have the best of folks. He had folks that were wanted by the law. Oh, you don’t hear me tonight. You see, it’s the ones that got flaws and the ones that got problems are the ones that are going to be really loyal to... Oh, my God, my God. But see, the ones that have got it all together, they’re not going to be loyal to you. It’s the ones that got problems just like you do that are going to be loyal to you.

I’m not talking about the ones that got problems, but in their mind they still think they better than everybody else. I ain’t talking about them.

I’m talking about the real deal. That’s what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the ones that can see you going through something and say, “I’m here for you. I got all this going on at my house. But let me tell you something. I’m here for you.” My, God, my God. Who am I preaching to in this house tonight?

The ones that don’t know how to... They going to pay their mortgage. But you ain’t got yours paid. And they telling you it’s going to be alright. Do you hear what I’m saying tonight? Those are the kind I’m talking about that are going to stand with you, that are going to agree with you, while they’re going through at the same time. Hey, yeah. I feel Jesus tonight. Yeah.

He’s a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Will you put yourself on hold for a little while? I feel Jesus. Will you put what you want on hold?