"BUT AMNON HAD A FRIEND"-2 Sam 13:1-3

A. AMNON'S PERSONAL PROBLEM

    1. Amnon had a personal problem that he was dealing with.

    2. He lusted after his own half-sister. But he refused to court her

    because it would be an embarrassment.

B. AMNON'S PERSONAL FRIEND

    1. By himself, Amnon would have never acted on his lust.

    2. Amnon's thoughts were filthy, perverse, and sinful.

    3. He knew that it was wrong. Vs 2 BUT AMNON HAD A FRIEND!

I. CONSIDER WHAT KEPT AMNON FROM SINNING

A. AMNON HAD A REPUTATION--When Amnon considered his reputation, it stopped him from sinning

                        1. Amnon was the King's son. He was well favored.

                        2. He had all the silver and gold he could ever want.

                        3. He was royalty. BUT AMNON HAD A FRIEND!

B. AMNON WAS EDUCATED--Amnon had an education in God's Word and it had kept him from sinning

                        1. He knew the law. He knew the Word of God.

                        2. "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking

there to according to thy Word." (Ps.119:9)—David wrote it.

3. Because he knew God's word, it was hard for him to do anything to his sister. BUT AMNON HAD A FRIEND!

C. AMNON HAD A CONSCIENCE--- His conscience had stopped him and prevented him from sinning in the past ---

                         1. He had never done anything like this before.

                         2. He was not the type do such perverted things.

3. When verse 2 says he thought it hard to do anything to Tamar, that was his conscience. His conscience would have stopped him this time too .BUT AMNON HAD A FRIEND!

II. CONSIDER THE RESULTS OF AMNON'S SIN

A. THE RESULTS ON TAMAR.

                        1. She never fell in love. She never had children. 

                        2. She never had normal affections for a man.

                        3. She was emotionally scarred for the rest of her life.

                        4. All Because AMNON HAD A FRIEND!"

B. THE RESULTS ON ABSALOM--Absalom was Tamar's brother.

                        1. Absalom was destined to ascend to the throne of his father.

                        2. Absalom burned with hatred towards his brother and he

devised a plan to get his revenge. He had a party and invited  

Amnon. There he killed Amnon, then he fled from the 

possible wrath of his own father, King David.

3. From then on, Absalom, (who would have been king) was now a rebel! Absalom was destined for better things, BUT AMNON HAD A FRIEND!

III. WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE?

A. THE INFLUENCE OF FRIENDS

                        1. Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together unless they be agreed?"

                        2. The obvious answer is NO!

                        3. Prov.13:20 "He that walketh with wise men

shall be wise...but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."

B. GO TO ONE WHO IS ON DOPE

                         1. See the red marks up and down his arm from doing drugs.

                         2. Ask him, "When did you first start doing drugs?"

                         3. "When I was in high school, I had this friend"  He never

would have started doing drugs, BUT HE HAD A FRIEND!

C. GO TO ONE WHO IS AN ALCOHOLIC

                        1. You ask him, "When did you take your first drink?"

2.       "Well, I was back in Jr. High School and I had this friend"

He wouldn’t be an alcoholic, BUT HE HAD A FRIEND! 

IV. SOME FRIENDS GIVE POOR COUNSEL

A. AMNON'S FRIEND WAS A MATURE MAN

                        1. Jonadab was older than Amnon. Jonadab was a mature man.

                        2. It would seem that Jonadab would give good counsel to

Amnon. But, Jonadab wasn't interested in helping Amnon to remain pure.

3. Jonadab was more interested in pleasing Amnon than in truly helping Amnon. Jonadab counseled Amnon to fulfill the lust of the flesh when he should have been helping him control such lust. Jonadab could have spoken a word of caution, but he spoke a message of perversion.

B. SOMETIMES MATURE FRIENDS GIVE IMMATURE

ADVICE

V. SOME FRIENDS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU!

A. THE DEADLY HARASSMENT

1. Once I read a story about two boys who went by to pick up a young girl.  The girl's father said NO and told them to leave.

2. The boys got smart with him and they peeled out when they left. Later, they drove by several times shouting curse words and throwing bottles out the window.

3. They just happened to find a friend downtown and they invited him to cruise around with them. They didn't have anything constructive to do, so they drove by the girl's house one more time.

                        4. The girl's father was outside behind a bush with a rifle

a) He had had enough, and He shot into the car as it went by He hit the boy who was in the back seat

                                    The boy who was just along for the ride

                                    b) Along with his FRIENDS!

            B. THE DUDE COMES TO CHURCH

1. These kids who come to church and walk in like they own the place. They used to really annoy me, but now they simply amuse me.

2. They don't come in and sit down like someone who has good sense. They come in here and strut around looking up and down the aisle like someone should bow down to them.

3. They come in here wearing their sister's ear rings and their grandma's necklace.

4. They've got two or three German Shepherd dog hairs glued to their chest They've got their pants hanging so low that the carpet is rubbing the pockets out.

5. And that's supposed to IMPRESS a bunch of Baptist Folk?

                        6. Young lady, is that your boyfriend?

                        7. You hang out with him and you wonder why your parents

don't trust you? Hello?  Is anybody home in there?

C. THE FLIRT COMES TO CHURCH

1. We have these girls who come here wearing HAND-ME-UPS! I'm serious, they don't have HAND-ME-DOWNS, they have HAND-ME-UPS!

2. When LITTLE SISTER outgrows it, BIG SISTER WEARS IT! They wear their pants so tight that if one thread breaks, the whole thing is going to blow!

3. Some of them don't even have a clue!They are just dressing LIKE THEIR FRIENDS! Young man, is that your girlfriend?

                        4.You hang out with her and then you wonder what's wrong

with your spiritual life? You used to have the glory of God all over you!

5. You used to have a countenance that shined with the joy of the Lord! Now you come in here and stand around like a bunch of cheerleaders at a car wreck!

VI. I'M NOT SAYING THAT ALL FRIENDS ARE BAD

A. WE NEED FRIENDS

                        1. We need friends who will encourage us to do right!

                        2. We need friends who will pray for us!

                        3. We need friends who will remind us of what the Bible says

about our sin! We need friends who will act like good Christian people  they are around us!

            B. WE NEED THE RIGHT KIND OF INFLUENCE

                        1. This is one of the reasons why we need the church.

                        2. We come here to fellowship with those of like precious

faith and practice.

                        3. We come to share our love for Jesus with one another.

VII. OUR BEST FRIEND IS JESUS

A. THEY BEAT HIM---They beat him until the skin ripped off of his back!

B. THEY PUT A CROWN OF THORNS ON HIS HEAD---They used branches from a Russian Olive tree with those long thorns to make him a crown.Then they drove it  onto his head forcing those thorns into his scalp.

C. THEY FORCED HIM TO CARRY AN OLD RUGGED CROSS--They forced him to carry his own tool of death. When he fell beneath the load, the had Simon the Cyrenean carry it for him.

D. THEY CRUCIFIED HIM ON THAT CROSS---They stretched out His sinless hands and drove huge nails through his flesh and into the timbers.

E. THEY PIERCED HIS SIDE---After he had hung on that cross bleeding in shame as a spectacle to the city of Jerusalem. A soldier drove a spear into His side and pierced his heart.

F. HE SUFFERED BECAUSE HE IS MY FRIEND

        What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear

        What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer.

        Have we trials and temptations, Is there trouble anywhere?

        We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer!