WEBVTT 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:05.719 Within God's Word, we've been doing this sermon 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.599 series on the life of David. And so we continue 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:14.660 that now. We're going to be in 2 Samuel chapter 00:00:14.660 --> 00:00:19.460 9 this morning. This is a wonderful scripture 00:00:19.460 --> 00:00:23.320 that communicates God's love and mercy and kindness 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:27.660 and grace to us. So I ask that you give special 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:33.130 attention. to the reading of God's holy word 00:00:33.130 --> 00:00:41.149 from 2nd Samuel chapter 9. And David said, Is 00:00:41.149 --> 00:00:45.090 there still anyone left of the house of Saul 00:00:45.090 --> 00:00:48.909 that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake? 00:00:49.810 --> 00:00:52.689 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul 00:00:52.689 --> 00:00:56.979 whose name was Zeba. And they called him to David. 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:00.219 And the king said to him, Are you Zeba? And he 00:01:00.219 --> 00:01:04.959 said, I am your servant. And the king said, Is 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:07.140 there not still someone of the house of Saul 00:01:07.140 --> 00:01:10.879 that I may show the kindness of God to him? Zeba 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:13.439 said to the king, There is still a son of Jonathan. 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:17.379 He's crippled in his feet. The king said to him, 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:20.459 Where is he? And Zeba said to the king, He is 00:01:20.459 --> 00:01:24.420 in the house of Makir, the son of Amiel at Lodobar. 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:28.079 Then King David sent and brought him from the 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:31.959 house of Makir the son of Amiel at Lodobar and 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:35.340 Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan son of Saul 00:01:35.340 --> 00:01:40.379 came to David and fell on his face and paid homage 00:01:40.379 --> 00:01:43.900 and David said Mephibosheth and he answered behold 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:47.659 I am your servant and David said to him do not 00:01:47.659 --> 00:01:51.650 fear For I will show you kindness for the sake 00:01:51.650 --> 00:01:54.349 of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to 00:01:54.349 --> 00:01:57.390 you all the land of Saul your father, and you 00:01:57.390 --> 00:02:01.409 shall eat at my table always." And he paid homage 00:02:01.409 --> 00:02:05.010 and said, what is your servant that you should 00:02:05.010 --> 00:02:10.129 show regard for a dead dog such as I? Then the 00:02:10.129 --> 00:02:12.770 king called Zeba, Saul's servant, and said to 00:02:12.770 --> 00:02:17.199 him, all that belong to Saul to all his house 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:20.860 I have given to your master's grandson and you 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:23.800 and your sons and your servants shall till the 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:27.039 land for him and shall bring in the produce that 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:30.139 your master's grandson may have bread to eat 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:34.680 but Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:40.050 always eat at my table. Now Zeba had 15 sons 00:02:40.050 --> 00:02:43.129 and 20 servants. Then Zeba said to the king, 00:02:43.370 --> 00:02:46.610 according to all that my lord the king commands 00:02:46.610 --> 00:02:51.789 his servant so will your servant do. So Mephibosheth 00:02:51.789 --> 00:02:56.150 ate at David's table like one of the king's sons 00:02:56.150 --> 00:02:59.669 and Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was 00:02:59.669 --> 00:03:04.139 Micah and all who lived in Zeba house became 00:03:04.139 --> 00:03:07.560 Mephibosheth's servants. So Mephibosheth lived 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:11.819 in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king's 00:03:11.819 --> 00:03:17.599 table. Now he was lame in both his feet." This 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:23.740 is God's word. Let's pray. Father, we indeed 00:03:23.740 --> 00:03:27.500 thank you for this word, this word that communicates 00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:30.039 your love and your kindness and your grace and 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:34.120 your mercy, Lord. You have showered us with these 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:38.860 things help us to see this grant us understanding 00:03:38.860 --> 00:03:42.560 and help us also as recipients of your grace 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:46.740 To show grace to others this we pray in Jesus's 00:03:46.740 --> 00:03:55.360 name. Amen When you open up the pages of Scripture 00:03:55.360 --> 00:04:00.699 with whom do you identify? Who is it in scripture 00:04:00.699 --> 00:04:02.960 that you read of this person or that person and 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:11.080 you say that's me Who resonates with you Maybe 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:14.939 it's Peter Maybe you're like Peter. You've always 00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:21.079 got something to say Maybe you're Martha Going 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:23.660 going going and knowing you need to sit at the 00:04:23.660 --> 00:04:28.149 feet of Jesus Maybe you're a Gideon constantly 00:04:28.149 --> 00:04:31.230 needing reminders of the reality of God and what 00:04:31.230 --> 00:04:36.290 he is doing. Maybe you're Jonah running from 00:04:36.290 --> 00:04:39.350 a situation that you know God is calling you 00:04:39.350 --> 00:04:47.089 to. Who are you? Can I tell you? You're Mephibosheth. 00:04:48.069 --> 00:04:52.910 You are Mephibosheth. The reason that this story 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:56.060 resonates with us so much is because the grace 00:04:56.060 --> 00:04:59.500 that David shows to Mephibosheth points us ahead 00:04:59.500 --> 00:05:03.740 to the grace that God shows to us in Christ. 00:05:03.939 --> 00:05:07.439 You know this about yourself. You are unworthy 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:10.920 to come to God on your own, but he showers you 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:13.860 with his kindness. He showers you with his grace. 00:05:14.139 --> 00:05:17.360 What's true about Mephibosheth is true about 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:21.579 us, that we merit the opposite of what we get. 00:05:24.350 --> 00:05:29.449 Grace. Grace has been defined as God's unmerited 00:05:29.449 --> 00:05:33.009 favor. Have you heard that? That's a good definition. 00:05:33.050 --> 00:05:35.050 That's a fine definition, but I actually think 00:05:35.050 --> 00:05:38.689 we can add to that. Because apart from God's 00:05:38.689 --> 00:05:42.470 grace, we're hostile. We're rebellious to God. 00:05:42.970 --> 00:05:45.050 It's not that we're in neutral waiting for God 00:05:45.050 --> 00:05:48.230 to just put us in gear. God's grace is more than 00:05:48.230 --> 00:05:52.839 that. God's grace is his unmerited favor. to 00:05:52.839 --> 00:05:57.019 the wretched. God's grace is his unmerited favor 00:05:57.019 --> 00:06:01.259 to the guilty. God's grace is his unmerited favor 00:06:01.259 --> 00:06:07.000 to the deeply sinful. God's grace rescues us 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:11.560 from the immeasurable depths of our evilness. 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:15.620 What God does When he comes upon us, when his 00:06:15.620 --> 00:06:18.600 spirit resides in us, as he does an extraction, 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:23.220 he extracts that cold, dead, stony heart. And 00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:27.600 he transplants within us a heart with affections 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:30.980 for him. Friends, we're not Mephibosheth because 00:06:30.980 --> 00:06:33.839 life hasn't gone right. We're Mephibosheth because 00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:39.540 we're unworthy. And yet knowing this makes his 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:44.399 kindness kinder and his grace greater. Today, 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:48.379 what I want us to see from this text, I want 00:06:48.379 --> 00:06:52.100 us to see what Mephibosheth deserves, and I want 00:06:52.100 --> 00:06:57.399 us to see what Mephibosheth gets. Now, before 00:06:57.399 --> 00:07:01.199 you protest, I acknowledge what might be bubbling 00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:04.220 up inside of you. We want to stand up for Mephibosheth 00:07:04.220 --> 00:07:06.699 because he cannot stand up for himself. We want 00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:08.879 to say, this isn't about Mephibosheth's sin, 00:07:09.019 --> 00:07:11.769 and you're right. But we need to understand the 00:07:11.769 --> 00:07:15.029 context of this. We need to understand the environment 00:07:15.029 --> 00:07:17.769 for Mephibosheth. We need to understand why Mephibosheth 00:07:17.769 --> 00:07:21.889 is so very terrified to come into the presence 00:07:21.889 --> 00:07:28.350 of David. We want to tell Mephibosheth, you're 00:07:28.350 --> 00:07:32.569 not a dead dog, Mephibosheth. We want to have 00:07:32.569 --> 00:07:37.649 pity on him. But Mephibosheth doesn't feel like 00:07:37.649 --> 00:07:41.110 a dead dog. primarily because of his disability. 00:07:41.550 --> 00:07:43.829 Mephibosheth feels like a dead dog because of 00:07:43.829 --> 00:07:47.769 his family, and yet that is exactly the reason 00:07:47.769 --> 00:07:54.189 that David shows him grace. When he says, I feel 00:07:54.189 --> 00:07:58.589 like a dead dog, this is some strong language 00:07:58.589 --> 00:08:03.269 from a person at this time. This is self -deprecating 00:08:03.269 --> 00:08:07.329 language. He is saying to David, I am nothing. 00:08:07.740 --> 00:08:12.860 I am completely unworthy to even be here today. 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:17.879 Now we do know, we do know that Mephibosheth 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:24.180 is crippled. His nurse dropped him in her haste. 00:08:24.199 --> 00:08:28.199 You might remember the story from 2 Samuel chapter 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:37.889 4. I'll just read verse 4, 2 Samuel 4, 4. The 00:08:37.889 --> 00:08:42.370 son of Saul had a son who was crippled in his 00:08:42.370 --> 00:08:46.289 feet. And here's why. He was five years old when 00:08:46.289 --> 00:08:50.029 the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. 00:08:50.389 --> 00:08:54.330 And his nurse took him up and fled. And as she 00:08:54.330 --> 00:08:59.029 fled, in her haste, he fell and became lame. 00:08:59.870 --> 00:09:05.759 And his name was Mephibosheth. What was happening 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:09.200 is the nurse was trying to save his life because 00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:14.220 in that scripture What's happening? Saul is killed 00:09:14.220 --> 00:09:17.500 in battle Jonathan's killed in battle and what 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:20.820 that means is a change of the guard That means 00:09:20.820 --> 00:09:23.419 a change of the guard and so what would happen 00:09:23.419 --> 00:09:29.139 is if a king? Died and he didn't have a son for 00:09:29.139 --> 00:09:32.879 the throne Another king would come in and oftentimes 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:36.649 what he would do is due away with that whole 00:09:36.649 --> 00:09:39.269 former family. Whoever was living, he would put 00:09:39.269 --> 00:09:43.889 them to death. And so the nurse recognizes this, 00:09:44.090 --> 00:09:46.009 and so she says, I've got this five -year -old. 00:09:46.250 --> 00:09:49.330 I've got to get him out of here. And so they 00:09:49.330 --> 00:09:53.450 flee. But in her haste, she drops Mephibosheth. 00:09:53.990 --> 00:09:56.490 And he breaks his legs. And they were never the 00:09:56.490 --> 00:10:00.470 same. He's crippled for the rest of his life. 00:10:01.649 --> 00:10:05.799 But the thing about this is, that we know more 00:10:05.799 --> 00:10:09.659 of the story. While we know what other kings 00:10:09.659 --> 00:10:13.860 have done to those former families, David is 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:19.240 not just any other king. David is a man after 00:10:19.240 --> 00:10:23.480 God's own heart. But still, it's not as though 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:26.940 everybody knew of David's covenant with Jonathan. 00:10:27.679 --> 00:10:30.080 Matter of fact, we do know that at least at one 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:33.419 point they disguised their covenant together. 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:36.620 And so the nurse doesn't know this. Nobody else, 00:10:36.940 --> 00:10:40.460 perhaps, knows this. Does Mephibosheth know this? 00:10:40.460 --> 00:10:43.000 Well, he was five when his father was killed 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:48.659 in battle. Jonathan, though, remembers his covenant. 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:52.179 You can see this in verse one. Is there anyone 00:10:52.179 --> 00:10:54.779 left of the house of Saul that I may show him 00:10:54.779 --> 00:10:59.700 the kindness, kindness for Jonathan's sake? When 00:10:59.700 --> 00:11:04.610 he asks that, he brings in Zeba. And Zeba says, 00:11:04.970 --> 00:11:11.289 yes, there's one. Now, some scholars, and I think 00:11:11.289 --> 00:11:14.169 they're right to say this, looking at the rest 00:11:14.169 --> 00:11:19.169 of this story, we do find other members of Saul's 00:11:19.169 --> 00:11:23.629 house. So some believe that Zeba's lying here. 00:11:24.450 --> 00:11:26.769 He mentions, though, Mephibosheth. Why would 00:11:26.769 --> 00:11:30.029 Zeba mention Mephibosheth and not other members 00:11:30.029 --> 00:11:32.639 of this household? I think the reason that he 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:34.700 mentions him is because Mephibosheth is lame 00:11:34.700 --> 00:11:37.960 in his feet. What Zeba is saying to David is, 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:41.019 yes, there is this one, but he poses no threat 00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:45.679 to you. He can't even walk. So he says, don't 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:50.620 worry about Mephibosheth. He's nothing. He's 00:11:50.620 --> 00:11:56.350 nothing. And yet David keeps the covenant. He 00:11:56.350 --> 00:11:58.850 says here, is there anybody to show kindness 00:11:58.850 --> 00:12:01.909 to? And when he uses that word kindness, this 00:12:01.909 --> 00:12:04.129 is that word we've looked at before. This is 00:12:04.129 --> 00:12:08.009 hesed. We saw this a lot in our sermon series 00:12:08.009 --> 00:12:12.529 through Ruth. Hesed, an incredible word in the 00:12:12.529 --> 00:12:15.250 Hebrew that we can't really communicate fully 00:12:15.250 --> 00:12:18.090 in English. It means something like God's loving 00:12:18.090 --> 00:12:22.590 kindness. But I want you to see this is more 00:12:22.590 --> 00:12:25.740 than any old kindness. This is more than just 00:12:25.740 --> 00:12:28.639 ordinary hesed because while he says, is there 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:31.139 anyone left to show the kindness for Jonathan's 00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:36.539 sake? Look in verse three. The king said, is 00:12:36.539 --> 00:12:39.200 there not still someone of the house of Saul 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:45.860 that I may show the kindness of God? David wants 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:49.940 to show Yahweh's hesed here. He doesn't want 00:12:49.940 --> 00:12:52.539 to show David's hesed. He doesn't want to show 00:12:52.539 --> 00:12:57.029 Jonathan's hesed. He wants to show Yahweh's hesed 00:12:57.029 --> 00:13:00.789 and thereby keep this covenant that he made with 00:13:00.789 --> 00:13:03.409 David. So David's not going to offer the bare 00:13:03.409 --> 00:13:05.830 minimum hesed. He's going to go out of his way. 00:13:06.090 --> 00:13:08.929 And so he sends for Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth 00:13:08.929 --> 00:13:12.929 is at Lodibar, which sounds like it's just far 00:13:12.929 --> 00:13:16.950 enough away to have been considered safe for 00:13:16.950 --> 00:13:20.299 Mephibosheth. And David brings him in. and Mephibosheth 00:13:20.299 --> 00:13:23.539 falls on his face and bows to the king. And you 00:13:23.539 --> 00:13:26.820 see what David does. He immediately diffuses 00:13:26.820 --> 00:13:31.320 the situation. What does he say? He says, do 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:36.039 not fear. How many times do you see that in scripture? 00:13:36.840 --> 00:13:40.080 Where you see God telling someone, do not fear, 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:46.919 for I am with you. David is communicating Yahweh's 00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:53.720 hesed. Do not fear. We might say, well, what 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:57.639 is there to fear for Mephibosheth? Why would 00:13:57.639 --> 00:14:01.240 he be so scared? Well, let's remember that Saul 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:07.899 on multiple occasions tried to kill David. And 00:14:07.899 --> 00:14:10.779 Mephibosheth is the grandson of that former king. 00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:15.750 Also, David. He's killed his tens of thousands, 00:14:16.009 --> 00:14:20.570 David, who has slew the gigantic giant Goliath. 00:14:20.909 --> 00:14:25.210 This is a mighty, powerful man that Mephibosheth 00:14:25.210 --> 00:14:33.970 appears before, so he is scared. But David, again, 00:14:34.110 --> 00:14:38.830 not just any king, David shows this kindness 00:14:38.830 --> 00:14:42.190 and he remembers his covenant with Jonathan. 00:14:43.309 --> 00:14:47.029 And I believe that the reason that David is able 00:14:47.029 --> 00:14:50.809 to do this is not just because he loved Jonathan. 00:14:51.889 --> 00:14:56.909 It's because he realizes that Yahweh loves David. 00:14:58.169 --> 00:15:00.409 You see, it wasn't just that there's a covenant 00:15:00.409 --> 00:15:04.330 between David and Jonathan. As we saw last Sunday, 00:15:04.970 --> 00:15:09.350 there's a covenant between David and God. So 00:15:09.350 --> 00:15:15.230 David has received grace. And so he also extends 00:15:15.230 --> 00:15:18.649 grace. Friends, as recipients of God's grace, 00:15:18.690 --> 00:15:22.330 do we also extend grace to people? We're told 00:15:22.330 --> 00:15:25.330 in the Scriptures, have the mind of Christ, love 00:15:25.330 --> 00:15:28.230 your neighbor as yourself. We're told that people 00:15:28.230 --> 00:15:31.149 will know you are disciples of Jesus by your 00:15:31.149 --> 00:15:36.110 love. So do we love people the way that God loves 00:15:36.110 --> 00:15:39.370 people? Do we show grace the way God shows grace? 00:15:39.470 --> 00:15:42.500 You might say, well, how do I do it? Well, we 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:44.539 could come up with a list about a mile long. 00:15:45.379 --> 00:15:47.559 I'll just give you three points of application 00:15:47.559 --> 00:15:52.080 here. Three ways in which we can show grace. 00:15:52.580 --> 00:15:56.320 Remembering scripture from 1 Peter 4 -8, love 00:15:56.320 --> 00:16:01.360 covers a multitude of sins. Friends, that's really 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:04.940 what David does here. He overlooks the sins of 00:16:04.940 --> 00:16:08.419 Mephibosheth's grandfather, right? He says, I'm 00:16:08.419 --> 00:16:12.440 not seeking revenge. He overlooks this. Are you 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:18.200 able to overlook some offenses of others? Friends, 00:16:18.220 --> 00:16:20.500 we don't have to bring people up on charges every 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:24.779 time they look at us weird. We can show grace 00:16:24.779 --> 00:16:28.539 to our spouse by overlooking an offense. We can 00:16:28.539 --> 00:16:31.159 show grace to our children by overlooking an 00:16:31.159 --> 00:16:34.799 offense. We can show grace to our neighbors or 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:38.679 our coworkers or our friends. Now, we need to 00:16:38.679 --> 00:16:40.600 use wisdom with this. There are some things we 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:43.980 cannot overlook, but we need to have grace to 00:16:43.980 --> 00:16:50.039 say, this is an offense I can overlook. Secondly, 00:16:50.899 --> 00:16:55.620 grace in service to others. David serves Mephibosheth 00:16:55.620 --> 00:17:01.240 when he is in great need. Do we also serve others 00:17:01.240 --> 00:17:04.380 who are in need? I think of this potential mission 00:17:04.380 --> 00:17:07.000 trip to Mola in South Carolina. I hope some of 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:10.380 you would want to go on that. This is not a glamorous 00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:13.579 trip. It's not glamorous service whatsoever. 00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:16.299 Very few people will know what you do there. 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:19.240 And there's something that is, there's something 00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:24.000 very gracious about serving God quietly without 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:29.440 seeking recognition. Thirdly, perhaps the greatest 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:33.839 grace, we can tell the gospel. We can share the 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:36.859 gospel and we can share how we're saved by grace 00:17:36.859 --> 00:17:40.720 through faith. We can extend evangelism grace. 00:17:41.099 --> 00:17:44.660 That's really in a way what David's doing here. 00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:50.380 He extends the loving kindness of God to Mephibosheth. 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:58.319 We can show evangelism grace so that people would 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:03.349 see what you receive in Christ Jesus. Well, let's 00:18:03.349 --> 00:18:05.569 also look at what David or what Mephibosheth 00:18:05.569 --> 00:18:08.990 receives. You can see kind of towards the second 00:18:08.990 --> 00:18:12.170 half of our scripture here that Mephibosheth 00:18:12.170 --> 00:18:14.509 from David is going to receive land. And this 00:18:14.509 --> 00:18:19.170 is land from Saul's family. I think it's very 00:18:19.170 --> 00:18:23.269 interesting where Mephibosheth has been. He's 00:18:23.269 --> 00:18:27.009 been in a place called Lodabar. You might say, 00:18:27.089 --> 00:18:30.150 well, where's that? What's Lodabar like? Is it 00:18:30.150 --> 00:18:34.619 like Fountain Inn or what? actually is what its 00:18:34.619 --> 00:18:40.019 name is. Low in Hebrew means no. Pretty easy 00:18:40.019 --> 00:18:43.000 to remember. Low means no. So when you look at, 00:18:43.140 --> 00:18:46.279 say, the Ten Commandments and you see thou shalt 00:18:46.279 --> 00:18:49.180 not murder, you're going to see no is being the 00:18:49.180 --> 00:18:51.720 word low. Well, that's half the battle here. 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:55.880 What's dabar mean? Dabar in this usage means 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:58.880 pasture. Put them together and what do you get? 00:18:59.369 --> 00:19:03.869 you get no pasture. This is telling us that Mephibosheth 00:19:03.869 --> 00:19:07.109 is in a barren land that doesn't produce food. 00:19:07.789 --> 00:19:11.769 He's in a nothing place. He has been in a place 00:19:11.769 --> 00:19:15.710 where he had everything. And then he was displaced 00:19:15.710 --> 00:19:18.609 to a place where there is nothing. And so what 00:19:18.609 --> 00:19:21.670 does David give him? He brings him back home. 00:19:22.390 --> 00:19:25.809 He brings him back home. He also is going to 00:19:25.809 --> 00:19:29.440 get lots of servants. You can see 15 servants 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:35.180 or 20 servants and 15 sons, 15 and 20 to handle 00:19:35.180 --> 00:19:39.119 this plot of land, meaning this is no small plot 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:42.119 of land that Mephibosheth is going to get. And 00:19:42.119 --> 00:19:45.640 with that land and with these servants, Mephibosheth 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:48.720 is going to have plenty to eat. And this is very 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:51.059 important because remember, Mephibosheth, even 00:19:51.059 --> 00:19:54.519 as a grown man here, he is completely dependent 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:58.440 upon others. He's crippled in his feet. Right? 00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:07.359 We need to think about this, about how in just 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:11.740 a few minutes, everything changed for Mephibosheth 00:20:11.740 --> 00:20:15.279 when he was five. Think about what he lost and 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:19.259 what he gains. On that fateful day when Saul 00:20:19.259 --> 00:20:22.099 was killed and Jonathan was killed, Mephibosheth 00:20:22.099 --> 00:20:26.890 loses his family. He loses his home. He loses 00:20:26.890 --> 00:20:31.130 his mobility, he loses his security, he loses 00:20:31.130 --> 00:20:34.650 his inheritance, and he loses it all in a matter 00:20:34.650 --> 00:20:39.910 of minutes. But David restores what he can, and 00:20:39.910 --> 00:20:42.430 David goes beyond the covenant, because David 00:20:42.430 --> 00:20:45.630 does not just tolerate Mephibosheth. Actually, 00:20:45.630 --> 00:20:49.650 what we could say that David does for him is 00:20:49.650 --> 00:20:53.089 that David adopts Mephibosheth into his family. 00:20:54.539 --> 00:20:57.579 He adopts him into his family. Mephibosheth cannot 00:20:57.579 --> 00:21:00.319 take care of himself. He cannot adopt himself. 00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:03.259 He cannot make himself adopted. He cannot sign 00:21:03.259 --> 00:21:06.380 his own adoption papers. Mephibosheth can't even 00:21:06.380 --> 00:21:12.819 set his own place at the table. He cannot do 00:21:12.819 --> 00:21:20.720 anything but receive grace. There was a 20th 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:24.650 century bishop. Anglican bishop named Taylor 00:21:24.650 --> 00:21:26.529 Smith. I don't know if you've heard this story. 00:21:27.730 --> 00:21:29.950 Taylor Smith went to the barber shop one day 00:21:29.950 --> 00:21:34.009 to go get a shave. And as he sat down in the 00:21:34.009 --> 00:21:37.849 barber's chair, he decided to tell the barber 00:21:37.849 --> 00:21:41.910 about salvation and Jesus. That's a dangerous 00:21:41.910 --> 00:21:43.910 thing if you remember how they used to give a 00:21:43.910 --> 00:21:49.049 shave, right? The barber didn't like it. And 00:21:49.049 --> 00:21:53.220 so the barber said, I don't need Jesus. I do 00:21:53.220 --> 00:21:57.660 my best, and that's enough for me." And so the 00:21:57.660 --> 00:22:00.799 bishop, perhaps wisely, was quiet while he was 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:04.119 in the chair. But the next man came in and sat 00:22:04.119 --> 00:22:08.319 down at that chair. And the bishop said to the 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:12.140 barber, may I shave this customer? To which the 00:22:12.140 --> 00:22:16.660 barber said, no, you cannot. The bishop said, 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:20.539 I would do my best. And the barber said, you 00:22:20.539 --> 00:22:23.740 might do your best. But your best would not be 00:22:23.740 --> 00:22:26.759 good enough for this customer. And the bishop 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:29.980 said, no, and neither is your best good enough 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:33.519 for God. Friends, it's by grace you've been saved 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:36.380 through faith. It's not from yourselves. It's 00:22:36.380 --> 00:22:39.079 the gift of God. Mephibosheth could have paid 00:22:39.079 --> 00:22:43.180 homage to David all day long, but were it not 00:22:43.180 --> 00:22:46.420 for the grace of David, Mephibosheth indeed would 00:22:46.420 --> 00:22:50.160 have been a dead dog. He was powerless, but David 00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:54.650 kept his promise. And God keeps his in Christ. 00:22:56.450 --> 00:22:58.309 Friends, what gets you through the tough times? 00:22:59.269 --> 00:23:01.230 What gets you through the tough times when your 00:23:01.230 --> 00:23:04.849 sin is glaringly obvious to you, when you falter 00:23:04.849 --> 00:23:07.630 again and again and again? What gets you through 00:23:07.630 --> 00:23:11.890 tough times when you feel shame and when you 00:23:11.890 --> 00:23:14.849 feel guilt and when you feel nothing, like you're 00:23:14.849 --> 00:23:18.289 just nothing? Friends, when you feel like that, 00:23:19.390 --> 00:23:22.710 remember what Jesus has done for you. About how 00:23:22.710 --> 00:23:27.450 he by his grace he removes that guilt and he 00:23:27.450 --> 00:23:30.329 removes that shame This is what he did on the 00:23:30.329 --> 00:23:34.029 cross. He despised the shame He went to the cross 00:23:34.029 --> 00:23:37.470 for you and this reminds me of yet another person 00:23:37.470 --> 00:23:45.369 in Scripture that you are just like Luke 23 39 00:23:45.369 --> 00:23:51.140 through 43 listen to these words Luke 23, 39 00:23:51.140 --> 00:23:57.420 through 43. One of the criminals who were hanged 00:23:57.420 --> 00:24:02.039 railed at him, saying, are you not the Christ? 00:24:02.539 --> 00:24:06.460 Save yourself and us. But the other rebuked him, 00:24:06.660 --> 00:24:10.619 saying, do you not fear God? Since you were under 00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:14.230 the same sentence of condemnation, And we indeed 00:24:14.230 --> 00:24:17.430 justly, for we are receiving the due reward of 00:24:17.430 --> 00:24:20.250 our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong. 00:24:21.089 --> 00:24:25.829 And he said, Jesus, remember me when you come 00:24:25.829 --> 00:24:28.930 into your kingdom. And he said to him, truly 00:24:28.930 --> 00:24:34.710 I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. 00:24:36.509 --> 00:24:39.289 You have the thief on the cross, the believing 00:24:39.289 --> 00:24:43.160 one next to Jesus. who acknowledges his sin, 00:24:43.779 --> 00:24:46.680 and he also acknowledges the innocence of Jesus, 00:24:46.779 --> 00:24:52.400 and then he says, Jesus, remember me. Friends, 00:24:52.420 --> 00:24:54.339 that's what's happening in our passage from 2 00:24:54.339 --> 00:24:59.059 Samuel chapter 9. David is remembering his covenant, 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:03.920 and he extends to Mephibosheth, grace that is 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:10.460 totally, completely undeserved. And this is us. 00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:14.559 receiving grace. I like this quote from Augustine 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:17.960 who said, the grace of God does not find men 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:21.960 fit for salvation, but makes them so. That's 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:24.680 what God's grace does. And were it not for the 00:25:24.680 --> 00:25:26.680 grace of God toward the people of God, there 00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:32.579 would be no people of God. First Peter 2 10 says, 00:25:33.940 --> 00:25:37.480 once you were not a people, but now you are God's 00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:40.319 people. Once you had not received mercy, but 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:45.619 now you have received mercy. Friends, one more 00:25:45.619 --> 00:25:48.759 analogy for you. I said that Mephibosheth is 00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:51.640 a dead dog before David because of his family, 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:54.480 and yet this is why he is saved. The same is 00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:58.819 true of us, isn't it? Our family history is messy. 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:03.980 I'm talking about all of humanity. All of humanity 00:26:03.980 --> 00:26:07.980 by the fall was thrown into dysfunction and hostility 00:26:07.980 --> 00:26:11.059 and wickedness and sin. We're all born in iniquity. 00:26:11.099 --> 00:26:13.500 We all deserve death because the wages of sin 00:26:13.500 --> 00:26:20.579 is death. But what does Christ do for us? He 00:26:20.579 --> 00:26:24.799 invites us to dine with him at the table. The 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:27.980 marriage supper of the lamb from Revelation 19. 00:26:28.630 --> 00:26:31.670 Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage 00:26:31.670 --> 00:26:34.670 supper of the Lamb, and people will come from 00:26:34.670 --> 00:26:37.809 east and west, north and south, and recline at 00:26:37.809 --> 00:26:41.549 the table in the kingdom of God, says Luke 13. 00:26:42.089 --> 00:26:46.390 Jesus saves us and reserves for us a place at 00:26:46.390 --> 00:26:51.349 his table. And that reservation at the table, 00:26:51.789 --> 00:26:55.390 it's not about what you accomplish in life. That 00:26:55.390 --> 00:26:57.890 reservation at the table is not about your resume. 00:26:58.410 --> 00:27:01.150 That place at the table, it's not about your 00:27:01.150 --> 00:27:05.710 GPA. And it's not about your 401K. It's not about 00:27:05.710 --> 00:27:08.150 what you did or what you didn't do. It's not 00:27:08.150 --> 00:27:11.750 about how much money you donated. It's not about 00:27:11.750 --> 00:27:16.329 how you vote. It's not about how many mission 00:27:16.329 --> 00:27:18.410 trips you went on or how many times you read 00:27:18.410 --> 00:27:20.690 the Bible through. Some of those are very good 00:27:20.690 --> 00:27:22.670 things, but you were not saved by those things. 00:27:22.930 --> 00:27:25.390 You were saved by grace alone, through faith 00:27:25.390 --> 00:27:30.180 alone, in Christ alone. summary friends it's 00:27:30.180 --> 00:27:33.240 not about you you who are in Christ you have 00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:36.400 received his gracious free gift of the gospel 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:41.880 and you are enabled by the Spirit to have a spot 00:27:41.880 --> 00:27:48.299 at the table with your name on it and there's 00:27:48.299 --> 00:27:51.500 still other spots at the table if today you're 00:27:51.500 --> 00:27:55.190 unsure of what to make of Jesus If you're not 00:27:55.190 --> 00:27:58.130 sure what this grace thing is all about, friends, 00:27:59.029 --> 00:28:01.890 let me encourage you, let me tell you to pray 00:28:01.890 --> 00:28:06.329 today, pray even now, pray knowing that Jesus 00:28:06.329 --> 00:28:11.130 is God's greatest gift, but also that faith is 00:28:11.130 --> 00:28:17.670 a gift. Pray to receive that gift and know, know 00:28:17.670 --> 00:28:21.109 that when you do, by the grace of God, you will 00:28:21.109 --> 00:28:25.140 always have a seat at his table. Let's pray.