The scripture reading this morning is from 2 Samuel 9. Now David said, is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake? And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, are you Ziba? He said, at your service.
Then the king said, is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God? And Ziba said to the king, there is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet. So the king said to him, where is he? And Ziba said to the king, indeed he is in the house of Machir, the son of Amiel in Lodeba. Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir, the son of Amiel from Lodeba.
Now When Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, Mephibosheth? And he answered, here is your servant. So David said to him, do not fear for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake and will restore to you all the land of Saul, your grandfather, and you shall eat bread at my table continually. Then he bowed himself and said, what is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?
And the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, I have given to your master's son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You therefore and your sons and your servants shall work the land for him, "'and you shall bring in the harvest "'that your master's son may have food to eat. "'But Mephibosheth, your master's son, "'shall eat bread at my table always.' "'Now Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants. Then Ziba said to the king, according to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do. As for Mephibosheth said the king, he shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons.
Mephiboshet had a young son whose name was Misha, and all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephiboshet. So Mephiboshet dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table, and he was lame in both his feet." Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word that is going to be preached to us this morning. Lord, I pray that you would prepare our hearts. Lord, you would tenderize our hearts through your word.
Lord that we would see our hopelessness within ourselves. Lord that we would see our only hope in Christ. That we would see how undeserving we are of a covenant-keeping God. Oh Lord, We don't even deserve to be the lame dog eating crumbs at the foot of the table. But Lord, you lifted us up, you found us, and you brought us to your banqueting table.
You have set a feast before us because of Christ, because you, O God, are a covenant-keeping God, a God who forgets all our trespasses and sins, but remembers his covenant. Oh God, we thank you. We ask you, Lord, to come upon the preacher of your word, Lord, that you would fill him, Lord, that we would hear your words through him, Lord. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Please turn with me to the Word of God, to 2 Samuel 9.
This morning I want to speak to you regarding the seeking grace of God. Grace. Grace alone was the key pillar of the Protestant Reformation. And in this portion of God's Word, we find grace, typified. Now let me tell you of the year 1725, when a godly mother gave birth to her only son, And like Hannah in the Old Testament, she tried to bring him up, dedicated him to the Lord, praying that one day he would be a preacher in a pulpit in England.
And as that boy grew, this faithful mother instructed him in the Bible, in the Westminster Catechism, and the children's hymns of Isaac Watts. But tragically, that mother died early. That boy was left with his ungodly father. That father married and that mother to this boy was not a godly mother. He was sent off to a boarding school.
Soon he dropped out and became a sailor like his father. And turning from God, he embraced free thinking, philosophies of men, and that wrecked his life. Drinking and profanity and rebellion and sensuality gripped him choking all the desires to serve God. He even hated the God of his mother. He ran from responsibility.
He deserted later on the Royal Navy and ultimately found himself as a servant of slaves on the west coast of Africa. He was full of pain and illness at that time. Life didn't seem to be worth living for him, and somehow he managed to contact his father in England and informed him of his desire to return. And one of his father's friends was going to Africa and on that ship, the Greyhound. And his plan was bring this boy back home.
And while returning, there was a fierce storm that arose. So violent was the storm that the crew thought the ship would sink. And out of desperation, This young man, wayward young man, cried out for mercy. And he could not think clearly, so he went to the Bible, began to open it, and reading the words of the scripture, he thought he has no hope at all, that as he has rejected God, God has also eternally has rejected him, but as he began to read the words of the scripture, he saw the promises of Jesus Christ. He heard the calling of the Lord, And that is what we need this morning.
That is what we need, the calling of Christ. That he might open the doors of heaven, pour his spirit upon us. By faith that young man looked to Christ, trusted Christ. He became a new new creature in Christ and nearly 16 years later he was ordained to be a minister of the gospel, faithfully proclaiming God's word in several pulpits. In later years, as he reflected upon his misery of sin and the greatness of the grace and the love of God in saving him, he began to write some words.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved the rich like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see. We all know that name, John Newton. And what a man he was, but what a savior he preached.
That's more important. What can take an infidel, a wretched sinner like John Newton and transform him into an influential servant of the Lord Jesus Christ? You might be sitting here this morning and there may be even one here. You've heard sermon after sermon and you say to yourself, maybe I'm talking to you this morning. You say to yourself, I have not been moved.
Am I talking to you? Is there someone here? You've been caught up by so many things, you've been blessed by so many ways, but you still have not bowed the knee to Jesus Christ. Listen then, there is still grace. This is the day of grace.
The Lord Jesus Christ healed sinners more on the Sabbath day than any other day. And Today is the Sabbath, but greater than Sabbath because it is the Lord's day, the day of resurrection of Jesus Christ. How could a sinner find favor with God? Only God's amazing grace. But what is grace?
We talk about grace being that unreserved favor of God towards sinners. We talk about grace being God's unmerited love. We even say grace, God's riches at Christ's expense. This is what grace is. Read Titus 3 and verse 4.
It says that the kindness and love of God, our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done. The kindness and the mercy of God, the kindness and love of God, our savior toward man appeared. That's grace. Do you deserve God's grace? No.
Do I deserve God's grace? No. Do I deserve God's grace? No. What do we deserve?
Outer darkness. That place of gnashing of teeth. That place of loneliness. Separated from God. Do you know anything of grace?
Has God been gracious to you? Have you been saved? Are you being sustained by grace? Maybe there is someone here and you feel so burdened. You're tired.
You're weary. But have you experienced sustaining grace of God? For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Pray, Lord, give me that gift.
I can't work it up, but give me that gift. Not of works lest any man should boast. Now, nowhere in the Bible do we have a more vivid illustration of God's amazing grace than this account of David and Mephibosheth. I wonder if you have thought about Mephibosheth, even heard a message on Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the grandson of King Saul.
And Saul, of course, was David's bitterest foe. But God swept Saul aside and enthroned David in his place. When that kingdom was firmly in the grasp of King David, David looked for some way to show, as he says, the kindness of God in verse three, and to fulfill that covenantal friendship that he had made and the promise that he had made to Jonathan, Saul's son and to Saul's family. We read this in verse three. Is there not yet any of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God unto him." And he discovered Mephibosheth.
He sought him out. He brought him to himself. He lavished his gift upon him. Mephibosheth was to be with David forever, continually. Can you see this?
To sit at his table with his sons. Can you imagine this? It's a thrilling story of amazing grace. Old Testament is full of illustrations of the way God saves, and what Christ has done for sinners like us, poor sinners, hell-deserving sinners. Oh friends, what a savior we have.
Christ died so his people might live. Through his death, his people come alive. Christ was brought under the curse of God So his people might no longer be condemned. Christ was bound that we might be set free. Christ was buried so that we might rise.
Christ, by his grace, saves wretched sinners like us. Is he seeking you? Have you heard his voice, my friend? Grace, wonderful grace. There are two things I want to say, or three things.
The grace of God seeks, that's one thing I want you to notice. The grace of God seeks the undeserving, and unfit, and unsatisfied sinners. And the grace of God secondly saves, and finally, grace of God satisfies. So the first thing that I want you to notice from this passage is that the grace of God seeks. Not us seeking God, it's God's grace seeking us.
And how wonderful this is. This is our only hope. That the Savior seeks us by His grace. Look at verse one. And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul that I might show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
Mephibosheth did not seek David, it didn't enter his mind to seek David, for David made all the advances. It was David who pursued him. It was David who asked after him. It's a picture of a sinful soul, a sinful world lost. The Scripture speaks of all.
We like sheep have gone astray, astray from the path of God, from the path of heaven, to the city of destruction. That's where we are abiding. But the grace of God comes seeking. David says, Is there not yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I might show him kindness for Jonathan's sake. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and yet Grace comes searching.
The Lord Jesus Christ said this, the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. You sit there this morning with a great burden upon your heart. No one else knows it. No one else sees it. You don't tell anyone, but there is a great burden.
We put a facade, a show, a display that all is well. Friends, Christ knows. No one else knows, but Christ knows. His eyes that sees through all the covers that we put, all the walls that we set before us, and all others. He appeared amongst the disciples when all the doors were shut.
Is the doors shut? But Christ enters in, he sees it, and he seeks and he saves that which is lost. But do we seek him now? Not by nature. Not by nature.
There is none that understandeth, we don't even understand it. There is none that seeketh after God. So you see, it is grace that seeks. David goes and asks, is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul. And what kind of a person is he seeking?
The undeserving. As the son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, was a member of a rejected family. God had rejected Saul and the rest of his posterity We read this God saying to Saul in 1st Samuel 15 and verse 23 He says the Lord he hath also rejected thee from being king You've been rejected Saul Not only you but all of your children All of your family. I have rejected you. And as a descendant of Saul, he was a natural enemy of David.
Mephibosheth was seen as an enemy. Are we not at enmity against God? Our hearts, our will by nature goes against God. It doesn't just go away from God. It wars against God.
If Jesus Christ was here today, what would men do to him? They would nail him to the cross. They would murder the son of God afresh. It's not that they would ignore him. You cannot ignore God.
We cannot ignore God. But we would murder God if we could. But here is the grace, comes to the undeserving, comes to those who are weary, weighing down with sin, feel there is no hope for them. The grace of God is that great bridge that is set. How heavy our sins may be, that load of sins may be, and yet the grace of God is able to sustain us, hold us.
We came to a bridge one time in England in the rural area and it says, no heavy vehicles. Because it was not stable. It could not carry us. But the grace of God is a bridge that carries the heaviest, even the cheapest of sinners it carries. What's the state of your heart?
There is hope in the Lord, my friends. The grace of God comes seeking the very one who is his enemy, the soul of Tarsus. He sought him, Saul did not seek the Lord, but it was the Lord Jesus who appeared to him. Do my friends recognize this? Like Mephibosheth, you too have been born in a family that has been rejected.
The family of first man Adam has been rejected. Wherefore, the apostle says, as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men so that all have sinned. We need the grace that we do not deserve because we are God's enemy. We sin willfully against him. So the grace comes seeking the undeserving, but also it seeks to unfit.
For when David asks Ziba about Saul's family, he gave him some wise counsel. And it's interesting what, how Ziba addresses this matter in verse four and the King said unto him, where is he? Or I should say verse three. And the King said, is there not yet any of the house of soul that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the King, Jonathan has yet a son.
Is there a full stop there? No, he adds something. Why does he add something? He's saying, King, listen, Jonathan has a son, but there is something wrong with him. Jonathan has a son, but you must know this, that which is lame on his feet.
He's not worthy of you. He's not worthy to be in your presence. He's lame on his feet. Listen, David, he says, You had better think twice about this before you do this. It's not a very kingly thing, David.
It's not fit for this man to be in your surroundings. This is a crippled man, David. That's what he's saying. That's why he adds this. He's lame on his feet.
It's not just one foot, both feet. He's not worthy to be in your presence, David. That's why he adds this. Every word of God is inspired. And therefore, these things are not just added to filled gaps.
It's saying something. David, watch what you do. What had happened was that Mephibosheth had been crippled because of a fall. That is amazing. What a picture this is.
A fall. You see, they thought David was after them when He was a young boy. He was only five. They thought David was after them to kill all of the children and posterity of Saul. But he wasn't.
And so they ran. And the scripture says in chapter four and verse four that as Mephibosheth ran a five year old boy, he fell and was crippled. Other thing running away from David. Men run away from God and they crippled themselves in sin. That's what Adam did.
Do you know why we are spiritually crippled? Adam sinned and fell from God's favor so did you. And that's why the Apostle says again and again wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin. Sin has crippled us. Sin has deformed us.
Sin has rendered you and I unfit to come into God's presence before his throne, to see that his table sin will not allow us. We cannot go to him. Oh my friends, we are sinking. We are sinking in waters and we cannot save ourselves. We are drowning and we cannot save ourselves.
Do you know what is the difference between the gospel of Jesus Christ and anything else that is offered to us, think about a great ocean and you're in the midst of it. Your hands, your feet, they cannot be used. You're crippled yourself and you're drowning. You're crying out for help. You're sinking, you're dying.
And a boat comes along. And The Pope puts his head over and says, oh, follow the rules of the church. Come and kiss my hand. Follow these things and I will pull you out. Or throw something to him, hold on to this.
Muhammad then comes along and says, well follow these five rules and then maybe you can save yourself. And others come along all saying, do this, do that. The poor man is dying. He cannot move his arms, he cannot move his legs. You're dying, but Christ comes.
And what does he do? He jumps into the water. He comes as our savior. He himself enters into our world to save us. In the process of it, he dies.
You think about it. I must also give you an illustration from my country. The great Darius the king was once on the Persian Gulf on his ship going to, he was returning from a great battle. And there was a great storm. The ship was sinking.
So what happened, they threw overboard everything that was heavy, all the treasures, all the various items on the ship. They threw it so that the ship was light would lighten up. And then nothing changed. The ship continued to be sinking. Do you know what the servants did then they cast themselves overboard they cast themselves overboard we have the very opposite of it in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
To save us Christ casts himself overboard. The great King of Kings and Lord of Lords comes into this world to save what? Undeserving, unfit, crippled sinners like us. And so we gather on this Lord's Day to worship Him. We worship and praise our beloved King and we serve Him.
Do you serve him? Do you know him, my friend? But then, Mephibosheth also, this grace of God comes to a man who was unsatisfied. Mephibosheth's name, do you know what it means? It means a shameful thing in the Hebrew, a shameful thing that tells you something.
And he was living, it says in verse four, in a place called Lodi Bar. What does that mean? The name Lodi Bar. It tells you of the area that he lived. Lodi Bar means no pasture.
That's what it means literally. It means a barren land. It means a place of emptiness and dissatisfaction. That's what it means. And what a picture this is, again.
Evidently, barrenness typified that area. And what do you see around you? You look around this world. What do you see? So many people, millions upon millions of people who are restless, who are unhappy, who are unsatisfied in their present life.
People have more and more in our Western society, but they are enjoying it less and less. They've all the things that money can buy and yet they are really not satisfied. They feel emptiness. I can speak of families. My own brother I can tell you of.
He has everything the world can offer. And then he sheds tears and says, I feel so empty. A shameful thing Mephibosheth was, living in the place of emptiness. We talk to people, and if we are honest, if we are unconverted, if we are honest, we would say, my life is so empty, my life is miserable. I feel like I am just like him.
I lack something. There's something missing in my life. I don't have fulfillment. There is no purpose. I don't know why I exist.
There's emptiness and vacuum in my life. Oh, is this you? Is this you, boys and girls, children? I go from this to that. I tried this and that.
Whatever I can find, whatever this world is offering, I take it. Sinful pleasures, powers, and popularity and prestige. These are the things that people think will make them happy, things. Have you found any joy that lasts in these things? Have you found contentment that is real?
Or are you still restless, unsatisfied? Augustine said this, and you know it, man is restless until he finds his rest in God. But do you see what the grace of God does? It comes seeking the undeserving, the unfit, the unsatisfied. Mephibosheth, a shameful thing, living in Lodi Bar, a place of emptiness, barrenness.
But God's grace comes to sinners like him. David sends his grace to him and calls him forth. Grace comes seeking. But then secondly, the grace of God saves. Grace of God saves.
Isn't this what the apostle says? In Ephesians 2 and verse 8, the verse that we know so well, for by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Think of what grace brought to Mephibosheth. It brought salvation. He was brought out of the place of emptiness to the king's table.
Can you imagine what went through that man's mind when he saw David's messengers coming. It was a fearful sight. He was not happy about this. You see, it was this ancient custom to execute or murder all the rival members of a former ruling party. And when Mephibosheth saw the messengers of the king coming, he must have thought that his death warrant was in their hand.
He must have thought that. He must have been filled with fear. But instead they had brought the message of grace. They said to him David would show you Mephibosheth the kindness of God. Come come day Mephibosheth just as you are come.
And Mephibosheth came. This is the invitation of God to sinners. Come, come you who are like Mephibosheth. David, how he treated him graciously. He said, is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul?
Why? That I might take vengeance upon him? No, it doesn't say that. But that I might show him kindness for Jonathan's sake. Can you see the message of the gospel in this?
For Christ's sake, sinners are invited to come. Poor sinners are saved by God's grace for Christ's sake, for our Jonathan, our heavenly Jonathan's sake. Is there any the Lord is saying left of the family of the man who died for sinners? David is saying here is there anyone who is left of that family of the man who tried to kill me with a javelin, who pursued me from mountain to mountain? Is there anyone related to this man who made my life so unbearable?
Not that I take vengeance upon him, but for Jonathan's sake, my beloved friend Jonathan, with whom I entered into a covenant which covers all of his children that I might show them kindness. For all of the kindness and grace that was shown to Mephibosheth was done because of the sake of Jonathan. Because of the sake of another. Is this not how God deals with us then? When we were enemies, the scripture says, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son.
And how have you been treated by the Lord? If you've been treated by grace, Ought we not to be thankful always for his daily mercies? Have you ever given thanks to God from your heart? Sincerely, genuinely thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. Have you thought of Jesus Christ who shed his blood for sinners?
Have you any time for him? The claim that he has upon your life? Have you ever thought of him? I tell you, by nature, you and I, my friend, we are enemies of God. And yet God says, are there any here this morning to whom I may show kindness in spite of their treatment of me and my son, in spite of being my enemy, in spite of being under my curse.
Is there anyone How is God able to do this? He's able to do this for Christ's sake, that's why. For Christ's sake. And so here goes out. The welcome of God, come, come.
Come and meet with him. Come to his table, come to see Christ. I said to some of you yesterday, of that account, a true account of a fight that was brought about between a father and a son in Spain. The son did awful things, said awful things, did so much harm to the father. And then he left the home, he left.
And would not return, the father said, I cannot. Be without my son, I must see him, I care for him, I love him. So he went after him, week after week, month after month, he searched out every place that he knew he could not find his son. So what did he do? The last resort was to advertise.
So he went to the local papers, the newspapers, and he put an ad in the papers. Son, Marcus, your father forgives you. Come and see him. Come and meet me on Saturday night at eight p.m. In front of this paper's office.
Saturday comes, the father doesn't know, will his son be there or not? He goes. As he goes, he hears noises. You see, there were 800 marcuses standing in front of that newspaper office. All of these men had left the home, had done evil to their fathers, and now they were seeking forgiveness, pardon.
And the Lord calls poor sinners this morning, come, come. Christ calls sinners, come unto me. You see at Calvary, the Lord Jesus satisfied the justice of God that you and I deserve. He bore the judgment of God for our sins, not his own, and because of his shed blood, his heart's blood, God is able to say, are there any of you to whom I may show kindness for Christ's sake? Come, whosoever, come To people like you that are unreserving, my friend.
Unfit, unsatisfied. God gives his grace. So come. Why not come? David also calls him personally.
Here are those tender things that comes from Christ, David's mouth. In verse six it says, and now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul was come unto David, he fell on his face and did reverence. He did the right thing. Sinners must bow before Christ. They must worship the Lord.
And David said, Mephibosheth. Doesn't it remind you of someone else? Just one word, Mephibosheth. It means so much to Mephibosheth. Can you not imagine in the garden, Mary cast down?
The stone is rolled away, the place is empty, Mary is weeping, And then she thinks there is a gardener passing by and says, where have you taken him? Tell me, where have you taken him? I'll go and fetch him. And then the Lord says, Mary, Mary. David says, Mephibosheth, so personal.
He knows him. He knows him by name. He knows him personally. The Lord Jesus Christ speaks of his sheep. He calleth his own sheep by name, the scripture says.
You think about another picture in the New Testament. You see Jesus Christ walking in the midst of the multitude, so many people thronging around him. And there's a little short man, Zacchaeus, so short, cannot see him, wants to see him. And Zacchaeus climbs that sycamore tree, it says to see Jesus. That's all he's interested about.
He's not interested to see other people who is seeing Jesus. No, he wants to see Jesus. And then Christ came along. He suddenly stopped under that tree looking up he saw Zacchaeus and think about it what went through Zacchaeus' heart as Christ looks at him he says he sees me he sees me he looks up at me He sees me. And then Christ says, Zacchaeus.
And then he thinks, he knows me. He knows me. And then he says, make haste. He calls me. That's what he thinks.
And then he says, come down, Zacchaeus. He wants me. He wants me to come down to him. For today I must abide at thy house. He wants to use me.
I'm no longer to be unused. I'm no longer to be left. No purpose in my life with my own wickedness and selfishness and pride. This is our savior, my friends. And that's how Mephibosheth must have felt when David said, Mephibosheth.
And he says in verse seven, David says to him, fear not. Isn't this again Christ-like? Fear thou not. Fear not, he says. This Mephibosheth was won by grace.
What about you, my friend? Have you heard the Lord calling you, even these past days, calling you personally? The messages have been for you, they've certainly been for me personally. Have you responded to that? There are no excuses.
Well, David not only treated him graciously or personally, but also He was to be preserved continually. You see, later on, a famine came into the land. And the cause of it was, we find out later, it was actually, Saul was the cause of it. Saul had treated in a certain way that Gibeonites, Saul's treatment of the Gibeonites brought curse upon the land and the curse of it was the death of Saul's family. And so the rest of the family of Saul was to die, be put to death, but the king, David, spared Mephibosheth.
Oh, do you see what amazing grace brings to sinners? It brings pardon for all of our past sins and the power of the present sins because Christ who saves is the Christ who keeps he keeps He doesn't let any one of his children go. He shed his blood for them. All of them will be gathered in. Oh, think of the grace that bought us, the salvation that sinners have.
And this grace that wrought in Mephibosheth appreciation too Can you catch the sense of unworthiness in Mephibosheth? He falls on his face and he refers to himself as a dead dog an animal of contempt in that society oh Mephibosheth could hardly believe his ears when the Lord and when his Lord speaks such gracious words to him fear not Mephibosheth fear not for I will surely show kind the kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake and will restore thee all the land of soul thy father and thou shalt Eat bread at my table continually. Oh, what grace. Oh, my friend, if you're a child of God, what has grace brought in you? What has grace brought about in you?
What response do you give to God? We give him life. We give him our life, for he gave his life for us. There is a cost, the Lord Jesus Christ said. He doesn't want part of your life, he wants all of your life.
This is God's grace then, and the grace of God saves. Finally, the grace of God satisfies, it satisfies. Mephibosheth does mean shameful, a man with shame. He was in this empty unsatisfied place of Lodibar. A picture of sinners, but then he's brought to the king, not only to the king, but to the king's table continually, And so sinners, in their shame of sin, find the grace of Jesus seeking them, saving them, bringing them to God.
He is our only mediator. And so we go to God by his grace. At Calvary, the sinner discovers satisfaction and instead of barrenness in this life, There is fullness instead of being a far off. He's brought near to God the scripture says by the blood of Christ. Then the grace of God satisfies our souls.
Do you know those lovely lines? Grace taught my wandering feet to tread the heavenly road and new supplies each hour I meet while pressing on to God wonderful hymn of Augustus top lady What did the grace of God mean for Mephibosheth? Well, there was that peace. Peace. Do you see how David addresses him?
He says, fear not. The great fear Mephibosheth would have was death, but David's fear not brought peace to Mephibosheth's troubled heart all those years that he was in Lodibar fear would be a constant companion to him what if David would come what if the soldiers would come whoever would pass by he might think what if this is the messenger of my death but now peace is his from the mouth of the king Do you know anything about satisfying peace of Jesus Christ, his peace that he gives us that the world cannot give? The spirit of peace that he sends to us. Do you know anything of that? And because of Christ, we can stand before God, not fearing, not fearing that we are under his condemnation any longer all we have the fear of God a fear of a child towards a father fear of love fear of respect fear of honor that's what we have but not slavish fear not fear of condemnation not fear of being cursed by God, or judged by God.
Can you say with Paul, therefore being justified by faith, and then apply it to yourself, I have peace with God. So there is peace, but then, there is supply for him, there is provision for him. David gave Mephibosheth all the inheritance that belonged to Saul. Oh what inheritance the believer has. Heaven, glory, treasures things that will not perish but will last.
It's not silver and gold of this world, but heavenly things. And since Mephibosheth here did not have the power to work the land or produce the fruit, David gave him the family of Ziba to do that for him. Think about that. 36 people working full time to provide for one crippled man. Oh friend, though you come to Jesus Christ empty with all your sins with you as a great burden on your back.
Jesus Christ hands over to you his inheritance that he has purchased for sinners like us. The riches of his grace, the apostle says. Divine grace is all, with all its freshness, fullness and freeness is ours if you are in Christ. So why should we be cast down when Christ lives? But that's not all.
He promises to us an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away. Is this your inheritance through Jesus? And then also there is a position that he has. Position. David says, thou shalt eat bread at my table continually as one of the king's sons.
Mephibosheth was brought from the place of no pasture to the place of sustenance, where he would eat daily at the king's table. David looked for anyone in the house of Saul. He found what? A lame man. Could he do anything for him?
No. Mephibosheth was only going to depend on David all his days. He couldn't walk around. He couldn't carry himself about. He had to be carried because he was lame.
So David had to do everything for him, supply all of his need for him. He found a nobody. And what did he make him? As one of his sons. As somebody.
As one of his sons. Can you imagine how it was when dinner time came about? They rang the bell. The dinner is served. In comes all the children of the king to sit around the table with the king.
And then here comes Mephibosheth being carried. His feet are lame, he's crippled. He gets to the table. He sits at the table with the sons of the king and with the king in. He knows his condition.
He has a humble attitude about this. He looks around and he says to himself, I know I don't deserve to be here, but I am here because for the sake of my father Jonathan, I am here not because I deserve to be here, I am here by grace. Do you know how Mephibosheth got that grace? King David didn't say, now son, you learn to Walk, then come to my table. David didn't say that to him.
Mephibosheth came just as he was and fell at the king's feet and said, Behold thy servant. It's a picture of repentance. It's a picture of faith. It's a picture of forgiveness. Oh my friends, what a savior we have.
What Jonathan we have. He died instead of us. Do you know him? But then do you know the joy of salvation? Have you bowed before him, cast yourself before him?
What a word. He calls us by name and he says, you are one of my sons and daughters sit at my table eat and drink not only for this life but I have prepared a table for you in heaven above I shall sit with you at that supper of the Lamb, and that shall be continually forever. May God bless his word, amen.