Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / 2 Samuel 9:1-8

Transcript

2 Samuel 9:1-8 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Yeah, okay, well, I don't know how much story you've received or haven't received, but Nathan was here this morning.
0:09
! He was trying really hard to push through and make it. As you know, he's stubborn like I am and a lot of other people, but he finally decided to tap out and go home and then make the 730 phone call to me, phone a friend to pick up the service.
0:26
And so, but I myself, some of you that know me well know I probably have some mild insomnia, so I'm not really fully awake this morning myself, but I was glad to help out.
0:41
So, I went upstairs and thankfully, my wife Kathleen made some oatmeal for me and some coffee and I slammed that down. No Red Bull or pre-workout is in the equation this morning.
0:56
I probably should have gone to some of that, but I thought it would make me too jittery.
1:03
So, I was upstairs just like, alright Lord, here we are. What in the world are we going to talk about this morning? What will you have your people here?
1:13
And for some reason, my mind was led to another time I was asked to preach short notice. I think it was like in 2010 probably or 11.
1:28
And just a story that illustrates just the simple gospel, one that we are prone to forget, one that we are prone to wander from.
1:38
And so, I was in doing some mission stuff, doing some ministry in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1:49
And my best friend Mark, he was in charge of this ministry team.
1:52
And he said, so, you want to preach tonight? And that was like two hours away.
1:58
And I told him, are you serious? I kind of like laughed at first.
2:02
And then he's like, I'm not joking. I'm like, do you want to preach tonight?
2:05
And we were in inner city Belfast and at a church that was just sitting right in the middle of inner city Belfast.
2:17
And it was around the time of the year when there's a lot of conflict and rioting and fighting in Belfast.
2:25
There's a lot of tension between Irish Catholics and, quote, you know, British, Scottish Protestants who were there.
2:32
And there was a pretty big riot that year, actually.
2:36
And we were right near the place where the two neighborhoods kind of meet.
2:41
So, that's where all the stuff goes down.
2:43
Like, you know, Irish Catholics over here and the, I'm just saying, quote, Protestant, not real, probably, in a lot of ways.
2:49
But on this side of the street.
2:51
And I knew that a lot of them were going to be around that week.
2:55
A lot of them were going to come around and hear, like, what is this, what is going on at this gathering over here?
3:02
So, that's what my friend asked me to preach at.
3:05
And I told him, like, do you really want me to preach this short notice?
3:09
And he was like, you Americans, you rely so much on, like, preparation.
3:14
And he just started giving me a hard time about not being prepared to, like, just give a message.
3:19
And as you know, he's very sarcastic in a loving way.
3:23
And so, I don't know why, but I was led to 2 Samuel.
3:30
So, open your Bibles there.
3:33
And probably a big mouthful of Hebrew narrative is not the best thing to preach on in the morning when you're really tired.
3:42
But the Lord has pictured his gospel for us in so many ways.
3:49
We're blessed to have a Bible that comes to us in such an incredible form.
3:57
Where there's everything from law to historical accounts to poetry.
4:03
And different ways that God has sought to reveal himself to us.
4:09
And in our passage, we'll be in 2 Samuel chapter 9.
4:15
It's a wonderful story that depicts what God has done for us in Christ.
4:22
And as I thought about it, I don't think that, at least myself, I've never spoken on this before here.
4:27
And as many of you are aware, the Old Testament, what we call the Old Testament,
4:38
is all in many ways foreshadowing and pointing to a greater fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
4:45
So, God sovereignly was organizing and bringing about so many things to depict for us
4:51
what he would do one day for us in Christ.
4:54
And this is a story that really, really moves me.
5:00
And I hope it does the same for you.
5:05
But let's give you some context before we start getting into chapter 9.
5:11
Most of you know that King Saul was Israel's first king.
5:15
And he had wandered away from the Lord and he had sought very simple things out.
5:24
And God had judged him and said, basically, you will no longer be king over Israel.
5:32
And as time went by, Saul was killed by the Philistines,
5:38
along with his three sons, his three heirs.
5:41
And that included Jonathan, who was David's really close friend, if you remember that story.
5:48
Jonathan was one of David's close confidants, even though his father was seeking to kill David.
5:56
But Jonathan was killed as well in this battle with the Philistines.
6:00
And David, even before Saul was actually killed, was anointed king by Samuel.
6:08
God had told Samuel, go and find this one that I'm going to appoint to be king over Israel.
6:16
And he found him right out in the field, watching the sheep, and anointed him to be the king.
6:23
So David was really just waiting for God's timing and still trying to honor Saul,
6:29
because he had a great love for Saul, even though Saul was trying to kill him.
6:34
But after this disaster happened, and Saul was killed along with his three sons,
6:40
there was a civil war that erupted in the nation.
6:44
And under Saul, they had been united under one nation.
6:49
But after that, he was killed, it broke off back into the old ways of more like tribal rivalries
6:56
with all the different tribes kind of fighting each other.
7:00
But most of the tribes were connected to the house of Saul.
7:04
And they fought against David and his house, which was the house of Judah.
7:09
And over time, David began winning more and more victories.
7:14
And the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
7:17
And there was one connection still to Saul.
7:21
His name was Ish-bosheth.
7:23
And he eventually was leading the forces that were fighting against David.
7:31
And at some point, somebody thought it would be a good idea to kill him and brutally kill him,
7:38
hoping to gain favor with David.
7:41
So he brought the head of this man to David.
7:48
And David was not happy.
7:49
He said, you have unjustly and cruelly murdered this man,
7:54
even though he was a connection to the house of Saul.
7:58
And so he executed that man.
8:01
And so after all this happened, the civil war was over.
8:04
Everyone began looking to David for leadership over the nation.
8:09
And that around the age of 30, he was crowned king of a united Israel and Judah.
8:16
So one nation again.
8:18
And in history, this was sort of the golden age in a lot of ways,
8:21
that they look back on the nation of Israel when David was the king.
8:25
And so here's what we pick up in our text.
8:31
We'll start at verse 1, chapter 9.
8:37
And David said,
9:07
All right.
9:16
All right.
9:30
So after he's crowned king, David steps back and he asks this question,
9:36
Is there anyone left in Saul's family at all that I may show kindness to him,
9:41
as God has shown kindness to me?
9:43
And so he learns about the son of Jonathan.
9:48
And why is this uncommon?
9:50
This is a very, very uncommon thing.
9:53
I could give you, I will spare you, probably spare myself too at this point.
9:57
But there are a ton of historical accounts of when someone takes over rule of a nation,
10:06
like an emperor or a king or whatever.
10:08
There's tons of this in Roman history.
10:11
They would make sure that there was no immediate threat to their position as ruler.
10:15
So they would have anyone related to the previous ruler just killed, executed,
10:22
to strengthen their own position.
10:25
So stepping back, there's a pretty amazing that David didn't do this
10:32
because if Saul had a direct descendant,
10:36
technically that could be argued that he was supposed to be the king and not David.
10:39
And then civil war could happen all over again.
10:44
But in 2 Samuel chapter 4,
10:47
this is actually a reference back,
10:50
going back to the son of Jonathan.
10:54
But 2 Samuel 4.4 says,
10:57
Jonathan, the son of Saul,
11:00
had a son who was crippled in his feet.
11:03
He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel.
11:07
And his nurse took him up and fled.
11:12
And as she fled in her haste,
11:14
he fell and became lame.
11:16
And his name was Mephibosheth.
11:20
So this descendant of Saul,
11:24
Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth,
11:26
he had been injured and he was lame.
11:29
Couldn't walk.
11:30
Had to be carried around everywhere.
11:32
And so David deliberately seeks out Mephibosheth,
11:39
not to do him harm like as would be expected,
11:43
but to do good to him.
11:46
So Mephibosheth had no part in this
11:48
and taking initiative to go and see David.
11:51
More than likely, he was fleeing for his life,
11:54
hoping David would not kill him.
11:55
He was afraid.
11:56
So, that was point number one, by the way.
12:03
Verses one through four.
12:07
Which is, if you want to write this down,
12:10
there's only three this morning,
12:11
but the first one is like,
12:13
moved by grace.
12:14
And that's seen in verses one through four.
12:17
Moved by grace.
12:19
David deliberately sought out this descendant of Saul
12:23
to show him kindness.
12:26
All right?
12:26
So then we will read on.
12:28
This goes into the second point,
12:29
which is a humble response.
12:33
A humble response.
12:35
And we'll see this in verses five through eight.
12:40
Then King David sent and brought him
12:42
from the house of Meshire,
12:44
and the son of Emiel at Lodabar.
12:48
And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan,
12:52
son of Saul, came to David,
12:54
fell on his face, and paid homage.
12:57
And David said, Mephibosheth.
13:00
And he answered,
13:01
Behold, I am your servant.
13:04
So he's just laying down like,
13:07
Please don't kill me.
13:08
I'm your servant.
13:10
And David said to him,
13:12
Do not fear,
13:14
for I will show you kindness
13:15
for the sake of your father, Jonathan.
13:18
And I will restore to you
13:20
all the land of Saul, your father.
13:24
And you shall eat at my table always.
13:27
And he paid homage and said,
13:30
What is your servant
13:31
that you should show regard
13:34
for a dead dog such as I?
13:38
So we see a humble response
13:41
from Mephibosheth.
13:43
He came into the situation
13:45
expecting like I've been caught,
13:47
and now I'm going to be executed
13:49
by King David.
13:52
And he is mind blown.
13:54
He's probably just on his face
13:56
prostrated before King David
13:59
saying, I'm your servant.
14:01
I'm your humble servant.
14:02
Please don't.
14:03
Please don't kill me.
14:05
And David says,
14:06
Hey, listen,
14:07
I haven't brought you here to do this.
14:09
I'm bringing you here
14:11
because I want to show you kindness
14:12
for the sake of your father, Jonathan.
14:16
He still couldn't believe it.
14:18
He was shocked,
14:19
and then he responded,
14:21
Who am I?
14:22
He calls himself,
14:24
Why are you showing regard for me?
14:26
I'm like a dead dog.
14:28
I have no value at all.
14:29
So you've got to ask yourself,
14:32
What is David's motives
14:35
for showing kindness
14:37
towards Mephibosheth?
14:40
He, again, has nothing to offer.
14:42
He has no service he can offer to David
14:46
because he's lame.
14:47
He's physically unable to.
14:51
He has no case to plead before him.
14:54
No money to offer.
14:56
So he expected death.
14:57
So why did David do this?
15:00
And at least from our text,
15:02
we can pick up two reasons
15:03
why David chose to show
15:07
such kindness to this young guy.
15:11
The first one, it says,
15:13
Kindness for Jonathan's sake.
15:15
He desires to display
15:17
the love and the loyalty he had to Jonathan,
15:21
who was his best friend.
15:23
And a long time ago,
15:25
in 1 Samuel chapter 20,
15:27
Jonathan and David
15:29
make a covenant together
15:31
and basically say,
15:33
After all this is over,
15:35
will you swear before God
15:37
to take care of my family
15:39
and anyone that follows me?
15:41
And they both promised each other that.
15:43
If something happens to the other,
15:44
they would see to it
15:45
that they looked after their family.
15:49
So he made that covenant with David
15:50
before God.
15:51
And this was him being faithful
15:54
to that covenant.
15:57
The second thing
15:58
that we also see in our text,
16:01
it says,
16:03
That I may show the kindness
16:04
of the Lord to you.
16:06
David could love his enemies
16:08
because he had experienced
16:09
being loved as an enemy
16:11
by God.
16:13
He was very, very mindful
16:15
that his own sin
16:17
and his own rebellion
16:18
against God
16:19
deserved death as well.
16:22
But now he wanted to display
16:23
the kindness
16:24
and forgiveness of God
16:25
in how he treated Mephibosheth.
16:29
There's only a couple of places
16:31
for you to look today
16:32
outside of our main text,
16:33
but hold your hand there.
16:35
But go to Psalm 25.
16:38
Psalm 25 and verse 6.
16:41
And this is a psalm of David.
16:45
He's pouring his heart out
16:48
to the Lord.
16:50
So David wrote this.
16:53
And just to kind of give you
16:54
a glimpse into his heart
16:56
and his relationship with God,
16:58
that he was very aware
16:59
that he himself
17:00
had received mercy from God.
17:03
So look at verse 6.
17:06
He says,
17:06
Remember your mercy, O Lord,
17:09
and your steadfast love.
17:11
For they have been
17:12
from of old.
17:14
Remember not
17:15
the sins of my youth
17:16
or my transgressions.
17:20
According to your steadfast love,
17:22
remember me
17:22
for the sake of your goodness,
17:24
O Lord.
17:26
Good and upright
17:27
is the Lord.
17:29
Therefore,
17:30
he instructs sinners
17:31
in the way.
17:32
He leads the humble
17:34
in what is right
17:35
and teaches the humble
17:37
his way.
17:38
All the paths of the Lord
17:40
are steadfast love
17:41
and faithfulness
17:42
for those who keep
17:44
his covenant
17:45
and his testimonies.
17:47
For your name's sake,
17:49
O Lord,
17:50
pardon my guilt
17:51
for it is great.
17:54
Really remember
17:55
verse 11 particularly.
17:57
For your name's sake,
17:58
O Lord,
17:58
pardon my guilt
17:59
for it is great.
18:01
So David is a man
18:02
who is very aware
18:03
of his own sin
18:04
and his own rebellion
18:05
against the holy God
18:07
and that God has
18:09
shown him mercy,
18:10
shown him his goodness
18:11
and his steadfast love.
18:14
And so,
18:15
all of us know
18:16
that if you actually
18:17
have been touched
18:18
and saved
18:19
and born again,
18:21
you can't look at
18:22
other people around you,
18:24
including your enemies,
18:24
the same way anymore.
18:26
You are transformed
18:28
by the grace of God.
18:29
And so,
18:31
this is David's motivation.
18:33
He wants to keep
18:34
his covenant
18:34
that he made
18:35
to his loyal
18:36
and best friend,
18:37
Jonathan,
18:39
but also to display
18:40
the kindness
18:41
and forgiveness
18:42
of the Lord.
18:44
So you can go back
18:44
to 2 Samuel.
18:47
And this brings us
18:48
to our third point.
18:53
Point number three
18:55
is accepted
18:57
and blessed
18:58
by the king.
18:59
All right.
19:03
So verse 9.
19:05
It says,
19:06
Then the king
19:07
called Ziba
19:09
Saul's servant
19:10
and said to him,
19:12
All that belong
19:13
to Saul
19:14
and to all his house
19:15
I have given
19:16
to your master's grandson.
19:19
And you and your sons
19:20
and your servants
19:21
shall till the land
19:23
for him
19:23
and shall bring
19:24
in the produce
19:26
that your master's grandson
19:28
may have bread
19:29
to eat.
19:31
But Mephibosheth,
19:32
your master's grandson
19:33
shall always eat
19:34
at my table.
19:36
Now Ziba
19:37
had 15 sons
19:39
and 20 servants.
19:41
And Ziba
19:41
said to the king,
19:43
According to all
19:44
that my lord
19:45
the king
19:45
commands
19:46
his servant,
19:47
so will your servant
19:49
do.
19:50
So Mephibosheth
19:50
ate at David's table
19:52
like one
19:53
of the king's sons.
19:55
And Mephibosheth
19:57
had a young son
19:58
whose name
19:58
was Mekah.
20:00
And all who lived
20:01
in Ziba's house
20:02
became Mephibosheth's servants.
20:05
So Mephibosheth
20:06
lived in Jerusalem
20:07
for he ate
20:08
always
20:09
at the king's table.
20:11
Now he was
20:12
lame
20:12
in both his feet.
20:16
So,
20:17
not only
20:18
does David
20:19
just spare his life,
20:20
he could have said,
20:21
I brought you here
20:22
just so you would
20:22
be aware
20:23
that I could
20:25
execute you,
20:26
but I'm just
20:28
going to get rid
20:28
of you instead.
20:29
Just disappear.
20:30
Get out of my sight.
20:31
I don't want
20:32
to see you again.
20:34
He could have said that
20:35
and that would have
20:35
actually still
20:36
been merciful.
20:38
That actually
20:39
still would have
20:40
been a crazy act
20:41
to the people
20:41
around him.
20:42
Like,
20:42
why aren't you
20:42
killing this guy?
20:45
But,
20:46
he not only
20:46
just shows him
20:47
mercy,
20:49
but he blesses
20:49
him with land
20:50
and servants
20:51
that came
20:53
from the house
20:53
of Saul.
20:55
So,
20:55
you see that
20:56
greed was not
20:56
really in David's.
20:58
He didn't really
20:59
care about all
21:00
of that.
21:01
He gave it
21:01
to Mephibosheth
21:03
so that he would
21:04
have somewhere
21:05
to go
21:06
and people
21:06
to help him
21:07
because of his
21:08
condition.
21:10
And so,
21:11
not only
21:11
he just stops
21:12
there,
21:13
it goes even
21:13
further.
21:14
One more step.
21:15
Not just spares
21:16
his life,
21:16
not just gives
21:17
him land
21:18
and servants.
21:19
But then he
21:19
says,
21:21
hey,
21:21
I want you
21:22
to know
21:22
that you
21:22
always have
21:23
the right
21:25
to come
21:26
and eat
21:26
here with
21:26
me,
21:27
the king.
21:28
You're
21:28
always welcome
21:29
at my
21:30
table.
21:31
And said,
21:33
join this
21:34
fellowship
21:34
and join
21:35
friendship
21:36
with me
21:36
and come
21:37
and eat
21:37
with me.
21:39
At best,
21:40
right?
21:40
He could have
21:41
just said,
21:41
get out of
21:41
the knowledge,
21:42
but he said,
21:42
I don't want
21:43
to just stop
21:44
there.
21:45
I want you
21:45
to really
21:46
see the
21:47
mercy and
21:47
grace of
21:48
God.
21:48
So I
21:48
want you
21:48
to come
21:49
and actually
21:49
dine with
21:50
me as if
21:51
you were
21:51
one of
21:51
my own
21:52
sons.
21:54
I mean,
21:54
so mind
21:55
blowing.
21:57
And I
21:58
love the
21:59
emphasis in
22:00
our text.
22:01
It kind
22:01
of reminds
22:02
you at
22:03
the end
22:03
of verse
22:04
13.
22:06
Now he
22:06
was lame
22:07
on both
22:07
feet.
22:09
Just,
22:10
you know,
22:10
most of you
22:11
who are,
22:11
he's repeating
22:12
himself by
22:13
saying just
22:14
the emphasis
22:15
is that this
22:15
man had
22:16
nothing to
22:16
offer the
22:17
king at
22:17
all.
22:19
And the
22:20
king accepted
22:20
him, forgave
22:22
him, and
22:22
blessed him,
22:23
and made him
22:24
a part of
22:24
his own
22:24
family.
22:26
So what
22:27
is some
22:27
application then
22:29
for us,
22:29
if we haven't
22:30
gotten some
22:30
of that
22:31
already?
22:32
A few
22:33
things.
22:35
One is,
22:36
just as the
22:36
house of
22:37
David and
22:37
the house
22:38
of Saul
22:38
were at
22:39
war with
22:40
each other,
22:41
we also,
22:43
apart from
22:45
Christ,
22:45
are at
22:45
war with
22:46
God.
22:47
All of
22:48
us have
22:49
shown great
22:50
rebellion and
22:51
great hostility
22:52
to God
22:53
himself.
22:55
Unimaginable
22:55
hostility between
22:56
God and
22:57
man.
22:59
All of us
23:00
have done
23:00
this,
23:00
all of us.
23:03
In Romans
23:04
6, 23,
23:05
a well-known
23:06
verse, it
23:06
says,
23:07
for the wages
23:08
of sin is
23:08
death.
23:09
God is
23:19
of such
23:19
great value,
23:20
such unimaginable
23:22
beauty and
23:23
greatness and
23:24
perfection,
23:25
that for us
23:26
just to look
23:26
at him and
23:27
say, you
23:27
are no longer
23:28
God, but I'm
23:29
going to rule
23:29
my own life
23:30
and do what
23:31
I want to
23:31
do, isn't
23:33
just a trivial
23:34
thing, it's
23:35
treason of
23:36
the worst
23:36
kind.
23:37
And so,
23:39
all of us
23:40
have exchanged
23:41
the truth
23:41
about God
23:42
for a lie,
23:44
and we
23:44
worship the
23:45
things in
23:46
this world
23:46
rather than
23:47
the creator
23:48
himself.
23:50
All of us
23:51
are at war
23:51
with God,
23:52
and by
23:54
right, if
23:56
he desires
23:57
so, God
23:58
could destroy
23:59
us without
24:01
showing us
24:01
any mercy.
24:03
But another
24:05
connection to
24:05
our story is
24:07
the pursuit
24:08
of God.
24:09
As David
24:10
pursued
24:11
Mephibosheth,
24:13
he had
24:14
nothing to
24:14
do with
24:14
that.
24:15
He didn't
24:15
initiate
24:16
anything with
24:17
David at
24:17
all.
24:17
He was on
24:18
the run.
24:18
He was
24:19
hiding,
24:20
hoping he
24:20
wouldn't be
24:20
caught by
24:22
David like
24:23
a fugitive.
24:24
But David
24:25
intentionally,
24:27
deliberately
24:27
sought this
24:28
man out and
24:29
pursued him.
24:31
And the
24:31
connection is
24:32
that God
24:34
has intentionally,
24:35
not by
24:35
accident,
24:36
not because
24:37
he came up
24:37
with a new
24:38
plan,
24:39
but God
24:40
has
24:40
intentionally
24:41
pursued us
24:42
by sending
24:43
Christ.
24:44
He has
24:45
sought us
24:45
out.
24:47
Have you
24:47
ever taken
24:48
note of that
24:48
in your own
24:49
life?
24:49
Have you ever
24:49
stood back
24:50
and been like,
24:51
if I really
24:52
am careful and
24:53
I look at my
24:54
life, I can
24:55
see the pursuit
24:56
of God on
24:57
my life.
24:59
People that he
24:59
put in my
25:00
life, the
25:02
place where I
25:02
grew up, the
25:05
fact that there
25:06
are so many
25:06
gospel things
25:09
that are out
25:10
there for us
25:10
to hear, some
25:12
bad stuff too,
25:13
but so many
25:14
Bibles that
25:15
are around,
25:17
God seeks
25:18
us out.
25:19
He's not just
25:20
sitting back very
25:21
passively on his
25:22
throne saying,
25:22
I hope they
25:24
figure it out
25:24
and I hope they
25:25
know I'm here.
25:26
If you read
25:28
the scripture,
25:29
God hunts
25:30
people down.
25:31
He finds
25:32
them and he
25:33
knocks them
25:33
off their
25:33
horses and he
25:35
says, you're
25:35
mine.
25:36
I'm choosing
25:37
to show you
25:38
mercy.
25:40
And if you
25:40
really are
25:41
careful to go
25:42
back over your
25:42
life, you'll
25:43
see God at
25:44
work.
25:45
You'll see his
25:46
handprints
25:47
everywhere.
25:49
And he
25:49
didn't have to
25:50
do that.
25:51
He's not
25:51
required to.
25:53
Like, like
25:55
Mephibosheth,
25:56
we have no
25:57
case to
25:58
plead with
25:58
God.
25:59
We have no
25:59
righteousness or
26:01
goodness of
26:02
ourselves to
26:03
offer to God
26:04
at all.
26:05
He does not
26:06
need us.
26:09
We are all
26:11
guilty without
26:11
exception.
26:13
The psalm that
26:14
David read
26:14
earlier, Psalm
26:15
14, is
26:16
quoted in
26:17
Romans 3
26:19
where Paul
26:20
says, all
26:21
are guilty.
26:22
None are
26:23
righteous.
26:24
No, not
26:24
one.
26:25
No one
26:26
understands and
26:27
no one
26:27
seeks God.
26:29
Our lost
26:30
condition is
26:31
so beyond
26:34
our imagination.
26:35
If you
26:36
really step
26:37
back and
26:37
look at what
26:38
God's word
26:38
says about
26:40
us, then
26:40
look at your
26:41
own life.
26:42
You'll see
26:42
these things.
26:44
That we
26:44
were slaves.
26:46
Jesus says
26:47
those who
26:47
commit sin
26:48
are slaves
26:48
to sin.
26:50
He also
26:50
says, this
26:52
one really
26:52
bothers people
26:53
and it
26:53
scares me.
26:55
He says, if
26:56
you're not
26:56
in me, you
26:57
don't belong
26:58
to me.
26:58
You don't
26:59
belong to
26:59
my father,
27:00
but your
27:00
father is
27:01
your, you
27:02
belong to
27:03
the devil.
27:03
He said, you
27:04
are of your
27:04
father, the
27:05
devil, and
27:06
you want to
27:06
do the will
27:07
of your
27:07
father.
27:09
All of us
27:10
have hearts
27:11
and minds
27:11
that are
27:12
corrupted by
27:13
sin and
27:14
evil.
27:15
We're not
27:16
just, you
27:18
know, morally
27:18
off and need a
27:19
little bit of
27:20
help, need a
27:20
little bit of
27:20
guidance from a
27:21
therapist.
27:22
We're not
27:23
just sick in
27:24
bed, we
27:24
don't need a
27:24
doctor.
27:26
We need a
27:26
complete miracle
27:28
worker who
27:29
can bring us
27:29
back from
27:30
spiritual death
27:31
to life.
27:33
And that's
27:33
the depiction.
27:34
That's why we
27:34
need to be born
27:35
again is because
27:36
we are dead
27:37
in our
27:37
trespasses
27:38
and sin.
27:40
So we have
27:41
nothing.
27:41
We have nothing
27:42
to go before
27:43
God just the
27:43
way that
27:44
Mephibosheth
27:44
had no case
27:46
to plead.
27:48
And as we
27:50
look,
27:50
we saw
27:52
David's
27:52
motives for
27:54
why he
27:54
chose to
27:55
show mercy
27:55
to Mephibosheth.
27:58
But what
27:59
are God's
27:59
motives?
28:01
Why does
28:01
God do
28:02
this?
28:02
He's not
28:02
under any
28:03
obligation to.
28:05
Well, the
28:07
second place I
28:08
want you to
28:08
look is
28:08
Ephesians
28:09
chapter 1.
28:12
Ephesians
28:13
chapter 1.
28:13
This is,
28:15
there are
28:15
many more,
28:16
but the two
28:16
main motives
28:18
I'm just going
28:19
to connect
28:19
to our
28:20
story is
28:21
that God
28:23
chose to
28:24
show us
28:24
mercy and
28:25
grace for
28:27
the sake of
28:27
his own
28:28
glory to
28:29
display how
28:30
great he
28:31
is and how
28:31
forgiving he
28:32
is.
28:34
Look at
28:35
Ephesians 1
28:35
verse 6.
28:37
It's talking
28:37
about our
28:38
salvation in
28:39
Christ.
28:41
It says,
28:41
to the praise
28:42
of his
28:43
glorious grace
28:44
with which
28:45
he has
28:46
blessed us
28:47
in the
28:47
beloved.
28:49
In him
28:49
we have
28:50
redemption
28:50
through his
28:52
blood and
28:52
the forgiveness
28:53
of our
28:53
trespasses
28:54
according to
28:56
the riches
28:56
of his
28:57
grace which
28:58
he lavished
28:58
upon us in
28:59
all wisdom
29:00
and insight.
29:02
So,
29:03
God sent
29:04
his son,
29:06
Jesus Christ,
29:07
to come here
29:08
and bear the
29:09
punishment of
29:10
our sin,
29:11
to die in
29:12
our stead.
29:14
Unlike
29:14
David,
29:16
God can't
29:17
just pardon
29:17
a crime
29:18
and then not
29:19
punish it.
29:20
He has to
29:21
punish it.
29:22
He must
29:22
punish it.
29:24
All of us
29:24
are outraged
29:25
when we hear
29:25
about a
29:26
case in
29:27
our country
29:28
where clearly
29:29
someone committed
29:30
a crime,
29:31
a really
29:31
heinous crime,
29:32
and then
29:32
they're
29:33
pardoned.
29:36
And I
29:37
think none
29:38
of us would
29:38
be in that
29:38
position if
29:39
we heard
29:39
a judge
29:40
who really
29:41
committed a
29:42
really bad
29:43
crime.
29:43
A judge
29:44
just say
29:44
to someone,
29:45
you promise
29:45
not to do
29:46
it again?
29:47
I know you
29:47
had a really
29:48
rough upbringing.
29:49
You promise?
29:50
Okay,
29:50
go free then.
29:51
Just don't
29:52
do it again.
29:53
God cannot
29:54
do that
29:55
and will
29:56
not do
29:56
that.
29:57
He has
29:58
to punish
29:59
sin.
30:00
And so
30:01
either you're
30:01
going to
30:02
bear your
30:02
own punishment
30:03
or Christ
30:05
is going to
30:05
bear it for
30:06
you.
30:06
God.
30:07
And that's
30:08
what we
30:08
read here
30:09
is that
30:09
in Christ
30:10
God did
30:12
this to
30:13
the praise
30:14
of his
30:14
own glory
30:14
so that we
30:15
would look
30:16
at him
30:16
and be
30:17
like this
30:17
is an
30:18
amazing,
30:18
forgiving,
30:20
glorious
30:20
God.
30:22
So that's
30:23
one motive
30:23
to the
30:24
praise of
30:24
his glory.
30:26
The second
30:26
motive is
30:27
God's love
30:28
and his
30:29
mercy towards
30:29
us.
30:31
Just jump
30:31
ahead one
30:32
chapter in
30:32
Ephesians
30:33
chapter 2.
30:36
In verse
30:37
4 it
30:39
says,
30:40
But God,
30:41
being rich
30:42
in mercy
30:42
because of
30:44
the great
30:44
love with
30:45
which he
30:46
loved us,
30:47
even when
30:48
we were
30:48
dead and
30:48
our trespasses,
30:50
made us
30:51
alive together
30:51
with Christ.
30:53
By grace
30:54
you have
30:54
been saved.
30:56
So we
30:56
see that
30:57
God didn't
30:57
just,
30:58
he's not
30:59
just really
30:59
tight with
31:00
his mercy,
31:00
he loves
31:02
to show
31:02
mercy to
31:03
those who
31:03
were coming
31:04
to him
31:04
for forgiveness.
31:07
And it
31:08
says there
31:08
that we
31:09
were dead
31:09
but we
31:09
were made
31:10
alive with
31:11
Christ.
31:12
And,
31:13
you know,
31:13
of course in
31:13
the Bible
31:14
belt,
31:15
you hear
31:16
from everybody
31:17
they are
31:17
saved.
31:20
But if you
31:21
ask many of
31:21
them,
31:22
what are you
31:22
saved from,
31:24
they don't
31:24
really know
31:24
how to say,
31:25
they don't
31:26
really know.
31:27
But we
31:27
are saved
31:28
from the
31:28
holy,
31:29
just
31:30
wrath of
31:31
God.
31:32
The judgment
31:32
of God.
31:33
You were
31:33
delivered from
31:34
that in
31:34
Christ.
31:36
And so
31:37
God's mercy
31:38
is so
31:39
great.
31:41
Got a
31:42
couple
31:42
quotes.
31:44
Our man
31:44
Spurgeon,
31:46
he said,
31:47
God's mercy
31:49
is so
31:49
great that
31:50
you may
31:51
sooner drain
31:51
the sea
31:52
of water
31:52
or deprive
31:54
the sun
31:55
of its
31:55
light or
31:56
make space
31:58
narrow.
31:59
than to
31:59
diminish
32:00
the great
32:00
mercy of
32:01
God.
32:02
The
32:02
Lord's
32:02
mercy
32:03
is a
32:03
sea
32:04
which
32:04
cannot
32:04
be
32:05
filled
32:05
though
32:06
mountains
32:06
of sin
32:07
be cast
32:08
into its
32:08
midst.
32:10
It is
32:10
like Noah's
32:11
flood which
32:12
covers all
32:13
and drowns
32:13
even the
32:14
mountaintops
32:14
of heaven
32:16
defying
32:17
sins.
32:18
God's
32:19
mercy
32:19
is so
32:21
beyond us
32:21
as
32:22
fallen
32:23
creatures.
32:25
We have
32:26
no
32:26
comprehension
32:27
in and
32:27
of
32:27
ourselves
32:28
of
32:28
grace
32:29
of
32:30
mercy.
32:31
It is
32:31
not
32:31
within us
32:31
to think
32:32
that way
32:32
at all.
32:33
We want
32:34
justice
32:34
when we
32:35
see wrong
32:35
being done
32:36
except when
32:37
we are
32:37
the one
32:37
who has
32:38
committed
32:38
the crime.
32:39
Then we
32:39
want
32:39
mercy.
32:40
It is
32:41
always
32:41
twisted
32:43
but God's
32:44
mercy
32:44
is so
32:45
pure,
32:46
rich,
32:47
and
32:47
great.
32:49
So
32:49
how are
32:51
we to be
32:51
made right
32:51
with God
32:52
then?
32:53
This is
32:53
just going
32:54
back over
32:54
our story
32:55
a little
32:55
bit.
32:56
And if
32:57
you remember
32:57
what I
32:59
read to
32:59
you earlier
32:59
out of
33:00
the Psalms
33:01
about how
33:02
David was
33:02
aware of
33:04
the forgiveness
33:04
that he
33:05
had in
33:06
Psalm 25,
33:08
for your
33:09
name's sake,
33:09
O Lord,
33:11
pardon my
33:11
sin and
33:13
my guilt
33:13
for it is
33:13
great.
33:15
So just
33:16
kind of
33:16
unpacking
33:17
that a
33:17
little bit,
33:18
we can
33:19
receive the
33:19
mercy of
33:20
God only
33:21
through
33:21
Jesus
33:21
Christ,
33:23
and we
33:23
must have
33:24
it that
33:24
way.
33:25
So if
33:26
you're
33:26
here this
33:27
morning without
33:27
Christ,
33:29
hear these
33:29
words,
33:30
and if
33:31
you are,
33:32
just rejoice,
33:33
be happy,
33:34
be glad that
33:36
God has made
33:37
you aware of
33:38
these things.
33:40
These points
33:40
actually came
33:41
from Jonathan
33:42
Edwards.
33:44
He said
33:45
about being
33:47
right with
33:47
God,
33:48
you must
33:49
see the
33:49
misery and
33:50
feel the
33:50
weight of
33:51
your sin.
33:52
Do you
33:52
have broken
33:53
God's
33:53
law and
33:54
his wrath
33:55
abides on
33:55
us?
33:56
Are you
33:57
conscious?
33:59
Are you
33:59
aware of
34:00
the sin
34:01
in your
34:01
life?
34:03
Those of
34:03
us who
34:04
have come
34:04
to know
34:05
Christ,
34:06
we're very
34:06
aware.
34:08
So beyond
34:09
perfection,
34:10
so beyond
34:10
just,
34:13
you know,
34:13
it's a saying
34:14
in our
34:14
culture,
34:15
whenever
34:15
someone wants
34:16
to kind of
34:16
get out of
34:17
trouble,
34:18
like they've
34:18
done something
34:19
wrong,
34:20
this is kind
34:20
of their
34:21
phrase they
34:21
always throw
34:22
out there,
34:22
I mean,
34:23
nobody's
34:24
perfect,
34:25
they have
34:27
no idea
34:28
the seriousness
34:30
of what
34:30
they're saying,
34:31
no one
34:32
is,
34:33
and we
34:33
are all
34:34
guilty
34:34
before God,
34:35
so if you
34:35
are aware
34:36
of that,
34:37
that's the
34:38
first thing
34:39
we have to
34:39
recognize.
34:40
It's where
34:41
David says,
34:41
pardon my
34:42
sin,
34:42
because it
34:43
is great,
34:44
he's very
34:45
aware.
34:46
The second
34:47
thing is
34:49
that we
34:49
have to be
34:49
sensible that
34:50
we are not
34:50
worthy that
34:51
God should
34:52
save us.
34:53
He says
34:53
that we
34:54
come as
34:54
beggars and
34:55
rags and
34:56
not as
34:56
creditors.
34:58
And connecting
34:59
that to our
34:59
story,
35:00
we're in the
35:00
same position
35:01
that Mephibosheth
35:03
was in.
35:05
We live in
35:06
such an
35:06
entitled
35:06
culture now
35:07
where we
35:09
think that we
35:09
deserve good
35:11
things,
35:11
like we
35:12
expect it
35:13
even.
35:13
And if
35:14
someone doesn't
35:14
show us
35:14
that,
35:15
we are very
35:15
angry about
35:16
it.
35:16
God's
35:17
But that
35:17
is not so
35:18
with God.
35:20
I had a
35:21
friend in
35:23
college when
35:24
I was up
35:24
here in
35:24
North Georgia,
35:26
and he
35:26
was a
35:27
Gulf War
35:27
vet.
35:28
He was an
35:29
old ranger
35:29
guy.
35:30
He was a
35:30
demolition
35:30
guy.
35:31
He always
35:31
said,
35:31
I always
35:31
got blue
35:32
stuff up.
35:32
He didn't
35:33
say stuff
35:33
though,
35:34
he said
35:34
other
35:34
things.
35:35
And I
35:36
always tried
35:37
to share
35:37
the gospel
35:37
with him
35:38
constantly.
35:39
I had
35:39
like five
35:39
classes with
35:40
this guy,
35:42
and he
35:43
always just
35:44
told me,
35:45
hey man,
35:45
me and God
35:45
were cool.
35:46
We've
35:47
worked
35:47
something
35:47
out.
35:47
Like we
35:48
have an
35:49
understanding.
35:49
And I
35:50
just kept
35:50
saying,
35:50
no you
35:50
don't.
35:51
You
35:51
don't have
35:52
an
35:52
understanding.
35:53
It's
35:53
come to
35:54
God,
35:55
God's
35:55
way,
35:55
or not
35:56
at all.
35:57
You
35:57
can't
35:57
work out
35:58
an
35:58
agreement.
36:00
And we
36:01
don't
36:02
deserve
36:03
this
36:03
mercy.
36:05
There's
36:05
a story
36:06
of Napoleon
36:08
Bonaparte,
36:08
who had
36:09
someone
36:10
commit a
36:11
serious
36:11
crime
36:12
against
36:12
him,
36:12
and
36:12
against
36:13
just the
36:13
nation
36:13
of
36:14
France.
36:14
And this
36:15
man was
36:16
under the
36:16
sentence of
36:17
death,
36:17
and this
36:18
man's
36:19
mother came
36:19
to plead
36:20
with Napoleon
36:20
to just
36:22
forgive her
36:23
son.
36:25
And she
36:27
said,
36:28
you know,
36:29
your
36:30
highness,
36:31
please show
36:31
mercy to
36:32
my son.
36:33
And Napoleon
36:34
said,
36:35
I can't do
36:35
that.
36:36
And she
36:37
said it
36:37
again,
36:37
please,
36:39
my emperor,
36:40
please show
36:41
mercy to my
36:41
son.
36:42
And Napoleon
36:43
said,
36:44
your son
36:44
does not
36:44
deserve
36:45
mercy.
36:47
And her
36:47
response
36:48
was,
36:50
my emperor,
36:50
if he
36:51
deserved
36:52
mercy,
36:53
I wouldn't
36:54
be asking
36:54
for this.
36:55
I know
36:55
he doesn't
36:56
deserve.
36:57
If he
36:58
was entitled,
36:58
if he
36:59
deserved it,
36:59
then I
37:00
would not
37:01
be having
37:01
this
37:01
conversation
37:02
with you.
37:03
And then
37:03
Napoleon
37:04
agreed,
37:04
okay,
37:05
you're
37:05
right.
37:06
Mercy
37:06
is only
37:06
given to
37:07
those who
37:07
don't
37:07
deserve
37:08
it.
37:08
So he
37:09
was
37:09
correcting
37:10
himself.
37:11
And so
37:11
he
37:12
pardoned
37:12
her
37:12
son.
37:14
We
37:14
must
37:15
come to
37:15
God
37:15
for
37:16
mercy
37:17
in and
37:18
through
37:18
Jesus
37:18
Christ
37:19
alone.
37:19
There
37:20
is no
37:20
other
37:20
way.
37:21
We
37:21
remain
37:22
enemies
37:22
of God
37:23
until we
37:23
come to
37:24
God
37:24
on his
37:24
terms
37:25
and not
37:26
our
37:26
own.
37:28
And
37:28
the
37:29
beauty
37:29
of this
37:30
guys
37:30
is that
37:30
God
37:31
is not
37:31
up there
37:31
just
37:33
being
37:33
stingy
37:33
and
37:34
angry.
37:34
He
37:34
wants
37:35
to show
37:36
grace
37:37
to
37:37
sinners.
37:38
It's a
37:38
part
37:38
of who
37:38
he
37:39
is.
37:39
in
37:40
Isaiah
37:41
chapter
37:42
30
37:42
it
37:43
says
37:43
therefore
37:44
the
37:44
Lord
37:44
waits
37:45
to
37:45
be
37:45
gracious
37:46
to
37:46
you.
37:48
Therefore
37:48
he
37:48
exalts
37:49
himself
37:49
to
37:49
show
37:50
mercy
37:50
to
37:50
you.
37:51
For
37:52
the
37:52
Lord
37:52
is a
37:53
God
37:53
of
37:53
justice
37:53
but
37:54
blessed
37:54
are
37:54
all
37:55
those
37:55
who
37:55
wait
37:55
for
37:56
him.
37:57
And
37:58
all
37:59
of
37:59
us
38:00
I
38:00
am
38:00
I've
38:01
had
38:01
a
38:02
chance
38:02
lately
38:03
just
38:04
the
38:04
Lord
38:04
has
38:04
just
38:04
reminded
38:05
me
38:05
of
38:05
so
38:05
much
38:06
of
38:06
the
38:06
sin
38:06
that
38:07
he
38:07
has
38:08
saved
38:08
me
38:08
from
38:08
and
38:11
the
38:11
sin
38:11
that's
38:12
still
38:12
in
38:12
my
38:13
life
38:13
and
38:13
in
38:13
my
38:13
heart
38:14
I
38:16
have
38:16
to
38:16
have
38:17
mercy
38:17
I
38:17
have
38:17
to
38:17
have
38:18
grace
38:18
there's
38:18
no
38:18
other
38:19
way
38:19
and
38:20
that's
38:20
the
38:20
beauty
38:21
of
38:21
the
38:22
gospel
38:22
that
38:23
Jesus
38:23
came
38:24
to
38:24
die
38:24
poor
38:25
sinners
38:25
we
38:26
are
38:26
undeserving
38:27
we are
38:28
just
38:28
like
38:28
dead
38:28
dogs
38:29
we
38:30
are
38:30
like
38:30
lame
38:31
in
38:31
both
38:31
feet
38:31
we
38:31
have
38:32
nothing
38:32
to
38:33
bring
38:33
to
38:33
the
38:33
king
38:34
we're
38:35
at
38:35
his
38:36
disposal
38:36
but
38:37
he
38:37
is
38:37
ready
38:38
to
38:38
pity
38:38
us
38:39
and
38:39
show
38:39
us
38:39
mercy
38:40
and
38:41
to
38:41
lift
38:41
us
38:41
up
38:41
and
38:42
not
38:42
only
38:43
God
38:43
could
38:44
have
38:44
done
38:44
the
38:44
same
38:44
thing
38:45
that
38:46
a lot
38:46
of
38:47
people
38:47
have
38:47
done
38:47
he
38:47
could
38:47
have
38:47
said
38:48
I'm
38:48
going
38:48
to
38:49
not
38:49
destroy
38:49
you
38:50
I'm
38:50
not
38:50
going
38:50
to
38:50
judge
38:51
you
38:51
just
38:52
go
38:53
and
38:53
be
38:53
free
38:53
but
38:54
he
38:54
didn't
38:54
do
38:55
that
38:55
he
38:55
saved
38:56
us
38:57
gave
38:58
us
38:58
the
38:58
perfect
38:59
righteousness
38:59
of
38:59
Christ
39:00
and
39:00
brought
39:00
us
39:01
into
39:01
his
39:01
family
39:02
in
39:02
the
39:02
same
39:03
way
39:03
that
39:04
Mephibosheth
39:04
was brought
39:05
into the
39:06
family of
39:06
David
39:07
and
39:08
we
39:08
are
39:08
welcome
39:08
at
39:09
his
39:10
table
39:10
because
39:11
of
39:11
Christ
39:11
and
39:12
accepted
39:13
in
39:13
the
39:13
beloved
39:14
so
39:15
I
39:15
pray
39:16
that
39:16
you
39:18
actually
39:18
ponder
39:19
the
39:19
great
39:19
mercy
39:19
of
39:20
God
39:20
don't
39:21
forget
39:21
it
39:22
always
39:23
keep
39:23
it
39:23
very
39:23
near
39:23
that
39:24
you
39:24
are
39:24
not
39:24
worthy
39:25
of
39:25
anything
39:25
good
39:26
that
39:26
you
39:26
have
39:26
especially
39:27
redemption
39:27
in
39:28
Christ
39:29
and
39:30
may that
39:30
lead you
39:31
to
39:31
rejoice
39:31
in
39:33
God's
39:33
salvation
39:33
and
39:35
may that
39:36
lead you
39:36
to
39:36
obedience
39:37
in
39:37
Christ
39:38
what a
39:39
savior
39:40
we have
39:40
he's
39:42
so good
39:43
to us
39:43
so with
39:45
this
39:45
let's
39:46
close
39:46
in
39:47
prayer