Samuel chapter four. Second Samuel chapter four and verse four. And Jonathan Saul's son had a son that was lame on his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan. out of Jadreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it came to pass, and she made haste to flee, that he fell, that little five-year-old boy, fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth chapter nine. And David said, Is there yet any... that is left on the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake. And there was on the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when David had called him unto David, the king said unto him, O thou Ziba, and he said, My servant is he. The king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God unto him? Underline those words, the kindness of God. And Zaiber said unto the king, Jonathan, and he is an old friend of yours, David, Jonathan hath yet a son which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, Where is he? Zaiber said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Makkah, the son of Amil, in Lodi Bar. Then King David sent and fetched him out of the house of Makkah, the son of Amil, from Lodi Bar. Now when the bishop, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face and did reverence. And David said, Let's finish it. I'm reading that this week. I doubt they all have an exclamation mark there. I think David spoke as if he were reading an old friend, and that Emily had never met him. Let's finish it. How happy he was. And he answered, Behold, I servant. And David said unto him, Fear not, but I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan, thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul, my father, and thou shalt eat dread at my table continually. And he bowed himself and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? Then the king called to Zeus I, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son, the bishop, all that pertain to Saul and to all his house. Thou therefore, then thy sons and thy servants shall tear the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits that thy master's son may have food to eat. But that there is it, thy master's son shall eat bread always at my table, not once in a while, for once but always. Now Ziva had fifteen sons and twenty servants, Then said Zyber unto the king, According to all what my Lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for the pivisor said the king, He shall eat at my table as one of the king's sons. And the pivisor, a young man, a young son, whose name was Micah, and all that dwelt in the house of Zyber were servants. unto Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he did eat continually at the king's table, and were laying on both the feet." One time on the read, maybe at the worship meeting, I said a few things about this man Mephibosheth, but I want to go into detail relative to this remarkable character. We've been in the New Testament for quite a few months, a couple of years. But I want to go to the Old Testament, and there are some lovely pictures. The Old Testament is the picture book of the New Testament. There are precious truths in the New Testament, and you find lovely illustrations of those truths in the Old Testament. For instance, you think of the truth of grace, and there's no better word in the New Testament than grace, because the New Testament is the story of grace. The grace of God has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ. By grace are ye saved. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. So the New Testament is the story of grace in contrast to the Old Testament law. Nevertheless, in the Old Testament we come across some lovely illustrations of grace. And I don't think of a story in the Old Testament that illustrates grace any more beautiful than the story we have read together. Loving, kindness, oh how free. That's one of the things we sometimes say. And you have the loving kindness of God, first to David, and passed on to this man of division. You have contrasted here the personal beauty, wealth, and dignity and grace of David with the depravity, depravity and poverty and demeanor of this man of division. The background is simply this. But before Saul was killed and also Jonathan, Jonathan and Jonathan somehow knew that his father had an end for David and David was sure of them. And he told Jonathan, your father is going to kill me. Jonathan couldn't believe him. So he made a covenant. And Jonathan said, David, when you come to the throne, I want you to consider my family. Just remember my family. And David made a covenant with him. And so the covenant was made. Not long after, There was the battle on Mount Gombo and the Philistines through both Saul and Jonathan. Had Jonathan stayed with David, the one he loved, and David bated in rejection, in the kingdom of God, who would not have lost his life. But Jonathan left the one he loved so much, the one he knew was going to be God's king. over Israel. And he went with his father and it cost him. He lost his life on Mount Gilbo. And so when the Philistines came to inspect these corpses, they found Jonathan and David slain for a victory. What happened because of this? Well, the news of this reached the clock. And in those days, when a king was conquered or over under king, he had all members of that king's family put to death because he didn't want any member of that family to rise up and reshape the throne. And so Saul's family was just about right there because David didn't want any room left. who would rise up and then take the throne. But there was a wise nurse, and she, in her wisdom, she picked up young from the fellowship, who was five years of age, and she fled. And in her flight, she dropped the child, and it became lame on both his feet of cripple. That's the story. Fourteen years later, David is on the throne. The kingdom is established in his hand, and everything's well with David. And one day David is thinking, he'd been a man of war, and he's thinking, and who should float back into his mind but Jonathan? And the covenant he had made. And David thinks, did I keep my promise for Jonathan to preserve all of the family of, or one of the family of Jonathan, or Saul, she recalled him, Ziba. She said, rather than a wreck of the household of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him. Ziba says, yes, Jonathan of the son, from the name of the shivans, of Ephesus. He had. David said, Because David wanted to see it. There was only one remaining of the house of Saul, and that is Mephibosheth. And I remember that when Mephibosheth was brought into the presence of David. And when we saw Mephibosheth, my how glad David was to see Mephibosheth. You know there are three things about Mephibition that are worthy of note. That is his name. What does Mephibition's name mean? In the Old Testament when children were given names, they had a meaning. And why he should have gotten this meaning, I don't know of this name, it means destroying. Mephibition means destroying or destruction. And we know not why he was given that name, but it's very fitting The Bible says, O man thou hast destroyed thyself. A man is in the process of destroying himself today. Man is destroying himself. He's destroying his heart. He's destroying his reputation. He's destroying his body. He's destroying his soul. He's destroying himself by rejecting God's claims upon him and by burning into this wicked and godly world and raging in all that it has to offer. All you have to do is read the paper and see some of them on TV and see these people on good, taught them what can be. Criminal. And the numbers on the index are the names of stockling reports in the state of this nation is that they are young people today and they're destroying. Some of them are destroyed and they're not out of their teens. Their minds are what? They're dying for anything. And they're born. They destroy themselves. And all God gets and they get saved is the grace. Man has destroyed himself. And the Bible says Destruction and misery is in their way. What follows destruction? Misery. When you see these people destroying themselves, all the misery that follows. When a hurricane strikes from an earthquake, after that destructive blow, look at the misery left behind. Yes, there are a lot of things today. They're happening. that there's nothing so destructive as rebellion against God. If you rebel against God, all the destruction and the misery that's going to fall. That's what the Bible says. Destruction and misery are in their way. And here is the poor mission of fellowship. His name means destroy. Then again you have this condition of only his name, being destroying myself. His condition is lame on both his feet. Because of the mistake of another, the nurse. Well, it ain't lame, person. They're dependent on others. We don't know whether in those days they had a wheelchair, but the condition was lame on both his feet. He was dependent upon others on the wealthy. And you are dependent on God for the very breath you breathe. If God were to close his hand and your depth is in his hand, all God has got to do is close his hand and you're God. You're dependent upon God for everything you've done. And at length, first thing light and the finish, it couldn't walk straight. And you can't walk. The priest, God, unless you're saved, you're just a spiritual cripple. And for no more heartless, no finish your war. David being a man of war, he was a man of war. That's why God wouldn't let him build the temple. God said, David, you're a man of war. You've shed too much blood. You've not built my temple. I'll let Solomon do that. He's a man of peace. David was a man of war, and he had many mighty men. A good prisoner man was his desire to get into his army. The publisher was a cripple. What good was he to David? He was helpless. He had to be defended. And yet, David, receive of it. How helpless man is he without strength, the Bible says. And without strength, you can't do the thing to save yourself. Absolutely helpless before God. And it was beautiful. So when he was brought into the presence of David, David says, Fear not. Oh, the foolish of the fool that were looking in his heart, he thinks to himself, I the last one left of the house of Saul. All had been killed, and I'm the last one. That's why he was away under the loaded bar, hoping that David would never find him. He was full of fear, afraid of David. Friend, you have a right to be full of fear of God. You've sinned against God, and you've got to meet that God. Yes, he was fearful. A man has a right to be full of fear. And fearing God is the beginning of wisdom. People make acts of anger and courageous and so on. When they're around their friends, they're not afraid to die. They're not afraid of God. The time will come when you'll be afraid. And here's the publisher. He was fearful. And his condition was the fault of the knowledge. He wasn't responsible, being lame, it was the nurse, and she had good intentions. So the condition was the result for the fault of another. Why are we sinners? Because Adam and Eve sinned. Who were we saying, and it wasn't my fault? No, it wasn't mine either. If not my fault, I were born in sin, and it's not your fault, you were born in sin. Adam and Eve are to blame for that. But God's not holding us responsible for what Adam and Eve did. He's holding us responsible for what we are doing today. For Adam and Eve sinned against God, and the Bible says, by one man's disobedience, many are made certain. Adam and Eve were disobedient. Thus the world They are sinners. All in them are sinners. But listen, the Bible also says, By one man's obedience, many are made righteous. By one man's disobedience, that Adam, all sin, and come short of the glory of God. But by one man's obedience, Jesus Christ, many can be made righteous. And so God has made provision for man's condition. Oh, how helpless you are. Unable to save yourself. Full of feeling and the right to be. But God has made provision for you. And this is what God holds you responsible for. Every minute that you live in sin without Christ, you are just endorsing what Adam and Eve did when they disobeyed God. You're going right along. God is holding you responsible not for Adam and Eve's sin, but for what his son did on the cross. And you're not believing it. You're not receiving him. And that's the sin God's going to hold you in account of. That's what he's going to judge you for. What have you done to my son? Look! What about Adam and Eve? Oh, how people like to pass the buck and blame others. Yeah, when Eve was confronted, she says, the serpent beguiled me and I, did he. When Adam was confronted, he says, the woman now gave us me. He would pass and the buck to blame on others. People love to do that. The thing is face you can't do it. You are a sinner and you know. God's not holding Adam and Eve responsible, and you will do no good, and get no way in putting your brain on your present condition on Adam and Eve, that God is giving you the remedy. By one man's obedience, those many can be made righteous. He can be righteous right now. So you will find his condition, his name, and then his condition. He was lame, he was helpless. and practically useless. Then he also had his position. He was in the house of Makkah. Makkah means sold. O man, thou hast sold thyself. Serve thyself for two fleeting pleasures. Esau sold his birthright for the mess of potties. Selling thyself. Selling his soul just like through this day. And Lady Ba. Lady Ba needs a personal pasture. A barren place. Today the world is a barren place. You may try all you will, after all it's barren. The blight of sins upon this poor ungodly world is a barren place. David said himself, that he dwelt in a very barren place. The rebellious dwell in a dry place, says God. If you're rebelling against God, you're dwelling in a very dry place. The prodigal in Luke fifteen became to have filled his belly with the husks that the wine, the swine, had eaten. And Christ said in John four, two slither drinking of this water shall thirst again. It's a dry world. You take every drink of this and every drink of that, a little bit of pressure, a little bit of popularity, and sing this and sing that, but after all you'll never satisfy. It's a dry place. That's where Mephibisho was. It was a very dry place. Well, so he had three things about David. Not only three things about Mephibosheth, but three things about David. David remembered Mephibosheth. That's remarkable. He inquired after him. He said to Zeidler, are there any left of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God? He inquired. And he sought Mephibosheth not to kill him. Everly Mephibishah thought that. No, David didn't want to kill Mephibishah. He had made a covenant with an old friend of his, Jonathan, and he was glad that Mephibishah was still alive, so to fulfill that covenant with Jonathan. And so he sought Mephibishah, not to kill him, but to show the kindness of God unto him. Then had known the kindness of God, and now he's going to show the kindness of God unto others. You know there's a remarkable verse in your Bible, but after that the kindness and love of God toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness as we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. He found that over in Titus three, four. After that the kindness and love of God toward man appeared. This is the kindness of God. Three times in that chapter nine you find the word kindness. We might think of the wrath of God, the sternness of God, the firmness of God, the severity of God. Think of his kindness. Think of his kindness. After the kindness, the loving kindness of God, the Lord man, appeared. So when David inquired, and he called on the physician, I'm a bishop king. Just how he got there, we're not sure. But he came to live. And David not only called them, and remember the Lord's calling you, come unto me, or leave at labor in a heavy lane, and I will give rest. The Lord is calling you this morning. You may be a lady of art, and if you're not a Christian, you are. It's a very dry place, a very empty place, very true satisfaction. that the Lord's calling you and he wants you to come he says in the coming unto me I will in my eyes cast out in the spirit and the bride say come at the end of the Bible the last chapter of the Bible he's asking you to come look at this occasion and he humbled himself it says in verse six he fell on his face and he said in verse eight Where do you take note of such a dead dog as I? Why have the finisher humbled himself before the Lord? David said, So foolish and ignorant was I. I was as a beast before me. I wonder if David wrote that. After the finisher took the place of a dog before him. Not only a dog, Mephibosheth said to David, I'm like a dead dog. On his face before David, a dead dog is something that's unclean, it's obnoxious, it's worthless, it's unprofitable. And that's how you are before God, this one, a dead dog. No life. Remember the women in their fifteenth and Matthew? Then the Lord said, I'm not going to take the children's bread, but it's around to the Jews and give it to the Gentile dogs. She could have got offended. She said, Truth, Lord, the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table. I'm just a Gentile dog. All I want is just a crumb and grace. Yeah. How unclean and noxious future we are in the sight of God that we're not saved. That's what Mephibosheth said. That's what Mephibosheth said. That's the place he could have said something else. When David saw him and offered his grace, Mephibosheth could have said, Well, let me know something, David. I'm the son of the king. and James saw through my pantom. And I've got some property here, and it's mine, I want to get it. If he'd have acted like that before David, David had called one of his men to take his head off. No, the Philisher didn't brag about who he was and what he should have. He was on his face before David. And he says, I'm just like a dead dog. And friend, if you try to boast about yourself and what you've done, and all the rest to fill it in for trouble, there's only one place you can get blessed before God, and that is, take your low place. There is no fellowship. He acknowledged he was a dead dog. He had nothing just to prepare him. That's the place you took. Then that's the place you're going to have to be. Before God will show you by His grace. Just a poor, lost, helpless, guilty, undeserving sinner before God. All your righteousness, filthy rags. Talking about a dead dog. What about your filthy rags? Even what you do is filthy before God. A lot of people today, they're very sincere. I was listening on my radio this morning in my car, coming around, listening to the Mormon choir. They're thinking, sing beautiful. They're very sincere people. I had a couple come to my door this past week, and they had their little... sales talk when they got through. I said, well, I'm saved on the way to heaven. My sins are forgiven. What can you do? He looked at one another. He said, I don't know who I was and where to preach. I said, well, we'd like to come in and show you. I said, no, I wouldn't waste your time and mind. I'm saved and I'm going to heaven. And I know it. And they walked away. But they're sincere. Very sincere. But they are sincerely wrong. The Apostle Paul was the most religious man, dedicated man to his religion in the New Testament. He said, I am the chief of sinners. And yet does he portray before then how he loved the Old Testament, who tried to carry out the law he was zealous for the tradition of his fathers. Yet he would appear on godly sinners. and he had to admit it before God saved him on the Damascus road. And so he, Mephibosheth, and David not only remembered him, he not only called him, he accepted. He accepted Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth said, I'm just a poor dead dog, David. I'm amazed you've let me even come into your presence. But David says, I'll tell you one thing. And he used these two words, fear not, the prohibition. My woman, may he comfort him, fear not. And he exalted him, he kept him, he begged him, he stole all his inheritance too. My, what a blessing, what a change from the prohibition. This poor, trembling cripple. There he is in the presence of King David. And King David accepted him. He says, I'll tell you something more on the prohibition. Now where am I going to give you all the property that was left of the house of Saul? You're going to get it going to get it all back. You're going to sit at my table every day. Why? The British have thought I never dreamed of anything like this. That's what he got. And then that's what Gaish can do. The prodigal in the far country certainly had sinned against his father. He had spent all the money the father gave. He brought his honor and disgrace upon the family name. But when he came repentant, the father fell and fell on his neck and kissed him. He said, bring forth the best rule and put it on. Put shoes on his feet. Oh yes, all the blessings of the father fell upon this fool prodigal. and all the blessings of God will fall on you. Forgiveness of sin, feast of God, everlasting life, if you come, as he sees you, and as you are, a full, lofty, unworthy, undeserving sinner. Yes, he is, Mithridis, how blessed he was. All that happened to him, his lameness and the loss of his inheritance, was because of another. But isn't it wonderful that all man lost through the fall, he which Christ has restored. Now he was buried, and he restored from Ephesus all that was his, but he had stripped of it. And he was a cripple. What did we have in Adam? Well, if we had still been the way man came from Adam, sinless, It would have been fortunate. But Adam and Eve sinned just like that nurse. She let the baby fall and it became a cripple. Mother Eve held the whole human race in her arms and she sinned. She fell. And the whole human race had been cripples ever since. But what did God do when He sent His Son into the world to restore the man Blessings far beyond what man would have had he remained like Adam and Eve sinless before they fell. We had just been creatures, just creatures of God. It's been wonderful. No sin, no sickness, we've been creatures. But now in Christ Jesus, the human race has got something far beyond what even Adam and Eve had before they found. They were wonderful creatures, but now God has given us something far beyond that. Jesus Christ has restored that, which he took not away. There Jesus had nothing to do with what Adam and Eve did. They robbed God of their obedience and their love They robbed themselves of joy and happiness. But Jesus Christ came into the world and he restored them, which he took not away. He had nothing to do with it. And David had nothing to do with Mathias' condition. Yet he received them. He showed them kindness and grace and gave back everything. He said, How could man be better off than Adam and Eve before sin entered? Simply this, there's a big difference between being God's preacher and God's son for his children. Listen to this verse. And you can read it in your Bible, first Peter one, three, four. Blessed be the God and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to land imperatives. The finishings lost his and so did Adam and Eve. So you had heard of incorruptible, undefiled, and that paid not away to be served and had for you. Adam and Eve lost what they had. And we lost it too. And the finishing lost him. But somebody restored that plus. And that's the Lord Jesus Christ. Those of us who were saved are not just preachers of God. We're heirs of God. And faith is with Jesus Christ. Far beyond whatever Adam and Eve had. Even before they were saved, they said. This is the amazing grace of God. Heirs of God. Entirely, among the Lord Jesus Christ. We are the partakers of the divine nature. Adam and Eve were not. God breathed into his nostrils the breath of death and life. He became a living soul. and they lost that fellowship. But not till Jesus Christ died on the clock could man become a partaker of the divine nature. And that's when we're born again into God's Son. We have far more today than Adam and Eve had before they sinned. They were God's creatures. We are God's children. Now what the publisher must have thought. I've got all this. I never dreamed. Friend, I'm still dreaming about what I have in Christ. I thought I was happy the night I got saved, the age of nineteen. But since I've been reading my Bible and find what I have in Jesus Christ, I can hardly believe it. Or you see, you really are a dreamer, Brother Wilson. will if I am, don't wake me up, let me dream more. All that I have in Christ Jesus, eternal life, I shall never perish. I've got an inheritance, will never fade, never corrupt. It's reserved in heaven for me, all this. I wonder if you ever wanted to enter into this blessing. You know, Paul, the British had There he sat. His lameness wasn't seen. He was lame on his feet. And when he sat at the king's table, of course, David didn't see his feet. He just sat on the table up. He didn't see his lameness. God sees us in Jesus Christ. He doesn't see us in Adam. He sees us in his son. How wonderful that is. Every time David looked at Mephibosheth, he thought of who? Jonathan. who did all this to Mephibosheth for Jonathan's sake. And Jesus, God has done all for me that he has done for Jesus. And every time God looks at Jesus Christ, he sees me. I'm glad he does. God sees me in Christ Jesus. And as David looked at Mephibosheth, he saw it down there. They shall now admit it, that they will go into my palace and bless them. It's because of what Jonathan did. Yes, he made a covenant. And friend, as God looks at me, all I can say is he did it not because of what I did or am, but what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross. How wonderful is the grace of God? I know no greater illustration in the Bible for grace than what we've been reading this morning. The grace of David to this man looked at us. There are seven steps in salvation. I'm not going to dwell on them. The first one you have, David found him. They all begin with death. David found him. And he was frightened. But David fetched him. Likely sent a chariot to bring the fellowship to the palace. And he betrayed him. He favored him. parasit doing. And they listed on David's bounty, and the publisher did, as long as he lived. And that's exactly what God done for all of us who were born again. Grace seeks the most unlikely object. It does. Grace seeks the most unlikely object. Whoever would have thought that David, a mighty man, would have sought a cripple. a poor cripple, a fearful cripple to be in the palace. David could have thought he's no good as a soldier. This seeks the most unlikely objects. I wonder what the Lord saw in Lester Wilson when he saved him. Quite an unlikely object. just a careless, worldly, self-seeking young man. That's what grace is looking for. But those who are willing to admit it, they'll get blessed. And then again, grace secures the objects of his love. Yes, grace seeks the objects. And it's a very unlikely, unlovable object. And in all it does that, it secures the objects of his love. Ah yes, let's finish as long as I live, let's finish it, you're going to be right there. As long as Jesus Christ lives, I'm going to be what I am, saved. Jesus Christ will never die, so I live forever. And again, grace saves and accepts the sinner without reservation, without reservation. No, it's the needies. Without revelation, God will accept you. It will come just as you are without one being. And they sustain and satisfy the object of his love. He saves, he sustains us, and he satisfies us. Satisfying with Jesus, I am blessed. Peace to the past that's understanding fills my breast. This is what grace has done. The grace of David for the provision are because of Jonathan's sake. The grace of God to me because of what Jesus did. Their lovely verses in their Bible in this connection. The charge of this. Do it right unto you little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. God for Christ's sake have forgiven you. And God's blessing to me is because of what Jesus Christ did for me at the cross. All God wants you to do is confess you're a sinner before him. Believe the Lord Jesus Christ died you on the cross. Accept him as your personal Savior and praise him for forgiving you and trust him for the strength and grace to live the Christian life. That's it in a nutshell. And a vague and welcome of leadership. So undeserving. A rebel. An enemy. So God will receive you this morning. For Jesus is. For his glory. Will you receive Christ. Just so and you shall be saved. Shall we pray? Our Father in heaven in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be commenced with thy presence. He asked thy blessing on thy holy word. We thank thee for this wonderful story of love given us in thy holy word. Dear Lord, it was David's grace and love for the division. Think of thy love, how vast, far beyond the love of David. We thank thee for the love of God, his height, his depth, his length, and length, thy love for foolishness. grant to someone this morning. May deceive the sinner, enter into all this vast, uncorruptible, incorruptible inheritance. May I ask you to know, Lord Jesus, precious me. Amen.