2 Samuel 9:1-13
EVERYTHING CHANGES WHEN
THE KING COMES CALLING
Intro: How would you define the word "grace"?
Webster's defines it as, "Undeserved divine
assistance given to humans for their regeneration
and sanctification." Others have defines it as
"unmerited divine love and favor extended to
sinners." Maybe you have heard the following: "Justice
is getting what you deserved. Mercy is not getting
what you deserve. Grace is getting what you do not
deserve." Each of those is true. The following story
illustrates what grace is all about.
It seems that Fiorello LaGuardia, who, when he was
mayor of New York City during the worst days of the
Great Depression and all of WWII, was called by
adoring New Yorkers 'the Little Flower' because he was
only five foot four and always wore a carnation in his
lapel. He was a colorful character who used to ride the
New York City fire trucks, raid speakeasies with the
police department, take entire orphanages to baseball
games, and whenever the New York newspapers were
on strike, he would go on the radio and read the
Sunday funnies to the kids. One bitterly cold night in
January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court
that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia
dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the
bench himself.
Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was
brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of
bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband
had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two
grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from
whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the
charges. "It's a real bad neighborhood, your Honor." the
man told the mayor. "She's got to be punished to teach
other people around here a lesson." LaGuardia sighed.
He turned to the woman and said "I've got to punish
you. The law makes no exceptions--ten dollars or ten
days in jail." But even as he pronounced sentence, the
mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He
extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero
saying: "Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit;
and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this
courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person
has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat.
Mr. Baliff, collect the fines and give them to the
defendant." So the following day the New York City
newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a
bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to
feed her starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that
amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery
store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people
with traffic violations, and New York City policemen,
each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege
of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.
This chapter is all about that kind of grace. It is
about the kind of grace that reaches out to the
undeserving and lifts them out of their condition, forever
changing them and their surroundings. It may be that
there are some here this morning who need this kind of
grace in their lives. If so, I want to tell you that there is
hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Some already enjoy this
kind of grace. For those, this message will be a mere
reminder of what Jesus has done in and for them.
Wherever you stand with the Lord, there will be help for
you in this passage today. Now, let's join David as he
extends his grace to a man named Mephibosheth.
Let's watch David take Mephibosheth From The Poor
House To The King's House. As we do, know that what
David did for Mephibosheth, Jesus can do for you and
much more too! I want to show you from these verses
that Everything Changes When The King Comes
Calling!
I. MEPHIBOSHETH'S FAMILY
(Ill. In the South, a person's family tells you a lot
about them! If a person has the wrong family
heritage, it can cost them social standing. In fact,
one of the first things we want to know about
someone new is, "What kind of family does he come
from." While that is true in the physical realm, it is
also true in the spiritual realm.)
A. V. 1 A Disgraced Family - He was the
descendant of king Saul. He was born into a
family that had been rejected by God, 1 Sam
15:23. This family had once been in power, now
they were out of favor with God and with men.
(Ill. The same is true for every person born into
the human family. There was a time when
humans were given dominion over the earth,
Gen. 1:26, 28. However, when man sinned in
the Garden of Eden, the entire human race fell
from power and from favor. Now, all humans
that are born into this world are born as
members of a disgraced and fallen family, Rom.
3:10; 23; 5:12.
B. V. 1 A Doomed Family - All the descendants of
Saul had been earmarked for death. In fact,
David had been busy purging the sons of Saul,
2 Sam. 3:1. Because Mephibosheth was a
descendant of Saul, he too was doomed to die
an inglorious death.
(Ill. So it is with those born into the human family.
We are born under the curse of death, Eze.
18:4. Every person who is born into this world is
born destined to die. Why? Because was are
sinners before the Lord, Rom. 6:23. There is a
death sentence on the entire human family!)
C. V. 4 A Destitute Family - The Bible tells us in verse 4 that Mephibosheth was living in a place
called "Lodebar." This is a word that means "No
Pasture." This was in the house of "Machir",
which means "Sold". Mephibosheth was living in
a place of poverty and want. Consider the fact
that Mephibosheth was a cripple. He had been
dropped by his nurse when he was 5 years old
and as a result he was lame on both of his feet,
2 Sam. 4:4.
Because he was lame, he could not work.
He had inherited nothing but poverty and death
from his family. He was a man who was in a
desperate situation. He was a man who was
missing the best life had to offer. He was a man
in a terrible condition.
(Ill. The human family is in a destitute condition
as well. He is in a position of having "no
pasture". He is "sold" under his sins. He is lost
and needs a Redeemer to deliver him from his
slavery! We are born in sin and are doomed to
Hell and there is nothing at all that we can do
about it. You see, a lost sinner cannot save
himself. He cannot turn over a new leaf and be
better. He cannot purchase salvation. The lost
sinner is absolutely destitute before the Lord
God. Helpless, hopeless and completely without
power. The human condition is summed up
quite plainly in Eph. 2:12, "That at that time ye
were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from
the covenants of promise, having no hope,
and without God in the world:"
D. V. 1, 3 A Desired Family - Notice that despite all
the bad blood between David and Saul, David
wants to honor the covenant he made with
Saul's son Jonathon, 1 Sam, 20:11-23. David,
therefore, reached out to Mephibosheth because
of the love he had for Jonathon. This family that
was disgraced, doomed and destitute has
become a desired family. David wants to reach
out to them and bring them into a relationship
with himself.
(Ill. This is a picture of what God has done for
the sinner. Just like Mephibosheth, our family
was doomed, disgraced, and destitute. And, just
like the family of Saul, there was one who loved
us. As amazing as it may seem, God loves the
human family, Jer. 31:3. He proved His love
when He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross
for our sins, John 316; Rom. 5:8. Now, God
reaches out to sinners on the basis of His love
for us! You see, we cannot buy our way to God.
We cannot work our way to God. Just like
Mephibosheth, we are lame on our feet and we
are helpless and hopeless before God. But,
because the Son of God went to the cross in our
place and died for our sins, God desires that
every member of the human family be saved, 2
Pet. 3:9.)
(Ill. Mephibosheth's family left a lot to be desired,
but being who he was placed him a position to
experience the grace of King David. Now, it may
not thrill your soul to have the Bible call you a
sinner, but being a sinner places you in a
position to experience the grace of God. Why?
Because of the simple fact that Jesus Christ
came into this world to save sinners just like you
and me, "When Jesus heard it, he saith unto
them, They that are whole have no need of
the physician, but they that are sick: I came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance.", Mark 2:17.
I. Mephibosheth's Family
II. MEPHIBOSHETH'S FRIEND
A. V. 1-4 He Sought Him - When David heard that
Jonathon had a son, he began the process of
finding Mephibosheth. David sought him out.
(Ill. I am grateful this morning that the sinner has
a Friend Who seeks for the sinner's soul, Luke
19:10. Jesus is the lover of the soul and He
actively seeks those who are separated from
Him by their sins. He reveals this to us in Luke
15. There we see Jesus seeking that which is
lost until He finds it. So it is with those who are
lost in their sins. The Lord seeks them and
pursues them because He loves them and wants
to save their souls. I thank God there was One
Who came looking for me one day!)
B. V. 5 He Sent For Him - When David discovered
where Mephibosheth could be found, he started
the process of bringing Mephibosheth unto
himself. He sent his servants to fetch
Mephibosheth from the place of death, defeat,
disgrace and doom. Please note that this whole
this was not Mephibosheth's idea! It was
conceived in the heart of David and it was
carried out through the efforts of David alone.
Also, put yourself in the place of poor old
Mephibosheth. He must have been terrified
when the King's soldiers came to take him to
Jerusalem. Surely, he feared the worst.
However, David did not have evil plans for
Mephibosheth, only plans that were good. In
fact, the day the servants of David came to get
that poor crippled man turned out to be the best
day of his life!
(Ill. My, what a picture of that which the Lord has
done for the redeemed! He sent His servant, the
Holy Spirit, to call us unto Him, John 16:8.
When the Spirit of God comes by and shows you
yourself as a sinner, that is a terrifying day! For
the first time, you really see yourself as you
actually are. You can see how wicked and how
wretched you are. You know without a shadow
of a doubt that you deserve to go to Hell. You
know you are guilty and you need a Savior. That
is a state known as "conviction." It is a fearful
thing, but when a soul is convicted, that is the
greatest day that soul has ever enjoyed! Nothing
hurts quite so much, but salvation hinges on our
being called to come to God for salvation, John
6:44; John 6:65.)
(Ill. I remember the day when the Spirit of God
came calling me to Jesus! It was a hard day, but
it was the best day of my life! Is the Lord calling
you today?)
C. V. 6 He Spoke To Him - When Mephibosheth
came before King David, he bowed himself
before David in humility. He even referred to
himself as a "dead dog", v. 9. This man knew
he deserved nothing short of judgment and
death, yet when David opened his mouth to
speak, he spoke words of peace and
encouragement to Mephibosheth! He could
have said "No!" to David, but where else was he
going to go?
(Ill. This is just what the Lord Jesus does to
every sinner who comes before Him in
repentance. I remember how I felt when I faced
the lord the first time. I was terrified and I knew
I deserved Hell. But, what I received was
something far different and far better. When a
sinner comes before Jesus they will find a Friend
and not an enemy. They will find One Who
cares and not One Who condemns. They will
find help and not hell. They will hear Him speak
peace to their souls! That is the greatest sound
the soul has ever heard! I could have said no to
Jesus, but where else could I go, John 6:66-69?
You may be thinking of telling Jesus no this
morning, but friend, where will you go, Heb.
2:3?)
D. V. 7 He Spared Him - When David speaks to
Mephibosheth, he does not condemn him to
death. Instead, he speaks to him as one who is
much loved. He promises Mephibosheth that he
will experience kindness (read "grace"),
restoration and provision. David is telling him
that everything has changed now that the king
has come calling!
(Ill. Every person under the sound of my voice
this morning deserves to go to Hell! We do not
deserve mercy, we do not deserve grace and we
do not deserve salvation. However, those are
just the things we receive when we come to
Jesus by faith. Every Hell bound sinner who will
come to the Lord to be saved will find his sins
forgiven, his sentence stricken from the books,
his future changed and his destiny sewed up.
We cast ourselves upon the mercy of a God
Who has the power and the right to cast us all
into Hell. Yet, when we accept Jesus Christ as
Savior, everything changes! We are no longer
God's enemies, but we become His sons! We
are no longer doomed to Hell, but we become
destines for Heaven. We are not sinners, but
saint. Not separated but sons. We find
ourselves brought into the family of God the
Father. Thank God, there is a Friend in Jesus,
Pro. 18:24.)
I. Mephibosheth's Family
II. Mephibosheth's Friend
III. MEPHIBOSHETH'S FUTURE
A. V. 13 A New Place - This man is moved from
the poor house to the king's palace. He is taken
from nothing and given everything. He has a
new place to live his life.
(Ill. So it is with the child of God! We are brought
out of the horrible pit and given a brand new life
to live for His glory, Psa. 40:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:17.
Beyond that, we have the precious promise that
there is a home awaiting us when the pilgrimage
of this life is past, John 14:1-3. Everything
changes when the king comes calling!)
B. V. 7, 10-11, 13 A New Provision - Notice that
we are told four times that Mephibosheth is
going to eat "from the king's table." This implies
that his every need is going to be met out of the
resources of the king. He is to live as if he were
a king's son and the king is going to take care of
him from that day forward.
(Ill. The same promise belongs to the child of
God this morning! When we get into God's
family, we become His responsibility. And, He
has promised to take good care of His own, Psa.
37:25; Phil. 4:19; Matt. 6:25-34.Thank God,
everything changes when the King comes
calling!)
C. V. 11 A New Parent - Among all the things this
man got, the most precious was his new
relationship with David. The king was his enemy
that morning and by nightfall, he was his father!
David adopted Mephibosheth into his family and
he became the some of David.
(Ill. This is the same thing that happens to every
repentant sinner! The instant that a sinner trusts
Jesus as his Lord and Savior, that sinner ceases
being the enemy of God and becomes a child of
God, 1 John 3:1-3. God becomes our Father
and we become His children. It is a special and
intimate relationship that we are given in the
Lord Jesus Christ. As His son, I can dine at His
table. I can fellowship with Him. I can come
before His throne whenever I need Him. I can
be as close and as intimate as I want to be with
my heavenly Father. He changes everything
when He comes calling!)
Conc: There are many things I haven't figured out in
this life. But, there is one thing I know for certain. I
know that everything changes when the King comes
calling! How? Nearly 18 years ago, He came calling at
the door of that wretched place I used to live. A place
called sin. He came knocking on my heart's door and
when I responded to His knock, He came in and
changed everything!
He longs to do the same for you this morning!
Some of you have never been saved. If you died today,
you would go to Hell. But, this morning, the Spirit of
God is calling you to come to King Jesus. The Lord has
sent His Servant to call you to come to the palace.
What will you do this morning? Will you go to Him, or
will you stay in your Lodebar? Everything changes
when the King comes calling, but only if you will answer
His knock, Rev. 3:20.
