everybody. We're going to begin our service this morning, 71. It's a hymn that speaks about creation. The sun is shining and you can see the fingerprints of God all over our world. 71, O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder. We'll stand as we sing. Consider all the works I have done for you. I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder. My life grew up in heaven's display. Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee. Went through the woods and forest plains I wander And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee How great Thou art! How great Thou art! Then sings my soul, A great love of, a great love of. And when I came, and found His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I stretched and I heard in glad remembering He led and died to take away my sin Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee. Oh, what joy to fill my heart! Then shall I smile in the collaboration that there proclaim my God, the reign of love. my soul my savior come to me You may be seated. What a great hymn, isn't it? About a great God who does great things for his people. That hymn was translated, I believe, from a Swedish hymn. And of course, Scandinavian countries have beautiful countryside like we have, and as they look around and see the fingerprints of God all around them, they are amazed at how great God truly is. I'm going to sing just first and the last verse, 5-5-4, while we come to prayer. Nearer, still nearer, close to thy heart, draw me, my Savior. so precious thou art. 554, first and the last verse. Hold me, oh, hold me close to thy breast. Shelter me safe in that haven of rest. Yeah. Let's bow for a word of prayer. Father, we thank you that we can come nearer to God this morning. We can draw nearer to his presence. We can draw nearer to his person. And Lord, we recognize that in the past week we've drifted. God hasn't left us, but we as a people, we as a nation have left him. Father, we pray that we would draw back to the only one that can help us. As we come around the throne of grace this morning, we thank you that there is a place that we can come, look for help, not only look for help, find help in our time of need. We pray for anyone here that you would meet their need at the point of their need. Those needing wisdom, Lord, give them wisdom. Those needing guidance, Lord, give them your guidance. Those who need your correction, those who need your forgiveness, those who need your great salvation, oh God, we pray that you would touch their lives and transform their lives by your word and by your presence today. We pray, Lord, for all your people, not just in this place but throughout our land, those even from our church family who are in hospital, those who are in homes, those who are shut up even in their own home. We pray, O God, that you would presence yourself with them. Fill this place, fill every place where God's people are gathered with the presence and the power of God. Lord, we pray for any even who are listening online. We know there are so many. And Lord, we know that many of them are still outside of Christ. Many of them have grown cold in their relationship with him. We pray, O God, that this would be a day of change, life-changing, eternity-changing works in the lives of men and women. Bless every aspect of this service. We invite the presence and power of God. Indeed, we beg for the presence and power of God. For without Thee, we can do nothing. For we ask these things in Jesus' precious name. Amen. 2 Samuel 9, for our Bible reading, just 13 verses. It's a chapter I've preached on in the past. on a number of occasions, but it's a chapter I love to preach from because it's a great story, it's a great picture, it's a great portrait of grace through the life of King David. And really, not just through King David, but you see the image of Jesus Christ stamped on King David, maybe more here than in any other part of his life. in 2 Samuel chapter 9. And you're going to see this word kindness, grace, mercy, all emerge through the actions and the attitudes of this great king. If ever there was a chapter that sums up the greatness of King David, it's this chapter. Sometimes when we think of David, we think of his great warriorness, fighting ability. his great musical talent, a man who knew God and walked with God. But if there's ever a chapter that brings David to a spiritual apex, it's this chapter. When he reached down to a man from an enemy family, a man despised by society, abandoned by society, A man who came from a family that had done so much harm to David. Tried to murder him on multiple occasions. Tried to humiliate him. Tried to shame him. Tried to destroy him and his own family. And yet David is going to reach out the hand of love and friendship and mercy to this man Mephibosheth. And it's a great story. It's one that you and I need to read, meditate upon, and then imitate. Let's read it. It says, and David said, notice it's coming from David. This is not David hearing information and reacting to the information. This is David actively looking for someone to bless and to help. And David said, is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake. And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, art thou Ziba? And he said, thy servant is he. And the king said, is there yet any of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God unto him. And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is Liam on his feet. And the king said unto him, where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Amiel, in Lodabar. Then King David sent and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Amiel from Lodabar. Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth, and he answered, Behold thy servant. And David said unto him, Fear not, "'For I will surely show thee kindness.'" There's that word again. "'For Jonathan thy father's sake, "'and will restore thee all the land of Saul, thy father, "'and thou shalt eat bread 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?'' Now that expression, dead dog, is a Hebrew idiom to express something that's, we would just say, a worthless piece of garbage. It's how the Hebrews express something that was completely worthless and hideous and despicable, a dead dog. Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertain to Saul and to all his house. Thou therefore and thy sons and thy servants shall till the land for him. And I shall bring in the fruits that thy master's son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread always at my table. Now Seba had 15 sons and 20 servants. Then said Ziba unto the king, according to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table as one of the king's sons. And Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah, and all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he did eat continually at the king's table and was lame on both his feet. Amen. God will bless the reading of his word. Colin, would you come and give us all the announcements? Thank you. Very warm welcome to each one gathered for our morning service. And particularly if you're visiting with us, thank you for joining with us and trust the Lord will richly bless you this morning. Do remember immediately after this service, our communion time as we just remember what the Lord has done for us on the cross of Calvary. when he purchased that full and free salvation for us. If you know and love the Lord, you're very welcome to stay for that short time. Children's Church is available for primary school age and creche is available this morning as well. Then this evening at seven o'clock, our gospel service, the pastor will be on the war that will end all wars. That's the title tonight. And our singer is Catherine Henderson. Do pray for that service. Do come along and do invite others. for that meeting. Tuesday at 8 o'clock, indoor football for secondary school and above. Wednesday is our Emmanuel Cafe, 10 o'clock to 12.30. And if you haven't been along yet, I encourage you to come along and invite others. Bible Explorers is on on Wednesday at 6.30. And then our midweek meeting, our Bible study and prayer time at 8 o'clock. Thursday, Mums and Tots in the morning. And then next Sunday, 10.30, Sunday school and Bible class, morning service at 11.30, preceded by a time of prayer, and then our gospel service at seven. And then just a special weekend, there are plenty of invites somewhere there at the back. So this is the special mission weekend with John Weir. starting on Friday the 21st, then the Saturday night will be musical items, and then John will be with us for both services on Sunday. And the title there is How to Survive the End of the World. So do keep that weekend free and come along and invite others, mention it to others around the district, that special weekend of gospel mission. Thank you. Thank you, Col. John will be here, as I said, in a couple of weeks' time. You'll see those leaflets at the back. Do take them. We'll go around the doors in the days that precede the mission. We want to see many lives touched by the Word of God. I know there are people who listen in online every week who are not saved from Lorne. I know there are people from Lorne who don't go to any church who listen in and tell us they do so. So we will be putting those services online, and we have a full program. Everett Smith will be coming on the Friday night to tell us how the Lord saved him. He's the man in charge of Dremore Independent Methodist Church down there, and Everett has a story to tell. And then on the Saturday night, we have a night of music, different groups, different individuals coming to take part, and then on Sunday, John will be here, and one of our own, Kira, will come and tell us how God saved her. She was saved through, I believe, a mission of John Weir's, and she comes from a Roman Catholic background, so Kira will be here to share with us how God saved her. Do remember the cafe. We've had 50 coming now, week by week. On a Wednesday, many outsiders are coming in We're able to spend time and talk to them and invite them to church as well. So if you're free on a Wednesday morning from 10 a.m. to 12 noon approximately, you just come along, bring any of your friends or your neighbors, and we don't charge. We're one of the few churches that are generous. I grew up in the Free Presbyterian Church. Mr. Paisley used to say, the only thing free in the Free Presbyterian Church is the name. Nothing else. You have to pay for everything else. But we're free. And if you can come along, bring your friends and your neighbors to that. We have a number of events coming up over the next few months and special meetings. Just highlight one or two. On the 2nd of March, Sunday night, I have a man coming, booked to come, and he is the former chairman of Sinn Féin in Cushingdon. So if you come along, you'll hear how God saved him and saved his brother. And God is starting to save certain members of his family. And he is very open about his past and where he comes from and what he did in the past and his attitudes to people in the past. And God has done a great work You come along on the 2nd of March. And then on the 12th of April, that's a Saturday night, we have a man coming from England. He's coming over on a deputation. He's a member of the Jews for Jesus organization. It's a missionary organization. And he'll be here on the Saturday night. His name's called Ziggy Roloff. His parents survived the Holocaust and then God saved him at university and changed him. And he's coming to tell us how God changed his life. And that night, James Strange's Praise Choir, there's about 40 to 50 of them, will be here to sing. And a number of others will be coming to join. John Porter will be coming to sing. So we'll have a great night of music and a great night of testimony. And we'll have an offering at the back for the Jews for Jesus organization to help them. reach the Jewish people for Jesus Christ. So keep those dates in your mind and in your prayers. But most of all, keep that mission with John where we won't have John again until September, where he'll be coming here to do a Sunday to a Sunday. So he'll be here seven or eight days with us here in Lauren for a longer mission. And that's, I think, the only dates he has free for the next three years or so. God willing, John will be here in September. Let's sing our hymn, an offering hymn, while you're seated. We don't charge on Wednesday, but we're going to charge today, OK? So you can give double. And we're going to sing that wonderful hymn. Bless the reason, or bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, that sometimes is called 10,000 reasons. Remain seated while the offering is lifted. You are so Lord of my soul, Lord of my soul. Worship His holy name. Seems like never before. Lord of my soul, worship Your holy name. Let me hear you singing with me. Oh, my soul, oh, my soul, worship this holy name. You're rich in love and you're slow to anger. Your name is great and your heart is grand. For all your greatness I will keep on singing. Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find. All right, the children can leave as we sing this. is me Beautiful song, isn't it? Let's ask the Lord's help before we turn to the Word of God. Father, we thank you that our hearts can say like King David, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Father, we're so thankful that you've been so good to us. We're so thankful for your hand upon our lives. We thank you for protecting us, preserving us, providing for us. And most of all, we thank you for pardoning us and washing us in the blood of Jesus. Now we're ready for home. We're ready for heaven. And we're just passing through this world for just a very short time before we enter eternity. to be forever with the Lord. For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain. Bless your word to all of our hearts. We thank you for King David, what a man he was, what a God he served, and what a legacy he left. Help us to be like him when he is like Jesus Christ. For we ask these things in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Now 2 Samuel chapter 9, as I have already alluded, is one of the great chapters of Scripture, because we run into a story where you see a portrait of God's amazing grace. And it's a story where King David is unlike any other king that sat on the throne of Israel Because David here not only helps those who are in need, but he actively goes seeking them to touch their lives. There are many instances in life and even in scripture of people reacting to needs when they hear about them. But there's very few examples of men or women of God actively going seeking out the weak. and they're vulnerable, to try and help them. General William Booth, who founded that great movement, not so great anymore, but it was in his heyday, the Salvation Army, was once asked to speak on the mission of the Salvation Army, and because of ill health, he couldn't go to the general conference. There are thousands of Salvation Army officers there, They said, General Booth, would you just send a little telegram of a message then to be read out? And he sent just one word by telegram to sum up the mission of the Salvation Army. And when they opened the telegram, the chairman read out the one word and he said, General Booth has sent us a message that sums up the mission of the Salvation Army. And the one word was this, others, others. A Christian's life is to be lived for others. And of course, General Booth was correct. We who are saved are called not to please ourselves, says the Bible, but to be a blessing to others. And that should start in your home, in your church, and in the community that you live in. Let me pause and ask you a question. How good are you at helping others? What would you give yourself out of 10 for last week? What would you give yourself out of 10 for last year? Or would you hang your head in shame and say, well, By and large, my life as a Christian has been live for myself. Yes, if I can help others incidentally along the way, so be it. But by and large, I live for myself. Now, that's the way the world lives. It's why they're in the mess. That's why their families are in a mess, because everybody's living in a selfish, self-centered way. But a Christian is to be different. A Christian is to be one. who lives for the glory of God by helping others. That's one of the reasons we're saved. When you get saved, God doesn't take you straight away to heaven. You ever notice that? He leaves you here. He doesn't abandon you here and say, well, you just go ahead and live your life how you feel like living or how you think you should live. No. He gives us very clear instructions. The moment you're saved, you're saved to serve. One of the saddest tragedies of this generation of Christians is so many can't be bothered to help anybody. Can't even be bothered to pray for anybody. Can't be bothered to give a tract or witness to anybody. The whole life is just geared to themselves and pleasing themselves. And King David was a man that we've already noted had great talents, great gifts, and great wealth. A man who had seemingly everything to do for himself. He could live for years of all the wealth and the power and the influence and the popularity that he had. But here we have David. He's established his kingdom. He's sealed the borders. He's made them secure from their enemies without. He's made them secure from the enemies within. He's got the ark back. in its proper place, the ark that represented the presence and power of God, he got that back at the center of Jewish life, at the center of his life in Jerusalem. And his next thought, having done all those things, is not what can I do for myself, but what can I do for others? Notice very carefully, verse one, how it begins. Now, King David, was different from King Saul. King Saul was a man who broke his promises. King Saul was a man who made many promises to David, but David was not like Saul. And we're told, and notice the language he uses. I think this is so interesting. He said, is there any yet? Is there just one person? Now David didn't know if there was one person at this point. He didn't know that Mephibosheth existed. He didn't know that Mephibosheth had escaped because Mephibosheth was just a tiny boy, a baby. In fact, he was about four to five years of age when Saul died. And David had already been away from the palace many, many years, maybe a dozen years. So David says, is there any? that I don't know about. And notice how he says it, of the house of Saul. Now we could understand if he'd said of the relations of Jonathan, because Jonathan and him had a great friendship. He owed Jonathan, Jonathan owed him. But the fact that he brought up Saul, his enemy, The one who had tried to murder him on at least a dozen occasions. The one who had driven his family from their homes. The one who had humiliated him, even taking his wife, Michal, off him and turned her against him. The one who had forced David to take his elderly parents and bring them to Moab to hide them. He says, is there anyone from Saul's house? that I can help. Now bear in mind, David had just spent the last seven years having to deal with a son of Saul called Ish-bosheth, who created civil war in the nation. So Saul's descendants had been, apart from Jonathan, nothing but trouble for David. And yet, the first thing David does, the first thing David says, is there anyone from Saul's family that I can be a blessing to? Now, that's grace, isn't it? That's the love of Jesus Christ that's flowing through the heart of King David. Now, David gets word from one of his servants that there's a man called Ziba. Now, Zebra must have been a bit of a character because we read he had 20 sons. Can you imagine what kind of a troublesome home that must have been? 20 sons. And he calls for Zebra. And he says, he repeats it, verse three, is there any yet of the house of Saul? Just in case you thought it was a mistake what said in verse one, David brings it up again. Saul, is there any connection to Saul? Is there any relatives of Saul? And he explains that I may show the kindness of God. You know, David couldn't say I can show him the kindness of David because David's natural state would be to kill all of Saul's family. They take vengeance, that's the old man. But there's something deeper in David that's controlling David, the kindness of God. God has been so good to me, now I must be good to others. God's love is flowing through me and that love must now flow to others. David says, is there any of Saul's house? And Ziba gives him an answer. And even in the answer, you can tell Ziba is giving David a way out. Because remember, nobody knows about this promise between Saul and David, and Jonathan and David, that happened 20 years before. Probably nobody in the nation would have cared if David had never brought it up again. But God knew, and David knew, and that was enough for this man of, after God's own heart, that he must keep his word. Even though Saul broke his word, Even though Saul dishonored his promises, David wasn't going to do it. And Ziba says to him, yeah, there's one. And then he adds this, which is lame on his feet. He's disabled. In other words, Ziba's almost saying, yes, but you don't want him around. David, look at you. You're in the prime of life. David's probably in his late 30s. David, you're a man who's so handsome and you've got that beautiful son Absalom and Adonijah and Amnon and all those beautiful daughters and you're living in the royal palace and you're in Jerusalem and this guy Mephibosheth, he's a nobody. Don't want him. Imagine what he looked like standing beside Absalom or Adonijah. or your beautiful daughters, David, and your beautiful wives in this beautiful palace. You don't want him. And it'd be very easy for David to say, well, thanks for the information, I'll have a think about it and just forget about it. Or it'd be very easy for David to say, well, send him a few quid just to help him out, but just keep him out of my palace. The last thing you would think David would want to do, the last thing the world would tell David to do is, number one, to spare his life. He's a threat. He's from a rebel family. Number two, if you're not going to kill him, David, well, then keep him away from you. Don't bring him to you. Don't bring him into the danger zone where he has a legitimate claim to the throne, where he could raise up the Benjamites to rise up against you, David, his tribe. This is a grandson of King Saul. This man has a right to claim the throne of King Saul. Don't bring him in. Don't be kind. Certainly don't give him any money, David, that he could build an army. Don't give him any resources, David. Just leave him where he is. Let him die there. If you don't want to kill him, we understand that, David. You're a man of God. You don't have to do anything for him. You certainly don't have to invite him into your family, invite him into your home, and give him all these resources that he could become a threat to you, David. That's what the world would say. That's what the accepted wisdom would be. But not King David. Notice what he says. Verse four, where is he? David says, where is this man? So having passed up the opportunity to ignore this man, he still doesn't know his name. He says, where is he? And he says, behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Amiel in Lodh Debar. Now this word Lodh Debar has the meaning that it's a place in the middle of nowhere, a wilderness. It's almost as if Mephibosheth, well, we know he's afraid for his life. He knows that the common practice, when a new king takes over, a new dynasty comes in, to kill all the relatives of the previous dynasty. That's the way the world operates. He knew that his grandfather, King Saul, tried to murder David, was a threat to David's life, and his uncle Ish-bosheth tried to set up a rival kingdom for seven years. So Mephibosheth is scared. He's afraid. He knows he's a nobody now. He knows he's a threat to David if David finds out about him. He knows that the common practice of that world that he lives in is to wipe out any rivals. And he goes to this place, Lodabar, really a place in the middle of nowhere, as far away as he can get from the royal palace. And no doubt every day, When he saw a stranger coming towards his home, he wondered, is that the day King David discovers me? Is that the day a soldier will come to take my life? Is that the day my son, and we discover in this chapter he has a little boy, will be wiped out? And he must have lived in this state of tension and fear and anxiety. David says, verse 5, go and get him and bring him here. And they brought him and verse 6 tells us that this man Bephibosheth, he represents everything David is not. He is weak, he is vulnerable, he is poor, He is despised. He's disabled. He's a man that has no future. He's a man who's come to load the bar to die. And he's just waiting for death to come. Nothing to live for. No hope in his perspective of ever getting back to his family's estate that he grew up in. No hope of ever being in the royal palace again. No hope of ever being able to eat a good meal again. Mephibosheth, you see, had lost so much in life. He'd lost his family. Everyone was dead. He'd lost his inheritance. And to a Jew, that was very important. He'd lost his royal position as a grandson of King Saul. He's now a commoner and he'd lost his health. He's lame on both his feet, cannot walk properly. Nothing, nothing to look forward to. As he came into the palace that day, What a contrast there must have been between the mighty King David, with all his splendid palace, and all his beautiful children, and wives, and royal court with all the wealth that David now had, and this poor man coming in, limping in on crutches, maybe carried in. from Lodabar, covered in dust. Maybe his clothes, smelling. Maybe he rags, was all he had to wear. And he comes limping into the palace, and David is waiting for him. And notice what David says in verse nine, and I like this about David. He could have said to him, are you the cripple? He could have said to him, are you Saul's grandson? No, he didn't. He used his name. He says, Mephibosheth, Mephibosheth, I know your name. I want you to know I know your name. And Mephibosheth fell down He's very humble. He's very afraid. Falls on his face, the Bible says, and he says, behold thy servant. I'm your servant, David. He knows that, humanly speaking, this is a very dangerous moment for him. It's one thing for David to hear about his existence. It's another thing for David to meet him in person and see the potential threat face to face. Notice what David says to him next, verse seven. He doesn't speak to him in legal language. He doesn't say, we need to call a lawyer here to get you to sign away your kingdom and make sure there's no rival threat to the throne, Mephibosheth. We wanted to make sure we do this in a very legalistic way. Our relationship, if there is to be one, has to be handled very carefully. No, David didn't call the lawyer in. He didn't call a soldier in. What did he say to him? Fear not, don't be afraid. You're not a threat to me. I'm not a threat to you. And he said, straight away, David tells him what's his agenda. He says, I will surely show thee kindness. He says, I'm going to be good to you, Mephibosheth. And he explains why, for thy father Jonathan's sake. He says, I won't let you down, Mephibosheth. I won't be your enemy. I'm gonna be your friend. The first thing David does, he sweeps away all the fears. He speaks to this man as a friend, uses his personal name. David couldn't heal Mephibosheth. He didn't have that power. But what David could do for him, he was willing to do. Notice that. And you know, you'll meet people like Mephibosheth in life, and there's certain things you'll not be able to do for them because of the circumstance they're in. But there may be something you can do. Make sure you do it if it's in your ability. Now it would be easy for David to say to Mephibosheth at this point, now we've met. Now we're friends. We're not enemies. Let's shake hands. Here's a few quid. On you go back to Lodabar. But don't ever come back again. Don't want you around my place. I don't want you near the throne. I don't want you near the center of power, Mephibosheth. I don't want you to have too much money and resources that you can do mischief, because after all, your grandfather did so much evil to me. And your uncle Ishbosheth created so much havoc in this nation. And most people would have said, that's wise, David. And maybe even Mephibosheth would have said, that's a good deal. Let's shake hands and part. You need not see me anymore. Don't have to see you anymore. I'll go and live out my days and load the bar. But David didn't do that. Because notice what he says next. Because it's easy, you know, to say, I'll show kindness. Because words are cheap. But David didn't just talk the talk, he walked the walk, which is what made him so great. Saul often said, to David, I'm not going to fight with you anymore. I'm not going to try to kill you anymore. David, in fact, you're a better man than me. Saul used all these things. In fact, Saul said, I've sinned against the Lord. I've plagued the fool. But he kept on doing it. Wouldn't change. But David was a different man. David says to him, I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake. And then there's a comma. Notice what comes next. He says, and I will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father. You know, he can't restore his legs, but he could give him back his inheritance. And Saul had a great estate in the land of Benjamin, in the tribe of Benjamin. And to a Jew to lose their family estate was a terrible thing. And particularly when you're a lame, impoverished man like Mephibosheth living in someone else's home in Lodomar. Seems he didn't even have his own house to live in. David says, I'm gonna give you back every square inch that belonged to Saul. I don't want anybody to think I took a penny from King Saul's estate or family. He said, it's all going back to you, Jonathan. or Mephibosheth, every last square inch. What a blessing. But then he goes further. Notice what he says next. He says, and thou, you, this is, I have something extra. You are the king's grandson. and I'm gonna honor you as the king's grandson. He says, you shall eat bread at my table. But don't miss the next word. Because the next word is just as important. Continually. Continually. It's not just a fact, David says, well, come on in, Mephibosheth, you probably haven't eaten well for years. Mephibosheth now is in his 20s. He's probably emaciated, living out at Lodabar, impoverished. David says, I'll give you everything you lost, but more, he says, I want you to come and eat at my table, the best table in the land, with the best food. And he says, I want you to do it continually. Now this guy's in his 20s. That means for the next 40 years as David's king, and probably into Solomon's time, this guy's going to be sitting there, eating of the best food, free of charge, treated as if he's one of David's own sons. Now that is going to be an incredible act of grace and kindness by King David, treating the son or the grandson of his great enemy like his own son. Someone said this of this passage. They said, imagine a foreign diplomat would come to David's palace. And he came in and David asked him to come and eat together. This man would sit at this beautiful table in this splendid palace. And he'd see this very handsome king, this very talented king, this very powerful king, this incredibly charismatic king, David, stand up and lead everybody to the table. And out would come the beautiful, handsome Absalom with all his children, and Adonijah and Amnon and all the king's sons. And then would come out all the king's daughters and the beautiful wives that David had, all dressed in their finery. And then the diplomat would notice one disabled young man hobble in on his crutches. who doesn't look like all the rest. They say, who's that? Oh, they say that's Mephibosheth. Oh, is he one of David's sons? No. Mephibosheth is the grandson of King Saul. You mean the one that tried to kill David? You mean the one that was David's enemy? Why is David letting the grandson of his great rival sit at his table and look at the state of him on his crutches compared to David's beautiful family gathered around? You can imagine someone like Nathan the prophet saying to that diplomat, the only one who can understand this story is an individual who understands God's amazing grace. Because to have that man, the grandson of David's greatest enemy, to sit at David's table, to be treated like David's son, the only person who can truly understand that situation is someone who's a sinner saved by God's amazing grace. Isn't that right? The unsaved person can't understand that. But you and I who are saved by the grace of God, who were God's enemies, who spent our lives before we were saved, not running to God, but running away from him, fighting against him. And God not only forgave us, but what did he do? He washed us from our sins. And you know, if God had said to you and I, for all of eternity, you're just going to be a slave, that would be a good deal, wouldn't it? It'd be far better than going to hell forevermore. But God went so much further because he not only forgave you your sins, he not only gave his son to die in your place, that's grace, that's amazing grace, he went so much further. Because he says, now you're my adopted son. You're my adopted daughter. Now you're the child of a king. Now you'll discover that I'll never leave you nor forsake you. Now you'll discover that when you leave this world, you go out into the next world, and what's waiting for you there? Heaven forevermore. Oh, that's not just amazing grace, that's mind-blowing grace, isn't it? And because David understood that, he understood what God had done for him, what God had transformed in his life, what God had forgiven, David knew then that he had to live the same way towards others. Old Isaac Watts, when he wrote his great hymn, When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died. A hymn that he wrote to talk about what Jesus did on the cross. Old Isaac Watts understood that there was a response that a sinner must give to other sinners because of the cross. Because he finished his hymn with saying this. Listen to the words. so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. In other words, there's a response. Now you're saved by grace. You're to live a life of grace. You're to live a life for others. You're to live a life where the love of God is to flow through you. And King David, he used his wealth, his position, his salvation, to live a life for the glory of God, to live a life to help others, to live a life to bless others. Pharaoh's daughter, you know, adopted Moses out of pity when she heard him cry in the bulrushes. Mordecai adopted Esther out of family duty, because she was a relative when she was an orphan. But King David went far higher than the rest, far further than the rest. He adopted Mephibosheth as his son, out of love, out of grace. And you notice in this story, it's all one way, because grace is always one way. from David to Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth did nothing to earn it, did nothing to deserve it, just like you and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it with God, but he extends grace and love and forgiveness and adopts us as his sons and gives us heavenly citizenship. And David, knowing what God had done for him, David says, I want to live that way to Mephibosheth. And you know, the amazing thing is you read this chapter. Read it really carefully. Not a single person advises David to do this. You notice that? Not even Nathan the prophet. God didn't even speak directly to David and say, David, I want you to do this to my people. It will be a good example. It'd be good for you, David. No, David did this because the love of God flowed out of him. He did it unilaterally. He did it spontaneously. He did it in a way that there was nothing he was receiving in return. It was grace upon grace upon grace. Now let me finish by saying this. Two things. Number one, it shouldn't be difficult to see yourself in this picture. Because that's what God did for you. in extending grace upon grace upon grace. And number two, your duty, your duty, not your aspiration, not something you can fill in to your life or fit into your life as you go along if it suits. Your duty, your command is to live the same life. that David lived towards others. Amy Carmichael, who came from Mill Isle, went out to India to rescue fallen women and young girls who were sold into prostitution. She said this, listen to the words, she said, You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. Great statement, doesn't it? You can give. As many as one gives to their family, of their time, their energy, their resources, out of duty, or maybe because they're afraid of what other people might say. Or even because they're afraid of, well, maybe God will punish me if I don't. And those are all motives, but they're not the highest motive. They're not the best motive. King David could have used any of those. He could have said, well, if I don't be good to Saul, God will punish me for not keeping my word. Even though Saul didn't keep his word, I'll keep my word because I fear God. No, David didn't do it out of fear. He didn't do it because he wanted to impress other people. No, David did it because in his heart he knew the love of God compelled him, drew him, flowed through him. And as Amy Carmichael said, you can give without loving, but you cannot love without truly giving. When I was a boy, we went to Sunday school The teachers taught us that little acronym, JOY. Maybe some of you were taught the same acronym. And they said, what is the secret of joy? J-O-Y, in a person's life. Not the secret of happiness. There's lots of people who are happy. They're happy because they've got X, Y, and Z for a moment of time. And that gives them a sensation of happiness which goes. A sensation that's dependent upon the circumstances. If this works and that works and they get A, B, and C, they're happy. But joy is independent of circumstances. Joy is higher than that. It's something that rises above what you have or don't have in terms of material things or talents or opportunities. So what is joy? What's real joy? What's lasting joy? Joy is this, Jesus first, J. O, others next. Y, yourself last. Now we have reversed that in our society, haven't we? You just listen to them on social media. What do people say? What's in it for me? They come to the election and they say, which one's promising me the most? Which one gives me the easiest time? Which one will make my life the best? No. The Bible says, no, the secret to joy is Jesus first, God first in my life, others next, and yourself last. That's the highest way to live. Now sad to say not everybody lives that way. David had a son called Solomon who took the throne after him and was on the throne for the same number of years, 40 years as king. And sad to say, Solomon started out well like his dad. But after the memory began to fade of his father and his father's influence, Solomon turned it upside down. And Solomon, instead of living for God and living for others, Solomon began to live for himself. He became the wealthiest man. And he began to waste money on Solomon. He began to build houses for himself and gardens. And he says in the book of Ecclesiastes, he became a connoisseur of music and wine and women and culture and architecture. And he became famous all over the world and people came to hear him. It was all about him. And after 40 years of living for Solomon, not living for God and certainly not living for others, Solomon ended his life by writing the book of Ecclesiastes and he summed up life without God in it. And he said this, vanity of vanities, all is what? Empty, vanity, it's all empty. And you and I have a choice to make and I'm through. Are we gonna live our lives like King David? Or are you gonna live your life like Solomon? You're a Christian. They're both believers. They're both in heaven. One went to heaven the right way. One went to heaven the wrong way. Which one are you? Which one are you? Be like David. live a life for others, live a life for God. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for this great story of this great man who lived a life that pleased this great God. We thank you for David. What an example he is to us all of what God requires, what God demands. from all of us. We pray, Lord, that you would take away the selfishness, take away the self-centeredness, take away the hardness that often creeps into our thoughts and our attitudes. Help us to live a life that pleases God, a life that puts God first, others next, and ourselves last. For these things we ask in Jesus' precious name. Amen. I'm going to sing a hymn, 681. This is our closing hymn, 681. I can't even remember the name of it. 681, is it up on the screen? Hark to the shepherd's voice I hear, out in the desert dark and drear, calling the lambs who've gone astray, far from the shepherds. fold away. Old Leonard Ravenhill once said, Christians don't tell lies, they just come to church and sing them. What did he mean by that? He meant that a lot of Christians sing words like this, and they don't mean them. So if you sing these words that you're going to go and bring the sheep, you're going to live a life for others, you better mean them. Better mean them. Let's stand as we sing. And the last verse, please. Bring him in, bring him in from the fields of sin. Bring him in, bring him in. And in the desert, hear their cry, Out on the mountains, wild and high, Our taste of mustard speaks to thee, Go find your elsewhere way. Let's hear the benediction. Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen. You may be seated. If you're at the table, you may leave it.