Pastor Greg Laurie points to the meaning of a biblical story of a child who had been physically dropped. Causing permanent injury. I think there's a lot of people who've been dropped in life. Maybe you feel like you were, or things happened to you as a child that weren't your fault, but you were not dealt a good hand and you had a rough upbringing. But the good news is, God specializes in taking those who have been dropped in life and picking them up again.
This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Oh, can you hear how the angels are singing? This is the day, the day when I begin.
When we follow the lives of some of the key individuals in Scripture, we learn so much. We see faith in action. Or sometimes we see a lack of faith in action. But the lessons are practical since they're demonstrated by real people in real circumstances. Currently on a new beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie is leading our study of David's life.
Today we learned some things from David and another individual who crosses David's path. It's good encouragement for those who've had some setbacks. We're going to look at David and Mephibosha. How many of you have heard of Mephibosheth? Raise your hand up.
Okay, some of you. That's a tricky name, Mephibosheth. Let's try saying that together. Myth. Very good.
Okay, you got it.
So I'm a fibus chef. And we'll talk about who he is in just a moment, but a quick recap. To catch us up. Where we are right now in this story of the life of David from this series that we're calling The House of David.
So it goes back to Israel. desperately wanting a king. All the other nations had kings and they wanted a king too.
Now they have the Lord God ruling over them, speaking to them through the prophets, appointing judges to guide and direct them. But oh no, they wanted a king because the other nations. Had a king, well careful what you wish for. You might get it. And God gave them a king after their own heart.
And his name was Saul. Saul had everything one would want. To be a great politician. He was tall, he was good-looking, he was charismatic, he was also paranoid, and jealous, and murderous. And so he was chosen, and he was a horrible king.
And he disobeyed God, so the Lord rejected. Saul from being the king, and directed the prophet Samuel to go. to Bethlehem because in that city was a man named Jesse. Who had sons, and the prophet was told that out of that house The next king of Israel would come.
So Samuel arrives in town, it's kind of a big deal. When a prophet shows up in your little town like Bethlehem, Jesse proudly parades his seven sons. None of them are the ones that the Lord has chosen. Of course, David is out on the field, not even acknowledged by his father. He is summoned, and the Lord says, that's the one.
And so the prophet anoints David as the king of Israel.
Okay, so now the first test for David comes. He faces off with the oversized Philistine. Nine feet six inches of solid muscle. Covered in body armor. And David takes him down with one stone.
So now David is a rock star. David is a hero. David has songs written about him, the number one song on Israeli radio. Had the lyrics, Saul has slain his thousands, but David, his tens of thousands. And Song heard that song and he didn't like it one bit.
He became angry and full of jealousy and decided that he wanted to. Kill David.
Now, you might say that the moment David was selected by God is the moment his troubles began. And in some ways, the same could be said of us. The moment you committed your life to Jesus Christ, a spiritual battle began. Maybe no one told you that was coming, right? But it came, didn't it?
All of a sudden, you're facing temptations like you've never faced before. You're facing opposition. You're battling with the enemy. I remember when I was a brand new Christian, and the Christian said, Be careful, Greg, you're going to get tempted by the devil. I'm going, wait, what?
No one told me about a devil. I just heard come to Jesus.
Now there's a devil, oh yes, and he'll tempt you, and of course he He did and he does tempt all of us.
Now, it's all worth it. Because our sins are forgiven? We have found the meaning and purpose of our lives. We have the absolute assurance that one day we will go to heaven, but there are battles that will be fought until that day. It's been said, quote, conversion has made our hearts a battlefield, end quote.
But the good news is, God won't give us more than we can handle. But the battle began, and the same is true for David. You see, God loved David. He was a man after his own heart, therefore Saul directed by Satan, hated David and tried to kill him. On two separate occasions, he threw a javelin at him.
David barely dodged it. And then, so then now the pursuit begins. And David flees the palace, and he's hiding in the countryside, and Saul and his army of 3,000 men are hunting David down. And one day, David's in a cave, and who shows up in the cave but Saul. But Saul doesn't know David's in the cave.
He's a little further back. Saul is answering the call of nature. And doesn't realize it. David is right behind him. David could have slid his throat, and that would have been the end of all of that.
But David couldn't bring himself to do that, cuts a little bit of Saul's robe off, and then when Saul's a safe distance off, David yells, Hey, Saul, do you feel a draft right now? I cut your robe off. I could have cut your head off. But I chose not to do it. All of a sudden, Saul said, Oh, my son David, you're so wonderful.
I know that one day you will be king. But he was just lying. He continued on with this pursuit of David, and ultimately, Saul's life is now crashing down. He finds himself so spiritually bankrupt, he's consulting a witch. And finally, he reaps what he sows.
King Saul and his son Jonathan die on the battlefield. Severely wounded, Saul commits suicide, falling on his own sword.
So the house of Saul and the house of David continued in conflict. Despite the fact that Saul was now dead, Saul had a son left. His name was Ishbosheth. Ishbosheth. You might think of that as a name for a boy someday.
Ishbosheth, okay? We have Mephibosheth, and now we have Ishbosheth. And so Abner, who was Saul's general, I made Ish-bosheth king. He wasn't supposed to do that. Abner knew that David was the rightful heir to the throne, but he wanted to remain in power.
So Ishbosheth is now appointed as king. And then Abner and Ishbosheth have an argument, and Abner threatens to defect. And sure enough, he goes over to David and says, David, I know I've served Saul. I know that I was one of the people pursuing you. I know I've been your enemy, but I want to make peace with you.
David could have said, I know, I'm going to cut your head off. But David said, I'm just so sick of fighting. Do you ever feel that way? I'm just tired of fighting. I'm tired of arguing.
I'm tired of conflict. Hey, you want to make a peace agreement? Let's go for it. And that's what he did. With Abder, because David was willing to forgive his enemies.
As I pointed out, David was uniquely described as a man after God's own heart. There's many reasons for that, but here's a big one. He was willing to forgive his enemies. And we talked about this last time. You know, it's interesting that when Jesus began his earthly ministry.
He identified himself as the Son of God. Of David. And of course, Christ came from the house of David. Our Lord was born in Bethlehem in fulfillment of Bible. Prophecy.
So here we see everything's coming together, and David is willing to extend forgiveness to his enemies. And we see this demonstrated even more now. With the descendants of King Saul. That brings us to our story.
So one day David is hanging around the palace and he says, you know, Is there anyone left of the house of Saul? Are there any descendants? And here's what happened next. A guy named Zeeba is called in. Ziba used to work for Saul.
2 Samuel Chapter nine Verse 2, I'm reading from the New Living Translation. Hey, are you Ziba? the king asked. Yes, I am, Zeba replied. Then the king asked him, Is there anyone still alive from Saul's family?
If so, I want to show God's goodness to them in any way I can. Zeba replied, Yes, one of Jonathan's sons is still alive, but he's crippled. Where is he? the king asked. He's in Lodobar.
Ziba told him, at the home of Maker, son of Amiel.
So David sent for him and brought him from Maker's house. And his name was Mephibosheth, and he was Jonathan's son and Saul's grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low in great fear. And said, I am your servant. David said, All don't be afraid.
I've asked you to come so I can be kind to you because of my vow to your father Jonathan. I'll give you all of the land that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, that you may live with me here in the palace. Mephibosheth fell to the ground before the king and said, Should the king show such kindness to a dead dog like me? But Mephibosheth ate regularly with David as though he were one of his own sons. We'll stop there.
Isn't that a beautiful story?
So Jonathan and David were good friends. And Jonathan knew things were not going to end well for his father and even himself. He said, David, you've got to make a promise to me, buddy. Down the road, take care of my descendants, treat them with kindness. David said, I'll do it.
David's remembering the promise that he made. David kept his promises. Do you? And so now he's keeping this promise and is seeking out someone from the house of Saul's descendant, and it's Mephibosheth. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.
Uh We're thrilled when we hear from listeners that join us from every background and location. Pastor Greg, many years ago when I lived in California and attended Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, you would often preach there. Your sermons were always so wonderful and uplifting. I've lived in Texas for over 20 years now and have missed hearing your messages. Just over a year ago, I discovered these podcasts and now I listen to them.
It keeps my heart filled with God's presence. Thank you so much. Has Pastor Gregg heard from you? If not, would you consider calling him and sharing your story? Here's the number: 1-866-871-1144.
That's 866-871-1144.
Well, we're learning some good lessons today from the encounter between David and Saul's grandson Mephibosheth. Today's message titled What is God Like? Mephibosheth was technically next in line to be the king. See, the king is gone. The prince, Jonathan, is gone.
That means Mephibosheth would have been the rightful king of Israel. But now he is in hiding. And David is showing kindness to him. Ephibosheth was. Was only five years old when he found out that his father and grandfather were killed.
Imagine the life you had lived up to that point. Living in the palace as a young prince. You know, there are people that are so. Fascinated by the royal family in England, right? We know the names of all the princes and the princesses and we follow their every move and we're so interested.
I'm not one of those people, but some are. We were fascinated by royalty.
So here's this royal family. and this Prince Mephibosheth. And he lives in the lap of luxury. He's pampered. He's honored.
And then one day, his father and his grandfather are killed. And there was a nurse in charge of him. And she was running, probably to get him to safety because she was afraid for his life. And she fell and dropped the young prince. And now he is disabled.
He has lost the use of his feet, a disability he carried throughout his life. He had been dropped in life. It wasn't his fault. But it happened to him. And I think there's a lot of people who have been dropped in life.
I feel like I was. Maybe you feel like you were. Where things happen to you as a child that Weren't your fault, but you were not dealt a good hand and you had a rough upbringing. But the good news is, God specializes in taking those who have been dropped in life and picking them up again, right? Mfibish.
Certainly was dropped in life. You know, maybe as he grew up, he's an older man now, or a younger man, but. He's an adult. He's probably thinking this just isn't fair. It's all the fault of David.
You know, David did this to me. David shouldn't even be on the throne. I should be on the throne. Maybe he had been taught his whole life to hate David, but the thing is, he didn't know David, but he was about to. to meet him.
And David asked if anyone is alive From his house, he says, so I can show kindness to them, verse 3. This word kindness can better be translated grace. David is saying, I want to extend grace to someone. What is grace? It's unmerited favor.
It's not based on the person you give it to deserving it. It's based on love. Grace is undeserved. It's unearned. It's unrepayable.
The Bible says, For by grace you've been saved through faith. Not of works, lest any man should boast. I am saved by the grace of God. Mercy Is not getting what I deserve. Justice is getting what I deserve.
Grace is getting what I don't deserve. Let me illustrate. Let's say that someone borrowed my Harley. And they went in total that came back.
Okay, sorry, man. totaled your Harley. If I extended justice, I would say, you have to replace my Harley. That's justice. If I extended mercy, I would say, Ah, whatever.
Okay.
Well, all right. You don't have to do anything. If I extended grace, I'd go buy you a new Harley, okay?
So, this is what God has done for us. Never pray. And say, Lord, give me what I deserve. Don't ever pray that. Lord, give me justice.
Don't even pray that. Say, Lord, be merciful to me, and even better, say, Lord, extend grace to me. And so David says, I want to find someone to extend grace to.
Now, this guy's Ziba. Mentioned in verse 3. By the way, this guy's a total creep. And he says, Yeah, yeah, there is someone in the house of Saul. Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, but But he's crippled, he says to the king.
Now, here's the reality: Ziba had control of the land that Saul owned. He knew that Saul had a grandson named Ephibosheth. He didn't lift a finger to help that boy. Because he probably wanted to keep the land for himself. And in fact, Mephibosheth was living in a place called Lodobar.
That doesn't mean a lot to us. But this was not a nice place to live. It was sort of this barren, obscure field in the middle of nowhere. not a place fit for a king. Where this prince Mephibish hath lived in Lodobar.
Load a bar. living like a low life. Eating low-fat food. Listening to J-Lo. No, I don't know, just.
It was low. No offense to JLo, she just has low in there. How to use low, right?
So this guy's low. But what does David do? He says, I want to extend grace to him. Look at Second Samuel Nine, verse five.
So David sent for him. and brought him. Underline that. He sent for him. And he brought him.
David was persistent. I want him brought to me immediately. And this is how we need to look at people who are living in Loda Bar. People who are living without Christ, we need to have. Love for them.
Extend compassion toward them. Show them the grace of God and bring them to Jesus Christ. Remember the story of the four guys who had a disabled friend and they couldn't get into the house where Jesus was, so they opened up the roof and lowered him down. Working together. We bring them.
We don't send them. We bring them. And that's exactly what's happening here. He is brought before David. And now, for the first time, he meets this legendary king.
And I love what happens. It says in 2 Samuel 9:6, he was afraid. But David said, Don't be afraid, I've asked you to come.
So I can be kind to you. Why are you a Christian? Why am I a Christian? I am a Christian because I responded. to the love and the grace of God.
The Bible says it's the kindness of God that leads me to repentance. Maybe it was modeled for me through someone that loved the Lord. Maybe someone shared the gospel with me directly, but it was that love and that grace and that mercy that the Lord has that drew me to him. And that's what happened to Mephibosheth. And I love verse 11.
He ate regularly with David as though he were one of his own sons. David saying, Not only are you not living in Lodobar anymore, You're coming into the palace, boy. And now you're going to be treated like royalty, and you're going to sit at my table and eat as though you were a member of my own family. Is that not exactly what God does for each of us? He brings us into His family.
And he invites us to his table. I don't like to eat with people who give me indigestion. If I'm going to lunch. I only want to go with someone that, you know, Isn't going to say something or do something that might make me not want to finish my giant burger that I shouldn't have ordered in the first place. And Eating is more than just having food, it's hanging out, it's communicating, it's enjoyment, and this is the same concept we find in the Bible.
And so here we have Ephibosheth sitting at the king's table. Good insights on grace today. As Pastor Greg Laurie has presented a message called, What is God Like? And next time on A New Beginning, we'll dig even deeper into this story.
Now, just a moment ago, Pastor Greg said he's a Christian because he responded to the love and the grace of God.
So have you responded to God's grace and love? Pastor Gregg, maybe you could explain how someone can do that and come into a relationship with the Lord. Yeah, I can do that, Dave. I'd be happy to. In the book of Isaiah, we read these words: Seek the Lord while he may be found.
Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous man their thoughts. Let them return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them. And to our God, For he will freely pardon. Listen, that's God's word to you.
And let me address this to the person who has never asked Jesus Christ to come into their life. Why don't you do it now? That verse says, seek the Lord while he may be found. God has touched your heart today, perhaps, and you thought, I need this relationship with the Lord. One of these days I'm going to make that commitment to Christ.
No, don't wait for one of these days. This is the day. This is your moment. Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon him while he's near.
Listen, God is near to you, wherever you are, in your home, in your car, and you're out walking, perhaps. I don't know where you are, but God is near, and he is ready to come into your life. And there's another part of this verse when it says, Let us return to the Lord. I want to also extend an invitation to you that have fallen away. From your faith, you've fallen away from the Lord and you need to make a recommitment.
So, if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life, if you want your sin forgiven, if you want to go to heaven when you die, or if you've fallen away from the Lord and you want to return to Him, pray. Pray this prayer with me. In fact, you can even pray it out loud. But just pray this after me. Right now.
Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. But I also know that you are a Saviour, And I need your help I need your forgiveness. Come into my life, and And forgive me of all of my sins. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Be my Saviour.
be my lord Be my God and be my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Yeah, I want you to know on the authority of Scripture if you just prayed that prayer and meant it. Christ has heard you. and he has forgiven you.
So, God bless you. And we want to help you begin to grow in your new faith. We want to send you Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible. It's helped so many new Christians find answers to their questions and build a strong foundation for their faith.
So, get in touch and ask for the New Believer's Bible. We'll send it at no charge when you call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300. Or write a new beginning box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or go to harvest.org and click the words Know God.
And then let us say a word of thanks to those who support us financially, those who make it possible for us to bring you these studies each day. We are definitely a listener-supported ministry. It's the generosity of listeners that help us be here with these programs.
So, if you've partnered with us, thank you. And if you have yet to partner with us, well, I hope you'll get in touch today and let us know that you're standing with us. Even a small investment would help. It's actually an investment in changing lives. Thank you for partnering with us.
You can donate securely online at harvest.org or write a new beginning box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300. Well, next time, Pastor Greg picks us all up and takes us with him to a harvest crusade. We'll hear his inspiring message called Jesus and You.
Invite a friend to listen, someone who needs to hear about the hope found in Christ. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Loring. This is the day, the day when life begins.
