The messages you receive this week will be the last for the year. So I will close out the story of David and then provide a few closing thoughts for the year. That said, let’s get into the message for this morning.
(2 Sam 9:13 NIV) And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was crippled in both feet.
Today I will continue with “Faith and Patience Volume 5 – Greater is Coming!” After this verse David’s story transitions away from Mephibosheth. Before we transition, I will provide a few final thoughts between David and Mephibosheth, under the theme: “Responding to God’s goodness.” Mephibosheth had to receive God’s goodness, in order to leave Lo-debar. David had already received God’s goodness, and when he did, he sought to be a blessing to Mephibosheth. Let’s talk about it.
So what does this mean for you today? I will break up my points into two parts this morning.
Part 1: Things we can learn by looking at how God’s goodness was poured out on Mephibosheth.
1.1 Everyone faces setbacks.
— I would love to tell you that after you become a Christian, that you would never face another challenge. But if I did, I would be lying.
— Things will not always happen when and how you want or expect them to. Furthermore, you may face more challenges than you desire on the path to your purpose. Setbacks, challenges, issues, obstacles, etc., are all part of the process. Life is not always easy and God never promised it would be.
— Facing challenges is not an automatic indicator that we have done something wrong. Actually, it is sometimes an indicator that we have done something right. But whether it was caused by something we did or not, we all face setbacks. Mephibosheth faced a terrible setback and it seemed like he would never overcome it.
— If you are facing a setback this morning, may the story of Mephibosheth serve as a reminder to you that there is still hope!
1.2 God can turn a setback into a setup for a comeback.
— If Mephibosheth were able-bodied he would have still be blessed by King David, but we don’t know if David would have offered Mephibosheth a seat at the King’s table.
— I believe David was moved with compassion when he saw the state Mephibosheth was in and he wanted to do more than just restore Saul’s land.
— Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and we don’t always know why. But regardless of why, God can take what has happened to us and turn it around for our good.
1.3 If it does not look like you are winning, the fight is not over.
— Believers and unbelievers both face challenges. The difference is that we (believers) face the challenges WITH God and they (unbelievers) face the challenges without Him. When God is with us, we can develop a resolve to keep going, even when the pressures of life are telling us to quit.
— The only way you can lose is if you quit. The devil tries very hard to get you to quit because he knows that if you keep going, you will eventually breakthrough. Countless believers can serve as a witness to this. Just keep going. GREATER IS COMING!
1.4 You can reap a harvest because of the seeds sown by others.
— Mephibosheth was blessed because of his father Jonathan. He did not do anything to earn what David did for him. Mephibosheth was blessed by an act of grace. Many of us today can testify of similar situations, where God blessed us because of something someone else did and it had nothing to do with our own actions.
— There are many times when God will use someone else to stand in the gap for you, to pray and intercede for you, and to set up a situation where you are blessed, not because of anything you did, but because of what they did for you. Thank God for His overwhelming goodness, kindness, mercy, and grace.
— When God gives you favor and blesses you simply because of something someone else did, don’t question it, and don’t fight it. Just receive it.
1.5 Our God is a God of legacy.
— Mephibosheth was able to enjoy a harvest from the seed his father Jonathan planted.
— God was working things in Jonathan with Mephibosheth in mind. He does the same with you. There are things that God is doing for you, in this season, that are a result of something your parents are grandparents did. They sowed the seed and even after they die, our God, who is the Lord of the Harvest, can see to it that their seed outlives them.
— There are seeds you will sow that you will not reap a harvest on in your lifetime. The harvest may benefit your children or even your children’s children. Just rest assured that God will see to it that your bloodline receives a harvest on every seed sown!
— Saul and Jonathan were long dead, but their seeds were in the ground. When the right time came, Mephibosheth reaped the harvest. God will do the same with your legacy! GREATER IS COMING for you and your seed!
— Don’t limit your expectations of God to just you and your lifespan. God is too big of a God and His purpose for your life will have too great of an impact for your destiny to die with just you. If you walk with Him and submit to His ways, God will see to it that you will leave a mark on this world that will be felt for generations to come. So expand your thinking. That GREATER that is coming will still be COMING for your seed after you are gone!
Part 2: Things we can learn by looking at how God’s goodness was poured out on David and how he responded.
Today we are in 2 Samuel 9. Just a few chapters ago, David realized how blessed he was and he wanted to express his thanks to God. In this chapter, David realized how blessed he was and he wanted to offer a blessing to someone else.
In the New Testament, when posed the question, “Which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Mat 22:36-39). In essence, Jesus was saying, “All the teaching of the Bible can be summed up in this: Love God and love others.” When David realized how blessed he was he expressed his love and gratitude to God when he offered to build the temple. Expressing our love for God is absolutely important. But it cannot stop there. If the Love of God has truly come TO us, then it must flow THROUGH us. David took it a step further when he decided to extend God’s love and grace to Mephibosheth. We are expected (no, actually commanded) to do the same.
The closing points show the progression we are supposed to experience:
2.1 The Lord made plans for you before the foundations of the world.
2.2 The Lord pursues you to offer you the life He planned for you by grace.
2.3 You are introduced to His love through the preaching of the gospel.
2.4 When you respond to the Gospel message you are saved by grace, through faith.
2.5 You are Born-Again by God’s Spirit. At this point, the Holy Spirit is able to reveal TO YOU the plans God made FOR YOU but were concealed FROM YOU.
2.6 You receive the plans in your heart and you undergo a process of mind renewal through the Word of God, so you can learn to think and act like God. The more your mind is renewed, the more you make an alignment with your divine assignment.
2.7 As you pursue your divine purpose, you die to self (and selfish desires), you align with God, and you experience His blessing. When you realize how blessed you are, the proper response is to show your gratitude and love towards God (like David did at first).
8. Your love and gratitude towards God should not stop at Him. True love for a God you cannot see is expressed by loving those you are able to see every day.
9. You are blessed TO BE a blessing. SuperNatural change has come TO you in order for God to effectuate change THROUGH you.
10. Internalize all of this as we close:
— You received Jesus, you opened your heart to His Word, You applied His teaching, you are being changed, and you are now walking in The Blessing.
— The lesson we learn from David is that once you get to this point you should do two things: a) you are to express your love and appreciation to God, and b) you are supposed to take the next step and extend that love and grace to others.
— God changed you so you can help change others. This is the proper response to God’s goodness. Are you doing that? If not, start today!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for making plans for me from the foundations of the world. I thank You Father, for sending people to me, to preach the gospel. I accepted Jesus, Your Son, as my Lord. You filled me with Your Spirit. Your Spirit inside of is revealing to me, things that You prepared for me, but were concealed from me. Now that I can see it, I believe and receive it. I embrace Your plans for my life. I know I am blessed and I seek to give You glory for what You have done and are doing in my life. But I don’t just seek to bless YOU! I have a desire to BE a blessing to others as well! So Father, I enter into this day knowing that GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I will also use this GREATER to be a blessing to others. Living this way, I will leave a legacy that outlives me. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
