4/22/2012
“Mephibosheth:
Responding To God”
Responding To God”
Please take your Bible in hand and open it to the Book of II Samuel chapter nineteen.
It’s about the year 1,000 B.C. and a king who had been removed from his throne is returning to the palace. That monarch is King David. God was, according to one source, giving David another chance. I don’t quite see it that way, myself. What I do see, though, is this. God shapes the character of a man daily, right through and up until the day we leave this world. He shapes us into the likeness of a son or a daughter whose life honors Him. That’s what God is up to with you and I today just as He was with King David.
My hope for today is to let you in on a secret; the secret of success. The term, as you know, is found just once in the Bible.
The poet Francis Duggan, who lives in Australia, has written over 9,000 poems. He writes this about success.
“What is success it has never been mine
In their different ways people it do define
Some see success as money to your name
As a lack of such a barrier to fame
Though others with such thinking do not agree
Success in quite a different way they do see
They will tell you that you cannot know of success
If in your mind no room for happiness
And some do say for a successful life
You do not need what's known as inner strife
The successful person does seem quite carefree
On what success is so few do agree
We all do look at things quite differently
That's how it is and that's how 'twill always be.”
[Found on www.poemhunter.com].
Today’s sermon title is “Responding To God” from II Samuel chapter nineteen.
Two lives intersect in today’s sermon: A man named Mephibosheth and his king, King David. And God is the Great Intersector; the One Who so wisely brings them together. That’s what He does, you know. He brings people together in this world for His purposes. And, as you are about to see from this passage, He brings people into our lives so that we can bless them. After all, isn’t that one of the greatest reasons as to why we are here? Shall we pray?
David, we know quite a bit about. Mephibosheth, we know quite a little about. So, let me begin with a story.
At five years of age, Mephibosheth’s father and grandfather died in the same day. By the way, this story is found in this same book at chapter four.
His dad was Jonathan, the best friend of David. His grandfather was King Saul. And on the very day that the news came to the palace of the deaths of these two men, chaos ensued. Everyone began fleeing the palace, including Mephibosheth, who was picked up and carried by his nurse. But, in her haste to pick up the five year old Mephibosheth, she tripped. He fell and broke both of his legs, quite severely. The fall left Mephibosheth crippled; lame; so lame, in fact that he could not carry on daily work like others would have done.
Now, there are a lot of people who have fallen and broken bones and been crippled for life. And some of these have rebelled against the LORD because of it. So, much of their lives has been a huge struggle. And they blame God for allowing it.
Now, practically speaking, it’s not always a physical fall that causes us to blame God. Sometimes it’s an injustice. Sometimes it’s lack of something we think we need. It’s something, though, that a Sovereign God allows. Yet, no matter what God has allowed you to experience, you are responsible to turn your heart over to His care.
Look briefly with me a Mephibosheth and see, what some say, are the injustices that fell upon this man’s life.
First, he was born in the palace. He was born son of Jonathan. Had Jonathan followed his own father as king of Israel, Mephibosheth would have been a prince, next in line to reign.
Second, both his father and his grandfather died in the same day at the same place.
Third, on that same day, Mephibosheth became an orphan. The Bible tells us absolutely nothing about his mother. But we do know exactly who took care of this little five year old boy after his dad died.
Fourth, on the same day that his father dies, Mephibosheth falls and breaks both of his legs, leaving him lame for life.
Fifth, he isn’t even considered for a position in the palace. An entirely different family comes to power, the family of King David.
It’s about the year 1,000 B.C. and a king who had been removed from his throne is returning to the palace. That monarch is King David. God was, according to one source, giving David another chance. I don’t quite see it that way, myself. What I do see, though, is this. God shapes the character of a man daily, right through and up until the day we leave this world. He shapes us into the likeness of a son or a daughter whose life honors Him. That’s what God is up to with you and I today just as He was with King David.
My hope for today is to let you in on a secret; the secret of success. The term, as you know, is found just once in the Bible.
The poet Francis Duggan, who lives in Australia, has written over 9,000 poems. He writes this about success.
“What is success it has never been mine
In their different ways people it do define
Some see success as money to your name
As a lack of such a barrier to fame
Though others with such thinking do not agree
Success in quite a different way they do see
They will tell you that you cannot know of success
If in your mind no room for happiness
And some do say for a successful life
You do not need what's known as inner strife
The successful person does seem quite carefree
On what success is so few do agree
We all do look at things quite differently
That's how it is and that's how 'twill always be.”
[Found on www.poemhunter.com].
Today’s sermon title is “Responding To God” from II Samuel chapter nineteen.
Two lives intersect in today’s sermon: A man named Mephibosheth and his king, King David. And God is the Great Intersector; the One Who so wisely brings them together. That’s what He does, you know. He brings people together in this world for His purposes. And, as you are about to see from this passage, He brings people into our lives so that we can bless them. After all, isn’t that one of the greatest reasons as to why we are here? Shall we pray?
David, we know quite a bit about. Mephibosheth, we know quite a little about. So, let me begin with a story.
At five years of age, Mephibosheth’s father and grandfather died in the same day. By the way, this story is found in this same book at chapter four.
His dad was Jonathan, the best friend of David. His grandfather was King Saul. And on the very day that the news came to the palace of the deaths of these two men, chaos ensued. Everyone began fleeing the palace, including Mephibosheth, who was picked up and carried by his nurse. But, in her haste to pick up the five year old Mephibosheth, she tripped. He fell and broke both of his legs, quite severely. The fall left Mephibosheth crippled; lame; so lame, in fact that he could not carry on daily work like others would have done.
Now, there are a lot of people who have fallen and broken bones and been crippled for life. And some of these have rebelled against the LORD because of it. So, much of their lives has been a huge struggle. And they blame God for allowing it.
Now, practically speaking, it’s not always a physical fall that causes us to blame God. Sometimes it’s an injustice. Sometimes it’s lack of something we think we need. It’s something, though, that a Sovereign God allows. Yet, no matter what God has allowed you to experience, you are responsible to turn your heart over to His care.
Look briefly with me a Mephibosheth and see, what some say, are the injustices that fell upon this man’s life.
First, he was born in the palace. He was born son of Jonathan. Had Jonathan followed his own father as king of Israel, Mephibosheth would have been a prince, next in line to reign.
Second, both his father and his grandfather died in the same day at the same place.
Third, on that same day, Mephibosheth became an orphan. The Bible tells us absolutely nothing about his mother. But we do know exactly who took care of this little five year old boy after his dad died.
Fourth, on the same day that his father dies, Mephibosheth falls and breaks both of his legs, leaving him lame for life.
Fifth, he isn’t even considered for a position in the palace. An entirely different family comes to power, the family of King David.