GOD’S AMAZING GRACE #2
WHAT IS GOD’S AMAZING GRACE? Review from last week.
QUOTE: “The Church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.” (Morton Kelsey).
“Jesus said, "Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do…” For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.” (Matthew 9:12-13, NLT).
OPENING: Jesus’ Family Tree:
• Do you have anyone in your family that you’re ashamed of?
“1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. 5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king.David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah… 16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.” (Matthew 1:1-17).
• Look at the four women in this family tree: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba.
• Tamar - Gen. 38 – lost two husbands, prostitute, slept with her father-in-law
• Rahab - Josh. 6 – prostitute in Jericho
• Ruth - Ruth 1-4 – foreigner / outsider, lost her husband
• Bathsheba - 2 Sam. 11-12 – victim, King David slept with her and killer her husband
• God loves and cares for people whose family backgrounds are messed up!
MEPHIBOSHETH – AN ILLUSTRATION OF GRACE:
“1 Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?" 2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "At your service!" 3 Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet." 4 So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar." 5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 6 Now when Mephibosheth had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, "Mephibosheth?" And he answered, "Here is your servant!" 7 So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually." 8 Then he bowed himself, and said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?" … 11b "As for Mephibosheth," said the king, "he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” (2 Sam. 9:1-11).
BEFORE GRACE: WHO WAS MEPHIBOSHETH?
“Saul’s son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when Saul and Jonathan were killed at the battle of Jezreel. When news of the battle reached the capital, the child’s nurse grabbed him and fled. But she fell and dropped him as she was running, and he became crippled as a result.” (2 Sam. 4:4).
• He was an orphan, alone, forgotten, broken. He was a hopeless, helpless victim.
• “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin… All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else.” (Ephesians 2:1-3, NLT).
THE BIG IDEA: God saves us by his special favor when we believe in Jesus. We can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
1. GRACE SEEKS US FIRST:
“David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness?” (v.1).
• Mephibosheth was forgotten, forsaken, abandoned. But the King was looking for him!
• Sometimes we think that grace begins with us seeking God. It’s the other way around!
• Jesus said: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16).
• “But God demonstrates His own love towards us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).
• Why would the king look for Mephibosheth? He was crippled – that’s who He was!
• “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” (v.3).
• Hear the gracious words of the King: “Where is he?” (v.4). This sounds like God’s first gracious words spoken when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden: “Where are you?”
• Mephibosheth was in Lo-Debar – that means no pasture, a barren, desolate place.
• God comes looking for us in our brokenness and pain. This is Good News!
2. GRACE HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE US:
“Now when Mephibosheth had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself.” (v.6).
• Mephibosheth could have stayed in Lo-Debar, but he chose to respond to the King’s call.
• Some people allow bitterness and fear to keep them in Lo-Debar, instead of responding to God’s gracious call to salvation, deliverance, healing and restoration.
• When Mephibosheth first came to the king, he said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?" (v.8).
• When we embrace grace, we are choosing to leave behind our old broken life.
• “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.” (Eph. 2:4-5a, NLT).
• When we realize how much God loves us, it revolutionizes our lives!
• “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17).
• Mephibosheth was invited to eat at the table of the King as a son, not a servant.
3. GRACE IS GOD’S RICHES AT CHRIST’S EXPENSE:
• “So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake.” (v.7).
• The King didn’t choose Mephibosheth because of any good qualities in him.
• Sometimes we feel unworthy to receive God’s love, but we need to remember it’s not about our goodness, it’s about God’s goodness.
• QUOTE: “A saint is not someone who is good, but someone God has been good to.” (Thomas Merton).
• “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9).
QUOTE: “Because God is gracious, therefore sinful men are forgiven, converted, purified and saved. It is not because of anything in them or that ever can be in them that they are saved.” (Charles Spurgeon, All of Grace).
THE PRODIGAL SON:
“Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ’Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living… But when he came to his senses, he said, ’How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ’Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ’Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.” (Luke 15:11-13,17-24).
• This story is a picture of the amazing grace of God the Father.
• The father accepted the son even before he gave his repentance speech.
• When we experience grace, it is a time of joyful celebration!
CLOSING SONG:
Amazing Grace, will always be my song of praise.
For it was grace, that brought me liberty,
I do not know, just why He came to love me so.
He looked beyond my faults and saw my need.
I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary,
To view the cross, where Jesus died for me
How marvelous, His grace that caught my falling soul.
He Looked beyond my faults and saw my need.
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
