A Place Called Lodebar
2 Samuel 9:1-13 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake? 2 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. 3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. 4 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 Ammiel, in Lodebar. 5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar. 6 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! 7 And David said unto him, Fear not:
for I will surely shew thee kindness 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. 8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? 9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him,
I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house. 10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt 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 Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 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. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually
at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.
2 Samuel 9:5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.
I) The word Lo’Debar comes from two Hebrew words: Lo, which means No, & Debar which means Pasture. Pasture less, a barren land. He was in a barren land. Many Christians today find themselves in Lo’Debar.
A barren place. Are they saved? Yes! But because of choices they made, they find themselves in a place that is spiritually barren. David rescued Mephibosheth from of Lo’Debar. Jesus rescues us from Lo’Debar.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Not only does he take us out of Lo’Debar, but he brings total restoration. In Lo’Debar he was forgotten, as a dead man, out of sight & out of mind.
Now, he’s as a son…
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
II) Mephibosheth. In the Hebrew it means,
“Dispeller (destroyer) of “shame”.”
All of the shame that Saul had brought was dispelled and destroyed. All of the shame brought on us, by sin,
has been dispelled & destroyed by the blood of Jesus!!!
Mephibosheth would never forget that day. Word quickly spread through the countryside, “King Saul and Prince Jonathan are dead and David is now King.” At the house of Jonathan, this not only brought grief, but panic as well. In that day, it was customary, that if a King took the throne, he’d often eliminate the family of the King before him. Sitting playing on the floor was little Mephibosheth, oblivious to it all, his nurse burst into the room, grabbed him up and runs toward the door for safety, but in doing so, she drops him, crushing his ankles, and crippling him for life.
a. He thought that there would never be a day that would so impact his life and so affect his future as that day. It destined him for destitution, to live as a pauper instead of a prince.
b. But Mephibosheth would soon find out that a day would come that would make a far greater impact on his life and on his future. The Day he found Grace.
2. Grace is a dirty word for the devil.
a. It’s the power behind the gospel.
(not creed, religion or philosophy)
it’s the “gospel of grace”, the “good news” of grace.
b. It’s the wonder of the gospel.
That God would save somebody like me)
c. It’s the distinction of the gospel.
(No other religion is based upon such a concept)
3. GRACE: God’s favor that is unearned, undeserved and unrepayable.
GRACE…. God’s Riches At Christ Expence.
a. This concept is the key to the entirety of the New Testament
4. Too often we limit it, to the work of Salvation, but Grace is power, the power to live for Jesus.
2 Tim. 2:1 ... be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
1 Pet. 4:10 ... as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
2 Pet. 3:18 But grow in grace, ...
Rev. 22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Amen and Amen
a. Satan would have you leave the grace of God at the altar of salvation, but God’s grace only starts there, enriching and enabling and empowering us.
b. The devil will tell you that from that point on, you must pull yourself up by your bootstraps and make it in your own strength. But Grace, is God’s undeserved favor on our lives.
5. David had just defeated his greatest enemies, the Philistines, Moabites & Syrians
a. As he sat in his palace, looking back over his past and how he had come from a sheepfold to a throne room – no doubt he was taken, by the wonder
of God’s grace on his life.
b. I believe he began to look for a way, that he could demonstrate the grace of God, to someone that was just as unworthy as he was.
Vs.3 “that I may show the kindness of God unto him”
6. Mephibosheth would become the recipient of David’s act of grace, but there’s a deeper story here – the story of God’s grace toward us, where we receive grace and are rescued from “A place called Lodebar”.
I. GRACE WILL FIND YOU
a. David asked “Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? Grace begins in the throne room and finds us.
b. Like Mephibosheth, before we were ever aware of it, grace had already begun seeking us out.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
A. GOD’S GRACE REMEMBERS US.
1. Forgotten by his nation, abandoned by his family – there was no reason to remember Mephibosheth.
2. But out of God’s grace, David remembered this poor, hurting, crippled young man.
3. They reminded David that Mephibosheth was crippled, he was useless, and he would be a burden.
4. David didn’t remember him because of what he could get out of him, he was motivated by pure grace.
5. God’s motivation to reach us, is pure grace.
B. GOD’S GRACE PURSUES US.
1. It’ll go wherever you are.
2. Lo-Debar – “no pasture” barren, desolate place, hiding place, destitute place.
3. ILL. Ask the prodigal son, it found him in a pigpen and brought him home.
4. ILL. Ask Joseph it found him in a pit and lifted him as high as second in command of Egypt.
5. ILL. Ask the Samaritan Woman, it found her at a well, living in sin and made her a preacher.
6. Like David, God sends out messengers of grace.
7. No matter where you may be today,
grace can find you and change your life.
C. GOD’S GRACE CARRIES US.
1. Mephibosheth couldn’t help himself, he couldn’t
get to David – so David sent men to carry him.
2. God’s grace is dependent upon His ability, not ours.
3. When you can’t walk, let his grace carry you.
4. When you can’t believe, let his grace carry you.
5. When you’re weak, let his grace carry you.
2 Cor. 12:9 ... My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
II. GRACE IS WHERE YOU ABANDON
YOUR CRIPPLED PAST.
a. David had summoned Mephibosheth,
but it was up to Mephibosheth to respond.
b. Although grace is offered to us,
it’s up to us to embrace it.
c. But embracing grace means
letting go of our crippled past.
A. ABANDON A CRIPPLED LIFE.
1. Not only had Mephibosheth’s feet been crippled,
but his life had been crippled.
2. He could have let bitterness
keep him in LoDebar, blaming David.
3. He could have let fear keep him in LoDebar.
(David was a bloody man, a warrior)
4. God desires to trade your past for His presence.
Let go of it and take hold of Grace.
Come out of a place called Lodebar.
B. ABANDON A CRIPPLED MENTALITY.
1. His handicap left him feeling helpless, worthless and useless, he even called himself “a dead dog”.
2. How transforming was it, for him to realize,
that he had value in the eyes of the king.
3. When you wake up to the reality, that Jesus
finds you so precious and so valuable to him,
it just completely drives out that crippled mentality.
III. GRACE IS WHERE YOU DISCOVER
WHO YOU WERE BORN TO BE.
a. Maybe as a boy Mephibosheth pretended to be the royalty the he was born to be, but he lost his hope.
b. Now David restored his place in the palace.
c. We too, were born to be royalty
in the kingdom of God, but sin dethroned us.
A. But now, because of Grace, we have INTIMACY
1. Not only was Mephibosheth given a position of royalty, he was given a position of family.
2. God’s grace won’t just make us his servants,
or “just” the royal priesthood, but sons of God.
John 1:12 But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
Gal. 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
3. This was a position of fellowship. (Intimacy)
4. He always had the king’s attention.
5. He always ate at the king’s table.
6. You have place at His table, just receive His grace.
B. He also had a PERPETUAL POSITION
1. David made it clear that this position wasn’t temporary; it was permanent, Vs. 13 “continually”.
2. As long as David sat on the throne, Mephibosheth would never have to worry about losing his royal seat.
3. We have this same provision eternally.
IV. GRACE IS WHERE YOU EMBRACE
GOD’S RICHES AT CHRIST EXPENSE.
a. Mephibosheth wasn’t receiving grace on the basis of what he’d done, but on the basis of his father.
vs. 7 “for Jonathan, thy father’s sake”
b. Likewise, we’re not receiving God’s favor on the grounds of our own goodness or works, but on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ at Calvary.
A. WE LIVE IN THE SUCCESS OF ANOTHER.
1. Mephibosheth lived in the grace of his father.
2. We live in the grace, that Jesus Christ, paid for.
3. In the Abundance of His inheritance.
4. In the Favor of the only begotten Son.
5. Not on our merits, but on the merits of the Master.
6. Grace is FREE, but NOT cheap, John, 3:16.
Are you embracing that Grace that God offers to you? His grace is seeking you. If you’re lost you can know his grace, right now. But you have to receive it.
If you’re a believer & you’re in a place called Lodebar where you need his grace, His grace is available for you as well. Come out of a place called Lodebar.
Everyday God shows us kindness and mercy.
We’re undeserving and He keeps on blessing us.
We’re undeserving and He keeps on keeping us.
We’re undeserving and He keeps on delivering us.
We’re undeserving and He keeps on forgiving us.
We’re undeserving and He keeps on loving us.
He keeps on coming, where we are, to bless us and lift us up. God in his loving-kindness offers us everlasting life, to join His family and to dine at His royal table for the rest of our lives. The choice is ours. We were crippled, living in a place called Lodebar, but we don’t have to stay there. Come out of a place called Lodebar.
We were lame from our falls.
WE were running for our lives.
WE got so busy running, we tripped and fell.
We fell into trouble.
We fell into confusion.
We fell into satin’s traps.
We fell into sin.
We fell into yokes and burdens.
We fell into jealousy.
We fell into curses.
We fell into selfishness and pride.
You may have been carried and dropped
dropped by someone who was trying to help you
dropped by someone else’s fall;
dropped by someone else’s sins.
dropped into a place where you didn’t belong.
And now you can’t walk straight.
Everytime you try to get on your feet, you fall down.
Everytime you try to walk, you stumble.
Everytime you make a vow to the Lord
you find yourself having to take it back
Everytime you promise the Lord, I won’t do that anymore, you go right back and do it again.
Everytime you try to do “right”,
“wrong” knocks you down and laughs in your face.
You may be content where you are, but you have to come out of a place called Lodebar.
Are you are crippled by despair
Are you are crippled by the death of a loved one
Are you are crippled by disease
Are you are crippled by things from your past,
Are you are crippled by evil desires
Are you crippled by pain
Are you crippled by drugs or alcohol
Are you crippled by poverty
Are you crippled by a spirit of defeat
Come out from a place called Lodebar
You don’t belong there.
You belong in the king’s palace of grace and mercy.
Come out of Lodebar, there’s nothing there but death.
Come out of Lodebar, there’s nothing there but defeat.
Come out of Lodebar, there’s nothing there but waste.
Come out of Lodebar, there’s nothing there but pain.
Come out of Lodebar, to a pure relationship with God.
Come out of Lodebar, to victory over Satan.
Come out of Lodebar, to victory in Jesus.
God has something better for you.
God has a way out, you don’t have to live in sin.
God has prepared a way of escape.
God has a place for you in his palace.
God wants to reconcile you to fellowship Him.
Come out of a place called Lodebar.
Out of Fear
Out of Poverty
Out of Sin
Out of Bondage
Out of Loneliness
Out of Disappointment
Out of Destruction
Out of Despondency
Out of Discouragement
Come out of a place called Lodebar!
Church, it’s by the wonderful grace of God
that we’ve been invited to sit at the king’s table.
Mephibosheth had no legal right at the king’s table!
No legal right to come into the presence of the king!
It was grace that brought him out of Lodebar.
We had no legal right to sit at the king’s table of grace.
We had no lawful reason for God to forgive us.
No lawful reason for the restoration our sinful soul!
But GRACE brought us out of a place called Lodebar.
To sit at the King’s table.
At the king’s table where there is peace
At the King’s table where there is power
At the king’s table where there is joy
At the king’s table where there is contentment
At the king’s table where there is protection
At the king’s table where there is forgiveness
At the king’s table where there is healing
At the king’s table where there is a future
At the King’s table where there is a destiny
At the king’s table where there is hope
At the king’s table there is life more abundantly
Come out of a place called “Lodebar”
and live in a place called “GRACE”.
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My name is William Poovey, and I pastor at Bethel Church in Olar, SC. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a lot of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
William Poovey
