David seeks to show kindness to any surviving relatives of Saul to honor his friendship with Jonathan. He discovers that Jonathan's son Mephibosheth is alive but living in poverty. David summons Mephibosheth and promises to restore his lands and provide for him at the royal table for the rest of his life due to David's covenant with Jonathan. Mephibosheth lives in Jerusalem and is cared for by David's provision, a picture of God's grace and salvation for those who do not deserve it.

1. 2 Samuel 9:1-13
David and Mephibosheth
“A Picture of God’s Grace”
July 1, 2018
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
What’s the number one thing?
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The Glory of God!
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1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.
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2. July Memory Verse
Psalm 73:25-26 NKJV
25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26 My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Pray for the Pastor Search Committee.
• Doug Gunn, Chairman (PastorSearchCommittee@FBCJ.org)
• Lenora Bigler
• Dottie Hudson
• David Maron
• Jim Merritt, Jr.
• Elizabeth Rich
• Mallory Rosamond
• Don Waller
• Jeff Zachary
References
• Packer, J. I., Knowing God (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973)
pp. 116-124.
• Lucado, Max, In The Grip of Grace (Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, 1996) pp.
95-106.
• Yancey, Philip, What’s So Amazing About Grace? (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan Publishing, 1997).
• Lutzer, Erwin, Ten Lies About God (Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000).

3. Introduction to 2 Samuel 9
• David’s kingdom was flourishing – respect at home and abroad.
• Israel had grown to 10X’s its original size.
• The enemies of Israel had been defeated.
• 2 Samuel 8:15 NKJV
15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and
justice to all his people.
“A Picture of God’s Grace” in 2 Samuel 9
• Grace = Greek “charis” means favor, blessing or kindness.
• Grace is God choosing to bless us rather than curse us as our sins deserve.
• It is God’s benevolence to the undeserving.
• Grace gives us blessings we don’t deserve; mercy withholds the
punishment we do deserve.
As we read 2 Samuel, listen for elements of God’s grace and salvation to us in
David’s treatment of Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:1-4 NKJV
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?”
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.”
The Friendship of David and Jonathan
1 Samuel 20:14-16 NKJV
14 And you (David) shall not only show me (Jonathan) the kindness of the Lord
while I still live, that I may not die; 15 but you shall not cut off your kindness from
my house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of
David from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the
house of David, saying, “Let the Lord require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”

4. Jonathan’s son – Mephibosheth
2 Samuel 4:4 NKJV
4 Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old
when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took
him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and
became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
• The family of defeated kings were usually killed to prevent future
insurrection.
Mephibosheth’s Life for the Next 20 Years
• Living with Machir the son of Ammiel – a man of wealth.
• Lo Debar – A city in Gilead, east of the Jordan, about 10 miles south of the
Sea of Galilee.
• Mephibosheth had a family by this time.
Lo Debar – Desert in the Middle of Nowhere

5. Elements of Grace and Salvation in verses 1-4
• Lameness/crippled = symbol of sin.
• Descendants of Saul = undeserving of kindness.
• Lo Debar = living in desolation with no hope.
2 Samuel 9:5-6 NKJV
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 the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to
David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said,
“Mephibosheth?”
And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
Elements of Grace and Salvation in verses 5-6
• Falling on face = humbling yourself before God.
• Here is your servant = surrender yourself.
2 Samuel 9:7-8 NKJV
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?”
Elements of Grace and Salvation in verses 7-8
• Do not fear = protection.
• I will show you kindness = mercy.
• I will restore to you = provision.
• Eat at my table = adoption into family.
• Continually = without end, forever.
• Dead dog = view self as unworthy.
2 Samuel 9:9-10 NKJV
9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to
your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10 You therefore,
and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring
in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth
your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons
and twenty servants.

6. 2 Samuel 9:11-12 NKJV
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has
commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”
“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the
king’s sons.” 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all
who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So
Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And
he was lame in both his feet.
Critical Truths in Understanding Grace
by J. I Packer
1. Man does not see the depth of his sin.
2. Man does not believe that sin should be punished.
3. Man believes that he can make things right with God by himself.
4. Man believes that he deserves God’s love and forgiveness – God is
obligated.
1. Man does not see the depth of his sin.
• Man views material wealth as more important than moral character.
• Man believes that he is a “good person”.
• Man imagines God as a magnified image of himself and assumes God
shares his complacency about himself.
The Depth of Man’s Sin
• Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
• We are separated from God because of our sins.
• Jesus Christ was the only person to live a perfect and sinless life on earth.
2. Man does not believe that sin should be punished.
• Modern man believes that wrongdoing should be ignored.
• People are free to choose how they live without any criticism or
judgments.
• God wants me to just be happy.
Sin separates us from God and deserves punishment
• Romans 6:23 NKJV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
• 1 Timothy 2:5 TLB
5 That God is on one side and all people on the other side, and Christ
Jesus, himself a man, is between them to bring them together.

7. The cross of Jesus Christ is the only bridge that spans the chasm separating
man and God.
Jesus Christ died for our sins
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
• Christ died for all of my sins – past, present and future.
3. Man believes that he can make things right with God by himself.
• Man wrongly believes:
• He can negotiate with God to make things right.
• Many paths lead to God since we all worship the same God.
• Since I don’t believe in God, I don’t have to be right with Him.
Approaching God – 2 Warnings in the Bible.
1. We must not remake God to our liking.
• Exodus 20:3 NKJV
3 “You shall have no other Gods before me.”
• The 1st Commandment.
2. We must approach God the right way.
• Leviticus 10:3 NIV
3 And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying:
‘Among those who approach me
I will show myself holy;
in the sight of all people,
I will be honored.’”
So Aaron remained silent.

8. Approaching God – Jesus is our Mediator.
• All entrance into the presence of God is mediated through someone who
can represent our interests and also God’s interests.
• 1 Timothy 2:5-6 NKJV
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man
Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due
time,
Approaching God – Jesus is our Sacrifice.
• An acceptable sacrifice is necessary for the atonement (payment) of sin.
• 1 Peter 3:18 NKJV
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the
Spirit,
• Hebrews 10:12 NKJV
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down
at the right hand of God,
Sacrifices Not Acceptable to God
• Sincerity – you mean well.
• Service – your good works.
• Spiritual quest – pursuit of God.
• Guilt – Being sorry.
• Only in Christianity do we find that the Mediator and the Sacrifice are the
same person – Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the only pathway to God.
• John 14:5-6 NKJV
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and
how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
• Jesus is the only way.
4. Man believes that he deserves God’s love and forgiveness – God is
obligated.
• God will forgive – that’s his job!
• God is obligated to love and help us, since He made us the way we are.
• God is a god of love, so He would never send anyone to hell.

9. God is not obligated to save anyone!
• Romans 9:14-16 NKJV
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly
not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who
shows mercy.
Man’s understanding of God is very limited.
• Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
How are “Grace” and “Salvation” Connected?
• Grace and Salvation belong together as “cause and effect.”
• Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
• Titus 2:11 NKJV
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
The Grace of God in the New Testament
by J. I. Packer
1. Grace through faith is the source of the pardon of sin.
2. Grace is the motive of the plan of salvation.
3. Grace is the guarantee of the assurance of your salvation.
1. Grace through faith is the source for the pardon of sin.
• Romans 5:1-2 NKJV
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by
faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory
of God.

10. 2. Grace is the motive of the plan of salvation.
• Ephesians 2:4-7 NIV
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made
us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by
grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and
seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that
in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his
grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
3. Grace is the guarantee of the of the assurance of your salvation.
• 1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great
mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that
can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for
you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming
of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
A final look at grace and Mephibosheth
• 2 Samuel 9:13 NKJV
13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s
table. And he was lame in both his feet.
• Why would the writer need to again include the fact of his lameness?
• In the picture of God’s grace, we continue to sin (lameness) while on this
earth, even though our sins are forgiven.
What are some benefits of sitting at the King’s table continually (salvation)?
1. You are beyond condemnation (Romans 8:10).
2. You are near God (Ephesians 2:13).
3. You are a member of the kingdom (Colossians 1:13).
4. You are justified (Hebrews 10:14).
5. You have been adopted (Romans 8:15).
6. You have continual access to God (Ephesians 2:18).
7. You will never be abandoned (Hebrews 13:5).
Closing thoughts on God’s Grace:
• Romans 5:20b NKJV
20b But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
• Grace means that there is nothing you can do to make God love you
more.
• Grace also means that there is nothing you can do to make God love you
less.

11. The Challenge for Us:
• Ephesians 5:8-10 NKJV
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as
children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness,
and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
• We are to be the “dispensers of God’s grace” to a hurting world.
• How can you dispense God’s grace to others?
Next Sunday
2 Samuel 12:1-14
Accountable
Dr. Bill Boteler - Teaching
July 8, 2018
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
John 3:16 NKJV
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 14:6 NKJV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NKJV
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life to pay the
penalty for our sin.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the “second death” explained in
Revelation 21:8.

12. Revelation 21:8 NKJV
8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23b NKJV
23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7 NKJV
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be
My son.”
• Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to be overcomers.
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Have questions or would like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or
http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/