Reflections on Grace:

Mephibosheth and Me

By Brent D. Summerhill

January 28, 2010 – For Communion at Faith (January 31, 2010)

Based on 2 Samuel 4:4 and 2 Samuel 9

 

Broken was I,

Broken was he;

Outcasts were we both,

Mephibosheth and me.

 

He – the grandson of a disgraced king,

Broken in a hasty escape;

He was left without remedy,

In this world he had no place.

 

Me – a child of Adam's race,

Broken was I by sin;

I too was left without remedy,

No peace, no hope within.

 

Living in exile,

Were Mephibosheth and me;

Crippled and helpless,

No future could we see.

 

Until the day the message came,

A message from the King;

"Come! Come to my house!" he called,

"Come and dine with me."

 

We shook with fear

And trembled in awe;

"Why such regard,

"For two dead dogs?"

 

For him it was for Jonathan's sake,

A friend knit to David's soul;

For me it was for Christ alone,

The friend to sinners here below.

 

And so, amazed that we were called,

To the King we came;

We fell in worship at his feet,

We, the broken and the lame.

 

Then lifted up in arms of grace,

All our fears were made to flee;

As we were carried to the table,

Mephibosheth and me.

 

 

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?" (Luke 13:1-4)

 

There is no reason it couldn't or shouldn't be us. All of us – Americans, Haitians, Africans, Europeans and every tribe and tongue on the earth – share a common plight and common need.  Sinners are we all in need of a Savior.

 

And so when we see the images of devastation from Haiti, we are moved not to some self righteous pity, but to a sympathy of commonality.  And out of that commonality we pray.

 

We pray for the physical needs of the homeless and hurting and for the grieving.  And our prayers motivate us to help.  There are numerous credible relief organizations mobilizing even now.  Among them is Samaritan's Purse, a ministry of evangelist Franklin Graham.  You can follow their relief work in Haiti and donate at their website.

 

But we pray also for their spiritual needs. As Christian relief organizations mobilize we pray that the inhabitants of Haiti may see the glory and goodness of Christ in their efforts. May ever cup of water, ever meal served and ever shelter erected declare the compassion of the Savior and may many believe in Him.

 

We will keep the church up to date on any opportunities that may arise for our involvement.

The Keep the Faith Foundation for Kids (KTF) exists to share the love and compassion of Jesus Christ with families who have children suffering with cancer and to provide assistance for the financial burdens resulting from the family's care of their child.  I had the privilege of spending a few minutes with the KTF Board of Directors as they began a new year of ministry and welcomed two new board members.

 

I spoke to the Board concerning a theological foundation for this ministry that deals with the struggles of kids with cancer and too often the grief of their deaths.  I share these comments with you for two reasons: (1) that they may be of some help to you in your particular life struggle and (2) to ask you to pray for the children, their families and those who minister to them.

 

Romans 8:18-30 teaches us:

 

Glory will overcome suffering and creation will be set free from its bondage to corruption through Christ Jesus.

 

As you minister to these families, God will help you pray when you cannot find the words.

What do we ask God for on their behalf?  Grace, faith, healing, provision?  Yes.  And yet at times we are so heartbroken and so angry with cancer and sin and decay and death that we cannot find words to ask for anything.  Do not despair. He knows.  And His Spirit intercedes beyond our words.  And in Him is our COMFORT.

 

God oversees our suffering and uses it for good.

Though we struggle to see beyond the storm, our CONFIDENCE is that He is there and that He is working His glory to our good.  William Cowper out of his dark days of depression penned these words:

 

Psalm 119:11

 

I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you. (ESV)

 

 

In Matthew 4, Jesus responds to temptation by answering the devil:

 

4:4 – "It is written…" from Deuteronomy 8:3.

 

4:7 – "Again it is written…" from Deuteronomy 6:16.

 

4:10 – "For it is written…" from Deuteronomy 6:13.

 

 

The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit with which we parry the temptatious advances of the devil. (Ephesians 6:17)  A heart void of God's Word is a swordless sheath.

There are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!"

 

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

 

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

 

Psalm 4:6-8 ESV

 

In troubled times everyone around you is crying out for better times – jobs, money, health, family…  "O Lord!"

 

Yet there you sit.  Contentment in your eyes.  A smile sneaking across your face.  Happier than a farmer with a bumper crop.

 

And as night falls and others toss and turn and pace the floors, you sleep.  You sleep soundly.  You sleep until the day dawns and joy fills your heart anew.

 

"How?" you are asked.

 

"The Lord alone," you reply.

 

Your security is not in jobs, money, health, family…

 

Your security is in the Lord alone.  The Lord who hung the stars and carved out the ocean depths.  The Lord who owns the cattle of a thousand hills and is keeper of all the birds winging across the sky.  The Lord who breathed life into dust and holds the hearts of kings.

 

He and He alone puts you to bed at night.  He and He alone wakes you in the morn.  He and He alone is the joy that fills your every waking moment.

 

I pray that indeed He is for you.

I needed 15 more minutes this morning.  We got to the Gospel appeal, but we didn't get to rejoice in the Gospel result, namely that being set free by the Truth, Jesus, means that we no longer have to live in bondage to sin.  Consider Romans 6:6-14:

 

…knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (NKJV; emphasis mine)

 

When Christ died for our sins we died to sin in Christ.  When Christ rose victorious over sin and death we were raised to new life in Christ.  In His death and resurrection we were freed from the power of sin both theologically and practically.

 

Theologically this Gospel is our salvation.  We are raised from death to eternal life in Jesus Christ.

 

Practically, this Gospel is our present liberation from the dominion of sin.  Now that in Christ we have died to sin and been raised to life, we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ.  By His resurrection power we are no longer to let sin reign in our bodies.

 

This is great and glorious news!  We longer have to be subject to sin's demands and experience sin's sorrowful consequences.  In Christ there is power to deliver us from hatred and addictions and lusts and passions and pride and any other rebellious attitude or action.  We are free indeed!

 

Yet while our salvation and eternal life are certain and secure in Christ, we must daily appropriate this liberty to live the sanctified life.  Notice the commands:

 

Do not let sin reign in your mortal body…

 

Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin…

 

Do present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead…

 

The key to living in this liberty is found in our private devotional life with Christ.  It is found in abiding in His Word, communing with Him in prayer, daily walking closely with Him; it is being His disciple, a learner of the Master.

 

The devoted disciple will still struggle with sin's temptations in his flesh, but will pursue Christ-likeness through repentance and striving toward holiness.  On the other hand, the nominal Christian, if there is truly such a person, will all too often struggle and falter and become frustrated with himself and God and life.  Though professing Christ as Savior, he will not be familiar with the present liberating power of Christ.

 

To borrow a phrase from this morning, living in the liberty granted us in Jesus means moving into the house.  Emancipated from the bondage of sin, quit dwelling in the fields of sin and move into the house where the Son lives.

 

If you are free, live free.

 

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)

 

Congratulations to all those who made it all the way through the Word of God in 2009!  And congratulations to all those who tried.  To have worked at reading some is better than having read none.

 

One of the problems a lot of us have is keeping up with our daily reading schedule.  And when we get behind we get discouraged and it seems impossible to catch up.  My advice is to just keep reading.  Don't worry about the schedule.  It is more important to get the Word in our hearts than to stay on a time table.

 

The reading plan I am using in 2010 is designed to help with this common frustration.  It is the Discipleship Journal's One-Year Plan.  I found it at the website of Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis, MN.  It is based on 25 days of reading each month, allowing five days for catch up.  Information on the plan and bookmarks to be used with the plan can be found at Bethlehem's Website.

 

I plan to do my 2010 reading in an ESV (English Standard Version) translation.  It is a very good "word-for-word" translation that remains true to the original languages while being easy to read.  Whether you use the KJV, NKJV, ESV or another translation, choose a Bible with large exterior margins for note taking and don't be afraid to make notes, highlight verses and think about what you are reading.  Detailed notation is one thing I plan on doing differently in 2010.

 

However you plan to read the Bible in 2010, above all READ THE BIBLE IN 2010!

 

With my whole heart I seek you;

let me not wander from your commandments!

 

I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

 

Blessed are you, O Lord;

teach me your statutes!

 

Psalm 119:12-12 (ESV)