Exaltation | Part 1b

But he's the only one I know to ride a wheel. Die, activate the wheel, didn't get back up from the dead, and be the attorney of his own wheel. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] So when he comes to Mephibosheth, when the king comes before him in verse 6, now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul-- notice how that's worded. Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, that's making a direct connection to the throne. Was come unto David existing king? He fell on his face. He did what? Reverence. Look at the humility. And David said Mephibosheth before Mephibosheth ever said, David, he called my name before I ever called his. David was saying, I know you, Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth not knowing quite how to respond to the king that summons him. He answers and says, behold thy servant. Look at the humility. Behold thy servant. Here's an heir to the previous king's throne. But he says, behold thy servant. Remember, humility always comes before promotion. Are y'all with me? I mentioned the same message at 8 a.m., 9.45 a.m.,

and here you are at 11.30 a.m. I need something to happen in this service. I need somebody to get it in this service. This is the last time I'm going to preach this word today in an assembly, and I got to know down in my knower that you're getting what I'm saying here. David comes to Mephibosheth, and Mephibosheth said, behold your servant. But Mephibosheth, what could you really offer? You're talking to the king. He could summons anybody he wanted to to be his servant. He could have picked anybody. Do you think he would have went to a desert land where someone's likely mount nourished and been chosen? Mephibosheth to be his next servant? We don't know. We don't know the condition of Mephibosheth in this setting. But David could have chosen anybody to be his servant. Surely there was somebody that could have offered more than Mephibosheth, because David didn't come looking for a servant. He came looking for a son, just like Jesus didn't come to make us servants. Jesus came to make us sons and daughters. If God would have wanted more servants, he could have sacrificed the servant. He wanted a family so he gave his son. The father is looking for adoption. He's looking to bring you into his family. He's not looking for servants.

He's looking for sons. There's a difference between an individual that, yes, serves the Lord and serves the kingdom. But does it with the mindset of I am investing in my father's business? So you might say to me, well, pass me in. You serve the Lord. Yeah, but I'm not a servant. I am a servant, but I'm not. I'm a son that's chosen to live my life in my father's business. Are you hearing what I'm saying to you? Isn't that what Jesus said when he showed up at the age of 12? Wish you not, I must be about my father's business. We need to raise up sons and daughters that live out every day about their father's business. Well, what is your purpose for me? What is your assignment for me? So my family just said, "Behold, I serve it." Now David knew that that statement came out of fear. And I feel like sometimes because of our past, we go to God making a deal, like he's mighty home. We say, "Lord, I know what I've done, "and I know I have this in my past, "and I know I have this going on. "But I promise that you'll get me on this, "I'll start paying my tithes." I'm looking. (congregation laughing)

Somebody does some stuff like that at least once. "Lord, if you'll do this for me, I promise I'll serve you." And we think if we just offer God something, maybe He'll move. Do you know I offer Him nothing that He needs? I don't make Him who He is. He makes me who I am. He doesn't need anything I have to give. Yet I need everything He has to give. God don't need you to make no deal with Him. That's that stuff religion taught us. Because religion has taught us to be in pursuit of God's attention. What can I do to get His attention? Like the worshipers of Baal in Elijah's day, cutting themselves and doing a bunch of crazy stuff and screaming, trying to get their God's attention all the while Elijah was mocking them, saying cry a little louder, he must be asleep. Maybe you're wasting time on his own vacation. But I'm not trying to get God's attention, why? Because I already have his attention. What I want from my father is his intention. Not his attention. If I find his intention, I know why I exist. Did y'all hear what I said? If I find his intention, I know why I'm here. I know why I live. I know that I am a purpose with a name. Lord, what is your intention for me?

How am I supposed to be living my life? Lord, what is your plan for me? That's totally different than eating his attention. And the church has got to go from trying to get God's attention to start finding his intention. My fellowship did nothing to get the attention of the king. The king's attention came to my fellowship because he was marked by a covenant he couldn't forget. Y'all leaving early, where y'all going? Y'all gotta be somewhere. Man, this thing was gonna be good. Turn it on live in the car, now don't miss this word. Are y'all with me, Stu? I just lost two. Jesus lost none, let's keep on going. What's this, my fellowship didn't do nothing to get to you. He wasn't sending no letters. Dearest king, I know we never met. My daddy's name's Jonathan. I heard y'all were best friends. I know I'm an heir to the throne, but I'm not pursuing it. I'm stuck in a load of bar, I'm crippled. Could you send help? I'll be a servant. We write stuff like that, don't we? But with no letter like that written, the king said, "Hey, is there anybody?" "I can't get this covenant off my mind." Mm, I can't get this covenant off my mind. Do you know when God looks at you, he sees his son?

Do you realize when he answers our prayer, he sees his son? Do you realize the reason we can walk in a new mercy every day is because he can't forget the covenant that he made? Do you know the Bible says that there is a rainbow that covers God's throne? And that's why when he made a covenant, a covenant with Noah and the earth, that he would never flood the earth again. That token of the covenant was a rainbow. The word bow, B-O-W actually means covenant. So a rainbow is a rain covenant. When God gave the earth a rain covenant, that covenant was, I will never flood the earth again. Guess what? As he sets on his throne, he is covered by a rain covenant. He sees that covenant. He cannot get that covenant off his mind. Do you know that Jesus still bears the scars of the covenant in his hands? The same hands I'm looking for him to move in my life have been scarred by that covenant. (congregation applauding) He's ever mindful of his covenant. David said it like this in Psalms 89, 34. He said my covenant, your covenant, will you not break? Nor alter the words that have gone forth out of your lips. God spoke it to Moses like this in Numbers 23, 19. When he said, I am not a man that I should lie. If I spoke it, I'll make it good. If I said it, I'll bring it to pass.

God is ever mindful of his covenant. And a covenant is not a contract. A contract is, you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. A contract is, you ask me why. Well, I'll scratch yours, you scratch mine. Now, you first. That's the problem with marriage today. We make it a contract. That's the problem with our relationship with Jesus. We took what he intended to be a covenant. We made it a contract. I don't feel like I'm getting everything I supposed to have. I'm leaving church. I'm leaving prayer. I'm leaving the Word. It wasn't a contract. It was a covenant. The Bible is broken into two covenants and opened in a new one. The word testament means covenant. It's a wheel. Last wheel and testament. David and Jonathan wrote a wheel. Our Father God made a wheel with his son, Jesus. They wrote a wheel. It's called a testament. There's an old one and a new one. A wheel has no force until death. Somebody heard me, thank you. If I left you some in a wheel, you don't get it till I die.

Because the death enforces the wheel. The death activates the wheel. That's why in the Old Testament, every promise of God could not be cashed in on until there was a sacrifice that all pointed to the New Testament where Jesus wrote a wheel to activate that wheel, he died. The wheel became active. But he's the only one I know to write a wheel. Die. Activate the wheel. Didn't get backed up from the dead. It'd be the attorney of his own wheel. Y'all better hear me. If I wrote a wheel and I left you in that wheel and I'm dead, then an attorney comes to see you. The attorney comes to you and says, Jacob, he left you in the wheel. Here's what he says. But Jesus didn't call no attorney to tell me what he said. He got up from the dead to distribute the promise of God himself. David made a covenant with Jonathan. Jonathan's death activated the covenant from Mafibosheth. Mafibosheth, y'all pay. Y'all got to hear what I'm saying. Mafibosheth is living in a load of bar. Don't even know he's an heir. He's living in parched pastures. Not knowing he's an heir.

[LAUGHTER] That was me before Jesus. So David comes to Mafibosheth. And Mafibosheth's talking outside the covenant. I'll be your servant. That ain't in the covenant. I didn't make no covenant with your daddy about we'd always serve each other. I made a covenant that we'd always bless each other. I made a covenant that we'd show one another love of God. Well, let's finish this. Verse 7, "David said it in fear not, for I was surely--" surely, sure enough. I will surely show the house of God they love, kindness, goodness, mercy, 23rd Psalm, for surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I was well in the house of the king. I was well in the house of the Lord forever. Notice the goodness and mercy of God just found Mafibosheth down in a load of bar. And it ain't going to leave him in a load of bar. It's going to take him all the way back to Jerusalem. And David is going to have Mafibosheth sit at his table as one of the king's sons. David said, "Fear not, I'm going to show you kindness." Look in verse 7. It don't have anything to do with you. I'm doing it for, read a church. Jonathan, thy father's saying, what you're getting ready to receive is for Jonathan's sake.

And I feel like that in my life. The goodness of God was for Jesus' sake. The salvation of God was for Jesus' sake. Not mine. He said, I'm gonna restore you all the land of Saul, your father. And thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. I'm not gonna give you a tour and then put you back in a load of bar. You are coming to dwell in the house of the king forever. You have come to be seated at my table continually. (congregation laughing) Now, when he got up under that table, when he set up at that table, I want you to imagine right now, you see the table. My Bible gonna be my table, y'all hear me? He knows his legs had no strength. He knows the muscle mass and his legs had likely deteriorated because he was not able to use them. But that's not what you see when he's at that table. The table of Jesus covers my weakness. The table of Jesus covers my shame. The table of Jesus covers my inability. The table of Jesus covers up my past. It covers up all the things that's been done to me. All you see is the seat I have. And he was given a seat at the table of the king. Now, you gotta imagine the king's table is that it was long and the king would always sit at the head of the table.

And the closer you were to the king, the higher you were in rank. That's why his children would be closest. Mephibosha's sitting next to Solomon and Absalom and all David's kids, even though he's not a blood son. By covenant, he's got same rights. I may not be blooded to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but I was adopted by the blood of Jesus and have been given the same blessing. Read Romans chapter 11, Regalation chapter three. If you be Christ, then are you Abraham's seed and hares according to the promise, I am an heir through Christ. (congregation murmurs) Mephibosha's sitting up at the table. He didn't come a long way from the motor bar. First thing, and he bowed himself and said, what is not serving that thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I am? I had nothing to offer you, I had nothing to give. And yet you're showing me this kindness? The king then turns to the attention of his eye-band. This 15 sons and 20 servants, verse 10, he says, I beg, I want you to do everything I've commanded. Mephibosha's just got 36 servants sitting up at the table. His power is in his mouth. (congregation murmurs) Our power is in our mouth. Our power is in our praise.

Our power is not in our strength. Our power is in our seat. Our power is not who we are. Our power is who's we are. (congregation applauds) And he says in verse 11, does I beg? He said, ask for Mephibosha, sayeth the king. He shall eat at my table. Look at here, look at here, ask one of the king sons. He'll say that three times to put emphasis on Mephibosha's new status. So verse 13, Mephibosha dwelt in Jerusalem, for he did eat continually at the king's table and was lame on both his feet, but that didn't stop him because his blessing was not by might nor by power. It was by covenant blood, just like you and me today, walk in the goodness of God and eat the bread of the Lord's table, not because of our strength or what we've achieved, but because of his kindness over our life. I got one place I want you to see write in your notes under those three names. And if you're weighed down on your paper, that's okay. You can still write it. Write a load of bar. And next to load a bar, we're going to have different answers. What's your load of bar? Make it personal. You ain't got to write it right now. Maybe you need to think on it. But he's able to get you out of load a bar. He's able to get you out of that dry and thirsty land. And I don't know what your load of bar looks like in your past or what the enemy has told you. But I can't find a better example in Scripture of the kindness of God where this man, Mephibos, has walked in the blessing and kindness of God. And it had nothing to do with

himself. When I say nothing to do with himself, he didn't earn it. It's a picture of grace and mercy. So watch this and wherever I told you to go, I think Ephesians chapter 2 is what I meant. I don't know what I said because I'm ready for some chicken. You say what? It's my third time preaching this with the same intensity. I worked up myself a hunger. But enjoy this chicken. Watch this. Ephesians 2, when you get there saying amen, Ephesians 2 is a timeline of who we were and who we are and our future. You see it in verse 2 when it talks about time passed underline that and it speaks of who we were in the world. But then verse 4, this God shows up rich in mercy and has great love. Verse 4, the love that he had for us, verse 5, even when we were dead in our sins that raised us in Christ, verse 6. Verse 7 that in the age is to come, the time from our salvation forward, he might just show the exceeding riches of his grace in his, what, kindness toward us through who Christ Jesus. Mafilish has walked into kindness of David through Jonathan. We walk through the kindness of God through Jesus. See the parallel? Verse 8, for by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourselves. It is the what? Gifts of God. Verse 9, we're like Mafilish, it's we're laying. Therefore our salvation is not of works. Listen, any man should brag boast or take credit. Can you see it? Without Christ, in verse 12, we were aliens of the Commonwealth of Israel, living in a load of our strangers. Didn't know about a covenant, our promise had no hope and without God in the world. But that's not who we are now, verse 13. But now in Christ, you who sometimes were far off out there in a load of bar are now made nigh to the table, to Jerusalem by the blood of Christ. We were separated in verse 12 from the Commonwealth of Israel. Strangers of the covenants of promise, we had no hope and were without God. But now in Christ, what I once was separated from, I've now been brought near. Verse 14, because he is my peace. I don't have to be afraid. He's reconciled me, verse 16. And now verse 19, I'm just like Mafilish. Watch this, verse 19. Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints. Guess what? I am of the household of God. I got a seat at the table because of Jesus and what he did for me. See, the story we just read is a picture of the Father, the Son, and you and me and how only by his covenant and only by his goodness, mercy and kindness am I saved. That through his humiliation, I can identify with him in mind and not be left where he found me. And David didn't leave Mafilish with where he found him. And neither will God leave you where he finds you. If you feel like right now you're in a humiliating situation, that's your load of bar. But you better know by the grace of God, that's not the end of the

story. Just stay humble. whatever your load of bar is. Let me pray with you for a moment. If we would, every head bowed, every eye closed. I want you to discover and think about what is my load of bar because He's faithful to bring you out of it. So Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus today. And we thank you for this example that we have in your word of how you're ever mindful of your covenant and how you keep your promises with every head bowed, all eyes closed. Have you received what Jesus offers? Have you received it? Because the enemy will shame you in me and remind us of our past and tell you that the situation you're in is too big that a load of bar will keep you forever. And I want you to know there's a grace that will bring you out of your bondage and bring you out of the shame of your sin and your past, all because He loves you. Romans 5.8 says, "God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." In Luke 5, the Pharisees question why Jesus set at a table of sinners. I don't believe that Jesus necessarily said at the table of sinners, I believe sinners said at the table with Jesus and found salvation. His body, His blood, His bread, that cup, His table, it covers my shame. Church, whatever your load of bar is, He'll bring you out of it for His glory, for His name's sake. Well I want to thank you for allowing me into your viewing

area today and I hope that you were blessed by the ministry of God's Word. Our broadcast is made possible through the faithful financial support of our members and partners here in this viewing area and I want to encourage you to prayerfully consider supporting the work of this ministry so that we can take the message of Jesus as the manifested Word of God, reaching more people in more ways and in more places than ever before. Thank you for your support. Amen. All I really need to know is what is your will, Lord, because whatever your will is, nothing can stop it. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] You [BLANK_AUDIO]