Lameness Means Usability!

We call ourselves NBC, which stands for Norristown Baptist Church, but really it means Nothing But Christ.

Text: 2 Samuel 9:1-5

2 Samuel 9:1  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.

1.   Mephibosheth had a problem. As a matter of fact, as we look at our text we realize, when the Bible described this young man, he had issues. He was lame. Though He had a problem he was still called. Though he was still called he still had issues.

a.   2 Samuel 9:13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.

b.   Many times we are shocked to find that the people that God uses are people that have issues, are people that are not perfect, are people that  People that we look at as being anointed, being spiritual, that they still have issues.

c.   You can never judge a person by where they are TODAY, because you may see them 5 to 10 years later and be surprised at how far they've come. We can never underestimate the power of God to change a person.

d.   You have to learn how to be patient and allow God to grow people at His own pace!

2.   Mephibosheth was invited by the king, although he was lame. David is a type of Christ, Mephibosheth is a type of Christian.

a.   I'm using the story as a backdrop, but I'm really talking about the relationship between the King (God) and His people.

b.   David called Mephibosheth to him although he was still lame. God is not embarrassed by our lameness.

             i.        Just because you are not where you think you should be, does not mean God cannot use you.

c.   God is not like man. You have to prove something to people in order for them to follow you. Tell a person you are called by God, and that's not good enough for a lot of people.

             i.        God knew me and called me in spite of my lameness. Then I spent the first years of ministry trying to prove to PEOPLE that I belong, that the lameness that they see is not all that bad.

            ii.        I wasted so much time trying to prove something to people that after awhile stopped paying attention anyway.

d.   So many times in church we are so careful to cover our issues, lest they get detected. We fear that it will affect the way people see us.

             i.        People are dying on the vine because they are saying "I can't relate to people who don't have issues."

            ii.        Somehow, we've been fed the hook that to have issues to mean God is not is in control. ON THE CONTRARY. A lot of times as you begin to walk with God, that's when you really begin to see the issues.

          iii.        God begins to expose you to yourself, and instead of going to God and saying Lord please help me, you quit. Because if you can see it, everyone else can, it scares you to death the thought of being exposed. But without that there cannot be freedom. Many people are walking around really bound to the opinions of other people.

e.   2 Samuel 4:1-5

1  And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

2  And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin:

3  And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)

4  And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

             i.    Many of our issues did not happen when we were adults, they started when we were kids. Things that happened in our lives when we were children that caused the condition that we have today.

vi.        The enemy wants to destroy your self-esteem, your innocence, and your ability to try.

             i.        Be careful what you say to your kids, because what you put in them, is what will come out of them.

vii.        Here we see the son of Jonathan was dropped when he was young. Many of us were dropped when we were young. We had potential, but somebody dropped us.

             i.        Mephibosheth could represent a babe in Christ, who was in the process of becoming something great for God, but somebody dropped him, discouraged him from becoming what it is that God wanted him to become. As a result of being dropped, Mephibosheth lived his live in seclusion.

            ii.        His name is Mephibosheth which means destroying shame, but as he looked at himself, all he saw was shame. He wasn't destroying shame, shame was destroying him.

3.   We serve a God that knows where we are.

 i.        One day this lame and shameful man will receive a call. Do you know what it's like to receive a call after you've been lame all your life? After you've been called lame, dumb, stupid all your life?

2 Samuel 9:5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.

             i.    What happens when someone receives a cal, and they have been beat down, dropped and torn up by someone that's supposed to be protecting them, taking care of them, ended up hurting them?

ii.        I can imagine Mephibosheth feeling like he wasn't worth even two pennies. He was a grown man at this point, grown up in seclusion, and he got a call from a King.

             i.        People say why didn't David call him sooner? But

2 Samuel 9:6

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?

             i.    Mephibosheth said I'm a dead dog, do you not understand that I have nothing to offer you?

            ii.    Dead dog was often used as a symbol of self-abasement, or even self-contempt.

          iii.    Isn't that what we do when we come into the presence of Christ? After all the things we done been through, and yet we hear the call of Christ into our hearts.

c.        How can you tell somebody that hates themselves to serve God and love others? How can somebody who looks at themselves as a dead dog to see any kind of goodness in others?

             i.        How can they find any kind of goodness in others when they can't see any in themselves?

4.   God knows where you are.

a.        Isn't it something that right at the moment when our family was about to break up that God came on the scene?

b.        People can be really surprised that although God knows your condition He still calls you. Then they say how can God use them in spirit of their condition? But God don't need anybody's permission to use you.

             i.        David did not allow his knowledge of Mephibosheth's condition to deter him from calling him. People can be really surprised that although God knows your condition He still chooses to use you. People will say how can God use them?

            ii.        I thank God that He doesn't' seek anybody's opinion before He decides to move in a person's life. He loves us in spite of our imperfections, He says you are still my child, I am your father. I knew you before you were even born. I knew what you were going to be like, but I still chose to call you.

c.        Mephibosheth was lame, so how in the world did he get to the palace?

             i.        The question is who was willing to carry Mephibosheth? Who is willing to love the lame enough to bring them to Christ?

            ii.        How did he get to David? Somebody had to carry him.

          iii.        The problem with Christianity today is that when we see lameness in other people, we kick them, we push them out, because we don't want their lameness to fall on us.

          iv.        The truth of the matter is, we kick the lame away from lest they expose the fact that we are lame too.

d.        When you see God using somebody that's lame that really messes you up, because you always thought that you had to be a certain way to be used of God, and He just totally destroys that notion.  This is because people OFTEN underestimate the power of God to change an individual.

             i.        Who was willing to carry Mephibosheth? Who is willing to love the lame enough to bring them to Christ?

e.        I remember the story in Matthew 10 about the blind man. The blind man heard that Jesus was coming by, and he began to shout Jesus! Jesus! And the people around him began to tell him to SHUT UP! He doesn’t' have time for you, you can't offer Him nothing! And the more they told him to shut up the louder he cried!

             i.        Sometimes you have to forget what people are telling you, what people around you are saying, and just follow in your heart what you know is Godly.

5.   We must get to the point where the only thing that matters is to get to the King, because He called me, He can heal me.

a.        Jesus called the man to Him. We are servants of the Lord you know what our job is? It's to go and bring others to Christ.

2 Samuel 9:10

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 alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

           a.    The lame man is now in the palace with the King. What do you do when you are found at the table with the king's sons?

           b.    God says I see you, there is nothing you can hide from me. I see you, but I still called you in spite of what I see!

2 Samuel 9:11-12

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.

             i.    He ate at the king's table as one of the king's sons, and YET he was still lame. What a lesson that can be learned form the lame man by the name of Mephibosheth.

            ii.    He was called and anointed with the king's presence and the king's goodness, and yet he still had the scars of his childhood.

b.        You can be anointed with the King's presence, and be a person who is called by God, but there are certain scars that will follow us for the rest of our lives.

             i.        God doesn't necessarily heal all of our scars, but He will use you in spite of your lameness.

            ii.        There are certain things that when certain things are mentioned, or during certain times of the years, it will cause pain.

c.        Sometimes real healing is when you get to a place in your life, that you understand why you had to go through the hell that you went through.

             i.        You aren't truly healed until you can go to somebody else and say I can help you. I know you are lame, I am too, you remind me of me. I know what it's like to be stuck, to be depressed, I know what it's like but let me help you, let me pray for you, I'll carry you if I have to.

            ii.        And sometimes, the people that are supposed to be helping you are criticizing you, are cursing you.

d.        The place that God is trying to take us in our ministry is to be able to go to the lame, and say we are a church full of lameness. You better believe that. That's why we are the way we are.

             i.        You know why? Because lame people don't need rules! What we need is a real ministry that is going to help people get to the king of kings and Lord of Lords, and rules don't help us.

e.        Real ministry looks beyond the appearance and sees the needs. David knew what it was like to say I know you are lame, and I'm not going to wait until you are unlame to help you.

f.        Real ministry is to invite the lame to our tables, to got o the lame and say I know you are lame, and I'm not going to wait until you are healed to help you.

             i.        OR, I know you are a sinner, but I'm not going to wait until you repent to help you.

g.        I love the song, I need you, you need me, we're all a part of God's family.

             i.        I love you. I don't need you to agree with me. We're all a part of God's ministry.

           ii.        We have been put here to do a work, and the work must get done in spite of our lameness.

6.   Many times it is our lameness that keeps us usable.

a.        A lot of times the very things that you don't like about yourself are what keeps you usable for God.

b.        Paul knew he didn't have it all together, but God showed up on the scene and said MY GRACE is sufficient for you! God says My strength is made PERFECT in your lameness. Paul said, I would rather glory in my infirmities, for when I am weak, then am I strong!

c.        It has been my weakness that has kept me tied to the power of God.

7.   Many times we're afraid to tell people we're weak, but I'd rather people know that I am weak, because that is what is truly manly.

a.        Jesus was the strongest man who ever lived, but He wept. Jeremiah was called the weeping prophets, one of the greatest Old Testament prophets, he cried for the people of God.

b.        Mephibosheth was at the king's table, but he was till lame.

             i.        The church looks down on the Mephibosheth's, but they have it together. Not only do they have it together, but their stuff is open.

Luke 14:16-21

16  Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

17  And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

18  And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

19  And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

20  And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

21  So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

           a.    People say I ain't got time, I have something to do, I have a wife, these are the people that have it all together.

           b.    The King said I want people that have problems, bring them to me now. One thing about the lame, they know, I got to get to the master. I don't have time to be living for other people.

c.        I can only do one thing, and that's try to live a life that's pleasing to God. I know I am lame, and that I need God. I understand my limitations, but that God can work in spite of my limitations.

d.        I know a God that can work through my limitations.

e.        At the King's table are the maimed, the blind, the sick, but they are all the King's sons and daughters, and none are going around saying your lameness is worse than mine.

             i.        There are no superstars or celebrities at the King's table. The only celebrity is Jesus Himself. All the others are people who have issues, but Jesus called to Himself.

8.   This is our heart, because we've been invited to this party by the Lord Himself, and we party in the name of Jesus, because we know what it's like to be down and out and Jesus Himself called us out.

a.        Most of us came here because we needed refuge, we had a burning in our heart! We all have issues, every last one of us. We CAN'T be like the Pharisees, saying, I thank you Lord I'm not like that sinner.

b.        I thank God that I belong to a church, not perfect, but a church where you can come in and talk about your lameness, and nobody will look down on you.

c.        Lameness can relate to lameness. There's nothing wrong with being lame. That's what keeps us going.