Spared, Restored, Seated

A lot of us don’t call it trauma or shame out loud, but we feel it when we think, I’m not enough, I’m too far gone, or I don’t belong. That’s why 2 Samuel 9 hits so hard: David is at the height of victory, yet he pauses to ask if there’s anyone left from Saul’s house he can bless. In a world where new kings erase old bloodlines, David chooses kindness, and that choice looks a lot like the grace of God.

We walk through Mephibosheth’s story with all its edge. He’s introduced as “lame in both feet,” and the way people talk about him is the point: his limitations get treated like his identity. We sit with the moment he calls himself a “dead dog,” and we name what that kind of self-talk really is. If you’ve ever been “dropped” by someone who should’ve protected you, or you’ve carried the quiet belief that you’re unwanted, this message meets you right there with honesty and hope.

Then we connect the table scene to Ephesians 2. Scripture doesn’t flatter us, it tells the truth: we were dead in trespasses and sins. But the turning point is just two words: “But God.” Rich in mercy, God makes us alive with Christ, raises us up, and seats us with him. That’s restoration, that’s Christian identity, and that’s grace that doesn’t depend on your usefulness.

If this encouraged you, subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, share it with a friend who needs a seat-at-the-table reminder, and leave a review so more people can find these Bible-centered conversations. What line from the message stayed with you after listening?

Transcript

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Welcome And Friends And Family Sunday

Anderson George 0:00

Um good morning, everybody. If you're here for the first time or the 100th time, I want to welcome you to this place of grace called Mineral Springs. I want you to know that there are no strangers here, only friends who've not yet met. And I'm glad that you chose to be here with us on today. You could have been anywhere, you could have been nowhere, but by the grace of God, I believe you are here on this morning, and I'm thankful for your presence. I'm also thankful because today is our friends and family Sunday. What that means, next slide, is that we get to eat twice. We get to eat twice. Um, evidently, I like food. You could tell I'm a glutton for food, and so I enjoy eating twice. We will be eating spiritual food, and then we will have a physical feast. And I want to encourage you to stay back and eat with us, share meal with us. There is room for all, there is a plate for all, there is meat for all. But before we get to the physical meat, let's break spiritual bread.

Reading The Story Of Mephibosheth

Anderson George 1:40

Samuel, chapter number nine. I don't know who loves their preacher so much that they decided we'll give him two. So he could choose which one he wants to pontificate from. So we'll try the new one today. Second Samuel chapter number nine, from verse number one. I'm going to read the entire chapter into your hearing. It says, Then David said, Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake? Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziva, and they called him to David, and the king said to him, Are you Ziva? And he said, I am your servant. The king said, Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God? And Zeva said to the king, There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet. So David said to him, Where is he? And Zeva said to the king, Behold, he is in the house of Makir, the son of Amiel in Lodabar. Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Makir, the son of Amiel from Lodabar. Mophibusheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, Mophibusheth, and he said, Here is your servant. David said to him, Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you shall eat at my table regularly. Again he prostrated himself and said, What is your servant that you should regard a dead dog like me? Lord of mercy. Then the king called Saul's servants even said to him, All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson, you and your sons, and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master's grandson may have food. Nevertheless, Mephibusheth, your master's grandson shall eat at my table regularly. Now Ziva had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziva said to the king, According to all that my lord the king commands his servants, so shall your servants do. So Mophibasheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons. Mophibasheth had a young son whose name was Micah, and all who lived in the house of Zeba were servants to Mophibisheth. So Mophibasheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king's table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet. From the

David’s Unexpected Move Of Grace

Anderson George 5:45

context of this chapter, I want to simonify the title Speared Restored Seated. We are introduced to David at a time where he is currently winning a lot of battles. He has conquered the Philistine area. He has already defeated Goliath. David is a conquering warrior that has brought peace to Jerusalem. As a result of bringing peace to Jerusalem, he is recognized as king. But I want you to know that there was a king before David became king. His name was Saul. He stood head and shoulders above everyone else. But David is now king. And what happened in that time is when you became king, there was always the threat that relationships to the past king would be detrimental to your kingship. So it was customary if you became king that you would exile, excommunicate, or kill every relationship belonging to the previous king. I want you to understand that what happens here is a move of grace, and a move of grace by David, I believe, to show us the grace of the ultimate king, God Himself. David has a particular relationship with Jonathan, who is the son of Saul, and this relationship allows him to say, even though I should normally do this, I will instead do that. Come here, church, don't miss this. The relationship David has with Jonathan causes him to say, even though I should do this, I would instead do that. I'm preaching, and you don't even know it. And what happens is David finds peace for a moment. He sits down and he thinks about Jonathan. And he asks, The question is there anyone remaining from the house of Saul, Jonathan's daddy? And there just so happened to be a guy named Zeba who said, There is yet one man remaining. It's Jonathan's son, Saul's grandson, and his name is Mophibusheth. And then the servant says in verse number four of the text, he's lame in both feet.

What It Means To Be Dropped

Anderson George 9:10

He's lame not just in one, he's lame in both. And we have to pause here to understand why the Ziva, all David asked was, is there family? Ziva said, Yes, but the family is useless. The family is useless. If I had time, I would take you to 2 Samuel chapter number four, and I would read one to four into your hearing. But what happened was Mophibusheth was about five years old, and during this time he was being looked after by a nanny, and the nanny heard the wartime bell being rung, and that was the bell that said, get to safety quickly. And so she picked up five-year-old Mufibushef and she began running to safety. Unfortunately, she dropped him on the way there and caused him to now be crippled. And so now he is crippled, not because of something he did, but because of something that happened to him. He was in the care and the possession of someone who was supposed to protect him, but unfortunately, the person who was supposed to protect him dropped him. Let me drop this on you while I'm here that all of us at some point in our lives have been dropped. All of us have experienced where someone or something that was supposed to be helpful to us, became harmful to us, did damage to us. Some of us have been dropped by parents, some of us have been dropped by siblings, some of us have been dropped by past relationships, some of us have just been dropped because life is what it is. There's no one here who isn't dropped. And if you can't find any of those categories, let me introduce you to a new one that dropped you, the category of sin. Where because sin came into your life, sin caused you to be less than God wanted you to be. Normally, the king bestows favor and grace upon somebody who has benefit or use to him. Ziva says from jump, he's lame in both feet, so that the king would know he's useless, he has no benefit. There should be no blessing from you to him. David still said, send for him. Now that you understand that, let me put you in the mind of Muphibosheth. He's in his granddad's estate, but he's hiding because his granddad's estates now belongs to David. Oh, y'all miss it. When Muphibosheth shows up in verse number eight, David tells Ziva everything that belongs to Saul, I'm putting back into Mophibosheth's hands. What that means is it wasn't in his hands before David gave it to him. So he is for fear of his life hiding in his grandfather's estate. He's found out and summoned by the king. And before the king could say anything, scripture tells us Mophibusheth falls down on his face and worships. If I had time, I'll tell you, is because he needs to curry favor with the king. So he prostrates himself before David, but then his words said, Why would you summon and have regard for a dead dog like me? Come here, church. You all miss it. He didn't just say he was a dog, he said he was a dead dog. Ah, you miss it. Let me try this side. What happened is dogs were not yet domesticated. Dogs were not considered friendly, dogs were considered

The “Dead Dog” View Of Self

Anderson George 14:30

scavengers. It's why Jews called Gentiles dogs. They were unsavory, barbaric, wild animals that nobody wanted. So he classed himself. He called himself wild and unwanted by nobody. It's enough to be outcast, wild and unwanted, but he put dead in front of it. You don't want someone who you don't want. That's how he sees himself, and he looks at the king and he says, Why would you want me? This is where you enter into Mephibosheth's life and understand that because he's been lame in both legs, because he's been made to be crippled, he has been told and he has been treated like he's less than. He has been told and he has been treated that he is no longer a real boy, he is not a man, he is impotent, he is weak, he is useless, he is everything negative in the world, he's been told for most of his life, and now the king says, I want you. So he wants to know why you would want someone like me. Oh see, I'm talking about Mophibusheth, but I'm talking about us. I know you look cute or handsome if you're a guy, and I know that there are people who like you and want you, but the truth is you are not liked and wanted in every situation and circumstance. There are some places where you may be the one considered a dog, and in those situations, we are left to contemplate our own insignificance, our own value and self-worth. David here represents a king who says, even though to others you have no value, you would always have value to me. But it's because of a relationship I have with Jonathan. If it wasn't for Jonathan, I wouldn't have this grace for you. He then said, he then said, I'm going to sit you at my table, and you would eat like my sons. You would be blessed as if you were a son. But it's not because you are a son, it's because of the relationship I have with Jonathan. I'm going to treat you better than you deserve. I'm going to give you more than you merit. I'm going to bless you real good. But this blessing, this treatment, this grace that you are going to receive is not because of anything you

Ephesians 2 And The Words “But God”

Anderson George 18:25

did, but because of a relationship I share with Jonathan. Here's what I'm trying to fix you, fix to tell you in Ephesians chapter number two, from verse number one, scripture says, We were dead in the trespasses of our sins. Oh, you all miss it. We were dead in trespasses and sins, verse 2, which we walked within, according to the prince of the power of the air, following after our own loss and desires. We were dead in God's eyes. Because of sin, because of the life that we lived, God considered us enemies because sin dropped us. Every one of us was dropped by sin, and the result was now we are put at variance with God, we are now not on the same side that God is on. But then, if you look at the text, Ephesians 2, even though I was dead in trespasses and sins, even though verse 3 says that I walked according to the lust of my flesh and indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, even though I was a child of wrath, verse 4 says, But God. Oh, I wish I had a church. We're dead because of sin. And if right now you say you have no sin, your sin is lying. Just if if if you're struggling with that, that's what John says. The Holy Apostle John in First John says, if we say we have no sin, we lie. So if you're struggling to find what your sin is, he may tell you your sin is lying. So now we're all under the same umbrella. We are all found dead because of sin. And the last time I checked, a dead person is only good for the grave. I really wish I had a church. Only good for the grave. And so now we're dead and worthless by virtue of being dead because of sin. And verse 4 says, but God. Now watch this. Watch this. Sometimes, if you're a Christian, you could forget that it was but God. It's not but how many scriptures you know, it's not but how many Sundays you came. It's not but how much money I placed in the coffers. The scripture still says, but God. And not just but God, Ephesians 2 4 says, but God being rich in mercy because of his great love which he had for us, even when we Were dead in our transgressions, he made us alive together with Christ. Let me break that down for you. Just as David treated Mophibosheth kindly because of his relationship with Jonathan, so too God treats us kindly because of his son. So now, God, this is what God does. You and I were dead in sin, and I read somewhere, the wages of sin is death, permanent separation from God. But instead of keeping me separated, alienated, and dead, the text says the first thing he did, verse 5, Ephesians 2, 5,

Alive, Raised Up, And Seated

Anderson George 23:10

he made us alive. I wish I had a church. He brought you back from death. He resuscitated you. He resurrected you. But that's not the only thing that he did. You keep reading the text, and then it says he didn't just made you alive, but he raised us up. And this is the idea of exaltation so that he changed your status. You're no longer dead, you're now alive, but you're not just alive, you're alive in Christ. You're alive because of Christ. You now have a status that's shared with Christ. He changes your status. He raised you up, he has elevated you, he has exalted you. But he didn't just raise us up, he seated us. I want you to see what's happening. This is David and Mophibosheth in the gospel. The king calls for dead things, useless things, and he makes them new. Here's God saying, I'm going to raise you up and exalt you, so you two will now become my sons and daughters. And then, and then, and then he seated us with hay in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I now have space and a place at the king's table. But that space, that place was given to me not because of me, but because of Christ. Because every now and then we could lose perspective. Every now and then we could have life happen to us that inevitably allows us to speak the wrong messages to yourself. Every now and then, if you're like me, you could be your own undoing. Because you are the voice that tells yourself you're not strong enough, you're not good enough, you're not able enough, you're not pretty enough, you're not lovable enough, you're not enough. Every now and then you could put these negative messages into yourselves, but when you are speaking such a word that has you saying, What good is a dead dog like me? Remember that with God you two have a place, and God knows how to take dead dogs and turn them into conquering sons. I don't know who you are, I don't know what you're going through, but I do know what my God is able to do. And so, even if you're in a position where you are doubting who you are, what you what you could do, hear me clearly when I tell you God came even for you and has a space for you. You could never be too far gone for God. It doesn't matter how long you've been distant from Him, where you went in that distance, who you went with, and how long you've been there. God's grace could reach even you. And so if you haven't felt that grace, if you have not yet made the decision to accept Christ Jesus as your Lord, now is a good time. Because of his relationship with the Father, you too could now be a son of God. And so, if you want to be a Christian today, if you want to be a part of the body, if you want to have your status changed from dead in sin

Grace For Doubt And Distance

Anderson George 27:55

to conquering son, walk forward, give me your hand, give God your heart, we will baptize you today. If, however, you're a Christian, I want to remind you that where you are now is because of the grace and the blessings of God. Full stop. Every now and then you need to remind yourself that the text still says, but God. And while we are Christians, there are moments where we too stray, we too lose sight of our spiritual significance, who we're called to be, because life happens to us too. Life does not stop because you're a Christian, we're not immune because we said Jesus is Lord. So cancer still knocks on the door because life is what it is. Sickness knocks at the door, death's bills, friends, enemies, and frenemies knock at the door. We're not immune, but sometimes as you go through life, you allow life to remind you that you're insignificant, and you forget that while that is true, my significance comes through Christ and through how God sees me in Christ. And so, yes, even though in the grand scheme of things I'm nothing, to God, I'm everything, and that matters, and so somebody may need to hear right now, regardless of how you see yourself to God, you are still everything, you still matter, and you still have a seat at his table. There is space and grace for everyone. Let's all stand, let's all stand.

A Personal Story About Feeling Small

Anderson George 30:26

I told you at the beginning that every one of us has been dropped. I've been dropped many times, but his one thing that I can't really call being dropped, but made me feel like I was dropped, I was born short. And as much as I would love to be taller, this is the height that God has ordained for me. And I could tell you now that I am happy to be under six feet. That's all I'll say. I can't tell you what my height is. I'm under six feet. But it wasn't always that way. There were times where going to a fair, I felt insignificant because I had to be this tall to ride, and I wasn't. In high school, wanting to play basketball, but being immediately excluded because I was short made me feel insignificant. I had to work twice as hard to do uh a two-point shot or a three-point shot because I couldn't dunk. It made me feel insignificant. Sometimes a casual conversation, I meet someone and I get close to them, and their first words is, wow, I didn't realize you were so short. I was reminded of my shortness for most of my adult life, most of my young life, and it made me feel lesser than. You can be more than.

Invitation, Prayer, And Closing Song

Anderson George 33:05

Now it's prayer time. We're going to respond. I don't know the song John has in his mind. Umly a step. That's a good one. Um, that I'm going to change. Judy is going to find just as I am. And as we sing this, I want you to know that God loved you just as you are, but loved you enough not to keep you where you were. So he took you, he will take you just as you are. But he's good enough to bless you and grace you so you become more than you are today. We're going to sing this. And if you feel called to respond to the message, you need prayer. Meet me front row, your left, my right. And we'll pray that God will give grace even to dead dogs like us.