with Ted Hoffman, who also wrote up to be with us today. Brothers, what I'd like you to do is you turn in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 9. We're going to read that entire chapter. It's not a long chapter. It's a powerful chapter, but not a long one. 2 Samuel chapter 9. and then we'll spend a few moments contemplating authentic manhood. And what that will mean for us in not only, of course, our families, our churches, but also in our community. Because the question we want to ask ourselves consistently is as we begin, by the grace of God, to permeate our local communities, what aspects or to what are they going to look for when they ask and think through what is it to be a man. So with that in mind if you would look down at your page 2 Samuel chapter 9 and begin at verse 1 and read the entire chapter. This is God's word and David said Is there still 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 Zeba. And they called him to David. And the king said to him, are you Zeba? And he said, I am your servant. And the king said, is there not still someone of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God to him. Ziba said to the king, there is still a son of Jonathan. He is crippled in his feet. The king said, where is he? Ziba said to the king, he's in the house of Mekhir, the son of Emeo of Lodabar. Then King David sent and brought him from the house Mekhir, the son of Emeo at Lodabar. And the Phibosheth, son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David. fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, Mephibosheth! And he answered, Behold, I am your servant. David said to him, Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father, Jonathan. And I will restore to you all the land of Saul, your father, and you shall eat at my table always. And he paid homage and said, What is your servant? That you should show regard for a dead dog such as I. Then the king called Ziba Saul's servant and said to him, all that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce that your master's grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master's grandson shall always eat at my table. Now Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants. Then Ziba said to the king, according to all that my lord the king commands his servants, so will your servant do. So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah. And all who lived in Ziba's house became Bephibosheth's servants. So Bephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king's table. Now he was laying in both his feet. Join me in prayer, please. Lord God, we come to you with humility, with awe, We come to you as men whom you've called to be those who stand as your men in our society, in our community, beginning in our home and then extending within our church. We thank you for your word. It is true. It is right. It is the word of God. And therefore, it is not only powerful but nourishing. We pray that you would encourage all of us as we attend to these things so that we simply might be built up and fueled in our desire simply to worship you as an end in and of itself, to walk before you and to witness the gospel of Jesus Christ centered in the man, Jesus Christ. We thank you for these things in Jesus name. Amen. Brothers, again, thank you very much for inviting me. One of the things I wanted to do was talk with Pastor Phil and others because we've just started our men's ministry at Soaring Oaks, or we started our men's ministry. So it was encouraging for me to drive up to Shingle Springs. I just actually found out like last week that there was a Shingle Springs. I had to tell my session and my administrative assistant, they said, well, what's going on on March 1st? I said, I'm going to some Baptist church somewhere. But I just wanted to talk with you all about what God is doing with you. And I want to ask you to pray specifically, not only today, but in subsequent times as you gather together. If you would pray for the men of Soaring Oaks as we seek to follow the Lord's will in our men's ministry that, again, we just started a few months ago. My brother Greg is on the planning team. He was one of the ones who helped initiate what we're doing. And as we began to meet, One of the things I shared with them and I think even the men is that in our society, manhood is most definitely taught in any number of ways. Now, that's not to mean that there is a class where someone would go and grab this young man and sit him down and say, now, this is manhood. No, our society, for the last several decades, we have transmitted things that are important to us, not only through our education system, but mainly even through our varied media. And one of the examples I shared was the last James Bond movie. I don't know how many of you guys may have seen that. And how James Bond has become one of the ways our society teaches, conveys what manhood is. There's this particular scene, montage of scenes in the movie as it begins and it begins to gather a little bit of steam. And if you haven't seen it now, you're probably not going to see it, so I'm not going to spoil anything for you. And if I do, I'm sorry. You should see it anyway if you really want to. I don't know. But Bond is accidentally shot by one of his other agents. He falls from a train after being shot by a high-powered rifle into a body of water. And of course, he lives because he's James Bond. Somehow, after that, they show him in a series of scenes where he apparently has washed ashore of some island, some remote place, somewhere in the world. And what they show is how we many times conceive of, well, this is manhood. And they show Bond walking by himself on a beach, because manhood is being alone with one's thoughts. They show him in a bar, drinking, playing a dangerous game with a scorpion, because men just do dangerous things. And though there might be some surface camaraderie with those with whom he's in the bar, there really is no tightness. There's no real bonding, because we're isolated. But again, what it shows is that women are strong. Then, of course, there's bond being bond. He meets someone, never even talks to her. Interesting how they show the scenes. Never even have the conversation. And there's certainly no idea that he is going to have any kind of long-term relationship. But that's how our society conveys manhood. Those are the qualities that they want to convey, especially to young men. Now, of course, we know that's contrasted with scripture. And what I'd like to do is share with you authentic manhood from scripture to show how, in fact, strong and powerful it is If there could be any man in the Bible that we might say is a contrast to much of our modern view, our society's modern view of manhood, it's Mephibosheth. You heard the story. If you're unfamiliar with it, as you may have known that Saul chased David around the wilderness for years. There was war even between Saul's household and David's household, even after Saul and his son Jonathan had been slain. Finally, because, of course, God's will will be done, David is anointed king over the entire land. And as he is beginning to settle into his kingdom, as the Lord is beginning to bless him and establish him in his kingdom, things have quieted down enough, it seems just enough, where David begins to remember the pledge he had made to his friend, Jonathan. And he asked his servants around him, is there anyone to whom I can show the hesed, the kindness, the loving kindness, that loyal, reliable, strongly attached, costly love that Jonathan was showing me? Is there anyone of Saul's household that I can show this kind of love to?" And they said, well, there is one person. There is Mephibosheth. Now, the reason Mephibosheth was lame in both feet is because after a battle in which Jonathan and Saul were killed, Mephibosheth's nurse took him to try to run and escape perhaps the Philistine army. She tripped and fell. He was still a young boy. She tripped and fell. And due to that fall, Mephibosheth became paralyzed in both feet. Mephibosheth is one of the best pictures for us of manhood because it's a picture that begins in his weakness and being in a position where he could only be shown the loving kindness of the king. From Ephesias' point of view, not only is he lame in both feet, he really is of no real use to David and his kingdom. His family has no chance now of being restored to power. And even if they were, he could not fight in the battle. He is at this point probably trying to live out his days. He's actually across the Jordan River, probably in northern Palestine, not even in the corporate territory of God's people. And more than likely, he just wants to live out his days in peace and quiet. He wants to stay out of the way, and he certainly doesn't want to get the king's attention. Because, you know, back in the ancient days, if you were related to the house of the former ruler, that could mean a death sentence on your life. So Mephibosheth and those who attended him are hoping that David just basically doesn't even think of anything connected with Saul any longer. And he's simply going to live out his days quietly away from God's people. not having any connection to his former house or life, basically counting the time until he passes on, relying on the small kindnesses of others. But then there comes a knock at the door, maybe the dreaded knock as far as Mephibosheth is concerned, and David's men show up, and they're going to take him to the king. Now, I don't know if they told him what was going on or not, But finally, Mephibosheth arise before the king. And not only the king, but the man whom his grandfather tried to murder on more than one occasion. Sits before the king. Perhaps he's held up before the king because of his being laying in both feet. And then David, in an act, of salvation, prefiguring our gracious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, shows him the loving kindness. You see, whereas before Mephibosheth was a forgotten outcast, as it were, now he's going to be included within the people of God again. where he was going to have to live on the small kindnesses of others. Now, his entire livelihood has been restored. Could be that Saul and Jonathan, having been slain, that David, once he became king, he took charge of their estate, of Saul's estate, and he gives it back. He gives that livelihood back to Mephibosheth, who could not have gotten it himself. But it even goes beyond that. He treats him as a son. The beauty of this passage is in the tenderness of which David speaks to Mephibosheth and says, you, you now will be treated and accorded as one of my own sons. You will have a seat at my table. You will sit at the king's table for dinner all of the time. And it's just a wonderful picture of our salvation. There we are, part of a house that warred against the living God, that said we don't want God to rule us. We don't want to bow to his will. We don't want to engage in his worship. And in Adam, we lost. Adam, who thought he would be like God, when God finally showed up after he rebelled in the garden in Genesis 3, he is hiding from God. But then, our Lord Jesus Christ comes and he searches us out. The bishops certainly wasn't looking for David at all, no more than we were looking for Jesus Christ. He comes after us. And he takes us and says, you are going to be a part of my family. You're going to be at the king's table. He gives us our life back. Not only does he discharge our sin, he gives us our life back. The life we were meant to have when we were created in Adam. A full life, a full manhood, where we engage in the worship of our Lord, where we enlist ourselves in his service, where we stand to represent him. Moreover, we get the privilege of being regarded and treated as his own children, his own sons. we gain the privilege of each and every Lord's Day, eating at the King's table. Tomorrow, by the grace of God, you will do that for which you were created and redeemed, and your souls will be filled with the satisfaction of the living God as you engage in the worship of God. And you will recall at that point once again, this is why I'm alive. This is why I'm here. This is what real life is. And the wonderful thing is, like Mephibosheth, we could never have gotten this ourselves. David personally didn't owe Mephibosheth a thing. Not a thing. There was no one in David's court saying, You know, you really should, you know, King. It'll be a good political move. Just saying. Just saying. It'll be a good political move. It'll show that you're a nice guy if you did something for Saul's household. No. More than likely, they would have thought the opposite, because they had been at war with Saul's household. Also, there was nothing that Phibosheth could have ever have done. to earn the favorite himself. Here is someone who sits at the king's table, being an object of the king's delight, who could do nothing to earn it. He can't do anything himself. that would in any way add really to David's kingdom. Mephibosheth cannot fight, obviously. We've read that. He is lame on both feet. It doesn't seem that he was looked on to be a trusted advisor. He didn't seem to be an overly spiritual man. He was not a prophet. There is nothing Mephibosheth can contribute to his salvation. There is nothing he could do to earn it or maintain it. All he could do is receive it and enjoy it. He's an outcast. He's paralyzed and powerless. By rights, he could have been judged from a warring, rebellious family. And yet that phrase that's used twice in this passage, Mephibosheth, Mephibosheth, my brothers, was shown the kindness of God. For us, authentic manhood begins by acknowledging our need for full, final salvation in Jesus Christ. It begins not with our strength and what we can bring, but what we do not have and what we cannot get. You see, for all the strength of all of the men, of all that we know, and all of our society, none of us can garner and gain God's favor by our strength. And that is the one thing we need. That is the one thing Mephibosheth has. He sat there every day, every day, at David's table. He was not one of the mighty men. He was not one of the advisors. He was not one of the priests. He was not one of David's natural sons. He was there simply because of the kindness, the love of the king who wanted him there. And he ate because eating at the king's table delighted the king. That story continues. And I'm not going to read the passage. I'm going to summarize it for you though, because I think it is the most beautiful, one of the most powerful stories in the Bible. It's why Mephibosheth is one of my favorite people in scripture. One of those I'd like to meet the most when I get to see my Lord. He's one of the most courageous men in scripture. And that's what I just want to encourage you to be. Not to go and do great feats of strength. Not to have the kind of wisdom that has worldly philosophers and philosophies just in all of you. But simply in our time, in our day, in our society, to stand. To stand as one recognizing that the true life that we all need comes through and from Jesus Christ, that we could not have gotten or gained it ourselves, that in fact we were utterly powerless to gain life ourselves, that we're utterly powerless to get ourselves in the good graces of the living God, but that we get by the grace of God to be his sons because he wanted us to be his sons. and therefore he has given us life that everybody else is chasing after using so many other things. We've been given it in Jesus Christ and where and how we stand is in this way. As many of you know who read the scriptures, there was a rebellion in David's own house. His son Absalom rebelled against him. The rebellion begins to gain strength and it becomes pretty clear that David must flee Jerusalem. He's got to get out of town because Absalom is not coming into town to talk to his father. No, he's coming into town to try to violently take over the kingdom and kill his father. David hastily gathers a group of people to leave Jerusalem with him. And it is one of the most difficult, dark times in his life. There are people breaking down in tears as the king has to leave. The whole kingdom is thrown into chaos. What is to become of the people of God? At one point, as David is leaving town, one of the priests brings to him the ark. Let the ark go with you, my king. And David says, no, I don't know if I'm coming back. I don't know if the Lord is going to restore me. I don't know even if I'm going to be alive after this week. David goes into the wilderness with a few hundred loyal followers, weeping, despondent, stays there for some time. And as you know, the rebellion is put to an end. God deals with Absalom. David is going back to Jerusalem. And some of those who mocked the king as he was leaving now come to entreat his favor. But there was one more person who comes to welcome the king. You find this all in 2 Samuel 19, and it's Mephibosheth. Now as he comes to the king, The king wants to know why a man to whom he had shown such kindness, such love, such unconditional goodness and grace to, why he did not come and join him when he was fleeing. And then Mephibosheth says to him, well, king, remember when you were leaving town? And Ziba lied on me. So that's what Ziba said. Ziba was leaving town. The king asked about Mephibosheth, and Ziba told a direct lie, because all Ziba wanted was stuff. And Ziba said to David as he was fleeing, oh, Mephibosheth, oh yeah, he turned on him. As soon as he picked up his finger, put up his finger, he saw which way the wind was blowing. He jumped on Absalom's side, said, long live brother Ab. David, of course, wanting to be a man who understands and repays loyalty, says, all right, Ziba, I'll then give to you all of Saul's land and holdings, which would have been substantial. Ziba's like, I got it now. So as David comes back, he asks Mephibosheth about this. And Mephibosheth says, and I'm summarizing, King, Ziba lied on me. I went to saddle my donkey. I was intending to go and be with my king, because that's where I belong. But he betrayed me, and he sold me out. And so I've been here. And this is where the story of courage comes in. Mephibosheth is paralyzed. He is weak. He is small. He is without power. The rebels eventually enter Jerusalem. They occupy the king's palace. Absalom sets himself up as king. Mephibosheth can't get out. Now, one would think that he might say, well, These are David's enemies. They know that I am a favored one of David. I can't get out. David can't come back and get me. Well, when in Rome, or in this case, Jerusalem, I need to make sure that I look at the political winds and see where they're shifting and get on the right side. Because I happen to like my head being attached to my shoulder. That's a good thing. I might not eat at the king's table anymore, but it's better than not eating at all. But he doesn't do that. I encourage you at some point to read the account in 2 Samuel 19. Scripture says that Mephibosheth replied to David, basically, I have not shaved. I have not washed. I have not taken care of my feet because my king was away." Apparently the last phrase regarding not taking care of his feet meant that there was some type of ministrations he had to do with his feet, maybe simply to ease the pain, but he had not done that. But Phibosheth, as Absalom comes in, he could not fight him. Mephibosheth was not a prophet. He was not going to prophesy against him. But Mephibosheth had no intention and was never going to join him. The only way he could protest and stand as a man of God in the midst of God's enemies, in the midst of those who wanted to kill the man who had shown him such great kindness, was to say, no, I will not take care of myself. No, I will not take care of my feet. No, I will look a mess, and I will be in pain, because that is the way I'm going to stand for the real, true, authentic King that the living God has placed in Avalon. You're not it. And I cannot fight you. I don't have words fully to speak against you. I'm not articulate in that way. And if you want to come and cut off my head and kill me as an example of those who are rebelling against this new regime, then you're going to have to do that because I am not going to change my mind. Here I stand. I can do no more with my weak, lame, paralyzed self because you, my friend, are not the king. David is. after the exchange, and the bishop tells King David what really happened. Again, David, not only being a man of loyalty, but a man of some justice, sizes up the situation, maybe trying to do the best he can. He says, well, all right, I'll just divide the estate between the two of you. Yes, Ziba was deceptive, but I gave him my word that he could have the whole estate, and the best I can do, basically, with Phibosheth, is I can divide it between the two of you. You know what Phibosheth said after that? One of the most amazing, most powerful words in the entire scripture. He says, my king, let him have it all. Let him take the estate. Let him take all of the stocks, all of the boughs. Let him take all of the earnings. Let him have it all. If that's what he wants, let him have it. Because my king being back in the city of David, where the ark of the Lord is, it is like an angel. God being back. I don't want the stock. I want the king. Brothers, I just want to encourage you. I'm going to close and pray to encourage you. You are men. You are not men because you can take a bullet off while riding on top of a train, fighting a bad guy, falling into an ocean and washing up on some shore and doing some dangerous things. You're a man because the living God created you in his image to worship, to obey, to know, to delight in, to serve him. That is the essence of manliness. And it's one that our society so desperately needs today. Not only do your sons need this, but your daughters. And not only do your sons and your daughters need this, but your wives and your sisters and your mothers. And not only do your sons, your daughters, your wives, your sisters, your mothers need this, but people out in our society where manhood and with being a man, the way it's taught is so messed up and causes such sin and damage and destruction. I'm not calling for you. to go take a charge and make a stand doing some great thing. Brothers, we're just like Mephibosheth. Jesus Christ called us out of our rebellion to be his sons because he wanted to do so. He calls us to sit at his table and to enjoy life as being his son. And the world is now raging and will continue to rage against him, acting as if he is never coming back that he is in fact dead and will stay dead and that things are going to go on the way they've always been. But we stand. We stand as we worship our Lord. We stand as we obey his word. We stand as we witness of his gospel. And we stand saying you can have this whole world right now. If that's what you want. because who we really want is our king. We are convinced he's returning. And when he returns, all, all will be well, more than well with us. Father, we thank you. Lord, our prayer is that you would help us as we just read these passages to thank you for your matchless grace and to be committed simply to being simple men who shine as real men of the living God in our society, not by doing quote-unquote great things, but simply by doing ordinary things that point to a great king. We thank you for this in Jesus' name, amen. Brother Lance, that was a blessing to our souls, and I trust you guys are encouraged and encourage our brother. And let me pray for your church, as you asked us to, and your men's ministry. Heavenly Father, we pray for our brothers and sisters, and in particular, our brothers, as we were asked to pray for their men's ministry there in Elk Grove. Lord, we just thank you for the privilege we have in the body of Christ that we can uplift each other that we stand together we don't stand alone in this world and certainly the forces of this world are strong against those who would wanna stand in weakness and meekness and we just pray Lord that you would help us and you would help in particular Soaring Oaks Presbyterian Church, the men as leaders of their wives and their families and as they seek to to build the the backbone of their church and we thank you for the blessing in the transition between uh... brother read it in brother lands we just pray your continued blessing upon them the strengthening of their their families their witness in the community we pray ultimately for the the glory of christ through through men who recognize that it's all of christ and their need for your sovereign grace in our lives we thank you for this wonderful picture from your word we pray that you would encourage our souls for the glory of our matchless Savior Jesus. Amen.