God’s Amazing Grace #2 Series

GOD’S AMAZING GRACE #2

WHAT IS GOD’S AMAZING GRACE? Review from last week.

QUOTE: “The Church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.” (Morton Kelsey).

“Jesus said, "Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do…” For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.” (Matthew 9:12-13, NLT).

OPENING: Jesus’ Family Tree:

• Do you have anyone in your family that you’re ashamed of?

“1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. 5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king.David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah… 16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.” (Matthew 1:1-17).

• Look at the four women in this family tree: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba.

• Tamar - Gen. 38 – lost two husbands, prostitute, slept with her father-in-law

• Rahab - Josh. 6 – prostitute in Jericho

• Ruth - Ruth 1-4 – foreigner / outsider, lost her husband

• Bathsheba - 2 Sam. 11-12 – victim, King David slept with her and killer her husband

• God loves and cares for people whose family backgrounds are messed up!

MEPHIBOSHETH – AN ILLUSTRATION OF GRACE:

“1 Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?" 2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "At your service!" 3 Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet." 4 So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar." 5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 6 Now when Mephibosheth had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, "Mephibosheth?" And he answered, "Here is your servant!" 7 So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually." 8 Then he bowed himself, and said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?" … 11b "As for Mephibosheth," said the king, "he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” (2 Sam. 9:1-11).

BEFORE GRACE: WHO WAS MEPHIBOSHETH?

“Saul’s son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when Saul and Jonathan were killed at the battle of Jezreel. When news of the battle reached the capital, the child’s nurse grabbed him and fled. But she fell and dropped him as she was running, and he became crippled as a result.” (2 Sam. 4:4).

• He was an orphan, alone, forgotten, broken. He was a hopeless, helpless victim.

• “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin… All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else.” (Ephesians 2:1-3, NLT).

THE BIG IDEA: God saves us by his special favor when we believe in Jesus. We can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

1. GRACE SEEKS US FIRST:

“David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness?” (v.1).

• Mephibosheth was forgotten, forsaken, abandoned. But the King was looking for him!