You are the child of the king

I want to read from 2 Samuel chapter 9. We'll just read from verse 1 for the context. And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness? And the word is a grace, to show grace for Jonathan's sake. 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. And the king said, Is there yet any of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet, spitting on his feet. And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Micah, the son of Emiel in Lodvar.

And king David sent and fetched him out of the house of Micah, the son of Emiel from Lodvar. We won't read more there. Turn over to chapter 13.

Say, I've enjoyed the conference here in Stout very much. Perhaps more than other years. It's been nice to be with the Lord's people once again and enjoy the fellowship of the saints and hear the ministry of our brethren.

We'll read from verse three, just for the few verses, chapter 13 and verse three. But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimea, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very subtle man.

And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day? Wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister. I'll go back to Judges chapter eight. This is the last reference I'll read.

Judges chapter eight. Judges chapter eight, and we'll just break into this chapter from verse 18. Judges eight and verse 18, Then said he to Ziba and Zalmanah, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered and said, and he answered, As thou art, so were they.

Each one resembled a child or son of a king. And he said, They were my brethren, even the children, even the brethren, even the sons of my mother, as the Lord liveth, if you'd save them alive, I would not slay you. That's all I'll read.

And we've heard about trials, and they come in the life of every believer. We've heard about difficulties and assemblies between believers, and they exist as well. We can't deny them.

We might as well be honest that we're human. We still have the flesh, so we still have problems. We need to deal with those issues and not just try to sweep them under the rug and say they don't exist.

They do, because they exist in our own hearts personally. And as a result, they exist corporately as well. But I want to end the conference, if I may.

I think it's 4.30, it's over, right? I'd like to come to perhaps a high note, although I'm not trying to take away from what our brother John Meakin has said. I appreciate that so very much. What a comforting word it is to know the nearness of the Savior and the blessedness of his presence and the way he can draw near so richly and so personally in times of stress and great need.

But I want to think about you and me as believers going away from a conference. I want to think about you as a child of the King. We have three examples of the son of a king.

I know that Jonathan, or rather Mephibosheth isn't called the son of a king, but he was a grandson of a king. So we'll let it go. He was the son of a king.

And I want to identify you and me as sons of the King, ones that have dignity, ones that have the potential, and ones that have a wonderful position in the family in relation to the one who is going to rule. And even the thought of it should take our mind on to the day coming when our Lord Jesus is going to have the place of supremacy and the place that he deserves to have, and the place of which he will bring all things in the right order according to the will of God. I really believe that's really what should fill our hearts and minds more than the humdrum things of this world.

We live in the kingdoms of this world. They're so contrary to God and they're so characterized by ungodliness and ruin and deceitfulness and vileness more and more. But we're linked with the one who is the coming King who is going to reign in righteousness and who's going to establish peace and bring to reality something that has never existed before, even in the best of governments.

The one who's going to rule and reign as an absolute supreme King, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. You and I are identified, I believe, in the scripture as those that have dignity in relation to him, the one that will one day occupy the throne. And the word of God says that we shall reign with him.

That's a wonderful thought, isn't it? Just to think of the day when he is going to have his place and you and I will have our place as well. And the position we'll enjoy in that day, brethren and sisters, will only enhance his glory and add to the place that the recognition that is due to him. But here we are in a world where he is rejected.

Here we are in a world where he doesn't have the place that he should have. We're in a world where he doesn't rule. He's not reigning in the sense that will be expressed in the future day.

But yet you and I have the dignity of being those that are associated with the King. Wonderful thing that he associated himself with us. The one who is the Lord of all things.

The Lord of heaven and earth. And yet he condescended to come to the place where he'd identify himself with us in our sinful low condition and bring us into the enjoyment of the blessing and the peace that is ours as a result. And so we have these king's sons.

Great privileges connected with being a king's son. To think of a son of the king to be in his own presence. That's the greatest privilege, isn't it? To be able to walk into the presence of the king without any introduction.

I read about a young little boy. I don't even remember the story very well. I'm not good at telling stories.

But anyway, this young little boy wanted to get in and see the king. And the guards wouldn't let him in. They kept barring the entrance.

Well, that's for their job, of course. They couldn't let him in. But along came another young little boy.

He says, what's the problem? He says, I want to go in to see the king. Well, you just come with me. And he walked right past the guards and he came right to the presence of the king.

Because he was a king's son. He didn't have to have an introduction. And brethren and sisters, I hope you know as well as I know what it is to be in the presence of the king.

The joyous presence. To know communion with him. To have the reality of a relationship that is established not only in theory, not only in doctrine, but in reality.

I ask myself continually, how much do I really know about being in the Lord's presence? And the exalted dignity, the rising, the encouragement we receive of being able to commune with the one who is the absolute supreme ruler of the universe. The presence of the king. I hope we've been in the presence of the king these last two days.

I do hope that we've realized something of hearing him communicate with us and speaking to us and encouraging us and directing us and giving us some indication of our relationship that we can enjoy day by day. Not only the presence of the king, but our relationship with the king. And that is one thing that is a result of his grace that has reached out to us and brought us near to enjoy the place that is ours.

It's also a position of already indicated, a position that has potential, a potential. You know, it's a wonderful thing to think about what the word of God tells us lies in the future for you and me. You know, I get discouraged.

You're not supposed to get discouraged, are you? Especially preachers. I think preachers oftentimes get discouraged more than other ones, right? I think we all get discouraged. I get discouraged when I look in a mirror.

That's enough. But you know, if we get our eyes on what is in the future, it doesn't depend on what we are doing right now. Although our position in the kingdom does depend on yet to think of the day that we shall reign with him.

That's something I love to think about. And I can say like John, even so come Lord Jesus. And I'm not sure that's a rapture there either.

I personally think it's more in relation to the kingdom. But three things I better get on before I get too far in the clock here. And the first thing is you have a lame king's son, a king's son that was lame.

You know why he was lame, don't you? It had a fall. And you might say the fall wasn't his fault, and it certainly wasn't because his nurse dropped him when he was just a little child. And yet, regardless of what the cause was, he still had the fact he had fallen.

And there was a fall in his past. And that fall had a continuing impact upon his life. I need not say to you that we have identified with a fall that took place that we weren't responsible for whatsoever.

We have inherited the results of a fall. I don't need to go there. But I can say this, there are believers here today likely that have had a fall in their life.

Yeah, am I correct? I speak from experience because I've had a fall. In some measure or another, we all have things in our past that we would rather forget. But yet maybe in remembering them, they're beneficial to us that we remember.

But just because you have had a fall doesn't mean that's final. I like to notice that Mephibosheth was in a house, in a home. He was at a distance, but yet he was being cared for.

His needs were being met in the house of Makor, the son of Amiel in Lodabar. I think that when you think of believers that have had a fall, we've heard something about criticism. We don't need that.

We've heard something about other trials that we've come into and we do need them. But on the other hand, brethren, we do need to have a caring attitude toward those who've had a fall. What does Galatians chapter six and verse one tells us? Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a trespass or a fault, a fall, a blunder, ye that are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness.

Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. And so there's a house of care. There's an individual that has a concern.

There's one that is drawn near to be able to enable the restoration of a believer that has fallen. And dear brother or sister, if you've fallen in your life, again, I say it's not final. Our God is a God of restoration.

Our God is a God that cares more for you than other people do. Other believers do. There's no one that cares and desires your restoration and reestablishment and enjoyment of a position and a place at his table like the Lord Jesus does.

He's the one that was a good shepherd. He not only goes after the sheep that has gone astray, but he brings them back. Our brother Lavery told us he carries them on his shoulders.

Wonderful position to be. And so we have a man, a king's son that has fallen and he's lame. You know, there are believers that are still lame in their life.

They can't walk very well. They're sort of limp along in life. I sometimes wonder why.

Well, perhaps we all limp in some ways. But nevertheless, there's a potential God has given for genuine, complete restoration. I think of Peter, he had a fall.

And you know, Peter, you might say, Peter, there's no hope for you. It's all over with. You're done for, no more service.

It's the end of it, Peter. That's not what the Lord said. He says, when thou art converted, when thou art turned back, strengthen thy brethren.

Because God still had to work and he proved it. He proved that he still had to work for him to do. And he fulfilled that responsibility in a very wonderful way.

How dependent we are on the ministry of Peter after he fell and after he was restored. You know, I believe sometimes a restored believer can be stronger than they ever were before. There might be those who wouldn't agree with me, but we learn oftentimes a lot from our lessons of life.

And we learn how merciful the Lord is. You know, I firmly believe that Job was a better man at the end than he was at the beginning. There were things that God saw in that man's life that perhaps didn't need judgment, but they could be improved.

And he was a far better man at closer communication with God than he ever was before. And like Brother Scott has said, he knew God in a way he never knew before. An experience of life like a fall, a blunder, a mistake, or even a trial can draw us nearer to the Lord Jesus.

And the sweetness of that renewed fellowship is so precious, it's incomparable. You don't know anything about it unless you've been there. And you find that this man that was lame received grace.

David said, can I show grace to anybody in the house of Jonathan? Can I just show kindness to them? I just want to do something for them. And I brought, you know what he did? He brought him right there and he put his lame feet right under his table. And the fellowship didn't have to do a thing.

He could just enjoy the rich provision. He had a provision there he'd never had before. He was brought into a place that he never could have enjoyed before.

Instead of being a far off, now he's brought near. And not only does he have a feast every day, he has fellowship. And brethren, you and I might've had a period of time or maybe even still lame in our spiritual walk, but there's restoration and there's grace.

Let me go on. You have a man and it says he was lean. A king's son that was lean.

And very quickly, I'll just say this. You know the reason why he was lean? It wasn't because there wasn't plenty of food at the king's table. It was abundance of food.

You couldn't think of a more lavish spread than David could have provided. He was providing for him a fellowship. And here's a son and he's lean.

You know, I wouldn't mind being a little leaner personally. It's a hard job sometimes to get that way, but this is a man that was lean for the wrong reason. It wasn't because of a lack of food.

It wasn't because it wasn't enough provision. It wasn't because it wasn't provided. It was because of lust.

He had lust in his heart. He wanted something he shouldn't have wanted. And he obtained it.

And he did so in an evil way. And it resulted in someone being killed. You know, lust will make a believer lean.

If you have a desire for the wrong things in your life, child of God, it's gonna make you lean spiritually instead of being prosperous, but instead of being, well, actually the word of God indicates that being fat is an indication of good health. I don't know. But it's all right.

But a man that's lean, there's something wrong with him because he's not getting a good diet. He's not eating what he should. And he's not enjoying the provision that has been made for him.

And dear brethren, I'll tell you, if you allow lust and his desires are illicit, not necessarily moral, not necessarily things like that. It's simply desiring things that you shouldn't have. You remember the children of Israel? They lusted for the things in Egypt.

They forgot the suffering they had endured, but they wanted the things that satisfy the flesh. They wanted the things that were maybe savory to the tongue. And they wanted to go back to Egypt because of the food.

You know what he said? That ruined them. It ruined their desire for the manna. They didn't like the food that God gave them.

They weren't satisfied with the pathway that God was leading them on. They became dissatisfied with what God was doing in their life. And it wasn't because there was a lack.

It was because of lust. And it results in ruin. And you and I allow the wrong desires in our heart.

You know what it does? It robs our appetite for the word of God. The more you and I feed upon the rotten things of this world, and they're getting more rotten all the time, the less desire we have for the precious word of God, the pure, unadulterated, perfect word of God in our lives. You either feed on one or the other.

And maybe some of us as God's people are feeding on the wrong things. I just encourage you, dear child of God, become occupied with the word of God, the scriptures that are able to make you wise into salvation. I believe that's preservation.

In this wicked world, able to make you grow spiritually, make you enjoy the things of God more deeply, know more closely the communion with God, feed upon the word of God. If I can even leave you with that at the close of this conference, make the word of God your occupation, your desire, your focus, your enjoyment, not just doing it because of a matter of having to do so. This is where you hear the master's voice and where you have communion with the king, the one who wants to speak to you and me.

Well, last of all, in chapter eight of Judges, we don't have a king's son that's lame. We don't have a king's son that is lean. We have a king's son and they have the likeness of the king.

You remember what he says? He says, what was the likeness of those who you slew it there? He says, they were just like a king's son, just like a king's son. There was something about them that resembled the king. And I asked myself, and I'll ask you this, dear child of God, is there something about your life, something about your comportment, your dignity, your walk, your behavior, your attitudes, your practices that resembles a king? That's a high standard.

It's a standard I'll never meet in this life. But it's a goal to aim for, to be more like the king. These people have the distinct features of the king.

They were those who resemble the one who, I don't know, there was no king in Israel at that day. So I don't know how they knew about a king, but they sure knew this is what a king ought to be. I said, they're just like a king.

And you and I should be like the king. And I'm using that term loosely in a way, our blessed Lord, we should be like him morally. This world is becoming more immoral and ungodly continually, not only in language, but also more in the practices.

Things that once were hidden are now being brought out in the open. And yet the word of God says, you and I are to be like the king morally. He's going to establish a moral government, a righteous government, a government to be marked by absolute purity and justice, doing always what is right and consistent with the will of God.

You and I need to conduct ourselves morally like the king. How did he conduct himself when he was in this world? During the days of his humiliation, he didn't conduct himself like the others with their hypocrisy and their evil living and all the other practices that marked them. Even in the religious people, we find that he's the example for the believer.

We should walk in his steps. We need to be like him morally. We need to be like him spiritually.

And we need to resemble him in such a way, dear brothers and sisters, that other people would mark us and know they've been with Jesus. To be like him with distinct features, with a dignity in our walk and with our behavior, with a definite conduct. But again, I come back to the subject before I sit down.

That is that you and I are linked with a destiny, a destiny of grandeur, not because we deserve it, a destiny to be identified with him for eternity, a destiny to enjoy his presence forever, a destiny to be given responsibility in the coming kingdom. Dear brethren, you and I are king's sons in that sense of the word. You might quarrel with expression, but I believe that it involves this.

We should be walking like him, living like him, acting like him, and representing him in a world that rejects and defies the authority of the one who is indeed the king.