Lighthouse Church Durban
Covenant
Jesus made a way for us to live in a covenant relationship with God. This covenant is wonderfully represented in the account of King David and Mephibosheth. Here are four powerful messages of this covenant:
-"Come to me" (Jesus) - in your inadequacy - and worship!
-"Fear Not" - God will show you kindness for the sake of his Son.
-"I Will Restore" - God will restore you - to himself and his image.
-"You eat at the table as my son" - enjoy God's favour, protection and provision.
We can live secure in this covenant - because it is made with the One who is perfect in every way!
Romans 8: 28, 1 Samuel 18: 1-4, Luke 24: 49, Ephesians 4: 22-24, Ephesians 6: 14-17, 2 Samuel 9: 1-5, 2 Samuel 9: 6-11
- Broadcast on:
- 12 Oct 2024
- Audio Format:
- other
In light of his family, let me start by saying what an honor it is to share the world of God this morning. I want to say thank you to Ellen and his eldership team for the opportunity to share this morning. With that said, recently I saw a vigil on TikTok actually. It was a falliyan that was freezing to death and it so happened that a man was walking past and he found this lion basically frozen, frozen and covered in snow. He picked it up and he took him to the hospital and the Buddha showed how the nurses put him under an incubator and how he warned himself until it started getting some life into his body. The Buddha also showed this man that he was feeding the baby, I say the baby because the lion was basically as a baby because he was using actually a baby bottle to feed this lion cub and he fit this lion cub. He baited this lion cub and he played with the lion cub and after a while this lion started to become bigger and bigger and the Buddha showed how the lion used to jump on his couch and he's so far and how he used to be so playful but all the time even as it grew bigger it became bigger and bigger until it became so big that it had to be placed in a lion park. I realized that what that was a relationship that was born in the snow one fateful morning that continued to be nurtured and nurtured and nurtured throughout the sense of time. It also reminded me a little bit of our relationship with God because when we become children of God and we accept Jesus as our Savior a relationship with God over what our God is also God and that relationship is also nurtured by listening to the preaching of the world by reading the Bible by reading books and that relationship becomes nurtured and we come to understand that you know God speaks and when God speaks we should listen. So what is it that God has been saying to light our family? I believe that he has been speaking keep on keeping on is what he has been saying is because everything works out for our good irrespective where we may find ourselves irrespective what our situations are. All things work together for our good. Romans 8 28 says and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. We also have learnt let's not pretend to be who we are not because God understands and God knows us and there's no time and there's no place to hide from God because he knows our very thoughts and he knows our very intent as well. We have learnt and we have heard that we must be stronger together because God finds us in a relationship so that we can become one complete body. We also heard that sometimes in our life we need a Eli and we also may even need a Jethro to put things into perspective for us because at the end of the day sometimes we find ourselves in dark situations. Sometimes we find ourselves in problems and in trials. We find ourselves with our backs up against the war and we cannot see a way out but somebody else looking in an Eli or a Jethro could see our situation in a totally complete new light and they give us the perspective that we that we yearn for. We can trust that God is a covenant seeking God and he's a relational God even as we heard also that he is in pursuit of man. He wants a relationship with God and he wants a relationship that is born out of covenant because he is a covenant seeking God. God wants the covenant with us so this morning for a few minutes I want to take some time and speak to you like us on the topic of covenant. One of the greatest stories of covenant in the Bible is that of Jonathan and David. 1 Samuel 18 verse 1 to 4 says after David had finished talking with Saul Jonathan became one in spirit with David and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and not let him return home to his family and Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off his robe he was weary and gave it to David along with his tunic and even he saw his bow and his bow. There's a significance and symbolism when it comes to covenant because even though there was a covenant between Jonathan and David God has made a covenant with each and every single one of us. God has made a covenant with the church and let's get this clear we are the church. The presence of God dwells in us the Holy Spirit loses in us. The presence of God does not stay in this building or in a or in a particular building. The presence of God goes with us when we live so we are the carriers of the presence of God. We are the church. We are the people that God resides in. The Bible says that Jonathan took off his robe. In the Old Testament kings and priests and members of royalty were easily recognized by the robes they wore. It was a different fabric and it was a different color. So when Jonathan put his robe on David what he was saying was all my power and all my authority and all my benefits are on you David. Everything I am you are David. The privilege I have as the king is now yours. The death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross was like God taking off his robe and putting it on us. He said greater things than me you shall do. He said in Acts 1-8 after the Holy Spirit has come upon you you will receive power. You will have my power. You will have my authority to cast out demons. So the power of God, this is how Jonathan took the robe off him and gave the power to David. The power of God is now on us. Luke 24 verse 49 says I am going to send you what my Father has promised but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. Ephesians 4 22 to 24 says you were taught with regard to your former way of life to put up your old self which has been corrupted by deceitful desires to be made new in the attitude of your mind and to put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. So the robe speaks of a new identity, a new stature and a new life in Jesus Christ. The Bible goes on to say that Jonathan took off his armor and his sword. Jonathan was saying you now walk in my protection. The king had specialized armor and a sword was made specifically for him. It had his sickness and it had his insignia on it. So whoever lifted up that sword or wore that armor walked in death's authority. God also gave us an armor found in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 14 to 17 and when we wear that armor we walk in his authority, his protection and his power. Verse 14 of Ephesians chapter 6 says stand your ground putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes put on the peace that comes from the good youth so that you will be prepared in addition to all these things fall on to the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of spirit which is the word of God. The Bible says that he took off his belt. In our Ephesians text the belt symbolizes truth. It also speaks of strength. The belt was what held the sword in place. Again the belt had a signal and showed and proved authority. So when David worried people knew he represented the authority of the day it showed his power. In a covenant with God we can also symbolize the authority. The inner covenant would go out of their story symbolizes the authority of God's word over our lives. But then Jonathan died and David was now king. And in 2nd Samuel chapter 9 he remembers Jonathan. Verse 1 David asked is there anyone still left in the house of salt whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake. Now there was a servant of Saul's household called named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David and the king said to him are you Ziba? At your service he replied the king asked is there no one still alive in the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness Ziba answered the king. There is still a son of Jonathan. He is lame and broke feet. Where is he? The king asked Ziba answered he is indeed he's at the house of Mecca son of Emil in Lord Yba. So King David had him brought to Lord Yba from the house of Mecca son of Emil. One day David remembered and made inquiries because covenant is eternal it goes on from generation to generation. In fact that's what they do in the sand. When a covenant in the Old Testament was made a figure eight was drawn in the sand and that speaks of infinity and sometimes in like in our life the generations that follow read the benefits that we have been trusting God for. Look at how David demonstrated his kindness to my membership. He didn't have to but he remembered Jonathan because covenant is generational and so too does how God's covenant is with us. He is unfailing in his love for us. He blesses us when things that sometimes we don't even seek after. For a moment though, imagine the mindset my fibro chef when he had that David was calling for him. He probably thought David wanted to kill him and totally wipe out his linage but the first thing David said was don't be afraid. Second Samuel chapter 9 verse 6 to 11. When my fibro chef son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David he bowed down to pay him honor. David said my fibro chef at your service he replied don't be afraid David said for I will surely show you kindness to put a sick of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul and you will always eat at my table. My fibro chef bowed and said what is your servant that you should notice a dead dog like me. Now look at the imagery there dead dog. I thought it was only the NIV version that used to turn dead dog but no I looked at the King James. I looked at the new King James. I looked at the Amplified. I looked at the N.L.T. they all used the term dead dog. So just imagine the imagery of the fibro chef for trades because he was crippled. People walked past him. People didn't pay him notice and here is the king of Israel paying him notice. Then the king summoned Ziba. Saul steward and said to him I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to fund the land for him and bring him the cross so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And my fibro chef grandson of your master will always eat at my table. Now Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants. Then Ziba said to the king your servant will do whatever my lord the King commands the servant to do. So my fibro chef ate at David's table like one of the king's son. Just as David remembered remembered covenant. God also remembers his covenant with us. Because of this covenant covenantal relationship I believe there are four messages for us as we walk in covenant. First message come to Jesus. My fibro chef came to David and fell at his feet. There are times when we need to recognize our inadequacies. We need to recognize the people that we are. We need to not pretend to be who we are not and come and fall at his feet. Fear not is a second message. David says I will surely show you kindness for my father's sake. God Himself showed kindness to us and we should not be afraid. Irrespective of how bad your situation may seem there is a covenant keeping God who has been ordering our steps so you have nothing to fear. Irrespective of how bad your situation is irrespective of where you may find yourself in life at this present moment do not fear because God is honoring your steps because you are walking in a covenantal relationship with you. He goes on to say I will restore. The thing about restoration is it does not happen overnight. The lion at the beginning of my preach was taken to a lion park. After 10 years the man decided to go and visit the lion. Everybody warned him don't get into the lion's cage because in the lion's habitat the instinct of the lion is to tear you apart. Learn by learn you are that is his domain that is his authority nobody is allowed there but the man stepped into that cage. As the lion saw him the lion jumped on him and the lion started licking his face something totally against the principles and the instincts of a lion. It just shows that the lion remembers him. So to what our covenant and covenantal relationship with God and irrespective of how far away we've been to God irrespective of how much time we haven't been in his presence when we come into his presence and we come and we look for him and we go to him he remembers us. It shows that that covenantal relationship is always on him. David goes on to tell me my membership you will always eat at my table. There is privilege at the table. There is favor at the table. There is protection at the table and there is provision at the table when you sit at the table as one of the sons. We live a life marked by God's favor, God's protection and God's provision because God is a covenant keeping God. In conclusion I want to say this our covenant with God is absolute not wavering, never faltering. It's strong and dependable because we are in covenant with the one who is perfectly good and he cannot lie. You see the thing is people lie, people break promises, people in relationships but God but God he is faithful even when we are faithless. We can always trust him completely because he was this journey with us. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my creation this morning and God bless all