Scripture for September 2nd: Psalm 23

Sermon Title: Walking in the Valley

The LORD is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He lets me rest in grassy meadows; He leads me to restful waters; He keeps me alive. He guides me in proper paths for the sake of His good name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because You are with me. Your rod and Your staff—they protect me. You set a table for me right in front of my enemies. You bathe my head in oil; my cup is so full it spills over! Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the LORD’s house as long as I live. (CEV)

Difficult times often seem bleak and hopeless. Maybe the hardest and most difficult of times is when we lose something or somebody that means so much to us, and the seemingly lack of purpose for that loss. During those times, it often appears that we are walking through a long, hard “darkest” of valleys, one in which we will never depart. It is there that the psalmist writes God, Our Heavenly Shepherd, meets us and gives to us “a table” and a “cup” that spills over.

Theologian R. Ellsworth writes the following concerning these verses: “David affirms that God’s provisions for his guests are both constant and abundant. The constancy of God’s provisions means that God’s people have them in every situation and circumstance. We have already noted that the saints of God have enemies in the hour of death. They have them all through life as well. These enemies are the world, the flesh and the devil. Knowing about these enemies, David here subjects God’s care to what we might call the ultimate test. He asserts that God’s care cannot be negated or destroyed by these fierce enemies. David sees himself sitting at a banquet table while they gather all around. While they threaten and snarl, he feasts. Such is the care of God!

David emphasizes the abundance of God’s care in these terms: You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. (v. 5b). It was customary in those days to receive a guest by anointing him with fragrant perfume and with a cup filled with a choice wine. In this way, the host indicated that nothing was to be considered too good for his guest. David declares that God’s care surpasses even this. His head had been anointed, and his cup was overflowing. Such care compelled David to say: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; …(v. 6a). God’s goodness is that disposition which causes him actively to seek the wellbeing of his creature. His mercy is that quality that inclines him to relieve misery. Because he had seen so very much of God’s faithful care in every conceivable situation, David knew he could count on God’s goodness and mercy every step of the way.”

God provides His goodness and mercy, in every way and every day, because of His great love for us. And because of that, though we go through the valley, we can experience His peace, blessing and ultimately, eternal life. We will talk more about these things on Sunday as we complete our sermon series, “Lessons from Psalm 23.” Hope to see you then!

Scripture for August 26th: Psalm 23:3,4

Sermon Title: A Shepherd’s View

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. (KJV)

How does God view us? Is He angry with us for things we have done? Or is He like a disappointed parent, wishing we had made better decisions? Or even still, is God upset at how we have lived our lives?

The King David speaks of God’s great love for us His children in this Psalm. Bible scholar Dr. A. Knowles writes the following concerning this Psalm and how God views us:

“We are invited to imagine the eastern shepherd at work. He is the leader, provider and protector of his flock. He knows every animal by name, and values each one more than his own life. As David was a shepherd-boy, and Jesus describes himself as the ‘good shepherd’, these verses take us to the heart of pastoral care. Walking ahead of his sheep and calling them to follow, the shepherd finds fresh pasture to graze and safe places to drink. Even when the flock has to squeeze through a narrow defile, the sheep have nothing to fear. The shepherd can haul them to safety with his staff, or beat on the rock wall with his rod to let them know he is near.

The shepherd tends his sheep in every way. He clears the pasture of stones and levels the potholes — then stands guard while they eat. He checks their heads for sunburn and treats their wounds with soothing oil. When they are thirsty, he fills the drinking trough to the brim. At night he takes them into his own home. This is how God is with his people, says the psalmist. He is like a shepherd, and I am in his constant care. His goodness and love will never fail me. In old age and in the face of death, I will continue to live with him.”

Psalm 23, particularly verses 3 and 4, reminds us that God always works in our lives, He never leaves us and continually teaches and guides us throughout life’s circumstances. He does this because He views us as if we were His sheep, His responsibility, as He acts as our Shepherd. We will speak more about how God views us this coming Sunday as we continue the sermon series, “Lessons from Psalm 23.” Hope to see you then!

Scripture for August 19th: Psalm 23:1-2

Sermon Title: My Shepherd, My Leader

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD. Forever.

What in the world is God doing? This is the question that many people will ask as they go through a difficult time in life. And truly, it is very hard at times to know exactly how our experiences in life fit into God’s overall plan for creation. However, we know that God desires the very best for us, just like we desire the very best for our children. And He wants us to experience contentment, rest and refreshment in our lives, regardless of what is happening around us.

How does God do this? He does it on the inside of us – He works on our character and inner person. God knows that true contentment, rest and refreshment will never last if it comes from some external source. So He offers these things to us in our hearts and minds – and that is what God is doing in each of our lives. He is leading us to a life that is free from greed, anxiety and inner turmoil – all issues of the heart that causes so much pain and destruction in our lives.

This coming Sunday, we will talk more about how our Great Shepherd leads us in our lives to experience true contentment, rest and refreshment as we begin the sermon series, “Lessons from Psalm 23.” Hope to see you then!

Scripture for August 5th: Psalm 148:1-13

Sermon: God’s People Speak About God’s Greatness

Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise Him in the heights above. Praise Him, all His angels;
praise him, all His heavenly hosts. Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for at His command they were created, and He established them forever and ever— He issued a decree that will never pass away. Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do His bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

God’s people are expected to be a people that praise God. We see this in the Psalm listed above, as the Psalmist says, “Let them praise the name of the LORD!” Why are God’s people expected to praise God? Because He is worthy of praise from that which He has created.

Bible scholar R. Ellsworth writes about how God’s people should see the blessings of God all around them coming from God’s commands and that this, too, should create a heart of praise within believers. He wrote about the Psalmist description of blessings found in Psalm 148: “What was the nature of those blessings? God had once again given security and peace to the city and the surrounding areas (vv. 13–14a). He had also given bountiful crops (v. 14b). The restoration of these blessings, after years and years of their absence, was no small reason for praise. The author did not want to leave any doubt about the source of these remarkable blessings. It was the powerful, effective word of the sovereign God. That word ‘runs very swiftly’ (v. 15). The word which goes out of his mouth is, as it were, very eager to accomplish the thing that he commands. And this word does not return ‘void’ to the Lord but rather accomplishes his purpose (Isa. 55:11). The psalmist again appeals to the natural order to make his point. The snow, the frost, the hail, the cold, the thawing and the wind are all examples of the effectiveness of his word (vv. 15–18).

The people of God were enormously blessed because they had received the word of God in a special way. He had declared ‘his word to Jacob’ and ‘his statutes and his judgements to Israel’ (v. 15). To make sure his point would not be missed, the writer says of God: He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His judgments, they have not known them (v. 20). With the concluding ‘Praise the LORD!’ the psalmist leaves by the same door through which he entered.”

This coming Sunday, we will pause in the midst of a busy summer schedule to give God our highest praise for not only blessings, but most importantly, for Who He is. I hope to see you then!