Take a Seat
Notes
Transcript
I want to title the message today, Take a Seat. Today, we are going to finish up our preaching through Psalm 23. I have thoroughly enjoyed this short series. I pray that it has given you a greater view of the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep and how that applies to our relationship with God. Our primary focus is going to be on verses 5-6 but I am going to read for us the whole Psalm.
I am going to open up our time together in this sermon with a word of prayer.
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Even 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
This is the word of God.
Just this past week, we celebrated Christmas. We always have a spread when it comes to the meals. Now, at my family’s side, it is a fight. There is no rhyme or reason. You grab a plate and you go. If you get what you want, good. If not, tough luck. And you don’t want to be the one who has other plans right beforehand and you think you may be late, because we aren’t going to be saving any for you. You should have planned better.
But, on my wife’s side, it is different. They take plates and utensils and napkins and they set the table. They take the pots and pans and serving dishes and put them on the table and then you pass the plate around and get whoever is nearest to what you want to put it on the plate. Things are much more organized on her side. And much quieter.
What is nicer about eating at her family’s house is that there is a plan. Everyone has what they need and there is no worry about ever running out.
In the psalm today, we are going to see God, the good shepherd, make sure that the sheep are taken care of to a degree that no Christmas meal will ever compare.
Even in the toughest times, there is a seat at the table
Even in the toughest times, there is a seat at the table
Our psalm now changes settings. For the first 4 verses of this psalm, we have focused on the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep while out in the field. He provides for the sheep, he leads the sheep, he disciplines the sheep, and he comforts the sheep. Now, we go from the field to the dining room.
Now, I don’t want to overshadow that there is actually imagery of shepherding here. When the sheep needed grass to feed on, the shepherd would go and scout to find the grass. If they were not careful, there might be weeds in that grass that the sheep would ingest and could be potentially fatal to them. So the shepherd needed to prepare the dining table for the sheep.
But, when it comes to the christian life, God has prepared the table for us. We are his houseguests. I have been in a lot of peoples homes in my life. And when you walk in, you will know pretty quickly if you are a guest or if you are just a visitor. You will know whether or not you are allowed to be there or welcome to be there.
In some homes, you feel like a burden. You don’t know where to sit. You hesitate to open the refrigerator. You’re careful not to touch anything. You feel like you need to stay out of the way and leave as soon as possible.
But in other homes, the host says things like, “Make yourself at home.” They show you where everything is. They set a place at the table. They prepare a room just for you. They anticipate your needs before you ask. You’re not treated like an inconvenience—you’re treated like family.
That is the feeling we have when we are part of the flock of God, when he has truly welcomed us into his house. He takes us and sits us down at the table that is already set. This ain’t no covered dish meal either. He brings out the steak and mashed potatoes and mac and cheese and green beans and the Texas roadhouse rolls. See, the shepherd isn’t gonna fix us some Kraft mac and cheese or some chef Boyarde or a lean cuisine. No, the shepherd fixes the best meals.
He prepares a table before me. But it isn’t just in the good times or the times of celebration that he brings us in for a meal at the table. No, he does it even when times are hard. Even when we are surrounded by darkness and danger. He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
Enemies surround us. God sustains us. What a beautiful picture we have. David has given us this wonderful Psalm where he talks about green pastures and still waters but that there are also valleys of darkness. Times are tough, but the spread is still before us. Death can be knocking at the door, but God is still serving the most delicious meal you can imagine.
God is a multitasking God. Write that down. God is a multitasking God. He is leading us, providing for us, protecting us, and preparing all at the same time.
This week brought back wonderful memories growing up and going to eat at my grandma Blalock’s house. Many of you have heard me talk about her a lot. I learned a lot from her. One thing that I wish I had learned better was her ability to be fixing 5-6 different food items at once, and they all get done at the same time. This is almost a superpower I am starting to realize. She would have all of the burners full and something in the oven going. And she had a gas stove so in the summer time, it would feel better outside than inside. Then the phone would ring and she would answer. Then a neighbor might show up at the door and have a chat. But she would still get it all done at the same time.
God has all of these things going all at the same time. But the most fantastic part is he isn’t just doing it for David or Brittany. He is doing it for all of the sheep in his flock. He has prepared a meal for each of us. He has set a place at the table for each of us. And it is our job to chow down.
I can tell you that there is a rule that applied at grandmas that applies to God as well. If it is put on your plate, you gonna eat it. There won’t be any, “you know God, I wasn’t really feeling this type of persecution today. Do you think I could have some ice cream instead?”. Nah. You gonna eat what he puts on your plate.
One of the most important things we need to understand about this verse is that our life and our reaction to our enemies is a testimony to God’s love, care, and provision for us. What does it say about God’s protection and provision for us if we are at the kitchen window looking outside at our enemies while our food is getting cold. Or, even more so, what does it say about us if we don’t trust that God has already taken care of those enemies and we just need to dig in to the hot meal he has prepared for us.
Too many of us today try to escape our enemies. But, when we read this, if we want to see our enemies, sometimes we just need to look at around the table. I think that we can take this back to the theological principle that we are all enemies of God, yet he prepares a place at the table.
We should not get caught up in who is at the table and who isn’t. What we should be focused on is the host. I like what HB Charles Jr says.
Quote: “ David has a decision to make. Either he can rut out the house to get away from his enemies or he can sit at the table and enjoy the hospitality of the host”.
Don’t let your eyes wander away from what is in front of you because you are distracted about what is around you. As long as you are in the house, you are under the protection of the home owner.
Not only does God serve us a meal at the table, but he anoints us with oil. This anointing with oil is a public acknowledgement of God honoring us at his guests. We may think of sitting at someones table to eat as more of a private affair. But this is the king bringing us in. This is not just a meal, this is a banquet. And, as followers of Jesus, we are distinguished guests. God honors us. Even when we are surrounded by our enemies, even when we walk through dark valleys, God still sits us at the table and anoints our heads with oil to show everyone that this one, this one is more than just a visitor. This one is an honored guest.
And because of that, what more could we ask for? He gives us more than we can imagine. He gives us more than we deserve. Because each and every one of us deserve the worst. Think of the parable of the prodigal son. The son, thinking he deserves his inheritance now. So the father gives it to him. He blows it all and ends up eating out of a slop bucket because he can’t even buy food. Now, we have all known people in situations like this where they just blow every opportunity. And we may have even said that they got what they deserve. But the father knew that the son didn’t deserve that. So, the day that he saw his son coming home what did he do? He threw him a banquet and honored him as a distinguished guest. And the son would have told you that he didn’t deserve it.
What we, as sinful humans deserve is an eternity in hell. We have sinned against God because we are born with a sinful nature. David wrote in Psalm 51 that against God and God alone had he sinned when he slept with another man’s wife. David understood what he deserved. We deserve hell. But God, who loved us so much, gave us a way back to him. He sent Jesus to live the perfect life that we should have lived, to go to the cross to die a death that we deserve, and to raise from the grave to prove that he was who he said he was. And when we turn to him and follow him, we are now brought to the table by the host and sat down at the feast.
Because we sit at the table, goodness and mercy follow us. Think about this. We don’t have to worry about what is happening outside of the walls of the house. Our enemies are outside while we are inside. David had been pursued before. King Saul, who preceded David on the throne, personally took his own spear and hurled it at David to try to kill him. Not only that, his own son Absolom tried to kill him. At one point in his life, David was hiding in caves to escape death. We think that we know what it is like to have enemies. I think that David knew a lot better than we do.
But, as David knows very well, at the table the only thing he knew that was pursuing him was goodness and mercy. Who all in here has gotten a phone call this week from someone trying to collect money from you? We all have them. I love when they call me because when I answer and they can’t even pronounce my name right, it is over. But you know what? Those bill collectors wish they could follow and pursue me like God has. Because God knows my name.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
He knows me. If you have been called by God, say “He knows me”.
But maybe you think that God isn’t pursuing you with goodness and mercy as good as those bill collectors are. Maybe you think that those enemies are still a credible threat against you. I want to propose to you that maybe you aren’t a guest in the house and you are just a visitor.
Because guests are always welcome. They know where everything is. If you are a guest in my house, help yourself to the fridge, go on through the cabinets and find a bite to eat. You are always welcome in my house. Just as I will always be a guest at the table of God.
Goodness and mercy will follow me, how long? All the days of my life. Honored guests are always welcome. As long as I have a home, there are people who will always be welcome. I may even hand out a key or two. Just as I mentioned in my sermon last week, God has promised us in his word that he will never leave us or forsake us.
Life is a journey. Do you ever feel like there are times where it is much easier to worship than other times? David is a wonderful example of that.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”
1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
I think it is safe to say that David walked in the valley of the shadow of death. But he also feared no evil. The same man who wrote all of those also wrote…
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
David was not perfect. We are not either. David did not always get it right. Neither will we. But, we can have assurance.
We can read this verse from 2 perspectives. God has given David assurance of his salvation. That he is going to dwell in the house of the lord forever. God has looked past all of his wrong doing because of his faith and turning his heart toward the Lord. And because he has done this, he will have a place in God’s house FOREVER.
But, we could also read this from David’s perspective. Maybe David is saying this as he has received anything from the Lord, even though he has. We know because his cup overflows. But maybe David is saying this as an devotion to servitude. Maybe today, you need to make that declaration for yourself. That you are going to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Let each of us make that commitment today. That we are declaring that we are servants, that we are slaves to Jesus Christ as he is our Lord.
This may seem daunting. Forever seems like a big commitment. It is. When Jesus went to the cross, he had eternity on his mind. He was not dying for people just for moments of holiness. But he died for our sins, once for all. It was eternal. If you have faith that Jesus died for you, then you should have this desire in your to devote yourself to him.
Let’s see what things may look like for the next month. Let us see how we can increase our devotion for God for the month of January. What do I mean? We all like the thoughts of New Years resolutions. Resolve to come to church each week. Resolve to get involved in a Sunday School class. Resolve to follow this bible reading plan for the next month. Resolve to spend time in prayer. Resolve to meet weekly with someone from the church to get to know and to pray with.
I firmly believe that when we do this, our lives will change. Not that we won’t have difficulty. But that, even when we are sitting at the table and we can look around and see our enemies, that the spread is so appealing that it doesn’t matter what we may be facing.
God is inviting you to take a seat at the table.
