Leaving 2021 in the dust!

A look at the 23rd psalm

Humor

What instrument do a pair of sheep play? A two-baa

What do sheep wear to the beach? A baakini

What’s a sheep’s fave snack? A baaanana

What do you get when you cross angry sheep with a grumpy cow? A baaaaad mooooood

What kind of dance do sheep specialize in? Baallet

What’s a sheep’s favorite car?  A Lamborghini

What is a sheep’s favorite film? Rambo

How to sheep say “Merry Christmas” in Mexico? Fleece Navidad!

Today for my last message of 2021 I’d like us to remember the saftey and security God provides as the great Shepherd.

2020 and 2021 have been challenging and dificult for many of us.

Personally i would have to say 2021 has been the hardest year of my life on so many levels

I have to admit there have been times when i’ve beleived the enemy and thought God had adandoned me

Obviously that is not true.

but that is how I felt.

Have you ever been there?

have you ever felt alone. Or that you weren’t going to make it!

The last 19 months have given us cause to beleive such lies

but only if we take our eyes off God and focus on out situation can the enemies lies take root!

the enemy only succeeds in darkenss

When God’s truth is known it reveals how pathetic the lies of the enemy truly are!

Now I would like to stand here and say things are going to get better really soon.

but unfortuetely there are alot more letters in the greek alphabet

I’ve never desired to be a doomsday prophet. but what i’m seeing in the spirit is not something to be celebrated.

I’m afraid for our country and neighbours to the south that things are going to get even worse.

and i’m not referring to the pandemic.

that is just the 1st step of the evil ones plans

Invasions, wars, cyber attacks, loss of electricty are all possibilties

but I’m snot saying these things to scare us

Those who trust in God will be safe and secure

God is warning us so that we can prepare

not only for our own but also prepare for others who won’t be ready.

Why?

During this time of calamity our leaders did not turn to God for help, but rather trusted in their own devices.

they made efforts to turn turn people against each other

We need to pray for our leaders more than ever before.

God showed me early on that He gave plans to our Premiere to get through this crisis, but our premiere did not have the confidence to implement those plans.

Instead followed the advice of those close to him.

We are not here because 100% of people haven’t been vaccinated.

we are here because our leaders rejected God’s council!

So in preperation I want to remind you of God’s promises.

of God’s faithfulness to his people

to help you see through the lies of the evil one.

Turn in your Bibles!

Psalm 23 (NASB95)

A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I 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 have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Video

psalm 23 best explanation.

A psalm of David

Who was David?

He was a shepherd

A shepherd boy who was annointed King but spent many years not being king, and being oppresed by the one who was king

David never forced God’s plans

1 Samuel 24:3–5 NASB95

He came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. The men of David said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. It came about afterward that David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe.

This pslam is David pouring out his heart. recognising the faithfulness of God through out his life

now did David have it easy. After all he was a king.

to that I say read his story. See how David was betrayed, hunted for death, rejected robbed from, deceived

The Lord is my shepherd,

John 10:1–5 NASB95

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. “But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

I shall not want.

I don’t have need! but i do.......do you really?

Like in the video I showed do you have what you need right now?

I love that quote

Worry is dealing worth tomorrows problems with today’s pasture

God always supplies, not on our timetable but on His!

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

Rest

Rest doesn’t always occur on the beach

look at the wilderness where the sheep restedd

He can give you rest in the middle of the storm

He doesn’t have to stop the storm so you can rest

Jesus slept in the boat during the storm

He leads me beside quiet waters.

Sheep only drink from still waters

God takes us to the place where we can be nourished with what we need

He restores my soul;

How does God restore our sould

These include rest, reflection, and replenishment.

Rest

This was not a song to prepare for battle or celebrate a holy day, but rather to enjoy a time of relaxation in God's presence.

Reflection

restoration involved reflection. His soul was restored as he looked at life from God's perspective. He felt protected, safe, and secure under the leadership of God.

Replenishment

his restoration included replenishment. Both rest and reflection led to a renewed vigor to live for God. This replenishment also included an anticipation to be with God forever in the future

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

Righteousness= doing the right thing

God guides us down the right path

preventing us from going astray

For His name’s sake.

He does this not because of what we do. But becuase of who He is.

He is the great sheperd and that’s what shepherds do

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

Doens’t matter what you are going though it doesn’t change who He is!

it is a reference to how we should regard the dark times in our lives.

Financial, medical, relational…whatever is causing us to feel as if we’re walking in uncertainty or confusion, these are the dark times.

These are the dark valleys.

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

No Fear....why?

because I have money in bank

the government will fix it

No....its because God is with us.

Romans 8:31 NASB95

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

How often we forget this powerful statement. 

No matter what hell throws at you, you can be confident in the face of it, because God is your good Father, and he loves you. 

Fearing God is the antidote to the fear of anything else. 

As we grow in our faith and in maturity, we experience more and more peace and confidence from God. 

The truth is that we can face anyone and anything because we don’t stand on our own authority but on God.

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Rod=Club they protected the flock from predators

and crook when a sheep went astray or fell over they’d could use the hook to get the sheep back on its feet and ont he right path

Why would sheep fall over......too much wool

Give our wool means giving of ourselves in service to one another!

David now shifts from shepherd to King

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

When we put our trust in God, Psalm 23:5

reminds us that He can and will do everything to provide what you need, when you need it, until your soul feels satisfied

God provides everything on the table

but not just the food, also the people around the table

This royal context explains the presence of David’s enemies as observers at the feast.

We wouldn’t normally invite our foes to watch us eat, and we might on a different occasion regard their presence as likely to spoil our appetites.

Yet in this setting, their unwilling attendance at the feast is the important proof of a decisive shift in the balance of power now that the great King has finally arrived.

For too long, David’s foes mocked him and his trust in Yahweh, and David was powerless to overcome them.

For years, he had been crying out, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? . . .

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” (Ps. 13:1–2).

It must often have seemed to David, and to the watching world, as if the Lord had indeed forgotten him and allowed his enemies to rejoice in triumph.

But now David was in charge, and so secure in his position that he ould force his enemies to eat at his table and instead of it being a fearful and terrible thing for him it was not a symbol of his power and authority being manifest

Peter reemphasises this in

2 Peter 1:3 NASB95

seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

The second half of verse five says, “You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”

Any time we read in the Bible of the anointing of something or someone, it’s a beautiful illustration of God’s blessing. But, it’s not just a blessing for the moment or even in your current situation.

According to Bible scholar Matthew Henry and his complete commentary of the Bible written in 1710,

God’s anointing in this verse refers to Him blessing you for your entire life with the Holy Spirit so much that your cup of salvation overflows.

His anointing isn’t just to meet your needs, but also to give you “ornament and delight.”

In other words, after bringing you through the dark valley, you can look forward to the victory of reaching the Lord’s table and His anointing with the Holy Spirit.

Did you catch that?

There’s victory when you reach the other side.

It’s almost as if God pats you on the back and says, “Well done!” simply because you hung in there and trusted Him.

The whole experience serves to strengthen our faith,

draw us closer to our heavenly Father, and to realize just how faithful He truly is.

If we can grab hold of that, then we can boldly proclaim without any hesitation the truth

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

Goodness and Mercy as some translations express

When David testifies that “goodness” will follow him, he uses a Hebrew word that, as an adjective, means “beautiful” or “pleasant.”

It represents the attractive way with which God shows His love for His sheep.

God is perfectly good in His character and flawlessly good in all His actions.

Therefore, He can do only good to His beloved flock.

This is demonstrated in His attentive care for their many needs.

David also states that “lovingkindness” follows him.

This is the unconditional love of the Good Shepherd toward those whom the Father has chosen and entrusted to Him.

He loves them with His sovereign love that can never be extinguished.

Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful to us.

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Speaks of Heaven

this life is just a precursor of the existence to come

Revelation 21:4 NASB95

and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Yes this life is all we’ve known, but there is so much more to come.

1 Corinthians 13:12 NASB95

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

Let’s pray!