Sermon Tone Analysis

S2: How do I know Eric?

My wife and I are actually great friends with his parents Chris and Deeanne

the pictures in the lower left and right part of the slide are from the short term mission trip Chris and I went on to Indonesia

the lower left is the first ever “Men of Valor” conference to minister to their men

the lower right is that we told the Cousin ladies that Chris was a rock star

S3: In commemoration of 4 July 1776, we will celebrate this historic event tomorrow.

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal...” is how it starts.

March 4, 1789, 13 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Constitution of the Unites States was signed and ratified.

“We the People of the Unites States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…some of these words may be familiar to you

S4: Let me draw your attention to the oath I took on 2 July 1973 when I was 18 1/2 years old and put on the uniform of a cadet in the United States Air Force…the fundamental oath is to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States

Oath of Allegiance to the United States (from Contrails 1973-1974)

“I Anthony Alvarez Dronkers, having been appointed an Air Force Cadet in the United States Air Force, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter.

SO HELP ME GOD.”

S5: Thank you for your service!!!

at this time we would like to recognize all those who have served or are currently serving in our armed forces.

Please stand up.

S6: Psalm 23:4

I had this verse reference inscribed into my class ring in 1976.

At the time I thought it was a cool verse and it fit the work I was learning to do

However, if you look closely at the poster the reason for not fearing is all wrong.

This poster hung in my bedroom as a young man, and so even then I had it wrong.

V4 is a statement of confidence, belief, and trust

As I began to prepare for this message, I started wondering how David came to this conclusion

Scholars don’t know when this Psalm was written.

They doubt that David wrote it as a young shepherd in the field.

There are thoughts that David wrote this after the rebellion and death of of his son Absalom.

Why does it matter?

understanding the context of why and how it was written provides insight into the construction and meaning of the Psalm.

God makes a covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7:12-17 that there would always be someone from the house of David will be on the throne for ever...

David is incredibly humbled by the covenant God has made and offers a prayer acknowledging his understanding 2 Samuel 7:27-29

This may be the context from which David writes Psalm 23.

I can’t say that for sure.

However, when we look at the construction of the Psalm, there is evidence of the realization of the covenant God made to David and the nation of Israel

SL7: SHEEP FACTS (from Janet Parshall)

I heard Janet Parshall on a podcast interview with Michael Easley (called InContext, and I would highly recommend it to you) and she was talking about owning sheep.

Since I have no experience with sheep either academically or practically, I wrote her an email and asked if she could help me understand.

She was gracious enough to take the time to reply

65/182 Bible references to sheep are talking about us...

Janet Parshall sheep facts

A) Shepherds have a saying - A sick sheep is a dead sheep.

They literally have little or no will to live if they get sick.

I have had sheep die in my arms and they literally just give up the will to live.

B) They have no natural defenses - they don't bite or kick.

They cluster together in a group when they feel threatened and that's it - NO natural defenses.

I had a neighbor's dog who got through my fence and chased one of my sheep, literally running him until the sheep dropped dead

C) They are untrustworthy by nature.

My mini donkeys will eat out of my hand and my horses loved to have me rub their noses but sheep - ah, that's a different story.

They don't trust naturally - even after all of the tender care they are given, they fail to have trust in the shepherd.

D) They are dumb - no other way to say it.

Craig and I were hiking in the hills of Scotland and we came across a shepherd tending his flock.

I told him how wonderful they were and his response was - and I quote directly - (do this with a Scottish accent) 'ACK, there's isn't a single brain cell among 'em."

E) They need protection.

I have mini donkeys because they are known as the "keeper of the herd” Because sheep have no natural defenses, donkeys will stomp to death coyotes who try to get into the flock.

As a result, the sheep shadow the donkeys where ever they go.

They trust the donkeys to protect them and visibly feel safer in their presence.

I could go on but that is a start.

Needless to say, after working and watching sheep for years, I decided that being referred to as sheep in Scripture is ANYTHING but a compliment.

It is a reminder that we are stupid, defenseless, untrustworthy, and faint of heart - and in desperate need of a Shepherd.

SL8: The LORD is my shepherd

Psalm 23:1 - 4 (NASB)

verse 1 is a declarative statement of fact: the Lord is my shepherd

for years I didn not get the second part of the sentence.

I could not understand “I shall not want.”

Why not? didn’t make sense to me and then I started really studying the passage and in theHolman Christian Standard Bible, the translation reads:

1 The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.

started to make sense, and while researching the verses I ran across a Pastor who had the same problem understanding the verse as I did.

The imagery is clearly that of a shepherd and the responsibilities for tending the flock.

don’t forget that Davis was a shepherd until God selected him to be king

Verses 2 and 3 use “He” to show what the shepherd does.

Sheep do not graze laying down, so they need to be led to where the food is so they can eat.

After they eat they can get water to drink and then lie down to rest and be restored.

Verse 3 also says He guides to paths of righteousness — the scholars say that it means to be guided to the destination.

The last part of verse 3 is amazing.

The observed reason for guiding is “for His name’s sake.”

Basically it had to do with God’s reputation.

He had made a covenant with the nation of Israel and everyone is watching to see if He keeps His Word.

I went back to the covenant God made with David to see what terms/conditions were.

God is keeping His word to David.

Verse 4 talks about life.

The shepherd had to lead the sheep through ravines and canyons to get to the right places.

There were plenty of opportunities to loose sheep to predators or rough terrain.

David recognizes that God is with him.

Right there as he walks through life.

The reason for the lack of fear is God’s presence.

Not that there won’t be challenges, but that God is right there.

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

if you look at the cartoon on the slide, the rod was a club to protect the sheep.

The staff was to guide and direct the sheep.

After Googling images of present day sheep, it is true that the current day shepherd still carry a rod and staff (although I did see on photo of a shepherd carrying a rifle....)

SL9: Shepherd Facts

we had sheep facts from Janet and now we have Shepherd Facts from observing the Bible

If the slides are clear enough you can run through the list

what I would like to point out is the dependency of the sheep on the shepherd, and the relationship with the shepherd by his constant presence

SL10: The Lord is my host

Psalm 23:5-6 (NASB)

we have to switch gears and metaphors.

Verse 5 references the responsibility of a Bedouin host to not only provide comfort to a guest in his tent, but also to provide protection from attackers

Verse 6, first part, look of your shoulder and see if goodness and lovingkindness are following you.

God is in pursuit of you and his HESED (loyal love) is based on His covenant with us...

Verse 6, last part, what an incredible statement to make.