November 17, 2013
Stetson Memorial United Methodist
Church
Sermon
5 of Fall Series
“Shepherd
Us O God”
Psalm
144:15 The Message Bible
Psalm
68:3-4 The Message Bible
1
Chronicles 16:30-33 The Message Bible
Psalm
23:5 King James Version
“Shepherd
Me O God” by Marty Haugen
A reading from
the Psalms, Psalm 23, verse 5…listen for the voice of the Shepherd to you and
me, the sheep of His flock. (Read from the King James Bible)
Psalm 23:4 King James Version (KJV)
Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup
runneth over.
“Shepherd me O
God beyond my wants,
beyond my
needs, from death into life.
You have set
me a banquet of love in the face of hatred,
crowning me
with love beyond my pow’r to hold.. (Sing)
Oh
happy day…oh happy day…when Jesus washed…when Jesus washed …He washed my sins
away…
When we look around us, it may be hard
at times to see any kind of victory for good. We see all the death and
destruction…the dysfunction and heartache. How can we have victory with all the
evil there is in the world? All we have to do is to turn on the T.V. or pick up
a paper and hear or read about something bad happening in the world around us.
We may go through things in life because of someone else’s issues…someone
else’s sin. It can be hard to see how we can come out “on top” of situation…to
come to the other side of the valley of the shadow of death. When does goodness
win…where is the victory? When do we get our happy day?
Over the past few weeks, we have been
journeying with the Shepherd found in the 23rd Psalm, the Good
Shepherd. We have learned that we have no wants because of our Shepherd, our
Risen Lord, Jesus Christ…how we are never without Him…this same Shepherd…wants
to bring us to peaceful pastures where we can rest beside the calm streams of living
water He gives so freely to all of His sheep. We know that He is the only one
who can truly restore us and when we are restored we are guided on the path of
righteousness for His name…not our own. And when we can become “cast sheep”
stuck on our backs unable to get up …Jesus is the only one who can set us right
again. Last week, we discovered that we feel comfort from our Shepherd in those
times of trial and chaos…because we have the presence of this same Good
Shepherd because of His rod and staff. This week…we will hear how we have
victory in and with our Shepherd…we have a victory in Jesus…what a happy day we
have when we realize this fact…
You see… sometimes…life is not fair. We
see those who cheat and lie win and we just don’t understand why. We see
countries oppressing others and they seem to be winning…on top. We may feel
that we or others just can’t win…the evil that men do seems to be winning the
battle. But we are children of God and we have a Shepherd who wants the best
for us. Our Shepherd wants us to win the
day and our God always has the last word. We may never see it but we have faith
the day of reckoning will come. Oh happy
day…
The Psalms I read this morning, give us
hope. We are blessed because we have the God of the universe on our side in the
game of life. We have an advantage…an upper hand. When we see God winning the
day we can sit back and say “You go God!” But sometimes it is hard to see God
in the chaos around us. But even in those times of uncertainty…we can…as the
scripture from 1st Chronicles this morning…rejoice and be
jubilant…we can like the trees applaud as we see God making things right. The
Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm is with us.
So…we say to this Shepherd “Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth
over.” What does that mean for us? Well…the word “table” is used to refer
to the high ground that sheep go to…the plateaus of the summer grazing. Now even
though these may be high and remote, even hard to reach, the sheep owner has
taken the time and trouble to ready them for the sheep. Even before the snow
melts…the owner goes to survey the land. Then before the sheep are ready to
travel there, the owner prepare the land for them, distributing salt and
minerals and puts them in strategic spots for the sheep. If there are poisonous
weeds the owner will either plan to graze around the area or they will take
drastic measures to eradicate the weeds. The owner wants the sheep to have food
and not have to worry about getting sick. You see if the young lambs would even
take a small nibble of the poisonous weeds…they would die…
We…as the sheep of God’s pasture…like
the young sheep may at times feel we need to try everything that comes our way.
WE may feel we need to sample everything to see what it tastes like. We may not
know about those deadly things that hide in the good grass. These things can do
us no good…they are destructive…but we sometimes give it a try anyway. But our
Master…our Shepherd has been there before us dealing with every situation which
can lead to our undoing… Our Shepherd goes ahead of us in everything we
encounter and is praying for us that we may not be succumbed by it. Oh Happy day
Another thing the shepherd does is keep
an eye out for predators. The shepherd looks for signs of wolves, coyotes,
cougars, bears and the like. If for some reason they get through, the shepherd
hunts them down and traps them to keep the sheep safe. He hunts it down… Often you see the crafty ones up on the rim rock
watching every move the sheep make…waiting for the moment to make a sneak
attack and stampede the sheep. It is the shepherd who keeps them safe…it is the
shepherd’s watchful eye that can thwart this kind of attack. But it is a
difficult task. Many times these attacks happen when they are least expected… But
there are those distant sheep…the wanderers…the roamers…that are picked off by
predators in an unforeseen moment. They may not even cry out because they are
in so much fear they are frozen in their spot.
We…as the sheep…would be wise to walk
close to our Shepherd. It is our place of safety. We may get into difficulty
beyond ourselves; we are stricken dumb with fearfulness, unable to cry out for
help…we just crumble where we are. But the Good Shepherd is too concerned about
the sheep of His flock to allow this to happen. He wants our summer resting
place to be one of peace. Our mountaintop times should be tranquil…to have
stillness in our soul. We need to stay near Him through God’s word…through
spending time with the Shepherd each day.
When Jesus washed
There is another thing the shepherd does
as they are reading the table. They clear out the waterholes…the drinking
places…for the sheep. They remove the debris of leave, twigs, rocks and soil
that has fallen there over the winter. He clears the water…makes it life giving
clean water…Our Shepherd…our risen Lord Jesus Christ…has prepared the table for
us…a table of plenty with clean, life giving water…the Living Water. He goes
before us to clear the land. He knows what we are up against…He’s been there
Himself and has overcome. He even goes through the valley again, with us, and
because of this, the prospects of our preservation are excellent. Our Christian
walk truly can become a “mountaintop” experience because we are in the care and
control of the Good Shepherd. And our Shepherd does something amazing…He has
prepared the “table” for us right in the view of our enemies…those who would
demoralize and destroy us if given the chance. Don’t get me wrong…the enemy
will still try to attack…but we can rest safe in the sheepfold of the Good
Shepherd and have strength for the day. Oh
when He washed…
Now…as the shepherd is on that table
with the sheep for the summer, there is one thing that happens, as with all
animals…fly season hits… This can be a very troubling time for the sheep. As
the warm weather comes…so do the flies and pests. There are warble flies,
gnats, deer flies, mosquitoes, nose flies, black flies…just to name a few of
the types of flies they are bothered by. The most bothersome is the nose fly.
These flies buzz about their head and try to lay eggs on their damp. mucous
membranes. If they work their way up into the nasal cavity they can cause
infections. This can actually lead to blindness. At the first sign of flies,
the shepherd pours oil mad of linseed oil, tar and sulfur on their nose and
head. Once the oil is applied you see a change in the behavior of the sheep.
They are no longer upset because of the flies and they become restful again and
they lie down again in contentment. They shepherd continues to apply this oil
each day so that the sheep are free from the irritation of the flies.
We…as Christians also need to have an application of oil in our
lives…the continuous anointing of the Holy Spirit. Some believe that we only
need one “application” of oil. But our lives are filled with daily frustrations
that warrant a daily application of God’s Spirit and grace…a continuous
application in order to thwart the attack of predators. As we are in the
sheepfold we can have…no must have…the oil of joy and love that is poured over
us each and every moment because of the tender, loving care of our Shepherd. God
alone can give us peace of mind…God alone can give us the attitude of
Christ…the Shepherd alone makes it possible for us to act in peacefulness and
calmness in the face of adversity. He
washed my sins away…
Are you feeling the need of oil in your
life? Are you needing to be on that plateau…that table…with our Shepherd? Are
you needing to feel that anointing power of the Spirit in your life to make it
through each day? The Good Shepherd bids us to come to Him to be anointed by
the oil of healing…the oil of strength…the oil of gladness. Come and be made
ready for the day as you spend time with the One who gives us joy our Risen
Lord, Jesus Christ. Oh Happy day…
Shepherd us O
God beyond our wants,
beyond our
needs, from death into life.
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