11/16/08

“He makes me lie down in green pastures,”

[Scripture Introduction]

As I said last week, like I will say every week we look at Psalm 23, a sheep’s greatest need is for a good Shepherd. Our greatest need is for the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd knows what sheep need in order to flourish. And one of those things that are absolutely essential in order for us to flourish is rest.

You may know the Psalm, but do you know the Shepherd? Do you trust the shepherd?

Our greatest need is for a shepherd.

[Scripture Reading] Let’s stand and recite together Psalm 23.

[Prayer for illumination]

[Sermon Introduction]

A University of Maryland grad was having some physical problems and her doctorstated that she had to drink warm water one hour before breakfast. And if she did that every day for a week, he promised her that she would feel better.

At the end of a week she returned and the doctor asked if she was feeling better. She said she actually felt worse. The doctor was shocked.

"Did you drink warm water an hour before breakfast each day?" He asked.

"No," replied the Maryland grad, "All I could do each morning was about 15 minutes each!"

We have some interesting things that keep us busy don’t we?

Sometimes we can get some bad advice that keeps us busy, like the guy who instructed to sit in the corner of a circular room.

Sometimes we can keep busy by reading bad books. I came across the Idiot’s Guide to time management. The first edition had two sentences. The first sentence said,“To keep someone entertained for hours, read the next sentence.” Then the next sentence said, “To keep someone entertained for hours, read the previous sentence." As you can probably guess, it didn't sell very well. So the author re-wrote it. This time, because people have such a short attention span the 2nd edition went: "To keep someone busy for hours, re-read this sentence." It's doing pretty good. However, the third edition is in the works. It will say, "Re-read this line."

So we can keep busy by getting bad advice, we can keep busy reading bad books. We can even keep busy by going tobad websites.

Did you know that there is a website out there that says if you want to keep busy for a long time, click here? When you click on the button, it takes you to page two which says the exact same thing, if you want to stay busy for a long time, click here. When you click on it, it takes you to page 3. It kept going like that.

I was little disappointed that it only went up to page sixty.

There are all sorts of things out there to keep us busy. After I had worked my way through the 60 pages, I decided to see what people had to say about being too busy.

College Student, “I agree with the people that say they feel they do a lot of extra stuff but don’t feel busy. I always have something to do that is extra which could be avoided, however, that is a part of life. How could a person live with themselves if they didn’t do extra curricular activities? They would be the laziest person in the world and would probably have a problem with social conditions, preventing them from engaging in the real world. Without extra activities to keep the mind occupied I feel many individuals would encounter mental health problems that may be hard to counter.”

Another person said this:“It is hard to say if we are "too busy". I am glad that most of my time is occupied because it makes the days go by more quickly.”

A variety of studies have been done on this subject of being too busy and what researchers tell us is that a large percentage of the population is too busy to eat lunch, too busy to sleep the recommended 8 hours a night. When it came to the election, the number one reason why people said they didn’t vote, they were too busy.

We shouldn’t be surprised that all this research is saying America is worn out. We saw it in the election. We were tired of it and were glad when it was over. We are tired of the war in Iraq.

I suspect many of you are like most Americans and you too are tired. You’re worn out. You are exhausted from your job or from the stresses and politics of your job, or from looking for a job. Some of you are tired from battling health problems. Some of you are tired of the financial strain of our economy. Some of you are worn out from your family. The emotional stress from caring for family or friends has taken a toll on you and you’re tired of it. Others of you are tired of battling sin. You’re tired of trying to put down the old man.

The truth about who we are is that we need rest. We need rest in order to grow, in order to mature, in order to learn, and in order to heal. Rest is a vital part of our very survival.

And there is only one place where we can actually find the rest that we need, that is in the presence of the Good Shepherd.

You see, sheep need to be able to lie down and relax if they are going to thrive and flourish. A sheep needs rest if it is going to be healthy.

The same goes for us. So the question is where do you go for rest? Some of the common solutions are alcohol, drugs, video games, sports, and food. But the problem with those things is that they never actually give us what we were expecting.

How many of you have ever fallen asleep watching TV. Let’s say you fall asleep in the most comfortable recliner in the world. Your spouse, being the good spouse that they are, know you were exhausted from a long day at your job, turns of the TV and covers you up with a blanket. What invariably happens in the middle of the night? You wake up, usually with a stiff neck. And then you discover that the sleep you did get in the chair wasn’t very good and it only makes sleeping in your own bed more difficult.

When we turn to drugs, alcohol, video games, sports or anything else other than Jesus Christ for rest, we never find the satisfying rest that we so deeply crave. A sheep left on its own will rarely find conditions suitable for the rest it needs. Apart from Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, you and I will not find conditions suitable for the rest we need.

Apart from the Shepherd, the sheep will not find rest. So let me ask each of you, are you able to rest? Are you able to lay your head down at night and fall asleep? Are you able to forget about your job for an entire day, the Lord’s Day? Are you able to live comfortably each and every day knowing that your eternal rest is secure?

If the answer is no to any or all of those questions, there is a problem with your faith. If you are unable to find rest, you need to re-evaluate your faith. If you remember back to my sermon on Sola Fide a few weeks ago, I described faith as the empty hand, made alive by the Holy Sprit, grasping and clinging onto Jesus Christ. If you are grasping and clinging onto Christ, and not your own efforts, you will find rest. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

When you come to Christ, you will find rest for your souls. But the only way to come to Christ is with open hands. “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” says the hymn.

[Proposition] We must trust our shepherd! The empty hands of faith are necessary in order to come to Christ and in Christ’s presence we will find rest. Sheep always find rest in the presence of the Good Shepherd.

There are two reasons why sheep will always find rest in the presence of the Good Shepherd:

1) The Good Shepherd will remove the external obstacles.

2) The Good Shepherd will remove the internal obstacles.

[MP1] Sheep are timid, fearful creatures. They will not lie down unless there are free from certain hindrances.

[sp1] First, for a sheep to lie down, it must be free from fear.

[Exposition]

If a sheep senses danger, it can’t afford to lie down because its only means of escape is to run. Every moment it has to spend getting up from the ground before it begins running away is a moment lost. A sheep can’t afford to lie down unless it is safe.

A good Shepherd will go to great lengths to make sure that His sheep are safe. He will go out and drive off the bear or the lion so that his flock is safe. But just because the Shepherd is off driving away the enemies of the sheep doesn’t mean the sheep are going to rest. It is the presence of the shepherd that not only makes the sheep feel safe, but it is the presence of the Shepherd that actually makes the sheep safe.

[Illustration]

We have lots of things to fear in this life. If you have ever had your house or apartment broken into, it doesn’t seem to matter how much repair work you do, or even if you move to another house in another state, sometimes those feelings of insecurity still come back if you hear just the right sound at just the right time.

Some of you might be afraid of bullies at work or at school. You might be afraid of doing a poor job and therefore getting fired from your job. You might even be afraid of death itself. The Bible does call death our final enemy. And many people are terrified of it. Some of us are afraid to stand before God.

We have all of these different fears we face in life and in death. All off these different things strip us of our security.

But, when we are in the presence of our Good Shepherd, everything changes. The good Shepherd goes before us. He fights the enemies of His sheep. And He is always victorious. Romans 8:37 assures us, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Paul continued, “For I am sure that neither death nor life; nor angels; nor rulers; nor things present; nor things to come; nor powers; nor height; nor depth; nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Everything changes when you are in the presence of the Good Shepherd. Instead of having to fend for ourselves, our shepherd will defend us and protect us and cause us to flourish. “He makes us lie down in green pastures.” He gives us rest. Do you trust in the Good Shepherd?

[sp2]Second, for a sheep to lie down, it must be free from friction.

[Exposition]

You have all probably heard of a pecking order among chickens. Well, sheep have something like that. It is called a butting order. Sheep will compete against each other until one sheep has established superiority over the others. The other sheep will compete until there is a strict order. The sheep at the top of that ladder gets to choose the best place for grazing and the best place for resting. The problem is that for the sheep at the top, they must be constantly on guard against another sheep coming into their territory and challenging them.

So, the higher up a sheep is, the more vigilant it must be in protecting its space. But when the shepherd shows up, everything changes. The sheep’s attention shifts from being selfish to being focused on the shepherd.

One of the most interesting things about the butting order of sheep is that it is the sheep at the bottom that get the most attention from the Shepherd. The ones at the bottom are the ones that are picked on and beat up by the top sheep. So the Shepherd keeps His bottom sheep closer because they need extra care and protection.

When the Shepherd is not visible to the sheep, the top sheep immediately begin to exert their superiority over the bottom sheep. The Top Sheep are actively protecting, and claiming their positions from the lower sheep. And the lower sheep are constantly on the look out for a high sheep to come and kick them from their place. The result is that there is friction in the flock and none of the sheep are able to rest.

It is no different in Christ’s flock. When we take our eyes off Christ, or when he has removed himself from our immediate vision, almost immediately we go back to fending for ourselves. We go back to looking out for ole number 1.

How often when we see a brother fall do we want to distance ourselves from them? “We’re not like them. We’re real Christians.”

Or how many times have people argued for their preference of church decorations to the detriment of the body. I still find it hard to believe that churches have actually split over the color of carpet. I shouldn’t but I do. When we take our eyes off of the Good Shepherd, the only other place we will look is for our own well being. And if having hot pink carpet in this sanctuary is what I think is most spiritual, and my eyes aren’t on Christ, you can be sure I would either get my way or go somewhere where I would get my way.

This is the attitude of many Christians today. I am going to go to a church that meets my needs. I am going to go to a church where I can exert some control and where people will listen to me.

But when our Jesus shows up, everything changes. Who cares about the color of the carpet as long as the shepherd is pleased with it? Worship Style? Again, doesn’t matter as long as the worship is pleasing to the Shepherd. Now, we can and ought to debate what is pleasing to the Lord. We ought to examine deeply and thoroughly the scriptures that teach us how to worship. But if we are within those parameters, let us not quarrel over traditional or contemporary, but let us fix our gaze on the object of our worship, Jesus Christ.

See when there is friction among God’s people, it is hard to rest. When there is internal strife in a church, it can be hard to focus on Jesus. But, when Jesus is visible, the friction in the body disappears.

Everything changes when you are in the presence of the Good Shepherd. Instead of having to establish ourselves, our Shepherd will establish us, protect us and cause us to flourish. He makes us lie down in green pastures. He gives us rest. Do you trust in the Good Shepherd or are you striving to be one of the “top sheep?”

[sp3]Third, for a sheep to lie down, it must be free from pests. When sheep have fleas or lice, or ticks, they are uncomfortable. So they are standing up, stomping their feet and are ready to bolt to the nearest place of relief.

As Christians, we face various pests. Although we cannot ever go back to being fully being a worldly person, the world still encroaches upon us. The world still pesters us with temptations. You need a newer car. You need the newest electronics. You need the newest I-phone. As one author said, “Inch by inch, Satan tries to paint the world grey and even white in the heart of the believer, covering up its former blackness.”

Some of us have to struggle with deep theological questions, like how do we know there is a God?” Others have to fight the constant barrage of impure thoughts coming from the TV. Others have to fight the pressure to “fit in” put on them by co-workers or family or friends.

There are almost an unlimited number of ways that Satan will try to lure Christians back to a worldly life style. Satan and his minions will constantly be pricking believers so as to wear them down.

Sometimes when the pests are bad enough, the shepherd will take his sheep and actually dip them in something like a flea bath. As our Good Shepherd, Jesus not only paying attention to the fleas and the ticks of the world, but he is also making sure they never overwhelm us. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and when we are tempted He will also provide a way out.

But even more than that, we are given the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit cleanses us, sanctifies us, heals us, comforts us, and transforms us.

[Transition]We face many struggles in this life. We face many obstacles that keep us from resting in our Savior. Fear, friction, and pests, are all external obstacles than can and do prevent us from resting in the lap of Jesus. But what really keeps us from resting, is our own internal obstacles.

[MP2] So we need a Good shepherd who can not only remove the external obstacles, but we also need a Good Shepherd who can deal with our internal obstacles as well.