Following The Shepherd Part 3 Of 6

Following the Shepherd

Psalms 23: 2

Ps 23

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, 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 runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever. …NKJV

Review:

Luggage of Life

We need The Lord to help us lessen our burdens. If the lord is our Shepherd, we leave the burdens at his feet.

I shall not want: He takes us to the pasture of satisfaction supplying our needs

Illustration: The Symptoms

• It afflicts 70 million Americans and is faulted for 38,000 deaths each year.

• The condition annually cost the U.S. 70 billion worth of productivity

• Teens suffer from it as 64% of teen blame it for poor school performance.

• Middle aged face it and it is most severe between ages 30-40

• Over 50% of senior citizens face it often.

• Treatment is a wide range from herbal teas to heavy medication

Any idea what is the cause? Abuse? Divorce? Long Sermons?

Answer is Insomnia

Some times when I cannot sleep, I have move over closer to Rhonda and ask the brilliant question, Are you awake?

She would then say, Quite thinking about things and go to sleep.

Therefore, I quit thinking about things and started thinking about people. As I, though of people I thought about some of you and wondered what you were doing right then. I realized you were sleeping!

People with too much to do and too little sleep need a shepherd to help them carry the baggage of life’s weariness.

America’s facts:

• One third of America is not sleeping enough

• 1910 sleep average 9 hr – 2000 sleep average 6.5 hr

• 30 tons of aspiring, sleeping pills and tranquilizers each day

• One third of America is dozing off at work, at school, while driving.

• Some even doze off during my sermons.

Burden of weariness:

Our bodies are tired but much more our souls are tired. Our mind, will and emotions are exhausted and cannot increase in effectiveness for the kingdom of God due to all the weariness we have running the kingdom of man.

Only one other living creature has as much trouble sleeping as we do.

• Dog Doze

• Bears Hibernate

• Cats nap

The only other creation of God that cannot sleep is:

• wooly

• simple minded

• In addition, very slow.

(No not a husband on Saturday morning)

Sheep

For sheep to sleep everything needs to be right:

• No treats

• no hunger

• no thirst

• No tension in the flock

• No bugs in the air.

Because sheep cannot find safe and adequate they need a shepherd

We need a shepherd also

Ps 23:2… He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters

The sheep’s job is to keep our eyes on the shepherd. With our eyes on the shepherd, we will be able to get some real rest.

Isa 26:3… He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! TLB

Ill: The Running car

• Met a friend for lunch

• Arrived at the same time

• Construction noise nearby

• Lost keys look everywhere

• Found in the ignition with the car still running.

The driver said, with all the distraction I forgot to turn it off

We do that many times, forget to turn the world off and get some rest

Have you ever notice the ten commandments. Of the ten which one occupies the most space.

• Adultery… five words

• Theft and Murder… four each

But for the topic of rest:

Ex 20:8-11… "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.