God's Table Series

Title: “God’s Table of Grace”

Psalms 23: 5

“You prepare a Table before me in the Presence of my Enemies.”

Over the last several weeks, we have seen some of the things that the “Good Shepherd” provides for His Sheep. Listen to what David said;

1. The Lord is my Shepherd & because of that I shall not want! He provides all of my needs.

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2. The Good Shepherd “Restores” my soul.

Restore- Filling up a depleted part. When we Lose our Spiritual Edge, God knows how to Restore Us!

3. The Good Shepherd “Leads Me” in the Path of Righteousness. He has never led me down a wrong path.

4. The Good Shepherd isn’t just with me on the Mountain Top, but He also is with me when I face the Difficult Valleys of Life.

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5. The Good Shepherd Knows how to use His Rod to Guide me & He uses His Staff to draw me close to His Side.

What was David referring to when he said, “You prepare a Table before me in the presence of my Enemies?”

Table- This was the high plateau land of the Sheep Ranges where the best grasslands were located.

I. Who Prepares This Table? God.

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The same God who Spoke & the World came into Existence. The same God who created man out of the Dust of the Ground & then Breathed into his Nostrils the Breath of Life.

I want us to look at some of the Attributes of this God who prepares a Table for His Sheep. He is known by many names that Describe His Character.

1. Jehova-Rapha- “The Lord who Heals.” When the Sheep are Sick they serve a Shepherd who knows how to Heal.

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2. Jehovah-Shammah- “The Lord Who is There.”

When you are facing a situation in your Life & you

feel so Alone, remember that He is the God who is

Always There!

3. Jehovah-Tsidkenu- When you feel like you just don’t measure up, you need to remember that “The Lord is our

Righteousness.”

4. Jehovah-Shalom- When you are facing a Test & it’s trying to Rob

you of your Peace remember, “The Lord is our Peace.”

5. Jehovah-Jireh- He is the Shepherd who will always Provide!

6. Jehovah-Nissi- When you are facing a Battle & it’s bigger than you remember, “The Lord is my Banner.”

7. Jehovah-Raah- When you are headed down a path that you have never been down remember, “The Lord is My Shepherd.”

8. Adonai- Remember that He is my Lord & Master.

9. El-Shaddai- When I feel like I just don’t measure up to the challenge, He is, “The All- Sufficient One.”

10. El-Elyon- When the Enemy Looks make me feel so small. He says, “I am the Most High God.”

II. What is Involved in the Preparation Process.

I want you to know that when the Lord prepares His Table that He doesn’t do anything halfway. The Bible says that King Solomon knew how to prepare a Great Table for his Guests.

But I want you to know that we serve someone greater than King Solomon. He is the King of King & the Lord of Lords & He has prepared a Table for you!

1. He Spends Time in the Preparation.

He doesn’t just throw something on the Table, but when God does something He does it First Class & He’s got a place for you at the Table!

2. He Puts a Lot of Love in the Preparation.

I always look forward to Thanksgiving & Christmas, because I know that my Wife is going to serve a meal fit for a King. We don’t eat Sandwiches on this day, they come afterwards.

It takes several hours for this meal to come together because she wants it to be just right;

-She puts a Special Cloth on the Table.

-She folds the Linen Napkins....

-She puts out the Finest China.

-The House is filled with the Aroma of Food!

-She makes several of my favorite Pies.

-She has enough on the table to feed 5 Families.

-Why does she go to so much Trouble?

-It’s not because she just likes to Cook!

-It’s because she Loves Her Family.

3. God Puts Things on the Table That I Need.

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When I was a little boy my mother would put some things on the Table that I wasn’t crazy about, but she knew that I needed these things, if I was going to have a Balanced Diet.

Most of us in this room like Cake, but that Delicious Cake that you eat has several ingredients & if you tried to eat them alone they wouldn’t taste very good. But when you mix them together something wonderful takes place.

Some of you might be facing some things in your Life that right now;