April, 2007
“Peace--A Weapon Against Satan”
Psalm 23
INTRODUCTION: Living our daily lives at home, at work, or wherever we go during the week, our sense of peace is actually a weapon against Satan. The marketplace of our lives creates many opportunities to rob us of our peace. Stress on the job, bills, breakdowns, deadlines, health problems, relationships--you name it--all of these things drain us of our peace. Most of us confess that we don’t have our weapon of peace handy when we need it the most.
How can we successfully live our daily lives in such a fast-paced, stressful world? How can we have spiritual authority over all these attacks by the enemy? Is it even possible?
When Jesus confronted the devil, he did not confront him with his emotions or with fear. His PEACE actually overwhelmed Satan as He calmly pointed him to scripture. Jesus tells us that we, too, can have a sense of overcoming PEACE that is more than adequate for our circumstances, but we have to continually remind ourselves of that fact. There is much said about peace in the scriptures. Jesus told His disciples in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you: my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” If we are His disciple, we can tap into the peace we need rather than continually being overcome by stress and worry.
1. Things that rob us of our peace--Why we are robbed:
STORY: Maria was concerned that her Mother seemed to be churned up, stressed out all the time. Every time she went to visit she learned the details of how someone had mistreated her or that she was in a fight with a neighbor over something. Something or somebody was always getting her upset. Maria had an idea.
On the next visit she took her a green ball. This ball symbolized PEACE. She told her Mother, “I am giving you this Serenity Ball. If you overreact to a situation, you are letting someone else have control. If you are not the one bouncing the ball, there is no peace.
She went on to tell her, “you are to decide how to act and feel. Only the owner can claim it back.”
“When you see this ball it is a reminder that peace is a cherished possession and we must guard it jealously.”
Sometimes we need some kind of tangible reminder when we are allowing Satan to rob us of our peace. We can regain our peace but it is something that doesn’t happen automatically.
a. Satan comes to rob us: We are robbed of our peace because it is Satan’s business to not only rob us but to “steal, kill, and destroy us” (John 10:10). We fall for it most of the time.
b. We allow it to happen.
STORY: An old man and woman was married for years even though they hated each other. When they had a confrontation, screaming and yelling could be heard deep into the night. The old man would shout, When I die, I will dig my way up out of the grave and come and haunt you for the rest of your life!”
Neighbors were afraid of him and thought that maybe he would do exactly that.
Everyone was relieved when he suddenly died of a heart attack. After the funeral his wife went straight to the local bar to party. Her neighbors were concerned about her safety and asked, “Aren’t you afraid that he might be able to dig his way out of the grave and come back to haunt you?”
The wife put down her drink and aid, “Let the old jerk dig. I had him buried upside down.”
Our fears are often as senseless as those of the townspeople. We are robbed of our peace because we buy into the lies of the enemy. Other times we allow the very real pressures of life to devastate us.
David gives us some valuable insight into our situation through the eyes of a shepherd. Let’s see what he has to say to us in Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd. You will notice a personal relationship here with the sheep which also applies to us. Scripture says, “We are his people the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3).
Do you know the shepherd? Jesus said to His disciples in the New Testament, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).
c. Don’t seek out the shepherd: The third reason I believed that we are robbed
of our peace is because we don’t take time to seek out the shepherd in order to be refreshed and restored.
2. How Do We Get Peace Back Into Our Life?: The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want. (NIV)
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. KJV
The Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need. NLTranslation.
God is my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. The Message Bible
Yet how many of us live with wants and needs--when the shepherd is right there all the time--the SOURCE of our supply.
STORY: A little girl was trying to memorize the 23rd Psalm and she didn’t quite get it right. But it was close enough. She said, “The Lord is my shepherd. That’s ALL I want!”
In our stress-filled lives we need PEACE and the verse goes on to tell us “He makes me to lie down in green pastures and leads me besides quiet waters.” This is a picture of peacefulness. When we come to Jesus just as we are--stressed out and churned up--we find the still, peaceful, refreshing water--not violent torrents which would terrify and sweep us away. We can picture gentle flowing water, peaceful, still water. Water is refreshing and Jesus said, “I give you the water of life” (John 4).
Coming to Jesus as a sheep to the shepherd is the first stage in our spiritual history. Matthew 11:28, 29 invites us, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”
We must take time to come aside, to get to know the shepherd. Anxiety is impossible when his strong care is evident. He gives us personal calm and mental ease. He knows where the quiet, refreshing waters are and He knows where the green grass is. We can rest awhile. We don’t have to eat on the run. People today say, “I’m always on the run. Going here and going there. Don’t have time for anything. Catch you later.” We do the same with God.
The sheep in verse 2 are not “on the run.” They lie down in green pastures--they are relaxing and basking in the refreshing green pastures. When you come to church you are coming to green pastures--to hear from heaven, to relax, to become refreshed for the week ahead. The refreshing water and the green grass is not an end in itself. It is for the purpose of renewing us so we can resume our journey. So we can go out into the world and help someone else. We do not isolate ourselves from the undesirable circumstances of life. We pull aside to be renewed so we can start out once again. Where can we find places for renewal? Where is our green grass and refreshing water?
When we go to a Bible study, Sunday school, a share group, prayer group, getting into the study of the scriptures for ourselves--seeking out the refreshing that brings calmness and peace to our lives, we will find that peace becomes a mighty weapon against Satan’s tactics.
The shepherd’s presence provided protection and assurance to the sheep that nothing is going to harm them. Likewise, God’s presence provides tranquillity in the midst of turbulence and peace in the midst of our storms.
When we worry and fret about things, it not only injures us; but it is an insult against God. We are saying to Him that even though He was able to create the world out of nothing, that we have a problem that He can’t handle.
3. A Long-Term Covenant With Us: Many of us fear that the Lord will abandon us in the middle of the journey.
ILLUSTRATION: When we went to the New England states on one of our first trips, we were very carefully following a trip tik. We turned down all of the roads and all of a sudden we came to a narrow dirt road. All of a sudden the road ran out. We had to back up.
Our shepherd does not lead us down a dead end road or lose us on a detour. He does not leave us there but leads us through. We have the assurance of continual shepherding.
As a part of this continual shepherding there is a place of walking with God where you simply fear no evil. David faced a lion, a bear, and a giant. In this particular Psalm he stood in the “shadow of death itself” yet he “feared no evil.” Why? Because David’s trust was in the Lord. He said, “for you are with me” (v. 4). and “your rod and staff comfort me.” Because God is with you, every adversity you face will unfold in victory as you maintain your faith in God.
Surrounded by the deepest perils, care is still available to you. The rod was used by the owner to count the sheep. In Leviticus 27:32, it is referred to as “passing under the rod.” He counts me as His own. The rod is not there to beat us but to count us. He knows we are there. And the staff gives support to the weak. Even in times when we are walking strictly by faith and things are at their worst, His rod counts us as his own and His staff gives us comfort. The word of God is a prop to support us and a defense against Satan and the powers of darkness.
Verse 5 says that in spite of being surrounded by enemies, He prepares a table for us. The Lord can give us good things even when we are surrounded by evil just as when things are going great for us. Covenants were often concluded with a meal expressing the bond of friendship.
God’s care for us is not SEASONAL but constant and abundant. The shepherd knows how to lead through deep ravines where the steep narrow slopes keep out the light. He can lead us through the uncertainties of our life the same way. The shepherd who guides the sheep is always with the sheep and it shows his personal involvement with the sheep. The presence and guidance of the Lord go together. He is bound by His Name to be present with His people.
This Psalm concludes by telling us that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Not only will the shepherd be with us during our lifetime, He will complete the journey by taking us on to heaven one day.
CONCLUSION: The Source of God’s peace is God Himself. If fear knocks at your door, begin to face that fear with God’s peace as you come to the shepherd for restoration, for the reviving water and the tender green grass.
Is it possible to have peace right in the middle of our chaotic lifestyle? Peace, a weapon against Satan?
Yes. Scripture tells us in II Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.”
Peace is possible but we must COME ASIDE OFTEN to receive the restoration of our peace. Otherwise we will be running on an empty tank. How do we get to this place of peace? We must go back to the shepherd often. I Peter 3:11 says, “whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and do good. He must seek peace and pursue it.” Make it a priority today.
Shall we pray:
