19 July 2009
Pentecost Sunday
U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris
Fortress Chapel
Contingency Operation Site (C.O.S.) Sykes
Tall-afar, Iraq
BIG IDEA: The Lord provides spiritual nourishment, the comfort of life and fellowship for those who follow Him.
REFERENCES: Green Pastures – a metaphor for spiritual nourishment, the comfort of life and fellowship; 2 Corinthians 12:7 (KJV) Paul’s thorn in the flesh; Ezekiel 1:16 (KJV) The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel; Jeremiah 51:20 (KJV) Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations; Luke 19:10 (ESV) For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost; Luke 15:1-7 (ESV) The Lost Sheep; Isaiah 1:18 (ESV) “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool;” Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 (ESV); Psalm 22 (KJV); Psalm 23 (KJV); Psalm 24 (KJV); Ephesians 2:11-22 (ESV); Acts 20:28-31 (ESV) Pay careful attention to yourselves and all the flock, in which the holy spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them; 1 Peter 5:1-4 (ESV) shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory; Ezekiel 34:1-10 (ESV) Prophecy against the Shepherds of Israel; John 21:15-17 (ESV) When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep; Hebrews 5:12-14 (ESV) For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: Psalm 23:1-3a (KJV)
II. READ THE PERICOPE: Psalm 23:1-3a (KJV)
III. READ THE TEXT: Psalm 23:1-3a (KJV) He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul:
IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers to affirm to others that the Lord provides spiritual nourishment, the comfort of life and fellowship for those who follow Him.
V. SERMONIC THEME: “Green Pastures”
VI. INTRODUCTION: It has been said that in the ancient Middle East sheep were precious symbols of wealth. Their wool provided yarn for clothing; their bodies were preferred for sacrifice. Yet sheep are dependent creatures who must be guided to food and water and protected from wild animals.
Yet it was also understood that Sheep could not survive alone in the wild, but must always be in the company of a shepherd. The Middle Eastern shepherd loved his sheep, gave each one a name, and cared for each one tenderly.
In fact, many shepherds would interpose himself (or step-in) between wild beasts and his sheep, and at night the shepherd would lay down and sleep in the doorway to his sheepfold. Any enemy would have to pass him to attack his flock. It was natural for Shepherds to love their sheep. The phrase Green Pastures is a metaphor for” spiritual nourishment, the comfort of life and fellowship for those who follow Him.”
What a wonderful notion it is for us whom Scripture sees as sheep that God presents Himself as our shepherd and provider.
He leads us, protects us, and because He is always with us, we fear no evil. Can someone help me say, “Green Pastures”.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 1: In the late 90s, during a revival in New York City, Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne (a South African Preacher) popularized the phrase, “Jesus – Friend of Sinners; Friend of Mine.”
a. Likewise, Jesus is also a friend of mine. I can always count on Him when I can’t count on anyone else.
b. Many of you have heard the age old axiom (or adage) – “Don’t do as I do; but do as I say”.
c. This particular saying is usually uttered by someone who is carefully justifying his own behavior in an attempt to teach the proper behavior.
d. However, in contrast to this perspective, Jesus’ life (in bodily form while here on earth) taught us that His life’s audio matched his life’s video.
e. In other words, His words matched his actions.
f. In short, Jesus would say to us in Iraq today – “do as you see me do.”
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 2: Consequently, throughout the Good Book and the New Testament, in particularly, we find Jesus not only emphasizing His ministry to the poor and outcast members of society.
a. But we also find Him putting into practice what He had been saying by Fellowshipping with the tax collectors and sinners.
b. For who can ever forget the parable of “The Lost Sheep” in Luke 15:1-7 (ESV).
c. For don’t you remember, this particular parable was one of three that were given in response to the criticism of the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus had received sinners and even ate with them.
d. Now, my brothers and sisters, these so called “sinners” that they were referring to were actually Jews …
e. … Who were not obeying the Law or the traditions of the elders and were therefore “outcasts” in Israel.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 3: They were NOT considered a part of the “In Crowd”.
a. They were the “Outcast” of society.
b. They were the ones that had been told that they would never amount to anything.
c. All of their life they were told that they were failures and would be failures.
d. They were unpopular in school and in their community; often put down and made fun of at the bus stop and on the school bus.
e. Their parents didn’t have much and the clothes they wore were evidence of that truth.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 4: Still, Jesus made it clear that He came to save sinners and not self-righteous people like the sanctified ones in the community who thought themselves better …
a. … Because of the neighborhood they lived in, the church they attended or their job or position in the military.
b. Jesus loves sinners like you and me.
c. Jesus saw that the “sinners” were lost and without the proper spiritual nourishment.
d. In the mind of our Lord - they were lost sheep who needed a shepherd;
e. lost coins that had value and needed to be put back into circulation;
f. … And lost sons who needed to be in fellowship with the Father Himself.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 5: So (in our parable this morning) if you would allow your imagination to work with you, Jesus reminds us all that First Sergeants are responsible for each of their Soldiers;
a. Therefore, if one is AWOL (or absent without leave) or killed in combat, the First Sergeant must make up for it himself. He must make the necessary adjustment to his company because every sheep counts.
b. Soldiers are often AWOL because of their own stupidity; like sheep they wander away and fail to see the danger they are in.
c. Like sheep, they lose the comfort of the Green Pastures of “life in the company” and expose themselves to the waywardness (and unruliness) of life.
d. Today, Jesus has come in our midst to SEARCH the chapel for our spiritually lost Soldiers and to Save them when He find them.
e. For don’t your remember, the Good Books says (in Luke 19:10 ESV): “ … the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 6: It doesn’t matter what the Soldier has done; Jesus (like a Good First Sergeant) is searching today for the spiritually lost Soldier.
a. Someone who has been making one mistake after another; someone who needs some positive guidance in their life and has been afraid to ask for it;
b. Someone has asked the question – what does it mean to be lost?
c. Someone who isn’t aware that Lost means you are like a Soldier/Troop that is spiritually AWOL, …
d. … and away from the safety of the First Sergeant and the Green Pastures of nourishment, and the comfort of Life and fellowship.
e. LOST means You are off track – you’re gone astray!
f. You’re lost to yourself – because you don’t know where you are or suppose to be in God.
g. You can’t even find your way back.
h. The altar is less then 50 feet from you and you don’t have the will-power to get there.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 7: You’re even lost to God.
a. For LOST means you’re away from familiar people and surroundings …
b. … and you’re in a dangerous outlining area in the midst of unfamiliar faces where nobody knows your name.
c. Outside of the First Sergeant’s care and preclusion from temptations and bad influences.
d. First Sergeant of Shepherds (JESUS) is searching for you; and WHEN He finds you (because it just a matter of time – but First Sergeant of Shepherds – Jesus - will find you).
e. It may take a while but the Army of God is on His side.
f. He is going to find you and when He does; He’s going to rejoice and celebrate.
g. But not only is the First Sergeant of Shepherds is going to rejoice and celebrate, but – your fellow sheep are going to celebrate too – because we’re going to have a cook-out …
h. because someone that had been Spiritually AWOL has returned to GREEN PASTURES (the nourishment of God’s WORD, and the comfort of life and fellowship for those who follow the Shepherd).
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 8: For don’t you remember David, after feeling like God-himself had Forsaken him in Psalm 22, initially cried out (in Psalm 22:1 ESV): My God, my God, why have you forsaken me .
a. In other words, like David sometimes we can pray constantly day and night and still feel like God isn’t listening to us.
b. Because there is NO ANSWER.
c. But, I stop by here today to remind you that NO ANSWER is not an option with God.
d. He always ANSWERS. Sometimes His answers cause our situations to remain the same.
e. But, He always answers.
f. For who can ever forget Paul (in 2 Corinthians 12:7 KJV) prayed 3 times for God to remove the thorn in his flesh; but the Lord answer to Paul’s Prayer was – “my grace is sufficient”.
g. In other words, my brothers and sisters, hang on in there …you have just what you need from the Lord, and it’s going to be alright!
h. The devil is a liar. God isn’t only listening; but it times like these that He is carrying us through the situation and the circumstances of life!
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 9: David said in Psalm 22:1 (ESV): My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
a. The only thing that David found encouragement in was the fact that he remembered his ancestors and how God had answered their prayers.
b. Likewise, my brothers and sisters, sometimes the only confident and assurance we have is our Biblical Ancestors like Uncle Jeremiah 51:20a (KJV) who said: in the time of war …
c. … Thou art my battle axe …
d. or Granddaddy Ezekiel who said (in Ezekiel 1:16 KJV) that Lord is the “wheel in the middle of the wheel”.
e. In our text this morning, we find David using the images of a sheep in the care of a shepherd when he says:
f. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
g. He restoreth my soul:
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 10: In other words: David first experience from the First Sergeant of Shepherds was spiritual nourishment.
a. The Lord fed him spiritual food.
b. David was made to lie down in the Word of God. Sometimes God has to make us lie down in his WORD to ultimately receive the peace that we SO NEED from HIM.
c. The Good Book says that David was led as a Shepherd leads his sheep to fresh grass for feeding. GREEN PASTURES represents the GRASS of GOD’s WORD.
d. Green Pastures was not only food for the sheep; but a peaceful place of fellowship with other sheep.
e. Likewise, my brothers and sisters, the Lord leads his followers to a peaceful place of comfort and fellowship where they are nourished in the Word of God.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 11: The Second experience of David was spiritual restoration.
a. As the First Sergeant of Shepherds leads his sheep to easy flowing waters to restore their lost energy…
b. … to clean themselves up and to refresh their souls.
c. Likewise, our Shepherd leads us to restoration,
d. He restores the backslider and AWOL sheep; and He forgives us of all of our sin and makes us lie down in GREEN PASTURES …
e. … because HE knows that the only way that we will be kept on this side of heaven … is through the nourishment of GOD word and the fellowship of other sheep.
e. And in GREEN PASTURES, we find the spiritual nourishment of GOD’S WORD, ..
f. … the comfort of life and fellowship for those who follow Him.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
CELEBRATION: (Psalm 23 KJV) It’s not surprising to hear David (a former shepherd) say:
The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in GREEN PASTURES:
He leadeth me beside the still waters. Waters that aren’t moving because He’s aware of my fears!
Sometimes, I don’t want to lie down … but He makes me!
He makes me lie down in GREEN PASTURES where the WORD is fresh.
He restoreth my soul:
When I feel weak, alienated and rejected….
When I have gone spiritually AWOL into the BROWN PASTURES OF LIFE; GOD RESTORES ME!
He restoreth my soul:
I hear David saying … I can’t speak for you, you and you; but the LORD restoreth my SOUL!
MY SOUL! MY SOUL!
