Sermons for September 20, 2009
Sermon Series: Sermons from Psalm 23
Sermon #1: God’s Answer to Worry
Scripture Ref: Psalm 23:1-6
Introduction:
The 23rd Psalm is the MOST BELOVED PSALM of the BIBLE. It is by far the MOST POPULAR READING at FUNERALS. However, this PSALM is not just a SOURCE of COMFORT to those who GRIEVE for the DEAD. This PSALM is COMFORT for those of us who STRUGGLE with the CARES & the TOILS & the STRESSES of EVERY DAY LIFE.
In PSALM 23 we find REVEALED 7 CAUSES of DAILY STRESS & GOD’S ANSWERS to them.
This morning we look at the 1st CAUSE of STRESS --- WORRY.
WORRY: We all WORRY to some extent. We WORRY about our FINANCES, our MARRIAGES, our CHILDREN, our HEALTH, & our FUTURE.
However there are 3 PROBLEMS with WORRY:
1: WORRY is UNHELPFUL:
WORRY never ACCOMPLISHES ANYTHING GOOD.
WORRY never SOLVES ANYTHING.
WORRY is like RACING our CAR ENGINE. We create a lot of smoke & NOISE but we don’t go anywhere.
WORRY CANNOT CHANGE the PAST.
WORRY CANNOT CHANGE the FUTURE.
The ONLY THING that WORRY can do is make TODAY MISERABLE.
WORRY is UNHELPFUL, it does not work.
2: WORRY is UNREASONABLE:
WORRY EXAGGERATES OUR PROBLEMS. Never MINIMIZIES
WORRY makes MOUNTAINS out of MOLEHILLS.
WORRY takes our PROBLEMS & BLOWS THEM OUT of PURPORTION in the IMAGINATIONS of our MINDS.
The MORE we WORRY about SOMETHING the MORE it LOOKS INSURMOUNTABLE & IMPOSSIBLE to OVERCOME.
But no matter HOW MUCH we WORRY it NEVER CHANGES THINGS for the BETTERMENT.
WORRY only makes us GROW WEAKER & WEARIER.
WORRY is TOTALLY USELESS.
3: WORRY is UNHEALTHY:
Our BODIES were NOT MADE to WORRY.
WORRY causes ULCERS – BACKACHES – INSOMNIA – HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE HEART ATTACKS – STROKES – DIABETES – MISCARRIAGES -- STRESS & LORD knows what else.
ANIMALS & PLANTS don’t WORRY.
The ONLY THING that WORRIES about SOMETHING in all of GOD’S CREATION is PEOPLE.
We WORRY when we were NOT MADE to WORRY.
The OLD ENGLISH WORD for WORRY is the word “TO STRUGGLE” or “TO CHOKE”
That is WHAT WORRY DOES to us; it CHOKES the LIFE out of us.
We were NOT BORN WORRYING. We have to LEARN to WORRY.
But the GOOD NEWS is that IF we LEARNED to WORRY then we can UNLEARN to WORRY.
WHAT is the ANSWER to WORRY?
#1: BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF US:
That is EXACTLY WHAT DAVID is saying in this 23rd PSALM.
Psalm 23:1 ‘The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
Another version of the Scripture says it this way:
‘The LORD is my shepherd, I have everything I need.’
DAVID once served as a SHEPHERD as he TENDED his father’s SHEEP on the JUDEAN HILLSIDES. He knew the RESPONSIBILITY & the OBLIGATION & the DUTIES of the SHEPHERD.
If we could BELIEVE that GOD is OUR SHEPHERD; that HE is going to TAKE CARE of us, then we would have NO NEED to WORRY about ANYTHING.
We just simply BE the SHEEP & allow GOD to be the SHEPHERD.
WHEN we MAKE the LORD OUR SHEPHERD HOW is THAT the ANSWER to our WORRIES?
The TRUST comes WHEN we REALIZE WHAT a SHEPHERD IS:
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#1: A SHEPHERD PROVIDES.
He provides FOOD, SHELTER, & the BASIC NECESSITIES for the SHEEP.
#2: A SHEPHERD PROTECTS:
He defends the SHEEP against the ENEMIES that are LURKING ABOUT.
#3: A SHEPHERD GUIDES:
HE LEADS the SHEEP when they become CONFUSED & don’t know WHICH WAY to go.
#4: A SHEPHERD CORRECTS:
Any PROBLEM that comes along he CORRECTS IT.
The AMAZING THING is this:
GOD has PROMISED to DO these FOUR THINGS in our lives if we will TRUST HIM, if we will ALLOW HIM to be OUR SHEPHERD.
GOD declares:
I will PROVIDE for you. All of your NEEDS will be met.
I will PROTECT you. NOTHING will HARM you
I will GUIDE you. I will LEAD YOU to WHERE you need to be.
I will CORRECT the PROBLEMS that are in your lives. THINGS you CANNOT do.
If you will LET ME BE YOUR SHEPHERD
Isaiah 40:11 ‘GOD takes care of HIS people like a SHEPHERD.’
GOD even gets more specific in
Philippians 4:19 “My GOD shall supply all your needs according to HIS riches in glory through CHRIST JESUS.’
There is NO RECESSION when it comes to GOD’S RICHES.
Now that doesn’t say GOD will meet all OUR GREED.
There is a DIFFERENCE between WANTS & NEEDS.
If GOD met all of OUR WANTS we’d be the MOST SPOILED BRATS in the universe.
When GOD says “I WILL” then that puts HIS CHARACTER at RISK. If HE doesn’t do that HE becomes a LIAR.
& basically that is what WORRY does. It says to GOD we DO NOT BELIEVE HIM.
HOW DO WE MAKE GOD OUR SHEPHERD?
ACCEPT JESUS as the LORD of our lives:
Let’s look again at Psalm 23: 1
‘The LORD is my SHEPHERD…’
The 1st thing is this:
Before the LORD can be our SHEPHERD HE 1st must be our LORD.’
The LORD can’t be OUR SHEPHERD until the SHEPHERD is OUR LORD.
The TWO go together.
What does the WORD – LORD mean?
It means to BE IN CONTROL, to RULE
To ACCEPT JESUS as OUR LORD means 3 THINGS:
#1: We LISTEN to HIM:
John 10: 14, 27 ‘JESUS said, I am the good shepherd, & know MY sheep, & am known of mine. 27: MY sheep hear MY voice, & I know them, & they follow ME.’
Note these 3 WORDS:
KNOW – HEAR – FOLLOW
We PUT HIM in TOTAL CONTROL of our lives.
Do you know WHY WE WORRY?
REASON WHY WE WORRY:
1: Because we’re NOT in CONTROL:
That is the ROOT behind all WORRY.
GOD won’t play Co-Pilot of our lives.
I recall the words to a song written by Lanny Wolfe several years ago.
If HE’S not LORD of EVERYTHING, then HE’S NOT LORD at all.
So in order for the LORD to be OUR SHEPHERD HE 1st must be LORD of our lives.
IS HE?
If we are living our life WITHOUT the LORD in CONTROL we ought to WORRY.
For MOST of the things in life we CANNOT CONTROL.
#2: BEGIN PRAYING ABOUT EVERYTHING:
PRAY about all the STUFF we generally WORRY ABOUT.
& IF we don’t have TIME to PRAY then we don’t have TIME to WORRY.
WORRY doesn’t CHANGE THINGS but PRAYER DOES.
When PROBLEMS POP UP that we CANNOT HANDLE we have TWO OPTIONS:
1: We can WORRY,. which does NOTHING for the PROBLEM:
2: We can PRAY unto the LORD
Philippians 4:6 ‘Be careful for nothing, (don’t be worrisome), but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’
Paul tells us to PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING:
If it is BIG ENOUGH to WORRY ABOUT it is BIG ENOUGH to PRAY ABOUT.
I Peter 5: 7 ‘Casting all your care upon HIM; for HE cares for you.’
CAST means to UNLOAD, to LET IT GO.
The GREEK WORD means to DROP.
So WHATEVER we’re STRESSED about, WORRIED about, IRRITATED about,
CAST it all upon HIM. DUMP it on HIM. UNLOAD it.
Just don’t CAST like we do when we go FISHING. We REEL it back it.
WORRY is like a DEEP FOG.
It has been PROVEN that if you take a very DENSE FOG that covers 7 square blocks of a city, 100 feet deep, & CONDENSE the FOG it would only be enough MOISTURE to fill LESS than one GLASS of WATER.
& that is WHAT WORRY DOES it EXPANDS & EXAGGERATES our PROBLEMS:
#3: CONSIDER ALL THINGS ONE DAY AT A TIME:
GOD wants us to FOCUS, CONCENTRATE & CONSIDER whatever we’re FACING just ONE DAY at a TIME.
Matthew 6:34 “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow for GOD will take care of tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.’
JESUS is saying: ‘Don’t open your umbrella until it starts to rain.’
TODAY is the TOMORROW that we WORRIED about YESTERDAY.
WORRY doesn’t do ANYTHING about YESTERDAY.
WORRY cannot CONTROL TOMORROW.
WORRY only MESSES UP TODAY.
The FUTURE can be OVERWHELMING. Therefore GOD put it into TINY INCREMENTS of 24 HOUR PIECES at a time. So we are to LIVE ONE DAY at a TIME.
When JESUS taught us HOW to PRAY HE said:
Matthew 6:11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’
OVERCOMING WORRY is a DAY to DAY CHOICE.
There is NOT a MAGIC PILL that keeps us from WORRYING.
The KEY to OVERCOMING WORRY is the DAY by DAY & even HOUR by HOUR DECIDING to place our TRUST in JESUS as OUR SHEPHERD.
REALIZING that GOD is IN CONTROL of OUR LIVES:
GOD is CALLING the SHOTS.
If WE are IN CONTROL then we have a LOT to WORRY ABOUT.
But WHEN GOD is in CONTROL it is HIS PROBLEM & we don’t have to WORRY about it.
Psalm 144:1-2 ‘Blessed be the LORD my strength, …. My goodness & my fortress; my high tower, & my deliverer; my shield, & He in whom I trust….’
What’s got you WORRIED this morning?
What causes us to FUSS & FUME & to WONDER ‘Is it EVER going to WORK OUT?’
Allow me to REMIND US this morning that GOD KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT EACH ONE OF US IS GOING THROUGH.
In this 23rd PSALM there are just 6 VERSES but within those 6 VERSES the WORDS “ME” or “MY” or “I” are used 17 TIMES.
The WORD “YOU” talking about GOD is used 5TIMES.
The words HE or HIS is used 7 or 10 times.
This PSALM is about a RELATIONSHIP with GOD.
& that is GOD’S ANSWER to our STRESS & to our WORRY.
VISUALIZE the LORD as YOUR SHEPHERD.
VISUALIZE yourself as ONE of HIS SHEEP.
We’re in the very BEST of HANDS.
Psalm 37: 25 ‘I have been young & now I am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.’
