Sermon Series: Sermons from Psalm 23
Sermon # 6: God’s Answer to the Stress of Hurt
Scripture Ref: Psalm 23: 5
‘Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies, Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runs over..’
Introduction:
This is the 6th SERMON from PSALM 23. There is ONLY ONE MORE SERMON in this series. I pray that SOMETHING has been SAID that BLESSED you as we STUDY this PSALM together. I THINK it HELPS us TREMENDOUSLY to THINK of OURSELVES as SHEEP in GOD’S FOLD.
Last Sunday morning we looked at DARK VALLEYS & how the LORD goes with us during the TIME it takes for us to PASS THROUGH them.
VALLEYS are NOT MADE for us to CAMP OUT in but for us to GO THROUGH.
HE LEADS US THROUGH our DARKEST VALLEYS. There can be some MIGHTY DARK VALLEYS.
VALLEYS are just a NORMAL PART of this EARTHLY LIFE..
However when we get to Verse #5 we’re NOT LOOKING at VALLEYS but at DELIBERATE ATTACKS from OUR ENEMIES who DO THINGS that will BRING US INTENTIONAL HURT & GRIEF so that our JOY & PEACE of MIND is taken from us.
I don’t like that word ENEMIES. ENEMIES would be referring to PEOPLE & their SPIRITS & the CIRCUMSTANCES & the SITUATIONS that they SET IN MOTION to PURPOSELY WORK AGAINST US.
I would much rather LIVE WITHOUT having any ENEMIES.
However as long as the DEVIL is PRESENT & WORKING in THIS EARTH we WILL HAVE ENEMIES.
The DEVIL wants to DESTROY US & he doesn’t care HOW or WHO he WORKS THROUGH to ACCOMPLISH his GOALS.
WHAT we’re LOOKING at this morning, GOD’S ANSWER to the STRESS of BEING HURT.
BECAUSE we LIVE in an IMPERFECT WORLD we’re going to be HURT.
We’ll be HURT from ACCIDENTS.
We’ll be HURT from ILLNESSES.
But the DEEPEST of HURTS we’ll ever have in OUR LIVES will come from PEOPLE. & they are the PEOPLE who we LEAST THOUGHT WOULD DO the THINGS they have DONE.
As a MINISTER I have GIVEN MY LIFE as a SERVANT of the LORD MINISTERING to PEOPLE.
It’s an HONOR to be a SERVANT. of the LORD. I LOVE the LORD & I LOVE PEOPLE.
I have been BLESSED ABUNDANTLY by so many WONDERFUL PEOPLE..
But I have also BEEN HURT TERRIBLY by some PEOPLE..
& I am SURE that EACH ONE of us this morning has also been HURT by PEOPLE.. I’m quite sure that MY EXPERIENCES are NOT MUCH DIFFERENT than YOUR EXPERIENCES.
The ONLY WAY to KEEP from BEING HURT by PEOPLE is to ISOLATE OURSELVES from PEOPLE & DO NOT HAVE any RELATIONSHIPS with PEOPLE.
Live the LIFE of an ISOLATED HERMIT.
But THEN we will NEVER KNOW the BLESSINGS that PEOPLE can BE in OUR LIVES.
As long as we MIX & MINGLE with PEOPLE whether it be at HOME or at WORK or at CHURCH or with FRIENDS or with NEIGHBORS we occasionally WILL be HURT.
How many of us KNOW there are some WEIRD, MIXED UP & at times EVIL & WICKED PEOPLE?
We CANNOT FIX OTHER PEOPLE. There are SOME PEOPLE out there with SOME PROBLEMS.
One of the MOST DISTURBING THINGS, since we are STILL TALKING about SHEEP, is that sometimes WHAT may LOOK like a SHEEP & TALK like a SHEEP, isn’t really a SHEEP.
They are WOLVES in SHEEP’S CLOTHING & they REJOICE WHENEVER they can HURT & DEVOUR a SHEEP. They LIKE to SCATTER the SHEEP.
We may as well FORGET that. SOME PEOPLE will EVER CHANGE & those who DO CHANGE will be CHANGED because it is GOD that CHANGES THEM.
I really BELIEVE that SOME of these WOLVES who are PRETENDING to BE SHEEP, have been TURNED OVER to REPROBATE MINDS & they won’t EVER CHANGE because they RECEIVE TOO MUCH ENJOYMENT & PLEASURE in HURTING SHEEP.
So WHAT we have to WORK ON is OUR RESPONSE to THOSE HURTS.
BEFORE we LOOK at GOD’S ANSWER to OUR HURTS let us LOOK at SOME THINGS NOT TO DO when PEOPLE HURT US.
Don’t get CAUGHT in the FOWLER’S SNARE.
1: WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN WE GET HURT:
1: DON’T IGNORE IT: BE HONEST with OURSELVES:
SUFFER in SILENCE. BITE the BULLET. PRETEND it DOES NOT EXIST. Just HOPE that it will GO AWAY.
A} FLAT OUT DENIAL: I don’t have a PROBLEM. PEOPLE HURT US & then we say, ‘That didn’t HURT.’
B} MINIMIZE IT: It was NO BIG DEAL. It didn’t HURT that bad.
C} PROCRASTINATE: We POSTPONE doing ANYTHING about the HURT. One of these days we’ll …We POSTPONE the UNPLEASANT.
Let me STOP & SAY THIS here:
ESPECIALLY TWO CHRISTIANS should BE ABLE to TALK ABOUT HURTS WITHOUT the DEVIL being the ONE who WINS.
IGNORING OUR HURT NEVER HEALS IT.
The HURT won’t GET ANY BETTER by IGNORING it.
PEOPLE sometimes say: “TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS.” Sometimes that only MAKES THEM WORSE.
Psalm 39:2-3 ‘I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good, & my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned:
The LONGER we WAIT to DEAL with OUR HURTS the BIGGER they BECOME INSIDE of us.
2: DON’T RUN FROM OUR HURT:
ESCAPE. RETREAT RUNAWAY
DAVID TRIED THIS TOO.
Psalm 55: 3-7 ‘Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, & in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me: & the terrors of death are fallen upon me. & I said, ‘Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, & be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, & remain in the wilderness. Selah.
It is just HUMAN NATURE to want to RUN AWAY from DIFFICULTIES, trying to GET AWAY from OUR PAIN.
There are MANY WAYS to RUN AWAY.
DRUGS – ALCOHOL –DIVORCE ---MOVE AWAY
But we STILL have the SAME PROBLEMS INSIDE of us.
3: DON’T HIDE OUR HURT:
Some people DO NOT IGNORE their HURT or RUN AWAY from their HURT; they HIDE their HURT.
They KEEP their HURT to THEMSELVES.
They DO NOT TELL ANYBODY. They WEAR a MASK & TRY to CAMOUFLAGE their PAIN.
LOOK GOOD OUTWARDLY but on the INSIDE they’re a MESS.
People ASK: “is SOMETHING WRONG?”
NO, EVERYTHING is FINE.
SOMETIMES we THINK it is a WEAKNESS to BE HURT.
We NEED to BE HONEST with OURSELVES & with GOD & with OTHERS.
James 5:16 ‘Confess your faults (hurts) one to another, that ye may be healed.’
We often see MARRIAGES BREAK UP & it is so SURPRIZING to us. We LOOK at ALL of their MATERIAL POSSESSIONS. They APPEARED SO HAPPY. NOBODY KNEW they had HURTS.
The 1ST STEP to HEALING is CONFESSION.
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Now let us LOOK at THREE STEPS to TAKE that will ALLOW GOD to HEAL OUR HURTS:
Psalm 23:5 ‘THOU preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, THOU anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.’
1: LET JESUS SETTLE OUR SCORES:
When we are HURT DON’T TRY to GET EVEN with the ONE who HURT us.
Don’t RETALIATE AGAINST those who HURT us.
The old EYE for an EYE & TOOTH for a TOOTH bit.
But if we LIVE by the LAW we also must DIE by the LAW.
TRUST in GOD to even the odds.
GIVE it to GOD.
SHEEP have so many NATURAL ENEMIES.
WOLVES & CYOTEES & BEARS & LIONS & SNAKES, & TICKS:
SHEEP are very DEFENSELESS ANIMALS.
They CANNOT DEFEND themselves.
They don’t have SHARP TEETH to BITE with. They don’t have CLAWS to help them FIGHT. They don’t have FLEXABLE LEGS to KICK with. Their CANNOT RUN FAST. They are among the MOST DEFENSELESS ANIMALS there is. Their ONLY SAFETY lies in the EXCELLENT CARE of their SHEPHERD.
But NOTICE what GOD says:
‘In the MIDST of your ENEMIES I am going to set a BANQUET TABLE before you.’
GOD is going to BLESS US ABUNDANTLY & all OUR ENEMIES can do is to set back & WATCH.
Of course that PROMISE is CONDITIONAL, depending upon whether or not we BEHAVE LIKE SHEEP instead of behaving like RAMBO.
GOD KNOWS OUR ENEMIES. HE KNOWS those who have DELIBERATELY HURT US. HE SAW it & HE HEARD it & HE will RESPOND.
GOD may not RESPOND HOW we want HIM to RESPOND or WHEN we want HIM to, but GOD WILL RESPOND because we are HIS SHEEP & HE LOVES US.
Psalm 118:6-7 ‘The LORD is on my side, I will not fear what man can do unto me. The LORD takes my part with them that help me; therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.’
Psalm 94: 22 ‘The LORD is my defense….’
2: LET JESUS SOOTH OUR WOUNDS:
Psalm 23: 5 ‘……. THOU anoints my head with oil….’
SHEPHERDS POUR OIL upon their SHEEP to SOOTHE & to HEAL their WOUNDS.
The WORST ENEMY of the SHEEP is NOT the BEAR or the LION or the SNAKE. Their WORST ENEMY is the small tormenting FLY, often called the NOSE FLY.
In the SUMMERTIME these FLIES begin to TORMENT the SHEEP.
The poor SHEEP don’t have a LONG TAIL to SWAT the FLIES. So the SHEEP really have NO NATURAL DEFENSE AGAINST the FLIES.
The FLIES WORK THEIR WAY into the NOSE of the SHEEP & then they LAY their EGGS in the SHEEP’S NOSE & then the HATCHED LARVA WORK THEIR WAY into the SINUS CAVITIES & the EARS & the BRAIN of the SHEEP, TORMENTING them both day & night.
We can IMAGINE the TERRIBLE PAIN & TORMENT these SHEEP must be in.
It is NOT UNCOMMON to SEE a SHEEP BUTTING its HEAD against a LARGE ROCK or a TREE as it ATTEMPTS to FIND some sort of RELIEF.
You know, that is a GREAT EXAMPLE of HOW we are like those POOR SHEEP.
We LET SOME THINGS into our HEADS & into our HEARTS & into our MINDS & we LET them STAY there --- BURROWING their way DEEPER & DEEPER & TORMENTING us for LONG EXTENDED PERIODS of TIME.
We often let INSIDE THOUGHTS of GRIEF, THOUGHTS that have HURT US & REMINDERS of the THINGS SOME PEOPLE DID or the WORDS SOME PEOPLE SPOKE. There’s a GREAT MENTAL IMAGE of WHAT TOOK PLACE & we REWIND & PLAY it over & over again. Some of those IMAGES are so OLD they only PLAY BACK in BLACK & WHITE FLASHBACKS.
SOME THINGS are TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE to FORGET however we can be HEALED from the PAINS.
But we CANNOT BE HEALED as long as we KEEP REPLAYING the HURTFUL EVENTS that WRONG us.
To BE HEALED we MUST LET THEM GO!
Sometimes PEOPLE DO NOT WANT to RELEASE them BECAUSE their WOUNDS have BECOME their CRUTCHES of EXCUSE. They TREAT their WOUNDS & their HURTS like they are TROPHIES on DISPLAY.
When the SHEPHERD NOTICES his SHEEP WANDERING ABOUT in TORMENT & in MENTAL ANGUISH he KNOWS exactly WHAT to do. Unless SOMETHING is DONE the poor SHEEP could DIE from a HEART ATTACK or a STROKE or just go INSANE.
SUFFERING, TORMENTED SHEEP are HURTFUL to their SHEPHERD.
So the SHEPHERD PREPARES a MIXTURE of OLIVE OIL {symbolic of the HOLY SPIRIT} & of SULFUR & he ANOINTS {pours} this OINTMENT directly into the SHEEP’S NOSE & EARS. Almost IMMEDIATELY the SHEEP are SOOTHED & then in TIME they are HEALED.
DAVID declared ‘This is WHAT GOD DOES to US.’
GOD wants to POUR INSIDE of our BROKENESS, INSIDE of our HEADS, INSIDE of our HEARTS & INSIDE of our MINDS an ANNOINTING of HIS HEALING SPIRIT.
Psalm 147: 3 ‘HE heals the broken in heart & binds up their wounds.’
SATAN’S ENTIRE PURPOSE in us being HURT is HOPING we’ll just SURRENDER & SPIRITUALLY GIVE UP.
That is EXACTLY WHAT so many PEOPLE DO WHEN they GET HURT.
However, the LORD CAN HEAL OUR BROKENESS.
3: LET JESUS SATISFY OUR NEEDS:
Psalm 23:5 ‘….my cup runneth over….’
This is a BEAUTIFUL PART of this 23rd psalm.
In the BIBLE the TERM ‘an OVERFLOWING CUP’ is SYMBOLIC of ABUNDANCE.
When we SPEAK about OUR HURTS some people WILL say, “I’ve BEEN HURT SO BADLY & I’ve BEEN HURT for SO LONG, I could NEVER be HEALED. I just HURT TOO BADLY.’
Just like the FLIES that WORKED THEIR WAY into the HEADS of the SHEEP, we often have THINGS that WORK THEIR WAY into our HEADS & our MINDS & our HEARTS.
INWARD HURTS caused from OUR ENEMIES.
WORDS – DEEDS – ACCUSATIONS - JUDGMENTS
CRAWLING & WORMING THEIR WAY, GNAWING at our PEACE & our JOY.
TORMENTING US as long as we ALLOW them.
But here comes the LOVING SHEPHERD with a CUP of ANOINTING OIL.
GOD DOES NOT POUR just a SMALL AMOUNT of HIS HEALING into us.
GOD DOES NOT POUR an AVERAGE AMOUNT of HIS HEALING into us.
GOD DOES NOT just FILL US with HIS HEALING.
GOD HEALS US with AN ABUNDANCE of OVERFLOWING HEALING GRACE.
GOD POURS SO MUCH of HIS HOLY SPIRIT, ANNOINTING OIL, until OUR CUP literally RUNS OVER.
That is HOW MUCH in ABUNDANCE GOD’S HEALING is!
We CAN BE SET FREE from OUR HEARTS’ PAINS:
‘THOU preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies, THOU anointest my head with oil, my cup runs over.’
Psalm 54: 17 ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, & every tongue that shall rise up against thee in judgment THOU shall condemn. This is the heritage of the LORD, & their righteousness is of ME, saith the LORD.’
The SCRIPTURE does NOT PROMISE we would NOT BE HURT.
GOD does PROMISE that those ATTACKING US would NOT SUCCEED.
The SIGNIFICANCE of a FILLED CUP –is a SIGN of WELCOME:
In BIBLE if you were a GUEST in someone’s HOME & they POURED you a CUP that was HALF FULL it was a SIGN that you were NOT WELCOME.
However, if they POURED you a CUP that was OVERFLOWING it was a SIGN that you were WELCOME.
‘My cup runneth over.’
JESUS is WELCOMING US to BRING OUR HURTS to HIM for HIS DIVINE HEALING.
There is a GREAT ABUNDANCE of the HOLY SPIRIT that CAN HEAL EVERY INWARD HURT.
