Sermon
Our God Cares About Our Peace
September 8, 2002
Pastor Donald Sheley

I'd like for you to take your notes today. Two or three weeks ago we started with Psalm 23. It's that very favorite Psalm, the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. And each Sunday I'm just taking one phrase of the Psalm, and today we've arrived at that phrase, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

On page 2 I suggest in our notes that if history were written to the effect of this Psalm and the lives of people down through the centuries, it would be an immense history, because it has been the favorite of millions and millions of people in each generation. I have with me today brother and sister Rickard, who I love deeply, and I think if Marvin could answer and give this information he'd said, yes, it's true Pastor, almost every memorial service we've conducted over the years almost every family asks for the 23rd Psalm. And I suggest to you day after day, moment after moment, around this world, the history of how this Psalm has touched the lives of millions must be an immense history.

Let me tell you something very interesting. After the last service I had this lovely lady come up; because I had already heard the story, and I told it how I thought it was. Debbie came up to me and she said, Pastor, I'm the one you talked about. Here's what happened -- Debbie is a business lady in town and she met some of the folks of our church, and they invited her to come to church about four or five weeks ago. She enjoyed the music. She hadn't been in church for years. God wasn't really an important part of her life. She decided she would respond to the invitation of our folks so she came to church and she enjoyed it.

She kept coming back and then three weeks ago we introduced Psalm 23. (snaps fingers) She remembered as a little girl that when her mother sat her down to teach her Bible stories, they always said the 23rd Psalm together. Somehow she listened. Those memories of mother's teaching and what her godliness had meant to her, and she was so deeply touched she hurried home after the service, she got on her knees, and she said Jesus I want You to be my shepherd.

She said, Pastor, the way you told it that's the way it is. Then I heard the family that invited her wanted her to go to dinner a few days later, so they're sitting around the dinner table and she said, can I say the prayer today? They said sure. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. That was her prayer. The shepherd's Psalm. And the history continues on and on because this Psalm has touched millions and millions of lives.

I want to drop down to the bottom of page 2 in our notes. I'm not a farmer. I was raised in the city and I know very little about farming and less about sheep, but I found some years ago a marvelous book written by Philip Keller entitled: A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23. If you want a wonderful book it's about 136 pages; it's got a blue cover on it.

Dr. Keller had a sheep farm down in South Africa many years ago. So what he did, he decided I'm going to take the 23rd Psalm and show how wonderfully it brings out great spiritual truths and I'll explain some of the characteristics of the sheep. So down at the bottom of the page, in that book, he says, the strange thing about sheep is that because of their very make-up it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are made.

(1) Owing to their timidity they refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear.

(2) Because of the social behavior within a flock, they will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind.

(3) If tormented by flies and parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they relax.

(4) Sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food.

So fear, friction, flies, and food. When we examine each of these factors that affect sheep so severely, we will understand why the part the owner plays in their management is so tremendously important. It is actually the shepherd who makes it possible for them to lie down, to rest, to relax, to be content and quiet and flourishing. When one startled sheep runs in fright, a dozen others will bolt with it in blind fear, not waiting to see what frightened them. As long as there is even the slightest suspicion of danger from dogs, coyotes, cougars, bears or other enemies, the sheep stand ready to flee for their lives.

They have little or no means of self-defense. They are helpless, timid, feeble creatures whose only recourse is to run. As I thought about that the other day, that word helpless really hit me. I began to think, when you look at life, so many of life's situations, we're absolutely helpless. We can't do a thing about it. I've often stood at the deathbed of someone dying and the death angel is hovering over, and if I could I would stop it for I would want them to be with us, but I'm helpless when God's timetable is up.

There are other times, certain trends in history, that cause us to become fearful of what may take place. We can't do anything about it, most of us. I talked with a man yesterday who worked for 40 years for a company and he took all of his raises in stock options and then dropped them back into his 401(k), and after 40 years he has no more retirement. But he can't do anything about it, he's helpless. The tides of economic flow in the history of our nation has wiped out so many dreams of people.

Sometimes when you stand beside the bed of a sick one; you can get the doctor, you can get the medicine, but there comes that time when you're just absolutely helpless. Vernita's father and mother had a son and his name was Roland, Vernita's brother. Roland was born with diabetes, so from his young babyhood daddy had to take that insulin needle and jabbed his little bottom three times a day. And you do that as a daddy, day after day, month after month, year after year, you get very, very close to your son.

At eight years of age Roland was reacting to some of his medication and was very, very ill. They rushed him to the Presbyterian Hospital over here in San Francisco. While he's lingering there between life-and-death, Dad Persing is out walking up and down the corridors of that old Presbyterian Hospital -- God, he's my only son. I want You to touch him. I don't want to lose him God. And he's wrestling with God and then all of a sudden he says, God! if You don't do something, I will! Then all of a sudden he realized his helplessness, he dropped to his face in that corridor of that hospital, and he said, God, if You don't do something, I can't.

It's that sense of helplessness against the tides of time that sometimes are so hurtful that creates the fear, and oft times we panic. Dr. Keller tells us when fear upsets a flock, if the shepherd walks in amongst them they are at peace. It solves all their problems and they are at peace when they see the shepherd. And I suggest in our notes that there's nothing like the presence of Christ to dispel fear, panic, and terror of the unknown and the unexpected, that produces the greatest panic and fear.

Paul said to Timothy, God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound, and in the Greek, it's a disciplined mind. The idea of a sound mind is a mind that is at ease, at peace, not perturbed or harassed or obsessed with fear and foreboding of the future.

David writes in Psalm 4:8, "I will both lay me down in peace and sleep; for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety." When you read through the Bible over and over and over again you find those two words, fear not, fear not. And I pulled a few of those verses. Look at what Isaiah says: "Fear not, for I am with you: be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." And again Isaiah: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name: you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

David writes: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" And again he writes: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea."

Again Isaiah, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance. Haggai says, "My Spirit remaineth among you; fear ye not." And out of 2 Kings I pulled a verse, "Fear not; for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." You say, Pastor, what's the setting of that verse?

What had happened, Elisha the old prophet, was running from the king of Syria, and the king of Syria found that he was down at Dothan, a little village. So what he did is he sent his armies, and at nighttime he surrounded the city of Dothan because he knew Elisha was there, and he was going to get him. So early in the morning Elisha's servant woke up and goes out, and when he comes back he says, Master, we're surrounded. Old Elisha gets up and he said, fear not for greater are those that are with us than they that are with them. Then he said, God, open the eyes of this servant so he can really see reality. And when God opened the eyes of that servant, he looked around and all the mountains around Dothan were covered with the chariots and the horses from heaven.

Elisha was saying, God, may he see that You really are protecting us. You're watching over us. I'm at page 4. Jesus, our Good Shepherd said: "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." And then Jesus said, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

Remember, when the Good Shepherd is in focus, fear flees. Now if you're going through an experience today that fear simply is really taking over, I urge you draw close to the Good Shepherd. He takes care fear. We used to sing a chorus: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Keep your eyes on the Good Shepherd and he'll take care of the fear.

Look at the next point. Not only fear of enemies and of the unknown bring tension into the flock, but we also noticed that friction between animals in the flock will keep them from rest and lying down. Mr. Keller tells us that in every animal society there is established an order of dominance or status with in the group. In a pen full of chickens it is referred to as the "pecking order." With cattle it is called the "horning order." Among sheep we speak of the "butting order."

And again, he tells us, that as soon as the shepherd walks in to the fighting sheep, they stop fighting. That's interesting. He says, generally an arrogant, cunning and domineering old ewe will be boss of any bunch of sheep. She maintains her position of prestige by butting and driving other ewes and lambs away from the best grazing or favorite bedgrounds. Because of this rivalry, tension and competition for status and self assertion, there is friction in the flock. The sheep cannot lie down and rest in contentment. Always they must stand up and defend their rights and contest the challenge of the intruder.

This continuous conflict and jealousy within the flock can be a most detrimental thing. The sheep become edgy, tense, discontented and restless. They lose weight and become irritable. I thought he was talking about people when he wrote that sentence. (Pastor and Congregation laugh) Can you imagine why we're called sheep? We have such similar characteristics.

But he says, the presence of the shepherd brings rest. Think of the spiritual application. We as human beings and as Christians, we have a desire to dominate and protect our turf, our opinions, our convictions. After all, what we think is very important and we deserve to be listened to. This causes friction and tension amongst groups and in church congregations. When Christians and congregations take their focus off Christ, it is not long until there is unrest, friction, and there's fighting.

Some of the folks have gone through those tragic experiences where congregations begin to fight and they leave the wounded. Jesus had to deal with it with His twelve. They were going to Capernaum and they were arguing over who's going to be the greatest. And Jesus said, I'll tell you; if anyone desires to be first, let him be last of all and servant of all. That will settle it.

Remember, right in the twelve around Jesus there's contention. Why? Because we're all sheep. We're all human beings and we have this tendency, but when He's there, they don't talk. The presence of the shepherd silences them.

In the early church, in Acts 6, many people are being saved and there are complaints because one section, the Greek Christians and the Hebrew Christians, are contending that one is getting served more than the others.

On the bottom of the page I wrote the Scripture verses that tell the story. Paul goes on his missionary journey and he takes Barnabas and he takes John Mark. But John Mark gets over into Turkey and it gets a little rough, and he decides he's going home, so he deserts the missionary party. And now Paul says let's go back again and preach to all the folks we preached to, and old Barnabas says, I want to take along John Mark. And Paul says, nothing doing! He's a quitter. I don't want him in the team.

And at the top of page 5 it says the contention grew so strong that Barnabas took Mark and he went to Cyprus, and Paul took Silas. What I want to say is this, contention has always been a part of human relationships. And it can happen in the home; it can happen in the church; it can happen anywhere. It's when we take our eyes off the Good Shepherd we start friction. And if it's within your home, may Christ become the center of your home and the friction disappears. May Christ be the center of our church and take away the friction.

But he says He has to, as a shepherd, He has to be there. He has to make us to lie down and enjoy the pasturage of His word and Christian fellowship, because the very nature of us demands that He be present to make these blessings to be enjoyed. He leadeth me in the green pastures, and His word is the pasturing.

Father, there are some of us here today we are stressed with tension fearing the unknown. Good Shepherd draw near to us. Some of us today are wrestling with friction, frustration, and tension. Good Shepherd draw near to us and bring us peace. Thank you for helping us in our human weaknesses. This is our prayer and we pray it in Jesus' name, amen. God bless you all. Thank you for coming.