Psalm 23 (06/13/2004)

Park Meadows Church

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This morning, I just want to talk to the

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Lord a while. You can listen if you want to, or you can do whatever else you have to do.

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The 23rd Psalm. This is a psalm of David, a great, great man.

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It reads like this, The Lord is my shepherd,

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I shall not want. He is the only one, the

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Lord. He's not a shepherd. He is the shepherd.

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You know, anxiety springs from the desire that things should happen as we wish, rather than God wills.

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But let me let you in on a little clue. It will always be as God wills.

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The devil would have us continually crossing streams that do not exist, so ignore him.

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Take plenty of time to count your blessings, but never spend a minute in worry.

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Worry is a kind of insult to the Lord, if you look at it. It's like throwing his promises and assurances back into his face and saying they're no good, and you don't trust him, but we do trust him.

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To worry about tomorrow is to fail of devotions to the task of today, and so to spoil both days.

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It's not from nature, but from education habits that our wants are chiefly derived.

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Constantly choose rather to want less than to have more.

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He is my shepherd. I shall have all that he desires for me.

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He made all pleasures innocent.

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We tire those pleasures we take, never to those we give.

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He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters.

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I like it when it says he causes me to lie down, because he does.

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Of all created comforts, he is the lender, and we are the borrower.

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Never forget that. I guess some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise him for putting roses among the thorns.

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We should remember this. Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.

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Sheep will not drink from a running stream, so the shepherd will dam up a small place where you and I can drink, and he leads us beside the still places.

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Roger, there are those who would say that what has happened to you and your family over the last two years is an awful thing.

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I say it's the best thing that ever occurred. It's hard to see that.

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It's easy to say that when it's someone else, but it is.

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You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make an earnest effort and confer that pleasure upon others?

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The happiest people seem to be those who have no particular cause of being happy, except the fact that they are so.

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Three, he restores my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

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Characters are achieved, not received. They grow out of the substance of a man's soul.

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Remember from where you came. We just buried a man last

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Saturday, I think it was Saturday, yes. The greatest gift that he gave to his family was that of Christ.

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His children heckled this in their speeches. It was tremendous.

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Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

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You're walking through this life. You're walking through this death.

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You do not stop in it. To be free from evil thoughts is

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God's best gift. How many times we've heard our pastor say, when an evil thought comes into your mind, say to yourself, this is not the thought of God.

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Be gone. And it is. We're no more responsible for the evil thoughts that pass through our minds than a scarecrow for the birds that fly over the seed plot he has to guard.

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The sole responsibility in each case is to prevent that thought from settling in.

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Full assurance is not essential to salvation, but it is essential to satisfaction.

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May you get it. May you get it at once. May you never be satisfied to live without it.

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Thou preparest before me in the presence, preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

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Thou anointest my head with oil, and my cup runneth over.

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I pray that you give me the ready hand rather than the ready tongue.

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Often the test of courage is not to die but to live. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the

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Lord forever. This has been particularly true in my life.

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What a great life it has been, coming close to the end,

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I know that. It's easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follows it, and that's so true.

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Live in his house forever. I'm going to live in his house.

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We all are, forever. That's a long time,

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Charlotte. It's eternity.

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It will be time without end. The created world is but a small parenthesis in eternity.

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Imagine if you can eternity. Eternity never ends, never starts.

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God has blocked out one section in eternity and has called it history, called it this age, this time, this world.

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Eternity looks grander and kinder if time grows nearer and more hostile.

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The world is getting so hostile. He said it would.

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I wonder, did we believe him? Do we believe him now? Eternity is not something that begins after you're dead.

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When I get to eternity, no, it's going on all of the time.

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We are in it. This is eternity. Every natural longing has its natural satisfactions.

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If we thirst, God has created liquids to gratify thirst.

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If we are susceptible of attachments, there are beings to gratify that love.

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If we thirst for life and love eternal, it is likely that there is an eternal life and eternal love to satisfy that craving.

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Learn to hold loosely all that is not eternal.

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That only is worth my having which I can have forever.

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That only is worth my grasping which death cannot tear from my hand.

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If you want your neighbor to see what Christ's Spirit will do for him, show him what

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Christ's Spirit has done for you. None preach better than the aunt.

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We know, and she says nothing. None but Christ is so insignificant as to be sure his example can do no hurt.

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His example cannot be hurtful. Nobody will know what you mean by saying that God is love unless you act like it as well.

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Put on the armor of God. Put it on.

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That means you can do it. Do only those things that you know to be right.

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Commit Scripture to memory. Be strong in the

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Lord, mind, body, and spirit. Do nothing from doubt, for doubt is sinful.

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Meditate on his word. Follow your good intuitions.

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Look for good in all events. Roger, look for the good.

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Verge, look for the good. John, look for the good. It's there. Know that God's providence has sent this to you.

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God's providence sent it. Why should I complain? And all events please

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God. We do not need to understand all things.

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Do not limit God to your own understanding. And only

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God can do this. We do nothing except we want to do it.

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Satan, the devil, is but a tool of God. We are where God has placed us, and we know it.

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Know that you cannot prohibit, speed up, or slow down God's history.

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It's all finished. Know that man was not here before God.

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Lots of people don't know that. Know that this life is a school, and we shall graduate.

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No failing. We shall graduate. Death stops only the body.

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Know that there is no cessation of life at the moment of death.

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Know that man does not seek God. Know that God calls his people one at a time.

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And he calls them as it pleases him. Know that in and of himself man can do nothing but sin.

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Know that all things that have come from God, not by God, but from God.

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All of everything was in God. Know that there are two seeds in the world, and God's the only one that knows.

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As I said before, next time you want to sin, you get someplace that God can't see you.

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Satan can create nothing. He can use only what

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God sends. He can pervert it, and he always does.

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Know that things that please God originate with God. If you do your very best, you do not make a mistake.

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Know the Lord will never leave you. He's not here today and gone tomorrow.

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Know that faith originates with God, not man. Know that others cannot make you feel guilty.

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Only God can give and remove guilt. Know that we can be forgiven.

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Know that the Lord does not deal with our sin again.

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He dealt with it one time. We must deal with our sins, and he does forgive when asked.

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But most of all, know that you're not a sinner any longer. Know that prayer does not change things.

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It changes you. Know that God does all things for himself.

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It benefits us. Know that God does not make decisions.

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It's already decided, and that was not a decision. Know that everything

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Jesus did while here on earth was to please the Father only.

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God loves only that which has only belonged only to him, only forever.

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God does not think. These are a few ramblings.

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They're very dear to me. There will not be an afternoon service.

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We go from here to eat lunch. I hope you have.

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I know you have listened or are quiet. I hope you have listened and learned.

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The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.

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Let's stand, please. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you.

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Thank you for the words from the Holy Scriptures that you have given us.

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For all of those that are here and are hurting, we pray your special blessing upon them.

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For all of those that are not here, we would pray the same for our beloved pastor as he is away from us.

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Care for him on the flight. Bring him home safely.

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We would pray for each one here this morning that they would get their priorities aligned with you and see how things work.

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You have brought us to this point. Be with us in the noon meal, and we will give you the praise for it all.