The Lord is My Shepherd

Transcription

1 The Lord is My Shepherd Mountain Life Church Life Pack May 6, 2012

2 The Lord is My Shepherd Sermon Notes May 6, 2012 Ma*hew 6: 9 & Psalm 23 I. Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Provides A. Abraham s Dilemma (Exodus 22: 1-14) Write any notes from the week here B. God s Provision - A substitute on Mount Moriah Abraham named the place The LORD Will Provide (Jehovah Jireh). This name has now become a proverb: On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided. Genesis 22:14 C. Thanking God for Provision 1. Thanks for Jesus s substitution for me 2. Thanks for providing for my needs 3. Thanks that Jesus IS my provision II. Jehovah Nissi - The Lord, My Banner A. Moses and the Amalekites (Exodus 17: 15) 1. God showed Israel that He was their banner - their victory 2. Apart from Him, we can do nothing B. Victory over our enemies today 1. Sin 2. Our Past 3. Lies C. Thanking God for His victory in our lives 1. We are more than conquerors (Romans 8) 2. We have the authority of Christ (Ephesians 1) 3. We reign in life through Jesus (Romans 5) 2 19

3 Table Talk Teens We should have a childlike approach to our prayer, and in our unpretentious prayer, we are asked to bring to God our hopes for the future as well as the hunger we have right now. We are asked to bring yesterday s failures as well as tomorrow s fears. When we do, God will not turn us away. Read the following verses on prayer and share your thoughts. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 Pray for others. III.Jehovah Rohi - The Lord, My Shepherd A. The Lord is MY shepherd 1. I am therefore a sheep 2. He is my Provision, my Protection, and my Physician B. My job as a sheep 1. Let Him shepherd 2. Apart from Him I can do nothing C. Thanking the Lord that He is my Shepherd 1. I have everything I need 2. I look with satisfaction upon my foes 3. My cup overflows James 1:6 Pray without doubting. James 4:3 Pray with right motives. 1 John 5:14-15 Pray according to God s will. 18 3

4 Life Group Questions for May 6, 2012 Good News! Series Message = The Lord is My Shepherd Ice Breaker: Tell about a childlike prayer you have heard from a child or from your own mouth. 1. Tell about your own personal prayer time as our church has started talking about the Lord s prayer. Express to the best of your ability the ways you are growing in your conversations with God. Read Genesis 22: 9-14 & Philippians 4: Tell what you observe about these passages. 3. The ram was a substitute for Isaac s sacrifice. Tell about Jesus death on the cross. How was He a substitute for you? If God is our provider, what did God provide for us through the cross? (Forgiveness, righteousness, adoption as children, new and abundant life, grace, power to overcome sin, the Holy Spirit living within us, everything pertaining to life and godliness). 4. How was Abraham s statement prophetic when he said, In the mount of the LORD it will be provided. (Genesis 22: 14) (Abraham was telling the world that on that mountain, Jesus Christ would provide for the redemption of all of mankind). Table Talk Elementary Day 1 - This week we are going to focus on a very well-known chapter of the Bible, Psalm 23. Are you familiar with this passage? I'll bet once we read it together, you'll recall having heard this passage before. (Read together) This passage starts off with "The Lord is my shepherd...". A shepherd can be defined as "one who feeds or pastures." It is important that we begin by realizing our dependence (need) on the Lord. Day 2 - Look up the following verses: Matthew 10:6, Isaiah 53:6, Matthew 18:12-13, 1 Peter 5:4. What is the common theme of these verses? (The Lord as Shepherd). Are you following the right shepherd? Are you living as a sheep that is submissive to God? 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that we have everything we need to live a godly life! Thank Him and Praise Him for being the Good Shepherd! Day 3 - Let's think for a moment about our burdens (what worries us). Write down all of your current burdens, things that are weighing you down, causing you to worry. Write a letter to God, and give Him all of these worries and burdens. Ask Him to be your Shepherd and to remove worry from you life. What a wonderful Shepherd we have! 5. Share with the group when God has given you the victory over sin and your past. 6. How can you see that God has been shepherding you recently? Do you find His shepherding to be gracious or harsh? 4 17

5 Table Talk Preschool & Nursery: Read Psalm 23 with your children. What are some of the things a shepherd would do to take care of a herd of sheep? How is God like a shepherd? How are we like sheep? Just as sheep would be lost without their shepherd, we would be lost without God. Discuss what would happen to a herd of sheep without a shepherd and compare that to what would happen to them without God. Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: Bible Verse: Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for loving me so much! Thank you for being with me, even when I don't feel like you are. Thank Amen. Activity: This week make two lists with your child. One list is the ways a shepherd cares for and protects his sheep and another list of ways that sheep need to rely on a shepherd. Are you relying on God for these things? Is God taking care of you as our shepherd? INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 5

6 Day One 1. Take at least 30 minutes to pray through the prayer guide you received at church. You can also download it on the church website: under Sermon/LifePacks 2. Meditate on Psalm 34. Read over it several times. 3. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you to pray and pursue it for at least 30 minutes per day this week. The Names of God and Psalm 23 Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd (Jehovah-Rohi Shepherd) I shall not want (Jehovah-Jireh Provision) He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters (Jehovah-Shalom Peace) Day Five He restores my soul (Jehovah-Rophe Healing) Memorize Philippians 4: 19 Memorize Philippians 4: 19 and Psalm 34: 10 Memorize Philippians 4: 19 and Psalm 34: 8-10 He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake (Jehovah-Tsidkenu Righteousness) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. (Jehovah-Shammah He is There) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: (Jehovah-Nissi Banner) You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Jehovah-Mekaddish Sanctification) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Jehovah-Rohi Shepherd) 6 15

7 Day Five 1. Take at least 30 minutes to pray through the prayer guide you received at church. You can also download it on the church website: under Sermon/LifePacks 2. Meditate on Psalm 23 printed on the next page. Take time to thank God for the profound meaning of His great names. 3. Write down some big decisions you need to make soon. Ask the Lord to be your shepherd and guide you through these decisions with clarity, wisdom, and confirmation. Day One Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him! Let the LORD s people show him reverence, for those who honor him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will never lack any good thing. ~Psalms 34:8-10, NLT David writes as if he is one who has tasted of God s goodness. He s not writing any theological platitudes here. He is convinced of God s provision. The theme of God providing for His people weaves itself into the fabric of the Bible from beginning to end. Abraham, the great friend of God, had so learned of God s kindness and care that when God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac on the altar at Moriah, he knew God could be trusted. When Isaac observed that they had wood and fire, but lacked a sacrificial animal, Abraham answered him, the Lord will provide. In Hebrew, this is said, Jehovah-Jireh. Little did Abraham know that he was speaking prophetically. God did provide that day - in the form of a ram caught in a thicket. The ram was a substitute - a picture of Jesus. God was painting for us a great masterpiece of wisdom and redemption. Abraham, and for that matter, all of us, needed a substitute. Jesus, the spotless lamb of God, fit the bill perfectly. God IS our provision. He took our sin and gave us life! 4. Finish your Bible memorization today. But He was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! ~Isaiah 53:5, NLT Thank you, Jesus for being my substitute! I respond by giving You all that I am! 14 7

8 Day Two Day Four 1. Take at least 30 minutes to pray through the prayer guide you received at church. You can also download it on the church website: under Sermon/LifePacks One of God s great names is Jehovah Rohi - The Lord, My Shepherd. That name implies this: if He is my shepherd, then I am a sheep. Sheep are completely dependent upon the shepherd for their food, water, protection from predators, and for their health. Let me reiterate - they are completely dependent. 2. Meditate on Machew 6: Incorporating Jehovah Rohi into my prayer life is fun. As I hallow His name, I thank Him that He is my shepherd: Lord, thank You that You will guide me into all truth today. I completely trust You to be my wisdom for all decisions. You will protect me and my family from all evil. You, Lord, will deliver me from temptations that are too much for me. You will faithfully provide a way of escape from every temptation. Lord, as my shepherd, You will provide for all of my needs. Apart from You, I can do nothing! 3. Listen to the Holy Spirit for a few minutes by reading I Kings 17. Meditate on this and then write down your insights. Then I thank God that He is Jehovah Shalom, Jehovah Tsidkenu, Jehovah M Kaddesh, Jehovah Shamma, Jehovah Rophe, Jehovah Nissi, and Jehovah Jireh, my Provider! As I speak to the great King with these names, my faith grows as I declare who He is in my life and in the lives of those I love. The fun thing to realize is this: I m just at the beginning sentence of the Model Prayer (Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name)! 4. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring the scriptures alive in your life in such a way that you desire to immerse yourself in them daily. 5. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week. 8 I hope that as you continue to define God with these names, you will begin to grow in your comfort with the truth. He IS my righteousness. He IS the one who makes me holy - I can t do it myself! He IS my provider! He IS my peace and He is for sure THERE! He IS my healer. He IS my shepherd. And He certainly IS my victory in this life. Father, thank you so much for your great name! I worship You for who You are! 13

9 Day Four Day Two 1. Take at least 30 minutes to pray through the prayer guide you received at church. You can also download it on the church website: under Sermon/LifePacks It was the autumn of my 23rd year and I was driving to Texas to attend seminary with all of my earthly belongings in my Volkswagen Rabbit. Though I had been in a partnership with my parents to pay my way through college, I was going off on my own now, paying my own way for everything. 2. Meditate again on Psalm 139. Thank the Lord that He is Jehovah Rohi, Jehovah My Shepherd. This was my moment to taste and see that the Lord is good. I couldn t wait to see how God would provide for me. I arrived in Fort Worth and, immediately, God provided me with two awesome roommates that I had known in college. One had a sprawling apartment for the three of us and I was praising God for His provision. 3. Write down sins that you cannot break free from right now. Praise Jehovah Nissi (Jehovah, our Banner) for giving you victory over your sin. My goal was to see God provide for me in obvious ways. My next need was for a job and for rent money. I got a fun job which I truly enjoyed, but it paid only $4/hour. At that rate, I could not pay for seminary and my rent. I came to my first month s rent and I was $50 short. I remember spending hours on my knees asking God what I should do. Finally, the last day rent could be paid without a penalty came. I came home from class and ran to the mailbox. I had two letters. One was from a person in my old youth group (I was a youth pastor) and it had $50 enclosed! The other had $200! I had not told either person I had a need! I slept on the floor of my apartment for three weeks, trusting God for a bed. Three weeks into my tenure, a woman at church asked me if I needed a bed. They had a nice single bed they needed to get rid of and had thought of me. I was doing cartwheels for Jesus. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. 12 O taste and see that the Lord is good! His provision is rarely on my timetable, but it is never late!... And it s always so good! 9

10 Day Three 1. Take at least 30 minutes to pray through the prayer guide you received at church. You can also download it on the church website: under Sermon/LifePacks 2. Meditate on Exodus 17: What do you think is the relevant lesson we can learn from this passage? How has God been Jehovah, My Banner for you by defeating your enemies? 3. Pray for God to be Your Banner over all of your enemies. Write down the enemies of your soul here and thank God that He will overcome them all! 4. Take time to thank God for empowering you to be more than a conqueror over your sin habits and failures. 5. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Day Three The story of Israel defeating the attacking Amalekites in Exodus 17: 8-15 is a strange one. I can t imagine a human being thinking up such a story. As long as Moses had his hands up, Israel prevailed. When Moses tired, Amalek prevailed. So, Hur and Aaron helped Moses keep his hands up and Israel repelled, even crushed Amalek. Then Moses set up an altar of worship there and named it The Lord is our Banner - Jehovah Nissi in the Hebrew. Armies have carried banners since before history was recorded. Banners visually communicate for whom the soldiers fight and, when an enemy is defeated, the banner is planted in the ground to tell everyone around that the owner of that banner is the victor! Jehovah Nissi waves high above us as our banner. The banner is the cross of Jesus - for on that fateful Friday, 9 Jesus defeated Satan and won for us the victory over sin, death, and continual defeat. Paul tells us that our enemies are not people - but rather, they are sin, demonic forces, and lies. For many of us, there are tendencies toward a certain sin. When temptation entices us to participate in that certain sin, our default response is to capitulate. Beginning today. Raise the banner over that sin in your life. Declare in your daily prayer time that Jehovah Nissi has defeated every enemy in your life. Take time to thank God that He is the victor over all your sin, failure, and past. Beginning today, run to God first when temptation comes knocking. Raise the banner of Jehovah Nissi as your first response to temptation! 10 11