Knowing and Doing

BALANCE....Psalm 23:4a: " Even though I   walk through the   valley of the shadow of death, I  fear no evil, for  You are with me;" Bro. Derek did such a great job sharing God's Word on this verse.  Here are some notes: 1.  Focus on the word DEATH - there is a fear of death.  Sheep are afraid of anything.  It is the shepherd that can lead them to where they need to go SAFELY.  It was appropriate that we are solemnly recognizing 9/11 in our nation and the fear our nation went through.  The acts of terror that has a hold on us.  Salmawet is the Hebrew word for "shadow of death" literally meaning darkness.  We can be led through this darkness without fear, as long as the Good Shepherd leads us.   There is REAL fear and there is IMAGINED fear.  Our culture is driven by fear.  We can fear this world, but with the Good Shepherd we have something better.  Jesus is with us!  When we neglect Je...

Psalm 23:3 - Balance Verse 3:  "He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." If we are to make a spiritual diagnosis of ourselves, we would surely see that we are filled with sin and in desperate need of a cure (repentance and forgiveness).  Do we really know who God is in our life and do we understand that He is the initiator of our faith? I.  He Restores My Soul - restores means to repair, to renovate, to return to a former condition. In the Letter Paul wrote to the Galatians (5:17), he shares of the comparison of living by the flesh and living by the Spirit.  Tony Evans writes that the "flesh goes after sin" and the "Spirit goes after righteousness."  If there is no conflict in your soul when you sin, then you aren't saved.  Unrest.  No peace.  You are in conflict with God.  You are living according to the flesh.  No righteousness.  Galatians 5:17 says it like this...."do not...

PSALM 23:2 - BALANCE " He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters."  NASB In this Sermon Series on Psalm 23, I wanted to look at this particular text and see the words we may overlook and what they mean to the text.  In verse 2, the word "Make" is something that jumps out to me.  For those in his flock, those who have believed and trusted in Him, the Good Shepherd "makes" us lie down. 1.  Sheep will not lie down because of FEAR This is a trust issue.  Sheep aren't sure about their surroundings.  They are sure about where they are going and where they have been.  With the Good Shepherd, Jesus, He makes us lie down.  There has to be an absolute trust between sheep and shepherd to make this happen.  Because of fear, we are afraid to give the shepherd absolute control of our lives, our safety and our well being.  We want control!  It's in our nature.  If we are followers of Jesus Christ, we sub...

Psalm 23:1 - Balance I read Psalm 23 all the time at funerals.  This is a popular passage of Scripture that is used for believers, but then do we really understand what it means.  Yes, it is calming and reassuring.  Yes, it is filled with a yearning for the Lord.  What about our part in it? I.  The Lord is MY Shepherd Think about the use of the word "My" here.  David, the writer, uses this emphasis to show possession.  Jesus says in John 10:11 that He is the "Good Shepherd."  If He lay down His life for His sheep then the question becomes, "Am I one of His?"  If you claim Jesus as your shepherd, this means that you believe in Him and you trust Him.  You take possession of Jesus as your shepherd.   II.  Responsibility If you claim possession of Jesus as Your Shepherd, then you are responsible to Him.  You are responsible to trust Him, to follow Him, to listen to His commands, to do what the Shepherd says. ...

Famous words of a child who has to clean their room. Then I try to entice her with: "I'm cleaning my room and will be done in a few minutes." Be the example, right? It's a struggle each week in our house.  I have to step up the parenting then by saying, "When you disobey your parents, you disobey God." after the 'I don't want to' or the 'do I have to' replies.  It's a responsibility that we are trying to get our children to understand. It's a task that has to be completed and at a young age once this is accomplished, we can move on to bigger responsibilities.  It's a tough lesson for a child to learn at times. Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica these very words towards the end of his letter: "Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. For yo...