Sunday, November 17, 2013

sermon, "Oh Happy Day", by Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, November 17, 2013

November 17, 2013
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon 5 of Fall Series
“Shepherd Us O God”
Psalm 144:15 The Message Bible
Psalm 68:3-4 The Message Bible
1 Chronicles 16:30-33 The Message Bible
Psalm 23:5 King James Version
“Shepherd Me O God” by Marty Haugen

“Oh Happy Day”

A reading from the Psalms, Psalm 23, verse 5. . . listen for the voice of the Shepherd to you and me, the sheep of His flock. (Read from the King James Bible)

Psalm 23:5 King James Version (KJV)
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

“Shepherd me O God beyond my wants,
beyond my needs, from death into life.
You have set me a banquet of love in the face of hatred,
crowning me with love beyond my pow’r to hold.. (Sing)

Oh happy day. . . oh happy day. . . when Jesus washed. . . when Jesus washed . . . He washed my sins away. . .

When we look around us, it may be hard at times to see any kind of victory for good. We see all the death and destruction. . . the dysfunction and heartache. How can we have victory with all the evil there is in the world? All we have to do is to turn on the T.V. or pick up a paper and hear or read about something bad happening in the world around us. We may go through things in life because of someone else’s issues. . . someone else’s sin. It can be hard to see how we can come out “on top” of situation. . . to come to the other side of the valley of the shadow of death. When does goodness win. . . where is the victory? When do we get our happy day?

Over the past few weeks, we have been journeying with the Shepherd found in the 23rd Psalm, the Good Shepherd. We have learned that we have no wants because of our Shepherd, our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. . . how we are never without Him. . . this same Shepherd. . . wants to bring us to peaceful pastures where we can rest beside the calm streams of living water He gives so freely to all of His sheep. We know that He is the only one who can truly restore us and when we are restored we are guided on the path of righteousness for His name. . . not our own. And when we can become “cast sheep” stuck on our backs unable to get up . . . Jesus is the only one who can set us right again. Last week, we discovered that we feel comfort from our Shepherd in those times of trial and chaos. . . because we have the presence of this same Good Shepherd because of His rod and staff. This week. . . we will hear how we have victory in and with our Shepherd. . . we have a victory in Jesus. . . what a happy day we have when we realize this fact. . .

You see. . .  sometimes. . . life is not fair. We see those who cheat and lie win and we just don’t understand why. We see countries oppressing others and they seem to be winning. . . on top. We may feel that we or others just can’t win. . . the evil that men do seems to be winning the battle. But we are children of God and we have a Shepherd who wants the best for us. Our Shepherd wants us to  win the day and our God always has the last word. We may never see it but we have faith the day of reckoning will come. Oh happy day. . .

The Psalms I read this morning, give us hope. We are blessed because we have the God of the universe on our side in the game of life. We have an advantage. . . an upper hand. When we see God winning the day we can sit back and say “You go God!” But sometimes it is hard to see God in the chaos around us. But even in those times of uncertainty. . . we can. . . as the scripture from 1st Chronicles this morning. . . rejoice and be jubilant. . . we can like the trees applaud as we see God making things right. The Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm is with us.

So. . . we say to this Shepherd “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” What does that mean for us? Well. . . the word “table” is used to refer to the high ground that sheep go to. . . the plateaus of the summer grazing. Now even though these may be high and remote, even hard to reach, the sheep owner has taken the time and trouble to ready them for the sheep. Even before the snow melts. . . the owner goes to survey the land. Then before the sheep are ready to travel there, the owner prepare the land for them, distributing salt and minerals and puts them in strategic spots for the sheep. If there are poisonous weeds the owner will either plan to graze around the area or they will take drastic measures to eradicate the weeds. The owner wants the sheep to have food and not have to worry about getting sick. You see if the young lambs would even take a small nibble of the poisonous weeds. . . they would die. . .

We. . . as the sheep of God’s pasture. . . like the young sheep may at times feel we need to try everything that comes our way. WE may feel we need to sample everything to see what it tastes like. We may not know about those deadly things that hide in the good grass. These things can do us no good. . . they are destructive. . . but we sometimes give it a try anyway. But our Master. . . our Shepherd has been there before us dealing with every situation which can lead to our undoing. . .  Our Shepherd goes ahead of us in everything we encounter and is praying for us that we may not be succumbed by it. Oh Happy day

Another thing the shepherd does is keep an eye out for predators. The shepherd looks for signs of wolves, coyotes, cougars, bears and the like. If for some reason they get through, the shepherd hunts them down and traps them to keep the sheep safe. He hunts it down. . .  Often you see the crafty ones up on the rim rock watching every move the sheep make. . . waiting for the moment to make a sneak attack and stampede the sheep. It is the shepherd who keeps them safe. . . it is the shepherd’s watchful eye that can thwart this kind of attack. But it is a difficult task. Many times these attacks happen when they are least expected. . .  But there are those distant sheep. . . the wanderers. . . the roamers. . . that are picked off by predators in an unforeseen moment. They may not even cry out because they are in so much fear they are frozen in their spot.

We. . . as the sheep. . . would be wise to walk close to our Shepherd. It is our place of safety. We may get into difficulty beyond ourselves; we are stricken dumb with fearfulness, unable to cry out for help. . . we just crumble where we are. But the Good Shepherd is too concerned about the sheep of His flock to allow this to happen. He wants our summer resting place to be one of peace. Our mountaintop times should be tranquil. . . to have stillness in our soul. We need to stay near Him through God’s word. . . through spending time with the Shepherd each day. When Jesus washed

There is another thing the shepherd does as they are reading the table. They clear out the waterholes. . . the drinking places. . . for the sheep. They remove the debris of leave, twigs, rocks and soil that has fallen there over the winter. He clears the water. . . makes it life giving clean water. . . Our Shepherd. . . our risen Lord Jesus Christ. . . has prepared the table for us. . . a table of plenty with clean, life giving water. . . the Living Water. He goes before us to clear the land. He knows what we are up against. . . He’s been there Himself and has overcome. He even goes through the valley again, with us, and because of this, the prospects of our preservation are excellent. Our Christian walk truly can become a “mountaintop” experience because we are in the care and control of the Good Shepherd. And our Shepherd does something amazing. . . He has prepared the “table” for us right in the view of our enemies. . . those who would demoralize and destroy us if given the chance. Don’t get me wrong. . . the enemy will still try to attack. . . but we can rest safe in the sheepfold of the Good Shepherd and have strength for the day. Oh when He washed. . .

Now. . . as the shepherd is on that table with the sheep for the summer, there is one thing that happens, as with all animals. . . fly season hits. . .  This can be a very troubling time for the sheep. As the warm weather comes. . . so do the flies and pests. There are warble flies, gnats, deer flies, mosquitoes, nose flies, black flies. . . just to name a few of the types of flies they are bothered by. The most bothersome is the nose fly. These flies buzz about their head and try to lay eggs on their damp. mucous membranes. If they work their way up into the nasal cavity they can cause infections. This can actually lead to blindness. At the first sign of flies, the shepherd pours oil mad of linseed oil, tar and sulfur on their nose and head. Once the oil is applied you see a change in the behavior of the sheep. They are no longer upset because of the flies and they become restful again and they lie down again in contentment. They shepherd continues to apply this oil each day so that the sheep are free from the irritation of the flies.

We. . . as Christians also need  to have an application of oil in our lives. . . the continuous anointing of the Holy Spirit. Some believe that we only need one “application” of oil. But our lives are filled with daily frustrations that warrant a daily application of God’s Spirit and grace. . . a continuous application in order to thwart the attack of predators. As we are in the sheepfold we can have. . . no must have. . . the oil of joy and love that is poured over us each and every moment because of the tender, loving care of our Shepherd. God alone can give us peace of mind. . . God alone can give us the attitude of Christ. . . the Shepherd alone makes it possible for us to act in peacefulness and calmness in the face of adversity. He washed my sins away. . .

Are you feeling the need of oil in your life? Are you needing to be on that plateau. . . that table. . . with our Shepherd? Are you needing to feel that anointing power of the Spirit in your life to make it through each day? The Good Shepherd bids us to come to Him to be anointed by the oil of healing. . . the oil of strength. . . the oil of gladness. Come and be made ready for the day as you spend time with the One who gives us joy our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Oh Happy day. . .

Shepherd us O God beyond our wants,
beyond our needs, from death into life.

Amen!

November 17, 2013
Sermon 5 of Fall Series
“Shepherd Us O God”
Psalm 23:5 King James Version
Psalm 144:15 The Message Bible
Psalm 68:3-4 The Message Bible
1 Chronicles 16:30-33 The Message Bible
“Shepherd Me O God” by Marty Haugen
5th service of Fall Sermon Series:
Psalm 23
Prayer of Thanksgiving
“We come to worship You”
by Raymond Foss
children’s sermon
by Pastor Ruth Foss
and sermon “Oh Happy Day
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
November 17, 2013
&
Sermon 4 of Fall Series
“Shepherd Us O God”
Deuteronomy 7:9 MSG
Numbers 23:19
Psalm 23:4 King James Version
Psalm 139:23-24 King James Version
 “Shepherd Me O God” by Marty Haugen
4th service of Fall Sermon Series:
Psalm 23
children’s sermon
When you are afraid and need something to hold onto,
hold onto Jesus, hold onto God.
by Pastor Ruth Foss
and sermon “Just A Prayer Away”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
November 10, 2013
&
Sermon 3 of Fall Series
“Shepherd Us O God”
Psalm 23:3 (King James Version)
James 3:18 (Common English Bible)
Psalm 31:24 (Amplified Bible)
Isaiah 40:29 (Amplified Bible)
Psalm 32:8 (Amplified Bible)
“Shepherd Me O God” by Marty Haugen
3rd service of Fall Sermon Series:
Psalm 23
Lord’s Prayer
All Saints Sunday
Communion
children’s sermon
by Pastor Ruth Foss
and sermon “Strength For The Day”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
November 3, 2013
&
Sermon 2 of Fall Series
“Shepherd Us O God”
Psalm 23:1-2 (King James Version)
James 3:18 (Common English Bible)
2 Samuel 22:3 (New Living Translation)
Proverbs 14:30 (New International Version)
Psalm 121:8 (King James Version)
“Shepherd Me O God” by Marty Haugen
2st service of Fall Sermon Series:
Psalm 23
Lord’s Prayer
Offertory – “I Stand In Awe”
children’s message
“listen to the right voices, listen to God’s Word”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
and sermon “Safe and Sound”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
October 27, 2013
&
1st service of Fall Sermon Series:
“Shepherd Us O God”
John 10:11-18 (The Message)
John 10:1-10 (The Message)
John 10:1-18 (The Message)
Psalm 23
Lord’s Prayer
children’s message
follow the bible
by Pastor Ruth Foss
and sermon “The Good Shepherd
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
October 20, 2013


All of my poems and photographs are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 40,400+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

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