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Overcoming the Fear of the Future Stress Relief from Psalm 23 In a Gallup poll, 56% of Americans when they think about death worry “a great deal” they will not be forgiven by God. Half of those who were interviewed worry about being cut off from God when they die. Many people worry about the future. Some spend their life worrying about tomorrow. They read their horror-scope, they go to the palm reader, they eat Chinese food just to get a fortune cookie! Here we see the Psalmist finish this Psalm with tremendous confidence and assurance. His cup is overflowing with joy and trust! 1. God Himself is Before me! v.5 In this verse we see God’s provision, anointing, and protection of the sheep at the top of the mountain. The Shepherd has led the sheep through the valley to the rich pastures of the tableland. Even here, there are many possible enemies: coyotes, bears, snakes, and FLIES! Christians do not live without enemies. The big three still roam all around: the world, our flesh, and the devil. They are ever present enemies. God is with us to defeat these daily, devoted enemies of our Christian walk. Sometimes we get hurt! He anoints our head with oil. For a sheep this was essential in keeping unwanted parasites and bugs that cause the sheep misery. Certain flies even seek to deposit their eggs on the damp membranes of the sheep’s nose. The eggs can hatch in in a worm-like larvae state they burrow into the nose and flesh of the sheep and cause intense irritation. Thee will beat their heads against trees, rocks, posts, and brush to deal with these annoying adversaries. Isn’t it true: the little things in life can bug us to death! The antidote to these difficulties is the application of oil. The oil is like “Off.” We need God’s gracious anointing, enduing, and filling with the Holy Ghost to overcome and conquer the irritations of life. We need our mind especially to be controlled with His anointing. We need to fill our thoughts and mind with the Word of God. His Holy Spirit is our Healer and Comforter! Phillip Keller writes in his book, “It is both a logical and legitimate desire for us to have the daily anointing of God’s gracious Spirit upon our minds.” There is nothing bugging you that the anointing of God’s Spirit cannot defeat! Anytime we get physically hurt there are two parts to the healing process: the SIT STILL stage, then the GET MOVING stage. The REHAB. The PHYSICAL THERAPY. P.T. Some of you may have been hurt, and you have been immobilized long enough. It is time to get moving into MINISTRY. Our cup runs over! Our cup of hope is full, our cup of joy overflows; our cup of love runs over when the presence of our Shepherd is real! A Middle East custom when you visited someone, you gave them a drink. As long as you wanted your guest to stay, you filled their glass. If you really like that person, when they first come, you filled their glass to overflow. That meant that person was special. God fills our cup to overflowing. The point is: You are special to Jesus Christ! Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. 2. God’s Love is Behind me, Watching and Working things out for good! Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Mercy: God in love HEALS and PARDONS me. Mercy is love in action. Mercy is non-stop love in action. God’s mercy is great (Psalm 57:10); plenteous, everlasting, new every morning, abundant, and rich. Ephesians 2:4, But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith He loved us…God saves us on the basis of His mercy, Titus 3:5; and He forgives us because of the greatness of His mercy! (Hebrews 8:12) Goodness: God in love HELPS and PROVIDES; Goodness is God’s riches; God’s riches at Christ’s expense. Goodness of God includes His happiness as well as His Holiness. Do you know that God is a Blessed God, or a happy God because He is also holy, morally pure and perfect. God’s goodness provides and His mercy will pardon. His goodness will supply; His mercy will soothe; His goodness will help me; His mercy will heal me. The Psalmist does not say only good things will happen to me, but he does say goodness will follow me. There is a difference! In other words, good will result in everything that happens to me. Good things will come out of everything that happens to me. He is my God, and He can take bad circumstances, and turn them into good. God can take physical sickness and turn it into good. He did if for Job. James 5:11; Behold we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. God can take the hate and wrath of man and turn it into good. He did it for Joseph. Joseph was thrown into a pit and sold as a slave. Then he was thrown into jail and forgotten by man. God never lost sight of Joseph. Joseph never stopped seeking the Lord. Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. If God turned Joseph’s situations into good, he can do it for you, too! God took the bad that happened to the Apostle Paul and turned it into good. Can you see Paul in jail? There was no moping in Paul. He took that bad situation and redeemed the time. One time in jail, he sang songs and it led to the salvation of the Philippian jailer and his family. At other times in jail, he wrote, and it led to some of the most precious books in the New Testament! God insures that good can come out of every situation that arises. Romans 8:28; All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Not all things are good, but all things work for good. No defeat, no dilemma, no disaster, no difficulty, no disappointment that God will not work out for good as we love Him. Mercy will be seen in every circumstance in my life. I might not see them now, but they will follow! 3. God’s Heaven is Beyond me, Secure and Sure! AND I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The little word and connects yesterday and today with tomorrow! Here we see the Psalmist finish this favorite song with the assurance of heaven. There lies no doubt in his voice. You can take it to the bank! We can be sure of heaven! Why? Because our good Shepherd died upon the cross for our sin! Then he rose again! I am sure Jesus rose again, and just as He rose, so shall I! We can be sure because He has promised us eternal life, and God is no liar! The best is yet to come! Do you know that one day our bodies will be destroyed. Some of you look like you are almost there! Your body will die, but you won’t. Your life on this earth will end, but it won’t be the end of you! You will go to live somewhere forever: either to heaven or hell. 2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. We are going to get a heavenly body! I married a heavenly body, and I will eventually get one in heaven, too! Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body… We can face the future not with a question mark, but with an exclamation point! We are going to live forever because Jesus conquered death! A. Since we are going to die, should we not make preparations? Are you ready to die? Are you going on a vacation this summer? Do you just wake up one morning, and say, OK, I am going on vacation today. NO! You plan to take your vacation. You buy plane tickets. You buy some clothes for your trip. You would be a fool to not make some plans if you are going on vacation! Now, you are going to take the most important trip in your life some day: It is called death. And you would be a fool to not prepare for something that is absolutely inevitable. You might not agree with me that Jesus is Lord, that the Bible is God’s Word, but let me tell you something that you cannot argue about: You are going to die physically. You know it is going to happen. As a matter of fact, you are not ready to live until you are ready to die. When you are ready to die, then you are really ready to live! Preparing to die changes your perspective in living! I am here to introduce you to the One who has faced death and beat it! He is the only one to defeat death all by himself: His name is Jesus Christ. B. What is heaven going to be like? You will not be some angel like creature strumming a harp. If we have discovered all kinds of things to enjoy and do on this imperfect earth, don’t think for a minute man is smarter than God. God is going to have so many exciting things for us to do in heaven we will never grow tired! The God who created the lakes for man to snorkel in, the mountains to ski down, the air to skydive through, the waves to surf, will no doubt have a thousand exciting things to do in heaven! I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever! We are going to be released from sin, pain, sorrow, and suffering. Revelation 21:4 And God shall wife away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. C. Who will be in heaven? Those who have believed in Jesus Christ and repented from their sin will be in heaven. You must repent, that is, change your mind from what you believe, and believe in Jesus Christ from your heart. Heaven is for God’s children. For those who are not saved, there is a place called hell. God is not willing that any should perish. You mean, everyone is not going to heaven? NO. If God let everybody into heaven, heaven would be hell. Revelation 21:8; But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. There is a second death in the lake of fire. How can I go to heaven? John 3:3: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. To be born again means you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Read John 3:15, 16. That is why you must be born again, so you do not have to face the second death. If you are only born once, you will die twice, if you are born twice, you will only die once. D. If we are going to heaven, how should I live now? This life is the opening act. This life only will last for 60-95 years, and then it will be over. If that is true, then why do we act as if making money is the most important thing in life? Do not invest your life in things. Getting things is not the most important thing. Don’t buy into the world’s system, don’t make the value system of this world of lust and pride your value system. Live in light of eternity. Stop living superficially by putting material band-aids on your emptiness. Put away the sins of the flesh. To many Christians value dollars more than they value godly values; and when we endorse the values of those who make the dollars, then we exalt those values. Do you doubt your future? You can either face the future as a cynic and doubter, or as a Christian who knows God is my Shepherd. Are you sure you are saved? Jesus is all You Need! That is the message of Psalm 23. If I know the Shepherd, I do not have to fear anything. We do not have to fear poverty, because he provides for me. We do not have to fear loneliness; because He is with me. We do not have to fear mistakes; for He guides me on the path of righteousness; We do not have to fear failure, because He restores my soul. We do not have to fear the future: because His goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. We do not have to fear death, because I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever! Let’s pray: God is beneath me in green pastures; He is beside me in still waters; He is with me in the valley; He is around me in the presence of my enemies; He is upon me, anointing my head with oil; He is before me, leading me in the right paths; He is behind me, surely goodness and mercy follow me; He is beyond me, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever! Is the LORD your Shepherd? Can you say, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever? Today, make that decision. Today is the day of salvation. Jesus is all you and I need. What more can we desire! Jesus Christ, I believe you died on the cross and rose again. I trust you today. Come into my life. I believe you are the Savior. |