SERMON: DIRTY FEET

24 June 2012

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 13

John 13:1-11 (NIV)
1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
9 "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."
11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

-- I don't know if you've noticed it lately, but there are a lot of people walking around today with dirty feet -- every where I go, I see people with dirty feet -- do you remember that Bruce Willis movie, "The Sixth Sense," where the little boy keeps saying that he sees dead people every where he looks -- I guess that's kind of the way I am, except I don't see dead people -- I see people with dirty feet
-- this week when I was out of the trail, I saw a lot of dirty people and a lot of dirty feet -- but it's not just there -- I was out at the mall the other day and there was this well-dressed man -- he was wearing a suit and tie and looked really well put together but I looked down and his feet were as dirty as all get out
-- and then I went over to another store and saw the same thing -- every where I looked, I saw people walking around with dirty feet -- a lot of them were completely dirty -- from their head down to their feet -- but you would be surprised at the number of people there who had taken the time to clean and wash their body but were still walking around with dirty feet
-- have you noticed this, too, or is it just me? -- I've always been a detailed-oriented person -- or, as Kim puts it, I'm obsessed with details -- and maybe that's why I notice all these dirty feet passing me by -- but regardless, it bothers me -- and I felt like I needed to say something about it this morning

II. Dirty Feet (John 13:1-11)
-- you know, when you look at this passage in John, you can see Jesus was bothered by dirty feet, too -- let's look at this passage again together

-- if you would, look back at verse 1

John 13:1 (NIV)
1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

-- this story from John about dirty feet takes place in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem on a Thursday night just before the Passover as Jesus and His disciples have gathered together to break bread and share a meal
-- this was something that they had surely done many times over the past three years -- but unlike most of the other meals these men shared in their time together, this was a formal celebration of the Passover -- and, as Jews, they were bound by tradition and culture and religion to follow certain guidelines and precepts that night -- as the leader of the group, Jesus was the host of the meal they were having there in the upper room that night and it was His responsibility to lead the religious service -- to impart religious meaning into the gathering -- and to follow the time-honored traditions of their forefathers as they shared this meal commemorating the mighty works of God on behalf of the Jews
-- but something else was different about this night -- Jesus knew that He was about to leave -- He knew His time on earth was short -- He knew that He was about to be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests and that He was going to die and leave these men alone
-- but instead of rushing around and trying to heal as many people as He could -- instead of running from place to place preaching and teaching and shouting, "The end is near" -- Jesus spent these last few hours with His disciples -- with His friends -- because He loved them
-- and now, John says, Jesus was going to show them the full extent of His love -- you know, when we read those words, we tend to jump ahead to the end of the story -- we immediately think of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ -- but that's not the context of this passage
-- John says here that Jesus was "now" going to show them the full extent of His love -- not tomorrow on the cross -- not Sunday at the resurrection -- but "Now" -- right now, at this moment, in the upper room, Jesus was going to do something that was going to show His disciples the "full" extent of His love -- He was going to show them just how much He loved them

-- verse 2

2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

-- I'm sure most everyone in here has heard someone preach or teach on this passage in the past -- you probably all are well aware that in first century Jerusalem, people's feet got dirty -- they didn't have a lot of paved roads -- they had a few, but not a lot, and even those stayed dirty and muddy -- and because they tended to walk from place to place, over the course of a day, their feet got dirty
-- and this is important to know because when first century Jews gathered to eat, they didn't gather around a table like we do -- this meal that John is telling us about isn't like the painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci where Jesus and His disciples were all sitting at a tall table on chairs sharing their meal -- that's just not the way Jewish people in this day shared a meal
-- they would set the food on the floor or on a very short table -- kind of like a very short coffee table -- and then they would sit on cushions around the food -- lounging around and leaning on each other as they ate
-- now would you want someone putting their dirty feet right next to your food? -- no, of course not -- so it was the custom in that area for people to wash their feet when they first entered a house or a tent, especially if they were going in to eat a meal
-- the host would provide the water and if it was a poor household, then the guests would wash their own feet -- if it was a rich household, the host would usually have a slave wash the feet of his guests -- this was the custom -- this is what normal people did

-- and that's what makes this passage so interesting to me -- we read in these verses that Jesus got up, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around Himself -- and took a basin of water and went around the room, washing the feet of His disciples
-- this is clearly the act that John was referring to when he said that Jesus was now going to show His disciples the full extent of His love
-- but why was this act of Jesus so extraordinary? -- this was normal -- this was the custom -- making sure the feet of His guests were washed would have been Jesus' responsibility as the host of the meal -- if any thing, the only thing really remarkable was that Jesus did it, but was that enough for John to have said that in doing so Jesus was showing the full extent of His love?
-- I mean, this is Jesus -- you know Jesus was constantly doing things for His disciples -- I bet when they were sitting around the campfire, Jesus was the one who got up and got water for everyone to drink -- I bet when they were sharing a meal, Jesus was the one who made sure that everyone had food -- it was His nature -- He came to serve -- and I bet that He served His disciples in hundreds of different little ways every day -- so, why did this -- this normal act -- this normal custom -- stand out so in the mind of John?

-- I've heard better preachers and teachers than me say that Jesus washed the feet of His disciples to show them humility -- to take away their pride -- to remind them that they were to be servants just like Him -- and there probably is some truth in that
-- we all know that the disciples sometimes didn't get along -- they were constantly bickering and complaining and jockeying for position -- every one of them wanted to be Jesus' second-in-command -- every one of them wanted to be His right-hand-man -- Peter certainly did -- and James and John even had their mother go to Jesus and ask Him to give them the highest positions
-- so, a lot of teachers tell you that Jesus did this to show them what it meant to be a servant -- but, I think there's more going on here than just that

-- as I said, it was customary for Jews to wash their feet when they entered a home, especially when they came for a meal -- it was expected -- it was what nice, polite people did -- and I would be highly surprised if these men hadn't already done that before they sat down to eat
-- by and large, the disciples weren't rich men -- they weren't used to having slaves wash their feet for them -- and I really don't agree with the teachers who tell you that the disciples had gotten so prideful that they just sat there with dirty feet that night waiting for someone else to wash their feet -- I just don't buy that -- it doesn't sound right
-- if I had to guess, based on what I know of Jewish culture and customs at that time and because the Bible doesn't tell us here -- I would guess that when the disciples went up to that Upper Room to have this meal with Jesus, every one of them stopped and washed their feet before they ate -- just as a habit -- just as something they were used to doing -- just like we wash our hands before we eat as a habit, they did the same with washing their feet
-- so, if that's right, then they were sitting there at the meal with Jesus with clean feet -- the meal had already begun -- but John said that Jesus got up and got a towel and a basin of water and started washing their feet again
-- you see, I think Jesus looked around that table at His disciples and He saw dirty feet -- not physically dirty -- but spiritually dirty -- and because He loved them so much, He couldn't let them go on living with dirty feet -- and so He got up and washed them Himself

-- verse 6

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
9 "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."
11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

-- when Jesus got to Peter, Peter, of course, was aghast at the idea that Jesus would wash His feet -- in verse 6 Peter asked, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" and Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
-- I think Jesus' words here give us an indication that something more is going on than Him just washing their feet to show them they should serve others in the same way -- this was a pretty good object lesson -- I think even the most dense of the disciples would have understood Jesus' point in assuming the role of a slave here and washing their feet -- I think they realized the obvious lesson that He was teaching here
-- Jesus had rebuked them time and time again and told them to stop seeking the higher place -- that if they wanted to be exalted in His kingdom, then they had to serve their brothers -- so, I think they would gotten the message pretty quick -- but Jesus says here, "You don't really understand what's going on now, but later you will -- once you've had some time to think about it, you'll understand" -- that's why I think there's something more going on
-- well, Peter, of course, goes from one extreme to the other -- when Jesus went to wash his feet, Peter said, "No way -- I'm not letting you do that for me" -- but when Jesus said, "If I don't wash your feet, you can have no part with me" -- Peter exclaims, "Then not just my feet, but my hands and my head, as well" -- once again, Peter goes overboard -- he goes all out

-- but, here's what I want you see -- look at Jesus' response in verse 10

10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."

-- "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean"
-- now it's obvious that Jesus is talking about more than just physical cleanliness here -- it's painfully obvious -- and that's why this passage is about more than just demonstrating a servant attitude to His disciples
-- this response by Jesus points to the reasons that He came in the first place -- when you think about it, Jesus came for two purposes
-- first, He came to give us a bath -- He came to cleanse us of our unrighteousness -- of our accumulated sins -- that's why He went to the cross -- that's why He shed His blood for us -- so that if we believed in Him and put our trust and faith in Him, we would be forgiven of all our sins
-- we have had a bath and have been washed clean when we are justified through the death of Christ on the cross
-- most of the men in that upper room that night believed and trusted in Jesus -- they may not have fully understood who He was, but they believed in Him and knew that He was the path to righteousness -- and so Jesus calls them "clean" in this passage -- but, still, He washed their feet -- which brings us to the second reason Jesus came

-- Jesus came not only to justify us and forgive us from our sins, but to sanctify us and make us holy -- He came so that we might have life and have it to the full -- to put it another way, Jesus didn't come just to make provision to cover our sins when we fail and fall -- He came to make it so that we wouldn't fail and fall anymore -- He came to make us more like Him -- to help us walk in holiness and righteousness and obedience rather than in the way we used to walk
-- Jesus' death on the cross affected our capacity to sin -- it delivered us from the power of sin in our lives -- it broke the chains of sin and made it possible for us to live holy lives as His people
-- this is what Jesus is trying to show Peter and the others by washing their feet -- Jesus said, "You don't need another bath -- you're already clean -- your sins are gone because you believed in faith in Me -- but, your feet are still getting dirty because you're still walking through this world -- and that's why I'm having to wash them for you now"

-- Jesus is still washing our feet today -- that's how He shows us the full extent of His love everyday -- that's why He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us and to fill our hearts -- He knew that even Christians -- even people who have had a bath -- were going to get dirty feet -- and, so, He offers to wash our feet every day
-- we call this act of washing our feet, "Sanctification" -- we call it "becoming holy" -- it is the power of Christ in our lives, changing us and transforming us from the inside out
-- the cross is not the end of Christianity -- it is only the beginning of a new walk with Jesus -- it is the start of a journey to holiness -- to clean feet -- to clean lives

III. Closing
-- “A large group of European pastors came to one of D. L. Moody’s Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. -- Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. -- But of course this was America and there were no hall servants.
-- “Walking the dormitory halls that night, Moody saw the shoes and determined not to embarrass his brothers. -- He mentioned the need to some ministerial students who were there, but met with only silence or pious excuses. -- Moody returned to the dorm, gathered up the shoes, and, alone in his room, the world’s only famous evangelist began to clean and polish the shoes. -- Only the unexpected arrival of a friend in the midst of the work revealed the secret.
-- “When the foreign visitors opened their doors the next morning, their shoes were shined. --They never know by whom. -- Moody told no one, but his friend told a few people, and during the rest of the conference, different men volunteered to shine the shoes in secret.-- Perhaps the episode is a vital insight into why God used D. L. Moody as He did. -- He was a man with a servant’s heart and that was the basis of his true greatness”
(Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence, (Victor Books, a division of SP Publishing, Wheaton, Ill; 1985), p. 98).

-- as I pointed out in my introduction, I look around and I see people with dirty feet everywhere -- even in the church -- especially in the church -- the question is "what do we do about it?"
-- we expect the world to have dirty feet because their whole bodies are dirty -- they've never been washed clean of their sins in the first place -- but it shouldn't be like that for Christians
-- Christians are clean -- we've been washed in the blood of the Lamb and our sins have been forgiven -- but there's still a lot of dirty feet tucked under church pews every Sunday morning -- and someone needs to clean them

-- over the next few weeks, we're going to be looking at a series on pursuing holiness in our lives because I'm worried about our dirty feet -- I'm worried about my dirty feet -- and I'm worried about your dirty feet -- and I'm worried about the church's dirty feet
-- I want us to spend some time with Jesus over the next little while learning what it means to have Him wash our feet on a daily basis and learning how to wash the feet of those around us -- just like Jesus did with us and His disciples and D.L. Moody did with the shoes of the visiting pastors
-- I want us to start a campaign against dirty feet -- I want us to start a campaign for holiness in the church -- will you join me in this campaign? -- will you wash each other's feet?
-- let us pray

SERMON: MAN ON A WIRE

17 June 2012

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Psalm 23 -- if you would, let me read this to you this morning in the King James Version since this is the traditional version of this Psalm and the one we are most familiar with

Psalm 23:1-6 (KJV)
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 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.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

-- when people list the great natural wonders of this country, one of them that is always mentioned is Niagara Falls -- located on the Niagara River which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, these falls are the most powerful waterfalls in North America, dropping more than 165 feet vertically
-- to gaze out on these falls -- to feel the power of the rushing water and the mist and spray on your face -- is to feel the power of God in nature
-- the falls straddle the international border between Canada and America, which invariably brings up the question, "How do you get across the falls? -- How do you make your way from the U.S. to Canada at this point?"
-- most people cross the falls on the Rainbow Bridge -- the Rainbow Bridge is a 2-1/2 mile suspension bridge -- with four traffic lanes and additional pedestrian walking trails, this wide bridge is the safest way for people to travel from New York to Ontario
-- but, as we saw on Friday night, there is another way to make that journey -- Nik Wallenda, from the famous Wallenda family, crossed Niagara Falls from New York to Ontario by walking across on a cable that was only two inches wide -- it took him a little over 25 minutes to cross 1800 feet of wire suspended 200 feet above the gorge -- when he successfully stepped onto the platform on the Canada side of the river, Nik Wallenda became the first person to ever walk directly over the falls

-- just like there are two paths that we can take to cross Niagara Falls, in the Bible we are told that there are two paths that we can take in our lives
-- the first path is broad with a wide gate leading to it, like the road that crosses Niagara Falls from the U.S. to Canada -- this is the path that most of the world takes -- it is an easy path, and for that reason it seems like the right one to take, but it leads straight to death and destruction
-- the other path is straight and narrow with only a small gate leading to it, just like the wire that Nik Wallenda used to cross the falls Friday night -- this is a path that few can find and that fewer still can follow -- but this is the path that Jesus told us to take in Matthew 7:13-14 because this path leads to life
-- when Jesus told us to take the straight and narrow way, He was calling us to live a life of righteousness -- of moral integrity and proper conduct -- but, as we all know, to live such a life and to walk such a path is impossible for us in our own strength -- the only way we can successfully walk this way is through the presence of Christ with us
-- we see that clearly in this familiar psalm from King David

-- you know, out of all the Bible, there are probably two passages that everyone knows by heart or at least recognizes when they hear them -- John 3:16 and the 23rd Psalm
-- but, while all of us are familiar with these passages, the truth is that we haven't heard them taught often enough -- usually, we only hear the 23rd Psalm at funerals, as we reflect on the life of the person who has passed away and offer comfort to their family
-- but that's not why this Psalm was written -- it was not written as a funeral dirge, but as a song of praise to a God who walks beside us to keep us on the right path -- it was written to provide instruction and direction to those who were seeking to follow the straight and narrow path
-- so, this morning, I want us to take a moment to look at this familiar Psalm in some detail to see what we can learn about walking with Christ in our lives today

II. Psalm 23
-- verse 1

Psalm 23:1 (NIV)
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

-- in this first verse we are introduced to Yahweh Roeh -- Jehovah my Shepherd -- as David makes a declaration of his faith and trust in the Lord God of Israel

-- now even though we don't have a lot of sheep here in south Georgia, we're pretty familiar with the concept of what a shepherd is -- a shepherd is simply a person who tends sheep
-- but in order to really understand what David is saying here in this first verse, you have to know that the way we look at shepherds in our day is entirely different from the understanding of what a shepherd was during the time this Psalm was written
-- in our day, shepherds are removed from the flock -- the sheep are usually kept in fenced pastures where they are protected from dogs and predators -- and the shepherd doesn't spend time with them daily -- he makes sure they have food and water -- he makes sure their health is taken care of -- but his concern is more about the entire flock than individual sheep
-- but it wasn't like this in David's day -- during his day, shepherds identified with their flocks -- they didn't just put them out in pastures and leave them alone -- they lived with them night and day -- they came to know them in a way that shepherds today don't know their sheep
-- for the shepherds in ancient Israel, their flock was part of their family, and they knew each individual sheep -- they knew what they liked and how they would act and they took care of each sheep in their own particular way -- and, over time, an intimate relationship would develop between the shepherd and the sheep -- he knew them and they knew him -- they knew his voice -- they trusted that he would take care of all their needs -- they put their faith in him and followed where he led

-- that's the picture that David is trying to give us here of Jehovah Roeh -- of God as our shepherd -- not a distant, impersonal God -- but a God that knows us -- a God who knows our names -- who knows who we are on the inside -- who knows our strengths and our weaknesses -- a God who meets all our needs and leads us down the path He wants us to follow rather than the path we might want to take on our own
-- in Isaiah 40:11, we see a touching picture of God as our shepherd -- Isaiah writes, "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."

-- verse 2

Psalm 23:2 (NIV)
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters

    -- when I was studying for this message, I learned something that I didn't know here in verse 2 -- all my life, I had been reading this verse wrong -- when it says here that God "makes" us lie down in green pastures, the image I always had in my mind was that we were being forced to do this -- that this was something that God knew was good for us so He forced us to do it -- He "made" us do it
-- but, as I started studying this, I realized I had been misreading this -- when David uses the word "makes" here, he isn't referring to God forcing us to do anything -- instead, what he is saying is that by following God's path -- by being in His presence -- we find ourselves in green pastures that otherwise we would not have known
-- in other words, simply by following God and his straight and narrow path, we will be led into fields of blessing -- our world is transformed -- made new -- because of Him
-- a better way to read this would be to say, "He makes it possible for us to lie down in green pastures"

-- David goes on to say that we are led beside quiet or still water -- he is referring here to the Lord our Shepherd leading us out of danger and into safety
-- sheep don't do well with moving water -- for one thing, they don't swim well, and if they get caught in a current, they could easily get swept away and drown -- for another, the sound of rushing water drowns out the sound of predators approaching -- they would avoid these areas and would not drink as they should -- so, shepherds today still tell people to provide water troughs of still and quiet water for their sheep to drink from
-- what David is saying here is that if we trust God -- if we follow His leading -- He will lead us to the place we should be -- fields of green grass and areas with still water where we are safe and protected and blessed

-- verse 3

Psalm 23:3 (NIV)
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

-- the Hebrew word that is translated as "restores" here carries with it the meaning of repentance -- of turning back -- of returning to the place where you once were
-- when David talks here of God restoring his soul, he is referring to a sheep that has wandered -- a sheep that has left the path and strayed away from the flock
-- but because God is our shepherd and He cares about the lost, He leaves the flock to find us -- to restore us and bring us back to the place of righteousness -- back into the fold once again
-- in Luke 15:3-7, Jesus gives us the parable of the lost sheep and says that if one sheep gets lost, He would leave the 99 in an open field until He found the one that was lost
-- this is a picture of God's prevenient grace -- what John Wesley called "preventing" grace -- the grace that seeks us when we are lost -- the grace that speaks of a God who loves us so much He can't live without us and who will move heaven and earth to bring us home again
-- God wants us to follow Him -- He wants us to stay on His path -- the path of righteousness -- the path of a right relationship with Him -- He leads us and guides down this path as a shepherd leads his sheep because He wants nothing but good for our lives

-- verse 4

Psalm 23:4 (NIV)
4 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.

-- here we see a shift in the Psalm -- if you look at the first three verses, you'll see that God is referred to in the third person -- you get the sense that David is telling someone else about God -- about what God has done for him -- about the ways that God has led him and restored him and blessed him through his life
-- now, beginning in verse 4, David shifts and begins to direct his thoughts and his message to God Himself in an affirmation of his faith and trust

-- David says that even though he walks in the valley of the shadow of death, he will fear no evil, because God is with him
-- the other night, as we were watching Nik Wallenda cross Niagara Falls on the tightrope, I found it interesting to listen to his conversation with his father as he walked -- he was saying how much harder the path was at the beginning because he was headed downhill -- into a valley that sloped at the middle of the cable right over the falls
-- you could see that he was having difficulty -- his counterbalancing pole was moving all over the place as he walked down that cable towards the valley -- but then he began praising God on live TV -- "Thank you, Jesus, for being with me -- I can trust that I will be okay because You are with me"
-- that's the same thing David's saying here in this verse -- when we find ourselves walking down in the valley -- when life is hard and things are just not going well and we're not sure if we can keep putting one foot in front of the other -- we can take heart and keep on going because we know that God is with us -- we have nothing to worry about because He is balancing our life

-- this verse go on to say that the Christian is comforted by the rod and the staff of Christ -- the rod alludes to the shepherd's crook -- the shepherd uses this to guide the sheep as they feed in green pastures -- as they pass by, he uses it to count them to make sure none are missing -- the rod is security for the sheep
-- some scholars suggest that the word "rod" in this context may refer directly to the word of God or the gospel message -- Solomon used the same word when he wrote, "spare the rod and spoil the child" -- in both instances, we could take this to mean that staying close to God's word -- living life in close proximity to the Word of God -- will keep us from wandering away and will restore us when we do stray
-- the staff refers to the protection of the shepherd -- the staff was used to fight off wild dogs and other predators that might harass the sheep -- if we remain in the protection of the good Shepherd, then we have nothing to fear, because His staff will keep us safe

-- verse 5

Psalm 23:5-6 (NIV) 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

-- this verse speaks of God's continuing protection and watch over our lives -- in David's day, covenants were solemnized through the sharing of a meal -- when David talks here about God preparing a table for him in the presence of his enemies, he is saying that God is making a covenant of protection with him -- that from this moment on God will be his God and he will belong to Him and trust in Him for safety and security
-- the anointing oil that is referred to here is a symbol of God's presence through the Holy Spirit -- it is a promise that God will never leave him or forsake him -- that God will continue to guide his steps and direct his path -- and his cup will overflow from the many blessings that come from a close relationship with the Savior
-- his life will be filled with goodness -- with righteousness -- with the blessings of God -- he will know God's love and His grace and His mercy -- he will experience God's presence throughout his whole life
-- and, at the end of the path -- at the end of the straight and narrow way -- David says that we will find God's house -- God's dwelling place -- and we will dwell there with Him -- we will live with Him for eternity

III. CLOSING
-- most of us have heard the story, "Footprints in the Sand," before -- you may have seen it on cards or on plaques -- it's a very common story in the Christian community
-- but have you heard the new version of "Footprints in the Sand?" -- Mark Littleton wrote this in 1990, and I want to share it with you

-- "Imagine you and the Lord Jesus [are] walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your prints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures and returns. For much of the way it seems to go like this. But gradually, your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends.
-- "This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: your footprints that once etched the sand next to the Master's are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints is the small 'sand print', safely enclosed. You and Jesus are becoming one.
-- "This goes on for many miles. But gradually you notice another change. The footprint inside the larger footprint seems to grow larger. Eventually it disappears altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one.
-- "Again, this goes on for a long time. But then something awful happens. The second set of footprints is back. And this time it seems even worse. Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Deep gashes in the sand. A veritable mess of prints. You're amazed and shocked. But this is the end of your dream.
-- "Now you speak. "Lord, I understand the first scene with the zigzags and fits and starts and so on. I was a new Christian, just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with you."
-- "That is correct."
-- "Yes, and when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps. I followed You very closely."
-- "Very good. You have understood everything so far."
-- "Then the smaller footprints grew and eventually filled in with Yours. I suppose that I was actually growing so much that I was becoming like you in every way."
-- "Precisely."
-- "But this is my question. Lord.. Was there a regression or something? The footprints went back to two, and this time it was worse than the first."
-- The Lord smiles, then laughs. "You didn't know?" He says. "That was when we danced."
[Source: Mark Littleton © 1990]

-- as we consider the two paths that lay before us -- the wide and broad and the narrow and the straight -- let me encourage you to take the path from which Jesus beckons
-- let Him guide you through your life -- on the mountaintops and in the valleys -- through fields of green grass and beside the still waters -- trust Him as your enemies gather around you -- rejoice in the promise of eternal life with Him in His house
-- and don't just follow Him -- but dance with Him in joy along the way

-- let us pray

SERMON: MY PROTECTOR

10 June 2012

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 2 Samuel 22
            -- today we're going to be looking at 2 Samuel 22:1-20 -- but rather than opening up with the entire passage as I normally do, I just want to open up by reading the first seven verses

            -- verse 1-7 

2 Samuel 22:1-7 (NIV)

1 David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

2 He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior-- from violent men you save me.

4 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

5 "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

6 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

7 In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.

            -- last week the world paused to celebrate two historic milestone events -- the first, which took up most of the media's attention early last week, was the celebration in London and throughout the English empire of Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee

            -- June 2nd marked 60 years that Queen Elizabeth has sat on the throne -- only one other monarch in English history has ever ruled so long -- Queen Victoria
            -- I think this celebration is a testimony of the queen's popularity and her ability to rise above trying family circumstances to continue to serve the English people in that role as she has for so long
            -- the second historic event that we paused to remember last week was on June 6th -- D-Day -- the date of the allied invasion of Normandy that led to the eventual collapse of Hitler's reign and the end of World War II -- and while it did not get the attention that Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee did in the media, it was arguably the most significant event of the 20th century -- the day when evil was defeated

            -- these events remind me of a story that I happened across this week that involved Queen Victoria -- this is one of the minor blips in history -- one of those events that isn't remembered or celebrated by many, but it is considered one of the most significant military expeditions to ever have occurred, comparable to the Allied invasion of France on D-Day

            -- in 1874, the Ethiopian emperor took 53 Europeans hostage -- 30 adults and 23 children, including some missionary families and British officials -- he imprisoned them in a remote 9,000-foot-high fortress deep in the interior of Ethiopia and, despite the official requests and pleas from Queen Victoria, he refused to release them even after holding them captive for four years
            -- finally, Queen Victoria had enough -- she ordered a full-scale military expedition from India to march into Ethiopia
            -- The invasion force included 32,000 men, heavy artillery, and 44 elephants to carry the guns -- they carried with them 50,000 tons of beef and pork and 30,000 gallons of rum -- Engineers built landing piers, water treatment plants, a railroad, and a telegraph line to the interior, not counting all the bridges they had to build to cross the many rivers and streams
            -- and Queen Victoria did all of this -- not to conquer the country or make it a British colony, but simply to rescue this tiny band of civilians -- she moved heaven and earth and expended untold resources just for one decisive battle to free her people          [Modified from: Jim Reapsome, Current Thoughts and Trends (May 1999); submitted by Darren Wride, Hinton, AB, Canada, Preaching Today Website]

II.  God Protects Us

            -- you've heard the saying, "Don't mess with Texas" -- Queen Victoria made a point with this expedition -- "Don't mess with the English people"
            -- that's the same thing that God seems to be saying about His people in this passage here in 2 Samuel 22 -- this is one of the attributes of God -- part of His character and nature that we tend to overlook
            -- we talk about His omniscience -- how He is all-knowing -- we talk about His omnipotence -- how He is all-powerful -- we talk about His omnipresence -- how He is everywhere at once
            -- we talk about His love and His grace and His mercy -- we talk about His peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, and faithfulness -- we'll even talk about His wrath and judgment and discipline
            -- but we rarely talk about His attribute of protectiveness -- when God looks down at the world and says, "Don't mess with My children"

            -- there's a reason that we call God Father -- it's because He acts towards us as our earthly fathers should -- not only do they love us and take care of us, but they protect us from evil and from those who seek to harm us
            -- Jesus gave us a glimpse of God's heart when He looked over Jerusalem and wept and cried out in Matthew 23:37 that He had longed to gather the children of Israel together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings -- Jesus wanted to protect His people, but they turned away and wouldn't let Him
            -- David knew this part of God's heart -- and here in 2 Samuel 22, as his days are ending and as he is pausing to reflect on the events of his life, David writes a Psalm of praise to remember and rejoice over how God had delivered him and protected him time and time again over the years of his life
            -- let's take a moment here and look at this passage together and see what we can learn from David's psalm of praise for protection

III.  Scripture Lesson (2 Samuel 22:1-20)

            -- verse 1

2 Samuel 22:1-7 (NIV)

1 David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

2 He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior-- from violent men you save me.

            -- I want you to see something in these verses -- David doesn't just know about God -- David knows God -- David has a personal, intimate relationship with the God of all the universe

            -- one of the ways that I use to gauge where a person is in their relationship with Christ is by asking them the question, "Who is Jesus to you?" -- not "Who is Jesus?" -- but "Who is Jesus to you?" -- and if a person knows Jesus -- if they have a personal relationship with Him -- most of the time they are going to respond by saying, "He is my..."

            -- I don't know if you mark in your Bibles or not, but I'd like you to underline or at least put your finger on each time David says "my" in these verses -- look at it again

            -- nine times in these three short verses David refers to God as "My" -- David knows God -- this isn't just head knowledge -- this is heart knowledge

            -- and look at the words that David uses to describe his experiences with God -- look at how he knows God in his own life -- rock -- fortress -- deliverer -- shield -- horn of my salvation -- stronghold -- refuge -- savior
            -- these are descriptions of a powerful God -- a strong God -- a mighty God -- a God that protects -- a God that delivers -- a God that saves
            -- all his life, David had not just seen God at a distance, but he had experienced God working through his life to protect him and save him and deliver him from everything that came against him -- physically and spiritually
            -- first it was the bear and lion that came against his flock -- then it was the giant Goliath in the valley of Elah -- God kept him safe when Saul wanted to take his life -- God protected him during the many battles that he fought in as warrior and king of Israel -- and God was with him when his son Absalom tried to usurp the throne
            -- and when David fell spiritually -- when he sinned against God by sleeping with another man's wife and murdering that man -- when he sinned against God by numbering the people of Israel -- God delivered him from his sins and restored him to a right relationship once again
            -- our Father in Heaven longs to deliver us -- to protect us from all evil and from all harm -- but there's a prerequisite -- we first have to know Him -- not know about Him -- we have to know Him, personally and intimately, if we want Him to be our God and Savior
            -- a lot of people think they know God just because they come to church -- they think that Christianity is just about singing hymns and listening to a sermon on Sunday morning -- but that's not what Christianity is all about
            -- I had a disciple call me yesterday and tell me that his family has started complaining about his enthusiastic discussions about God -- they don't like him asking them what God is doing in their lives -- they don't like him asking them if they really know God -- they told him that they get enough of God on Sunday -- they don't need to hear about Him the rest of the week and they want him to quit talking about God so much
            -- this is evidence of people who know about God -- who think they're okay because they go to church and have a designated seat on the pew -- but who don't know God in their hearts the way that David knew Him
            -- the question for us is "do we know God as David did or do we just know about Him?"
            -- verse 4-6

4 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

5 "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

6 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

            -- David uses three a couple of word pictures here to describe how he felt when he was overwhelmed with trouble and in need of deliverance
            -- "the waves of death swirled about me" -- that is a picture of a person lost in a raging sea -- I imagine most of us here have been to the beach at one time or the other -- do you remember what it feels like when you're out there in the waves -- being tossed around by the power of the sea slamming you towards shore?
            -- that's what David is picturing here -- he is adrift in the ocean -- being tossed back and forth and about to pulled beneath the waves
            -- the next is "the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me" -- this carries with it the idea of a flood -- of a person being swept up in a mighty flow that he can't control and that is taking him places that he doesn't want to go
            -- it felt, David said, like the cords of death were wrapped around him -- he was being pulled to the grave -- as if there were no hope -- no way out
            -- we've all been there -- we've all been in situations that felt hopeless -- that felt overwhelming -- that felt like we were going to drown -- if not physically -- then at least spiritually or emotionally
            -- so what do we do in those times? -- we do like David did

            -- verse 7a

7 In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God.

            -- we call out to God

            -- sounds so simple, doesn't it? -- then why don't we do it? -- honestly, when you've got a problem, the last thing you do is pray -- we try to solve it on our own first, don't we? -- we go through all the scenarios in our head -- we go through all the escape options -- we try to come up with some plan to get us out of trouble -- and only when that fails -- only when there's nothing else we can do -- we pray
            -- we've got it backwards -- when David was in the raging sea -- when he was caught up in the roaring floodwaters -- David prayed
            -- that's what we should learn to do, too -- we should pray first

            -- look back at verse 7

 

7 In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.

            -- lo and behold, look what happened when David prayed -- God heard him
            -- the only prayer that God can't answer is the prayer that is not prayed
            -- how many times does God allow us to hit rock bottom because we are trying to solve our own issues in our own ways when all He wants us to do is come to Him first -- to cry out for help and trust that He will hear
            -- David cried out in his distress and God heard his pleas

            -- before we leave this verse, I want to point one thing that is important to know -- in the Hebrew, the true meaning of this verse is one of continual action

            -- not "I was in trouble one time and I called and you saved me" but "I am always in trouble and I am always calling and you are always saving me" 
            -- David isn't just remembering a past event in this passage -- but he is realizing God's activity in the present and is praising God because he has the reassurance of God's continuing deliverance in the future

            -- verse 8

2 Samuel 22:8-16 (NIV)

8 "The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry.

9 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.

10 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

11 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.

12 He made darkness his canopy around him-- the dark rain clouds of the sky.

13 Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth.

14 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

15 He shot arrows and scattered [the enemies], bolts of lightning and routed them.

16 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils.

            -- I can sum up verses 8-16 in just five words -- "Don't mess with My family"

            -- when David cried out for God's help, our Father responded
            -- the earth trembled and shook -- smoke and fire billowed forth -- and God moved into action -- there was no hesitancy -- no deliberation -- there was only righteous anger at the injustice being done -- when David prayed, God moved
       

            -- I remember when I was a little kid my mother got a threatening letter delivered to her at school one day by a student -- it was supposedly written by this student's mother -- and it said that if my mother did not back off, that she was going to get hurt and went into all the different ways they were going to do it

            -- Mama showed that letter to Daddy when he got home that night -- he didn't say a word -- he just took that letter, walked out, got in his truck and left

            -- I found out later that he knew this girl's parents -- that her family had either worked for him on the farm or was related to people who had worked for him -- so, when he saw that letter, he went straight over to their house and demanded an explanation -- he entered their house loaded for bear

            -- the same response you see right here with God -- immediate, righteous indignation -- anger over the fact that someone would dare to hurt a member of his family

            -- God is making a declaration here -- you mess with My family, you mess with Me
            -- I like that about God -- I like knowing that I've got a heavenly Father who has my back -- a protector and a deliverer who isn't about to let this world or Satan and his demons bully me -- when I get in trouble, I know that all I have to do is cry out and God is going to move
 

            -- David describes here what we call in theological terms a theophany -- a manifestation of God to man -- in other words, David cried out and God is coming

            -- the first sign we have of His appearance is a powerful earthquake that shakes the earth to its core -- smoke and fire and burning coals appeared in response to God's presence
            -- when I read verses 8-9, I think of a volcanic eruption -- of the ground shaking and the explosion of fire and burning coals and the smoke billowing up from the caldera
            -- in verse 10 we read that God parted the heavens and came down -- they literally bowed before Him and He stood on the dark clouds -- He mounted on wings of angels and soared with the wind -- He surrounded Himself within a powerful thunderstorm -- dark clouds and thunder and lightning
            -- the overall picture we see in these verses is one of power and majesty and wrath -- the foundations of the earth were laid bare before the presence of the Lord -- the valleys of the sea were exposed -- no one could hide from the wrath of God -- David's enemies had no where to flee from God's power and judgment
            -- God's son was in danger and God was coming to help
 

            -- verse 17

2 Samuel 22:17-20 (NIV)

17 "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.

18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.

20 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

 

            -- God reaches down and plucks David from the grasp of his enemies -- He pulls David from the raging sea and the rushing torrent -- He delivers him from the evil that threatened his very life -- both physical, spiritual, and emotional

            -- notice that David was not up to the task -- even though he was a warrior -- even though he had been king for decades -- even though he commanded a mighty army -- David wasn't strong enough to defeat the enemies that surrounded him

            -- so God did what only God could do -- when David cried out for help, God responded and rescued David and delivered him from his enemies and brought him into a spacious place
            -- and He did all of this -- not because David said the right words in his prayer -- not because David went to temple every Sabbath like a good Jew should -- not because David tithed and gave offerings
            -- God did this because He delighted in David -- David knew God and God knew David -- God knew that David was a man after God's own heart -- and even though David occasionally slipped and fell, his heart was still in the right place -- he still longed to be with His God -- not just on the Sabbath -- but every moment of every day
            -- this is where we should be in our life -- this is what we should be striving for -- God was delighted in David and God delivered him when he was in need
 

IV.  Closing

            -- several years ago, I was doing some wildlife photography on Ossabaw Island off the coast of Savannah -- me and a couple others had hiked in to a remote area where there was a heron rookery -- a place where colonial waterbirds gather together to nest and raise their young -- we wanted to take pictures of the young birds as they were sitting on the nest
            -- as we wading through the marsh and water in the rookery taking pictures, I heard an odd sound just in front of me -- this high-pitched grunt -- almost like a peep, but a little deeper and more persistent -- and I looked down and noticed that I had disturbed a group of baby alligators that had just hatched and were hanging around the nest
            -- they were about 8-10 inches long and I thought about grabbing one and taking a few photos when all of a sudden the water started to boil -- literally, there were bubbles coming up and I heard bushes breaking and I thought to myself, "Uh, oh -- I need to move now"
            -- you see, these baby alligators were in distress and they cried out and mama was coming and she wasn't wasting any time -- she was going to deliver her babies from the enemy that was threatening them -- in other words, me
            -- so I did what any other highly trained wildlife biologist would do -- I screamed like a girl and ran away as fast as I could -- I didn't want any part of that mama gator and I didn't wait around to see what she was going to do when she got there

            -- that's a good picture of what God does for us -- when we're in distress like David was, if we would only just cry out for help, God will hear our cries and move heaven and earth to deliver us from our enemies

            -- in fact, that's what the cross was all about -- when we were held captive by sin and death, God launched an invasion of earth that put both Queen Victoria's invasion of Ethiopia and the allies' invasion of Normandy on D-Day to shame
            -- God didn't send an army -- He came Himself, and He went to the cross and suffered in our place to do what we were not strong enough to do -- He came because He loved us and delighted in us and because He is our Father and that's what our Father does

            -- so, the next time you find yourself in a raging sea or in a roaring tempest, cry out to God for deliverance and watch as He moves heaven and earth just to save you

            -- let us pray