Summary
Guest speaker Rev. Jon Hollifield emphasizes the importance of soul care in his sermon based on Psalm 23, particularly focusing on the phrase "He restores my soul." He explains that just as sheep need a shepherd for guidance and nourishment, believers must rely on Christ to restore and align their souls with God. Hollifield encourages the congregation to recognize their need for spiritual refreshment and to seek a deeper relationship with the Lord for true restoration.
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Thank you, James. Thank you, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. Thank you all for being here tonight. I am excited to be here. I think I've been here once before and had my family with me. They did not make the trip and journey with me this time,
but we are excited. I am under contract to tell at least one story about James.
He is right. We grew up in the same church there about an hour away from here, and our dads ran a bus route together.
And then after high school, we were very close friends in high school, and after high school, went to college and ended up going to the same college together. And so, yeah, we've been pretty close friends.
I was—he was in my wedding. He is sort of still bitter at me because he invited me to be in his wedding, and I could not make it. And I never hear the end of that one. But we have a very close relationship, a close friendship.
And if there's one thing I can say about James, it is that if there's one thing God has blessed him with, it's understanding what a friend is. And so if you ever have any concerns or any questions about how to be a biblical friend, your pastor is an excellent example of that.
And I could probably spend three or four hours each night giving you stories about how of a great friend he has been to me. But you don't want to hear those stories.
You want to hear one that is a little bit more interesting. Well, when we were in high school, our church youth group would take us to these youth retreats, and we would go to these youth conferences, and they actually would set them up in the wintertime.
They would be at the beach. And so we went out there one time, and the way that it was set up, the conference was actually held in the conference center room of the hotel, and they would put all the teenagers in the hotel rooms. And that just sounds like a great idea already, does it not?
Putting a bunch of teenagers in hotel rooms. Well, our youth group got into the habit of going, and it wasn't long before they, you know, of course they put a bunch of guys together, a bunch of girls together in their room. And so all of us guys are hanging out, and we're all staying in the same room.
And before long, we find ways to entertain ourselves. Because I believe that one of the rules were we couldn't turn on the TV or anything like that.
So what we did is our tradition was is when we get out there the first time, we go to Walmart, and we buy a bunch of snacks for the rooms, and we would just pig out.
And one of the things that we found out quickly was that right there, the hotel being right on the beach, you went out on your balcony, and we started throwing food, like little pieces of snacks and stuff, and the seagulls would come and catch them.
And of course, for teenage boys, we were like, this is awesome.
And we started just doing it for hours, just watching it, and then trying to get real athletic, seeing how good these seagulls were, and how their agility was.
So we would take it and throw it straight down, like as hard as we could to see if it could sit down, and they'd catch it every single time. Well, eventually, when seagulls are like people, and when they eat food, they have to go to the restroom.
And so word got up to our hotel room that please stop feeding the seagulls, because they are leaving droppings all over the guests coming in the front door.
And so we were like, okay. So now we're bummed.
We're like, we can't feed the seagulls. What are we going to do? And it might have, I still to this day don't remember where the suggestion came from, and it makes me think, it makes me wonder, was it James that came up with the idea? But we're sitting there, and somebody says this,
what if we could get the seagull in our room? And everybody, of course, is thinking, that's a great idea!
And so we got this thing, I think it was like the caramel jack, like caramel popcorn,
like Cracker Jack type of corn, had a box of it. And we noticed, I think the idea came because we noticed that one morning somebody had left it out there on the table in the balcony, and the seagull was like sort of just eating it out of the, on
the table. And so we set up this little trap, right? We started trickling it down all the way.
It was on the table, and there's a little trail, and it comes down to the chair, and then to the ground, and then we had the door wide open, and then we had one guy stationed right there with
the sliding glass balcony door that whenever it hopped over, we slammed the door shut, and we got us a seagull in the room.
The only problem was, the seagull never could see over the lip that there was another piece in the room.
And so somebody has the idea, the way the room was, is that you come around over here, and there was another sliding balcony in the bedroom. And so they come over there, and it was one of the other teenagers, he grabs a Cheez-It,
and he goes over there very slightly, and I thought, oh, what did I do?
And they said, they got to make the throw just perfect, and he lobs it, and it goes right over the seagull's face, right through its line of vision, and the seagull does this,
and it jumps in the room, and right then, the door is slammed, we got it, and the seagull is flying around, it's chaos, and we're over there like, yeah, we got the seagull in the room. And of course,
all kinds of mess goes everywhere, and the next thing we knew, we have the person who is, the daughter of the person who runs the event, comes by our door, and sees the, look at our room, y'all got a bird in your room? And James closes the door right in her face,
and they're like, get it out, get it out, get it out. But yeah, many, many, many times of things like that, James was the guy, if you had the idea,
Theme of the Meeting: Restore
he would execute it. And so, we had a wonderful time there. But he was gracious, enough to invite me here, with you guys, and for this meeting. And he, he themed, the theme of the meeting this week, is restore, restore. And, James didn't assign me, the, the,
specific topics, of the messages, but, he asked me to, bring something along with this theme. And so, what I've decided to do, for the next three evenings, is, in a way,
tie them together. So, we're going to work, sort of, in a way, to where we work out, we work inward, and we work outward, with our application of thought.
And so, what I mean by that, is, the first message here this evening, you've seen on your notes here, the title is, Restore Your Soul. I want to talk to you tonight, about this topic of our soul,
and the importance, and the, the, the need, for, having, making sure that we are, properly, properly,
taking care, of our soul, and it being in right alignment, with the Lord. And from there, that is going to lead us, into an understanding, of how we maintain, that proper, soul care, is a, is a good relationship, of worship.
And so, to tomorrow night's message, is going to be, on restoring your worship. Alright, and I'm not going to come, it's not going to, don't, don't misunderstand, we're not going to be, sitting here talking about, what songs we sing in church, and, and how that should go. We're going to talk about,
we're going to go to Isaiah 6, and we're going to look, at, something that I, still, I cannot get over, of, an instance where, the prophet Isaiah, probably the most righteous man, on the face of the earth, at that time,
got to see God, face to, well, not face to face, but got to see the throne room of God, and how it changed him. And then, that's going to lead us, then to, on Wednesday night, to the more, practical outworking, of those two things.
We have to have this tonight, we have to have that tomorrow night, once we get those things in line, then we can start getting into, a little bit more practical, outwork, where the rubber meets the road, and we're going to talk about, restoring your home.
We're going to look at, some passages in Ephesians 4, James, I know, me and him both have,
done some work, and, and training, in the area of counseling, and so, I do a lot of, marriage counseling, family counseling, and training, and certification, in that area, and so, I thought that, that would be an encouragement, for you today,
Reading Psalm 23
this week. So, let's get going here, in this passage, first thing I want to do, let's go to Psalm 23, let's read Psalm 23, I like to do that, at our church, I like to start, with the word of God, so we're going to read, Psalm 23, and I know that this is,
known as the most familiar, Psalm, maybe the most familiar, passage, or I mean chapter, in all of scripture,
and that is Psalm 23, so I know you probably, if you've spent any time, in church, growing up in church, you're familiar with this, and you say, well, I know Psalm 23, I've heard up teen messages, on Psalm 23, what is there in Psalm 23,
that can really be fresh, to me today, and I get that, because I felt the same way, and you know, you read something, have you ever had this experience, where you're reading something,
and maybe it's even a hymn, and you've sung it, a hundred times, or a thousand times, or a million times, or you've read this passage, over and over again, and then all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit brings out, something very, wow, never really saw that before,
I mean I know I saw it, but it's just, it's hitting different, and that was sort of, what happened with me, with this passage, here in Psalm 23, and so I hope it's a blessing, for you tonight, Psalm 23, verse number one, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,
he makes me lie down, in green pastures, he leads me beside, still waters, he restores,
my soul, he leads me in paths, of righteousness, for his namesake, 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, you prepare, a table before me, in the presence, of my enemies, you anoint, my head, with oil, my cup, overflows,
surely, goodness, and mercy, shall follow me, all the days, of my life, and I shall dwell, in the house, of the Lord,
forever, this evening, I want to begin, with giving, a little bit, of an introduction, here, the first points, that you'll see, in your notes, here, are introduction points, about just getting, an understanding, of the importance, of your soul,
it is a trite word, I know, it is a word, that we can use, and it can be packaged, with a lot of different meanings, so I want to, be able to bring us all, and zero us in
all, on what we're talking about here, so we're all on the same page, when we're talking about,
Understanding Body and Soul
we get to the point, in Psalm 23, where it says, he restores my soul, the first thing here, is this, that mankind, is created, with two essential aspects,
in theological circles, there are two, there are two, viewpoints, on how man is made up, these are called, dichotomous, or trichotomous, words, the words don't really, that important,
so don't feel too concerned, about remembering that, but it's sort of, the idea of this, is man made up, of a body and soul, or a body, soul, and spirit, and so I'm going to try, to exhibit to
you, that I believe, that the reason, why the scriptures, present, that the way, that God had created man, when he created him, in the garden, and breathed into him, the breath of life, that he has created him, as what, this is what we're going to call it, embodied souls, souls, embodied souls,
alright, mankind is created, with two central aspects, body and soul, in Genesis 2 verse 7, it says,
then the Lord God, formed the man, from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils, the breath of life, so what do you get right there, first of all, you get that God is creating what, the physical part of man, he creates man physically, is this me, that's doing this,
you don't know, okay, so just go with it, alright, keep you on your toes, this evening,
alright, so, he creates man's physical aspect, and then he creates man's, immaterial aspect, okay, the spiritual aspect, so the second part of that, verse, is that he breathes into his nostrils, the breath of life, and man became, in
the ispia, it says, a living creature, that word is the Hebrew term, that is normally translated, soul, a living soul,
when God made the first person, he paired the physical, with the spiritual, or we could say, he did this, he paired the physical, or the material, with the immaterial, okay, Jesus points to this, two-fold relationship, in Matthew 10, 28,
when he gives this warning, he says, do not fear those, who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul, rather fear him, who can destroy both, soul, and body,
do we not fall, into that same error, that he, that he, that Jesus is pointing out, there to the disciples, even today, that we get very concerned, and very upset, and very nervous, or anxious, about our physical health,
oh there's a pandemic, there's this thing, but what is Jesus saying, here, he's saying, yes, you should be concerned, about your physical well-being, your physical health, your physical body, however, here's where the balance, gets it out, and I think this is the point, that Jesus is making,
you should have more care, for your, spiritual self, for your, immaterial self,
he says this, this is what he's saying, don't just fear those, who can kill the body, you should be, shoot, what do I need to do here, because that's, that's distracting me,
does that do that to you, on Sunday mornings, every once in a while, but it's doing to me, I don't know,
okay, maybe I need to move on, that's what it is, okay, all right, but he's saying, that they, they are those who, you need to fear those, who could kill body, body and soul, who is that, who is that, that can kill body and soul, well, that would be the Lord,
right, the, who can take the soul, and send the soul,
to hell, he said, that's where the real fear, needs to lie, but what is he making, a distinction there,
there's a distinction, of two things, the material, and the immaterial, body and soul,
next, there's four significant terms, that are used to refer, refer to the soul, first, in the Old Testament, you have the word, soul, translated as the word, nefesh,
and then the word, in the New Testament, for, that's translated soul, is the word, psyche, all right, Psalm 6, three, my soul is also greatly troubled, but you, oh Lord, how long, all right, it's interesting that, well, I'll move on, spirit in the, the word spirit,
is translated, in the Old Testament, from the word, ruach, and it is translated, in the New Testament, from the word, pneuma, now you see this, in 1 Samuel, 1 15,
Hannah, whenever she was wanting, a child from the Lord, she goes and pray, she says, no my Lord, I am a woman, troubled in spirit, when Eli was there, confronting her, are you drunk, she says, I'm a woman, troubled in spirit,
I have drunk, neither wine, nor strong drink, but I have been, pouring out my, soul, to the Lord,
what is that, a reference to, it's a reference, to the same thing, the immaterial, aspect, of what's going on here, now this is an important part, to make this point, right here, God, the Holy Spirit, and the word of God, always, understands, the importance, and the seriousness, of what's going on, with you,
in your soul, and what I'm talking about, there, is the common, human experiences, that we experience, in things like, anxiety, depression, discouragement, fear, grief, God, understands, those things,
and he never, washes over them, kicks them to the curb, or takes them lightly, inevitably, in fact, what you find, most often, in scripture, is those, that experience those, in narrative aspects, of scripture,
is that they deal with them, head on, they don't shy away from them, they're right there, for all to see, and in the didactic, or the teaching parts, of scripture,
there is a lot there, that teaches us, how to go through life, with these things, that trouble us, on the inside, okay, so, let me move to the, the third thing here, the terms used for the, function,
of the soul, now, this goes a little bit more, there are a lot more terms, that are used, to explain this, immaterial self, we use them all the time, even today, for instance, what about, the part of you, that makes choices,
you make choices, right, you exercise this part of you, all the time, all day long, some of you wish, that you didn't have to, exercise it as much, I wish I didn't have to, make choices, we call this, your volition,
or will, John 7, 17 says, if anyone's will, is to do God's will, he will know, whether the teaching, is from God, or whether I'm speaking, on my own authority, so there we have scripture, where the writers of scripture, recognize, that man has,
this inner part, to their inner person, which is the will, so therefore, would we say, that man is made up of, well, soul, spirit, and will, what about the next one, we call this cognition, this is given to us, in the word mind,
Colossians 1, 21, and you, who once were alienated, and hostile, in mind, doing evil deeds, now this is a reference, and it's many times, throughout the scripture, where it references, what we are thinking, your ability to reason,
your ability to process, to meditate, on things, again, this is not a physical aspect, this is an immaterial aspect, of your immaterial self, your soul,
what about a moral sense, of right and wrong, we understand this, in the term, conscience, 1 Corinthians 8, 12 says, thus sinning against your brothers, and wounding their conscience, when it is weak, you sin against Christ, and this is the term, that we have,
that understands, whenever you're feeling, guilty, whenever you feel, wrong, whenever that sense of, wait a second,
that's not right, and you know, that you're in a situation, where you may need, to take a stand, for what is right, these are all things, that God has equipped you, in your inner self,
it is known as, the conscience, and it finds its heart, it finds its seat bed, into, in your soul,
all right, the next one here, is the human seat of emotion, in the term heart, John 14, 1, let not your hearts, be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me, now all of these terms, I believe, come together, in Hebrews 4, verse 12, now listen to Hebrews 4, verse 12,
it says this, for the word of God, is living and active, sharper than any, two-edged sword, now you're familiar, with this passage, this is, the passage gets quoted a lot, right,
all right, so what is he saying there, he's saying the word of God, is what, it's alive, so it's a living word, it still works, in people today, correct, that's sort of the understanding there, and it does this, now watch what it says, piercing to the division, of soul, and of spirit,
now you say, whoa, whoa, now, doesn't that contradict, what you've just been saying, that he's saying, that there's two different things, that it does, keep on reading, of joints, and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts, and the intentions, of the heart, so wait a second,
if we're making a division there, of understanding of terms, of how man is, is sort of set up, when we say that there, there are quad,
quad, quad being, there's four things, thoughts, mind, all this, and I believe, and a lot of theologians, have understood this, this way, that it is not, a multi-division thing, it is this, it is the aspect, that everything,
that is going on, in your inner person, is that which the Bible, characterizes, maybe as the heart, maybe it characterizes, as your mind, maybe your conscience, maybe your spirit, maybe your heart, but I believe, I like this term, it is what, scripture refers to, as your soul, it is your soul, alright,
now, think about, how many times, in a given day, you, think, feel, reason, hurt, and I'm talking about, emotional hurt, you use, your emotions, your, you feel, joy, anger, sadness, grief, is this relevant,
or not, this is what we live in, so does the word of God, have things, that deal with this, yes, and this is where, we come back to this, come back around to it, this is where, we're talking about, you are an, embodied, soul, okay, you're an embodied soul, now,
let's, stay with me, I'm almost done, with the introduction, we're, we're gonna get in the message, and we'll be rocking and rolling, we'll be, we'll be trucking, okay, so here's the deal,
think about the illustration, now, let's separate it, and talk a little bit, about the body, when your body, is not doing well, what are some things, that you may do,
go to a doctor, right, all right, so a doctor then, will do what, do an examination, may take some tests, and may give you a, treatment, correct, but you normally, sort of, have indicators, to know,
when your physical body, is not doing well, correct, okay, and so you use, those physical indicators, that then you can go, and get things, correct, all right, these things, that we experience, in life, all of these things, emotions, sadness, grief, anxiety, discouragement, depression, all of these things, are the indicators,
that point us, to maybe, things in our soul, that may be out, of alignment with God, and who is the doctor, of our soul, soul, it is Christ, it is Christ, it is God, and this is the thing,
The Role of the Shepherd
when we recognize, these things, this is, this is what I want, to point you to, as we go back, to Psalm 23, as we see something, that David learned, and that is, that the shepherd, of the 23rd Psalm, is the shepherd, of our souls,
okay, are you with me, all right, now let's go to Psalm 23, let me give you, a little bit of background, of Psalm 23, I'll do this quickly, Psalm 23, is known as a psalm, of trust, and confidence,
Alan Ross said, is the poem, in itself, is a rich mixture, of figures, and parallelism, attesting to the vivid scenes, and full development, of its ideas,
what is the main picture here, the main picture, is that of, sheep, and shepherd, and we must identify, who the characters are, of the scenery, who are the sheep, we are, David is, right, who's the shepherd,
Christ, now that carries along with it, some truths, about what sheep are,
all right, so look at the, let me just go over this, I gave this to my church, one time when I preached, through Psalm 23, so I'm not trying to pick on you, I'm just giving you some truth, this applies to me as well, all right, so don't be mad at me,
sheep, what are some things about sheep, sheep lack a sense of direction,
do we not find ourselves, many times in our life, like that, what do I need to do, God, I wish it was a lot clearer, on the decision I need to make, sheep lack a sense of direction, sheep are virtually defenseless, sheep are easily frightened,
sheep are by nature, unclean, now we don't like to think of ourselves like that, but when you think about the holiness of God,
and you meditate on the sinfulness, of our own individual hearts,
oh, then it begins to start connecting a little bit, does it not, sheep will remain filthy, unless the shepherd cleanses them, sheep cannot find food or water,
they need the shepherd to guide them, into that which nourishes them, the sheep's wool does not belong to the sheep,
sheep, so when you think about sheep, my dad used to tell me this, he said, I always remember this, that sheep are very, very dumb animals,
and when we think about some of the things, and the mistakes, and the, yeah, I mean, the classic example is not, is it not the story of the Exodus, and the children of Israel as they go through the
wilderness wanderings, and if you ever spend time studying that story, does you not just want to be like, what is wrong with these people,
why do they continue to doubt God, and why do they continue to complain, and every time I think that, and even the words start to come in my mouth, I start to think, oh, and how many times, do I get anxious,
after all the times I've seen God, come through in this area, and God do this, and God keep his promises, but yet, do I not end up, falling into the same problems,
and then I say, yes, yes, yes, I am a dumb sheep, who is in desperate need, of the shepherd,
let's bring this a little bit more, to an applicational understanding, when the trials of life, push us to the limit, and our hearts are heaviest, this magnificent psalm of the shepherd, offers comfort and assurance, especially for those, who lack the secure feeling, of God's perpetual presence,
all right, so let's look at this, and break this down,
Yahweh: Our Covenant Shepherd
first of all, the first point here, Yahweh, or our shepherd,
this is the covenant name of God, that is used in your translations, it is the covenant name, now this is, let me just help you this, maybe Pastor James, has taught this before, but you understand, that God's name, the term we use, God, is not his name, that's a title,
all right, our God, the God of Christians, our God, does have a proper name,
okay, and it is, it is Yahweh, that is a name, that represents, not just any type of thing, it is a name, that represents, his covenant, love, protection, and mercy, for his people,
okay, so if you are in Christ, you are his people, okay, so, think of it like this, the president, when we mention the president, we know who we're talking about, so when we mention God, we know who we're talking about, but if we mention the president,
by name, whether it's a former president, or the current president, we are getting more specific, to the president, we're talking about, so when we say God, we know who we're talking about, but when we say Yahweh, we're getting more personal, that's his covenant name, so Yahweh provides, spiritual nourishment,
the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, he makes me lie down, and green pastures, the result, of the Lord's provision, this is this, we will not lack, for anything,
the word, shall not want here, is the word, to lack, be without decrease, or be lacking, or have need, I shall not have want, does not mean, I will never want, it means, I will never lack, what I truly need,
see, Charles Spurgeon said this, a sinner's heart, is far from satisfaction, but a gracious spirit, dwell, in the palace, of contentment, so he, we will not lack, for anything, next in verse 2,
he makes us, lie down, in green pastures, have you ever heard, of the book, a shepherd's look, at Psalm 23, by a guy named, Philip Keller, it's pretty, pretty famous book, okay, good, this will be brand new, to you, all right, Philip Keller, was a guy, who actually, was a pastor, but also,
spent time, not just as a shepherd, but a shepherd, in the Middle East, and he, he,
brings out, the illustration, of the 23rd Psalm, in such vivid detail, from an experience, of understanding, what those pictures, are, according to a shepherd's, view of them, he says this,
when it says, he makes us, lie down in green pastures, he says, sheep do not lie down, easily, it is almost impossible, for them to be made, to lie down, unless four requirements, are met, owing to their timidity, they refuse to lie down, unless they are free,
from all fear, because of the social behavior, within a flock, sheep will not lie down, unless they are free, of all fear, because of the social behavior, within a flock, sheep will not lie down, unless they are free, from friction, with others, of their kind,
if tormented, by flies, or parasites, sheep will not lie down, and lastly, sheep will not lie down, as long as they feel, in need, of finding food, they must be free, from hunger, are we not very similar, what keeps you up at night, anxiety, about this situation, or that,
what is this person, going to say, what is this going to do, how is this person, going to react to this, how is this going to turn out, what's going on, in this country, what's our nation, going to do, what's, free, from, fear, now, watch this, who relieves, the fear, in the sheep,
the shepherd, why, because, the shepherd, is the one, who has control, over their circumstances, and surroundings, and the shepherd, is the one, the only one, who can ensure, protection, is our shepherd, not the same way,
he is the source, of our rest, the psalmist, is pointing to Yahweh, providing this rest, through the feeding, of green pastures, this is representative, of the ministry, of the word, it is the ministry, of the word of God, that brings rest, to our souls, this is done, through reading,
studying, meditating, and also feeding, that we receive, from hearing the word,
hearing of the word, preached by the under shepherds, do you realize, that when Pastor James, gets up here to preach, it's not just, for you to take something, that maybe helps you, or encourages you, that day, so you can go on, about your week, while that is definitely, a byproduct of it,
there's many things, that are happening, in the aspect, of preaching, but when Pastor James, gets up here, and preaches on Sunday, there is actually, number one, there is worship, being done to God, as he does it, number two, there is actually, a supernatural work, in the process, of sanctification,
done by the Holy Spirit, that works in your soul, to bring you closer to God, we call this, actually theologians, have categorized this, throughout the centuries, called the means, of grace, these are all things, that work, in making you, like Christ,
so Yahweh, I think the first one, was provide spiritual nourishment, the second one is, he provides,
spiritual refreshment, alright, so this is where, it gets to the main point, that I want to get to, once we hammer this out, then we'll, we'll move quickly, and wrap it up this evening, Yahweh provides, spiritual nourishment, the first thing he says here, is he leads us, beside still waters,
Restoration and Refreshment
these waters, which Yahweh leads us to, are restful as well, providing complete refreshment, and nourishment, and then look what he says, in verse number three, he restores my soul,
now first of all, let me say this, there is the word, that is used in the Hebrew, I am going to walk around a little bit, is that alright, okay, I'm making it all right, alright, there's a word in the Hebrew,
for the word restore, and it's, it's just three little letters, as we try to free it over, into English, it's called,
Q, A, L, is how you would sort of, look at it in English, and this word, actually has a little bit, of a direction, that we can utilize it, in an understanding, of two different ways, alright, it is a, restore, it is a return, almost, it is used, in some context,
of restoring, someone,
who is on a wrong path, alright, so first, let's understand this a little bit, in the shepherd, sheep context, what does sheep tend to do,
wander, wander, you know, and so what does the shepherd, have to do, he has his rod, he does things, he will restore them, back to the flock, and bring them right, and right in the way, and what do we tend to do, what is that old hymn, come thou fount, of every blessing,
prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to, leave, the God, I love,
and so, even in this, in the restoration, of those, that are sinners, sinners, God, in his word, his ministry, and his Holy Spirit, will restore,
those who are walking, in sin, or those who are living, in sin, and bring them back, into the fold, and restore them, for they can, they go through repentance, and belief, and Christ's restoration, and his grace, and mercy
upon them, so that's one aspect, of the area of restore, the other aspect, of the area, of restore, is this, this way, that it is used, and that is, it is that, of repairing,
it refers, it's used in Isaiah 58, 12, and refers to that, of repairing, of the walls, or that, of rebuilding,
and this is where, I told you, that I looked at this psalm, one day, and I'd seen this, many times before, and I, it just,
jumped out at me, and that is this, okay, how many have ever, heard the word, trauma, yeah, let me, let me say, a couple things, about trauma, all right, trauma, is absolutely, 100% real,
one of the issues, that we have, and this is an issue, with any type, of psychological thing, it's happened, throughout the years, there are, and I'm not trying to, don't get me wrong, don't dismiss me, I'm going to
come back, around to this, but there's, what is known as, psychological fads,
what happens is, is something gets out there, and it becomes a buzzword, and people then, start to interpret, all of their life experiences, through this new, psychological thing, that is now, in the cultural zeitgeist, if you will, and then everything, becomes this, what ends up happening,
is, all of the proposed methods, don't really work out, or plan out, and then, eventually, it goes by the wayside, and you have this going on, but it doesn't mean, that the thing, that became that, sort of cultural fad, was never a real thing,
you see, the idea of trauma, is that of, someone, going through something, that, affects them, and their soul,
I've, one of the things that I've, God has opened a door for me, is to counsel some, soldiers, there's an organization, called, Mighty Oaks, and, it's led,
it was, began by a guy, named Chad Robichal, who was a, former Navy SEAL,
and, is a, is a strong believer, in Christ, and has worked, to try to help, special operators, and military men, that have gone through battle, to find peace,
through, Christ, and, when I was looking at this, I was thinking about, meditating, I was doing a lot of reading, a lot of research, on this area of trauma, even some of the,
what is actually being said, in science today, about the brain, what is actually being debunked, about that, and sort of comparing the two,
let me say this, that the diagnosis, that is out there, of PTSD, and biblical counseling, we don't really tell men, and, and people that, say we don't call it PTSD, we call it PTS, known as post-traumatic, stress, and here's the reason why, because if you have, gone through,
some of the, absolutely horrific things, that some people, have experienced, in this life, whether that be, on the battlefield, or some type of, sexual assault, and you're struggling, with life afterwards, we don't think, that's a disorder, we don't think, you're disordered, that's, normal, normal,
because that was, never intended, to be the case, but yes, there is a, post-traumatic stress, that goes along in life, and when I was, looking at this psalm, and I was thinking, about a lot of those things, that, that, that I've been researching, and reading,
one of the things, that stood out to me, is this, is that somebody, that has been through, something like that, maybe it was a, a car, an awful car wreck,
that they even, saw somebody, that they love, die in front of their eyes, those things, have effects on them, and, and this, this sort of, jumped out of my mind, that,
that trauma, is like a fracture, in your soul, okay, and then I'm reading, Psalm 23, and I'm reading, he is my shepherd,
he makes me lie down, in green pastures, if you're working, with somebody, or if you're, if you're, if you've ever experienced, anything remotely, like this, or you, you've experienced this, for yourself, you know that resting, is difficult, letting that guard, down, is hard,
it seems almost impossible, but what does the shepherd, do here, he leads me, besides to waters, he leads me, in paths, of righteousness, that's after this, but then it gets this, it says, he restores, my, soul, and if you've ever, been through, any type of, suffering, hurt, intense,
struggle, or if we can use, the word tonight, trauma, there may be, some fracture, in your soul, and what is David, saying here, the restorer, of that soul, is the shepherd, word,
now watch this, number one, think about David, for a second, who's David, he was a soldier, he was in many, violent battles, he had many attacks, he had gone through, great suffering, and false, accusations,
he had been, through a lot, where did he run to, he ran to Christ, he ran to his shepherd, to restore, his soul, okay, this area,
of this, this, this idea, here, of restoring your soul, now how does this happen, we get the idea, okay, Christ, is our shepherd, that shepherd, is the one, who can do this, I'm with you, that sounds good, how does that happen, do we just say like, okay, I get it now, I'm better,
not exactly, but also, God doesn't leave us out, in the desert, wondering how this works, because watch what comes next, all right, now we're going to start picking up, and going a little bit faster,
he says, he restores my soul, and then he comes this, and he says, he does what, he leads me, and paths of what, righteousness, when you go to see the doctor, for something that's wrong, with your physical body,
one of the first things, they want to do, or they should want to do, right, they should want to do, is to know, what the right, treatment is, correct, okay, so, what's the first thing,
when God, when the shepherd, needs to restore your soul, what's the first thing, that needs to be done, you need to be set, on paths, of righteousness, righteousness, and where do we find, the paths of righteousness,
that which he has laid out, for us, as a good, good God, we sing about that tonight, you are good, you are good, and your love, endures forever,
one of the ways, that he has showed us, that he is good, and that his love, endures forever, is because he has given us, his word, that has everything, that we need, for life and godliness,
Facing Fear with Faith
okay, so he sets us, on paths of righteousness, for his namesake, then he comes to verse four, he says this, even though, I walk through the valley, of the shadow of death, I will do what,
I will fear no evil, now there's a lot, of rabbit trails, and side roads, we can go on, on trying to understand, and interpret, what the valley, of the shadow of death, is, but anyone, that has gone through, an intense grief, or loss with someone,
that you've walked, with somebody, that's been through cancer, and died of cancer, you've been through, some type of trauma, you've been on, whatever it is,
I think, I don't know, if there's, there's a, what a poetic way, and very clear way, to describe that, the valley, of the shadow, of death, I couldn't say it better, and what does he say, about this, he says,
I'm in the midst of that, and if you've ever been, in the midst of it, and I'm looking, at your faces today, and I can tell, some of you have been through it, fear is a, normal thing,
and what does, what does David say, it's almost like, David, how could you say this, he says, when I go through, the valley, of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, how, how do you say that, but David did, okay, he says, I will fear no evil, why, for, you,
are, with me, it is a recognition, it is a realization, it is a full, faith, stance, of the presence,
of the shepherd, right there in the middle of it, we, you probably heard this illustration, many times, but, you think about, a child,
a child, a child, that is sitting there, and seeing something, or going through something scary,
but they don't come to pieces, because they sit there, and they look up, and they have the hand of their parent, right there, their parents, right there with them, everything's okay, because, they got eyes on mom or dad, they know they're right there, they know they're okay,
then he says this, he says, your rod, and your staff, they comfort me,
your shepherd, has the exact tools, that he needs, to not only keep you, from the dangers, and the valley, of the shadow of death, but also to,
comfort you, in the midst, of that, now, verse five, he says this, you prepare a table, before me, in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows, let me just give you, so you can have those, for the notes, because I'm flying, I'm going quickly now,
Yahweh provides guidance, in the right way,
Goodness and Mercy Follow Us
the point D, is Yahweh defends his people, in times of danger, and then lastly, and this is verse six,
surely goodness and mercy, shall follow me, all the days of my life, and I shall dwell, in the house of the Lord, forever, Yahweh blesses his sheep, now what is this, what is this,
I can't skip over this note, I have to say this, before I wrap it up,
surely goodness and mercy, shall follow me, all the days of my life, what does that mean,
well the word there, in our English translation, and it's not a bad translation, it's not a wrong translation, it's the way it is in Hebrew,
but it may give us, a little bit of, different understanding, with the way that we read, and understand our language, and that is, shall follow me, and this is the way, this is understood,
it's not like, we're out here, going through life, and we're like, I really could use, some goodness and mercy, I wish they'd catch up,
you know, they're following me, I wish they would write, you're with me, or ahead of me, that's not the idea, okay, Chuck Swindoll, who I just absolutely love, the way the Lord has used him, and to be able to, understand things, said this, he said, surely goodness and mercy, are God's sheepdogs,
now what is that, it means that, they're following you, but they're like, right there, overshadowing you, they're there, making sure, they're assisting, the shepherd, and caring for you, as you go through, these things, he says, we will dwell, in the house of the Lord, we will dwell, in the house of Yahweh,
John 14, verse 2, in my father's house, are many rooms, if it were not so, would I have not told you,
that I go to prepare, prepare a place for you, and if I go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself, that where I am,
you may also be, you remember what, the verses that Jesus, gave a warning of, he said, don't fear those, who can kill the body, but fear those, fear the one, who can kill body, and soul, when you are God's covenant, when you are one of his sheep,
that changes from the one, that can kill your body, and soul, to the one who's prepared, a place, and you will dwell, in the house of the Lord, forever, you have, a home, you have, what comes with a home, comfort, security, constancy, constancy, so here it is, it's the conclusion,
and again, this sort of carries along, a little bit, with what we're going to cover, tomorrow night, when we talk about, restoring our worship, because restoring worship, also has an effect, has an aspect, where it affects, this sort of thing, of restoring our soul, getting our soul right, all right,
The Importance of Soul Care
but you must understand, all of the aspects, that come out of our soul, affect all of our daily life, it affects everything, our relationships, all of this, so soul care, with the shepherd, is vital, and the key, to all of Psalm 23, is this, go back to verse 1, what does it say,
the Lord is, my, the Lord is, my shepherd, who is your shepherd,
see, all of these wonderful things, and these promises, that we read in this, is not there, if he is not your shepherd, and whom do you trust, when you feel no sense of direction, to whom do you turn, for direction,
who do you think, can restore your soul, where are you searching, to provide you rest,
who do you look to, to provide you security, why do you fear, in the valleys, where are you turning, for comfort, why do you not see, the abundance of blessing, Yahweh has provided,
is he, your shepherd, and if he is, then our natural outworking, of that, would be, how we worship him, and we will look at that, tomorrow night, when we look at, restoring, our worship, let's pray, Father, thank you for, your word, thank you for,
those, experiences, and those trials, that you put your servant, David through,
that you would use him, in such a way, to record, thousands, and thousands, of years ago, a poem, a song really, that would provide, that would provide, such insight, not just to, ourselves, but also to you, and give us, answers, give us a pathway, to understand, how, to navigate this life,
by staying close, to our dear shepherd, Lord, Father, I pray, that you will, take your word, and do, its,
unique work, into the hearts, of each of the hearers, this evening, we love you, and we give you praise, in Jesus name,
Amen. Thank you again, for taking your time, to listen, to the sermon audio, of Pleasant Grove, please subscribe, to get our latest sermons, each week, WHISTONE BU��를 FOR drain center, Walkerstellung Ma withdrawals, chunk 2008 100 circеннойnik, psychologistDB tad деятельности и électиц Lucas Там WASTE cerc Ana Hazard Hillworld, Thank you.
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