Reclaimed

Pastor John Talcott
Christ's Community Church

(11/26) As followers of Christ, we have four choices to make concerning our culture that calls right wrong, wrong right, and expresses an utmost allegiance to tolerance. Number one, we can engage with it; two, we can ignore it; or we can submit to it; or we can reclaim it. I’m talking about reclaiming a biblical standard, and absolute commitment to the authority of the Word of God. And I believe this is essential for the church of Jesus Christ in a culture that is skeptical of certainty, rejecting of moral absolutes, and on guard against any type or form of authority.

But we must be forewarned, recognizing this isn’t anything new, King David, the sweet psalmist of Israel said,

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (Psalms 23:5).

And so, even though it seems as if humanism, individualism, and anti-authoritarianism has gained momentum, it’s just a cycle of our shifting culture. As Solomon said,

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

But certainly, in spite of the skepticism, we must admit regardless of how much faith we have that there are some things that are concerning in the world today.

For example, they tell us if you use saccharine as a substitute sweetener you may get cancer. Or if you use Equal and NutraSweet you could damage your central nervous system and immune system even causing genetic trauma. A Harvard nutritionist and brain expert says a high sugar diet can cause memory impairments.

One year they tell you not to eat red meat, then they change their minds and tell you not to eat chicken. And so, now we’re down to vegetables, but then they send out a warning saying not to eat vegetables because they may have sprayed something on them. And I find myself getting exasperated because you’ve got to have something, I’ve got to eat something, I don’t care what it is, but I’m going to eat something.

In the world today there are some things that will shake you up and the truth is that is what fear does. It blinds you, it limits you, it keeps you from being able to do what you could do, because you can’t think straight when you are afraid. And yet, wherever you turn there is a fear of this or a fear of that, but we are the church and we must understand that fear is a spirit. And the Bible says that,

"God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).

And so, if we’re going to remain faithful as followers of Christ, if we’re going to be steadfast, we need to begin by getting down on our knees, pleading the blood of Jesus, and rebuking the devil. It’s time that the church began casting out the spirit of fear,

"Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5-6 NKJV).

You see, this is important because the devil thrives off of fear in the same way as God is moved by our faith. And so the devil does things to cause terror in your heart because he wants to leave you paralyzed with fear. That’s why God warns us to be self-controlled and alert, because your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith..." (1 Peter 5:8-9).

In other words, we know that the enemy doesn’t play fair, he looks to take advantage of those who are weak, those who are struggling with temptation, and his strategy is to get you caught up in your own mind, planting seeds of fear so that you are so confused that you want to die. And so, we must resist him, standing firm in the faith, not allowing ourselves to be a candidate for his dinner.

What I find to be really interesting is that Jesus told his disciples,

"Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves" (Luke 10:3).

And so, it makes me wonder why God would make me a lamb when he knows that I have to walk among wolves? I mean, I would rather have been any other animal, may be something with sharp teeth or like a gazelle so I could run away, but he calls us lambs, vulnerable, defenseless, baby sheep.

The good Shepherd sends us out as lambs among wolves, telling us not to fear, not to worry, and he doesn’t even give us teeth or claws so that we can tear into the enemy. And whenever you encounter something that comes to roar against you, to intimidate you, it’s important that we remember the twenty third Psalm. It’s a lethal weapon in the hands of believing sheep because you know,

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world" (2 Corinthians 10:4).

And so, when the enemy came up against David in his own life, when he felt vulnerable to the attack, he protected the lambs and said to the devil, "There isn’t going to be Lamb on the menu today!"

When the enemy comes roaring before we find ourselves trembling in terror, paralyzed with fear, losing our joy and our peace, we want to turn to the twenty third Psalm. David begins with this divine revelation, using a metaphor he was familiar with and he says,

"The Lord is my shepherd" (Psalms 23:1a).

He says, the Lord is my shepherd, not was, not used to be, not can be, not will be, not ought to be, not I hope he is, but he says, the Lord is my shepherd, my personal possession. Therefore,

"I shall not be in want" (Psalm 23:1b).

In other words, because the Lord is my shepherd, I am satisfied and content without teeth, without bite, without claws, vulnerable and without defense.

And then he says, even when I didn’t have enough sense to lay down, even when I was nervous, even when I felt vulnerable because I picked up the scent of the enemy, and one after another he describes for things that the Lord did for him. David said, I praise him because,

"He makes me lie down in green pastures" (Psalms 23:2a).

And so, not only does he make me lie down in his blessing, in his provision, but he leads me. In other words, he’s not pushing me but…

"He leads me beside quiet waters" (Psalms 23:2b).

Which means that he is going in front of me. And so, what should I fear when he is leading me? All I need to do is get in his footsteps as he leads me beside quiet waters. In other words, again he brings me to that place of provision and safety where I won’t drown in the rapid currents.

We all know how easy it is to throw caution to the wind when there’s something that we want. But he doesn’t give us something that is too fast, nothing that you can’t handle, because he knows what speed you can handle without getting caught up in the current.

And even if the enemy comes roaring, if I haven’t been reading my Bible like I should, if I haven’t been praying like I should. Every time the devil thought he had me, every time he roared and thought he was going to devour me. The Shepherd said, "Not this one," and he restored my soul (Psalms 23:3a).

In other words, you would’ve fainted, you wouldn’t have made it, you would’ve collapsed, but he restored you. You thought you were going to lose your mind; you were nervous and you almost quit, but he restored you. The devil thought he had you, you almost walked away but…

"God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear" (1 Corinthians 10:13a).

You began to cross over the line and God pushes you back on the path. You didn’t know it, but you discover that righteousness is a path. You didn’t wake up in the morning feeling righteous, but the Lord guides you, he keeps you on the path. David tells us,

"He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (Psalms 23:3b).

I know you don’t want to say, "amen" right now, because you want to act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, but he guided you in paths of righteousness. The Bible says,

"For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from falling" (Psalms 116:8, NKJV).

And so, David says, even though the Lord is my shepherd, it doesn’t negate the reality of who I am. In other words, I’ve been rejected, I’ve been abandoned, I’ve been threatened all my life. In fact,

"When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, as I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it" (1 Samuel 17:34-35).

David refused to let the enemy terrorize him, pushing him down, holding him back, and he just kept on going. In the same way, we can’t live our lives in fear, we’ve got to walk through it, and David said,

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" (Psalms 23:4a).

In other words, we need to learn how to read the paper, how to watch the news, and keep walking through the valley. Because when you know the shepherd and you understand that it’s only a shadow, it’s only an image, just a caricature of the truth; even though the shadows are getting longer and longer, and the dark is getting deeper and deeper, but the Scripture says,

"You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day" (Psalms 91:5).

"Nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday" (Psalms 91:6).

"A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you" (Psalms 91:7).

And so, even though these may be the final moments of history, we are the generation that was chosen to walk through the shadow. And maybe you don’t want to read the paper, and yet you find yourself reading it anyway. You say, I’m not going to watch the news, but you find yourself watching it anyway. And then when you turn it off and walk away, the images are still going through your head. The pictures are still in your head and it’s easy to get caught in the whirlwind of the devil’s lies, but just declare,

"I will fear no evil" (Psalms 23:4b).

And so, I refuse to worry, wondering if I’m going to die the same age my mother did. Wondering if I’m going to have multiple heart attacks like my father did. Wondering if I’m going to be able to keep working, keep paying for the house, keep food on the table and gas in the car.

And this is my personal conviction, this is what keeps me going, this is what keeps me from fearing evil, the belief that the Lord is with me. David said,

"You are with me" (Psalms 23:4c).

I want you to remember that, post it on your computer, on your refrigerator, on the dashboard of your car, somewhere you can see it every time the devil tries to intimidate you.

You are with me when the enemy roars, you are with me in the shadows, you are with me in the valley, in the hospital, in life and in death, either way it goes you are with me. And so,

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

In fact, you can warn your enemy, "Don’t mess with me, because God is with me." If you’re going to fight me, you’ve got to fight God, because God is with me." And so, you can’t win, there’s no way you can win because the Shepherd can fight. That’s what David says,

"Your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalms 23:4d).

And the reason he has a rod and staff is so that when the lion and the bear come against you,

"When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19, NKJV).

And so, they are the weapons the Shepherd uses to fight for you, and he can fight good so you don’t need to worry. You don’t even have to open your mouth, you don’t have to argue with your enemies, you don’t have to defend yourself, because he is fighting your battles for you. The Bible says,

"For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory" (Deuteronomy 20:4).

And so, the Lord will fight for you, you only need to be still. I used to try to fight, but he would say,

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10a).

If I started moving, he would say,

"Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today" (Exodus 14:13).

If I put up my fist to fight, he would say,

"The battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15).

And he can fight, he can fight cancer, he can fight diabetes, he can fight racism, and he can fight injustice. And so, when you see the church begin to pray, that is our battle position and you better get out of the way. Because when we pray, when we call on the Shepherd, whenever the Shepherd comes there isn’t any way you can’t win.

Now, if I was out there by myself, the enemy might be able to wear me out, but if I call upon the shepherd. If you call on Jesus, he will answer you, and the Bible says,

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).

That’s why they don’t want us to pray in the name of Jesus anymore. They don’t mind if we pray, we can pray in public, but they don’t want us to pray in the name of Jesus, because there is something about that name. There is power in the name of Jesus, demons tremble at the name of Jesus, that’s why we need to pray in the name of Jesus, because he will prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies (Psalms 23:5a).

In other words, he’s going to set the table for you, he’s going to bless you while your haters are talking about you. In fact, the more the devil fights you, the more God will bless you. That’s why we need to thank God for our enemies, because when God sees how much they hate us, he blesses us even more.

Some of you have been through hell and high water, you didn’t think you are going to make it, but God blessed you. And if God brought you through that, he can take me through this, and so as the hymn goes, "When I think of the goodness of Jesus and what he has done for me, my soul cries out hallelujah." Because I thank you Lord for saving me.

David said, not only did you set the table for me, not only did you bless me,

"You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows" (Psalms 23:5b).

In other words, the Shepherd would examine the sheep as they entered into the fold and he would anoint them, applying soothing oil to their heads to help keep the insects away.

I thank God for the anointing of the Holy Spirit that protected me. I could’ve lost my mind, but he protected me. I should’ve had a nervous breakdown, but the Lord said,

"No weapon formed against you shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17, NKJV).

And so, God’s going to bless you, he’s going to protect you, and no weapon formed against you shall prosper. That’s why I praise him like I do,

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord" (Psalms 34:1-2, NKJV).

I’m getting ready to run over, my cup overflows, and so if you don’t like my praise, you better move. Because when I think of the goodness of Jesus and what he has done for me, there isn’t any witch or devil in hell that can stop me from praising God.

In fact, I dare you to praise him, just shout it out, lift your hands and give him some praise. David said, "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." And so, praise him like you have no fear, like you have no worries, because as the Scripture says,

"He who believes in me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38, NKJV).

And so, praise him out of your innermost being, praise him out of your spirit,

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord" (Psalms 150:6).

Because he prepared a table for you in the presence of your enemies. The devil said, "I know you’re not going to praise God, not with all you’re going through, not with all you’re dealing with, not with what you heard on the news." But I want you to know that the devil is a liar, because we’re not going to praise God about the shadow, we’re going to praise God in the shadow.

You see, there is one verse left. If you have been in the shadows, you’ve got one verse left. David says, "Surely," and I love God’s surelys. He says,

"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life" (Psalms 23:6).

In other words, I may be walking through the valley, walking through the shadows, but I know what’s coming next. In fact, I can see it over my shoulder, I can see the goodness and love about to overtake me.

There may be some of you here who feel like the shadows are getting longer and longer, but I want you to know that behind every shadow is a surely. The Bible says,

"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here" (Romans 13:12).

And so, if you can just stand firm, just keep standing in the shadow, because your blessing is about to overtake you. It’s following you, it’s coming up behind you, it’s coming out of nowhere, and just when you thought there wasn’t going to be any help it caught up to you, because goodness and love were following you all the days of your life.

And so, even though the enemy roars, even though,

"Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Look him right in the face, right in the roar, right in his bad breath, and declare,

"I will fear no evil" (Psalms 23:4).

That’s important to declare, because you can be saved in filled with the Holy Spirit and still allow fear to control your life. And so, if you don’t put the word of God over your fear, it will overtake you, it will control you, and it will rob you of the abundant life Christ came to give you.

Now, I know that we’ve never seen days like these, people are distressed and anxious, worried about their finances, threatened by talks of war around Israel. No matter where you turn the news media causes fear to rise up in your heart, your stomach is tightening up, some of you haven’t been sleeping well, but the Lord gave me a word for you today. The Bible said,

"He sent forth his word and healed them" (Psalms 107:20).

God has blessed this church and called it to be a hospital so that the wounded and the hurting could come here and recover and be healed. I believe today in this place somebody is going to lose the spirit of fear because God is going to replace it with power and love and a sound mind. And I believe in the mighty name of Jesus, every fear, every uncertainty is going to come out of your spirit right now.

David said, "I will fear no evil," and miracles are happening right now in the name of Jesus. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is restoring and renewing and releasing someone right now. This is your moment, this is your time because,

"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalms 23:6).

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott