Since when do sheep sit at a table? What kind of banquet is this?

• God is the host
• I am the guest of honor
• It’s on a battlefield

Who is the enemy?

1. The world around me

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

2. Satan who is against me

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

3. My old nature inside me

but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.

Romans 7:23

What does this Banquet symbolize?

1. God wants and welcomes fellowship with me.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Psalms 5:11

2. God wants to bless me and show the world his goodness

How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.

Psalms 31:19

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, 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 your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalms 23:1‭-‬6

When David find himself in the valley he makes a You Turn.

What is a Rod and what is a staff?

A Rod is used for guarding and protecting

A staff is used guiding and directing.

How does Jesus care for his sheep?

1. If I bring him my hurt Jesus shows me compassion

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:36

2. If I wander away Jesus Finds Me and bring me back

3. If I trust him to save me he Keeps me saved.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

John 10:27‭-‬29

From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Acts 20:17‭-‬24

Three Truths About the Valley

1. The Valley is not a sign of judgment

2. Facing the Valley Faithfully doesn’t mean Racine the valley stoically

3. Virtue is not in the valley virtue is in my faithfulness in God

Why should I Trust God in the Valley?

1. God understands my suffering
2. God is for me and with me
3. The Valley is just part of the path the shepherd is using to lead me home

My soul is the part of

me that thinks , chooses, and

feels.

What Damages my sou?

1. unconfessed Guilt Psalm 32. 3-5 Ask God for forgiveness

2 unprocessed grief

Grief is a way of getting through life we need it so

we can start again

3 unaddressed grudges

For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 1 Corinthians 4:7

1. I start cleaning credit for God’s gifts


2. I stopped asking God for help

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:13

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16


3.  I stopped trusting God in difficult times.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:3‭-‬6

4. I Become pessimistic about the future