God Cares
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Shepherd Me
“God Cares”
August 25, 2019
Introduction
We are in the middle of a series entitled, “Shepherd Me.” In this series, we are looking at .
Read Text
Today, we are going to look at the last part of verse 5.
Illustration: Wrong idea about something
A. W. Tozer: What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
Sadly, people in our world even Christians get the wrong idea about God.
There was study published by USA Today a few years back.
They found that over 31% of Americans saw God as “Authoritarian.” He’s almost always angry. He wants us to shape up and fly right. But if we don’t – He will punish us.
About 16% of Americans pictured God as “Critical” and “Judgmental.” He’s still unhappy with us, but He has no intention of offering either divine wrath or help.
A 3rd group (over 24%) believed God was “Distant.” He may have created earth, but He didn’t have any intention of getting involved in our lives.
NOW that’s nearly 75% of Americans who believe that God either doesn’t like us, or doesn’t care what happens to us!!!!
In , we see who God is and what God is all about. God is not always angry with us. God wants us to shape up and live right because God is our shepherd who wants to lead us down righteous roads. God is not distant. God has a vested interest in our lives. God wants what is best for us. God wants to meet our greatest needs so that we lack nothing.
The end of verse 5 shows us just how much God cares for us. We are to special to God, and He pours out his blessings on our lives.
1. We are special to God.
Look at verse 5: You anoint my head with oil.
Have you heard phrases like getting the royal or VIP treatment or rolling out the red carpet.
Illustration: upgrade to 1st class — first one the plans, roomy seating, not just soda and peanuts, first class, you can get anything you want as many times as you want it.
This phrase “You anoint my head with oil” is about getting the royal treatment or rolling out the red carpet. Anointing someone’s head with oil was reserved for honored guests, special guests.
When we see a phrase like “You anoint MY head with oil,” the phrase is telling us that we are special to God.
(AMP) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
We are special to God.
I think about the story of the Prodigal Son. The son takes his inheritance and squanders it. He returns home. This is the reaction of father.
(NASB) But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.
That’s a picture of what happens when we are saved, when we repent. We are special to God.
Illustration: There’s a TRUE story of the young girl born with a cleft palate. She said “when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech. When schoolmates asked, ‘What happened to your lip?’I’d tell them I’d fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me.
But then something happened in the 2nd grade that changed all that. There was a teacher in school that all the kids loved – Mrs. Leonard. She was short, round, happy – a sparkling lady. Every year they had a hearing test. I knew from past years that - as we stood against the door and covered one ear – the teacher would sit at her desk would whisper something, and we would have to repeat it back – things like “the sky is blue” or “do you have new shoes?”
“But that day, the teacher whispered 7 words that changed my life.” In a whisper Mrs. Leonard said, “I wish you were my little girl.”
God whispers in our ears. You are my son. You are my daughter.
(AMP) And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.
We are special to God. If you ever wanted to know just how special we are to God, look to the cross. God allowed His son to die on a cross for us.
(NASB) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
We are special to God. He anoints our head with oil. We are special to God.
2. God’s blessings overflow in our lives.
Let’s look at the overflowing cup in v. 5.
The overflowing cup is a symbol of generosity.
Illustration: When 67-year-old carpenter Russell Herman died in 1994, his will included a staggering set of bequests. Included in his plan for distribution was more than two billion dollars for the City of East St. Louis, another billion and a half for the State of Illinois, two and a half billion for the national forest system, and to top off the list, Herman left six trillion dollars to the government to help pay off the national debt. That sounds amazingly generous, but there was a small problem—Herman’s only asset when he died was a 1983 Oldsmobile. He made grand pronouncements, but there was no real generosity involved. His promises were meaningless because there was nothing to back them up.
God is generous to us. God is generous with his blessings. God’s blessings are abundant in our lives. God’s blessings overflow in our lives. I think about the chorus to a hymn that we sing from time to time.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
God’s blessings overflow in our lives.
(NLT) I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing.
God’s blessings overflow in our lives.
How has God blessed our lives?
Family: Spouse, children, grand children
Friends that stick with us through thick and then.
How has God blessed our lives?
Good Health or even in times of bad health, we have doctors, medicines, and treatments that are becoming more advanced by the day.
How has God blessed our lives?
Roof over our head and food on the table.
How has God blessed our lives?
Wonderful church family — I can’t think of a better church family than this one.
How has God blessed our lives?
An unexpected raise at work, scholarship to college, your first car
How has God blessed our lives? Greatest blessing — salvation
God’s blessings overflow in our lives. Even in the worst of times, God’s blessings overflow in our lives.
Conclusion
A. W. Tozer: What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
Sadly, people in our world even Christians get the wrong idea about God. It’s sad that people in world, even Christian think that God does care about them or what happens in their lives.
I hope today and throughout this series that you have seen just how much God cares for us. We are special to God. God’s blessings overflow in our lives.