The Shepherd

Troy Mills Christian Church

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Text: 1 Peter 5:1-4

Bible Reading: Psalm 23 “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 prepared 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.” (NIV)

Metaphors—something we are familiar with that describes something we are not familiar with.

Biblical Metaphors for God: Rock, Refuge, Shield, Fortress, Bread of  Life, Living Water, Potter, Light, Vine, Lamb, Banner, Alpha & Omega, Cornerstone, Precious Stone, Living Stone, and many more.

#1—Shepherds in Israel

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jacob’s sons

#2—John 10:11—The Good Shepherd

          Exodus 3:14—Not good shepherds

          John 10:11-15—Hireling shepherds

#3—Hebrews 13:20—The Great Shepherd

#4—1 Peter 5:4—The Chief Shepherd

The Stone

Troy Mills Christian Church

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Text: 1 Peter 2:4-8

Bible Reading: Zephaniah 3:17 “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (NLT)

#1–God as “stone” in Scripture.

  • Genesis 49:24—The Rock of Israel
  • 1 Samuel 7:12—Ebenezer—The Stone of help
  • Joshua 4:9—symbols of the Lord’s help

Metaphor: something that represents or symbolizes something else. For example, God is often referred to as a “stone” in the Scriptures.

God chose “stones” to be symbolic of His help and not man-made bricks in order to show that it was His help and not man’s efforts that provided the needed help.

Text: 1 Peter 2:4-8

#1–Verse 4: A Living Stone—

          Reason #1—

          Reason #2–

#2—Verse 6: Cornerstone/Capstone

          Hebrews 12:2—

#3—Verse 7: Precious Stone

#4—Verse 8: Stumbling Stone

          2 Corinthians 2:14-16–

Psalm 34

On today’s Thursday Prayer & a Psalm we talked about the many promises found in Psalm 34 for those who “fear the Lord.” In addition, David, the author, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, provides a list of things that help define what it means to live in the “fear of the Lord.”

Below, you will find both lists, the promises along with the conditions found in Psalm 34.

Psalm 34:9—“Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.”

Living in the “fear of the Lord” means to live our lives in such a way that we do not offend the Lord. It does not mean that we are perfect, since the only perfect one was Jesus. But it does mean that we are committed to living for the Lord at all times, even when no one is looking.

Promises:

  • Verse 4—delivered from their fears
  • Verses 6, 17—saved from trouble
  • Verse 7—angels encamped around them
  • Verse 9—needs supplied
  • Verse 12—abundant life
  • Verse 15—prayers heard
  • Verse 18—comfort us them His presence
  • Verse 22—redeems them

Conditions or what it means to live in the fear of the Lord

  • Verse 4, 10—seek the Lord
  • Verse 6—cry out to the Lord
  • Verse 7, 9—draw close to the Lord
  • Verse 13—keep our tongues from lying
  • Verse 14—remain separate from evil
  • Verse 14—do good and pursue peace
  • Verse 18—maintain a contrite heart
  • Verse 22—become a servant of the Lord

Two of my favorite verses from this Psalm are verses 18 & 19:

18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit.”

19 “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;”

The Lion’s Den

Troy Mills Christian Church

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Daniel 6:1-9

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 22:2-4 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.” (NLT)

The Lion’s Den

Text: Daniel 6:1-9

#1—Verse 7—A Clever Ruse

          Verse 8 & 12—The Law of the Medes & Persians

#2—Verse 10—No Compromise

          Jerusalem vs Babylon

#3—Verse 14—A Helpless King

#4—Verse 16, 18—The Lion’s Den; A King’s Prayer; and a Sleepless Night

#5—Verses 20-23—A Joyful Reunion

#6—Verse 24—Judgment

Genesis 12:2-3

Too often we are tempted to compromise our belief in God; our confidence in His Word; and our commitment to stand firm in our faith. Be like Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abed-Nego). And live with NO COMPROMISE!

Found Wanting

Troy Mills Christian Church

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Daniel 5

Bible Reading: James 1:19-21 “You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So, get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.” (NLT)

Found Wanting

Text: Daniel 5:1-2

#1—King Nebuchadnezzar’s faith

          Daniel 2:27; Daniel 3:28-29; Daniel 4:37

#2—King Belshazzar

          King Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson

#3—A Great feast

          Daniel 5:1-2

#4—The sacred gold vessels from the Temple

          Daniel 5:3-4

#5—The Handwriting on the Wall

          Daniel 5:5

#6—Daniel’s explanation of the handwriting on the wall

          Daniel 5:18-24

#7—Daniel’s interpretation of the handwriting on the wall

          Daniel 5:25-28

          MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN

#8—God’s judgment upon Belshazzar and Babylon

          Daniel 5:30

Has God put “His finger” on something in your life?

A Beastly King

Troy Mills Christian Church

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Text: Daniel 4:1-3

Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (NLT)

#1—The End—Nebuchadnezzar’s Testimony

Daniel 4:1-3

#2—The Dream

Daniel 4:4-187     

#3—The Dream’s Meaning

Daniel 4:19-27

#4—Fulfillment of the Dream

Daniel 4:28-33

#5—Lesson Learned

Daniel 4:34-37

Acts 17:28 “for in Him we live and move and have our being,”

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Proverbs 18:12 “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility.”

Additional Scriptures for consideration: Proverbs 3:34; 11:2; 16:18; 18:12; Jeremiah 9:23; James 4:6, 10; and 1 Peter 5:5

But if not……

Troy Mills Christian Church

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Text: Daniel 3:14-18

Bible Reading: Joshua 1:9 “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (NLT)

#1–King Nebuchadnezzar—

            Daniel 1:10— “you would endanger my head…..”

            Daniel 2:12—”destroy all the wise men of Babylon”

#2–The story of the golden image and the command to bow—

            Daniel 3:1-13—

#3–Enter Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—

            Daniel 3:14-18

#4–Three great phrases from the Old Testament—

            Judges 16:22 “the hair of his head began to grow again….”

            Ezekiel 37:7— “there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling;”

            Daniel 3:18— “but if not….”

#5–Why Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego did not bow—

            Exodus 20:3-5

#6–Daniel 3:19—Seven times hotter

#7–Daniel 3:24—Now there are four?

Psalm 34:17-19 “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. {18} The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. {19} Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord deliver him out of them all.”

John 16:33 “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

No Compromise! Part II

Troy Mills Christian Church

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Text: Daniel 1:8-14; 15-17; & 18-21

Bible Reading: Psalm 84:11-12 “For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s armies, what joy for those who trust in you.” (NLT)

#1–Review: Daniel 1:2—God’s judgment upon Judah (Israel)

          Prophesied in Habakkuk 1:5-7a & Isaiah 39

#2–Daniel 1:8-14—Daniel and his friends made a choice not to allow their circumstances to become a source of bitterness or anger.

They did not get angry with God

They did not allow themselves to become offended

They did not turn their back on God or the beliefs they had grown up

  • Double-down—to continue to do something in an even more determined way than before

Verse 9—God’s favor

Verse 10—Fear of King Nebuchadnezzar

#3–Daniel 1:15-17—The results are in!

  • If you want good outcomes in your life, you must make sure that what you put in, is what God has for you

#4—Daniel 1:18-21—Three years later……

Verse 21—Daniel’s length of service to the Babylonian & Persian kings was 65-70 years

“Being in the world is much like a chemist handling poison. We must be careful to that we do not ingest it.” Warren Wiersbe

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseechyou therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

No Compromise

Troy Mills Christian Church

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Text: Daniel 1:1-7

Bible Reading: Psalm 9:9-10 “The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.” (NLT)

Text: Daniel 1:1-7

#1—It’s not fair!

Verse 3—Kidnapped

Verse 4—The Cream of the crop

Verse 5—Babylonian Brainwashing

          Three years—

          Food that had been offered to idols; food that was contrary to Hebrew laws

Literature that denies the supremacy of God; Literature that puts forth many false gods

Verse 6—Hebrew names tell us a lot

          Daniel—God is my judge

          Hananiah—The Lord is gracious

          Mishael—Who is what God is?

          Azariah—the Lord has helped me

Verse 7—New Babylonian names

          Belteshazzar—Bel (chief god of Babylon) protects my life

          Shadrach—Servant of Aku, the moon god

          Meshach—the shadow of the prince or who is this?

          Abednego—Servant of Nego, the god of wisdom or morning star

Why did these “bad” things happen to these “good people?”

What led to these events? Why was there a 70-year exile?

          Leviticus 25:4–

God had not abandoned Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. God as not abandoned us!

Psalm 9:9-10 “The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.”

No Regrets

Troy Mills Christian Church

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Bible Reading: Lamentations 3:22-24 “The Lord’s love never ends; his mercies never stop. They are new every morning; Lord, your loyalty is great. I say to myself, “The Lord is mine, so I hope in him.” (NCV)

Text: Matthew 6:33

Lessons I’ve learned:

#1—Try hard to not do or say thins that I’m going to regret

#2—When in doubt, don’t

#3—Try hard to live your life so that you have no regrets

Three common regrets at the end of our lives:

#1—Not spending enough time with loved ones

          James 4:13-14

          Proverbs 19:11

          Hebrews 12:14

          Ephesians 4:31-32

#2—Spending too much time at work

          Exodus 20:8-11

#3—Failing to pursue our passions

          Psalm 37:4

  • Scripture gives us permission to enjoy our family and friends
  • Scripture gives us permission to enjoy life; to be rest; to be healthy; as well as permission to work
  • Scripture gives us permission to be fulfilled in our lives and to accomplish wonderful things that bring honor to God and blesses us and others

John 10:10—Satan’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. God’s purpose is to give us a rich and satisfying life.