A Table In The Presence Of My Enemies

[Music] and in the face of kovat 19 we will still be excellent we commit to excellence we commit to exceptionalism I will commit to do the extraordinary and you may be seated in God's presence this morning it's a great joy to fellowship with you this morning and just for me to emphasize what you've had some times in the service you would have seen crowds in the church and you'd have seen audiences and so on that is recording from our previous service that is shown and the reason we do that is to minimize the number of people we need to become here and help to serve so there is no live band in the church there is no choir there is no praise team we try to keep all of them at home so that we use the video team practically I just to bring you the Word of God so this is taking place in our empty I church auditorium and Auto is empty by the eyes of my imagination I can imagine the faces I know on Sunday sitting where they are sitting and and worshiping with us so it's a great joy to be in the house of the Lord today it's going to be a convenient celebration and so after I bring you a word of exhortation I will lead you to celebrate the Lord's table or communion and so please get the communion elements ready a wafer a piece of bread or some unsweetened biscuit and red grape white grape juice or some other unsweetened fruit juice and we're going to use those as the emblems to celebrate communion today and I believe that God's grace will abound towards you that God will watch over you protect you deliver you and in this season the blood of Jesus will be a mock on your life and there will be safety for you and for your loved ones you will go to through the season and you come out strong you'll come out well and you'll come out victoriously somebody say amen to that well my message today is following off from last Sunday as you know we looked at the 23rd psalm the beloved son and I looked at the fourth verse last week today I'm going to look at the fifth verse and I've titled my message a table in the presence of my enemies a table in the presence of my enemies have you ever been in the presence of someone who hates you an enemy somebody who hates you and and has the power to do you harm have you ever been in the presence of danger how did you feel just imagine yourself being before a very hungry wild lion in an open field and a sense of helplessness that you may feel today all of us all over the world feel that we are in the presence of an enemy and that enemy has so much power to hurt us Kove igniting is a huge enemy that is facing all of us today it has touched every continent of our world it has touched almost every nation of our world it has touched Prince's presidents prime ministers it has touch priests it has touched pilots it has touch painters you know I'm working with peace here and it is no respecter of pressings and it has confined us all indoors so we're all stuck at home at this time because there is an enemy roaming our streets and roam in our neighborhoods and roam in our world that is destroying us and what can we do in the presence of such an enemy how do we conduct ourselves how do we live our lives and so to some 23 and i'll read verses four to verse number six yea 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 I hear you have to cough in the sleeve you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup runs over surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies this is David the psalmist seeing himself as a sheep before God and affirming his confidence and his faith in God and he says that in the presence of his enemies God prepares a table before him that word prepares a very interesting word it means to get ready or to set something in order to get something ready or to set something in order requires foresight and planning so when the Bible says that God prepares a table before me it's an intentional work of God it's something that God takes time to do it doesn't just happen you prepare a table before me God is intentional about what he is doing for you in the season the word table in that passage is also very interesting because the word table here is not describing a furniture or a piece of furniture the word table here is talking about a meal that has been spread widely out a meal that has been spread widely out or we can say a banquet so God has gotten ready set in order a meal that has been spread before you a banquet is what he is setting before us a banquet is defined as a formal and elaborate meal that has been prepared for many a banquet is usually rich it is diverse it is beautiful it is abundant and that's what David has in mind when it says you have prepared a table before me the table doesn't just appear not now that we just chanced upon it God prepares the table in other words while the enemy is present whilst the enemy is in the shadows God is also at work so it's not only the presence of the enemy there is also a work of God in the midst of what the enemy is doing the enemy is present but God is also present and God is at work and so David says you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies in the days of David a table that was set before sheep was a flat land because you know Judah in the days of and still is Judah is a very hilly country but sheep like flatland because they can graze for a very long time so when the Bible says a table set before the ship it is flat land unhindered unobstructed no obstacles just flat land with luscious green grass and that is the image David has in mind when he says you prepare a table before me may God prepare a table before you before your family before this nation before this continent before our world because in the midst of the enemy's presence there is a table being prepared so where does God prepare this table david says he prepares the table before me in the presence of my enemies an enemy is one who is against you one who harasses you one who oppresses you so in the presence of our present enemy which for the entire world is now unified there is one enemy a virus God is preparing a table and he doesn't prepare the table after the enemy has been destroyed he doesn't move away the enemy and then prepare a table but whilst the enemy is at work whilst there is a threat while there's insecurity while there is fear God is preparing a table before you what does that mean it means that in the midst of danger God still provides nourishment for his people in the midst of danger God still provides nourishment for his people there are many people who are shut in and are gonna be shut in for the next two weeks and we're not sure how they will be fed and we're not sure how they will be sustained yes we have to all make efforts to help one another and even taking food to people is now a bit problematic but my assurance is that in the midst of danger God is able to provide nourishment for his people and I pray for you that God will give you nourishment wherever you are he was you you sustain your children you sustain your family in the presence of your enemy he prepares a table before us and it's very interesting when you get the sense of what David is talking about here because sometimes in the presence of your enemy you may have a meal to eat for example if you are a soldier and you're on the battlefield and you hear abilities flying all around you you still have to eat but soldiers meals are rationed is very small and not only that you have to eat it hastily in the presence of your enemy on the battlefield but what David is talking about here is not like a soldier eaten Russian food hastily but it's like a very confident assured ship who looks around and only sees a shepherd and knows that because the shepherd is here I can take my time and enjoy my life and I can eat in the presence of my enemy that is what God wants you to know you don't have to be in haste you don't have to put yourself under too much pressure he is able to give you nourishment and that phrase also means that when everything is against me God provides opportunity for me he prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies that table is not only nourishment that table is also opportunity in the midst of danger there is opportunity in the midst of crisis there is opportunity in the midst of confusion there is opportunity there is something God is doing in the midst of all that is happening that will give us an opportunity to do better with our lives 1st Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 says and shows us that with every temptation with every crisis God has a way of escape God provides a way out for us and God will provide a way out for you you provide a way out for your family you provide a way out for our nation there is a way out yes we know part of the way out is social distancing that's why I'm preaching to an empty auditorium and-and-and we need to clean our hands and you you be suspicious of people coughing even if they are pastors and you keep your distance away from them it's all part of the opportunity a way of escape from the danger it's all part of it but that's not all of it there is something more than just avoiding danger there is something about seeing a greater opportunity than the danger that is presented so I believe that in the midst of this enemy in the presence of this enemy God is preparing a table before us opportunities ideas new things are going to happen obviously we all know our world is never going to be the same after this there's going to be an explosion of science and technology because we've been threatened so much mankind is going to explode with new inventions and new ideas and things are going to be dramatically better than they were before that is the table that God is preparing for us in the presence of your enemy and you have to pick your portion of that don't go through this and suffer all this and go and live your life as it was there is a table being prepared before you and you must banquet at the table of the Lord and I believe this message is for us commands for the first time our enemy is not a witch it's not a wizard it's not an old lady sitting in a village it's a virus that has to be defeated but calculated action and I pray that we keep that as our focus that our enemy is bigger than that old person in your village as a matter of fact your enemy is greater than your political opponent your enemy is greater than your cousin or that your boss at the office there are bigger issues that are big enemies and we must confront those enemies in a midst of all of these I believe that God wants us to see the table that he's preparing before us in the presence of our enemies sometimes in crisis like this you know we only see the enemy we don't see the opportunity it's amazing that though many are dying and many are being infected many are also recovering and what surprises means that story of recovery all over the world is not shared more people are recovering than are dying of course any one person that dies is horrendous must not be countenance and we must we must be sad for any human being to be lost but we must not let the sadness our joy at those who have been redeemed and those who are being saved and those who are recovering so whilst we are talking about the enemy and his danger we must also look at the table that has been prepared before us in the presence of our enemies it's not all doom and gloom it's not all about destruction in the mists of all the doom in the mists of all the gloom God's light is still shining the presence of God is still with us right before this horrific enemy that we are all dealing with you so today I ask you do you see the table that God is preparing before you in the presence of your enemies do you see the big opportunity that God is opening before you they're going to be new levels of business new businesses they're going to be new things to be done for us in Ghana for example this crisis can help us to focus properly to solve our an outstanding international problems and when I was there outstanding I mean standing out it means that these are problems we've left never solved problems like sanitation problems like hygiene problems like City Planning problems like employment industrialization science and technology how to minimize poverty these are the enemies we must be dealing with and in the midst of this crisis we're going to find opportunity to resolve some of these problems and the courage to resolve them it is called I will prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies I was listening to a news item and somebody would say that based on the new protocols were developing the high genes and so on they would not be surprised if we are able to eliminate the common flu and cold because they are all transmitted through the same process so in the presence of our enemy God is preparing a table before us can you see the opportunity he's given us as humanity to improve our lives to make our lives better yes it took an enemy to rally us and yes it may take an enemy to rally you you know when these times come you find your coffee more than you don't know whether it's your mind or whatever but when the enemy's coming against you you you have to discover new strengths i remember when i was a little boy as happens to many ganyan boys and probably in africa we go hunting for fruit and the easiest fruit is mangoes and and it was mango season and there was a gentleman in our neighborhood who had a house with wall much of most of us didn't have walls but he was rich so called and he had a wall and he had a mango tree and his mangos were always ripe and hidden he didn't pluck them and we thought it was our responsibility to relieve him of the petting of having ripe mangoes unplucked so we donated our services to his house to go and take his mangoes and so we were in his house and when he had gone to work and were kids plucking amongest plucking mangoes and all of a sudden there was a big dog backing and the dog started backing and started running and we were kids I think probably eight nine and people were calling their mothers and their Papas and so and so forth and I remember so well because I was up on the tree I came down and started running but the house was walled not with cement wall but with hedges and and for some reason that I can't explain up to now I jumped those hedges and one moment there was a dog barking behind the next moment the table was prepared in the presence of my enemies I just jumped the hedges now what happened could did I know I could jump that high by the way I haven't jumped that high since then but did I know I could know what made me jump was danger the presence of my enemy made me dig deep inside myself to discover strength I never thought I had in this moment God will help you to discover strength you never thought you had abilities you never thought you had opportunities that you had never seen and for us Ghanaians we will begin to control our destiny in a way we have never done before so the impression you get from the 23rd psalm is that the enemy in the valley of the shadow of death unnecessary they are important God uses the oppressors to prepare banquet before you what is life without enemies what is life without danger what is life without feeling threatened because it is in those moments that you Michelle or your strength to survive and to win and I believe this is one such moment as I said last week I believe for the countries and the nations of the so-called third world this is our greatest moment because we are about to take a leap a leap over walls yes other nations will run but the greatest social transformation I believe is going to come in the so-called third world nations because for once we will be shocked not to depend on anybody again because the people we depended on are dying and they can't keep themselves safe we have to learn in this valley of the shadow of death before these enemies that God is preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies there are certain opportunities that are only seen in a time of danger and I pray that God will open your eyes to those opportunities that God would let you see opportunity and not doom yes you feel your life is under threat but your future is also opening right before your eyes yes you feel like maybe you may die but life is staring you right in front of your face and I pray for you that life will be your portion and today as we celebrate communion made made the protection of Christ be ours may he preserve us may he uphold us may he deliver us may he set us apart from chaos and destruction may his blood be a mock on your forehead as you go through the darkness of our time may the enemies see the blood of Jesus upon you and flee away from you as we celebrate this communion may life become your portion and may God sustain you and this psalmist goes on and concludes that in that same before the enemy not only does God prepare table before us but he anoints our head with oil that is a statement of favor that he will favor you he would treat you well and may God favor you may he anoint your head with oil may God set you apart for outstanding miracles for miracles of deliverance for miracles of breakthrough for favor on every side and then he says my cup will run over that speaks of increase and abundance overflow isn't it amazing that in the presence of the enemy he's having an overflow in the presence of the enemy he's having favor may that be your portion also that in the presence of the enemy you have an overflow in the presence of the enemy you have favored and he concludes to say truly truly surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life not enemies following me all the days of my life yes we feel like Cove igniting is following us but look about you look around you look behind you that's not what is following you it is goodness and mercy follow you make goodness and mercy rest upon your household make goodness and messy rest upon your family make goodness and messy rest upon your children make goodness and mercy rest upon your business make goodness a messy follow you all the days of your life and that Sam is concludes because of all of that I commit to dwell in the house of the Lord forever don't seek the Lord only to defeat your enemy and forget about him after the Lord has provided for you in the time of the enemy you must seek to dwell in the house of the Lord forever today we have opportunity to partake of the Lord's table we call a communion but it's also called a Lord's table God is preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies and as we partake of this Lots table as we partake of this communion I want you to trust God to prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies and just before we partake of communion I just want to pray for you to make your life right with God if you're listening to me is a pastor I love what you're saying it's good for me and it's good to love what I'm saying but the greatest thing you must love is to love Jesus Christ the Son of God who died and rose again and gave himself as a ransom for our sin and when we trust in him he gives us salvation he washes away our sins and makes us new people and so I want to pray with you just before we partake of communion if you want Jesus to come into your heart if you want to be born again if you want to start a new life with him if you want to say Lord I don't just want you to deliver me from danger I want to dwell in your house forever then wherever you are I'm gonna lead you in prayer and you will all pray this prayer together let's bow our heads in prayer sit with me heavily father I come to you today just as I am I am a sinner I cannot save myself I ask you Father to save me to wash me and cleanse me in the blood of Jesus today I boarded the clay that Jesus Christ is my Lord he is my Savior is my Redeemer and I have decided to follow Jesus no turning back no turning back I thank you Father for accepting me in Jesus name Amen and amen god bless you for praying that prayer if you pray that prayer believe in Christ for salvation I promise you on the authority of God's Word that salvation has come into your heart your sins have been forgiven and you are a brand new person in Christ Jesus but you need to follow up and grow in your Christian life and after I've preached a group of people will tell you how to take the next journey in your walk with God [Music]

Channel: Christ Temple

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Keywords: mensa otabil, otabil sermon, central gospel church, icgc, international central gospel church, greater works, central university

Id: D4tO9Ue2YWA

Length: 30min 17sec (1817 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 30 2020