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PSALM 23--PART 3!--Bible Study with Grandpa! DO 2221 6/86
1. ALL RIGHT, WHAT PSALM ARE WE STUDYING? (TECHI: PSALM 23!) We're still on Psalm 23. And whose turn is it to pray? (Techi: David's!) Okay! (David: Thank You Jesus for this time that we can have Bible Class with Grandpa! And as we do, help us to understand everything & thank You that Grandpa's such a good teacher, Lord! Bless us & help us not to have any distractions now, help us to be good listeners to Grandpa, in Jesus' name!) Amen, PTL!
2. WELL, ONE THING WE FOUND OUT, WE SURE CAN FIND OUT A LOT OUT OF ONE LITTLE PSALM! Isn't it amazing how much the Lord puts into one little Psalm & then how much Grandpa digs out of it! (Maria: Grandpa's a searcher!) Our last lesson was about "He restoreth my soul", & I'm not going to review the first three verses again! Because the last time we spent the whole lesson just reviewing the first three verses! But I want to show your Mother how much you know!
3. "THE LORD IS MY..." (TECHI: SHEPHERD!) What's a shepherd? (David: A shepherd is one who takes care of the sheep!) Did we explain what the word shep-herd means? (Children: Sheep herd!--A sheep herder, a herder of sheep!) So what does a shepherd do? (Children: He takes care of the sheep!)--Yes! And how does he move them from one place to the other? There's a verse about that. "When He putteth forth His sheep He goeth before them!" (Jn.10:4)
4. AND "I SHALL NOT WANT"--WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Does that mean we won't want anything? (David: It means we won't be poor!) It means we won't really need anything we don't have. (Maria: We won't lack!)--Right!
5. WHERE DOES HE MAKE US LIE DOWN? (DAVID: IN GREEN PASTURES!) Well, I haven't seen you lying down in green pastures, so when it's applied to us what does that mean? (Techi: The Word!) That's one thing, it could be the Word, that's very good. But He not only feeds our spirits, He feeds our bodies!
6. AND HE LEADETH US BESIDE WHAT? (CHILDREN: THE STILL WATERS!) Now waters are especially symbolic of what? (David: To drink!)--Yes, literally, lots of water. Boy, He's given us lots of water! But spiritually it means the Word! It means both! The Lord takes care of both our spirits & our bodies, meaning our what? (David: Our soul!)
7. AND "HE RESTORETH MY SOUL!" He strengthens & restores both what? (David: Spirit & body!)--Yes! He gives us spiritual food & He gives us physical food too! You guys will be able to preach sermons on this after we get done! You can teach this to the other folks! Good idea? You're not so sure about that. Well, I know you could!
8. AND "HE LEADETH ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS." Now what's "paths of righteousness"? (Techi: God's will!)--Right, when you're in God's will! And what does the word right-eous-ness mean? (Techi: It's right!)--Paths of right! The right paths!--The right paths in which you do good, righteousness. What for?--
9. "FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE!" Now how can He do that for His name's sake, the sake of His name? (Techi: So He'll be glorified!)--Exactly, to glorify His name! Honey, that was really good, that was a tough one! "For His name's sake", so His name can be glorified, to glorify His name! Very good! My, we finally got through the 3rd verse! We really zipped through that one! Third time's the charm!
10. THIS MORNING YOU COOKED YOUR OWN BREAKFAST, made your own French toast, cooked your own bacon, made your own milk, set your own table & washed your own dishes! They're really learning how to take care of themselves, Mama! They get themselves up in the morning, they can cook their own meals, & they put themselves to bed at night! They're really getting to be adults!
11. NOW, AFTER HE'S DONE ALL THESE GOOD THINGS FOR US, SOONER OR LATER WHAT HAPPENS TO MOST PEOPLE?--Probably not our generation because I think the Lord's going to come before we die! I used to think I was going to die before the Lord came, but now I decided it's possible I can go up in the Rapture! Isn't that wonderful? Of course, we're really all going to go up in the Rapture, even the people who've already died. Because the Lord brings back our spirits with Him when He comes & He lets the spirits go back & get their bodies! They go up first, & the people who are alive follow.
12. (TECHI: IF YOU WERE ALREADY IN HEAVEN, WOULD YOU?) You still wouldn't have your original physical body, you'd have what you call a God-body, a theophany, a spiritual body! (Techi: But when Jesus comes, would you burst out of the old grave on the Earth?)--Yes! Believe it or not! All the spirits of the people that already died will come back with Jesus! Do you want me to prove that to you? Let's turn to 1 Thessalonians, 4th Chapter, & I'll read you what it says. We're kind of getting off the 23rd Psalm, but it has something to do with it!
13. 1ST THESSALONIANS 4:14: "FOR IF WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED & ROSE AGAIN, EVEN SO THEM ALSO WHICH SLEEP IN JESUS WILL GOD BRING WITH HIM!" So when Jesus comes for the Rapture, He brings along the spirits of all the Saints who died already & went to Heaven! They've gone to be with Jesus in Heaven, right? So then when He comes back, He brings them all with Him, all those people who've already died!
14. THE FIRST THING THEY'VE GOT TO DO IN ORDER TO HAVE A RESURRECTION, THEIR SPIRITS HAVE GOT TO GO DOWN & GET THEIR BODIES! It doesn't matter if they burned them, it doesn't matter if they scattered their ashes all over the sea--although Christians are not apt to do that--the Lord can gather their ashes together or gather their bones together or gather their whatever it is together! Anyhow, He gives us a new body.
15. HE BRINGS IT OUT OF THE GRAVE JUST LIKE HAPPENED TO JESUS! He was dead & buried, but He was risen from the dead, resurrected. I don't know why the Lord does that, except like He lets you still look the same & have scars & things like that, He wants you to know that He has the power over death & they just cannot kill you forever! He says, "O grave, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" (1Cor.15:55)
16. SO HE BRINGS THE SPIRITS BACK WITH HIM WHEN HE COMES, THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY PASSED AWAY!--Not ours, because we're probably going to live to the Rapture! He brings all the spirits back & they go back & enter their bodies & they rise with a new body! Isn't that beautiful? They collect their body, only then it's new & imperishable & forever!
17. AND HE SAYS IN VERSE 15, "FOR WE WHICH ARE ALIVE & REMAIN UNTO THE COMING OF THE LORD, SHALL NOT PREVENT THEM WHICH ARE ASLEEP." In this case, "prevent" is an old English word which means shall not "go before". We who are alive & remain when the Lord comes are not going to go up first! Who's going to go up first?--The Saints who died & are in the graves! The Lord brings their spirits with Him when He comes, & they grab their bodies out of the grave! "Wow! Brand new! It's not old & worn out any more! It's not decayed, it's not ashes, I've got a brand new body!" (Techi: Because probably after they died the Lord came & fixed it up all new to wait for them!)
18. FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S SAY ALF IS A SPIRIT & HE HAS AN OLD JALOPY WHICH WE'LL SAY IS HIS BODY. So one day he parks the car in the garage, that's his body. And maybe next morning all of a sudden he goes out to get his old jalopy out of the garage & there it is a brand new Rolls Royce or Mercedes-Benz! (Techi: Because the Lord fixed it up maybe?)--Right, because the Lord made it a brand new model, a whole new car! (Techi: When did He make it that way?) Well, apparently while Alf was coming to get it, sometime before he got it. So all of a sudden he goes out there & he's got a brand new car instead of that old jalopy he used to have! (Techi: Instead of ashes & bones, they get a nice new smiling body!)--Right, the Lord's replaced it with a brand new model! Isn't that wonderful? You don't have that old junker any more. I don't know how He did it or when He did it, but He did it, or He does it, or will do it!
19. WELL, THAT'S NOT SUCH A GOOD ILLUSTRATION BECAUSE IT WOULD BE BETTER TO SAY IT'S THE SAME KIND OF CAR. Because you wouldn't even recognise it if it was a different car. So let's say he went out there & instead of his old Chevy, he's got a brand new latest-model Chevy! Alf's a spirit, & he climbs into the car like it's his body, & takes off! You get the idea?
20. SO THE SPIRITS GO BACK TO THE GRAVE & INSTEAD OF THAT OLD ROTTEN THING, THEY FIND A BRAND NEW BODY that looks like'm & it acts like'm! (Techi: They might even have longer hair because their hair grows while they're dead!) Well, it's all a new body though. How did we get onto that, anyhow?
21. BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING EVERYBODY'S GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOONER OR LATER, UNLESS THEY LIVE TO THE RAPTURE. What have most people already done?--They've died! But this might be talking about actually dying, or it might be talking about walking through dangerous places. Because the next verse is:
22. (CHILDREN: "YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL: FOR THOU ART WITH ME: THY ROD & THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME.")--That's right! (David: I think it could be used more for dangerous places, like in the Tribulation.)--Yes! See, you're already learning how to teach, you're already teaching us. (Techi: It's like the Lord can take us to Heaven right after you die, but in dangerous places I will fear no evil!) See, they're teaching me what it means now! That's the longest verse in the whole Psalm, did you know that?--Five lines! There isn't another verse in this whole Psalm that has 5 lines. Well, there's one that has 4-1/2 lines, the 5th verse, but the 4th verse is the longest verse!
23. IT SAYS THE SHADOW OF DEATH, IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN DEATH ITSELF! But a shadow is almost like death. Your shadow looks a little bit like you, right? A shadow of something is sort of an outline of the thing, & it's similar to it, but it's not the real thing. In other words, through a dangerous place where you could get killed or die. (Maria: Very near to it, too.) Very near to death.
24. BUT "I WILL FEAR NO EVIL." IN OTHER WORDS, YOU'RE STILL ALIVE, YOU'RE NOT AFRAID! If you were dying, then you wouldn't even have to say that because you're already dead. But even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you won't be afraid. Even though it's dangerous & there's danger that could even kill you or dangerous enemies, you'll not be afraid.--Why?
25. (CHILDREN: "FOR THOU ART WITH ME.") The Lord is with us! We don't have to be afraid even when we walk through a dangerous place. And in this case, why aren't we afraid? He's with us & what does He have? (Techi: A rod!)--A rod & a staff!
26. SOME PEOPLE HAVE EXPLAINED THAT THAT MEANS THE LORD IS GOING TO CHASTEN YOU WITH HIS ROD & HIS STAFF & THAT'S THE COMFORT! But I don't see any comfort in that, do you?--No! But He's got a rod in one hand & a staff in the other & He's going to protect you! (Techi: He's going to bop the enemies with the rod & His big staff comforts you!) You're going through this deep dark valley full of enemies, but you're not afraid because the Lord is right there with you leading the way & He's going to wham-wham-whack-whack-bam-bam with His rod & His staff! He's going to protect you!
27. "THOU PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MINE ENEMIES." Maybe right while you're going through this valley of the shadow of death amongst all the enemies you get hungry on the way. So the Lord not only protects you, but you're so safe He can spread a nice big table for you to sit right down there & eat a nice banquet meal right in front of all of them! (Maria: It could also mean He's going to keep giving you blessings & pouring them out even though your enemies are all around you & trying to make it hard for you!)
28. EVEN THOUGH OUR ENEMIES HAVE BEEN FIGHTING US FOR 15, 20 YEARS OR MORE, the Lord has blessed us & given us wonderful places to live & good food to eat & nice beds & sweet Family & lots of fun in spite of all our enemies & how they fight us! So right in the middle of it all, the Lord is taking care of us anyhow! Isn't that wonderful?
29. "THOU ANOINTEST MY HEAD WITH OIL; MY CUP RUNNETH OVER!" In the olden days the women used to bathe in baths of oil & perfume & all that to get ready for their king. (Techi: And honey & milk!) I don't know about milk & honey, that would be pretty sticky! But they bathed usually in oil & perfume. (Maria: I think Techi's right, they do use that.) Milk, yes, but not honey. Oh, they put the honey in the milk? (Maria: Yes, they do.) It sure would be kind of sticky! (David: That's what they did with Esther & all the girls that King Ahasuerus was choosing.) Yes, they bathed Esther in all those things for six months before she could see the king. (Est.2:12) (Maria: And today women use bath oils all the time.) But this business about putting the honey in the milk, that's kind of sticky! That's a sticky subject, we'd better get off of it!
30. SO THEY EVEN DID IT PHYSICALLY, LIT ERALLY, BUT ANOINTING YOUR HEAD WITH OIL IS ALSO SYMBOLIC, & we've got to get both the physical meanings & the spiritual meanings. Do we ever anoint our heads with oil? (Techi: Yes!) There's a special little ceremony where we always anoint with oil. (Techi: We just did it last Sunday!) He says, "Whosoever is sick among you, let him call for the elders of the church." Do you know those verses? (Children: "And let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick & the Lord shall raise him up. And if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.") (Jam.5:14-15) They really know the Scriptures, don't they?
31. DOES IT SAY THAT THE OIL WILL HEAL THE SICK? (David: No, the prayer of faith!) Well, why anoint with oil then? (Techi: The oil is symbolic.)--Of what? (David: Of blessing.) Well, in a way. But it's specifically symbolic of Someone. (David: The Spirit!) The oil stands for the Holy Spirit! (Techi: "The Oil of the Holy Spirit", remember that TK?)--Yes! The oil specifically stands for the Holy Spirit!
32. SO WHEN HE ANOINTS YOUR HEAD WITH OIL, WHAT DOES HE DO TO YOU? This is a word-picture. He's giving you what? Come on now, wake up! Don't go to sleep on me! (Techi: The Holy Spirit.) He's giving you the Holy Spirit, & the effect is...(David: ing.)--Healing, right, as well as power & a few other things too! And what else does it do when He anoints you with oil?
33. "MY CUP RUNNETH OVER!" What does that mean? (David: With blessings!)--Right, with happiness! You get happy! (David: And with love, peace, joy!) You get lots of love, all the fruits of the Spirit! (Maria: It keeps you from being squeaky!)--Oh yes! (Techi: And it never runs out because it's overflowing all the time!)--Right, running over! You never run out of that kind of oil of the Holy Spirit if you have Jesus & you have His Holy Spirit! PTL!
34. "SURELY GOODNESS & MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE." You'll have the Lord's goodness & His mercy! And the picture is a kind of a word-picture where these virtues are symbolised by faithful wives who love you & follow you around all the time, Goodness & Mercy! You can make a picture of it! You can have these two pretty girls following you around! (Techi: In the "Psalm 23" Komic these two little fairies were following him.)--Yes, that's a good illustration! That's the picture that comes to me too!--Only not just little fairies but nice pretty women! So, what will happen?
35. (CHILDREN: "AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER!") Does that mean just Heaven & the mansion Over There, & you have to wait until you get There to dwell in the house of the Lord? (David: In a way, the house that we live in now.)--Yes, of course! This is the Lord's house because we live here! But it even has a more spiritual meaning. It does have a physical literal meaning, both our mansion in Heaven & our Home or mansion here, but what's the spiritual meaning?
36. WHAT'S THE HOUSE OF THE LORD? Is it a church? (Techi: Your heart!) That's the temple of the Holy Spirit, right? But He dwells in that. But what are you? (Techi: The temple of God!) You are the temple! You're the house of the Lord & He dwells inside of His house--you! So we're already dwelling in the house of the Lord! (Maria: In other words, your spirit is dwelling inside your body which is the temple of the Lord?)--Yes! "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever", you're already His house & already dwelling in it & He's dwelling in it & we're already the house of the Lord. PTL? (David: It says, "Abuse not the temple of the Lord.")--Exactly, don't hurt it! Like these crazy people who do those stunts in movies & have accidents & risk their lives, people "who love death!" Techi, listen!
37. HOW LONG? (DAVID: FOREVER! I thought you meant the verse.) I did, but in the meantime I'm giving Techi a gentle hint she should be listening forever & not get distracted! Now, shall we pray, & then we can learn a little lesson about lenses & prisms & light! We have some sun so let's pray quick then. You close in prayer & then we'll pray the Lord's Prayer!
38. (TECHI: THANK YOU JESUS FOR THIS FUN BIBLE STUDY, LORD, & thank You how we're going to see the prisms now, Lord, & help me not to get distracted. Please help us to have a fun time, Lord, & thank You for Your Word, Lord, to help us to really understand. Thank You for Grandpa teaching us, in Jesus' name.)--Amen! As we pray together His Prayer: (Prays the Lord's Prayer.)
--ARE YOU TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN?
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
