A Table In The Presence Of My Enemies

[Music] and in the face of COVID-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 church auditorium. And though it is empty, by the eyes of my imagination, I can imagine the faces I know on Sunday, sitting where they are sitting, 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 mark on your life, and there will be safety for you and for your loved ones. You will go through this season, and you'll 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 Psalm. 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 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 the 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. COVID-19 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 princes, presidents, prime ministers. It has touched priests. It has touched pilots. It has touched painters. You know, I'm working with "prince" here, and it is no respecter of persons, 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 roaming our neighborhoods, and roaming 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 Psalm 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 thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth 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." "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine 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" is 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 this 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 he 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 flat land because they can graze for a very long time. So when the Bible says a table set before the sheep, 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, whilst there is insecurity, whilst 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 going to 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 will sustain your children, He will 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 bullets flying all around you, you still have to eat. But soldiers' meals are rationed, it's 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 eating rationed food hastily, but it's like a very confident, assured sheep 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. 1 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 we need to clean our hands, and 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 by 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 your boss at the office. There are bigger issues that are big enemies, and we must confront those enemies. In the midst of all of these, I believe that God wants us to see the table that He is 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 me is the 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 countenanced, and we must be sad for any human being to be lost. But we must not let the sadness overshadow 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 midst of all the doom, in the midst 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. 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? There are going to be new levels of business, new businesses. There are 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 outstanding international problems. And when I say 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 we're developing, the hygiene 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 courage more than you don't know whether it's your mind or whatever. But when the enemy's coming against you, you have to discover new strengths. I remember when I was a little boy, as happens to many Ghanaian boys, and probably in Africa, we go hunting for fruit. And the easiest fruit is mangoes. And it was mango season. And there was a gentleman in our neighborhood who had a house with a 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 mangoes were always ripe and hidden. He didn't pluck them. And we thought it was our responsibility to relieve him of the burden 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 we were kids plucking amongst plucking mangoes, and all of a sudden, there was a big dog barking, and the dog started barking, and started running. And we were kids, I think probably eight, nine, and people were calling their mothers and their fathers 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 a cement wall, but with hedges. 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 I know I could jump that high? By the way, I haven't jumped that high since then. But did I 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, they are important. God uses the oppressors to prepare a 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 will find 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 the face. And I pray for you that life will be your portion.

And today, as we celebrate communion, may 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 mark 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 a 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 favor. And He concludes to say, "Surely, 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 COVID-19 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. May goodness and mercy rest upon your household. May goodness and mercy rest upon your family. May goodness and mercy rest upon your children. May goodness and mercy rest upon your business. May goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life. And that Psalm 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 the opportunity to partake of the Lord's table. We call it 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 Lord's 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, it's 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 sins. 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 going to lead you in prayer, and you will all pray this prayer together. Let's bow our heads in prayer.

Sit with me, heavenly 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 believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord, He is my Savior, He 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 prayed 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.

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