A Psalm 23 Philosophy Series

Topic: Sunday Sermon Series -Encouragement from the Psalms

Text: Psalm 23 (KJV)

Title: A Psalm 23 Philosophy

Intro: - Everyone, either knowing or unknowingly, has a philosophy of life. Either an attitude, a belief system, or a system of principles that guides the decisions and the practical affairs of their lives.

There is a philosopher that wrote an interesting statement regarding this:

Andrew James Taggart, Practical Philosopher, PH. D. - For most people, this philosophy of life remains that to which they remain unaware. You might think, if this is true, that the best way of discovering someone’s philosophy of life would be to ask that person what he or she believes, what gets him or her up in the morning, what is that person’s life for, and so on. Reasonable for sure but mistaken. A far better approach is to just observe how that person conducts himself or herself on a daily basis. What thoughts arise in that person’s consciousness? What habits are sedimented? What actions and what goals recur?

The point?

Our attitude, actions and life outcomes reveal far more what or life philosophy is all about!

Having said that I would encourage each one of us, especially in these challenging times to adopt a life philosophy around what I’ve entitled today’s message after:

Title: A Psalm 23 Philosophy

Reason? I believe that the 23rd Psalm shows us that adopting a life philosophy based on the principles recorded within it can offer you a peaceful, purposeful, prosperous, protected life with an air of certainty and security in an unpredictable, rapidly changing, topsy-turvy world!

And where you need to start is not with a principle but wth:

I. The Person of this philosophy:

The person upon which this whole philosophy, approach to life rises and falls with is:

Psalm 23:1a The Lord…

A) Person of:

1. The LORD -??????? (Yah·weh)

a) The Self Existent Sufficient One!

Secondly to really embrace it you must familiarize yourself with:

II. The Personality of the Person of this philosophy?

Psalm 23:1b is…..

A) Personality – The aspects of one’s character, one traits>

Q: What are just some of the traits that the bible tells us the Lord posses?

1. The Lord is Infinite – Without Beginning or End:

Colossians 1:17 "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

2. The Lord is Immutable – He Never Changes!

Malachi 3:6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”

a) His character never changes

b) His plan never changes

c) His promises do not change

d) His precepts do not change

Sam Storms - “What all this means, very simply, is that God is dependable! Our trust in him is therefore a confident trust, for we know that he will not, indeed cannot, change. His purposes are unfailing, his promises unassailable. It is because the God who promised us eternal life is immutable that we may rest assured that nothing, not trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword shall separate us from the love of Christ. It is because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever that neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not even powers, height, depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:35-39)!”

3. The Lord is Self-Sufficient – He Has No Needs

John 5:26 “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.”

a) People are limited, and needy

b) God however has need of nothing!

Scott Swain - The self-sufficiency of God means he “possesses infinite riches of being, wisdom, goodness, and power in and of himself. We never have to worry about the “drying up” of his never-ending well of goodness, peace, mercy and grace.

4. The Lord is Omnipotent – He Is All Powerful

Psalm 33:6 “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”

a) Omnipotent means to have unlimited power

i. (Omni = all; potent = powerful).

ii. God is all-powerful and is able to do anything he wills without any effort on his part.

a. When He plans something, it will come to pass.

b. If He purposes something, it will happen.

c. Nothing can prevent it!

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Jeremiah 32:17 ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.