THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
by Rev Stanley Baker
Psalms 23
The 23rd Psalm begins with these familiar words, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."
When someone says, "I shall not want," we need to sit up & take notice because of the times that we are living now.
Listen to these words by Jason Lehman:
It was spring. But it was summer I wanted
The warm days, & the great outdoors.
It was summer. But it was fall I wanted
The colorful leaves, & the cool, dry air.
It was fall. But it was winter I wanted
The beautiful snow, & the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter. But it was spring I wanted
The warmth, & the blossoming of nature.
I was a child. But it was adulthood I wanted
The freedom, & the respect I wanted.
I was 20. But it was 30 I wanted
To be mature, & sophisticated.
I was middle aged. But it was 20 I wanted
The youth, & the free spirit.
I was retired. But it was middle age I wanted
The presence of mind, without limitations.
Then my life was over, & I never got what I wanted.
Many people never seem be satisfied, & almost everybody wants more.
A little child wants more toys & more television time.
A teenager wants more freedom & more popularity.
Most adults want more possessions & more leisure time.
And as we age, we want more health, more friends, & more loyalty from our children.
Philippians 4:11 12
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, there with to be content.
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Obviously, God wants us to be a happy, satisfied people.
We shouldn’t be restless & jealous, always chafing about what we don’t have.
There should be a spirit of thankfulness in us that brands us as belonging to Him.
So with the 23rd Psalm in mind, notice 3 great reasons to be thankful.
IN THIS LIFE THE God GIVES US ALL WE NEED
We can be thankful because in this life the Good Shepherd gives us all we need."
Frequently in the Bible human beings are compared to sheep. Now that sounds nice, but surely you realize that is not necessarily a compliment, because sheep are among the dumbest & dirtiest animals in the world.
So when Isaiah says, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray" he is not saying, "That’s good." He’s saying, "That’s bad, because we’re just about on a level with sheep."
When Jesus looked out on the people with compassion, the Gospel writers say that He saw them "like sheep without a shepherd". That’s not a compliment, either, but a concern, because sheep are so helpless when they’re all alone.
Philip Keller was a sheep rancher & he authored a book called, "A Shepherd Looks at the Twenty third Psalm," he says that they require more attention than any other livestock.
They just can’t take care of themselves.
Unless their shepherd makes them move on, sheep will actually ruin a pasture, eating every blade of grass, until finally a fertile pasture is nothing but barren soil.
Sheep are nearsighted & very stubborn, but easily frightened.
An entire flock can be stampeded by a one lone jackrabbit.
They have little means of defense.
They’re timid, feeble creatures.
Their only recourse is to run if no shepherd is there to protect them.
Can you see that I have to protect you from the world.
Sheep have no homing instincts.
A dog, horse, cat, or a bird can find its way home, but when a sheep gets lost, it’s a gone sheep unless someone rescues it.
Luke_15:4
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
So one over riding principle of the 23rd Psalm is that sheep can’t make it without a shepherd.
And the only reason that David could say, "I shall not want," is because David could first say, "The Lord is my Shepherd."
Now let’s look at what David says the Good Shepherd does for his sheep.
He tells us that "He makes us lie down in green pastures."
Here, is a picture of sheep so completely satisfied that there isn’t the least desire for anything more.
He’s so content he lies down in green pastures.
But did you notice the wording?
David said, "He makes me lie down."
We sometimes have to be forced to lie down.
We sometimes just will not stop on our own and the Lord has to act on our behalf.
And in our hurry & scurry we tend to miss the things that are most important, things Like the voice of God..
So once in a while God has to say, "You need to lie down,"
You need to stop and listen with your heart and see what God has to say.
Keller says that in order for sheep to lie down 4 things are required:
First of all, they have to be full.
they must be unafraid.
they must be content.
sheep will not lie down unless there is harmony in the flock
The word of God will fill you up, and make you not afraid, and worshipping God will make you content which will put you in harmony with God as a flock.
David then says, "He leads me beside still waters."
Sheep are frightened of swiftly moving water.
They’re poor swimmers, & get bogged down with their heavy wool just as we would if we tried to swim wearing wool overcoats.
When the things of the world a tearing at you, go to the still waters, don’t get bogged down in the things you cannot change.
God knows our weaknesses.
He leads us by still waters.
He promises to protect us from the temptations that we can’t handle.
He never forces us into situations with which we cannot cope.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:13?
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
But when you are tempted He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
David said the same thing in the 32nd Psalm, 6—7
For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.
David goes on to say, "He restores my soul."
A lost sheep cannot find its way home, so the shepherd has to restore the stray or it is lost forever.
When you are lost turn to the cross and let God show you the way home.
Come Back to God Come Back to the Cross
Jesus said, When you weren’t looking, I carved my your on my cross.
When Jesus was carrying His cross, He stumbled right beside me, & I looked, & my name was on there His cross!"
Your name was on His cross, too.
He died in our place.
He went to the cross to restore our souls.
That is why the Apostle Peter wrote, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins & live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.
“For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd
David continues on with, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake
A careless shepherd might lead his sheep over steep & dangerous paths where they could fall.
But a caring shepherd leads his sheep over paths that are safe.
The Bible clearly teaches that there are 2 paths we can take. One leads to destruction, & Satan tries to lead us along that path.
It is such a broad & smooth road. It often seems like the logical way to go.
The other is the path of righteousness that leads to the glory that God is preparing for us.
Sometimes this way is narrow & difficult & filled with obstacles. But the good Shepherd leads his sheep on that path of righteousness.
Thank God that he provides us with everything we really need.
Thank God that he leads us in the right direction.
David said, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil
The Bible clearly states that death is Satan’s weapon, the last enemy to be defeated.
But David said, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Why?
Because "you are with me." When it seems that you just cannot go on , Jesus is there to carry you thought
John_14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you
David goes on to say, 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:
Not only is this a promise of peace & protection while we are alive,
it is also a promise that at the moment Satan is doing his worst to you,
God is preparing a welcoming feast for you in Heaven!
What a picture of victory & joy!
So when you pause to think about what to be thankful for, thank God that in death, Jesus promises protection from evil.
Finally, David says 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.
If God gave us justice, we’d be punished for our disobedience. But because of Jesus we have confidence in knowing that His mercy is sufficient.
In closing this morning
The 23 Psalms
God told us every thing that we need to know.
He told us he was our Shepherd,
He told us that we should not be in want."
He told us that we could lie down in the mist of our enemies
And not be afraid.
He said that he would leads us beside the still waters where we would never thirst again
He said that he would restore our souls and then lead us back to righteousness
He said that while we were in valley of the shadow of death that he was there and we did not have to be afraid for he gave comfort to us
He said that he would prepare a table for us in the presents of our enemies because we could feed on the living word of God
He said that he would Anoint our head with oil;
And let our cup run over.
With his goodness and his mercy for ever and ever
And that we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Now that is a promise that we can hold on to.
Now I know that someone in this house should be praising God right now
He has brought you through what ever it was you needed bring through
He has provided everything for you
He has provided everything for us
What else could we need
God said that We Shall Not Want.
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.
The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.
The Lord Is My Shepard
I shall not want
