My Shepherd
Psalm 23
Introduction-
Please turn to Psalm 23 in your Bible.
The easiest way to find Psalms is to divide your Bible in half.
Psalm is a very familiar verse.
I would think between funerals and man’s times of sorrow, it is quoted often, but the heart of David is often missed because it is so familiar.
I don’t believe I have ever used it as my main text for a sermon because it is so well known.
I often say God is doing amazing things in our lives here at Rosedale.
I mean that with all my heart, and the Lord is also ministering to the heart of your pastor and that is good also!
I heard a person saying that preaching is a strong person’s opinion about how we should live.
How dare someone stand up and pretend to know what’s best for others.
That preaching is a poor way to communicate.
I would answer that like this; as your pastor, I don’t think I know it all. I don’t think I have all the answers to life questions in myself. I think as pastor that you pay me to study the scriptures and let you know each week what I have found out, and communicate it the best way I know how with enthusiasm.
Psalm 23 is about David the shepherd, recording words about His shepherd King.
Psalm 23:1-23:6
Prayer-
This psalm is so familiar that for centuries it has been one of the most trusted scriptures.
It is so familiar that people who are not religious and have no relationship with the Lord know this verse.
It would be right up there with the wedding verse “love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, and the verse ends with love never fails.” 1 Cor. 13
The Bible tells us we shall have difficult times.
Psalm 23 is a warning and a blessing.
God does not say He will keep us from all danger.
Keep us from all difficulties.
He doesn’t say that we will never walk through difficult valleys.
He says this world is messed up and we need Jesus!(paraphrased)
One commentary said that as a society we struggle with this passage because we cannot grasp what it was to be a shepherd. We are not shepherds. We don’t know shepherds.
Shepherds risk their lives for their sheep.
They spend a lot of time with their flocks.
They feed them and protect them at all cost.
Jesus said feed my lambs, take care of my sheep.
Jesus even gave instructions to the shepherd about wandering sheep;
Luke 15:4-
“Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”
David understood what it meant to be a shepherd.
He understood the responsibility of being a shepherd.
He understood fully what he was saying in this psalm.
The Lord is my shepherd. There was trust in those joyous words of David.
The Lord is my shepherd- I shall not want!
The Lord is my provider
The Lord will feed me.
The Lord will take care of me.
The Lord will protect me.
These words are the rock of our foundation.
That will sustain you when you are in times of trouble.
That will get you through difficult times.
We may not be shepherds that watch and protect sheep, but we should be shepherding or mentoring someone, we are should acknowledge the shepherd king in our life- Jesus Christ.
The theme of this psalm is verse (1) “The Lord is my shepherd”
He needs to be Lord if you expect him to meet your needs.
He is the shepherd owner, the manager, best friend. He is Lord!
He choose us, we choose Him, I call Him by name and His name is Jesus
Verse (2) “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.”
Verse (3) “He restores my soul”
That sounds like a shepherd worth having.
That elaborates the shepherd’s protection in times of great danger and stress.
Illustration- SermonCentral
Billy Graham in May 1996 was awarded the Golden Congressional Medal, the highest honor this country can bestow upon an individual. Billy Graham is his acceptance speech quoted from psalm 23
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” He was not just talking about physical wants, but spiritual also. Dr. Graham goes on to say the problem today is “emptiness”. Some of you know what He means.
The human heart craves meaning, yet we cannot fully have it without the Lord.
There is no meaning without Him being Lord.
There is no peace if He is not calming waters.
There is no meaning if He is not restoring your soul.
You are looking for Nirvana, that state of perpetual bliss, and you really need meaning and you need Him to be Lord and shepherd of your life.
There is an old English term “casting “sheep. What happens a lot is a sheep will fall and they will fall on his back. He is not able to get up. He will lie there kicking and screaming, and if the shepherd does not get to him, the other sheep will trample him. That is why a shepherd is always counting and looking for his sheep. Listening for distress calls.
“He restores my soul.”
The Lord picks us up when we struggle and fall. He gets the circulation back in his legs and stands him up again.
We are helpless without him- He restores us.
Illustration:
Secure man without God quoting his version of Psalm 23
I am my provider, I shall not want.
I have stored up hay if the grass is not green in the valley.
I have a big canteen just in case the waters are dried up.
I have a living will, my funeral paid for and a healthy life insurance policy to care for my family.
I will not fear no evil because I have theft alarms on my car and home.
See where this is going? I this, I that! Secure in himself without a shepherd.
All these need to be replaced with (He) (Shepherd)
He will provide
He will take care of me.
He will keep me on the right path.
If you missed the verse point- it is Jesus Christ needs to be Lord of your life.
If you living without Him, you have no Shepherd.
The second point is found in verse (4)
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for your are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
II. The shepherd is our protector
He is leading, guiding, recuing, and protecting us.
Jesus the shepherd reassures us when we are weak and vulnerable.
His staff (instrument of support) keeps us on track and within the boundaries of the Lord.
Sheep get into trouble when they isolate themselves from other believers.
My mother always told me nothing good happens after midnight. If you are not working, you will be getting into trouble.
Illustration- SermonCentral
A first grader stood in front of his classroom to make a speech about what I want to be when I grow up. He said I’m going to be a lion tamer and have lots of fierce lions. I’ll walk into the cage and they will roar. He paused for a moment, thinking through what had just been said, and then added, but of course, I’ll have my mother with me.”
Isolation we don’t become lion tamers, we become the lions lunch. The world will eat us.
There is a reason that Jesus said “like sheep without a shepherd”
Because sheep are helpless without a shepherd to lead.
Did you know that sheep even when they are put in good green pastures will eat till they are sick and they will eat the grass to the dirt before they are smart enough to know to move on.
Sheep are near-sighted, stubborn and have not much for defense. Sound like anyone you know?
God is faithful!
“Surely when the waters rise, they will not reach me (why) you are my hiding place, you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:6-7
Last one
(V5)- “you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.’
The Heavenly shepherd receives David as his vassal king and takes him under his protection.
Illustration
Husbands, imagine that you are at a mall with a friend and become so engrossed in looking at sporting goods that you forget all about the time. Suddenly you remember that you were suppose to pick your wife at 2:30 from the beauty salon and it is already 4:00 pm. You rush to the phone to call the salon to see if she is still there. They say no, that she left a long time ago. You think, man I’m I dead! Then you get back on the phone and you call home and your son answers the phone. You ask, is mom home? Dad, whatever you do, don’t come home. Yeah she is here, but dad, she walked home. It’s raining dad, it started 5 minutes after she started walking. What does she look like? A wet dog Dad! An unhappy wet dog! You know that you are in a lot of trouble but you head home. You drop your shoulders and assume a humble position. She says, you promised 2:30! Where have you been!
You think, what can I say? A terrorist grabbed me and I have been hostage. No, I’ve got to tell the truth………………….I forgot. I have no excuse, I just forgot.
She responds, I know that you forgot, it’s okay! Just give me a kiss and let’s forget it.
What kind of kiss would you give her, peck on the cheek, or a passionate kiss with meaning. It would be passionate! Thank you for being so forgiving and understanding!
When you experience the forgiveness of God, are you going to give Him a peck on the cheek, or passionate acknowledge God? Is He your Shepherd?
Closing,
God invites us to His table of fellowship.
He keeps us safe from our enemies.
He anoints our heads with oil, which is what they did for special guest that enter their homes. The shepherd invites us to the table.
For some this morning, we need to make Him lord, to make Him shepherd of our lives! We need to stop giving a peck on the cheek and embrace Him for the passionate way that He loves us.
Illustration
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the preacher decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening, the preacher found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for the preacher’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The preacher made himself at home, but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some time, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then the fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word has been spoken since the initial greeting. The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth. The man looked up at the preacher and said, thanks for the silent sermon, I’ll see you Sunday in church.
Is He your shepherd? And are you staying close to the fire of God
