We need rest (Psalm 23)
One thing I have learned is that we are all broken
We all have hurt, we all have problems
These are really great scriptures to go to when life happens and we get overwhelmed
1) The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
God is our shepherd, he is a great shepherd
John 10: 11, Jesus refers to him as the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep
So much knowledge in this passage
David wrote this Psalm
He is highly qualified to have written this
He has been at the top of the ladder and led sheep when he was king
He was at the low when he was a shepherd himself
He has did some great things and has done some wrong things
I believe that we all can relate to David at some point in our lives
We have all done good and we have all done bad
He was not perfect and neither are we
So check out the part when it says the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep,
First and foremost, God sent his son to this earth to die for us so that we can one day live with him and not go to Hell which we truly deserve
God says, check - I did that
Not only did God talk the talk but he walked the walk
We sure do struggle with that concept here on earth do we not
We are good at talking the talk, but when it comes walking the walk - my ole my
It’s easy to tell someone how to live but are we leading by example - I stand before you today and I basically fail every day
But I am so thankful that I serve a shepherd who not only talks the talk but he walks the walk
He leads by example
He is solid, He is consistent and he is reliable
He has never left me, he has never forsaken me and he never will
James 4:8 says draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you
You want to talk about truth right there
Don’t believe me set still long enough and draw nigh to him and you will feel it back
I am talking about sending a chill from your toes to your head
Listen to me my friend, we serve a living God
He is not on vacation and he is not napping
He is right here with us every waking moment and he is dying for us to get closer to him
He is a jealous God. He has that right, he created you and he is allowed to be jealous and it is not a sin for him
It is a sin if we get jealous and covet something because he is enough and he is all we need
A shepherd’s job is to lead the sheep, notice I didn’t say drive them like cattle
A cowboy drives and a shepherd leads
He walks in front of them to protect the sheep from danger such as lions, bears, hyenas etc etc
We have no clue of what all God has protected you from in the past
He is always leading us and clearing the path so that we can get to where he needs us
Last part of the verse says I shall not want
We need absolutely nothing
God provides everything that we need
He meets every need for us
Now we have selfish wants, selfish desires that we demand from God
You heard that correctly, we get mad at God when we don’t get what we ask for - we act like toddlers
Take your halo off for just a few minutes
We have all prayed for something and got upset when we didn’t get it
We didn’t get it because we didn’t need it
Our problem is we feel entitled
We feel as if we are something special
Pastor Rick Warren said it best, “If God wouldn’t spare his only son, why do we feel we will be spared”
2) He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Here is the thing, God doesn’t sleep, he doesn’t take a day off
Just to be honest with you, he doesn’t need to - He is God, he is perfect, he is love
We are not God, we have to rest
We have to rest physically and spiritually
Luke 12:7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
If God knows every hair on your head, he know when you need rest
He knows when you are physically tired and he knows when you are spiritually tired
Notice it says He taketh me lied down in green pastures
One thing I want to point out is that a sheep will not lay down unless it feels completely safe
Let that set in for just a second
God literally provides the security that we are needing and searching for on a daily basis so that we will lay down
That may sound silly to you but we live in flesh and believe it or not, we doubt sometimes
Don’t lie to yourself, sometimes we doubt
But God, still provides that security because he knows that we need it
He leads us by the still waters
Sheep won’t go around rushing water because they are afraid of drowning,
get their fur wet and will be so heavy, they can’t walk
I will tell you how perfect God is and how much he knows about us
He will not lead us by what we are in fear of because he knows us, he knows that we won’t lay down
How many of us have tossed and turned all night b/c of a fear?
This is one of the reasons he is the good shepherd
Check this out, he knows that we doubt and still chooses us.
3) He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
He restoreth my soul
Who else do you know that has the capability or ability to be able to restore your soul
My wife knows me better than anyone on this earth and by far the closest person to me
She is my best friend
She knows when I am upset, happy, when I am anxious
She can’t restore my soul, only God can
The Hebrew word for restore is returning someone to their proper state or bringing them back to spiritual vitality
That is how much God loves us
As awful as we can be, as selfish as we can be
He restores us
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
Notice it doesn’t say pushes us or forces us, he leads us along the right path
One thing that I have discovered is that God will never lead you in the wrong direction
If you end up somewhere you are not supposed to be, I assure you, you are responsible for that
In order to lead, you have to be in front, looking and clearing all things that can harm us
For his name’s sake
God’s actions are motivated by his character and faithfulness
Anyone want to challenge his character or faithfulness?
We can all testify about his character & faithfulness
He is the best thing that has ever happened to us
4) No matter where I go, I will fear nothing because God is with us
Romans 8:31 If God be for us, who can be agains us?
Thy rod and thy staff comfort me
God is always out front clearing the way for us
He uses his staff to lead us
He uses his rod to keep danger away
That rod is also used for correction
So he protects us but listen, when a sheep wonders off, the shepherd would take the rod and break the legs of the sheep
I know that sounds awful
As soon as he broke them, he would mend it back together, wrap it, put the sheep on his shoulders and haul him back and let him rest and recover
Once the sheep has a full recovery, that sheep would not wonder off again, he would stay right beside his master
Listen, Sometimes, God will break our legs if necessary
I am not talking literally about breaking your legs, I am using it as a metaphor
If your legs have not been broken yet, keep straying away
God knows how to get your attention
He has never left us, it is always us who has strayed away
He chastises because he loves us
When you whip your child, do you do it because you do not love him them or do you do it because you love them and want them to do better?
We tend to forget that we are God’s children and he chastises because he wants us to do better and he loves us
His love is so great, you will never receive that type of love from anyone on this earth, not your spouse not your own mother
That is what our shepherd does for us
5) Go has prepared a table for us
Just like the passover, there is enough lamb to go around
There is enough for everyone to eat
I am thankful that my father has prepared a table for me
Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over
He feels our cup up so much that it is running over and getting on the saucer
We are all blessed here today
Let me help you out here with a few examples
Who woke up this morning? Would you raise your hand
Amen, what a blessing - we started out with a blessing
Who can see? Smell? Hear? Talk?
Listen, it is our selfishness that distracts us from seeing the blessings every single day
When our cup is running over, we don’t even see it half the time
6) last but definitely not least
His goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
His goodness never fails us
I love the last part, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
So many sermons you can preach from this chapter
We have a great shepherd
His love is irreplaceable and no body can compare to it
He leads, he protects, he loves
He is waiting for you today
If you are lost and you want to be saved, would you come?
This altar serves as a multi tool - it is just not for the lost
If you know someone who is lost, would you come pray for them?
If you just want to praise our shepherd, would you come?
If you are a sheep who has wondered off, would you come?
If we can ever get to the point where we praise him rather than blaming him
If we could just drink the cup that he fills up on a daily basis
