The Sovereign's Sufficiency

"The Sovereign's Sufficiency"

Psalm 23:1-6

Psalms 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 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.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 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.

Introduction: Have you heard the news? We are living in very unsettled times! At least that is what we are hearing from almost every media outlet, political commentator and pundit. It is also no coincidence that our culture is filled with people who are unhappy, stressed out, worried and unsettled. Someone said that: "Anxiety is the rust of life, destroying its brightness and weakening its power. A childlike and abiding trust in Providence is the best preventive and remedy." Because the times and people are so unsettled it is good to know that there is someone we can turn to for help and hope. "Of the 150 psalms, none has been read, sung, quoted from and written about more than the pearl of the psalms - psalm 23. All through the ages the language of this psalm has been precious to the hearts of God's children. Augustine called psalm 23, the "hymn of the Martyrs," because countless numbers of them have quoted this passage as they perished for Christ's sake. Why has psalm 23 been a favorite of God's people for so many generations? Perhaps because it reminds us of a comforting truth, which, though profound, is often forgotten by too many of us. That truth is this: Our Savior is sufficient for our every need! The theme of psalm 23 is the sufficiency of our Savior. This theme is stated in the first verse, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want." In verse 1, David makes a declaration concerning the Savior's sufficiency to meet the believer's every need, then in verses 2-5, we find an amplification of this great truth, followed in verse 6 with a summation of all he has said before." Quote from Dave McFadden

What can we learn from this wonderful Psalm? First, David declares that God is:

I. Our Provider

a. The Sovereign

The word Lord used by David is the covenant keeping name for God, Jehovah. It literally means "he that keeps covenant."

FAITHFUL FOR A PROMISE

A promise from God is a statement we can depend on with absolute confidence. Here are 12 promises for the Christian to claim.

God's presence -- "I will never leave thee" (Heb. 13:5)

God's protection -- "I am thy shield" (Gen. 15:1)

God's power -- "I will strengthen thee" (Isa. 41:10)

God's provision -- "I will help thee" (Isa. 41:10)

God's leading -- "And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them" (John 10:4)

God's purposes -- "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil" (Jer. 20:11)

God's rest -- "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28)

God's cleansing -- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)

God's goodness -- "No good thing will He withhold from them that work uprightly" (Psalm 84:11)

God's faithfulness -- "The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake" (1 Sam. 12:22)

God's guidance -- "The meek will He guide" (Psalm 25:9)

God's wise plan -- "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28)

SOURCE: Our Daily Bread, January 1, 1985.

b. The Shepherd

The word "shepherd" is one of the richest words found in Scripture. David and his readers were certainly familiar with this occupation and even in our Lord's time it was still a very common vocation. It was the shepherds who attended Jesus birth and in the NT we have Jesus referred to as the "great" shepherd, the "chief" shepherd and the Lord declares that he is the "good" shepherd who "gives his life for the sheep. It is this latter designation that lends itself to our text today for the Lord is a "good" shepherd indeed.

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.