May 11, 2025 • 32 mins
Jason Sterling May 11, 2025 Faith Presbyterian Church Birmingham, AL Bulletin
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you have a copy of God's Word, turn with me this
morning to the Psalms.
So go to the center of yourBible, open it.
You should see the book ofPsalms.
Turn to Psalm 23.
This morning we are startingour new summer series, summer in
the Psalms.
We've done this a couple oftimes over the last couple of
(00:21):
years.
We're going to keep doing it.
I figured out I think we'vecovered about 30 Psalms, so
we've got about 120 more to goand we'll keep, slowly but
surely over the years, makingour way through the book of
Psalms.
But we're going to spend sometime again in Psalms this summer
.
And students, I know youthought school was over, but
(00:42):
we've got a summer project foryou and for our entire church as
a congregation.
You'll see this.
You might have seen this in ournewsletter.
It comes out on Fridays, thepilgrimage.
But next week you're going tosee a card in the upper
gathering hall and on one sideof the card you're going to see
(01:03):
a summer reading plan, mondaythrough Friday, that will take
you through the entire book ofPsalms and then on the other
side you'll see Psalm 23.
We're called to hide God's Wordin our heart and one of the
ways we do that is memorizingScripture.
We did this a couple of yearsago with Psalm 121.
(01:24):
We're going to do it again as achurch with Psalm 23.
You can do that as a family,and then at the end of the
summer our church will recitethat together during one of our
worship services.
Again, I'll remind you, but itwill be available next week in
the upper gathering.
So be on the lookout for that.
(01:44):
We're starting the series thismorning by looking at Psalm 23.
We're going to cover this overthe course of two weeks, and so
this week we'll look at thefirst half, next week we'll look
at the second half.
I will read all of it thismorning for the sake of context.
This is God's Word.
Follow along with me as I read.
(02:05):
It'll be behind me on thescreen.
It's also printed in yourbulletin.
This is the Word of the Lord.
The Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want he makes me tolie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths ofrighteousness for his namesake,
(02:30):
and even though I walk throughthe valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil, foryou are with me, your rod and
your staff.
They comfort me.
You prepare a table before mein the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows Surelygoodness and mercy shall follow
(02:54):
me all the days of my life and Ishall dwell in the house of the
Lord forever.
This is God's word.
Let's pray for the Spirit tocome and help with the preaching
of the word, but also thereceiving of God's Word.
Let's pray for the Spirit tocome and help with the preaching
of the Word, but also thereceiving of God's Word this
morning.
So let's pray together now.
Father, this is a very familiarpsalm to a lot of people.
(03:19):
Some of us have alreadymemorized this.
We've been reciting it since wewere very young, and so I pray
that you would come this morningthrough your spirit, and make
it like we're hearing it for thevery first time.
I can't do that.
(03:40):
Only your spirit can do that.
So make it fresh, make it newand, more than anything, I pray
that's no accident that we'rehere.
You have this word for us onthis Mother's Day morning, and
(04:03):
so come and may we have apowerful encounter with the Lord
, jesus Christ, through the Wordand through His Spirit.
In Jesus' name, amen.
At the end of the year I read abook and the title of the book
was the Lord of Psalm 23, byDavid Gibson.
Maybe you've read that book,but it really opened up for me
Psalm 23 in a new and fresh way,and the Lord used it to really
(04:27):
minister to me during thatseason of my life.
It has shaped the way that Iview this psalm and it will give
me, and has given me greatassistance in my preparation for
these sermons over the nextcouple of weeks.
David is the writer of thispsalm.
(04:49):
You'll see it at the top ofPsalm 23.
And this is arguably the mostfamous and well-known psalm, or
even passage, in the entireBible.
Even if you have not beenaround the church maybe you're
here this morning and you're nota Christian chances are you are
(05:09):
familiar or have heard Psalm 23.
Spurgeon calls this psalm thepearl of the psalms.
You've heard this psalm read atfunerals.
Perhaps this psalm read atfunerals, perhaps it's been
(05:32):
recited on deathbeds.
People have clung to this psalmin their darkest moments in
life.
But what's interesting is thatthe psalm is more about security
and life.
Only one verse verse 4, speaksabout death.
This psalm is about life andabout security and it's meant to
(05:56):
shape the way we think aboutall of life, and my hope this
morning is that God would giveus fresh eyes to see the beauty
and the security that is foundin this very familiar psalm.
So let's dig in.
Let's look at this psalm underthree headings the shepherd, the
(06:18):
supply and the security.
Shepherd, supply and security.
Let's look at those in turnthis morning.
Number one the shepherd.
The psalm begins with the Lordis my shepherd.
Is there any more powerfulopening to a passage of
(06:40):
scripture in the Bible than thatthe Lord is my shepherd?
You're going to get used to mePerhaps you already have gotten
used to me saying this by nowbut anytime you see the Lord in
all caps in your Bible, it isreferring to the personal and
(07:02):
covenant name of God, and sothis literally reads Yahweh is
my shepherd.
And I want to stay here forjust a second because I think we
normally race right past that.
Our tendency, I think, is tofocus on what and how God
(07:25):
shepherds us rather thanfocusing on who it is that is
actually doing the shepherding.
And I'm going to tell you whoit is that is doing the
shepherding, in my opinion, isthe most amazing part of this
psalm.
(07:46):
This is Yahweh, the one whothundered on Mount Sinai and who
set the entire mountain ablaze.
Your shepherd.
It is Yahweh, the one whodrowned the entire Egyptian army
(08:06):
in the Red Sea and saved hispeople.
This is Yahweh, the one whoappeared to Moses in a
never-ending burning bush.
This is Yahweh, the one whospoke the entire world into
existence with a word.
(08:28):
This is your creator, the onewho knows you by name, who knows
everything about you and whoknitted you together in your
mother's womb.
This is Yahweh, god, the onewho holds the world.
You think you know where thisis going.
(08:49):
You get the point Holds theworld in his hands that causes
the sun to rise and the sun toset.
And the point is that this isno weak shepherd, this is no
small presence.
It is the Lord of hosts.
(09:14):
And David.
Notice what he says next.
This is not a shepherd.
The shepherd, he says myshepherd.
It is so personal.
Yahweh, the God of the universe, has stooped down and he is
(09:35):
personally taking care of youand me From start to finish.
Look at the Psalms, if you haveit.
Open there the language used todescribe your shepherd, the
Lord.
Look at how active.
He makes Not you.
He leads, he restores, heprepares, he anoints, he does it
(10:04):
all.
He anoints, he does it all.
Psalm 23 teaches us that if youbelong to God, that you are in
a world of active initiative,active strength and leadership
and protection and care.
Now look at the second part ofverse 1.
(10:24):
I shall not want.
Well, wait a minute, I don'tknow about you, but I want all
the time.
So what does that actually mean?
Well, some people take it tomean that God gives us
everything we desire.
Well, we know that that can'tbe it.
A better translation of theword want is actually lack, so
(10:52):
that it reads the Lord is myshepherd.
Therefore, that's the flow.
Therefore, I shall lack nothing.
Or, as one commentatortranslates it I love this the
Lord is my shepherd.
Therefore, what more do I need?
(11:13):
In other words, friends, if youhave Yahweh, if you have the
Lord as your shepherd, you haveeverything you need, because a
good shepherd, what Knows theneeds of the sheep and does
(11:36):
something about it, provides forthe sheep and does something
about it, provides for the sheep.
If God is your shepherd, youwill lack nothing, that you need
nothing.
That is truly essential.
Notice I did not say Godprovides your extravagant wants,
no, but your needs.
(11:57):
David Gibson says this psalm isa tool in God's hands which he
uses to recalibrate our wantsand our desires.
It is trying to train my senseof need to be better attuned to
what God provides, to lettingGod decide what it is that I
(12:22):
need.
And so then the question isokay, that sounds great.
How in the world do I live thatway?
You live that way when you knowthat the Lord God, the Lord of
hosts, is your shepherd.
The Lord of hosts is yourshepherd.
(12:42):
I love my daughter and my wifevery much and I long for them to
be able to say I shall not want.
But that's never going tohappen, not on this earth, not
with me as their father.
I am finite, I have limitedresources.
(13:03):
I cannot possibly supply theirevery need in this life, but God
is not like me, god is not likeus.
The Lord is your shepherd andhe is the one the Bible says
never sleeps, never slumbers andwatches over you.
So what does that mean for youthis morning?
(13:24):
Well, I want you to pretend Iwere to give you a legal notepad
right now, or maybe you couldwrite it on your bulletin.
(13:44):
And when I give you thatnotepad.
I want you to write downeverything that you're worried
about in your life.
You might write down sin, a sinthat's greatly impacted your
family or a relationship, orperhaps your marriage.
(14:08):
You might write down a chronicillness or a debilitating
disease.
Or maybe your concerns areabout your work or your family,
or your aging parents or yourchildren, or a relationship
status, or the selling or buyingof a home.
It might be about your health,or your future or school, and
(14:28):
the list goes on and on.
And imagine showing that list toGod and you know what he would
say, and you know what he wouldsay.
He would say what if I justtook over the whole thing?
(14:50):
What if I just took it all?
He would say give me everything, all of that, whatever it is on
your list, because I am theLord, your shepherd.
I've got you, I know you, Imade you, you can trust me, I
will take care of you.
(15:11):
You will lack for nothing thatyou need.
So that's the first thing theLord is your shepherd.
Secondly, we see what the Lord,our shepherd, supplies.
That's our second point.
What does it feel like to beshepherded by the Lord?
Well, the first thing it feelslike peace.
(15:34):
Look at verse 2.
He makes me to lie down.
If you know anything aboutsheep they can be panicky, they
can be fretful and fearful.
If they need food, they won'tlie down.
If they're being attacked byflies or by parasites, they will
(15:57):
not lie down.
Sheep lie down when they feelsafe and satisfied, and so, when
God is your shepherd, you areloved and you are cared for and
protected and provided for insuch a way that you're able to
take a deep breath, you're ableto rest and you're able to take
(16:27):
a deep breath, you're able torest and you're able to lie down
.
And let's work that out.
One of the things that I wantyou to understand this morning
is that this passage, and reallythe entire Bible, assumes that
everyone in this room, includingme, has a shepherd.
Everyone is looking to someoneor something for life and care
(16:52):
and protection and peace.
You're either looking to God oryou're looking to something
else.
God is the true shepherd whogives life and freedom and rest
and joy, and a false shepherd isa shepherd that comes to steal,
kill and destroy.
A false shepherd will beat youup and crush you and leave you
(17:21):
fearful and fretful, and thehard part is that bad shepherds
are often very hard to spotbecause they're often very good
things.
Work is a God-given thing.
Work is a horrible shepherd.
(17:47):
If you make your work and yourcareer your shepherd, it will
crush your relationships, itwill take away your joy, it will
always demand more and it willdestroy your humanity Terrible
shepherd.
Your health good thingGod-given thing.
(18:14):
Awful shepherd.
If you make your health yourshepherd, it will take your life
, not give you life, because itwill always demand more A better
(18:34):
diet, more weight loss, moreexercise, a better running time
Horrible shepherd.
Students what about academics?
Academics are a great thing, aneeded thing, but a bad shepherd
, always demanding more, morestudy time, more pressure, more
(18:55):
stress and comparison.
And if you make your academicsyour shepherd, you'll push out
your friendships because youwon't have time for them,
because you have to study, andthen in the end, you will be
lonely and needing community.
That's not freedom, that's notgreen pastures.
(19:17):
That is a bad shepherd who isenslaving you and taking your
life.
But when the Lord is yourshepherd, he makes you lie down,
he gives rest to your soulbecause everything that is
needed to make you perfectbefore a holy God has been done
by the Lord, jesus Christ, andso he gives you peace with God
(19:42):
and this shepherd has doneeverything for you and the Lord.
When he is your shepherd, youcan then say no to achievement
and to success and you can stopfinding your identity in
everything else and stop runningyourself ragged trying to gain
social status.
Why?
Because you belong to him andbecause you are a sheep in his
(20:07):
pasture and he is your shepherd,you can lie down, you can be at
peace, you can rest and besatisfied with life.
The other thing the Lord doesis he pursues us, so gives us
peace and pursues us.
Look at verse three.
He restores my soul.
Again, who's doing everything?
(20:30):
The Lord is doing everything.
He's the one bringing therestoration, and the phrase here
and this stood out to me thisweek this phrase can also mean
bring back to repentance orsalvation, and so it can also
(20:51):
read he brings me back, hebrings my soul back and brings
restoration in life, and itgives the picture of a sheep
being lost and then being foundand brought home and brought
back.
It gives the picture of a sheepmaybe being helpless and hurt
(21:12):
and injured and the shepherdcoming and restoring the sheep
back to health and bringing themhome.
And I love that image becausewhen a sheep is in trouble, only
the shepherd can restore themand bring them the health that
they desperately need.
And what you see here in thisaspect of God's shepherding is
(21:35):
very clearly seen in Luke 15.
Maybe it's a parable.
You're familiar with the parableof the lost sheep, remember?
In the parable God is theshepherd and he leaves the 99
that are safe and he goes afterthe one that is wandering.
Why would you leave all thesheep the 99, and go after the
(22:00):
one?
All the sheep, the 99, and goafter the one?
You would do that if the thingyou were searching for had great
value.
Think about it.
If I lose a pair of sunglassesthat are five bucks, who cares?
I don't go looking for them.
If you lose a family diamondthat's been in your house and
(22:20):
your family for 100 years, yougo looking for it.
It's an all-out search.
God leaves everything to pursuelost sinners at all costs.
It's an all-out search becausethey are valuable to him, and he
(22:44):
puts that in that parable.
He puts the sheep on hisshoulders and it says he brings
the sheep home rejoicing.
Isn't that what we all want?
Don't you want to be sovaluable to someone and so
(23:08):
cherished and loved that theperson is willing to drop
everything in order to come getyou, in order to come restore
you and find you and bring youhome.
Some of you this morning areweary and you're at the end of
your rope and that could be fromyour own doing or that could be
(23:31):
from the circumstances of lifebut you feel empty and exhausted
and vulnerable and you wantsomeone to care and restore your
weary soul and lead you to life.
That is exactly what God doesas your shepherd this morning.
(23:54):
Maybe you feel lost or likeyou've wandered off spiritually.
Maybe you need restoration ofsoul.
God is looking for you.
God is pursuing you to bringrestoration to your soul and to
bring you back home.
How does he do it?
That's another sermon Wordspirit, repentance, forgiveness,
(24:19):
through bringing you back intothe fold and into community and
through look at verse 3, puttingyou on the paths of
righteousness.
The shepherd we see.
Secondly, the supply what hegives us, what he does for us
and lastly, the security hebrings.
If you've been in our church,you know we're going to get to
(24:42):
Jesus.
Well, this psalm gets us toJesus pretty easily, because you
cannot read this psalm withoutthinking about how Jesus applied
this psalm to himself in Johnchapter 10, when he stood up and
said I am the good shepherd.
And Jesus, by saying that andapplying that to himself, is
(25:09):
once again claiming to be God inthe flesh and Jesus as the good
shepherd.
We see that the shepherdprovides for us unbelievable
security.
Do yourself a favor today goread John, chapter 10.
And at the end of John chapter10, verses 27 and 29 are some of
the most comforting, thrillingwords that Jesus ever spoke.
(25:33):
He says my sheep hear my voice,I know them, they follow me, I
give them eternal life and theywill never perish.
And then here it is, and no onewill snatch them out of my hand
.
Let me read that again no onewill snatch them out of my hand.
(25:58):
I love that.
Nothing can pluck you out ofJesus' hand, friends, right
there you have what makes thegospel good news.
Right there you have why thereis abundant life with the good
shepherd.
Notice it doesn't say nothingcan pluck Jesus out of your hand
(26:20):
, thank goodness.
But instead, the sheep findcomfort in knowing their
security is not in their grip onJesus.
Their security is in Jesus'grip on them.
Did you hear that that willbring water to a weary soul.
(26:51):
Friends, the hope of the gospelis not wrapped up in your
performance.
It's not wrapped up in yourgoodness.
It's not wrapped up in yourgoodness.
It's not wrapped up in yourfaithfulness.
It's wrapped up in hisfaithfulness, in his grip on you
, in his perfect record andperformance and strength.
(27:13):
That is the promise of the goodshepherd.
All of us need to hear that.
I need to hear that becausesome of you this morning, if
you're honest, you feel likeyour grip has slipped on Jesus.
You say I'm full of pride.
You don't know what I've done.
(27:35):
You say I'm struggling withanger.
You say I'm struggling withanger, I'm struggling with a
pornography addiction and I amtired.
You say, and I am ready to giveup Because I am so exhausted
and my grip is so weak.
And Jesus says to every one ofyou this morning I am faithful,
(28:02):
I've got you.
Your grip is weak, my grip isstrong and firm and tight and I
will never let you go because mysheep will never be snatched
out of my hand.
And you say how in the world isthat possible?
(28:22):
How can a shepherd be that good?
Because in that same chapter,you know what Jesus says I'm
going to die for the sheep andI'm going to lay my life down on
my own accord.
To lay my life down on my ownaccord, on my own accord.
(28:43):
Jesus voluntarily went to thecross and took the punishment
that we deserve for our sin.
Think about that.
Who in the world wouldvoluntarily die for sheep?
God would, why?
Because he is the Lord Jesus,the good shepherd, and if he
(29:08):
died for you, he's going to getyou home.
If he died for you, he's goingto get you to the end.
You, he's going to get you tothe end.
Revelation 7.
It's an amazing passage.
There's a giant number ofpeople from every nation, tribe
(29:30):
and tongue, and they're lookingat the throne and it says that
the Lamb, who is Jesus, is inthe midst of the throne and it
says he will be their shepherdand he will guide them to
springs of living water.
And listen to this.
(29:51):
He will come off the throne andwipe away every tear from their
eyes.
Will your work do that?
Will your career do that?
Will your success do that?
(30:14):
Will your academics and yourmoney do that?
No, jesus will do that, becauseJesus is the good shepherd.
(30:35):
One of my callings as a pastoris to always ask you where are
you with the shepherd?
And so that's my question as weclose when are you with this
shepherd, the good shepherd, theLord Jesus Christ?
(30:59):
He comes to give you abundantlife, to give you peace and
restoration and unbelievablesecurity.
Will you come to him thismorning?
Friends, jesus is way betterthan you think.
Let's pray.
Let's pray.
Friends, jesus is way betterthan you think.
Let's pray.
(31:24):
Father, thank you for being ourshepherd.
Forgive us for looking to somany other things to be our
shepherd rather than looking toyou.
And, holy Spirit, I pray thatyou would help us to trust in
(31:48):
your goodness so that we giveyou everything and we can,
because you are that good and weare that secure in you.
So give us the courage to dothat today, in Jesus' name, amen
.
If you have a copy of God's Word, turn with me this
morning to the Psalms.
So go to the center of yourBible, open it.
You should see the book ofPsalms.
Turn to Psalm 23.
This morning we are startingour new summer series, summer in
the Psalms.
We've done this a couple oftimes over the last couple of
(00:21):
years.
We're going to keep doing it.
I figured out I think we'vecovered about 30 Psalms, so
we've got about 120 more to goand we'll keep, slowly but
surely over the years, makingour way through the book of
Psalms.
But we're going to spend sometime again in Psalms this summer
.
And students, I know youthought school was over, but
(00:42):
we've got a summer project foryou and for our entire church as
a congregation.
You'll see this.
You might have seen this in ournewsletter.
It comes out on Fridays, thepilgrimage.
But next week you're going tosee a card in the upper
gathering hall and on one sideof the card you're going to see
(01:03):
a summer reading plan, mondaythrough Friday, that will take
you through the entire book ofPsalms and then on the other
side you'll see Psalm 23.
We're called to hide God's Wordin our heart and one of the
ways we do that is memorizingScripture.
We did this a couple of yearsago with Psalm 121.
(01:24):
We're going to do it again as achurch with Psalm 23.
You can do that as a family,and then at the end of the
summer our church will recitethat together during one of our
worship services.
Again, I'll remind you, but itwill be available next week in
the upper gathering.
So be on the lookout for that.
(01:44):
We're starting the series thismorning by looking at Psalm 23.
We're going to cover this overthe course of two weeks, and so
this week we'll look at thefirst half, next week we'll look
at the second half.
I will read all of it thismorning for the sake of context.
This is God's Word.
Follow along with me as I read.
(02:05):
It'll be behind me on thescreen.
It's also printed in yourbulletin.
This is the Word of the Lord.
The Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want he makes me tolie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths ofrighteousness for his namesake,
(02:30):
and even though I walk throughthe valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil, foryou are with me, your rod and
your staff.
They comfort me.
You prepare a table before mein the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows Surelygoodness and mercy shall follow
(02:54):
me all the days of my life and Ishall dwell in the house of the
Lord forever.
This is God's word.
Let's pray for the Spirit tocome and help with the preaching
of the word, but also thereceiving of God's Word.
Let's pray for the Spirit tocome and help with the preaching
of the Word, but also thereceiving of God's Word this
morning.
So let's pray together now.
Father, this is a very familiarpsalm to a lot of people.
(03:19):
Some of us have alreadymemorized this.
We've been reciting it since wewere very young, and so I pray
that you would come this morningthrough your spirit, and make
it like we're hearing it for thevery first time.
I can't do that.
(03:40):
Only your spirit can do that.
So make it fresh, make it newand, more than anything, I pray
that's no accident that we'rehere.
You have this word for us onthis Mother's Day morning, and
(04:03):
so come and may we have apowerful encounter with the Lord
, jesus Christ, through the Wordand through His Spirit.
In Jesus' name, amen.
At the end of the year I read abook and the title of the book
was the Lord of Psalm 23, byDavid Gibson.
Maybe you've read that book,but it really opened up for me
Psalm 23 in a new and fresh way,and the Lord used it to really
(04:27):
minister to me during thatseason of my life.
It has shaped the way that Iview this psalm and it will give
me, and has given me greatassistance in my preparation for
these sermons over the nextcouple of weeks.
David is the writer of thispsalm.
(04:49):
You'll see it at the top ofPsalm 23.
And this is arguably the mostfamous and well-known psalm, or
even passage, in the entireBible.
Even if you have not beenaround the church maybe you're
here this morning and you're nota Christian chances are you are
(05:09):
familiar or have heard Psalm 23.
Spurgeon calls this psalm thepearl of the psalms.
You've heard this psalm read atfunerals.
Perhaps this psalm read atfunerals, perhaps it's been
(05:32):
recited on deathbeds.
People have clung to this psalmin their darkest moments in
life.
But what's interesting is thatthe psalm is more about security
and life.
Only one verse verse 4, speaksabout death.
This psalm is about life andabout security and it's meant to
(05:56):
shape the way we think aboutall of life, and my hope this
morning is that God would giveus fresh eyes to see the beauty
and the security that is foundin this very familiar psalm.
So let's dig in.
Let's look at this psalm underthree headings the shepherd, the
(06:18):
supply and the security.
Shepherd, supply and security.
Let's look at those in turnthis morning.
Number one the shepherd.
The psalm begins with the Lordis my shepherd.
Is there any more powerfulopening to a passage of
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scripture in the Bible than thatthe Lord is my shepherd?
You're going to get used to mePerhaps you already have gotten
used to me saying this by nowbut anytime you see the Lord in
all caps in your Bible, it isreferring to the personal and
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covenant name of God, and sothis literally reads Yahweh is
my shepherd.
And I want to stay here forjust a second because I think we
normally race right past that.
Our tendency, I think, is tofocus on what and how God
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shepherds us rather thanfocusing on who it is that is
actually doing the shepherding.
And I'm going to tell you whoit is that is doing the
shepherding, in my opinion, isthe most amazing part of this
psalm.
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This is Yahweh, the one whothundered on Mount Sinai and who
set the entire mountain ablaze.
Your shepherd.
It is Yahweh, the one whodrowned the entire Egyptian army
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in the Red Sea and saved hispeople.
This is Yahweh, the one whoappeared to Moses in a
never-ending burning bush.
This is Yahweh, the one whospoke the entire world into
existence with a word.
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This is your creator, the onewho knows you by name, who knows
everything about you and whoknitted you together in your
mother's womb.
This is Yahweh, god, the onewho holds the world.
You think you know where thisis going.
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You get the point Holds theworld in his hands that causes
the sun to rise and the sun toset.
And the point is that this isno weak shepherd, this is no
small presence.
It is the Lord of hosts.
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And David.
Notice what he says next.
This is not a shepherd.
The shepherd, he says myshepherd.
It is so personal.
Yahweh, the God of the universe, has stooped down and he is
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personally taking care of youand me From start to finish.
Look at the Psalms, if you haveit.
Open there the language used todescribe your shepherd, the
Lord.
Look at how active.
He makes Not you.
He leads, he restores, heprepares, he anoints, he does it
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all.
He anoints, he does it all.
Psalm 23 teaches us that if youbelong to God, that you are in
a world of active initiative,active strength and leadership
and protection and care.
Now look at the second part ofverse 1.
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I shall not want.
Well, wait a minute, I don'tknow about you, but I want all
the time.
So what does that actually mean?
Well, some people take it tomean that God gives us
everything we desire.
Well, we know that that can'tbe it.
A better translation of theword want is actually lack, so
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that it reads the Lord is myshepherd.
Therefore, that's the flow.
Therefore, I shall lack nothing.
Or, as one commentatortranslates it I love this the
Lord is my shepherd.
Therefore, what more do I need?
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In other words, friends, if youhave Yahweh, if you have the
Lord as your shepherd, you haveeverything you need, because a
good shepherd, what Knows theneeds of the sheep and does
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something about it, provides forthe sheep and does something
about it, provides for the sheep.
If God is your shepherd, youwill lack nothing, that you need
nothing.
That is truly essential.
Notice I did not say Godprovides your extravagant wants,
no, but your needs.
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David Gibson says this psalm isa tool in God's hands which he
uses to recalibrate our wantsand our desires.
It is trying to train my senseof need to be better attuned to
what God provides, to lettingGod decide what it is that I
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need.
And so then the question isokay, that sounds great.
How in the world do I live thatway?
You live that way when you knowthat the Lord God, the Lord of
hosts, is your shepherd.
The Lord of hosts is yourshepherd.
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I love my daughter and my wifevery much and I long for them to
be able to say I shall not want.
But that's never going tohappen, not on this earth, not
with me as their father.
I am finite, I have limitedresources.
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I cannot possibly supply theirevery need in this life, but God
is not like me, god is not likeus.
The Lord is your shepherd andhe is the one the Bible says
never sleeps, never slumbers andwatches over you.
So what does that mean for youthis morning?
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Well, I want you to pretend Iwere to give you a legal notepad
right now, or maybe you couldwrite it on your bulletin.
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And when I give you thatnotepad.
I want you to write downeverything that you're worried
about in your life.
You might write down sin, a sinthat's greatly impacted your
family or a relationship, orperhaps your marriage.
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You might write down a chronicillness or a debilitating
disease.
Or maybe your concerns areabout your work or your family,
or your aging parents or yourchildren, or a relationship
status, or the selling or buyingof a home.
It might be about your health,or your future or school, and
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the list goes on and on.
And imagine showing that list toGod and you know what he would
say, and you know what he wouldsay.
He would say what if I justtook over the whole thing?
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What if I just took it all?
He would say give me everything, all of that, whatever it is on
your list, because I am theLord, your shepherd.
I've got you, I know you, Imade you, you can trust me, I
will take care of you.
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You will lack for nothing thatyou need.
So that's the first thing theLord is your shepherd.
Secondly, we see what the Lord,our shepherd, supplies.
That's our second point.
What does it feel like to beshepherded by the Lord?
Well, the first thing it feelslike peace.
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Look at verse 2.
He makes me to lie down.
If you know anything aboutsheep they can be panicky, they
can be fretful and fearful.
If they need food, they won'tlie down.
If they're being attacked byflies or by parasites, they will
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not lie down.
Sheep lie down when they feelsafe and satisfied, and so, when
God is your shepherd, you areloved and you are cared for and
protected and provided for insuch a way that you're able to
take a deep breath, you're ableto rest and you're able to take
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a deep breath, you're able torest and you're able to lie down
.
And let's work that out.
One of the things that I wantyou to understand this morning
is that this passage, and reallythe entire Bible, assumes that
everyone in this room, includingme, has a shepherd.
Everyone is looking to someoneor something for life and care
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and protection and peace.
You're either looking to God oryou're looking to something
else.
God is the true shepherd whogives life and freedom and rest
and joy, and a false shepherd isa shepherd that comes to steal,
kill and destroy.
A false shepherd will beat youup and crush you and leave you
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fearful and fretful, and thehard part is that bad shepherds
are often very hard to spotbecause they're often very good
things.
Work is a God-given thing.
Work is a horrible shepherd.
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If you make your work and yourcareer your shepherd, it will
crush your relationships, itwill take away your joy, it will
always demand more and it willdestroy your humanity Terrible
shepherd.
Your health good thingGod-given thing.
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Awful shepherd.
If you make your health yourshepherd, it will take your life
, not give you life, because itwill always demand more A better
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diet, more weight loss, moreexercise, a better running time
Horrible shepherd.
Students what about academics?
Academics are a great thing, aneeded thing, but a bad shepherd
, always demanding more, morestudy time, more pressure, more
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stress and comparison.
And if you make your academicsyour shepherd, you'll push out
your friendships because youwon't have time for them,
because you have to study, andthen in the end, you will be
lonely and needing community.
That's not freedom, that's notgreen pastures.
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That is a bad shepherd who isenslaving you and taking your
life.
But when the Lord is yourshepherd, he makes you lie down,
he gives rest to your soulbecause everything that is
needed to make you perfectbefore a holy God has been done
by the Lord, jesus Christ, andso he gives you peace with God
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and this shepherd has doneeverything for you and the Lord.
When he is your shepherd, youcan then say no to achievement
and to success and you can stopfinding your identity in
everything else and stop runningyourself ragged trying to gain
social status.
Why?
Because you belong to him andbecause you are a sheep in his
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pasture and he is your shepherd,you can lie down, you can be at
peace, you can rest and besatisfied with life.
The other thing the Lord doesis he pursues us, so gives us
peace and pursues us.
Look at verse three.
He restores my soul.
Again, who's doing everything?
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The Lord is doing everything.
He's the one bringing therestoration, and the phrase here
and this stood out to me thisweek this phrase can also mean
bring back to repentance orsalvation, and so it can also
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read he brings me back, hebrings my soul back and brings
restoration in life, and itgives the picture of a sheep
being lost and then being foundand brought home and brought
back.
It gives the picture of a sheepmaybe being helpless and hurt
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and injured and the shepherdcoming and restoring the sheep
back to health and bringing themhome.
And I love that image becausewhen a sheep is in trouble, only
the shepherd can restore themand bring them the health that
they desperately need.
And what you see here in thisaspect of God's shepherding is
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very clearly seen in Luke 15.
Maybe it's a parable.
You're familiar with the parableof the lost sheep, remember?
In the parable God is theshepherd and he leaves the 99
that are safe and he goes afterthe one that is wandering.
Why would you leave all thesheep the 99, and go after the
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one?
All the sheep, the 99, and goafter the one?
You would do that if the thingyou were searching for had great
value.
Think about it.
If I lose a pair of sunglassesthat are five bucks, who cares?
I don't go looking for them.
If you lose a family diamondthat's been in your house and
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your family for 100 years, yougo looking for it.
It's an all-out search.
God leaves everything to pursuelost sinners at all costs.
It's an all-out search becausethey are valuable to him, and he
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puts that in that parable.
He puts the sheep on hisshoulders and it says he brings
the sheep home rejoicing.
Isn't that what we all want?
Don't you want to be sovaluable to someone and so
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cherished and loved that theperson is willing to drop
everything in order to come getyou, in order to come restore
you and find you and bring youhome.
Some of you this morning areweary and you're at the end of
your rope and that could be fromyour own doing or that could be
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from the circumstances of lifebut you feel empty and exhausted
and vulnerable and you wantsomeone to care and restore your
weary soul and lead you to life.
That is exactly what God doesas your shepherd this morning.
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Maybe you feel lost or likeyou've wandered off spiritually.
Maybe you need restoration ofsoul.
God is looking for you.
God is pursuing you to bringrestoration to your soul and to
bring you back home.
How does he do it?
That's another sermon Wordspirit, repentance, forgiveness,
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through bringing you back intothe fold and into community and
through look at verse 3, puttingyou on the paths of
righteousness.
The shepherd we see.
Secondly, the supply what hegives us, what he does for us
and lastly, the security hebrings.
If you've been in our church,you know we're going to get to
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Jesus.
Well, this psalm gets us toJesus pretty easily, because you
cannot read this psalm withoutthinking about how Jesus applied
this psalm to himself in Johnchapter 10, when he stood up and
said I am the good shepherd.
And Jesus, by saying that andapplying that to himself, is
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once again claiming to be God inthe flesh and Jesus as the good
shepherd.
We see that the shepherdprovides for us unbelievable
security.
Do yourself a favor today goread John, chapter 10.
And at the end of John chapter10, verses 27 and 29 are some of
the most comforting, thrillingwords that Jesus ever spoke.
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He says my sheep hear my voice,I know them, they follow me, I
give them eternal life and theywill never perish.
And then here it is, and no onewill snatch them out of my hand
.
Let me read that again no onewill snatch them out of my hand.
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I love that.
Nothing can pluck you out ofJesus' hand, friends, right
there you have what makes thegospel good news.
Right there you have why thereis abundant life with the good
shepherd.
Notice it doesn't say nothingcan pluck Jesus out of your hand
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, thank goodness.
But instead, the sheep findcomfort in knowing their
security is not in their grip onJesus.
Their security is in Jesus'grip on them.
Did you hear that that willbring water to a weary soul.
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Friends, the hope of the gospelis not wrapped up in your
performance.
It's not wrapped up in yourgoodness.
It's not wrapped up in yourgoodness.
It's not wrapped up in yourfaithfulness.
It's wrapped up in hisfaithfulness, in his grip on you
, in his perfect record andperformance and strength.
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That is the promise of the goodshepherd.
All of us need to hear that.
I need to hear that becausesome of you this morning, if
you're honest, you feel likeyour grip has slipped on Jesus.
You say I'm full of pride.
You don't know what I've done.
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You say I'm struggling withanger.
You say I'm struggling withanger, I'm struggling with a
pornography addiction and I amtired.
You say, and I am ready to giveup Because I am so exhausted
and my grip is so weak.
And Jesus says to every one ofyou this morning I am faithful,
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I've got you.
Your grip is weak, my grip isstrong and firm and tight and I
will never let you go because mysheep will never be snatched
out of my hand.
And you say how in the world isthat possible?
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How can a shepherd be that good?
Because in that same chapter,you know what Jesus says I'm
going to die for the sheep andI'm going to lay my life down on
my own accord.
To lay my life down on my ownaccord, on my own accord.
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Jesus voluntarily went to thecross and took the punishment
that we deserve for our sin.
Think about that.
Who in the world wouldvoluntarily die for sheep?
God would, why?
Because he is the Lord Jesus,the good shepherd, and if he
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died for you, he's going to getyou home.
If he died for you, he's goingto get you to the end.
You, he's going to get you tothe end.
Revelation 7.
It's an amazing passage.
There's a giant number ofpeople from every nation, tribe
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and tongue, and they're lookingat the throne and it says that
the Lamb, who is Jesus, is inthe midst of the throne and it
says he will be their shepherdand he will guide them to
springs of living water.
And listen to this.
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He will come off the throne andwipe away every tear from their
eyes.
Will your work do that?
Will your career do that?
Will your success do that?
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Will your academics and yourmoney do that?
No, jesus will do that, becauseJesus is the good shepherd.
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One of my callings as a pastoris to always ask you where are
you with the shepherd?
And so that's my question as weclose when are you with this
shepherd, the good shepherd, theLord Jesus Christ?
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He comes to give you abundantlife, to give you peace and
restoration and unbelievablesecurity.
Will you come to him thismorning?
Friends, jesus is way betterthan you think.
Let's pray.
Let's pray.
Friends, jesus is way betterthan you think.
Let's pray.
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Father, thank you for being ourshepherd.
Forgive us for looking to somany other things to be our
shepherd rather than looking toyou.
And, holy Spirit, I pray thatyou would help us to trust in
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your goodness so that we giveyou everything and we can,
because you are that good and weare that secure in you.
So give us the courage to dothat today, in Jesus' name, amen
.
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