WEBVTT 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:19.899 I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green 00:00:19.899 --> 00:00:24.500 pastures. He leads me beside still quiet waters. 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:29.780 He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths 00:00:29.780 --> 00:00:33.939 of righteousness for his namesake. Even though 00:00:33.939 --> 00:00:36.460 I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:41.539 I fear no evil for you are with me. Your rod 00:00:41.539 --> 00:00:45.229 and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare 00:00:45.229 --> 00:00:48.929 a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 00:00:49.289 --> 00:00:53.969 You have anointed my head with oil. My cup overflows. 00:00:54.689 --> 00:00:58.549 Surely, goodness and loving kindness will follow 00:00:58.549 --> 00:01:02.890 me all the days of my life. I will dwell in the 00:01:02.890 --> 00:01:06.689 house of the Lord forever. Let's go to the Lord 00:01:06.689 --> 00:01:10.790 in prayer. Father, we come to you this Lord's 00:01:10.790 --> 00:01:15.650 Day, and as we approach your... Holy Word. Father, 00:01:15.709 --> 00:01:20.390 we ask today that your Spirit would bless the 00:01:20.390 --> 00:01:23.829 ministry of your Word. Father, the Spirit of 00:01:23.829 --> 00:01:25.989 God would accompany the ministry of the Word 00:01:25.989 --> 00:01:31.049 of God to work in the people of God. Lord, that 00:01:31.049 --> 00:01:34.489 you would use it to sanctify, edify, and build 00:01:34.489 --> 00:01:37.510 up. But Father, we also ask that you would use 00:01:37.510 --> 00:01:42.640 it to draw men unto yourself. to convert lost 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:45.140 sinners who don't know the Lord Jesus Christ 00:01:45.140 --> 00:01:49.120 by faith and repentance. Father, we ask that 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:52.219 you would be with us at this time because we 00:01:52.219 --> 00:01:55.659 recognize that if you are not in our midst, that 00:01:55.659 --> 00:01:59.040 if the Spirit of God does not accompany the ministry 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:03.000 of your Word, then Lord, everything we say and 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:07.280 everything we do is in vain. But Lord, if you 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:11.759 bless it, if your Spirit uses it, Then, Father, 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:14.819 we will be encouraged and strengthened and edified 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:18.919 and built up. We will grow. We will be nourished. 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:22.840 Father, we ask these things in the name of the 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:28.520 Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. There are some individuals 00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:34.020 who I think most people would recognize are more 00:02:34.020 --> 00:02:39.199 inclined to fall to extremes, either to the left 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:43.030 or to the right. in whatever it might be in life. 00:02:43.490 --> 00:02:47.250 It could be hobbies, it could be family issues, 00:02:47.469 --> 00:02:50.889 it could be any number of things. But I think 00:02:50.889 --> 00:02:55.810 that there's a tendency in every person, to a 00:02:55.810 --> 00:02:59.550 degree, to fall to the right or fall to the left 00:02:59.550 --> 00:03:03.270 and to be unbalanced, in a sense, in their life 00:03:03.270 --> 00:03:08.569 with regards to any number of things. We could 00:03:08.569 --> 00:03:12.949 think about Christianity in general. We could 00:03:12.949 --> 00:03:16.490 think about the Christian life or church life 00:03:16.490 --> 00:03:25.250 in general. Some might be more inclined to what 00:03:25.250 --> 00:03:30.530 we would call personal Christianity. A personal 00:03:30.530 --> 00:03:35.229 relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Others... 00:03:36.030 --> 00:03:39.710 might be more inclined to corporate Christianity, 00:03:39.909 --> 00:03:45.969 such as corporate gatherings and church life 00:03:45.969 --> 00:03:50.889 and corporate activities. Now, there's extremes 00:03:50.889 --> 00:03:58.490 on both sides. The Bible teaches us, and what 00:03:58.490 --> 00:04:02.050 we need, and what I hope we learn from this text 00:04:02.050 --> 00:04:06.240 today, Is that we need a balance between these 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:10.219 two. And that they're not in opposition to one 00:04:10.219 --> 00:04:13.400 another. But they're actually meant to complement. 00:04:14.219 --> 00:04:19.779 And they're designed to aid one another. We need 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:25.459 to be believers who have a vital personal communion 00:04:25.459 --> 00:04:29.319 and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Personal 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:36.360 Christianity. But we also must be believers who 00:04:36.360 --> 00:04:40.079 are involved in the corporate life of the church. 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:44.259 So we give ourselves to corporate Christianity. 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:49.620 When those two come together, Christians will 00:04:49.620 --> 00:04:55.339 be what they ought to be. They will grow. They 00:04:55.339 --> 00:04:59.399 will be sanctified. They will be mortifying sin. 00:05:00.170 --> 00:05:04.870 They will be growing in grace. This is the design 00:05:04.870 --> 00:05:10.170 that God has given to us as believers. If you 00:05:10.170 --> 00:05:13.089 just take one, then you're going to be an unhealthy 00:05:13.089 --> 00:05:16.930 Christian. If you just take the other, you're 00:05:16.930 --> 00:05:20.810 going to be an imbalanced Christian. We need 00:05:20.810 --> 00:05:24.529 to bring both together. We're going to consider 00:05:24.529 --> 00:05:27.769 two things today that will contribute to our 00:05:27.769 --> 00:05:33.819 understanding. The first is the one or the Lord 00:05:33.819 --> 00:05:38.439 who relates to David as a shepherd. We read in 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:45.379 Psalm 23 .1, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall 00:05:45.379 --> 00:05:50.180 not want. Then we read at the end of verse 6, 00:05:50.579 --> 00:05:54.600 And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 00:05:55.529 --> 00:05:59.410 So the one that relates to David as a shepherd, 00:05:59.529 --> 00:06:03.370 the Lord. And then the second thing we're going 00:06:03.370 --> 00:06:07.569 to consider is the personal sense in which the 00:06:07.569 --> 00:06:12.470 Lord relates to David and the personal sense 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:16.149 in which David relates to the Lord. Because we 00:06:16.149 --> 00:06:23.420 read in this text, the Lord is my shepherd. The 00:06:23.420 --> 00:06:26.959 text does not say the Lord is a shepherd, or 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:30.920 the shepherd, or your shepherd, but the Lord 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:35.939 is my shepherd. So there's a personal aspect 00:06:35.939 --> 00:06:41.040 that's vital for our understanding of true Christianity. 00:06:41.779 --> 00:06:47.220 So first, the Lord who relates to David as a 00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:54.029 shepherd. Notice that David addresses, The Lord, 00:06:54.290 --> 00:07:01.930 capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. Not 00:07:01.930 --> 00:07:10.170 capital L and lowercase o -r -d, but all capitals. 00:07:11.009 --> 00:07:18.589 He's addressing the Lord God. The personal name 00:07:18.589 --> 00:07:23.360 of God. One of the things that... we see throughout 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:28.759 the scriptures, old and new, is that the authors 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:36.319 were very specific and very cautious in how they 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:43.079 addressed God. And how they related to the living 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:48.959 God. And how they handled His name. And how they 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:52.800 handled... his works, or how they handled his 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:58.240 word. Why are the authors like this? Why are 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:01.560 they so specific? Why does he say L -O -R -D 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:11.339 capital and not minuscule? Because the Lord has 00:08:11.339 --> 00:08:14.279 revealed himself uniquely and distinctly and 00:08:14.279 --> 00:08:19.110 specifically in this way. And they're cautious 00:08:19.110 --> 00:08:24.930 to address him in this way. This name or title 00:08:24.930 --> 00:08:29.790 for God carries with it the idea that he is the 00:08:29.790 --> 00:08:35.889 sovereign, self -existent, all -sufficient God 00:08:35.889 --> 00:08:42.049 that always has been and always will be. If you 00:08:42.049 --> 00:08:49.710 would, turn with me to Exodus chapter 3. In Exodus 00:08:49.710 --> 00:08:56.990 chapter 3, we're shown the significance of the 00:08:56.990 --> 00:09:02.610 name. The significance of the name and the way 00:09:02.610 --> 00:09:10.590 that David is addressing the Lord. In Exodus 00:09:10.590 --> 00:09:15.710 3, we'll go ahead and read a few different portions 00:09:15.710 --> 00:09:21.889 of this text. In verse 10 we read, Therefore 00:09:21.889 --> 00:09:26.730 come now, I will send you to Pharaoh, so that 00:09:26.730 --> 00:09:29.649 you may bring my people, the sons of Israel, 00:09:29.830 --> 00:09:35.429 out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, Who am I 00:09:35.429 --> 00:09:37.909 that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should 00:09:37.909 --> 00:09:41.389 bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? And he 00:09:41.389 --> 00:09:46.669 said, Certainly I will be with you. And this 00:09:46.669 --> 00:09:49.649 shall be the sign when you have brought the people 00:09:49.649 --> 00:09:53.450 out of Egypt. You shall worship God at this mountain. 00:09:53.789 --> 00:09:58.129 Then Moses said to God, Behold, I am going to 00:09:58.129 --> 00:10:00.870 the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, The 00:10:00.870 --> 00:10:04.389 God of your fathers has sent me to you. Now they 00:10:04.389 --> 00:10:09.409 may say to me, What is his name? What shall I 00:10:09.409 --> 00:10:16.139 say to them? God said to Moses, I am who I am. 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:20.039 And he said, Thus you shall say to the sons of 00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:26.799 Israel, I am, has sent me to you. God furthermore 00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:30.700 said to Moses, Thus you shall say to the sons 00:10:30.700 --> 00:10:34.539 of Israel, The Lord, the God of your fathers, 00:10:34.820 --> 00:10:37.659 the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:41.700 God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name 00:10:41.700 --> 00:10:46.110 forever. And this is my memorial name to all 00:10:46.110 --> 00:10:49.710 generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel 00:10:49.710 --> 00:10:53.350 together and say to them, The Lord, the God of 00:10:53.350 --> 00:10:55.590 your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and 00:10:55.590 --> 00:10:59.590 Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, I am indeed 00:10:59.590 --> 00:11:03.110 concerned about you and what has been done to 00:11:03.110 --> 00:11:08.070 you in Egypt. Now, in this text, there's a few 00:11:08.070 --> 00:11:11.909 significant things that are taking place. We 00:11:11.909 --> 00:11:15.230 have the Lord specifically identifying himself 00:11:15.230 --> 00:11:21.450 as I am. This means that he always has been and 00:11:21.450 --> 00:11:24.409 he always was and he always will be. That he's 00:11:24.409 --> 00:11:27.330 infinite, that he's eternal, that he's not dependent 00:11:27.330 --> 00:11:31.289 or he's not contingent on anything outside of 00:11:31.289 --> 00:11:35.690 himself. That everything else depends upon him. 00:11:35.830 --> 00:11:40.929 He is the eternally existent God. the one being 00:11:40.929 --> 00:11:45.350 that always has been and always will be, but 00:11:45.350 --> 00:11:50.509 it also emphasizes his sovereignty, his power, 00:11:50.610 --> 00:11:58.210 and his might. But in the same breath, we find 00:11:58.210 --> 00:12:02.929 that this sovereign God is the one who is redeeming 00:12:02.929 --> 00:12:07.580 Israel and bringing them out of Egypt. So the 00:12:07.580 --> 00:12:11.200 God who is eternally self -existent and the all 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:16.399 -sufficient Lord is a redeeming God. Is a God 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:19.460 who buys back His people out of the bondage of 00:12:19.460 --> 00:12:24.179 slavery and brings them out to worship Him. He's 00:12:24.179 --> 00:12:27.279 a redeeming, covenant -keeping God. And He even 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:31.419 relates back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He's 00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:36.220 the God that keeps His promises. So when we see, 00:12:36.940 --> 00:12:41.340 capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, we 00:12:41.340 --> 00:12:45.299 should think big, sovereign, self -existent, 00:12:45.299 --> 00:12:49.919 all -sufficient God. But we should also think 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:57.279 redeeming, gracious, saving, promise -keeping, 00:12:57.620 --> 00:13:04.720 covenant -keeping God. Now, as we consider the 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:09.679 fact that David is addressing the Lord as his 00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:13.039 shepherd. We can come to certain conclusions 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:17.399 about how David is thinking about his shepherd. 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:22.460 If he's addressing the Lord as his shepherd, 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:26.259 brothers and sisters, what is the character and 00:13:26.259 --> 00:13:30.159 the nature of the one who treats him as a sheep 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:34.500 in his flock? This means that David's shepherd 00:13:34.500 --> 00:13:39.600 is the divine shepherd. The sovereign shepherd. 00:13:40.139 --> 00:13:44.299 The all -knowing shepherd. The all -powerful 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:47.000 shepherd, brothers and sisters. The omnipresent 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:51.100 shepherd. The infinite and eternal shepherd. 00:13:51.740 --> 00:13:56.419 This is who David is addressing as his shepherd 00:13:56.419 --> 00:14:01.299 in this text. The God who is eternally self -existent. 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:05.840 And all sufficient. But also the God who redeems. 00:14:06.419 --> 00:14:10.340 The God who saves. The God who brings his people 00:14:10.340 --> 00:14:15.480 out of Egypt. And keeps his word. What are the 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:22.139 implications on that? For how the Lord is a shepherd. 00:14:22.259 --> 00:14:27.899 And how the Lord shepherds his people. We could 00:14:27.899 --> 00:14:32.210 think about this by. considering an example of 00:14:32.210 --> 00:14:36.429 a human shepherd and the limitations and the 00:14:36.429 --> 00:14:40.649 inadequacies of a human shepherd. We think about 00:14:40.649 --> 00:14:45.250 David himself, a great man, a godly man that 00:14:45.250 --> 00:14:50.389 the Lord used, a man after God's own heart. But 00:14:50.389 --> 00:14:53.250 David was just a man, wasn't he, brothers and 00:14:53.250 --> 00:14:57.190 sisters? He could only be in one place at one 00:14:57.190 --> 00:15:00.190 time. When he was out shepherding his sheep, 00:15:00.350 --> 00:15:04.710 when he was out protecting his sheep, he only 00:15:04.710 --> 00:15:09.629 had so much strength. He only had so much time 00:15:09.629 --> 00:15:14.350 and energy. He could only see so far. He only 00:15:14.350 --> 00:15:18.809 knew so much about his flock. He only knew so 00:15:18.809 --> 00:15:22.730 many things about the individual sheep. He may 00:15:22.730 --> 00:15:27.960 or may not know the need of... the individual, 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:32.000 particular, unique sheep, because he may not 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:35.159 have seen it. He may not have recognized it. 00:15:36.779 --> 00:15:42.340 But what about the divine shepherd? What about 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:46.120 the sovereign shepherd? What are the implications 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:51.440 on the fact that it is the Lord who is the shepherd 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:54.519 of his people? Does he have those limitations, 00:15:54.759 --> 00:15:59.490 brothers and sisters? Does he need to sleep and 00:15:59.490 --> 00:16:04.409 slumber? Does he need to rest and go down to 00:16:04.409 --> 00:16:08.029 bed at night? Does he need to lay down and rest 00:16:08.029 --> 00:16:11.769 in the midst of the sheep? Our shepherd does 00:16:11.769 --> 00:16:16.750 not sleep. Our shepherd does not sleep. Is he 00:16:16.750 --> 00:16:20.090 limited with regards to what he knows and what 00:16:20.090 --> 00:16:23.230 he doesn't know with regards to the life of his 00:16:23.230 --> 00:16:27.269 people? Are there certain things that... escape 00:16:27.269 --> 00:16:33.970 his view in their life. No. He's the all -knowing 00:16:33.970 --> 00:16:40.970 shepherd. He can lead his people into the right 00:16:40.970 --> 00:16:44.070 pastures, brothers and sisters. Why? Because 00:16:44.070 --> 00:16:48.129 he knows the right pastures perfectly. He can 00:16:48.129 --> 00:16:50.830 provide for his people. Why? Because he's the 00:16:50.830 --> 00:16:54.990 sovereign shepherd who is all -powerful and has 00:16:54.990 --> 00:17:00.889 all might. There are many implications on this 00:17:00.889 --> 00:17:04.410 reality. But it kind of leads us to a question. 00:17:06.410 --> 00:17:11.009 If David is addressing the Lord as his shepherd, 00:17:11.029 --> 00:17:13.910 and he says that the Lord relates to him as his 00:17:13.910 --> 00:17:18.730 shepherd, it brings us to a question, and some 00:17:18.730 --> 00:17:20.970 might be tempted to think this in their life, 00:17:21.109 --> 00:17:23.849 and I'm sure that many of us have asked this 00:17:23.849 --> 00:17:31.890 in our lives. all -knowing, sovereign, self -existent, 00:17:31.890 --> 00:17:36.269 all -sufficient God who redeemed the nation of 00:17:36.269 --> 00:17:39.910 Israel out of Egypt, can He really and does He 00:17:39.910 --> 00:17:45.849 really relate to me individually? Does He really 00:17:45.849 --> 00:17:52.170 know my situation? Does He know my struggles 00:17:52.170 --> 00:17:58.420 and my difficulties and my hardship? Can I really 00:17:58.420 --> 00:18:05.960 relate personally to such a mighty God? Or is 00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:11.200 He too big? Is He too expansive? Does He really 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:16.420 care about my situation? Does He really care 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:20.720 about my life? Does He really care about the 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:23.240 difficulties, the struggles, the trials, the 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:26.619 hardships? That I am personally going through 00:18:26.619 --> 00:18:33.420 in life. My family. As an individual sheep. Maybe. 00:18:34.500 --> 00:18:38.819 He just relates generally and broadly. To all 00:18:38.819 --> 00:18:44.980 the people of God. Corporately in a sense. Broadly. 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:49.200 To the church in the world. But not individually. 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:55.200 After all. The Bible. does clearly teach this, 00:18:55.400 --> 00:19:00.220 that God relates as a shepherd to the whole flock 00:19:00.220 --> 00:19:04.059 of God. That's a biblical truth. We need to understand 00:19:04.059 --> 00:19:07.900 that and grasp that. We could look at a couple 00:19:07.900 --> 00:19:15.359 different verses. We can look at Psalm 78. Psalm 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:23.519 78, verse 52. And we read these words. But he 00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:28.740 led forth his own people like sheep and guided 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:33.000 them in the wilderness like a flock. He's talking 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:37.579 about the whole nation. All the people of God. 00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:41.859 His own people. He's talking about the flock 00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:45.359 in general. We could look at Psalm chapter 80. 00:19:46.299 --> 00:19:52.309 Verse 1. O give ear, shepherd of Israel. You 00:19:52.309 --> 00:19:55.490 who lead Joseph like a flock, you who are enthroned 00:19:55.490 --> 00:19:59.470 above the cherubim, shine forth. He's the shepherd 00:19:59.470 --> 00:20:06.150 of Israel, the nation, the whole people. These 00:20:06.150 --> 00:20:09.269 verses teach us that he clearly and obviously 00:20:09.269 --> 00:20:14.029 relates to the people of God as a national group 00:20:14.029 --> 00:20:18.390 in the Old Testament in particular. In the New 00:20:18.390 --> 00:20:21.769 Testament, the church is called a spiritual group. 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:28.220 So maybe God still only relates to his people 00:20:28.220 --> 00:20:35.440 in this broad, general, group, national sense. 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:40.279 There's other texts like Jeremiah 31 .10 or Ezekiel 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:44.359 34 which clearly indicate that God relates to 00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:52.349 his people in this non -personal sense. But that 00:20:52.349 --> 00:20:56.890 brings us back to our original question. Does 00:20:56.890 --> 00:21:02.569 the Lord relate to me? In my life? In my situation? 00:21:03.230 --> 00:21:07.430 Does he relate to each individual saint that 00:21:07.430 --> 00:21:10.269 he has saved through the blood of the Lord Jesus 00:21:10.269 --> 00:21:14.109 Christ? This leads us to the second thing we 00:21:14.109 --> 00:21:17.769 have to consider this morning. The personal sense. 00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:23.079 In which the Lord relates to David as a shepherd. 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:30.000 Now in this psalm. Consider several things. We 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:36.000 read the Lord is my shepherd. David says that 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:39.960 God relates personally to him. And that David 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:44.599 relates personally to the Lord. But let's read 00:21:44.599 --> 00:21:46.500 through the rest of the psalm. And think about 00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:52.059 the personal. pronouns in the psalm. I shall 00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:57.200 not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:21:57.359 --> 00:22:01.920 He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:08.180 my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness 00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:11.859 for his name's sake. Even though I walk through 00:22:11.859 --> 00:22:14.579 the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no 00:22:14.579 --> 00:22:18.410 evil for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, 00:22:18.509 --> 00:22:22.450 they comfort me. You prepare a table before me 00:22:22.450 --> 00:22:25.569 in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed 00:22:25.569 --> 00:22:29.809 my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness 00:22:29.809 --> 00:22:33.450 and loving kindness will follow me all the days 00:22:33.450 --> 00:22:37.190 of my life. And I will dwell in the house of 00:22:37.190 --> 00:22:43.769 the Lord forever. Psalm 23 is very, very clear, 00:22:43.849 --> 00:22:48.819 brothers and sisters. That David can relate to 00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:51.720 the living God in a personal sense, and that 00:22:51.720 --> 00:22:55.400 the living God does relate to this one man in 00:22:55.400 --> 00:22:59.960 a personal, individual sense. It's not merely 00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:04.019 a corporate identity or corporate relationship, 00:23:04.059 --> 00:23:08.460 but it is an individual dealing that the sovereign 00:23:08.460 --> 00:23:15.079 God has with David himself. God still has personal 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:22.740 dealings with his people. It's so clear in this 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:29.519 psalm. There's two aspects involved in this personal 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:33.859 sense in which the Lord relates to David as a 00:23:33.859 --> 00:23:40.359 shepherd. The first is this. The Lord relates 00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:47.180 to David. As a shepherd individually. Meaning, 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:52.000 he's not relating to all the people of God. He's 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:56.779 relating to David as an individual. We think 00:23:56.779 --> 00:24:04.000 about this. This must mean that God is relating, 00:24:04.259 --> 00:24:06.660 he's providing, he's guiding, he's directing 00:24:06.660 --> 00:24:13.140 David as a person. As a man. As an individual 00:24:13.140 --> 00:24:17.859 who believes in the promises of God. He knows 00:24:17.859 --> 00:24:24.039 his heart. He knows David's mind. He knows David's 00:24:24.039 --> 00:24:27.920 thoughts. He knows all about David's inner life. 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:35.079 But it's not just David. It's David's life. That's 00:24:35.079 --> 00:24:38.859 everything that we see in this text. That God 00:24:38.859 --> 00:24:43.400 knows his struggles. His difficulties. His valleys 00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:46.759 and his green pastures. He knows his needs as 00:24:46.759 --> 00:24:52.099 a person. As a man. He knows his struggles. He 00:24:52.099 --> 00:24:57.460 knows his hardships. We could look at Psalm 139. 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:06.099 If you have time, I would encourage anyone just 00:25:06.099 --> 00:25:13.140 to... meditate and dwell on Psalm 139 for a good 00:25:13.140 --> 00:25:16.000 portion of time to find hope, encouragement, 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:20.119 conviction, and challenge in their own Christian 00:25:20.119 --> 00:25:26.920 life. Listen to these words in Psalm 139. Oh 00:25:26.920 --> 00:25:32.799 Lord, you have searched me and known me. Immediately. 00:25:33.640 --> 00:25:38.039 There is absolutely nothing impersonal about 00:25:38.039 --> 00:25:41.880 that statement. God has searched the depths of 00:25:41.880 --> 00:25:46.799 David's heart. He has searched his motives, his 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:51.240 intents, his desires, his longings, and God has 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:56.220 in fact known David in the deepest parts of his 00:25:56.220 --> 00:26:01.099 being. You know when I sit down and when I rise 00:26:01.099 --> 00:26:06.279 up. You understand my thought from afar. You 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:11.299 scrutinize my path and my lying down and are 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:17.480 intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:20.220 before there is a word on my tongue, behold, 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:27.220 O Lord, you know it all. The Lord knows. You 00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:31.130 have enclosed me behind and before. and your 00:26:31.130 --> 00:26:37.809 hand is upon me. The Lord knows the individual 00:26:37.809 --> 00:26:44.789 hearts and minds and situations of each individual 00:26:44.789 --> 00:26:51.849 sheep in the flock of God. That means that he 00:26:51.849 --> 00:26:58.970 intimately understands every situation that his 00:26:58.970 --> 00:27:04.569 people go through. It's as though He only knows 00:27:04.569 --> 00:27:08.130 yours. It's that personal. It's that individual. 00:27:08.750 --> 00:27:12.390 It's as though He only knows your life, your 00:27:12.390 --> 00:27:16.569 heart, your situation, and nobody else's. But 00:27:16.569 --> 00:27:20.009 because He is the Divine Shepherd, He does in 00:27:20.009 --> 00:27:25.509 fact know all His people's persons and their 00:27:25.509 --> 00:27:30.279 lives, their hearts and their minds. and their 00:27:30.279 --> 00:27:36.160 paths and their ways and their lives. This is 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:39.740 the hope of Psalm 23, is it not, brothers and 00:27:39.740 --> 00:27:45.599 sisters? This is where we find comfort and strength 00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:49.240 and boldness in our lives from this psalm. The 00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:52.539 fact that God doesn't just know everybody's heart 00:27:52.539 --> 00:27:55.359 and mind and life and situation. He doesn't just 00:27:55.359 --> 00:28:00.200 lead all men. He doesn't just lead Bob down the 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:03.299 road. He doesn't just lead the person sitting 00:28:03.299 --> 00:28:06.700 next to me. But if a person has faith in Christ, 00:28:06.859 --> 00:28:09.900 you can find hope and comfort in the fact that 00:28:09.900 --> 00:28:16.640 the living God knows your situation. Your heart 00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:20.240 and the things that you wrestle with. But that 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:23.279 also means, brothers and sisters, that He knows 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:31.259 your sin. That He knows Your temptations, your 00:28:31.259 --> 00:28:35.119 inclinations, your desires, your longings, nothing 00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:39.259 is hid from this great God. Nothing is kept back. 00:28:39.880 --> 00:28:43.220 Nobody can stay His hand or cover His face. He 00:28:43.220 --> 00:28:48.880 knows it all, brothers and sisters, yet. He is 00:28:48.880 --> 00:28:54.240 your shepherd. So there's this personal sense 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:59.369 in which the Lord relates. To David. And this 00:28:59.369 --> 00:29:02.750 is the basis for all our hope. And our confidence 00:29:02.750 --> 00:29:05.609 and comfort in this psalm. But there's another 00:29:05.609 --> 00:29:09.829 sense. And it's this. That David relates personally 00:29:09.829 --> 00:29:17.049 to the Lord. As his shepherd. Now consider a 00:29:17.049 --> 00:29:21.470 few observations from this text. In this text. 00:29:23.269 --> 00:29:28.450 David is speaking. Of his own situation. His 00:29:28.450 --> 00:29:33.890 own life. From his own lens. And he's conscious 00:29:33.890 --> 00:29:39.089 of his own need for the Lord in his presence. 00:29:39.410 --> 00:29:43.289 But also I think it's important for us to grasp 00:29:43.289 --> 00:29:47.809 this. It's as though it's just the Lord and David. 00:29:48.009 --> 00:29:52.170 There's no other actors in this song. It's just 00:29:52.170 --> 00:29:59.809 God and David. So when David says, I will walk 00:29:59.809 --> 00:30:04.890 through the valley of the shadow of death, he's 00:30:04.890 --> 00:30:09.730 speaking of himself. It's not somebody else that 00:30:09.730 --> 00:30:15.490 he's referencing. It's a personal act on his 00:30:15.490 --> 00:30:20.009 part. He's using his mind to think about the 00:30:20.009 --> 00:30:22.009 Lord and his provision, his guidance and his 00:30:22.009 --> 00:30:26.289 direction. He's using his will that he will determine 00:30:26.289 --> 00:30:28.950 that he will walk in these periods in his life. 00:30:29.029 --> 00:30:33.789 He will be led. He is the one that is assured 00:30:33.789 --> 00:30:37.109 and confident of the Lord's blessings and the 00:30:37.109 --> 00:30:41.690 Lord's favor upon him in life and death by the 00:30:41.690 --> 00:30:48.849 quiet waters and in the dark valleys. It's personal 00:30:48.849 --> 00:30:54.160 on the part of David. Seeing this and understanding 00:30:54.160 --> 00:31:00.759 this, we must conclude that David relates personally 00:31:00.759 --> 00:31:10.059 to the Lord in faith or by faith. The way that 00:31:10.059 --> 00:31:18.660 David relates to a personal God is through personal 00:31:18.660 --> 00:31:23.920 faith in that God. Throughout his life. And in 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:29.339 the various situations in his life. David. In 00:31:29.339 --> 00:31:35.000 David we see. A whole souled devotion. Submission. 00:31:35.920 --> 00:31:42.259 Reception. And exception. Acceptance. Of the 00:31:42.259 --> 00:31:47.160 Lord's plans. The Lord's purposes. And the Lord's 00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:51.380 provision in his life. This is David. receiving, 00:31:51.619 --> 00:31:55.079 submitting, and giving himself to the Lord who 00:31:55.079 --> 00:31:58.160 is the shepherd of his life. It's faith, brothers 00:31:58.160 --> 00:32:03.920 and sisters. But we also see that in David, there 00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:11.480 is a personal, justifying, saving, active faith 00:32:11.480 --> 00:32:16.980 that is determined to walk with God in all of 00:32:16.980 --> 00:32:26.759 life. single situation. And then, we also find 00:32:26.759 --> 00:32:29.559 in this psalm that it's not just that it's an 00:32:29.559 --> 00:32:35.400 active faith in the Lord as His shepherd, but 00:32:35.400 --> 00:32:39.579 He has the assurance of faith in His life as 00:32:39.579 --> 00:32:45.880 well. We read this in verse 6. Surely, goodness 00:32:45.880 --> 00:32:50.250 and loving kindness Will follow me all the days 00:32:50.250 --> 00:32:53.930 of my life. We also read in verse 5. Or verse 00:32:53.930 --> 00:32:59.470 4. Your rod and your staff. They comfort me. 00:33:00.450 --> 00:33:04.410 David has an assurance in his heart. In his mind 00:33:04.410 --> 00:33:08.990 he's been persuaded. And convinced. Of the goodness 00:33:08.990 --> 00:33:12.589 of God. And the Lord's faithfulness toward him. 00:33:12.769 --> 00:33:17.250 And he knows it. There's no doubt whatsoever 00:33:17.250 --> 00:33:22.730 in his heart. He is assured that God has been 00:33:22.730 --> 00:33:27.210 good to him and that the Lord will continue to 00:33:27.210 --> 00:33:33.529 be good to him all the days of his life. So when 00:33:33.529 --> 00:33:39.690 we think about this personal sense, I want us 00:33:39.690 --> 00:33:42.950 to understand that God relates individually to 00:33:42.950 --> 00:33:47.529 his people. but also that each individual who 00:33:47.529 --> 00:33:49.930 knows the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and repentance 00:33:49.930 --> 00:33:58.670 will personally exercise faith toward God or 00:33:58.670 --> 00:34:03.589 the Lord as their shepherd. There's this mutual 00:34:03.589 --> 00:34:09.469 relationship that's present in the two. So if 00:34:09.469 --> 00:34:13.119 you are here today and you are in Christ, You 00:34:13.119 --> 00:34:15.280 have turned from your sins and you have trusted 00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:18.400 in Jesus Christ as the good shepherd who laid 00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:21.800 down his life and took it back up again of his 00:34:21.800 --> 00:34:24.159 own authority. If you are here today and you 00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:27.880 believe that, be comforted. Be strengthened. 00:34:28.440 --> 00:34:31.480 Because the Lord knows your heart, your mind, 00:34:31.599 --> 00:34:34.480 your life, your situation, your struggles, your 00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:38.260 hardships, your trials, and everything about 00:34:38.260 --> 00:34:42.800 you, brothers and sisters. And the promises in 00:34:42.800 --> 00:34:49.480 Psalm 23 are personally for you as a believer 00:34:49.480 --> 00:34:54.480 in Jesus Christ. Every single one. This means 00:34:54.480 --> 00:34:57.980 that you can take it and we can say you will 00:34:57.980 --> 00:35:02.019 not want. You will not need. We can apply Psalm 00:35:02.019 --> 00:35:04.880 23 in such a way that it says He will make you 00:35:04.880 --> 00:35:09.420 lie down in green pastures. He will lead you. 00:35:10.280 --> 00:35:16.179 beside quiet waters and so on. You can have comfort 00:35:16.179 --> 00:35:21.920 in your situations because of his rod and his 00:35:21.920 --> 00:35:25.820 staff, because these are personal promises to 00:35:25.820 --> 00:35:29.800 individuals, not just the church corporately 00:35:29.800 --> 00:35:36.940 or as a whole. He knows your habits, your struggles. 00:35:38.570 --> 00:35:43.170 He knows your sinful patterns in life. He knows 00:35:43.170 --> 00:35:45.989 the temptations in your life which tend to grasp 00:35:45.989 --> 00:35:51.010 your heart a little bit more. He knows your proclivities 00:35:51.010 --> 00:35:57.010 in life. He knows your family situation. He knows 00:35:57.010 --> 00:35:59.730 them all, but he's committed, because of the 00:35:59.730 --> 00:36:02.670 work of the Lord Jesus Christ, to shepherding 00:36:02.670 --> 00:36:08.369 you through them. He will not desert you. And 00:36:08.369 --> 00:36:11.809 He will not forsake you because of the work of 00:36:11.809 --> 00:36:19.070 the Lord Jesus Christ for God's people. But we 00:36:19.070 --> 00:36:22.929 also learn and we understand it's not just that 00:36:22.929 --> 00:36:27.150 God relates to the believer. We've seen clearly 00:36:27.150 --> 00:36:34.110 in this text that true Christianity will always 00:36:34.110 --> 00:36:41.539 be personal. Christianity. Every single time. 00:36:42.960 --> 00:36:48.179 You cannot be a born again believer if you have 00:36:48.179 --> 00:36:52.639 not personally been changed and transformed by 00:36:52.639 --> 00:36:56.800 the Spirit of God. You cannot be a believer if 00:36:56.800 --> 00:37:00.239 you have not personally received a new nature. 00:37:00.800 --> 00:37:03.780 If you have not been called by the Good Shepherd. 00:37:03.900 --> 00:37:06.730 If you have not heard His voice. then you cannot 00:37:06.730 --> 00:37:14.250 be a child of God. True Christianity is never 00:37:14.250 --> 00:37:20.929 less than personal. It will always be something 00:37:20.929 --> 00:37:24.949 that is enjoyed and experienced in the soul of 00:37:24.949 --> 00:37:28.869 a man or a woman, personally, brothers and sisters. 00:37:40.250 --> 00:37:46.949 Now, when we consider that, why must it be personal? 00:37:48.750 --> 00:37:53.610 Because in a sense, when a person comes to faith, 00:37:53.949 --> 00:38:01.190 their Christianity becomes a part of them. It's 00:38:01.190 --> 00:38:05.289 not like it's something they take or leave. They 00:38:05.289 --> 00:38:07.619 want it, they don't have it. Their Christianity, 00:38:07.639 --> 00:38:11.860 the work of the gospel, becomes a part of them 00:38:11.860 --> 00:38:15.480 that they can't shake. That they can't get rid 00:38:15.480 --> 00:38:20.340 of. Because God does a work in your life. He 00:38:20.340 --> 00:38:24.280 gives you faith and repentance. The Spirit of 00:38:24.280 --> 00:38:30.880 God dwells within you. So it will always be personal, 00:38:30.960 --> 00:38:35.099 brothers and sisters. But because of this, that 00:38:35.099 --> 00:38:40.360 will also mean, That personal fellowship and 00:38:40.360 --> 00:38:43.900 communion with the living God is an active part 00:38:43.900 --> 00:38:47.639 of the Christian life. That means praying to 00:38:47.639 --> 00:38:51.739 the Lord yourself. Reading the Word of God for 00:38:51.739 --> 00:38:56.000 yourself. Studying the Scriptures. Meditating 00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:59.960 on the Scriptures for yourself. Of your own volition 00:38:59.960 --> 00:39:03.940 and your own will. It's not something that others 00:39:03.940 --> 00:39:10.150 can do for... It must be something that you enjoy 00:39:10.150 --> 00:39:14.309 and you take part of in your own heart, your 00:39:14.309 --> 00:39:17.750 own mind, and your own soul. To be a Christian 00:39:17.750 --> 00:39:23.429 is to walk with the living God. As though there's 00:39:23.429 --> 00:39:28.150 no other person on the planet. And it's just 00:39:28.150 --> 00:39:32.789 you. The test for true Christianity with regards 00:39:32.789 --> 00:39:38.409 to personal Christianity is this. Take away the 00:39:38.409 --> 00:39:43.429 preaching, hypothetically. Take away the preaching 00:39:43.429 --> 00:39:50.309 of the Word in your life. Take away the fellowship 00:39:50.309 --> 00:39:55.929 meals in your life. Take away the singing as 00:39:55.929 --> 00:40:01.710 a group in your life. Take away the church corporately 00:40:01.710 --> 00:40:06.800 in your life. Take away your friends. Who talk 00:40:06.800 --> 00:40:09.099 to you about the things of the Lord in your life. 00:40:09.900 --> 00:40:14.719 Strip every single relational and corporate aspect 00:40:14.719 --> 00:40:17.760 of your Christianity away. Get rid of it. Take 00:40:17.760 --> 00:40:21.199 it away. Cut it off. And what is left? Is God 00:40:21.199 --> 00:40:23.780 still dealing with your heart? And are you still 00:40:23.780 --> 00:40:30.019 walking with the living God? Is God dealing with 00:40:30.019 --> 00:40:37.110 you? Even if all of that is gone? Is your heart 00:40:37.110 --> 00:40:39.550 still yearning and longing for the things of 00:40:39.550 --> 00:40:44.730 God if all of that is gone? Are you still wrestling 00:40:44.730 --> 00:40:47.489 with holiness and godliness and discipline in 00:40:47.489 --> 00:40:51.889 your life if all of that is gone? Are you still 00:40:51.889 --> 00:40:54.670 looking unto Christ faithfully, walking with 00:40:54.670 --> 00:40:57.690 Him day in and day out, seeking to hear from 00:40:57.690 --> 00:41:00.610 the living God if all of that is gone? Or are 00:41:00.610 --> 00:41:03.940 you depending on all of those aspects? For your 00:41:03.940 --> 00:41:07.139 Christianity, because you don't truly know the 00:41:07.139 --> 00:41:11.320 living God, you just know about the living God. 00:41:12.940 --> 00:41:18.659 You're just around Christianity. You don't have 00:41:18.659 --> 00:41:25.320 true, personal Christianity in your soul. One 00:41:25.320 --> 00:41:28.500 of the old authors said that regeneration is 00:41:28.500 --> 00:41:32.849 called the life of God in the soul of man. Brothers 00:41:32.849 --> 00:41:34.849 and sisters, that's not something that can be 00:41:34.849 --> 00:41:38.869 faked. That's not something that can be worked 00:41:38.869 --> 00:41:44.690 up. That's true religion. And it is absolutely, 00:41:44.849 --> 00:41:51.969 completely, and totally personal. Do you possess 00:41:51.969 --> 00:41:57.070 that kind of Christianity in your life? Or are 00:41:57.070 --> 00:42:00.650 you riding on the backs of everybody else around 00:42:00.650 --> 00:42:11.289 you? Are you riding the wave of the church? Is 00:42:11.289 --> 00:42:15.550 this personal for you as a professing believer? 00:42:16.809 --> 00:42:19.550 Does this matter to your heart and your soul 00:42:19.550 --> 00:42:23.150 and your mind? Does this have to do with your 00:42:23.150 --> 00:42:27.570 never -dying immortal soul and your eternal faith 00:42:27.570 --> 00:42:31.429 as an individual who ascends against the living 00:42:31.429 --> 00:42:34.619 God? Does this have to do, is your soul concerned 00:42:34.619 --> 00:42:38.139 with the glory of God and the name of Jesus Christ 00:42:38.139 --> 00:42:44.420 in your life? Is it personal for you? That's 00:42:44.420 --> 00:42:48.059 the test to see whether you have true Christianity 00:42:48.059 --> 00:42:52.739 in your life or not. Strip everything back and 00:42:52.739 --> 00:42:58.340 what remains. But none of this is to say that 00:42:58.340 --> 00:43:03.519 true personal Christianity is opposed. to corporate 00:43:03.519 --> 00:43:08.900 Christianity. It's not. True Christianity is 00:43:08.900 --> 00:43:14.239 personal. It's vital. But true Christianity is 00:43:14.239 --> 00:43:17.960 corporate Christianity as well. The two have 00:43:17.960 --> 00:43:22.659 to come together. Remember who's talking. King 00:43:22.659 --> 00:43:28.760 David. David loved the Lord. The Lord is my shepherd. 00:43:28.880 --> 00:43:32.699 But King David, brothers and sisters, his life 00:43:32.699 --> 00:43:39.420 was intertwined with corporate religion. He was 00:43:39.420 --> 00:43:44.199 the king of that nation. And that nation had 00:43:44.199 --> 00:43:48.420 religion and spirituality intertwined at every 00:43:48.420 --> 00:43:53.119 corner. It was the nation of Israel. He knew 00:43:53.119 --> 00:43:55.079 a thing or two about corporate Christianity, 00:43:55.159 --> 00:44:01.179 didn't he? Or corporate religion. The two are 00:44:01.179 --> 00:44:07.760 not. We need both. The healthiest, most vital 00:44:07.760 --> 00:44:12.380 believers will be those who are growing in the 00:44:12.380 --> 00:44:14.800 grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:44:14.800 --> 00:44:19.539 personally, walking before the living God personally, 00:44:19.619 --> 00:44:24.639 but they will be those whose lives are intimately 00:44:24.639 --> 00:44:29.119 intertwined with the corporate church as a whole. 00:44:30.699 --> 00:44:33.960 with the body of Christ in the world, with the 00:44:33.960 --> 00:44:37.960 local manifestation of that in a setting like 00:44:37.960 --> 00:44:42.179 this today. We need to study the Word of God 00:44:42.179 --> 00:44:44.300 individually, don't we, brothers and sisters? 00:44:45.300 --> 00:44:47.820 But we also need the Word of God preached to 00:44:47.820 --> 00:44:51.039 us in a corporate gathering. We need to pray 00:44:51.039 --> 00:44:54.079 as individual sinners wanting to know the Lord 00:44:54.079 --> 00:44:57.719 Jesus Christ more. But we need to be prayed for. 00:44:58.489 --> 00:45:01.789 In the corporate gathering of God's people. We 00:45:01.789 --> 00:45:05.250 need to fellowship with the living God in prayer 00:45:05.250 --> 00:45:09.829 and communion. But we need the fellowship and 00:45:09.829 --> 00:45:15.389 communion of the saints around us as well. This 00:45:15.389 --> 00:45:21.190 is God's good design for every believer. That 00:45:21.190 --> 00:45:24.489 they be a vital, growing, healthy Christian. 00:45:25.289 --> 00:45:30.380 That personally seeks Him. but they walk with 00:45:30.380 --> 00:45:36.139 a corporate church, brothers and sisters. That 00:45:36.139 --> 00:45:42.159 will lead to you growing and blossoming into 00:45:42.159 --> 00:45:49.320 a healthy, vital, powerful, Spirit -filled believer 00:45:49.320 --> 00:45:55.159 in Jesus Christ. So, from this text, we know. 00:45:57.230 --> 00:46:02.969 That God relates to each individual. Then and 00:46:02.969 --> 00:46:06.690 today. But we also know, brothers and sisters, 00:46:06.769 --> 00:46:09.650 that each of us who know Christ, who believe 00:46:09.650 --> 00:46:12.090 in His life, His death, and His resurrection, 00:46:12.409 --> 00:46:18.050 must personally relate to the living God who 00:46:18.050 --> 00:46:20.809 is our shepherd.