WEBVTT 00:00:02.569 --> 00:00:05.410 Lord, we have enjoyed meditating upon the truth 00:00:05.410 --> 00:00:09.609 of your Word, upon this wonderful relationship 00:00:09.609 --> 00:00:13.330 that we have with you, and that you are our shepherd. 00:00:14.470 --> 00:00:17.410 And now as we focus our attention upon your Word 00:00:17.410 --> 00:00:23.690 in Psalm 23, and as we hear it proclaimed to 00:00:23.690 --> 00:00:27.190 us, may our spirits be opened and may the Holy 00:00:27.190 --> 00:00:32.299 Spirit's voice be clear to our hearts. so that 00:00:32.299 --> 00:00:35.700 we may know what you are saying and respond to 00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:39.200 your work in our lives. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:48.859 God employs many different pictures to illustrate 00:00:48.859 --> 00:00:52.840 the relationship between himself and his people. 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:58.420 He says that we are children in his family. He 00:00:58.420 --> 00:01:02.390 calls us members of the body. We are said to 00:01:02.390 --> 00:01:07.310 be living stones in the Holy Temple. And we are 00:01:07.310 --> 00:01:11.510 called branches of the true vine. But one of 00:01:11.510 --> 00:01:14.890 the most blessed pictures is that of the sheep. 00:01:15.750 --> 00:01:19.950 We are sheep in God's flock. Now, it's not that 00:01:19.950 --> 00:01:23.010 this picture of us is completely flattering either. 00:01:24.069 --> 00:01:26.209 Because, as a matter of fact, sheep are easily 00:01:26.209 --> 00:01:31.430 frightened. They're not very smart. They tend 00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:37.310 to be rather dirty, they are lost easily, and 00:01:37.310 --> 00:01:41.090 they are easy prey for their enemies. But on 00:01:41.090 --> 00:01:43.790 the other hand, sheep are trusting creatures, 00:01:44.810 --> 00:01:47.709 and they learn who their shepherd is, and they 00:01:47.709 --> 00:01:51.329 learn to follow him. And it is that particular 00:01:51.329 --> 00:01:54.750 truth that is in view when we are called the 00:01:54.750 --> 00:01:58.000 sheep of the Lord. That is what Jesus had in 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:01.120 mind when he said, I am the good shepherd and 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:03.939 called us his sheep for whom he laid down his 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:10.379 life. When a sinner believes on the Lord Jesus 00:02:10.379 --> 00:02:18.360 Christ, he becomes a sheep in God's fold. Before 00:02:18.360 --> 00:02:21.379 that, the Bible tells us that we are like goats, 00:02:22.500 --> 00:02:25.240 which in the biblical sense were wild creatures. 00:02:25.989 --> 00:02:30.629 untamed, not domesticated at all. Goats ran on 00:02:30.629 --> 00:02:34.229 the mountain sides. And in the biblical sense, 00:02:34.550 --> 00:02:38.930 goats represent unsaved people. We see this, 00:02:38.930 --> 00:02:41.509 for example, in Matthew chapter 25, with the 00:02:41.509 --> 00:02:43.590 judgment of the sheep and the goats that Jesus 00:02:43.590 --> 00:02:45.789 talks about. We don't have time to go into that, 00:02:46.169 --> 00:02:48.409 but you can see that representation there with 00:02:48.409 --> 00:02:52.650 the goats. But sheep are those that are tamed. 00:02:52.669 --> 00:02:56.310 They are brought into the care. the watching 00:02:56.310 --> 00:03:00.650 over of a shepherd. And so when we become children 00:03:00.650 --> 00:03:03.550 of God by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:03:04.150 --> 00:03:07.610 we no longer are identified as goats, but rather 00:03:07.610 --> 00:03:11.090 as sheep. The Christian is shepherded through 00:03:11.090 --> 00:03:16.069 life by the Lord and is secure in the Lord's 00:03:16.069 --> 00:03:20.939 care. We see that in Psalm 23 by three statements 00:03:20.939 --> 00:03:24.159 that are made by David. Statements of faith and 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:28.520 confidence. He says in verse 1, I shall not want. 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:34.960 In verse 4, I will fear no evil. And again in 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:38.520 verse 6, I will dwell in the house of the Lord 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:44.300 forever. Three statements of assurance made by 00:03:44.300 --> 00:03:47.319 David in light of the Lord's shepherding care 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:51.069 in his life. I'd like for us to look at those 00:03:51.069 --> 00:03:53.250 this morning and to look at the entire psalm, 00:03:53.250 --> 00:03:57.189 for each one of them tells us about our shepherd's 00:03:57.189 --> 00:04:01.449 care too. We notice in the first place that the 00:04:01.449 --> 00:04:06.389 Lord delivers his sheep from deficiency, verses 00:04:06.389 --> 00:04:10.289 one through three. I shall not want, or I shall 00:04:10.289 --> 00:04:13.770 not have need, I shall not lack, says David. 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:18.199 Of course, in saving us, our Lord in the first 00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:23.319 place met all of our eternal deficiencies. We 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:26.279 were deficient of life, deficient of understanding, 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:29.439 deficient of light, deficient of righteousness. 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:33.720 And the Lord who is our shepherd provided all 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:36.920 of that for us, life and light and understanding 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:41.040 and righteousness. He has provided that for us 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:43.800 because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. 00:04:44.810 --> 00:04:47.629 But as David writes this psalm, he seems to have 00:04:47.629 --> 00:04:52.050 in mind, rather than the eternal deficiencies 00:04:52.050 --> 00:04:55.610 the Lord met, the temporal ones. The ones that 00:04:55.610 --> 00:04:59.009 he faced every day in his walk with the shepherd. 00:04:59.329 --> 00:05:02.550 So let's think of it in that sense. A present 00:05:02.550 --> 00:05:06.470 experience application of the fact that the Lord 00:05:06.470 --> 00:05:10.930 delivers us, his sheep, from deficiency. In the 00:05:10.930 --> 00:05:15.470 first place, notice that he provides rest. from 00:05:15.470 --> 00:05:20.129 our weariness. Yes, the Lord's sheep can become 00:05:20.129 --> 00:05:25.089 weary. We are involved in a hectic pace of life, 00:05:25.189 --> 00:05:30.949 aren't we? And we become exhausted in that. We 00:05:30.949 --> 00:05:34.810 have feverish routines and schedules that keep 00:05:34.810 --> 00:05:39.209 us worn out, not only in body, but in mind and 00:05:39.209 --> 00:05:44.259 in spirit. Our tendency is to put other priorities 00:05:44.259 --> 00:05:47.279 before God because we tend to live for the urgent 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:53.459 and not for the important. We beat ourselves 00:05:53.459 --> 00:06:00.040 practically to death trying to live the Christian 00:06:00.040 --> 00:06:05.360 life. We think that being a Christian or living 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:08.220 the Christian life involves doing this and doing 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:11.439 that and being there and being here and Being 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:14.240 involved in this activity or that activity, we 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:16.439 have to be a part of this and a part of that. 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:19.000 And the end result of it is that we just beat 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:22.079 ourselves half to death trying to live what we 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:25.300 think is the Christian life. We become weary, 00:06:25.779 --> 00:06:28.220 not only in the schedule of our daily routine, 00:06:28.300 --> 00:06:31.220 but in the actual process of attempting to be 00:06:31.220 --> 00:06:36.560 the Lord's people. And that is why David says, 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:41.300 he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:46.800 me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul, 00:06:46.839 --> 00:06:53.519 he says. You and I at times have to be made to 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:58.579 lie down. And God arranges some convenient way 00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:01.879 by which we are laid aside for a period of time. 00:07:03.050 --> 00:07:05.889 And we think of that as an unpleasant thing and 00:07:05.889 --> 00:07:08.269 yet the Lord looks at it as green pastures and 00:07:08.269 --> 00:07:10.750 we ought to open our eyes and see the green pastures 00:07:10.750 --> 00:07:16.470 there too. We need to learn to lie down in those 00:07:16.470 --> 00:07:20.870 green pastures and to rest and to follow his 00:07:20.870 --> 00:07:25.410 leading to what he calls the quiet waters. Sheep 00:07:25.410 --> 00:07:28.629 do not enjoy drinking from fast flowing streams. 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:33.139 The rushing water, the splashing of it over rocks 00:07:33.139 --> 00:07:38.740 frightens them and so they prefer the quiet pools 00:07:38.740 --> 00:07:42.720 to drink from. Thus a shepherd, because he loved 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:46.879 his sheep, would take rocks and would build a 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:51.399 dam in the stream to provide at least an area 00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:54.180 of quietness so the water would flow and fill 00:07:54.180 --> 00:07:58.290 that area and be still. And there he would bring 00:07:58.290 --> 00:08:00.670 his sheep so that they might drink from the waters 00:08:00.670 --> 00:08:04.629 which they needed. And so our Lord does the same 00:08:04.629 --> 00:08:07.949 for us, providing for us quiet and still waters. 00:08:09.209 --> 00:08:13.769 Beloved, that is our need. The secret to living 00:08:13.769 --> 00:08:16.470 the Christian life, the secret to facing the 00:08:16.470 --> 00:08:19.209 hectic schedules that confront all of us every 00:08:19.209 --> 00:08:22.329 day and every week that we live, the secret is 00:08:22.329 --> 00:08:28.500 learning to rest. To rest upon who Jesus is and 00:08:28.500 --> 00:08:32.960 what he has done for us. To realize that we don't 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:35.720 have to perform to do something more to make 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:40.019 us acceptable to him. For by his grace he has 00:08:40.019 --> 00:08:44.320 already made us accepted in the beloved. Yes, 00:08:44.340 --> 00:08:46.559 we want to be well pleasing to the Lord. Yes, 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:49.460 Paul says that we ought to labor therefore to 00:08:49.460 --> 00:08:51.639 be well pleasing to the Lord knowing that one 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:53.860 day we shall stand before him at the judgment 00:08:53.860 --> 00:08:57.799 seat. But on the other hand let us remember that 00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:00.580 as believers in the Lord Jesus we can rest and 00:09:00.580 --> 00:09:06.299 be quiet and we need to be. The Lord is our shepherd 00:09:06.299 --> 00:09:10.259 and he delivers us from our deficiencies. One 00:09:10.259 --> 00:09:15.100 of the deficiencies that all of us faces is that 00:09:15.100 --> 00:09:19.240 of weariness and the Lord provides us rest if 00:09:19.240 --> 00:09:22.899 we will avail ourselves of it. I'm talking to 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:27.070 some weary sheep this morning. There are some 00:09:27.070 --> 00:09:29.289 of you that have beat yourself to death trying 00:09:29.289 --> 00:09:35.690 to be what you think is a good Christian. Or 00:09:35.690 --> 00:09:39.409 your schedule at work or at home has caused you 00:09:39.409 --> 00:09:44.230 to meet yourself going and coming. Our good shepherd 00:09:44.230 --> 00:09:47.950 today would take you by the hand and lead you 00:09:47.950 --> 00:09:53.169 to green pastures and to the quiet waters and 00:09:53.169 --> 00:09:58.600 would ask you to learn to rest in him. And though 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:00.759 that may not slow down the number of appointments 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:03.379 you have in the day or the responsibilities that 00:10:03.379 --> 00:10:10.279 you have, it nonetheless will encase you in a 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:13.840 spirit of quietness as you pass through the busyness 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:18.899 of the day. The quietness our Lord gives us is 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:22.480 an inner quietness, not necessarily the outward 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:26.490 quietness of schedule. But is that sense that 00:10:26.490 --> 00:10:29.629 we are right with him and that he is in control 00:10:29.629 --> 00:10:32.250 of our circumstances and we can be at peace about 00:10:32.250 --> 00:10:37.009 that? Then I noticed that the psalmist says that 00:10:37.009 --> 00:10:41.110 the Lord provides restoration for our waste a 00:10:41.110 --> 00:10:43.990 Hectic life not only leads to weariness, but 00:10:43.990 --> 00:10:49.649 it brings waste also The more hectic and upset 00:10:49.649 --> 00:10:53.889 We become the less profitable and beneficial 00:10:53.889 --> 00:10:57.519 we are to the Lord as well as to other people. 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:02.600 What we need is restoration inwardly. For the 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:05.460 frazzled edges of our lives to be brought back 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:10.100 and sewn together, the Lord restores our souls. 00:11:11.019 --> 00:11:13.860 He provides for us new strength. How does he 00:11:13.860 --> 00:11:17.960 do that? Well, it is when we get to that quiet 00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:21.879 place that we receive from him that spiritual 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:26.279 nourishment for the inner man. that enables us 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:31.460 to be restored. We first have to get to the quiet 00:11:31.460 --> 00:11:35.019 place, and once we are there in communion with 00:11:35.019 --> 00:11:38.919 him, then the Lord is able to restore our souls. 00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:42.799 Are you restored today? Or are the edges of your 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:46.799 life frayed because of that hectic schedule you've 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:51.429 been trying to keep? or those sincere but fleshly 00:11:51.429 --> 00:11:54.330 workings of your life to try to live the life 00:11:54.330 --> 00:11:58.629 for God that he wants you to live. Draw apart 00:11:58.629 --> 00:12:02.070 from that, beloved. As the Lord's sheep come 00:12:02.070 --> 00:12:05.850 to the quiet waters, to the green pastures and 00:12:05.850 --> 00:12:08.649 lie down, and there allow him to restore you 00:12:08.649 --> 00:12:14.169 in the inner man. As the songwriter said, speak, 00:12:14.529 --> 00:12:18.519 Lord. in the stillness, while I wait on thee, 00:12:18.620 --> 00:12:26.379 hushed my heart, to listen in expectancy. Have 00:12:26.379 --> 00:12:28.440 you been listening to the Lord this week with 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:32.039 expectancy and in a quiet place, where he might 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:34.419 reach down into that soul of yours and bring 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:37.679 it back to order from his confusion and chaos? 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:42.320 Where he might heal you from the hurts and the 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:49.289 cares where He might restore you. The Lord provides 00:12:49.289 --> 00:12:51.710 for all of our deficiencies. He delivers us from 00:12:51.710 --> 00:12:56.809 them. He provides rest for our weariness, restoration 00:12:56.809 --> 00:13:00.669 for our waste. And I notice also He provides 00:13:00.669 --> 00:13:05.950 redirection for our waywardness. It does not 00:13:05.950 --> 00:13:08.350 take a Christian very long to understand that 00:13:08.350 --> 00:13:10.789 even though he trusts the Lord Jesus as Savior, 00:13:10.789 --> 00:13:14.529 it is forgiven of his sin. There remains within 00:13:14.529 --> 00:13:18.309 him a tendency to wonder away from the Lord. 00:13:20.289 --> 00:13:23.330 There is a certain self -indulgence that we still 00:13:23.330 --> 00:13:28.230 struggle with. There is yet within the child 00:13:28.230 --> 00:13:34.210 of God fleshliness, where sin operates as a principle 00:13:34.210 --> 00:13:37.649 seeking to cause us to wonder from our paths 00:13:37.649 --> 00:13:42.190 of walking with him. The Lord, our shepherd, 00:13:42.470 --> 00:13:46.970 provides redirection for our waywardness. He 00:13:46.970 --> 00:13:50.470 guides me, says David, in the path of righteousness 00:13:50.470 --> 00:13:55.169 for His namesake. Isn't the Lord good to come 00:13:55.169 --> 00:13:58.769 after us when we have wandered? When we have 00:13:58.769 --> 00:14:04.029 gone wayward, we hear His footsteps behind us, 00:14:04.029 --> 00:14:07.309 and we may continue wayward for a while. But 00:14:07.309 --> 00:14:10.009 as we do, we hear those footsteps catching up 00:14:10.009 --> 00:14:13.450 with us until finally we feel the hand of the 00:14:13.450 --> 00:14:16.830 Lord in our lives. And we're brought to repentance 00:14:16.830 --> 00:14:19.730 and we return and come back to the paths of righteousness 00:14:19.730 --> 00:14:24.669 or to the right path. Why does the Lord do that? 00:14:25.830 --> 00:14:30.590 For His name's sake. Because you see, you are 00:14:30.590 --> 00:14:36.629 His sheep. You're His. and his name is identified 00:14:36.629 --> 00:14:40.090 with you and for the sake of his own reputation 00:14:40.090 --> 00:14:44.409 in your life the Lord persistently comes after 00:14:44.409 --> 00:14:52.009 you when you've gone astray songwriter says I've 00:14:52.009 --> 00:14:57.269 wondered far away from God now I'm coming home 00:14:57.269 --> 00:15:00.590 the paths of sin no more to trod Lord I'm coming 00:15:00.590 --> 00:15:04.519 home How wonderful it is when as children of 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:06.740 God we come to that place in our waywardness 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:10.899 where we say Lord I have strayed and I see that 00:15:10.899 --> 00:15:14.759 and I repent of it before you and he redirects 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:17.360 us and brings us back to the paths of righteousness 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:20.860 for the sake of his name Maybe that's where you 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:25.980 are today As you honestly stop and evaluate where 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:28.299 you've been walking recently you see that it's 00:15:28.299 --> 00:15:33.009 not been the paths of righteousness but other 00:15:33.009 --> 00:15:38.350 paths that have brought you to the edge of disaster 00:15:38.350 --> 00:15:43.529 perhaps or to the point of shame. And now our 00:15:43.529 --> 00:15:45.649 Lord comes to you faithfully as your shepherd 00:15:45.649 --> 00:15:48.389 and he says let me redirect your life. Will you 00:15:48.389 --> 00:15:52.909 let him do it today? The Lord our shepherd provides 00:15:52.909 --> 00:15:55.830 for all of our deficiencies. He's wonderful. 00:15:56.990 --> 00:16:00.240 We're kept secure because of that. But I want 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:02.320 you to notice that also the Lord delivers his 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:07.440 sheep from danger, verses 4 and 5. I will fear 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:11.399 no evil, is David's statement of assurance. Oh, 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:14.299 what confidence rings in that statement. No evil 00:16:14.299 --> 00:16:20.879 will I fear, none. There are two evils that seem 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:23.460 to be in mind as he says that. One is the evil 00:16:23.460 --> 00:16:26.419 of the valley of the shadow of death, and the 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:30.700 other is the presence of his enemies. The valley 00:16:30.700 --> 00:16:32.779 of the shadow of death is another way of saying 00:16:32.779 --> 00:16:35.460 the valley of the deep shadow, which is probably 00:16:35.460 --> 00:16:39.320 the better rendering of this. We use this psalm 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:41.440 and this verse in particular at funerals and 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:43.399 there's nothing inappropriate about that because 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:47.159 it's true at that occasion of death. But the 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:49.840 idea is broader than that. It's the valley of 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:54.399 where the shadows are dark. It's a valley of 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:57.659 uncertainty. where we are tempted to anxiety 00:16:57.659 --> 00:17:02.940 because of the evil that may lurk there. As a 00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:05.140 young boy I remember an occasion when I had played 00:17:05.140 --> 00:17:09.180 at our neighbor's place with their children rather 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:13.680 late in the evening and it had become dark. We 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:16.339 lived a quarter of a mile away from our neighbors 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:20.559 and on the farm there are no street lights. The 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:22.900 only light you have is the stars and the moon. 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:25.579 And that's all that was there that night. And 00:17:25.579 --> 00:17:27.579 it wasn't too bad along the gravel road, but 00:17:27.579 --> 00:17:33.079 just as I was leaving to walk home, the neighbor 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:35.640 said to me, now watch out for the boogie man. 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:44.680 What a sorry rascal to do that to a boy nine 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:48.640 or ten years old. Now I knew that road. I had 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:50.880 walked it many times. I knew the trees and the 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:54.119 bushes, but suddenly, They took on new forms. 00:17:55.779 --> 00:18:00.140 And lurking behind them was the specter of the 00:18:00.140 --> 00:18:04.859 boogeyman. I read recently where that phrase 00:18:04.859 --> 00:18:09.819 comes from. Back in World War II it seems that 00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:12.839 the Japanese landed on a certain part of Indonesia. 00:18:14.339 --> 00:18:18.619 They took the villagers and the women and children 00:18:19.490 --> 00:18:21.710 They killed, and then they took the men to a 00:18:21.710 --> 00:18:26.009 cave, and there they beheaded them. And as the 00:18:26.009 --> 00:18:28.289 Japanese soldiers were walking away from the 00:18:28.289 --> 00:18:31.150 cave, they looked around, and here were these 00:18:31.150 --> 00:18:33.490 headless bodies coming out of the caves after 00:18:33.490 --> 00:18:37.309 them. You say, what's that got to do with the 00:18:37.309 --> 00:18:38.950 name? Well, that's what they did. They boogied. 00:18:42.130 --> 00:18:50.369 No, actually, the truth is, The truth is that 00:18:50.369 --> 00:18:53.769 that happened supposedly on an area of Indonesia 00:18:53.769 --> 00:18:57.289 called Boogie. And so that that specter of a 00:18:57.289 --> 00:19:00.990 headless body coming after you was the boogeyman, 00:19:01.690 --> 00:19:05.809 at least in the lore of that story. The valley 00:19:05.809 --> 00:19:09.869 of the deep shadow. What is the deep shadow that's 00:19:09.869 --> 00:19:13.950 in your path today? What is the valley that causes 00:19:13.950 --> 00:19:18.069 you to fear? What is the boogeyman in your life? 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:21.420 As you look out over the next week or the next 00:19:21.420 --> 00:19:25.480 months, as far as you can see down the road, 00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:30.079 David says, I will fear no evil. Now the implication 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:32.259 in the psalm is that the shepherd led him there. 00:19:32.339 --> 00:19:35.859 Notice in verse 3, he guides me, verse 4, even 00:19:35.859 --> 00:19:38.099 though I walk through the valley of the shadow. 00:19:40.420 --> 00:19:42.680 And so as he goes through that experience, it 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:45.829 is that the shepherd has led him there. That 00:19:45.829 --> 00:19:48.250 idea that when we walk with Jesus we never go 00:19:48.250 --> 00:19:52.470 through a valley is a false idea. For our Lord 00:19:52.470 --> 00:19:54.750 takes us into the valley just as the shepherd 00:19:54.750 --> 00:19:56.710 took his sheep into the valley when that was 00:19:56.710 --> 00:20:01.190 necessary. We need to remember though that the 00:20:01.190 --> 00:20:03.529 valley is not the destination, the valley is 00:20:03.529 --> 00:20:08.750 but a passage. That valley of the deep shadow 00:20:08.750 --> 00:20:11.470 that is before you is part of the journey but 00:20:11.470 --> 00:20:13.670 it's not where the journey leads to ultimately. 00:20:15.630 --> 00:20:18.150 David said, I fear no evil, and the reason was 00:20:18.150 --> 00:20:21.349 the personal presence of the shepherd. Thou art 00:20:21.349 --> 00:20:24.910 with me, he says. Isn't it wonderful that when 00:20:24.910 --> 00:20:27.109 we walk through the mountain heights or through 00:20:27.109 --> 00:20:30.470 the deep valleys, the Lord is with us. We never 00:20:30.470 --> 00:20:38.450 walk alone. That's why we can say the Lord is 00:20:38.450 --> 00:20:42.549 our helper. We need not fear. Because He is the 00:20:42.549 --> 00:20:46.559 one who has said. I will never leave you, nor 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:53.400 will I ever forsake you." The Lord who is always 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:56.259 with us has a provision for us that we need. 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:02.319 It's called a rod and a staff. These two implements 00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:06.400 were symbolic of his power and his strength, 00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:10.339 his care over his sheep. Haddon Robinson describes 00:21:10.339 --> 00:21:17.170 the rod as a two -foot piece of oak. that usually 00:21:17.170 --> 00:21:22.170 had a knot at the end of it. And into that knot 00:21:22.170 --> 00:21:27.269 were pounded sharp pieces of metal so that the 00:21:27.269 --> 00:21:31.970 rod became a very sturdy and heavy, fierce weapon. 00:21:33.430 --> 00:21:35.869 It was the kind of weapon that could smash the 00:21:35.869 --> 00:21:38.910 head of a predator that was close or which could 00:21:38.910 --> 00:21:42.630 be thrown at a distance like it was a missile, 00:21:43.589 --> 00:21:47.650 the shepherd's rod. But then the staff was that 00:21:47.650 --> 00:21:51.130 other longer piece that we often think of and 00:21:51.130 --> 00:21:53.289 identify with the shepherd. It was bent at the 00:21:53.289 --> 00:21:57.869 end so that there was a hook. That longer piece 00:21:57.869 --> 00:22:01.069 was used to hold back the branches, to clear 00:22:01.069 --> 00:22:05.130 the path for the sheep. It was used to gently 00:22:05.130 --> 00:22:09.970 reach up and tap the sheep, perhaps to redirect 00:22:09.970 --> 00:22:14.470 him. It was used with the hook to reach down 00:22:14.470 --> 00:22:18.549 and pull up a sheep that was caught in a pit 00:22:18.549 --> 00:22:23.210 or on a ledge. So it was a very useful tool to 00:22:23.210 --> 00:22:27.430 the shepherd. David says the Lord's rod and staff, 00:22:27.930 --> 00:22:30.829 they're with me. I need not fear in this deep, 00:22:31.009 --> 00:22:34.630 dark valley that I'm in. And you don't have to 00:22:34.630 --> 00:22:38.730 fear either. Because the Lord delivers you from 00:22:38.730 --> 00:22:43.250 danger. He will lead you through deep valleys 00:22:43.250 --> 00:22:47.029 of darkness. But He is there with you and His 00:22:47.029 --> 00:22:50.130 provision is for your sake. And He will never 00:22:50.130 --> 00:22:55.369 leave you there. He will lead you out. But David 00:22:55.369 --> 00:22:57.869 had a second danger in mind. It was the presence 00:22:57.869 --> 00:23:01.970 of enemies. These enemies are not identified 00:23:01.970 --> 00:23:06.769 personally. But he says, Thou dost prepare a 00:23:06.769 --> 00:23:10.089 table before me in the presence. of my enemies. 00:23:10.230 --> 00:23:14.750 Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows." 00:23:14.750 --> 00:23:18.069 Notice that the presence of the enemies does 00:23:18.069 --> 00:23:20.730 not cause the blessings of God to stop. There 00:23:20.730 --> 00:23:24.309 is still the table of fellowship with him. The 00:23:24.309 --> 00:23:26.529 picture in the mind here is that of a lavish 00:23:26.529 --> 00:23:31.250 oriental feast. David seems to leave beside himself 00:23:31.250 --> 00:23:33.109 at the moment the picture of the shepherd and 00:23:33.109 --> 00:23:35.450 he goes to the picture of a host. The Lord is 00:23:35.450 --> 00:23:39.400 his host. And he sees himself at a table that 00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:42.559 is lavishly spread with all sorts of fruits and 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:46.420 nuts and vegetables and meat that had been prepared, 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:51.359 an oriental banquet. And he sees himself reclining 00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:54.259 there in comfort upon the pillows, delighting 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:57.460 in the presence of the host who has invited him. 00:23:59.140 --> 00:24:01.980 He says, the enemies may stand around and watch, 00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:05.910 but the Lord and I Well, we in the midst of that 00:24:05.910 --> 00:24:08.549 sit down and we have fellowship together at a 00:24:08.549 --> 00:24:13.529 table that is lavishly spread. He further says, 00:24:14.269 --> 00:24:17.910 he gives me in the midst of my enemies anointing 00:24:17.910 --> 00:24:22.410 with oil. That was a custom of a host in that 00:24:22.410 --> 00:24:24.869 day, to anoint the head of the guest who had 00:24:24.869 --> 00:24:27.569 traveled a distance with oil, to refresh him. 00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:30.559 And so we have here the picture of the anointing 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:33.319 of refreshment. The Lord gives us that, folks, 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:36.059 in the midst of our enemies, whatever, whoever 00:24:36.059 --> 00:24:41.160 they may be. They cannot rob you of the blessings 00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:43.980 of the Lord. You can still fellowship with him. 00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:48.019 Indeed, persecution from your enemies makes Christ 00:24:48.019 --> 00:24:52.180 all the sweeter to you in fellowship. You still 00:24:52.180 --> 00:24:55.759 have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, that oil 00:24:55.759 --> 00:25:00.410 of God as it were. in your life. No enemy can 00:25:00.410 --> 00:25:05.170 rob you of that. If you are placed in the solitary 00:25:05.170 --> 00:25:07.869 confinement in some deep prison somewhere for 00:25:07.869 --> 00:25:10.630 the sake of Christ, the Holy Spirit is still 00:25:10.630 --> 00:25:14.250 there as your comforter, your teacher, your sealer. 00:25:14.670 --> 00:25:19.109 He is there. And he says, my cup runs over also. 00:25:19.210 --> 00:25:22.789 The cup of abundance. The picture here is of 00:25:22.789 --> 00:25:26.609 his lot in life. He says, it is a lot that is 00:25:26.609 --> 00:25:30.049 filled with abundant blessing. In Christ Jesus 00:25:30.049 --> 00:25:32.470 we have received every spiritual blessing and 00:25:32.470 --> 00:25:37.170 no enemy can rob us of that. We can still pray 00:25:37.170 --> 00:25:40.809 to a God who is able to do exceeding abundantly 00:25:40.809 --> 00:25:45.430 beyond all that we ask or can imagine according 00:25:45.430 --> 00:25:48.950 to the power that works within us. No enemy can 00:25:48.950 --> 00:25:52.509 steal that from us. And so in the midst of our 00:25:52.509 --> 00:25:55.869 enemies, the Lord delivers us from danger. He 00:25:55.869 --> 00:26:00.569 does. Because He is a faithful shepherd. We are 00:26:00.569 --> 00:26:05.130 kept secure. And then finally, the Lord delivers 00:26:05.130 --> 00:26:09.089 His sheep from doubt. Verse 6. How do we know 00:26:09.089 --> 00:26:12.970 that we'll be kept secure? Through life and then 00:26:12.970 --> 00:26:16.430 after life. Well, because again, of the shepherd's 00:26:16.430 --> 00:26:19.710 protection. Notice that he says, surely goodness 00:26:19.710 --> 00:26:22.029 and loving kindness will follow me all the days 00:26:22.029 --> 00:26:26.589 of my life. And I will dwell in the house of 00:26:26.589 --> 00:26:30.750 the Lord forever. We have the shepherd's protection 00:26:30.750 --> 00:26:37.410 for life. God promises us his goodness and his 00:26:37.410 --> 00:26:40.990 loving kindness, that is his covenant faithfulness. 00:26:41.690 --> 00:26:44.789 God is faithful to us because we have a covenant 00:26:44.789 --> 00:26:49.420 established between us. that is sealed in Jesus' 00:26:49.819 --> 00:26:55.000 blood. God's goodness and his covenant faithfulness, 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:59.599 he says, follow me all the days of my life. Notice 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:03.660 he says, they follow me. The shepherd is out 00:27:03.660 --> 00:27:06.920 in front, leading the way, guiding us in the 00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:10.160 paths of righteousness, but behind us in our 00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:13.259 journey through life come God's caretakers, his 00:27:13.259 --> 00:27:16.819 goodness, his faithfulness. that keep us moving 00:27:16.819 --> 00:27:21.119 with the shepherd. And these caretakers are ours 00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:24.559 for all the days of our lives. That is, for the 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:27.720 whole of them and for each of them. There's not 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:30.140 a day that God's goodness and God's faithfulness 00:27:30.140 --> 00:27:35.279 does not minister to you and to me. The Lord 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:38.039 delivers us from doubt. Do not doubt Him in your 00:27:38.039 --> 00:27:42.740 life. Remember that He is out in front leading 00:27:42.740 --> 00:27:45.750 you. You may not understand how He is leading 00:27:45.750 --> 00:27:50.009 at this point. He's leading you. He's leading 00:27:50.009 --> 00:27:54.529 you in the right path for His name's sake. And 00:27:54.529 --> 00:27:57.509 He brings up behind you His goodness and His 00:27:57.509 --> 00:28:00.130 faithfulness so that you will eventually arrive 00:28:00.130 --> 00:28:03.549 where He wants you to. How wonderful to have 00:28:03.549 --> 00:28:07.190 the shepherd and no longer to be a wayward sheep 00:28:07.190 --> 00:28:14.170 who's lost and without a shepherd. We have the 00:28:14.170 --> 00:28:16.609 shepherd's protection for life, but we also have 00:28:16.609 --> 00:28:20.109 the shepherd's protection forever, for afterlife. 00:28:21.190 --> 00:28:23.990 For he promises us a dwelling place, and David's 00:28:23.990 --> 00:28:26.569 mind in the house of the Lord was perhaps the 00:28:26.569 --> 00:28:33.730 tabernacle, that place where God dwelt over the 00:28:33.730 --> 00:28:37.569 mercy seat. To David, there was no greater thought 00:28:37.569 --> 00:28:41.740 than to be with the Lord. To be with the Lord 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:45.660 in His house, is there a greater thought for 00:28:45.660 --> 00:28:51.019 you? Can you think of any joy more sublime, any 00:28:51.019 --> 00:28:54.460 delight that is more full than to be in the Lord's 00:28:54.460 --> 00:29:00.700 house? And that is where we're headed. I will 00:29:00.700 --> 00:29:03.680 dwell in the house of the Lord forever, he says. 00:29:04.380 --> 00:29:08.380 Beyond that earthly tabernacle, we see heaven. 00:29:09.069 --> 00:29:12.329 that place that Jesus called My Father's House, 00:29:13.049 --> 00:29:15.750 in which He said, our many dwelling places, I 00:29:15.750 --> 00:29:20.390 go to prepare a place for you. Our Lord delivers 00:29:20.390 --> 00:29:23.849 us from doubt. We need not doubt Him in this 00:29:23.849 --> 00:29:27.150 life, nor doubt Him in eternity to come, because 00:29:27.150 --> 00:29:29.869 He's already in eternity and He's prepared the 00:29:29.869 --> 00:29:35.130 place for us. The place that is our Father's 00:29:35.130 --> 00:29:38.420 House. But there's a dwelling place for each 00:29:38.420 --> 00:29:41.779 of us who knows Him, who can call Him our shepherd. 00:29:43.339 --> 00:29:47.279 The Lord delivers His sheep. He delivers us from 00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:51.420 deficiencies. He delivers us from danger. He 00:29:51.420 --> 00:29:54.819 delivers us from doubt. Let me close with just 00:29:54.819 --> 00:30:00.019 three final considerations. Number one, are you 00:30:00.019 --> 00:30:05.584 living out of your deficiency or in your shepherd's 00:30:05.579 --> 00:30:10.400 sufficiency, which is it? I mean, are you living 00:30:10.400 --> 00:30:16.799 today in weariness or in rest in Him? Are you 00:30:16.799 --> 00:30:20.559 living in your own waste or are you experiencing 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:25.599 His restoration? Are you living in your waywardness 00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:28.740 or are you knowing His redirection constantly 00:30:28.740 --> 00:30:33.460 to the right path? Are you living out of your 00:30:33.460 --> 00:30:40.160 deficiency? or out of His sufficiency? Which 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:44.559 is it? Which would you rather it be? What will 00:30:44.559 --> 00:30:47.220 you do to begin to enter into the shepherd's 00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:52.220 sufficiency? What do you need to do today in 00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:58.880 terms of attitude and response to Him? A second 00:30:58.880 --> 00:31:01.579 consideration is this. Are you living in fear 00:31:01.579 --> 00:31:07.789 of some evil? or in the security of God's protection? 00:31:09.890 --> 00:31:12.890 There is nothing that robs us so much of our 00:31:12.890 --> 00:31:17.450 joy of salvation as worry over something that 00:31:17.450 --> 00:31:23.250 may happen to us. Are you living today in the 00:31:23.250 --> 00:31:28.269 fear of some uncertain evil, or are you living 00:31:28.269 --> 00:31:31.250 in the security of God's protection in your life? 00:31:31.950 --> 00:31:34.730 My friend, if you're living in worry and anxiety, 00:31:35.029 --> 00:31:39.549 today lay aside. No longer allow that to be a 00:31:39.549 --> 00:31:44.210 drain upon you, but trust the Lord's security, 00:31:44.930 --> 00:31:49.150 His care, His protection. A third consideration, 00:31:50.089 --> 00:31:56.329 are you living in doubt of your salvation or 00:31:56.329 --> 00:32:03.279 in the assurance of it? Jesus said, my sheep 00:32:03.279 --> 00:32:09.839 hear my voice and I know them and they follow 00:32:09.839 --> 00:32:15.859 me and I give unto them eternal life and they 00:32:15.859 --> 00:32:21.440 shall never by any means perish. Are you living 00:32:21.440 --> 00:32:25.519 today in the doubt of your salvation or in the 00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:27.559 assurance of it? God wants you to know you're 00:32:27.559 --> 00:32:32.680 saved. If you're doubting your salvation, then 00:32:32.680 --> 00:32:42.559 it's possible that you've never been saved. He 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:45.339 that has the Son has life. He that has not the 00:32:45.339 --> 00:32:48.740 Son of God has not life. It's one or the other. 00:32:51.259 --> 00:32:53.440 These things I write unto you, says John, that 00:32:53.440 --> 00:33:00.279 you may know that you have eternal life. Do you 00:33:00.279 --> 00:33:04.579 know that you have eternal life? Do you know 00:33:04.579 --> 00:33:07.740 that goodness and mercy are with you now in this 00:33:07.740 --> 00:33:11.160 world and that should you die today, you would 00:33:11.160 --> 00:33:15.279 go to the house of the Lord forever? Do you know 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:21.039 that? You can. God wants you to know that. He's 00:33:21.039 --> 00:33:27.049 provided for you to know that. You can know it 00:33:27.049 --> 00:33:30.369 by trusting in the Lord Jesus today as your Savior 00:33:30.369 --> 00:33:34.970 and returning to Him who is the shepherd of your 00:33:34.970 --> 00:33:40.730 soul. It's possible that one can trust the Savior 00:33:40.730 --> 00:33:43.329 and still doubt His salvation, however, particularly 00:33:43.329 --> 00:33:47.630 when He's not following the shepherd obediently. 00:33:48.529 --> 00:33:51.029 Because the assurance that we have in our hearts 00:33:51.029 --> 00:33:53.430 that we are His comes from the fact that we walk 00:33:53.430 --> 00:33:58.859 with Him. That gives us the assurance that we 00:33:58.859 --> 00:34:01.680 really are God's sheep when we hear his voice 00:34:01.680 --> 00:34:04.559 and we go in the direction that he tells us to 00:34:04.559 --> 00:34:11.320 go. Maybe you're a child of God, surely enough, 00:34:12.539 --> 00:34:14.780 but you've not been listening closely to the 00:34:14.780 --> 00:34:18.119 shepherd's voice and today that's even began 00:34:18.119 --> 00:34:21.739 to eat away at the assurance of your salvation. 00:34:24.239 --> 00:34:27.230 Will you today respond to the shepherd? Give 00:34:27.230 --> 00:34:32.289 them yourself anew. Give yourself in repentance 00:34:32.289 --> 00:34:36.369 and newness of faith. So that you can say with 00:34:36.369 --> 00:34:40.349 David, the Lord is my shepherd and I lack nothing. 00:34:41.869 --> 00:34:47.590 Let's pray. With our heads bowed and our eyes 00:34:47.590 --> 00:34:50.469 closed, I wonder just in the closing seconds 00:34:50.469 --> 00:34:55.070 of this part of our service, how you need to 00:34:55.070 --> 00:34:58.559 address the Lord. Maybe it's with gratitude that 00:34:58.559 --> 00:35:01.219 He has led you and that He's kept you and that 00:35:01.219 --> 00:35:05.300 you followed obediently. Not as a work of your 00:35:05.300 --> 00:35:10.440 own effort, but by His grace. But perhaps there's 00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:18.900 some deficiency. You've wandered. There's waste. 00:35:22.119 --> 00:35:27.739 There's waywardness. Today you need to be redirected 00:35:27.739 --> 00:35:36.559 back to the right path. Will you come back? Out 00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:42.679 of my darkness, out of my blindness, out of my 00:35:42.679 --> 00:35:45.480 disobedience, would you say, Lord Jesus, I come 00:35:45.480 --> 00:35:54.139 to you? What about you my friend without the 00:35:54.139 --> 00:35:56.219 Savior? Would you trust Him in this moment? Would 00:35:56.219 --> 00:36:01.380 you understand your need of a Savior? Do you 00:36:01.380 --> 00:36:03.800 understand that you're a sinner under the judgment 00:36:03.800 --> 00:36:08.840 of God? Righteous judgment that you deserve. 00:36:10.900 --> 00:36:12.920 But do you understand also that He loves you 00:36:12.920 --> 00:36:15.579 nonetheless and has provided for you to escape 00:36:15.579 --> 00:36:21.789 that judgment? Through the sacrifice of Jesus 00:36:21.789 --> 00:36:25.010 on the cross. He's made that provision for you 00:36:25.010 --> 00:36:27.969 And if you will bow the knee and receive him 00:36:27.969 --> 00:36:32.550 today, he will save you and save you now Will 00:36:32.550 --> 00:36:35.550 you let him do it? Right where you're seated 00:36:35.550 --> 00:36:40.130 just tell them so Father I pray that our hearts 00:36:40.130 --> 00:36:43.789 will be completely open and honest with you Knowing 00:36:43.789 --> 00:36:47.050 that we cannot hide anything from you nor should 00:36:47.050 --> 00:36:51.929 we want to May we not allow these seconds to 00:36:51.929 --> 00:36:55.489 pass without responding in some way as the Spirit 00:36:55.489 --> 00:36:59.329 would direct us. And may this be a new beginning 00:36:59.329 --> 00:37:06.070 for many of us today. May we walk with the shepherd 00:37:06.070 --> 00:37:09.670 and know the joy and the blessing that comes 00:37:09.670 --> 00:37:16.110 from that daily experience. In Jesus' name, amen.