Sunday 24 July 2016 Psalm 23 Proposition: God leads and cares for me. Psalm 23New International Version (NIV) Psalm 23 A psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me In the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. How many of you here this morning would have the 23 rd Psalm as one of your favourite passages? I think most of us love this Psalm because it speaks to the joys and fears of any human being and reminds us that God the Son, is our good shepherd and a caring and compassionate God. In John 10 Jesus describes Himself as The Good Shepherd just as King David describes Jesus as our Good Shepherd here. I doubt that many of us like being compared to a weak, dumb, vulnerable sheep. And yet when we honestly compare ourselves to His power and His wisdom, maybe being allegorized as a dumb sheep is actually a bit of a compliment. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that around 1/3 of all Psalms are specifically about Jesus. Psalms 22-24 certainly are. 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. Psalm 84 takes this verse a step further and says that God will not withhold any good thing from those that love Him. Yeh but Lord, I haven t found my future spouse yet. But Lord, I m driving a ford. Lord the house I live in with my family is crowded and rough. Family, when those plague your mind, I don t have, I need, I ought to have, why is God taking so long can I encourage you to take those thoughts to the good shepherd and leave them there. Sure there will be some of you in here who are struggling with problems and debt because of the consequences of sin. However... Even if you don t understand what is going down in your life right now. You can be sure that God will give you what you need and a bit more, but he will do that when he knows it s the best time for you. I remember a young man with a big mortgage when I worked in Taupo. He won lotto and his life was destroyed. I think a couple of million dollars will be good for me personally, but God knows best and you and I can trust Him. One of the most encouraging things about this family is all the stories I have heard over the years about God s miraculous provision. Work hard. Don t spend all your money when you get it. Don t borrow money or be bound by any addiction. Treat those around you like precious gold. But, ultimately, just trust the shepherd to provide for all of your needs plus a bit extra. Matthew 6:8 for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, Did you know that sheep will not rest until they are free from conflicts with other sheep, free from predators, free from pests and free from hunger? The good shepherd protects his sheep from predatory threats and internal threats. When you are not trying to make things happen in your own strength but are being led by the good shepherd voice, you will end up in green pastures where you really can find rest. Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) 28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. he leads me beside quiet waters, Jesus said if any man is thirsty, frustrated with life, empty, let him come to me and drink and out of his innermost being will gush forth torrents of living water. He also said in John 4 as He pointed to a physical well Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again. Friends if ever you become frustrated, dissatisfied with life, maybe feeling a little empty again; ask yourself have you been hanging out with Jesus, taking from a close relationship with Him or have you started drinking from the old wells? Have you started doing what you used to do before you met Jesus? Drink from His voice refreshed. Look to possessions or your job or any other thing for your joy and you will soon end up empty, thirsty again. 3 he refreshes my soul. Your soul, is your mind and your emotions. We all know that this life is often tiring and challenging. How is a person meant to deal with all that loss and pressure and disappointment and stress? There is only One person who can refresh your soul, your mind and your emotions and that person is Jesus. Get back to prayer. Take time to really listen for His voice and I would always encourage you to write down and meditate on what Jesus says to you. He guides me along the right paths for his name s sake Sheep are creatures of habit. By overgrazing they will eventually destroy their pastures. They must be led out to new pasture land. We also prefer things to be comfortable, to be routine. But the Lord, our Good shepherd goes before us for His name s sake, for what is best for us His sheep and His kingdom. And Jesus says to you and to me, step out of our comfort zone, step out of the routine, I have bigger and better things for you, just follow My voice. I know that there are people in our church today that feel like life has become a bit routine, a bit predictable. I am sure if you listen to His voice He will lead you out on a new path, if you would trust Him and step out in faith. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
As our Good Shepherd leads us out of our comfortable routines and into an adventure with Him, along the right paths sometimes He will take us through deep valleys and dark ravines. But notice, the Shepherd takes his sheep through the valley, He doesn t leave them in the valley. As Christians we do not fear death. We know that dying will be like passing through a door into a new dimension. A study was done of 2000 undertakers in America. They said that those who died as believers in Jesus usually died with a smile on their face but those who do not know Jesus weren t smiling on death. Interesting fact, you cannot force a dead person s face to smile. The muscle structure does not allow you to. The tradition of having an open casket however did not start with the NZ Maori it started with Christians historically because they found that the peace and the smile, almost glory that was often imprinted of Christian faces when they died was a powerful witness to the unbeliever. your rod and your staff, they comfort me. David has been talking about the Good Shepherd as a He but now the language changes to You. It s more personal because David has experienced the correction and guidance of the Good Shepherd. The rod was used for protection, to fend off or club wild animals. And the staff was used to guide and to rescue the sheep. With his staff, that long pole with a hook on the end, the Shepherd could physically nudge the dumb sheep this way or that and if the sheep got stuck over a bank or in some thorns or mud, that same staff was useful for lifting the dumb sheep to freedom. Not only was the rod, the club like tool used to protect the sheep though, as we have mentioned before it was also used for correction on occasion as the shepherd would break the legs of the dumb, continually wandering lamb and then carry that lamb on his shoulders for weeks to build up a bond with it. On occasion our Good Shepherd will discipline us so that we don t continue to wander away into danger. It might hurt. It might be hard to understand at the time however it comforts you and me, because we realize that God will only discipline those that He loves. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Notice that the Good Shepherd doesn t remove us from our enemies but prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. Question. Do Christians have enemies? Answer. Not physical ones. For we war against principalities and powers, i.e. dark forces of evil. The demonic realm. What is the table? Personally, I think that it is the communion table. This table that shouts to the world and reminds us we are completely forgiven, made innocent through the blood of Jesus. Satan always tries to bring up your past, to condemn you and make you feel shame. The communion table declares that there is no condemnation for those who walk by faith in Christ Jesus. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Ancient Shepherds would anoint the heads of dumb sheep with oil for two reasons. One it did help keep away parasites but secondly and mainly when sheep fought they would like a goat ram their heads together. Now if they have oil on their heads, the friction was reduced and more than likely as they tried to push each other back their heads would slip off each other. The oil, the symbol of the Holy Spirit on them, reduced friction between the sheep just as the Holy Spirit on you and I reduces the tension between us, makes it hard for us to stay angry and to stay frustrated with each other. The people of the old testament and Jesus used the imagery of a cup or a tree to describe their lives. So to say that your cup overflows is to say that God not only fills your life with His Holy Spirit but that you carry so much that He, the Holy Spirit can flow out of your abundance to others. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, One of the strangest things that happens to me on a daily basis is that children and animals seem to like me, and when I am just doing life I often find there is a child, or a pet running around after me like a shadow. That is a real compliment and in this song David is saying that like a child or like a little puppy, God s favour will escort him, accompany him, all the days of his life. Not surely wrath and law and heaviness and judgement but goodness and love, will accompany you all your life if you are one of His sheep following His voice. and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Sheep in the Middle East used to spend the warmer months in the hills and fields but would be wintered at the shepherd s house, where he could care for their every need. As Christians we can be sure that God will take care of our needs consistently now and on into eternity. Romans 8:35-39 (NIV) 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. RE-READ THE PSALM AND GIVE PEOPLE 5 MINUTES TO RESPOND Potential closing song: Old Scripture in song Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days, all the days of my life. Potential closing prayer.
The Lord is Our Shepherd You, Lord are my Shepherd I have everything that you want me to have at this time Thank you that when I am emotionally and mentally tired, I can come to you and be renewed. I thank you for taking me out of my comfort zone And calling me to follow You on kingdom adventures. Even when I go through dark and challenging times, I am so sure that you are right there with me. I thank you that you protect, discipline and guide me, Because that tells me that you care about me. Even though the world is full of demons and dark forces of evil Thank you that I have the Holy Spirit in me And that you remind me at the communion table My sins are forgiven; they have got nothing on me. I thank you that there is an overflow out of my life of your Holy Spirit to bless others. Thank you that your favour and love will accompany me All the days of my life into eternity. Amen