Psalm 23 – When God Is Our Shepherd
Psalm 23 – When God Is Our Shepherd
October 7, 2007 AM
By Pastor Lee Hemen
Many folks in our day and age say they “believe in God,” but what that actually means for their lives tells the tale of what they actually believe for their lives. We can say a lot of things but just because we say them, does not necessarily mean we actually believe them. It is kind of like when you ask someone, “How are you today?” Most people will respond with the innocuous platitude of, “I’m fine.” What they say may not be actually how they feel nor what they truly believe. Kind of like when you say, “Man, I am dog-tired!” Well, how tired is a dog? How tired can a dog get? Are you actually saying that you are a mutt of some sort? Of course we realize that these are simply phrases people use to express themselves, and this brings me back to my opening point: Many folks in our day and age say they “believe in God,” but what that actually means for their lives tells the tale of what they actually believe for their lives.
Herein this Psalm we see David declaring something that many have falsely taken for granted. Namely, that “the Lord is my Shepherd.” In fact, God is not anyone’s “Shepherd” unless they have been chosen by Him as one of His sheep. This brings me to what this sermon is all about. When God is our Shepherd we discover that there will exist in our lives certain spiritual truths that define whose we are, who we are, and what we believe. Let’s discover this morning what it means when God is our Shepherd.
READ: Psalm 23
When an individual comes to Christ, God does more than save them from an eternity of damnation. He saves them for His purposes. This is hard concept for many of us to understand. All throughout the Bible we discover that God saves His people for a purpose. His purpose and not ours. Throughout all of history, I guarantee you no dumb sheep ever chose their shepherd! It is the shepherd who chooses the sheep and not the herd. In our day and age we have totally misconstrued what it means when God is our shepherd. David understood that when God is our Shepherd…
I. He will be Lord of our entire life (v. 1)!
1. Sheep do not chose who their master is! Why would I say this? Notice what David immediately states right after he declares God is his shepherd: “I shall not be in want.” You cannot be in “want” or literally “fail” if God is Lord of our life! We need to take a little closer look at exactly what this means. By this statement David is telling his readers that if the Lord is Shepherd of your souls, you will not lack anything in life! You have the Shepherd. Those whose Lord is their shepherd will not “yoke” themselves to ungodly relationships, the world, or anything that would compromise their faith. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) So, how can David make such a declaration? The qualifier here is in David’s use of the title “Lord.” In the NIV it is printed in all caps (LORD). It means that David recognized the God of all creation was in control of his life! God had chosen him from all others out of the flock of men. The actual word is the Hebrew “Yahweh” (YHWH). The name for God. It is a tetragrammaton since Hebrew does not have vowels. The personal name of God is invoked when the writer wants the reader to understand that it is God Himself who is your Shepherd! When God is your Shepherd, your life is in His care completely because He has chosen you for His own! If not, then He cannot be your Shepherd. Sheep do not chose who their master is.
EXAMPLE: “Follow me!” was the invitation given by Marshall Applewhite, self-appointed leader of the Heaven's Gate cult. He promised to those who would become his disciples that he would teach them how they could move on to a higher level of life in a new world. Sincere but gullible men and women heeded his call. They left families, friends, homes, and jobs to live and work together and to obey their leader's teachings. Those 38 disciples followed him even when he told them to commit suicide. He said they would be liberated from terrestrial bondage and enter into an exalted state of being. In March 1997 they followed their leader to death and eternal loss. Jesus chose His followers with the invitation, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19). In fact, Jesus told His disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16) Who chose David? God did. The one true God who created all things! David therefore understood that he either followed God obediently, as any sheep would, or he would be in rebellion. If he followed God he would not fail. He would not be in want for the true things that matter in life. God would be the Lord of his entire life, not just a Sabbath day experience. When God is our Shepherd, He will be the Lord of our entire life.
You can tell who are part of God’s flock or not. Not by the words they use, but by the actions they display. They respond to their Master’s voice. This is not found in a guilty response to try and do “acts of kindness,” but rather it is out of the overflow of a life given over to one’s Shepherd. David understood this and sang that when God is our Shepherd…
II. We will respond in Godly ways (vv. 2-3)!
1. Disobedient sheep need commands to follow! Often we see the following words of David as blessings rather than what they really are: Commands that result in blessings. There is a difference. “What is that?” you may ask. Well, you first have to obey the command, then the blessing will come. Just like when sheep are herded they gain food, water, and a place to sleep if they follow their shepherd. Notice the same is true for God’s sheep as well. David says, “He makes me, He leads me, He restores (me), and He guides me!” Like all sheep, God’s herd needs to follow their Shepherd in order to find green pastures, quiet waters, spiritual restoration, and paths of righteousness! Each of these are first a command followed by a blessing. Why? Because we are disobedient sheep and disobedient sheep need commands to follow! The Psalmist would say, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good…. there is no one who does good, not even one!” (Psalm 14:1, 3) And Paul would agree! (Romans 3:10-12) They knew, like David did, that sheep left on their own find ways to get into trouble. If we say we love the Lord God, we will do so with all our “heart, soul, and mind!” (Matthew 22:37) That will result in our willingness to “lie down,” to be lead “beside quiet waters,” be restored in “soul,” and guided “in paths of righteousness!” Sheep do not readily do these things on their own. David understood that if the God is our Shepherd, we will respond in Godly ways.
EXAMPLE: Week after week, all over the world, pastors (which by the way the word “pastor” comes from the Latin for shepherd) stand in front of their congregations reminding their flocks about God’s love and how they need to find green pastures, quiet waters, spiritual restoration, and paths of righteousness. Why? Shouldn’t Christians already know how this is done? It is by reading the Bible and personal prayer with a daily quiet time with God, and through corporate Bible study! See, even David understood simple biblical truths! Many people will say, “I love God,” or “I believe in God,” but few will spend time in green pastures, near quiet waters, in spiritual restoration, or in being guided in paths of righteousness even though it is commanded by God! The sad truth is that people expect God to give them all of these “blessings” without following God’s command to do so! Guess what? It will not happen. When God is our Shepherd, we will respond in Godly ways.
We can remain immature in our faith and never grow past “milk.” Too many Christians today are still feasting on baby food instead of tearing into the meat of God. This is why so many Christians struggle. God has not changed. He is still the Creator. He is still the Lord of all the universe. We think that because we have the Lamb of God in our lives, we can remain baby sheep. This is vile and ungodly and results in weak Christians looking for their next spiritual “fix” rather than spiritual warriors God desires. David, the warrior King, reminds us that when God is our Shepherd…
III. The concerns of life will not influence our faith (vv. 4-6)!
1. This world and its discomforts are not a sheep’s real pen! David understood where his help came from even when he “walked through the valley of the shadow of death,” David had nothing to fear! Think about that for moment, who would fear anything if God is in their life? True believers in God do not fear death, evil, or where their next worldly comfort comes from! God will and does provide! He provides His “rod and staff,” an in your face presence (table) in front of your “enemies,” and He will “anoint” (bless) you until literally your “cup overflows” and you will know without a doubt that God’s “goodness and love” (mercy) will follow you “all the days” of your “life!” In fact, you will know without any doubt that you will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever!” Christians who doubt that God loves them, that He will provide for them, or that He is always with them, do not know God intimately. They are still baby sheep. Immature in the Lord. Life influences their decisions instead of their faith. They follow God through their feelings instead of His promises. The believer is always comforted by the Lord’s presence and protection. Death, evil, and enemies hold no fear in their lives! David realized that the Lord’s good loyal love (h?esed?) would go with him everywhere through all his life. God’s blessings on His people remain with them no matter what their circumstance may be. Never forget that this world and its discomforts are not the believer’s real home. When God is our Shepherd, the concerns of life will not influence our faith!
EXAMPLE: Christians can be either prayer warriors or prayer weenies. What’s the difference? A prayer weenie comes to God this way: “Oh God, why are You doing this to me? Help me with my boss! Make him a better person.” Or, “Oh God, heal John and save him.” However, a prayer warrior sounds more like this: “Lord, you know my boss. You made him and You placed him right where he is. Bless him and help me to make him the best boss possible.” Or, “Lord, I pray for Your understanding in the life of John who is sick and that he will depend on You no matter what happens in his life. I pray for John that he will give his life to Your Son Jesus and that You will use me in any way possible to help John come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.” Did you hear the difference? Babies cry out to God, mature believers walk with God. Death, evil, and enemies have no influence. When God is our Shepherd, the concerns of life will not influence our faith.
Conclusion:
When God is our Shepherd: He will be Lord of our entire lives, we will respond in godly ways, and the concerns of life will not influence our faith!
October 7, 2007 AM
By Pastor Lee Hemen
Many folks in our day and age say they “believe in God,” but what that actually means for their lives tells the tale of what they actually believe for their lives. We can say a lot of things but just because we say them, does not necessarily mean we actually believe them. It is kind of like when you ask someone, “How are you today?” Most people will respond with the innocuous platitude of, “I’m fine.” What they say may not be actually how they feel nor what they truly believe. Kind of like when you say, “Man, I am dog-tired!” Well, how tired is a dog? How tired can a dog get? Are you actually saying that you are a mutt of some sort? Of course we realize that these are simply phrases people use to express themselves, and this brings me back to my opening point: Many folks in our day and age say they “believe in God,” but what that actually means for their lives tells the tale of what they actually believe for their lives.
Herein this Psalm we see David declaring something that many have falsely taken for granted. Namely, that “the Lord is my Shepherd.” In fact, God is not anyone’s “Shepherd” unless they have been chosen by Him as one of His sheep. This brings me to what this sermon is all about. When God is our Shepherd we discover that there will exist in our lives certain spiritual truths that define whose we are, who we are, and what we believe. Let’s discover this morning what it means when God is our Shepherd.
READ: Psalm 23
When an individual comes to Christ, God does more than save them from an eternity of damnation. He saves them for His purposes. This is hard concept for many of us to understand. All throughout the Bible we discover that God saves His people for a purpose. His purpose and not ours. Throughout all of history, I guarantee you no dumb sheep ever chose their shepherd! It is the shepherd who chooses the sheep and not the herd. In our day and age we have totally misconstrued what it means when God is our shepherd. David understood that when God is our Shepherd…
I. He will be Lord of our entire life (v. 1)!
1. Sheep do not chose who their master is! Why would I say this? Notice what David immediately states right after he declares God is his shepherd: “I shall not be in want.” You cannot be in “want” or literally “fail” if God is Lord of our life! We need to take a little closer look at exactly what this means. By this statement David is telling his readers that if the Lord is Shepherd of your souls, you will not lack anything in life! You have the Shepherd. Those whose Lord is their shepherd will not “yoke” themselves to ungodly relationships, the world, or anything that would compromise their faith. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) So, how can David make such a declaration? The qualifier here is in David’s use of the title “Lord.” In the NIV it is printed in all caps (LORD). It means that David recognized the God of all creation was in control of his life! God had chosen him from all others out of the flock of men. The actual word is the Hebrew “Yahweh” (YHWH). The name for God. It is a tetragrammaton since Hebrew does not have vowels. The personal name of God is invoked when the writer wants the reader to understand that it is God Himself who is your Shepherd! When God is your Shepherd, your life is in His care completely because He has chosen you for His own! If not, then He cannot be your Shepherd. Sheep do not chose who their master is.
EXAMPLE: “Follow me!” was the invitation given by Marshall Applewhite, self-appointed leader of the Heaven's Gate cult. He promised to those who would become his disciples that he would teach them how they could move on to a higher level of life in a new world. Sincere but gullible men and women heeded his call. They left families, friends, homes, and jobs to live and work together and to obey their leader's teachings. Those 38 disciples followed him even when he told them to commit suicide. He said they would be liberated from terrestrial bondage and enter into an exalted state of being. In March 1997 they followed their leader to death and eternal loss. Jesus chose His followers with the invitation, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19). In fact, Jesus told His disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16) Who chose David? God did. The one true God who created all things! David therefore understood that he either followed God obediently, as any sheep would, or he would be in rebellion. If he followed God he would not fail. He would not be in want for the true things that matter in life. God would be the Lord of his entire life, not just a Sabbath day experience. When God is our Shepherd, He will be the Lord of our entire life.
You can tell who are part of God’s flock or not. Not by the words they use, but by the actions they display. They respond to their Master’s voice. This is not found in a guilty response to try and do “acts of kindness,” but rather it is out of the overflow of a life given over to one’s Shepherd. David understood this and sang that when God is our Shepherd…
II. We will respond in Godly ways (vv. 2-3)!
1. Disobedient sheep need commands to follow! Often we see the following words of David as blessings rather than what they really are: Commands that result in blessings. There is a difference. “What is that?” you may ask. Well, you first have to obey the command, then the blessing will come. Just like when sheep are herded they gain food, water, and a place to sleep if they follow their shepherd. Notice the same is true for God’s sheep as well. David says, “He makes me, He leads me, He restores (me), and He guides me!” Like all sheep, God’s herd needs to follow their Shepherd in order to find green pastures, quiet waters, spiritual restoration, and paths of righteousness! Each of these are first a command followed by a blessing. Why? Because we are disobedient sheep and disobedient sheep need commands to follow! The Psalmist would say, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good…. there is no one who does good, not even one!” (Psalm 14:1, 3) And Paul would agree! (Romans 3:10-12) They knew, like David did, that sheep left on their own find ways to get into trouble. If we say we love the Lord God, we will do so with all our “heart, soul, and mind!” (Matthew 22:37) That will result in our willingness to “lie down,” to be lead “beside quiet waters,” be restored in “soul,” and guided “in paths of righteousness!” Sheep do not readily do these things on their own. David understood that if the God is our Shepherd, we will respond in Godly ways.
EXAMPLE: Week after week, all over the world, pastors (which by the way the word “pastor” comes from the Latin for shepherd) stand in front of their congregations reminding their flocks about God’s love and how they need to find green pastures, quiet waters, spiritual restoration, and paths of righteousness. Why? Shouldn’t Christians already know how this is done? It is by reading the Bible and personal prayer with a daily quiet time with God, and through corporate Bible study! See, even David understood simple biblical truths! Many people will say, “I love God,” or “I believe in God,” but few will spend time in green pastures, near quiet waters, in spiritual restoration, or in being guided in paths of righteousness even though it is commanded by God! The sad truth is that people expect God to give them all of these “blessings” without following God’s command to do so! Guess what? It will not happen. When God is our Shepherd, we will respond in Godly ways.
We can remain immature in our faith and never grow past “milk.” Too many Christians today are still feasting on baby food instead of tearing into the meat of God. This is why so many Christians struggle. God has not changed. He is still the Creator. He is still the Lord of all the universe. We think that because we have the Lamb of God in our lives, we can remain baby sheep. This is vile and ungodly and results in weak Christians looking for their next spiritual “fix” rather than spiritual warriors God desires. David, the warrior King, reminds us that when God is our Shepherd…
III. The concerns of life will not influence our faith (vv. 4-6)!
1. This world and its discomforts are not a sheep’s real pen! David understood where his help came from even when he “walked through the valley of the shadow of death,” David had nothing to fear! Think about that for moment, who would fear anything if God is in their life? True believers in God do not fear death, evil, or where their next worldly comfort comes from! God will and does provide! He provides His “rod and staff,” an in your face presence (table) in front of your “enemies,” and He will “anoint” (bless) you until literally your “cup overflows” and you will know without a doubt that God’s “goodness and love” (mercy) will follow you “all the days” of your “life!” In fact, you will know without any doubt that you will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever!” Christians who doubt that God loves them, that He will provide for them, or that He is always with them, do not know God intimately. They are still baby sheep. Immature in the Lord. Life influences their decisions instead of their faith. They follow God through their feelings instead of His promises. The believer is always comforted by the Lord’s presence and protection. Death, evil, and enemies hold no fear in their lives! David realized that the Lord’s good loyal love (h?esed?) would go with him everywhere through all his life. God’s blessings on His people remain with them no matter what their circumstance may be. Never forget that this world and its discomforts are not the believer’s real home. When God is our Shepherd, the concerns of life will not influence our faith!
EXAMPLE: Christians can be either prayer warriors or prayer weenies. What’s the difference? A prayer weenie comes to God this way: “Oh God, why are You doing this to me? Help me with my boss! Make him a better person.” Or, “Oh God, heal John and save him.” However, a prayer warrior sounds more like this: “Lord, you know my boss. You made him and You placed him right where he is. Bless him and help me to make him the best boss possible.” Or, “Lord, I pray for Your understanding in the life of John who is sick and that he will depend on You no matter what happens in his life. I pray for John that he will give his life to Your Son Jesus and that You will use me in any way possible to help John come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.” Did you hear the difference? Babies cry out to God, mature believers walk with God. Death, evil, and enemies have no influence. When God is our Shepherd, the concerns of life will not influence our faith.
Conclusion:
When God is our Shepherd: He will be Lord of our entire lives, we will respond in godly ways, and the concerns of life will not influence our faith!
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