Cornerstone
Church June 6 / 7, 2009
THE GOOD SHEPHERD’S UNCHANGING CARE
Psalm 23
“THAT’S LIFE DVD INTRODUCTION”
Can you relate to the person in the video?
You say – “That’s my Life”
Life is often like being on a Tilt-A-Whirl!
Tremors from the curse were seen again in our community and world this week:
A Linda, CA Woman dies from a hit and run.
18% Unemployment in the Yuba-Sutter Region
Woman hit by lightening
General Motors went bankrupt – now Government Motors (the people’s car)
Osama Bin Laden threatens the USA again
North Korea is developing Nukes
The America political process has become a farce reminiscent of vaudeville / burlesque
It was a tough week in the world.
It is times like these that make you wonder, “Is God still on the throne?”
You be asking yourself,
“How can all of these events be happening if God is in control?”
REST ASSURED GOD IS IN CONTROL!
I had thought of a different message but my mind kept thinking of all of the hardships people are going through these days.
People are suffering physical pain
People in our midst have terminal illnesses
People have children not walking with the Lord – some are outright rebellious
People know friends and relatives who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior
People are experiencing all sorts of difficulties
People are having trouble paying bills / facing foreclosure (unstable economy)
Some people are afraid of death
Other people are afraid of the future
Some people are afraid they might miss God’s will for their lives
Some people are afraid life is passing them by too quickly (that’s me)
God is in Control!
1 Chr. 29:11 NIV Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
John 14:27 NIV Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
We do not need to be disappointed with God.
We need to trust Him.
In the midst of difficulties and trails we need help and strength that does not come from us. We need strength and help from our Creator!
Psa. 121:1-2 NIV I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Jesus said in John 10:11: “I am the Good Shepherd.”
Let’s look at Psalm 23 and see what we can learn about our:
“THE GOOD SHEPHERD’S UNCHANGING CARE”
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Psalm 23 is a Psalm of David.
What was David’s occupation before becoming King of Israel?
He was a shepherd who tended his father’s sheep (1 Samuel 17:12-15).
When was this written?
It was probably written during a low point in David’s life when he was in the wilderness fleeing from his son Absalom.
It is the most known and loved Psalm
“There is no Psalm in which the absence of all doubts, misgivings, fear [and] anxiety
is so remarkable.”
J. J. Stewart Perowne
“The Pearl of the Psalms.”
Spurgeon
OUTLINE (Outline by R. Kent Hughes):
I. THE LORD’S PROVISION FOR US (Psalm 23:1-3a)
II. THE LORD’S DIRECTION OF US (Psalm 23:3b)
III. THE LORD’S PROTECTION OF US (Psalm 23:4)
IV. THE LORD’S EXALTATION OF US (Psalm 23:5-6)
R. Kent Hughes: Preach the Word Commentary – The Gospel of John
I. THE LORD’S PROVISION FOR US
Psalm 23:1-3a
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
King David has been on the run from his son Absalom.
He remembers in his heart: “GOD IS UPSTREAM!”
“The LORD is my shepherd,”
The LORD = Jehovah is my Shepherd!
Exod. 3:14 NIV God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
The Covenant Keeping God is my shepherd!
The Omnipotent God (Who is all-powerful)
The Omniscient God (Who is all-knowing)
The Omnipresent God (Who is everywhere present)
The Sovereign God (Who controls all)
The Self-Existent God
The Self-Sufficient God
The Creator God (Galaxies and Microscopic)
He is “GRIPPED BY THE GREATNESS OF GOD!”
Is. 40:12 NIV Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Is. 40:15 NIV Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
Is. 40:22b NIV He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
Like a Question Brian Regan might ask:
Is. 40:13 NIV Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor?
Like, “LORD” I’d like to give you a few pointers on how to run the world!
David says, The ONE in charge of it all! He is…
“…my shepherd…”
SHEPHERDING
Being a shepherd was a low rung position in the Ancient world.
This is why David, the youngest son of Jesse was tending his father’s sheep.
In a family it is the person who has to clean up after the dog or take out the trash!
Shepherding was a 24/7/365 job!
Watch the sheep
Guide the sheep
Feed the sheep
Protect the sheep
Because of those responsibilities the Shepherd slept with the sheep.
The Shepherd was the door or gate at night for the sheepfold.
The Nation of Israel was shepherded by God
Ps. 80:1a NIV “Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock…”
THE SHEEP
God’s Word refers to His people as sheep
Ps. 100:3 NIV Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Traits of Sheep:
Have you ever seen a sheep act?
Creatures of habit
Fearful
Timid
Defenseless
Wander endlessly
Ceremonially clean animal but are not the brightest crayon in the box!
They need constant care to raise
Turkish shepherds stunned after flock of 1,500 sheep leaps off cliff
From the Associated Press:
ISTANBUL, Turkey - First one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others followed, each leaping off the same cliff, Turkish media reported.
In the end, 450 dead animals lay on top of one another in a billowy white pile, the Aksam newspaper said. Those who jumped later were saved as the pile got higher and the fall more cushioned, Aksam reported.
$100,000.00 was lost by the 26 families
$2,700.00 is the average yearly income per head of family.
SHEEP 1: Would you jump off a cliff just because Dane over there did?
SHEEP 2: Dane jumped off a cliff? I am so there!
SHEEP 1: Hey wait for me!
“The LORD is my shepherd,”
HOW INTIMATELY DOES GOD CARE FOR HIS SHEEP?
He knows your name
John 10:3 NIV The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
He knows all about you
Matt. 10:30 NIV And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
He knows how many you lost this morning while brushing your hair! For some, He has less to keep track of these days!
God’s sheep hear and obey His voice
John 10:27 NIV My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
Do you recognize His voice?
Is Jesus your shepherd?
When He calls, do you come?
“The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.”
God alone can satisfy the longing of the human soul! All of the fame, money or power in the world cannot deliver happiness. They are merely illusions and substitutes.
Phil. 4:11-13 NIV I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
HOW DOES OUR GOOD SHEPHERD SATISFY US?
He is so in tune to our needs that He understands just what we need.
He knew why Peter was outspoken and impetuous.
He knew why Andrew was a people person.
He knows what you need!
He knows why you are afraid!
Nothing escapes the watchful eye of our Shepherd-King!
Because He knows what we need He supplies what we need and when we need it!
“He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,”
Ps. 23:2 NIV
Philip Keller holds that there are four key elements that need to be met in the life of a sheep before they will lay down and rest:
Sheep are timid and need to be free from fear
Sheep are social animals that need to be free of friction in the flock
Sheep are bothered by parasites / insects – free of bugs
Sheep fear running out of food – free from finding food
The Good shepherd gives His sheep rest!
He leads them to rich and abundant pastures!
God’s pasture lands satisfy! The sheep are so content that they rest!
“…he leads me beside quiet waters,”
Sheep do not like moving water.
The Good shepherd provides proper water for His sheep! Without the Shepherd’s watchful care the sheep soon wander off forsaking the good water that has been supplied for the dirty water.
Sheep do not have the common sense needed to avoid muddy puddles filled with parasites, manure and urine from other sheep. Israel was not exempt from this either! They, likewise, drank polluted water.
Jer. 2:13 NIV “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
The Good shepherd has provided us with two types of peace:
Rom. 5:1 NIV Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Phil. 4:7 NIV And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
“…he restores my soul. He guides me in
paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Ps. 23:3 NIV
“…he restores my soul.”
Here Philip Keller says King David is talking about the trouble shepherds have with Cast Sheep. They are sheep that have too much wool on them, pregnant or some other problem.
They lie down or get stuck in a hole and they cannot get up. They tumble over!
Sheep with their legs up in the air!
A Cast Sheep sounds like a turtle on its back.
They have to struggle to get up. Cast sheep start to struggle. They panic; they kick their feet until a gas pocket builds up and cuts off their circulation. Left in this condition they are an easy prey for wild animals. They will also die within hours left this way.
Help I’ve fallen and cannot get up!
Psa. 42:11 NIV Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
A good shepherd is always looking to restore sheep that have fallen.
Our Good Shepherd knows His sheep and knows:
Our Failures
Our Hurts
Our Past
Our Present
Our Future
Why do we view God as someone who always wants to destroy us when we fail?
I see that that my sheep is off the path again, so I think I’ll destroy them!
No, the good shepherd has compassion and a desire for us to be what He wants us to be for His glory! If need be, He’ll discipline us!
Hebr. 12:6 NIV because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
The Lord leaves the 99 sheep to go find the one lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7).
II. THE LORD’S DIRECTION OF US
Psalm 23:3b
“…He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.”
The sheep often think that the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence. They forsake the well defined and worn pathway to pursue their own path!
Sheep don’t seem to have a plan!
There is no reason to wander away.
They just seem to drift from the flock!
Perhaps they became preoccupied with their family and they drifted away.
Perhaps work became an obsession and soon they had drifted away.
Perhaps serving the Lord caused them to drift away from loving the Lord (burnout)!
Perhaps a conflict at church caused them to drift away.
Many men in this room would give a strong warning and testimony to the fact that as they look in the rearview mirror of life they regret chasing after money, a promotion or some hobby which took them away from their wife and children.
Isa. 53:6 NIV We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
“Sheep get sticks stuck in their hooves. They can get tangled in thorns.
They can get trapped in a hole.”
The Good Shepherd seeks to get them back on the path of righteousness.
WE NEED TO TRUST THE WISDOM OF THE SHEPHERD
Bill Hybels illustrates this point for us. One night he was copiloting a plane which ventured into heavy fog. His instruments told him that they were banking to the left and he could not believe them. Here is what he said:
“My rational was simple: I had been flying since I was fifteen years old – regular planes, seaplanes, single-engine planes, multi-engine planes, turbo props, jets and even helicopters – without a single mishap or close call. I assumed that since I had done so much flying and maintained a good record, I had obviously developed a dependable sense of intuition about an airplane’s motion. So, on that particular night, I made the deliberate choice to trust my own intuition over the indications coming from the instruments on the dash panel. I said, ‘I know better. If it comes down to a shoot-out between the instruments and my own intuition, I’ll trust my intuition.’
Bad choice. Fortunately, about that time, the pilot looked up from his charts, scanned the instruments, grabbed the controls and made and immediate correction. He gave me a sidelong glance that seemed to be asking, ‘Are you crazy?’ Then he gave me a wry smile, pointed to the instruments, and said, ‘Believe those things. We’ll both live longer.’”
MAKING LIFE WORK: PUTTING GOD’S WISDOM INTO ACTION, Bill Hybels, pg. 202
The Word of God will help keep you on the right path!
Ps. 119:105 NIV Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Prov. 3:5-6 NIV Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
III. THE LORD’S PROTECTION OF US
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod
and your staff, they comfort me.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD PROVIDES FOR OUR SAFETY
“Even though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil,”
Superlative = “shadowist of all shadows”
Valley of deep dark gloom – spiritual depression
This is an image of a shepherd taking his sheep through the canyons and valleys looking for new pastures to graze.
Shepherds had summer and winter places for grazing. Through the shadowlands and canyons wild animals (lions and wolves) and dangers lurked.
Walking through a dry riverbed (wadi)
Life is not always lived on the mountaintop!
We also need to discover that the Lord is the good shepherd in the valleys as well. God is sovereign over our lives!
Eccl. 7:13-14 NIV Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.
WHY DOESN’T DAVID FEAR?
David was a Shepherd when younger
David faced Goliath
David was a soldier
David now as King is fleeing from his son!
“…for you are with me; your rod
and your staff, they comfort me.”
Rod was the weapon people carried in those days.
A shepherd could use it to kill a wild animal or to defend his sheep from being taken by thieves. Satan seeks to destroy! The authority of God and God’s Word protects us.
Staff = the tender nurturing care of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Just as a shepherd uses his crooked staff to rescue, prod or help a sheep so does the Holy Spirit seek to keep us on the right path for the Lord!
IV. THE LORD’S EXALTATION OF US
Psalm 23:5-6
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
“You prepare a table before me in
the presence of my enemies.”
In the summer the shepherd took his sheep to the Mesas. The high tablelands is where the grass was more abundant. The sheep had many enemies – parasites, bugs, poisonous plants, bad water, wild animals and such. Wild animals could frighten a sheep to even miscarry their offspring.
The good shepherd prepared a place for his sheep.
Symbolism goes even deeper
Israel’s wandering in the wilderness waiting to enter the Promised Land received God’s provision of Manna along the way. One day they entered the Promised Land the land that flowed with Milk and Honey.
King David had been fleeing Absalom and he finds an oasis or a Bedouin tent filled with food!
A lavish Banquet!
Endless food and Drink!
We are on our way to heaven!
We are on a sojourn passing through this life!
We are heading for God’s great banquet!
“You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.”
Oil protected the sheep from parasites
The illness and sickness set on by parasites could kill an animal. Often parasites attack Christians.
Oil healed their sores sometimes sheep butted heads!
Oil was also used to ready guests for a banquet dinner
We need God’s anointing to protect us!
“…my cup overflows.”
Life with God can be glorious day to day as we love Him and Serve Him.
Life will ultimately be glorious when we reach eternity!
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10b NIV
“I came so they can have real and eternal life,
more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”
John 10:10b NIV
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Think of what this means to nomads!
Finally a home! Wow!
Abraham was a sojourner looking for a heavenly home:
Hebr. 11:10 NIV For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
John 14:2-3 NIV In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Come and go with me to my father’s house.
It’s a big, big house with lots and lots of room.
A big, big table with lots and lots of food.
A big, big yard where we can play football.
A big, big house, it’s my father’s house.
Big House - Newsboys
CONCLUSION
A wicked shepherd Satan is still holding sheep in pens.
Satan doesn’t care for these sheep!
He wants to destroy these sheep!
These sheep are like prisoners of war!
They need to be set free!
Our Good Shepherd wants to set them free!
If you are a cast sheep the Good Shepherd wants to set you free and keep you healthy!
“Isn’t it silly to think that the God who gave His own Son
for us doesn’t also care about the details of our lives?
pg. 71, FRESH FAITH, Jim Cymbala
Let’s begin to trust the Good Shepherd
and His plan for our lives!
We can live by faith trusting in his provision
and protection of His Sheep!
THE GOOD SHEPHERD’S UNCHANGING CARE
