What to Expect and Why
Psalm 23
5-26-02
Intro: Begin by Asking you to consider a QUESTION
What do you anticipate happening in Your Life in the Future?
What do you see coming your way in the days ahead?
1. We Live in a World that is Constantly Changing:
a. New Technology is rapidly changing our daily lives.
New discoveries in genetic engineering are taking place.
New experiments in cloning are underway that could radically impact us in future.
New computer technology continues to influence the way we live.
b. Sept. 11th last year was a day of significant change.
World events are happening every day in the Middle East that could prove very significant.
c. At a more Personal Level:
We have people here today who are graduating from school this month.
Others are planning a wedding.
Some families have just had a baby – Others have babies on the way.
d. Live Goes On. Time Marches on.
Where will it take us? What Does Tomorrow Hold for you & me?
2. This morning we want to Address those Questions Using Psalms 23 as Text:
Two Questions: What can we Expect in the Days Ahead?
Then Briefly: Why we can Expect that?
Please follow with me as we read Ps 23.
I. What we Can Expect in the days ahead:
1. We can Expect to have ALL OUR NEEDS MET!
verse 1 “…I shall not want…” David says.
a. Word translated “want” means: to Lack, to be without, to decrease or diminish, or to have a need. (1)
Living Bible: “Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need.”
b. There is not a promise here that we will get Everything we Want;
But is an ASSURANCE that God will take care of each & every need we have right now and in days ahead.
Phil 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
c. When Israel was in the wilderness God gave them Manna to eat. He brought forth water out of the Rock. There was an on going Provision even in circumstances that looked impossible.
Maybe you have a financial situation right now that looks impossible.
It’s not impossible for God. He owns Cattle on thousands hills.
He sits on the circle of earth and does whatever He chooses to do.
If Jehovah-jirah is your provider—you will be provided for—your needs will be met.
David said in Ps 37:25 “I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his descendants begging bread.”
d. That means we don’t have to live in state of worry or dread about tomorrow--
worrying about whether we’re going to make ends meet--
worrying about whether will be able to pay the bills--
worrying about inflation rates, interest rates, stock market fluctuations.
There is a wisdom found in planning for the future-but worrying is not planning.
David is doing some good planning here in text.
I’m planning to be blessed. I’m not going to waste my life worrying about what might go wrong tomorrow.
Let tomorrow come—we have a God Who is big enough to handle whatever it may bring.
Therefore, 1st we can Expect Provision-- we can expect God to faithfully meet every need we may have.
2. We can expect to be REFRESHED & RESTORED!
verse 2 “He makes me to lie down in green
pastures, He leads me beside the still waters,
He Restores my soul…”
a. What is going to be Restored?
“my soul”—the real me inside of me—my emotional strength, my inner man
2 Cor 4:16-17 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
Jesus said (Matt 11:28) “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
b. Is there anybody here weary & heavy-laden? – any body Stressed out?
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” (Heb 4:9-10)
If we’re feeling stressed out and weary, what does Jesus tell us to do?
1. Come to Him. Don’t try to go it alone. “Cast all your care on Him
for He cares for you.”
2. Take His Yoke upon you. Come under His authority.
Come into His service.
Come into the place He has called you to take.
3. Learn from Him. He is meek & lowly.
A mindset of humility is conducive to rest.
A condition of heart where we’re not needing to prove anything to
ourselves or to others relieves a lot of unnecessary stress.
Phil 4:6-7
6”Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
c. Did you know that 70 million Americans suffer from insomnia every year?
It causes 38,000 deaths each year according to one report.
Productivity lost costs $ 70 Billion/year.
People who suffer from it most severely are between 30-40 years old. (2)
Sometimes I crawl into bed and my mind is in a whirl from all day’s activity.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten myself to sleep rehearsing Psalm 23.
We need Physical refreshment everyday of our lives.
We need Spiritual refreshment everyday of our lives.
Under the leadership of our Great Shepherd—both available to us.
d. David said “He Leads me into Green Pastures;” -- not Barren pastures
“He leads me beside the still waters.”—not troubled waters, but waters I can drink from and be refreshed.
Can you see in your mind’s eye the lush green pasture,
the gentle stream of water,
the place of rest?
Ps 103:1-2
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Ps 103:5
5Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
f. Although it’s best to take the word “soul” to mean our inner being, the Hebrew word
could be translated “Passion”. (3)
Have you lost your passion for life? for your job? for your ministry?
“He restores my passion—He restores my inner man—He restores my soul”
What can we anticipate in the days ahead?
3. We can expect to be LED IN RIGHT DIRECTION!
verse 4 “He leads me in paths of righteousness.”
a. Notice that He leads rather than drives us in paths of righteousness.
The Hebrew word used in the previous verse indicates leading with loving care,
bringing us into refreshment. (4) He graciously leads us to the place we need to be.
b. I want to be led in paths of Righteousness—don’t you?
There’s something in the hearts of God’s children that desires to live right- to please the Lord.
We don’t want to “miss God”, do we?
I find here much comfort in the fact that it’s not just me trying to keep myself on
track. My great Shepherd is leading me in paths of righteousness. He will not steer me wrong.
Have you ever been so afraid of “missing God” that you could hardly make a significant decision?
Here is a word of assurance for you. He will lead you in the right path.
Most of the time that leading does not come through super spiritual experiences
(occasionally it does) but usually it is just the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit in our hearts guiding us in the right direction.
c. We can also take comfort in why He does this—“…for His name’s sake.”
What does that mean? It means He doesn’t do it because we deserve it.
It is not done in payment for what we have earned or merited. It is for the glory and
honor of His great Name. God has put His reputation on the line in this.
He will do it because He desires to do it—He has chosen to do it—and it will bring glory to His name to do it.
Therefore, we can confidently expect the Lord to lead us in the right direction in the days ahead—in paths of righteousness—not into temptation—not into destruction—but ultimately into glory! Amen?
4. Furthermore, we can expect to be SAFE & PROTECTED wherever He leads.
(verse 4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”
a. Is that saying there will be no trials? – no difficulties? – no rough terrane?
No, sometimes to get to the next green pasture in life we have to walk through some valleys—to get to the next mountain top we have to go down through a low place.
b. But David says, when life takes me there—“…I will not be afraid…”
Why No Fear? – for one reason only: “…For You are with me…”
My Shepherd does not send me down through the valley alone. He goes with me.
In fact, He leads the way. There may be “lion, and tigers, and bears” and who know what else lurking in the dark shadows of death. It does not matter. It does not matter because “…You are with me.”
“A first grader stood up in front of his class to give his speech entitled ‘What I want to be when I grow up.’ He boldly said, ‘I’m going to be a lion tamer and have lots of fierce lions. I’ll walk in the cage and they will roar!’ He paused for a moment thinking about what he had just said. Then he added, “But, I’ll have my mommy with me.” (5)
That’s the sole source of our confidence about life. I’ll have my Shepherd with me.
c. Psalm 23:4 “…For you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me…”
The rod is like a club to beat off any attacking animals. The staff is an emblem of support. Jacob leaned upon his staff in old age. (6) The shepherd used it to guide and direct the sheep.
d. When the three Hebrew children went through the fiery furnace the Lord went with them and brought them through. When Daniel went into the lion’s den the Angel of the Lord shut the lion’s mouths and delivered Daniel.
Nobody lives a trouble free life. But it is a very different thing to go into the valley of the shadow of death without a shepherd verses going through some valley with the Lord there to protect and take care of you.
We may confidently expect our Lord to “…never leave us, nor forsake us…” (7)—to be there to watch over us in whatever experience of life we may go through.
5. We can expect to enjoy ABUNDANT BLESSING!
verse 5 “You prepare a table before me…” (a feast of good things) in the presence of my enemies…”
a. Our enemies are not flesh and blood (Eph. 6), but we have enemies in the spiritual realm. They would like to destroy us, but they can’t. They would like to rob us of the blessing, but “The LORD is my shepherd…”
“Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” (I John 4:4)
b. Did you know that the Lord is always going ahead of you to prepare good things for you to enjoy in life? (8) “You prepare a table before me…”
This week I heard a sermon in which a pastor talked about “serendipity”. He said serendipity is a happy discovery made by accident. You’re just going along and there it is. (9) Could I say that God has some serendipity prepared for us? We can’t see everything that lies ahead of us. But if we will follow the shepherd we will come upon some marvelous things He has prepared for us.
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Cor 2:9
We discover them as we follow our Shepherd.
Question: What good thing has God prepared for you and me to “come upon” tomorrow?
What feast of blessing—How will our cup be made to run over?
c. The language of Psalm 23:5 is descriptive of abundance. “You anoint my head with oil…” Some commentators continue in verse 5 with the metaphor of the Shepherd and the sheep. Others change to a metaphor of Host and guest. Either way the essential message is the same.
Here we are at the table of good things prepared for us by the Lord. He anoints our head with oil—costly oil—the oil of gladness. (10) “…My cup runs over…” It’s not half full.
It’s not filled to the brim. It is running over with abundance and blessing.
We may anticipate an abundance from an abundant God—we can expect an overflow of blessing.
6. We can expect to be OVERTAKEN WITH GOODNESS & MERCY!
verse 6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me…”
a. God is in pursuit of you and me to bless us. He has sent His two hound dogs “goodness” and “mercy” to track us down and overtake us. They’re going to find us. These hound dogs of heaven are persistent and unrelenting. They stay on our trail.
Is there anybody here that has been followed and overtaken by God’s goodness and mercy? There God is in front of us preparing a table—preparing good things. And there God is behind us pursuing us with goodness and mercy. That sounds like a good deal to me.
b. Too many of God’s people expect to be overtaken with sorrow and misery and sickness. Too many of the devil’s people are deceived into expecting goodness and mercy. If the Lord is our Shepherd there are good things ahead. Let’s not spend all our energy anticipating what the devil might do. Let’s consider what the Lord might do. He might just bless us. He might pursue us and overtake us with more and more goodness and mercy.
c. Turn with me to Deut. 28:1-2
"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:”
Notice this same concept of being overtaken with blessing. What is the key to these blessings on God’s people according to Deut. 28? Obedience. In fact, Deut. 28:15 sets forth just as assuredly the opposite of this for those who forsake the Lord and live in disobedience. "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you”
Those are powerful incentives to follow the shepherd. Amen?
If we follow Jesus we can say with David “Surely (with full certainty) goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life…”
7. We can expect to
ENJOY FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD & HIS PEOPLE!
“…AND I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
a. How valuable is that? David considered it extremely valuable. In Ps 65:4 he says to God “Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.” There is a satisfaction that is found in the house of the Lord that is found nowhere else. There are marvelous benefit enjoyed by those who gather the way we have this morning and worship God together. The devil would like to deprive people of that—get them offended, get them isolated and separated from the presence of God and God’s people. That’s why the writer of Hebrews wrote, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Heb 10:24-25)
b. David considered this so important that he made it a priority in his life. Psalm 27:4
One thing (everybody say “One thing”) One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
David looked forward to corporate worship. He longed for the presence of God. He delighted in the house of the Lord. And he expected to enjoy all that in the days ahead. We too look into the future and say with David “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”
Before closing I want to quickly address
II. Why we may expect these things:
1. We may expect all these blessings Only Because The LORD is my Shepherd…”
That is foundational to everything. Without that everything we find in Psalm 23 does not apply.
These confident expectations about tomorrow are based upon our relationship with the Lord. It’s not enough to say the LORD is “a” Shepherd. He must be “my” Shepherd. Is the LORD your Shepherd? That’s the most important question anyone could ask you this morning. Who or What are you following in life? Is it money?
Is it pleasure? Is it personal recognition and success? OR Is it the LORD?
We do not base our positive outlook on our own merit, our own abilities, or anything other than who our Shepherd is and what He is like. He is good and His mercy endures forever. That’s why we’re confident about tomorrow. In Him is no variableness nor shadow of turning. That’s why we’re confident in our expectation of these things. (11)
2. Christian, I ask you the question we began with: What do you anticipate in the days ahead? Do you see your future the way David describes it here in Psalm 23? Do you have a positive outlook on life—filled with anticipation of good things rather than worry and dread? Is the glass or cup empty, half full, or running over?
Perhaps God would want some of us to adjust our thinking about tomorrow—to begin today to look into the future with an anticipation of the goodness of the Lord.
3. How can we Know that the LORD is our Shepherd? That’s important because everything depends upon that relationship.
In John 10:27 Jesus said “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
Are you following Him? That is the evidence that you are one of His sheep,and He is your Shepherd.
If you haven’t been following Jesus, embrace Him today as your Shepherd.
That is a choice you can make right now.
Do you hear His voice in your heart? Do you hear Him calling you to follow Him?
NOTES:
(1) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance O.T.#2637 “Chacer”
(2) From sermon entitled “What Do We Need Most Today?” by Pastor Dennis Selfridge
of Harlwoton Wesleyan Church preached in April 2002.
(3) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance O.T.#5315 “Nephesh”
(4) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance O.T.#5095 “Nahal”
(5) From sermon entitled “God Touching You” by Pastor Paul Decker of Randall
Memorial Baptist Church in Williamsville, New York.
(6) Heb. 11:21 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament indicates that this
was probably one instrument used in different ways.
(7) Heb. 13:5
(8) I do not remember the source of the following story that could illustrate this as well:
“A tiny girl was taking a long journey and in the course of the day her train was obliged to cross a number of rivers. The water seen in advance always awakened doubts and fears in the child. She did not understand how it could safely be crossed. As they drew near the river, however, a bridge appeared, and furnished the way over. Several times the same thing happened, and finally the child leaned back with a long breath of relief and confidence: "Somebody has put bridges for us all the way!" she said in trusting content. That is how we find it in life, God has built bridges for us all the way.
(9) Pastor Ed Young of Fellowship of Excitement, Houston, TX www.winningwalk.org
(10) Psalm 45:7 Luke 7:46
(11) See Jeremiah 33:11 and James 1:17
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
