In your bulletin, I decided to go to Psalm 23. And then when I come back after sabbatical, we're going to have a series on marriage. We're mainly going to be in Psalm 23 today, which is page 483, but we'll also be in John 10, which is page 952. If you just want to find both of those places, we'll be jumping back and forth. I'll begin reading Psalm 23, verses 1 through 6, a Psalm that's very familiar to all of us.
The Lord is my shepherd. I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life.
He leads me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live. May we pray? Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word.
We thank you for the special relationship that you promised us, that you are our shepherd, that Jesus, your son, gave his life, that we might have this personal, intimate relationship with you. As we once again go over this familiar psalm today, let it bring new meaning to us and remind us how great you love us. And let us respond to you accordingly with love and grateful hearts. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
We'll be looking at three points today. They are, God is good. God is for me. God is faithful. Can you read those with me?
God is good. God is for me. God is faithful. In verse one, it says, the Lord is my shepherd. What is God's relationship to us?
Well, he could be whatever he wants to be. He could have been an evil taskmaster. That's how the Canaanites viewed their gods. Islam sees God as a tyrannical king. If you believe in deism, you believe that God is just an absent parent.
And according to all the gods in the Greek and Roman pantheon, the gods were all fickle. God could have been a fickle friend. He could have just been an abstract concept or some mystical power like Eastern religions teach. But what God says, our relationship to him is that he is our shepherd. More specifically, we learn in the New Testament that he is the one and only good shepherd.
Now, sheep cannot exist without a shepherd because of their inability to take care of Themselves, because of their defenseless nature. Wild animals and evil shepherds can devour them and abuse them and take advantage of them. Them, but not God. Jesus tells us that he is the good shepherd. We go over to John 10.
In verse 11, we read, I am the good shepherd. And the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. And we're going to see as we go on in this passage that he's comparing himself to false shepherds who are not for the sheep, who do not lay down their life for the sheep and don't have the intimate relationship with the sheep like the good shepherd is in John 10. We read in verse three, he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out, meaning he knows each and every sheep personally. If you came into church today, the Jesse's have a bunch of cows and calves out here.
And they pretty much all look the same. Same to me. But Matt says that there's a name for every one of them. Is that right, Sam? Yes.
They know the names of those cows. That's how God looks at us. He knows each and every one of us by name. He knows how many hares we have, and he knows how many hairs we don't have, like those of us that are specially blessed here today.
God calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. Verse 4 says that he goes ahead of them. He doesn't say, okay, y' all go ahead. And if the coast is clear and everything's great, I'm coming after you. He is in the lead.
And if there's any danger, if there's any rough spot, he faces that first. And we follow behind him. You know, Jesus came and lived among us so that he could walk ahead of us, so he could know what we go through. He suffered every evil. He suffered hurt, disappointment, tribulation, trial, temptation, and even death on a cross because he goes ahead of us.
And in verse seven, he tells us, I am the gate for the sheep. And that means when the sheep are in the pen, there isn't a door that's closed. The shepherd actually lies there across the gate. So that nothing can enter during the night and none of the sheep can leave. We go back to our psalm today.
It said, the Lord God, he never forgot, falls asleep so that even when we are resting, he is there watching over us. Because what are we trying to say? God is what? God is good. Let's go back to Psalm 23 in verse 6.
It says, Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life. God is good ever since the beginning in Genesis 1. And everything that he made was good. And when he had made everything, he said, it is very good. And because God only made that which is good, we know that that is true of his character as well.
Every perfect and good gift comes from God, according to Scripture. And he gives both to those that are following him, and he gives to those that are against him. One waters for everyone. The righteous and the wicked, air, sunshine, rain, rest, and everything beautiful in this world that we have to enjoy are all good gifts from God, because God is good. The second point is that it tells us that God is for me.
The Lord is my shepherd. And being our personal shepherd, the psalmist says, therefore I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. Yes, he's watching over the whole flock, but there is this personal relationship.
He's interested in each and every one of us. When we went over the story about the one lost sheep, the shepherd didn't say, I've got 99. Who cares about the one he goes after the one. He gives us what we need. Now, this can include hardships, trials, temptations, difficulties on our journey. But if he allows those things, it's because he's developing in a strength, he's developing character.
He's giving us wisdom in how to live. And then when it comes to the green pasture, he's looking for what we need the most, what's most healthy for us. And when he leads us by quiet waters. Sheep don't like rushing water. They like it to be still because it makes them nervous.
And if a shepherd can't find water that's standing still, he'll build a dam and a creek or whatever so that the sheep are not fearful when they approach it. It's because the shepherd is for us. In verse three, it says, he renews my life, and he leads me along the right paths for his name's sake. The life that we lost in the fall, the life that was perfect in the Garden of Eden. It's a spiritual life.
It's the relationship that God wants to have with us. But because of sin, we were separated from him. But here in Psalm 3, it promises us that he's going to renew our life. He's going to restore the spiritual life, the relationship that we have with him through the one perfect shepherd that will come one day, our Savior, Jesus Christ. God gives us new life, but then he continues to guide us along the right path.
He doesn't just leave us on our own. And we can be certain that this will continue because he's doing it for me, but it's also for his name's sake, for his glory. Scripture talks about how throughout eternity we're going to be like trophies on a shelf. And God's going to say, see that person there? He was the worst person in the world, but I loved him and I died for him.
And his life was changed because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. And everyone is going to praise God that He is loving and kind and generous and good, that he redeemed that person for his glory. He says, we are his children, for his glory. We are his friends for his glory. We are heirs with Jesus Christ.
And because it's for his glory, and his glory will continue forever. We know that he will be for us forever also. You go back to verse five. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows. This describes about the great care that the shepherd has for his sheep. The good shepherd is going to go ahead to the pastures. He's going to prepare the place where the sheep are going to eat. And if there are any poisonous plants there, something that would cause harm to the sheep, he's going to remove that.
And so it is that God prepares a table for us. We always think about eating together as a special time with loved ones. And we think about eating together as special holidays. And so it is that we have this picture of feasting with the Lord Jesus Christ. We have it in the Lord's Supper every time we gather together.
He promises us that one day he will share this supper again with us. And when we talk about the marriage feast of the lamb, we're looking for forward to this table that God is going to set, that we might have a glorious time of fellowship with Him. The shepherd also anoints our heads with oil as sheep, possibly for medicinal purposes. When we get bruised or we get scratched or we're injured. The oil was a healing ointment.
If there are things that are pestering us, like gnats and flies, then the oil could have been a bug repellent. Oil is also used for beauty treatments. How many of you washed your face or took a bath or put on lotion or perfume? You did something for your body in the same way the shepherd is caring for us. And lastly, when we think about anointing our heads with oil, we think about the priests and the kings in the Old Testament when they were selected, when they were set apart for special service, oil was poured on their heads.
So it is we're going to be ruling and reigning with Jesus Christ, and we are also as priests, to present his word to the world. Then it comes to the shepherd, provides a cup that overflows. God's provision is never lacking. God's provision is never skimpy. We don't have to go through life thinking about God as His love and his grace and his faithfulness half full or half empty in the cup, because his grace, his faithfulness, his love, his kindness, his goodness are all without end.
And they are all without any boundary of any sort. God is for me. Going back to John 10, Jesus said, I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. The good shepherd lays down his own life for the sheep. And then Jesus reiterates that I lay down my life for the sheep.
God's goodness goes beyond convenient. God's goodness goes beyond bargain. God's goodness and kindness go beyond cheap. He is very lavish in what he pours out on us. And God's goodness was demonstrated in his willingness to give up his one and only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross.
And that goodness was then demonstrated by all that Jesus went through willingly that we might have eternal salvation. God is for me. Psalm 23, verse 6. We read that only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live. God is only giving to us what is good.
And he promises us that in eternity we're not going to live outside of his palace, we're not going to live outside of the city gates. We. We are actually going to dwell in his house with him, because God is for me. God is good. God is for me.
But the passage also tells us that God is faithful. In verse six, we read, only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord. And as long as I live, the three underlying things there faithful all the days, as long as I live, they're all related together. And when we think about faithfulness, we think about spouses that are faithful. We think about friends that are faithful.
That means that we can trust them, that they're always going to be there. There is absolutely no doubt in our mind. And so it is that God's word love for us, God's care for us. It's faithful. We can count on it in this life, and we can count on it throughout eternity.
Let's read the three statements again together. God is good. God is for me. God is faithful. So I have to ask this question.
If God is good and if God is really for me, and if God is faithful, then why do I experience difficulties? Why do I have problems? Why is there illness? Why is there sadness? And why is there death?
Well, again we go Back to Psalm 23, and it's acknowledged here that there are going to be times that I'm going to walk through the darkest valley. Times when there seems to be no light shining, no sunlight and no moonlight where I'm depressed or I am fearful. And in those dark valleys, there's going to be danger. There are going to be wild animals, there are going to be robbers that are out to try to harm me. But because the shepherd is with us, it says, I fear no danger.
It's because God is with me. And God has the rod and he has the staff. He has everything that he needs to bring me comfort. So why do we go through dark times? Well, we have to go back to Genesis in chapter three.
It's because of sin. God didn't want our lives to be hard and difficult. He did not want there to be sadness and death. But Adam and Eve made a terrible choice because in the Garden of Eden, Satan came as the serpent. And he said, I will be a better shepherd for you than God.
And God is withholding things. He's not the good shepherd that you think he is. If you'll just eat from this fruit and obey what I say, I will give you something better. And we know that all of that was a lie. Because in comparison to the good shepherd, Jesus Christ, we have the false shepherd.
The false shepherd comes in and he promises a lot of good things, but he's there just to. To kill the sheep. He's there to eat the sheep. He's there to benefit from the sheep. And.
And that's what Satan did by bringing sin into the world. The sin wasn't there because of God. It was because of Adam and Eve's choice to let Satan become the new prince of this world. Adam and Eve accepted God. I mean, Satan's words over God's words.
And when they did that, they said, now you are the prince of this world. We're going to do what you. You say instead of what God says. But we need not fear. When we become part of God's flock, he will protect us forever.
Like the shepherd has the rod to beat off animals, but also to chastise sheep that are misbehaving. He has the staff that he can reach down and pull them out. Of the holes that they are in or the ledges that they have fallen off onto. God is faithful in all these things. We're back to John 10 now.
Jesus said in the passage about being a shepherd, truly, I tell you, anyone who doesn't enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. There are people that try to get into the flock of God by climbing over the walls, and they do that by giving lots of money to good things. Or they climb over the walls by thinking that if I come to church enough, or they climb over the walls by saying prayers. Or they climb over the wall because they think their grandmother, who is a godly person, helped them over. But Jesus says, if you come over the wall in any of these ways, you are not part of my flock.
You have to to enter through the gate. And he tells us that he himself is that gate. He is the only way to be part of the flock of Jesus Christ. In order to benefit from the personal, intimate relationship that God offers us, we have to enter his fold through Jesus Christ alone. John 10:10 says, A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy.
That's what Satan did in the Garden of Eden and what he continues to do. But on the other hand, Jesus contrasts himself to that. He says, but instead, I have come so that they, meaning all of us, may have life. And what's even more spectacular, he wants us to have it in abundance. I have come.
This was Jesus purpose in life and death, that we individually may have life and that we may have it in abundance. Deb, I've got an extra slide there. We're going to skip that one and go one more over. My bad, sorry. We're back to all three points.
There we go. Can you read them again with me? God is good. God is for me. God is faithful.
You know, all of us have dark valleys. And some of you may be in a dark valley today. And the way to make it through that valley without fear and in comfort is to grow in your understanding and faith in God's nature that he's good, he's for me, he's faithful. But it's only going to come about if you first have a personal relationship with him. By entering through that gate, we go back to John 10.
Nine, I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved. He'll be changed, he'll be healed. And when that happens, he's going to come in, he's going to come out, he's going to be with Me continually finding pasture, all that he needs. Because Jesus is the good shepherd, he lays down his life for the sheep.
In order to have a relationship with the Lord, we must enter through the door. The door is Jesus Christ. And when we enter that door, we are saved. How is it that we get through that door? Well, we're going to talk about ABCs today.
The first is you have to acknowledge. What is it you have to acknowledge? Well, you have to understand that you've got a problem in your life called sin that separates you from God. And if you don't understand that you have this problem of sin and that you need help, you're not going to really seek a cure. You're not going to understand it.
It's like a person that has cancer and they don't even realize that they're not going to go for treatment. They're not going to look for a doctor until they start to have symptoms. But once they realize something wrong is going on, they acknowledge that and they begin to look for help. It's the same way spiritually. When we understand that we have this problem of sin, that we begin to look for help.
And that help comes through Jesus Christ, God's son, that he died on the cross, was buried and rose from the dead on the third day. And he did all, all of that to pay for the penalty for our sin, to give us the cure for it. And Scripture says that we be believe. It means to have faith. And it's not just a head knowledge.
It's not that. Yeah, I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross. You know, we got records historically that that happened, that he was a real person. No, believing is not just about your head knowledge. It's your heart saying, I embrace that.
I'm holding onto it. I'm completely resting in the fact that because Jesus died on the cross for my sins, that he's going to take care of me. He's going to give me spiritual life. When we acknowledge our sin problem, when we truly place our faith in Jesus Christ, the outcome of that is that with faith there is confession or there is repentance that says, you know, I don't want to live Satan's way anymore. I don't want to live my way anymore.
I want to live God's way. And that's why we come to God in faith, because we want to live a different life. We want to live for him that's confessing our sin. That is repentance, meaning that we turn from how we were going to the new way that we're supposed to go. And with that confession, there is the fruit of confession to others that we publicly proclaim.
Yes, we. I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ. I am one of his sheep and I am following him. As we come to a close today, for those of you that may not be part of the flock, Jesus Christ is offering to you the free gift of salvation. You just have to acknowledge that you need that, that you're placing your faith in him to take care of that and that you're willing to turn from one way of living to to follow him.
As we're singing today, we're going to have some prayer team people in the back and they'll be more than happy to talk you through this, to share more about it. But for the rest of us that have already placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we need to reflect upon what it means for him to be our shepherd. We need to be thankful for what he's done for us and what he continues to do. And if you're not experienced the closeness that a shepherd has with his sheep, maybe you've kind of straight away you need to get back closer to him by spending time in prayer, by spending time in reading the Word, any of these things that will draw you closer to your shepherd so that you love and appreciate him more. Maybe God is calling you to that today.
We're going to stand now and I'm going to have lead us in a word of prayer and our worship team is going to come and lead us. If you want to talk to a prayer team person, just make your way to the back while we're singing. Heavenly Father, we thank you that Jesus Christ came to be our good shepherd. We thank you that his faithfulness, his love, his kindness will continue throughout eternity. So we have no fear and we have no worry, Father, if any of us are walking through the valley of the shadow of death today, where there is fear and discouragement, let us either turn to you in faith, Father, that we will place our life in your flock, or Father, that will recognize that you're with us, that there's purpose in all of this.
And we'll take comfort that you are right there beside us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.