All right. All right, brethren, we're gonna
be in Psalm 23. Psalm 23. This Psalm begins, The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
shepherd of his people. And that means that he cares
for us. He takes care of us. Without
him, we cannot survive. Without our shepherd, we don't
have life. We have life by him. by his grace
and by his power. And he takes care of his sheep. He loves his sheep. He cares
for his sheep. You're very precious to the Lord. You're precious to the Lord.
He loves you. And our Lord is making his people
to know that he is their good shepherd. He takes care to make
you to know that he is your shepherd. And you're gonna know that he's
your good shepherd, that he is the great shepherd who cares
for the sheep, who laid down his life for his sheep. he careth for you." And I want
to show you this morning a few scriptures that first teach us
that our Lord is the Good Shepherd of his sheep, and then we'll
return back to this psalm and see how this psalm speaks of
the blessings. We'll look at a few of the blessings
that we receive by the hand of our Lord as our Good Shepherd,
spoken of here in this psalm. So I think it's important then
for us to go to John chapter 10. Let's go over to John chapter
10. Our Lord here is speaking a parable. He's speaking a parable
to the Jews that were gathered there. He's speaking a parable
to his disciples. And he begins in John 10 verse
one. Verily, verily, truly, truly,
I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the
door is the shepherd of the sheep. Now in his earthly ministry,
leading up to the cross, Christ was establishing what he was
doing and what he said and the works that he did, he was establishing
that he is the shepherd of his sheep, that he is the promised
seed that should come and save his people from their sins. He was fulfilling all things
written of him in the law of Moses and the prophets and in
the Psalms concerning himself. Now, the devil, that old serpent
who deceived Eve, deceived the church, picture of the church
who deceived Eve, he took that which was not his to take. He
stole that which was not his. He is the thief and the robber. He had no business being there. And what he did was wicked, cruel,
deceitful, vile, murderous, He's a liar, he's a deceiver, he's
a thief and a robber. His intentions there were only
to do that which is evil and to harm the people of God. And our Lord said of him in verse
10, John 10, 10, the thief and is the devil cometh not but for
to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have
life that they might have it more abundantly. And so, as verse
2 says, Christ entereth in by the door. Christ is the shepherd
of the sheep, and what he's revealing to us is that he came according
to the will of the Father. He's saying, I came, I enter
through the door. according to the will of the
Father. I am the promised seed of the Father. I'm the one that
God spoke of there in the garden when he promised that he would
write all things, he would make all things right, he would restore
that which is destroyed and ruined. Christ did that. And this man
right here saying these things is the Christ. This Jesus of
Nazareth is the Christ of God. He's the Savior. Galatians 4.4
says, But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth
his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. And so when Christ
was baptized at the beginning of his ministry, we're told that
he was immediately led away of the Spirit into the wilderness,
and there he endured the temptation which Adam fell under. and all
the things that Adam fell in and ruined there, the lust of
the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, which he fell,
and we all fell in him and were destroyed and lost there. Christ,
he endured the temptation perfectly, showing that he is the fit sacrifice. He is the Savior promised. He is the salvation of his people. He's the Savior of sinners, brethren.
And that's good news for us who are needy sinners. He is the
Savior. He is come. Hebrews 5, 8, and
9 says, though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the
things which he suffered and being made perfect. Huh? What does that mean? How is it
that the Son of God can be made perfect? What does that mean?
How did he suffer? How was he made perfect? It's speaking of that in his
suffering, he was proved to be that one whom the Father promised. through his enduring the suffering,
and enduring the shame, despising the shame, and not speaking his
own words, not doing his own works, but speaking the words
which he heard the father speak, and doing the works that the
father sent him to do, enduring the temptation, faithfully showing
he is the savior, he is the shepherd, he's the one who was promised
of God to come and save his people from their sins. And so in that
he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey him. And our obedience unto God is
faith, the faith which he gives us, which the Spirit reveals
and manifests that we are the sons of God. That's obedience. It's not turning to the law of
Moses. That's disobedience to the true and living God. It's
turning to Christ. And that's all to the praise
and glory of his name, because we that are turned to Christ,
it's an evidence of his work in us. It's his sovereign grace
that saves us. He's the one who turns us to
the Lord. And so Christ entered through
the door. He didn't circumvent suffering.
He didn't come around it. He didn't try to get around it
and make it less. No, he went right through the
door. enduring all that suffering,
despising the shame of the cross, being taken by men with wicked
hands, and willingly laying down his life to obtain eternal redemption
for you and I. who are vile, wretched sinners
in ourselves, rebels in ourselves, undeserving of this, but Christ
willingly laid down his life as the good shepherd of his sheep,
because he loves his sheep, and he cares for his sheep, and he
does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, and we don't deserve
it, we don't earn it, we're not worthy of it. But that's how
gracious and how wonderful Christ is. What a great, mighty, wonderful,
gracious savior he is. And so he entered through the
door and he has every right to be here, standing there, speaking
these words, saying these words, declaring that he is the shepherd
of the sheep. He has every right, every right. He proved it. He proved it time
and time again. John 10, three, to him the porter
openeth. Who's the porter? That is the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who
is the porter that openeth the door to the shepherd. And actually,
it's a beautiful sight, right? There's, what is it, Revelation
two or three, that speaks of Christ knocking on the door,
and if any man openeth the door, he'll enter in and sup with him.
Well, who opens that door? The Holy Spirit. The porter opens
that door. And so, our Lord is, there's
even another one in 1st, no, 2nd Corinthians 3, that says,
and when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be lifted,
it being the heart. When the heart turneth to the
Lord, the veil shall be lifted. And the next verse says, and
the Lord is that spirit. In other words, this heart turns
to the Lord when the Holy Spirit turns the heart to the Lord.
And the veil is, it's because the veil is lifted and we see
Christ. And that's what he's saying there.
He's saying, to him the porter openeth and the sheep hear his
voice. Then we hear the voice of the
Savior and he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them
out. Out of what? Out of bondage.
Out of that body of sin. Out of that body of death that
we were in in Adam. which cannot please God and has
no righteousness, cannot do the works of God. And he, he delivers
us out of that bondage, taking us out of the body of sin and
puts us, makes us members of the body of Christ. Amen. Amen. And so we're new creatures
in the Lord. And when he put forth his own
sheep, he goeth before them and the sheep follow him for they
know his voice. What does that mean? That's a
picture there when he says he goes before them. In other words,
he went before us to the cross. in order to make an atonement,
to reconcile us to our God, to regenerate us, to give us all
the blessings of salvation, meaning he regenerates us, he saves us,
he's redeemed us, he's purchased us with his own blood, he's done
all this in grace and makes us new creatures in him. We're raised
from the dead in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so being made perfect,
our Lord says in John 10, 11, I am the good shepherd, the good
shepherd giveth his life for the sheep Christ is fit and he
did he saved his people to the uttermost by the death of himself
and you can rest in him trust him believe him because he's
the faithful shepherd he's the Savior he is who he says he is
he is and so that's what he did as our faithful shepherd and
you that believe are testimony of God's faithfulness to do all
that he promises for his sheep whom he saved by the Son that
faith is not of the flesh that your faith is of the Spirit of
God bearing fruit in you it's it's a testimony that you're
not your own you've been bought with the price you've been bought
with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ you're his and that's
why we glory in him not in what we've done but not in our decision,
not in some choice we made, this faith, it's a work of His grace,
it's out of the flesh, to the praise and glory of His name. That's why we bow before the
Lord and give Him thanks and have nothing to boast in of ourselves,
we can't even lay claim to this faith. And yet He says, your
faith hath saved you because He's given it, He's given it
to the praise and glory and honor of His name. Peter describes
it this way, in 1 Peter 2, verse 24 and 25, bear our sins in his own body
on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, dead to that body of
sin. We have no further part in that
thing. We're dead to that. Those works,
those days, the law that Adam's body and flesh is under, we're
dead to that. We're dead to that. That we,
being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness by whose stripes
ye were healed, For ye were a sheep going astray, but are now returned
by the grace of God unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls. So Christ, because he is the
shepherd of his sheep, he's redeemed us, and we've become his purchased
possession. We are his purchased possession,
whether you think it or not, you that are his, you are his
purchased possession, and you're precious to him, and he is faithfully
calling you and leading you and drawing you to himself to drink
of his waters, to eat of his body and to drink his blood by
the spirit and grace of God. And that's how we live. And that's
how we're fed and nourished and strengthened and encouraged and
rest in peace and joy in our Lord Jesus Christ. And so we're
his and because we're his, it pleases him to manifest. this fruit, this life, this abundance
of life in us by his grace and power. It pleases him to do it,
to know him, to have fellowship with him, to experience him as
our great shepherd. That's his, he delights in it.
He's jealous for his name and he delights to do that for you
as people. So let's return now to Psalm 23. Psalm 23, again, verse one, the
Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. This is the confession
of the sheep of God. We're taught this. The Lord does
this by his grace. What does the child of God want?
Well, it's speaking of what we stand in need of to stand before
God, holy and righteous and accepted of him. That's what we need.
And that's exactly what the Lord provides. That's exactly what
the Lord has done for us. He's satisfied all our wants. And the want of the child of
God is, Lord, Save me. Lord, help me. Lord, have mercy
on me. Lord, don't deal with me according
to my sins as they deserve. Save me. Cover me with the blood
of Christ. Have mercy upon me, Lord. Help
me. Remember me, Lord. I see what
you do for others. Remember me, Lord. Have mercy
on me. And that's what he does. That's
what we need, and that's what he does. And so, we read in verse 2 then. He maketh
me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still
waters. This is gospel language, brethren.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. Our God is in perfect,
sovereign control. He has your life in his hand. And honestly, there's no better
place. I don't want my life in my hand.
You don't want your life in your hand. Whether you realize it
or not, it's it needs to be in God's hand otherwise we shall
lose our lives we shall perish in our sin if not for the grace
of God and so our God is in perfect sovereign control blessed is
the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thy throne
we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house even of
thy holy temple." What the psalmist there is describing is that we
find all our needs met in Christ. The house is built by the Son,
by Christ. He's the temple. by whom and
in whom we worship God in spirit and in truth. It's of him, and
so we are made satisfied, we're satisfied, even as the father
is satisfied with the son, he makes us to be satisfied with
him also. That's his work. This flesh can't
do that. That's the spirit of grace that
gives us satisfaction in Christ. And so, trust him, brethren,
he's in perfect sovereign control. You are adopted sons and daughters
by the grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ because of him. Not because of you and I, but
because of him. He hath chosen us in Christ before
the foundation of the world. That's Ephesians 1.4. Christ
is called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world that's
revelation 13a that speaks of of him being chosen of the father
the father trusting our salvation into the hands of his son if
god the father trusts his son we ought also to trust the son
for all things he's done it and he does that that's what he does
he turns us from dead things that cannot save and dead works
and dead letter religion fleshly religion carnal religion and
he turns us to the lord and we see him We see the grace of God,
the light of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ for
that first time because he's lifted the veil that kept us
in blindness, in darkness, in bondage, in the prison, shut
up to the truth of God, but he opens it and says, sinner, show
yourselves. Come forth, come out of that
darkness, come into the light. And that's where we see and know
this is the work of God. This is God's grace and mercy
who's done this. 1 John 3,8, actually let's go there. 1 John 3,8. Here's another view of what Christ
has done. 1 John 3,8, he that commiteth
sin. Wait for you all get there because
it's good to see it First John 3 8 he that committed sin is
of the devil For the devil sinneth from the beginning Brethren,
we got a problem because every one of us here is a sinner. We've all committed sin We do
we are nothing but sin in ourselves He that committed sin is of the
devil that that's just telling you plain plain fact We've got
a problem and we can't get ourselves out of that for this purpose
the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works
of the devil. We can't destroy the works of
the devil. We can't even go back, even if you cleaned up your life
pretty good now, what are you gonna do about all the sins back
to the beginning in the garden in Adam when we fell in Adam
and all the things we've done up to this time? And you know
we're still sinners. We still see and have lusts in
this flesh and wicked thoughts, wicked deeds, wicked words, wicked
actions, evil. We're sinners in this flesh. We're sinners through and through.
This flesh is dead and it's corrupt and it's vile. We need the grace
of God. For this purpose, the Son of
God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil.
We're not gonna destroy him, he does. And he blesses us, and
he corrects us, and teaches us, and chastens us as we have need,
and he leads us by his spirit in paths of righteousness, giving
us his spirit, giving us faith, and sometimes he suffers us. To fall in sin to fall on our
face to stumble and to see what vile wretches we are Because
we we gotta know that it's of him. But remember it's of of
faith the just shall live by his faith and so We don't always
see what we don't ever see what we should see what we think we
should see or what we want to see but we see jesus by the grace
of god and we're made to know I need him every hour that we
might be gracious with one another, that we would always be before
the feet of Christ, like Mary, always found at the feet of Christ,
and that we would come to him humbly, seeking his grace and
mercy. being reminded of what a faithful,
good shepherd, how gracious, how kind, how generous, how patient,
how long-suffering he is with us, that we would know that Christ
is all and in all, that he's everything we need, everything. Moreover, the psalmist says,
he maketh me to lie down in green pastures. They're green pastures. It makes me think of my lawn
in the wintertime, you know, Crunchy and hard and dead. That's
not the grace of our Savior His his burden is light. His yoke
is easy. His burden is light. It's tender
sweet grass We're feeding upon a good word a word of grace Not
of what you need to be doing and you need to fix this and
stop doing that and start doing this But no, we're we're feeding
upon the grace of God Who patiently cares for us? and who gives us
exactly what we need according to measure, very graciously,
very generously, very kindly, all in Christ. And we lie down
because we're not working. laboring, spending, sacrificing,
we're resting in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're not doing that
for salvation. We do good works in joy and in
gladness, and we're made tender and kind toward our brethren,
and do things that we don't even know we're doing it. Normally,
all we see is the sin in ourselves, but our brethren see the sacrifices
we make and are thankful for their kindness toward us. But we rest in Christ. We're
not trying to justify ourselves, trying to sanctify ourselves,
trying to get ourselves righteous. No, we are turned to look and
trust in Christ. And sometimes we go down that
path, but the Lord is faithful to bring us back to himself and
to turn our eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ again and again
so that we thank him and say, thank you, Lord, that you didn't
let me keep going down that dark path of misery and death. And so we don't want for pardon
anymore. We received it in Christ. Additionally,
he leadeth me beside the still waters. This is a sweet picture. You know, I'm reminded it's not
too often that you see this, and I don't know in a windy city
like California if you ever see it, but if you've ever looked
out at a lake when there's no fish popping out from underneath
getting a bug, there's no one skipping a rock across the lake,
there's no motorboat going across and sending ripples to the shore,
there's not even wind. to disturb that water. When you
look at it like that, it's so still that it is a sea of glass. He leadeth me besides still waters,
it's as a sea of glass. It's rare to see when that water's
not moved or troubled in any way, it's a sea of glass. Well,
John writes of this in Revelation 15 too. He says, I saw, as it
were, a sea of glass. mingled with fire. He could see
fire down there underneath in that sea, but on top he's looking
at a sea of glass. Perfect, still, and calm. and them that had gotten the
victory over the beast, this is speaking of you that believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ and trust him, I saw them that had
gotten victory, the victory over the beast and over his image
and over his mark and over the number of his name, stand on
the sea of glass, having the harps of God. This sea, John
tells us in Revelation 4-6, lies before the throne of God. That
sea, I believe, speaks to the wrath of God against his enemies. And that beast, and the number
of that beast, and the mark of the beast, and men that worship
him are overwhelmed by that sea of wrath, of the wrath of God.
They're underneath that in the fiery wrath of God, burning up,
but on top, where you've been raised again in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Stand above that wrath in Christ,
and for you, that sea is a sea of glass. Still, perfect peace
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And you have the harps. Why does
it speak of harps? Because we've been given a new
song, brethren, the song of the redeemed. And we thank God for
Jesus Christ who has redeemed us, shed his blood, covered us,
our sins, and put them away forever. that we might stand faultless
before the throne of God, faultless before the throne of God. Thanks
be to God for his darling son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so these green pastures and
still waters, they describe the blessings of Christ's redemption
given to his people through his death and resurrection. God and
Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ have blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places which speaks
of his redemption in Christ in Christ if you go back to Genesis
1 that that the covering that we're in speaks of the atonement
the covering of Christ in heavenly places where we in that firmament
that's what it yeah that firmament there look it up it's it's a
sweet picture and that's what Ephesians 1 3 is saying in that
atonement in that covering by the blood of Christ we receive
all blessings of God in him in him through his redemption Truly,
we don't want for any part, and we've received it in Christ.
Next, David says in verse three, he restoreth my soul, he leadeth
me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Our Savior did this. He gives
us his Holy Spirit who leads us in paths of righteousness.
He doesn't leave us to figure it out in the flesh and just
to do the best that we can. We don't have a good. We don't
have a best that we can that's acceptable to God. Christ is
all our acceptance to him and he gives us his Holy Spirit and
he dwells in the hearts of his people and he turns us again
and again to Christ and keeps us right there walking by faith
in him. The father said this is my beloved
son in whom I am well pleased. Well, that's how I want to come
to the Lord. As Paul said, not in my own righteousness,
not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
righteousness which is of Christ. We come in Christ because that's
the one in whom the Father is well pleased. We don't come outside
of Christ. We don't come with Christ plus
other things. No, we don't have any confidence
in the flesh Paul said Philippians 3 3. Our confidence is in Christ
and Christ alone. He's our all. He's how we come
brethren. Otherwise, we'll meet an angry
God. We'll meet a God who destroys
the beast and his image and his mark and the number of his name.
That's not how we want to come. We want to come in the Son whom
he sent to save his people from their sins. Verse 4, Yea, though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort
me. And for us here in this abundance
of life in the Lord Jesus Christ, he strips us of vain fleshly
confidences, he strips us down of trusting this flesh of trusting
the works of this flesh and thinking that we can somehow improve upon
what the Lord Jesus Christ has done we're gonna find we're gonna
be humbled we're gonna be brought low in ourselves we're gonna
die to self daily by the grace of God stripping us down and
bringing us low in ourselves making us to see that I need
Christ more than anything I need the Lord Jesus Christ and that's
that's all that I need Now it's not easy in the flesh at all,
it's impossible in the flesh, but by the grace of God, he shows
us that and brings us time and time again, sweetly, according
to his grace, bringing us to see that Christ is all. You know, that valley of the
shadow of death isn't just that final walk through the grave.
I mean, I like what Spurgeon says. He calls that death, he
says, it's death is but the porch that leadeth to the home. And
it's a sweet picture, but we also experienced that slaying
of this old man. I put him to death, this old
man. Job said, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. And
we are slain often. We're brought low in this flesh
for our good. Even the Apostle Paul, on his
missionary journey, said of one time when they are, I think,
in Asia, he said, we had the sentence of death in ourselves
that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the
dead. And if he did that for the Apostle,
then truly, we need it as well. We need to feel that sentence
of death in us and being brought low to know the grace of God. And he does it in measure. He
does it as it pleases him and his people for their good and
to make them to know, because we're all trophies of his grace.
of how he's saved this one because there'll be people that gnash
their teeth at him and say you could have done this for me you
should have done that and he's gonna say well look this is what I brought
these people through and they believe me and it's a demonstration
of his grace of his mercy and power which the world will not
hear or receive and we wouldn't hear it or receive it but by
the grace of God to know that he's he's God verse 5 Thou preparest
a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest
my head with oil. My cup runneth over." You know,
what I would just say with that is when we're afraid and when
we're shaken and troubled, remember that our Lord is not whooped
or put in a bad spot by the enemies of God. They don't weaken him,
they don't prevent him from doing what he purposes to do. Our Lord
is on the throne and he's accomplishing his will. Our Lord said in Psalm
22, many bowls have compassed me, strong bowls of bastion have
beset me round. And it was there on the cross,
surrounded by his enemies, when he was weakest, as far as man
goes, giving his life, and yet it was at that moment that he
accomplished the most glorious, wondrous work of salvation for
his people. He did that, so he's not troubled
by enemies. He's not troubled by oppositions
and enemies that war against. He's able to accomplish his purpose
and his will as it pleases him when and how he pleases to do
it. He's able brethren. Verse six, surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell
in the house of the Lord forever. In other words, brethren, our
inheritance is secured for us by the Lord Jesus Christ. There's
not a possibility of your salvation or a possibility of you losing
your salvation. It's secured in the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's fixed in him, not in us. him and so trust trust the Lord
nothing can seize us or take us away from our inheritance
in the Lord Jesus Christ and he that's what he's doing he
makes you to know that he is our Good Shepherd I shall not
want amen let's close in prayer and be dismissed for 10 or 15
minutes Our gracious Lord, we do thank you that you are the
Good Shepherd. Lord, we thank you for your grace.
Lord, thank you that you don't tire of us, or grow weary of
us, or cast us aside, Lord. You know that we are but dust,
and you know what fools we are in this flesh. Lord, thank you
for your grace, your patience, your long-suffering. Bless your
people. Save your people. Keep your people. Lord, fill your people with your
Spirit. and remember us in Christ, always
look upon us in Christ our Savior, and always make him as precious
to us as he is to you, Lord. And Lord, bless this people,
you know our troubles, you know our struggles, our sins, you
know the fears of our hearts and minds, Lord, have mercy upon
us. Be gracious to us. Bless this
people here. Bless this work. Bless Kevin
and Kim and their family. And Lord, keep the families here.
Bless them. Give them your spirit. Establish
this work here as a shining light, a testimony of your grace and
power. their hearts first and and to
others who see them Lord that your name would be praised and
honored and glorified in Christ's name we pray and give thanks
amen