Thank God. It's without a doubt one of my
favorite hymns. Thou my great father, I thy dear son. I can't hear enough of that
song. I think I could just probably
just close my Bible and go home. But since we're here, open your
Bibles with me to Psalm 23. Psalm 23. I want us to look together this
morning at this passage of Scripture. No doubt in my mind, this is
probably one of the most published scriptures probably in the world. It's frequently quoted, frequently
read. Often at the funeral home, we
see it printed on the back of the memorial card. And it's certainly been a sweet,
sweet song to those Who more? In a time of weeping, we find
great joy in God's Word, in the Lord, our shepherd. Interestingly
enough, it follows Psalm 22. Psalm 22, which is rightly named
the Psalm of the Cross, Prior to that, Psalm 22, there's
no mention of green pastures, still waters, nothing like that
prior to Psalm 22. It's only after we read, my God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me? that we come to these words in
verse one of Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. You know, we must know something
about the blood, his blood that was shed and that sword that
was awakened against the shepherd, his suffering unto death. Our Savior suffered unto death. We must see something of that
before we can see the sweetness of these words we read here about
the Lord our shepherd, his care. To know him, to know who he is,
what he did, Why he did it, where he is now, I want to know him. Several years ago, I guess probably
20 years ago, I attended a gravesite service and two men spoke, two
different men. The first fellow that spoke,
he said some words about a man that was laying there and his
body lay there in the casket. He said a few words. He had done
some research and he knew some things about that man. Some facts, some history, some
things. But then another man stood up,
I suppose. And he told of a dear friend. He told of a neighbor. He told
of a brother. He spoke of one that he loved
and knew. And I pray this morning that
the Lord would enable us, as we look through this passage
of Scripture this morning, Not to just see Psalm 23. It's printed everywhere. I want to see my shepherd. I want to see the Lord who is
my shepherd written in God's Word. To know him and to be known him. This is the Lord Jesus Christ
we read about. He's my savior. He's my redeemer. Scripture says this, that he
loved me. I'm his. He loved me and gave
himself for me. Consider his great love and care
for his sheep. Do you have Psalm 23? Look at
verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd. Can I say that? Can I say that
with confidence? Can I say that with hope? Is
that my assurance? The Lord is my shepherd. I hope we can see, there's much
written in Psalm 23, and I'd never pretend that we could ever
even begin to scratch the surface of it. But there's three things
I pray the Lord would enable us to see here this morning that
are mentioned here in this first verse. The shepherd, the sheep, and my assurance, the believer's
assurance, the believer's confidence. First, consider the shepherd. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ in
Scripture is often described as the shepherd. In the Old Testament,
God promised to raise up a faithful shepherd. In Zechariah 13, he's
God's shepherd. In 1 Peter 5, he's the chief
shepherd. In John 10, he's the great shepherd. Can we speak like David of old
and say, the Lord is my shepherd? You know, as the shepherd, he's
all-knowing. He knows his sheep. That's what
Scripture says. He knows his sheep. He knows
them intimately. He knows them by name. He knows
that he can number the hairs of our head. He knows his sheep. He knows our needs. He knows
our trials and difficulties. He knows where to find his sheep. Even when we try to hide, he
knows where his sheep are. He's all powerful. That great
shepherd of the sheep, he is all powerful. He can do everything needed for
them. He can protect, he can defend,
he can save, he guides, he directs, He carries his sheep. In John
10, verse 11, our Lord says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. He's the shepherd appointed by
God the Father. God made him the shepherd by
God's calling, by God's sending. and the salvation and care of
every one of his sheep is committed unto him. The sheep don't protect
themselves. The great shepherd does. In Isaiah
chapter 40, turn there with me. Turn to Isaiah 40. Look beginning with verse 10. Behold, the Lord God will come
with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his
reward is with him and his work before him. Look at verse 11. He shall feed his flock like
a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those
that are with him. As the shepherd, he has a flock. They're his, distinct and peculiar,
given him by the father and purchased by his own blood. He wasn't just
willing to give his life for his sheep. He gave his life for
the sheep. Again, we read back in John 10,
he said, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. There on Calvary, he laid down
his life for his sheep. It was there he bore our sin. Think about this. After he sweat
great drops of blood, as he prayed to the Father, he said to the
Father, if thou be willing, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but
thy will be done. after he was betrayed, after
he was beaten and mocked, after he was scourged, after
he was hung on the cross with two common criminals. There as he hung on the cross
and bore the punishment and wrath of Almighty God for sins that
He did not commit, for the sins of His people. He gave His life for the sheep, delivering us from the curse
of the law. And Scripture says this, not
one, Not even one for which he died
will ever perish. In John 6, 37, all that the Father
hath given me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. We're safe and secure. in his hands. As the shepherd,
he feeds his flock, he leads his flock, he gathers them in
his arms. We read that earlier. He said,
I'll seek that which was lost. I'll bring again that which was
driven away. I'll bind up that which was broken,
strengthen that which was sick. What condescension that the Lord
Jesus Christ would assume the form of a shepherd. Isn't that
amazing that he would take that on? The Lord is my shepherd. Well, we see the shepherd. and a shepherd has to have sheep.
We see the sheep. If he's the shepherd, that makes
his people his sheep, his people, his church. Now, this is not
a flattering comparison. Typically, when we see sheep,
It's in a cartoon or maybe at the fair and they're all cleaned
up and been groomed for showing. But that's really not what sheep
look like. It's not a flattering comparison. But you know what? We don't really
need to be flattered, do we? No. If you look at the nature
of a sheep, It's a pretty fair comparison. In fact, sheep might
look at us and feel like they're the ones being described wrongly
here, right? I did a little research here,
okay? Here's some things about sheep.
They're defenseless. They're defenseless. I read somewhere
that if they roll over on the back, they're kind of like a
turtle. They can't get back up. unless someone picks them up. We can relate to that, can't
we? He lifted me up. Here's a good quality. If there
is one, they recognize the shepherd's voice. Sheep don't carry burdens. They're not an animal for carrying
burdens. Isn't it amazing that we try to carry burdens rather
than just taking them to the Lord and leaving them with Him? I read that they'll settle for
less, much less. If there's dirty water right
here in front of them and they're thirsty, and there's clean water
20 feet away, they'll drink the dirty water every time. They can't care for themselves.
You know, other animals can, like a dog or something, can
lick its wounds, but from what I read, sheep can't provide any
care for themselves. They must have a shepherd. They have no sense of direction. Sheep, this is probably no surprise,
by themselves are prone to wonder. That described us, that described
you. Ezekiel, again, we read that. He said, I'll seek that
which was lost, that which was driven away, that which was broken,
that which was sick. We read this in the Sunday school
this morning, that parable of the man with one lost sheep. Just one lost sheep out there
in the wilderness. That sheep had wandered from
the fold. Aren't we thankful that he goes
after that which is lost until he finds it? And when he finds
it, he puts it on his shoulder and he carries it home. And he
says, calls the neighbors to come rejoice with me. I have
found my sheep which was lost. He went after that which was
lost till he found it. We see lost sheep throughout
the scripture. There was that woman at the well. Remember our Lord went to her
and he found her. How about Zacchaeus? Zacchaeus climbed up that tree.
The Lord went to the place. He looked up and saw her. He
said, come down. That man that was in the tombs,
cutting himself and just out of control. Next thing we know, he's sitting,
he's clothed, he's in his right mind. Where'd the Lord find you? Aren't we thankful again that
he seeks until he finds, he knows where every one of his sheep
are. You know, if he hadn't, he hadn't
went and fetched that lost sheep that was lost, that sheep would
die, because it's defenseless, it's helpless. Turn with me to
John chapter 10. John 10, verse 27. In the previous verse, in verse
26, our Lord made this statement to a group of men. This would be an awful thing
to be told. This would be an awful thing to hear. He said,
you're not my sheep. They had said, how long do you
make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. And the Lord said, I told you,
and you believe not. The works I do in my Father's
name bear witness to me, but you believe not because you're
not my sheep. Not everyone in this world is
one of God's sheep. He has a people to himself. There he is. He said this to
that group, you're not my sheep, you're not my elect. You're not
one of those given by the father. You're not one of those chosen
by my father. Not one of those ordained to
eternal life. A man doesn't believe so he can
become one of God's sheep. He believes because he is one. Look at verse 27 of John 10.
Here's the mark. Here's the mark of God's sheep. His sheep. He said, my sheep
hear my voice. I think it was Spurgeon said,
he said, their ears are marked and their feet are marked. They
hear my voice. I know them. and they follow
me." That's where their feet go, they follow him. And he said,
I give them, I give them eternal life and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand, safe and secure
him. They hear him, they follow him and consider this, He says, I know them. I know them. Is that just beyond
human comprehension? That Almighty God would say,
I know him. I know my sheep. He's given us an understanding
that we might know him He said in John 10, 14, he said, I'm
known, I'm known of mine. Paul writing to the Philippians,
he said that I might know him. I desire to know him. I want to know him. Look at John
10, 27 here again. Our Lord says, I know them. He's known them from all eternity.
They're His. In Matthew 10, 27, our Lord was
speaking to some religious folks, and He said this. He said, Many
will say unto me, Lord, Lord. Everybody uses some kind of religious
talk, don't they? Lord, Lord. Didn't we prophesy
in Your name? Isn't that what we did? Didn't
we prophesy in Your name? In Thy name cast out devils.
In Thy name did many wonderful works. If you notice here, all these
things they were talking about were things they were doing. Our Lord said this, He said,
Then I will profess unto them, I never knew you. I want to know Christ. Oh, how
I want to be known. His sheep hear him. The Lord, listen, the Lord, that
he'd give me a desire that He'd give each one of us a desire
to hear of Him, that He would cause me to rejoice in His Word. It says they follow Him. They follow Him. His sheep follow
Him. And again, He says, I know them. I know every one of them.
The shepherd, the sheep, at last, our assurance, our confidence. Turn back to Psalm 23. Again,
verse one. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall
not want. I shall not want. You know, to
be in To be in one is to come short. It's to be lacking. I remember one time as a kid,
I was waiting in line. I think it was just a bit a while
back, but like Kmart or somewhere like that. And I went to buy
something. And when the lady at the register
gave me my total, I counted out my money. I didn't have enough. I came up short. What I had I
wanted, but I couldn't have it. I had to just say sorry and leave
it, and I think I went and tried to find my dad to see if I could
get a little more money to cover the cost there, but I had to put it back. I came
up short on funds. You know, the prodigal son, we
read of him, it says that he took everything his dad gave
him, he took his inheritance, and he went out and he lived
just an awful life, and he spent everything he had, and he began
to be in want. That's what Scripture says. He
began to be in want. And what did he do? He returned
to his father. I'll return to my father. I'll
say I'm not worthy to be a servant. Listen, the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord Jesus Christ is my shepherd. I'm one of his, I'm his sheep.
And that being true, what do we read there? I shall not want. I shall not want. I may be the
weakest sheep. I may be the dumbest sheep, prone to wander, prone to stray. I might be the oldest sheep.
I might be one of the most feeble sheep. But what do we read there? I
shall not want. I may experience sickness, sorrow,
and eventually death, but I shall not want, for He
is able to say. He is able to present me faultless
before the presence of His throne. Scripture says this, He's able
to raise my vile body. His sheep shall not want. I shall not want for rest. Scripture says this, he makes
me. I'm not even smart enough to
do that. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. Now you see
that in verse two, I shall not want for peace. He leads me beside
the still waters. Verse three, I shall not want
for redemption and forgiveness. He restore my soul. In Adam die, in Adam we all die. He restored us to life. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness
for His name's sake. It's not our nature to even know
the path of righteousness. I couldn't find it. I couldn't
recognize it. Apart from Him, I'd have no desire
of it. But He leads His sheep there.
He does. He does. He leads me to love
it and to walk in it for His namesake, for His glory. By His grace, He does these things.
Verse four, I shall not want for companionship or comfort,
for Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort
me. You know this, I read it. We often think of the valley
of death as the latter years, you know, when death's door is
soon to open. But if we're honest, this world,
this whole world is the valley of death. Adam's fall assured us. In the day that you eat thereof,
thou shalt surely die. But the Lord Jesus Christ has
removed the sting of death for the believer, for his sheep.
And only a shadow remains. The shadow of death. You know,
a dog can bite me. A wild dog can hurt me. but its shadow can't, right? It's just a shadow. Only the
shadow remains. He says, I'll fear no evil. Christ
is with me. Where the shepherd is, the sheep
are close by. Where the sheep are, the shepherd
is, right? He said this, Lo, I am with you. even to the end of the world.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. He corrects and rules and
defends and directs his sheep. Verse five, I shall not want
for provision, not even in the presence of mine enemies. He supplies every need. prepares a table for me in the
very presence of my enemies. My cup runs over. He's anointed
my cup runs over. You know, I can't help but think
of Mephibosheth sitting there at the king's table as a son. Verse six, I shall not want for
anything in this life or in the life to come for His goodness
and His mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I
shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And you know there's, listen,
There's nothing here that we've earned. There's nothing here that we've
merited. Yet, this is my confidence. This is the believer's confidence. This is my assurance because of Him. It is the Lord
Jesus Christ. the great shepherd, the chief
shepherd, the good shepherd. And oh, that I could speak as
David and say this, the Lord is my shepherd. Let's go to our Lord. Our God and Father in heaven,
we thank you for this day. We thank you for your word. We
thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, cause us to know
him. Cause us to believe him. Cause us to rest in him. Cause
us to continually seek him. Lord, we thank you for the confidence
and hope we have in the Lord our shepherd. and able us to
rest in him. Which in his name we pray and
give thee thanks. Amen.