Psalm 23, Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures. He leadeth me beside the still
waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth
me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. 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. Thou preparest a table before
me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life. and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. The Lord is my shepherd. I saw recently, following the
birth of Jesus Christ, wise men came from the east seeking he
who was born King of the Jews and we noted that wise men look
for the King. Well here in this psalm we read
of the Lord as a shepherd and we're reminded that at the birth
of Christ not only did kings come to seek him following his
birth but shepherds were told of his birth. As Luke records,
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of
the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round
about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto
them, Fear not, For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And
this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped
in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there
was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising
God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, goodwill toward men. And it came to pass as the angels
were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one
to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this
thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known.
unto us. At the birth of Christ, the angels
made known to these shepherds the birth of the Saviour, Christ
the Lord, who was born that day in the city of David. How right that this shepherd,
whom the shepherds sought, was born in the city of David. David,
the great psalmist, who says in our psalm, the Lord is my
shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. Wise
men looked for a king, and these shepherds looked for the good
shepherd. their shepherd, David's shepherd. And not only a shepherd, but
also the Lamb of God. Oh, what titles and what descriptions
are given to Christ the Saviour. He is the good shepherd and He
is the Lamb. He is both the priest and the
sacrifice. He is both God and man. He is the Saviour, Christ the
Lord. He is both the One who is served
and He is the Servant. He is both the Son of God, God,
and He is the Son of Man, born of Mary in the city of David
in Bethlehem. the one of whom David writes,
the Lord is my shepherd, my shepherd. Well this is the most well known
of psalms. Countless know this psalm. Many
in the world, many religious who really know not God will
quote various parts of the scriptures. They can quote the Lord's Prayer.
They can quote the 23rd Psalm. They love the words. They love
the promise. They love the comfort which even
the natural man can see in speaking of a shepherd who leads him.
in green pastures beside the still waters. For what comfort
there is in this psalm to those who truly know the Lord. The
presumptuous might presume upon it and hope for a God who leads
them in green pastures. But the child of God, like David,
The child of God who knows what it is to be broken before God. The child of God who knows how
weak he is. Who knows that he's like a sheep
who has gone astray. Who is without wisdom. who is
without strength, who deserves the wrath of God because of his
iniquity and his rebellion, the child of God that knows how weak
and foolish he is, knows what comfort this psalm speaks of,
that the Lord is his shepherd. If you know what David knew,
if God has taught you who you are and what you are and who
he is and what he is, if the Lord has taught you where you
are before him, how rebellious you are by nature, how sinful
you are by nature, how just and righteous he is, how needy you
are, then you will find great comfort in David's words here. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures. He leadeth me beside the still
waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake. The Lord is my shepherd. Now consider the writer David
he who we found referred to in Luke's gospel when the angels
from heaven declare unto the shepherds that the Savior is
born in the city of David Well this David who has a city named
after him, this David who was raised to the prominence of king
in Israel began as a humble shepherd boy. He began minding his father's
sheep. He began when his elder brothers
were off fighting battles. minding the sheep for his father
at home. He was a shepherd and more than
most he knew what sheep were and he knew what the role of
the shepherd was. He knew how foolish and weak
sheep were, how needy sheep are and he knew what lengths the
shepherd went to to look after the sheep because he was his
sheep's shepherd. He knew what he must do to lead
those sheep. He knew how he must lead them,
how he must gather them, how he must go before them. He knew
how apt they were to wander. He knew how easily they went
astray. He knew what it was at times
when it was called upon to leave the 99 sheep and go after the
one lost one. He knew what it was to have to
feed them and provide for them and protect them. And he knew,
as he said, what it was to have to fight wild animals to protect
them. He knew what enemies the sheep
had. And he knew how helpless they
were before these enemies. When a lion came, to the flock,
or when a bear came, when a wild animal came, what could the sheep
do? When an adversary came into the
midst of the flock, what could they do? They'd be devoured in
a moment. If it wasn't for their shepherd. David was a shepherd. And he
knew how to look after his sheep. He knew what it was to live with
the sheep, to spend his days with the sheep, to spend his
nights with the sheep, to sleep in the fields with the sheep.
and sleep the sleep of a shepherd where he listened and was attentive
and listened out for danger and when he heard it he would rise
and he would fight off the foes and the enemies and protect those
sheep. He knew what it was to give himself
for the sheep. He was prepared to fight the
wild animals. He was prepared to put his life
before their lives. And if it came to it, his care
and his love for the flock was such that he'd have laid down
his own life. David knew all this. And this
is how he can write of the Lord his shepherd. Because though
he was raised to prominence, though the Lord blessed David
and made him king over Israel, David still felt before his Lord
as a sheep. He knew how helpless sheep were,
he knew how much they needed a shepherd and he knew before
God just how like a sheep he was. and just how much in need
he was, just how helpless he was, no matter how great he appeared
in the eyes of Israel, no matter that many praised and adulated
him at various points and said Saul has killed his His tens,
but David's killed his thousands. No matter what they said about
David's victories and David's power and prowess, David knew
himself that he was nothing. He was a sheep. And all his victories
were of God. All that came his way, all the
blessing that came his way, came freely by God's grace. He knew that he won no battle,
but that which God won for him. He knew that he had no strength,
but that strength which God had given to him. He knew he had
no wisdom, but that wisdom which God made known unto him, that
God gave him. He knew he was a foolish sheep
and he needed a shepherd. He needed one to provide for
him. He needed one to protect him.
He needed one who would give himself for him. And he knew
who that shepherd was. The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. I once
was a shepherd of sheep, but before God I'm a sheep with a
shepherd. He knew. He knew what it was
to encounter enemies. As a sheep as it were, he went
and stood before Goliath, this great Philistine. who laughed
and derided, before whom David himself had no strength. But
the Lord took David, and by David he slew the Philistine. In Samuel
17.40 says of David, he took his staff in his hand and chose
him five smooth stones out of the brook. and put them in a
shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip, and his sling
was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. He went and stood before the
enemy. Just as he'd stood as a shepherd
before the wild animal to protect the sheep, here he went, helpless
in himself, as a sheep in himself, carrying his shepherd's bag,
and stood before the Philistine and slew him. And he knew from
such encounters that he was the sheep and his God was his shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. says David the shepherd yes David
can write this psalm because he knew about sheep and he knew
about shepherds but he writes this psalm David the shepherd
writes this psalm secondly of his shepherd for as we've noted
he says the Lord is my shepherd David the shepherd writes of
his shepherd the Lord the Lord he knew he needed a shepherd
and he had a shepherd and that shepherd was no man There are
many mighty men. There are many greater than ourselves. There are many who for the journey
of life we may learn from and be helped by. There are many
who can provide for us. There are many who have greater
wisdom than we have. But ultimately all are men at
best. And all can let us down. And
all can fail us. And all are frail in the end. And David knew many others. David
had friends like Jonathan. David had those at times who
were very loyal to him. But he does not say of them that
they are his shepherd. Because they are but men. He
had a greater shepherd. He had a shepherd. who could
provide all his need, and watch over him, and fight every enemy,
and deliver him from every foe. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. Oh, what certainty and faith
and hope there is in David's words. The Lord is my shepherd. shall not want he's proved it
These are the words of a child of God who's lived and walked
with this shepherd over many years. The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures. He leadeth me beside the still
waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake. David had proven this pathway. He'd walked before the Lord for
many years and the Lord had been his shepherd. The Lord was his
shepherd and he knew the Lord would continue to be his shepherd. The Lord provided all his needs. And he could say of where the
Lord placed him that they were green pastures. He was led besides
still waters. Now if you look at David's life,
his history, as a young man, as a king, as a husband, as a
father, as a warrior, you will see many trials, much heartache,
many turbulent days. In many respects you may wonder
in looking at David's life where the green pastures were and the
still waters were. He knew what it was to have his
own children, his own household rise up against him. He knew
what it was to have Saul seek his life. He knew what it was
to have enemies hound him throughout the country. He knew what trial
was more than any. and yet he can look beyond all
these things and know by faith that despite all outward appearances
despite how his circumstances might appear to others despite
the trials that all these things ultimately were for his good
and despite all outward appearances in reality the Lord was leading
him besides still waters. And the Lord caused him to lie
down in green pastures. He may have lied down in a place
where there were others ready to kill him. He may have lied
down in a cold and a wet cave. But he knew that with the Lord
as his shepherd, none could destroy him, none could harm him, except
the Lord said so. He knew that wherever he was,
however many foes there were outside, whatever the appearance
before men, in reality, he was in green pastures and by still
waters. because of the shepherd who walked
beside him. Now that's the hope and the trust
that David had but that's the comfort that is in these words
for us as children of God if you know the Lord. Whatever your
outward circumstances whatever the trial you're brought to pass
through, whatever suffering you have, whatever illness you have,
whatever difficult decisions you have to make, whatever hatred
there may be set against you, whatever enemies you may have,
whatever persecution you may endure, whatever the hardship,
if the Lord is with you, wherever you are is a green pasture. wherever you are is beside still
waters because he is greater than all and all these things
which appear to be against you all these trials through which
you wade all these fires and furnaces which you're plunged
into are for your good They're not against you. The
Lord has brought them to pass and the Lord is using them for
your good. These aren't the words of David
in describing a physical state that oversee these are the words
of faith wherever he was whatever the circumstance he was in he
could look through that circumstance to the Lord his shepherd and
say I shall not want I am lying down in green pastures and I
am led by still waters now that's faith and that's the words of
faith And only the faithful can enter into these things because
he trusted his God. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. We read of the shepherd in other
places in the scriptures. The Lord is a wonderful shepherd
for his people. Psalm 80 verse 1. Give ear, O
shepherd of Israel, thou that leadeth Joseph like a flock,
thou that dwellest between the cherubims. Shine forth, the Lord. This is people's shepherd. Isaiah 40 verse 11. He shall
lead 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 young. God has promised to lead his
people as a shepherd over a flock. They are scattered. They may
be one here and one there, couple over there. They may be weak,
they may be bruised, they may be lame. They may be foolish,
they may be rebellious. They may be guilty, they may
be sinful. They may be young, they may be
old. They may be without strength. They may feel like they've come
to an end of themselves. They may feel like they don't
know what the next day will bring. They don't know where to go.
They don't know how to decide what to do. They don't know whether
to turn to the left hand or the right. They may feel like disaster's
upon them. But if they're God's, he shall
lead them like a shepherd. and he shall gather the lambs
with his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead
those that are with young. They're wonderfully tender verses
and wonderfully comforting verses these passages regarding the
Lord's care of his people. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm. How often we feel like a little lamb before God, a little
lamb in our circumstances, weak and foolish. How often we feel
surrounded by wolves, surrounded by bears and we cannot stand,
we have no strength and yet he's promised to lead us, to pick
us up in his arms, to carry us in his bosom. to gently lead
those that are with young he shall lead his flock like a shepherd
and David knew this the Lord is my shepherd is he your shepherd? can you read these words of David
and say yes mine too mine too mine too he restoreth my soul
he's restored my soul you say as he restored your soul. Did
he come? Did Christ offer himself for
you? As David the shepherd was willing
to lay down his life for the sheep, Christ said I am willing
to lay down my life for the sheep. The good shepherd layeth down
his life for the sheep. Did he lay it down for you? He
restoreth my soul. He laid down his life for the
sheep to restore their soul, these lost souls, these dead
souls, these sinners lost in sin, dead in iniquity, who'd
wandered far off, upon whom God's wrath and judgment had come,
upon whom God's sentence rang out. Yet Christ was willing. to lay down his life for the
sheep. He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake. David knew this path. The right path, the right way.
A way that delivered him from his sin. A way that led him to
a saviour crucified upon a tree for him. A way that washed his
sins away in the blood of another. a way in which the Lamb of God
and His blood were shed to bring in righteousness for David, that
his soul might be restored. The Lord is my shepherd. He shall feed his flock like
a shepherd. Why? Because the Lord has looked
upon His people and His love is set upon them. He sees them
as sheep without a shepherd. He sees their need and His compassion
is poured forth. In Matthew and chapter 9 we read
how the Lord came and saw the multitudes. Matthew 9 verse 36
we read how Jesus having come into the cities and villages
and healing the people when he saw the multitudes he was moved
with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered
abroad as sheep having no shepherd he saw them as sheep having no
shepherd he saw the foolishness and the weakness of the people
they fainted and were scattered abroad help Lord and he was moved
with compassion Now the children of God today, many feel that
way. They faint, they're alone, they're
scattered. They hunger for the word of God,
they long for God's leading and care. And they are as sheep without
a shepherd. But here the good shepherd looks
upon the multitudes and is moved with compassion. Mark 6 repeats
the same thing. And Jesus, when he came out,
saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them,
because they were as sheep, not having a shepherd. And he began
to teach them many things. How like today, how many there
are as sheep, without a shepherd. In 1 Kings 22 verse 17 we read
the Lord's words and he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon
the hills as sheep that have not a shepherd. And the Lord
said, these have no master. Let them return every man to
his house in peace. By nature we're like sheep without
a shepherd. We're sheep that have gone astray,
as Isaiah says. 1 Peter 2, 25 says, For ye were
as sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the shepherd
and bishop of your souls. Because the same Jesus that came
unto the multitudes and saw these people who were as sheep without
a shepherd, is the same Jesus who laid down his life in their
place, that he might deliver them, that he might gather them,
that he might save them, that he might bring them in as one
flock. He has promised in his gospel
to gather his people and to lead them. The Lord is my shepherd,
David says. Jeremiah 23, four declares God's
promise. I will set up shepherds over
them which shall feed them and they shall fear no more nor be
dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, sayeth the Lord. He who is the shepherd of his
people has promised to provide. He's promised to send shepherds
to his people. He's promised to send those who
bring the word of his salvation. Those who come as it were to
those shepherds that were gathered upon the hillsides at the birth
of Christ, those who will come as those angels, those messengers
of God to declare, today in the city of David is born a Saviour
who is Christ the Lord. Has God sent word unto you You
sinner, scattered without a shepherd, has he sent word unto you? Has
he sent a messenger to say, today is born in the city of David
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, a Saviour. And has he in
the Gospel declared unto you who that Saviour is? and what
he has done to save sinners from their sins. What he has done
because that salvation that that Saviour who was born in Bethlehem
has brought in for his people came at a price. Yes there was
born in Bethlehem a Saviour But that Saviour who came to deliver
His people, that Saviour who came to be their shepherd, that
Saviour who came to gather these lost sheep in as one flock and
lead them forth beside the still waters and cause them to lie
down in green pastures, that Saviour who came to restore the
souls of His people, that Saviour who came to lead them in the
paths of righteousness, had to pay a price. That Saviour, that
Shepherd of whom David speaks, had to walk through the valley
of the shadow of death. The Shepherd must be smitten. 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 now David knew what it was to
walk through the valley of the shadow of death but he writes
not just of himself but of the shepherd of the Saviour who is
his shepherd he more than any knew what this valley was he
more than any knew what it was to be smitten in order to deliver
David's soul, Christ must die. The shepherd must offer up a
sacrifice. The Lamb of God must be slain. Christ must die. Mark 14 says,
Jesus saith unto them, all ye shall be offended because of
me this night. For it is written, I will smite
the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. He can say unto
his disciples, those who followed him, you're going to be offended
because I shall be smitten and you shall be scattered. But it
must be so if I'm to save you. And so saying, he quotes from
the prophet. He quotes from Zechariah. For
he came a fulfillment of all that the prophets had written,
thousands of years, hundreds of years before his coming. He
fulfilled all that was written of him to the letter. Zechariah
13 verse 7 says, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against
the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the
shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. and I will turn
mine hand upon the little ones. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd. Well, the sword of God's justice
did awake upon the shepherd. Christ came knowing what he must
face. He came as David's shepherd,
knowing that in order to restore David's soul He must place himself
under God's sword of justice. That blade must smite him because
to deliver David he must take away David's sin. He must pay
the price of David's sins. He must make David to be righteous. David was a sinner. You and I
are sinners and God will not have sin in his presence. If
we are to walk with him as his sheep, we must be cleansed of
our iniquity. And for God to cleanse the iniquity
of his people, he must judge it. He must judge it with eternal
judgment. The sinner must die. the price of your sin and the
price of my sin is death and either you will go to eternity
dying for your own sins and paying the price in eternity to come
with an everlasting death for your own sin or someone will
come in your place and pay that price for you Either you will
die or they must die. If you are to live forever, then
someone must die because of your iniquity. And when Christ came,
he said under his guard, slay not David, but take that sword
and pierce me, his shepherd. And he said, of all his own,
you and I included, if we are his, he said, of all his own,
judge not them, but judge me. Take their sin and make me to
be it. Take their sins and I shall bear
it. Take the judgment and bring it
upon me. Take the sword and smite me. And that is what he did. And
that is what the father did under his own son. Awake, O sword,
against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith
the Lord of hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the sheep
shall be scattered. God took the sword, and he smote
his son as he walked through the valley of the shadow of death. But the son by faith, though
he went to that valley, though he went in that place, though
he felt the sword upon his neck, he feared no evil. For he could
say of his God, Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they
comfort me. He knew the end from the beginning. He knew he would die. He knew
the pain he would feel. He knew as he died he'd be forsaken
because of the sin that he bore. But he knew through it that God,
in the end, would bring about all that was promised. He knew
that his death would bring about the salvation of his people.
He knew he'd rise again. He knew he would live with them.
He knew he would reign with them. He knew he would restore David's
soul. He knew that his being smitten
would bring about his salvation. I will fear no evil. The shepherd shall be smitten. God said, I will smite the shepherd. I will smite the shepherd. Because I will save the people
that I love. Because God and Christ is their
good shepherd. Fifthly, the Lord is my shepherd. He's the good shepherd. As Christ
says in John chapter 10, that well-known passage regarding
the shepherd and his sheep, I am the good shepherd. I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. But he that isn't highling and
not the shepherd whose own the sheep are not, see if the wolf
come in, and leave if the sheep, and flee if, and the wolf catch
if them, and scatter if the sheep. The highling flee if because
he isn't highling, and care if not for the sheep. I am the good
shepherd, and I know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the
Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father. And I lay down
my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring. And they shall
hear my voice. And there shall be one fold and
one shepherd. Have you heard his voice? The
Good Shepherd. Can you say with David, he's
my shepherd, I've heard him, he's called. Therefore doth my
father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take
it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my father. He goes on to say of those Pharisees
that hated him, you believe not because you're not of my sheep.
As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice and I know them
and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand. My sheep hear my voice and I
know them and they follow me. Have you heard the good shepherd's
voice? Is it your shepherd? Do you know
the difference between that shepherd and the highlands? Those who
come and pretend to care for your soul but who lead you astray. This shepherd, the good shepherd,
sends his gospel. He speaks, you hear his voice. And when you hear his gospel
from a preacher, from a shepherd whom he sends unto your soul,
you know it's his voice, you know it's his gospel, you know
it's the truth. You can say, that's my shepherd. And he laid down his life for
me. He's not only the Good Shepherd,
He's the Great Shepherd, as Hebrews 13 refers to Him. Now the God
of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will,
working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. This shepherd, David's shepherd,
my shepherd, the good shepherd is the great shepherd. The great
shepherd of the sheep. There's no shepherd like him.
There's none as great. There's none who has a sheepfold
a flock so great. There's none who's paid so great
a price. There's none who loves his sheep
so much as he. He laid down His life, He paid
with His own blood, the blood of the everlasting covenant He
offered Himself. He gave everything to deliver
His people. He gave everything to save David. He gave everything to lead His
people by the still waters. Has He given everything for you? And do you know this Saviour
who gave everything? Do you know the vastness, the
greatness, the height and the depth of His love? The Great
Shepherd. Can you speak of Him as your
Great Shepherd? My Shepherd. Lastly, He is the
Chief Shepherd. the chief shepherd. There's no
shepherd like him. There's none like him. David
goes on, Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of
mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup runneth over. This is what the great shepherd
did for him. The wonderful bounty and mercy
that was given unto him. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever. Oh what blessing his shepherd
would bring to him. He knew it, he knew what God
had given to him, he knew the inheritance that was his. And
we read in the New Testament of what inheritance, what bounty,
what treasures the Great Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd, the Good
Shepherd is bringing to his people. 1 Peter 5 says, when the Chief
Shepherd shall appear, Ye shall receive a crown of glory that
fade if not away. A crown of glory that fade if
not away. You shall dwell in the house
of the Lord forever. Goodness and mercy shall follow
you all the days of your life. You shall dwell in the house
of the Lord forever. You shall have a crown of glory
that fade if not away. He paid that price. He offered
up himself. He shed the blood of the everlasting
covenant. The shepherd of the sheep gave
himself for his own that he might bring them. into his house as
one people to dwell with him forevermore with eternal glory
with everlasting life in everlasting righteousness in that great kingdom
to come the new heavens and the new earth the kingdom of God
the kingdom of heaven here is where his people his sheep will
dwell Is that what you're looking for? Is that what you're looking
unto? Is that your hope? Are you going to dwell with Him
around His throne? And will you from Him receive
a crown of glory that fade if not away when the Chief Shepherd
appears? When the Chief Shepherd appears. There's a day in the future when
this Good Shepherd, when this Great Shepherd, when the Chief
Shepherd, when My Shepherd shall appear before all men, and these
things shall come to pass with eternal certainty and finality,
when the sheep shall be divided from the goats when the flock
shall go with their shepherd to dwell around his throne forevermore
and when the goats the heathen the wicked shall be departed
and cast off into judgment forevermore there shall be this dividing
and consummation of all things but there's a day now in the
gospel when the shepherd comes under his sheep when he comes
under his davids in whatever their circumstance and when those
sheep hear his voice and when he appears as the chief shepherd
in the gospel unto them and they by faith behold him smitten for
them and they by faith behold the blood of the everlasting
covenant and they by faith see that great shepherd and they
by faith see the chief shepherd and they by faith receive the
crown of glory that fade if not away and they by faith say that
they though they may walk through the valley of the shadow of death
here they will fear no evil he is with them his rod and his
staff comfort them they can sit at a table prepared in the presence
of their enemies and their head is anointed with oil their cup
run if over goodness and mercy follow them all the days of their
life they dwell in the house of the lord forever He's restored
their soul, He leads them in the path of righteousness, He
leads them beside still waters, and He makes them to lie down
in green pastures. They by faith can say all these
things as David could say them. They can say, He's my shepherd,
I shall not want, because they look unto Christ. who himself
could say all these things of his God and could say it on the
part of his people, they're one with him, they're one with their
shepherd, they're one with their saviour, they're one with Christ. He's appeared unto them and they've
heard his voice and he has led them unto his Father who is his
Lord. and his shepherd, their Lord
and their shepherd. They are led by faith unto salvation. Have you been led by faith unto
salvation? Have you been led by faith unto
the Saviour? Have you heard the voice of the
heavenly host say, today is born this day in Bethlehem the city
of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord? Have you beheld Him?
Can you say of Him, He's my shepherd? Are you but a sheep? Do you know
you're a sheep? Is He? your shepherd the Lord
is my shepherd I shall not want the Lord is my shepherd the Lord
is my shepherd I shall not want