Let's turn this morning to Psalm
23. Psalm 23. When I was a boy, I used to live
very near a very famous tourist spot. It's called Old Salem. It was one of the original settlements
in North Carolina, sort of like Williamsburg, Virginia. And folks
came from all over the world to see things down at Old Salem,
to watch folks make wax candles the way they used to make them,
you know, and to see that great big teapot that sits right down
in the V of the road there where Old Salem was and where they
had the original tobacco factory and such as that. I used to have
to go. We used to take tours of it every
year. from the first grade through about the sixth grade, they'd
take us down there. And I would almost as soon have been in school
as going to see that place. I just, I had no interest in
it at all. Now I'd like to go back and visit
some. I'd like to go back and look at it and visit it and learn
something about it. But we used to have to go down there, drove
by that teapot every time you went to town. I'd go pay my paper
bill. If I walked, I walked by the teapot. If I drove, I drove
by the teapot. Coming back, go by the teapot.
Never paid any attention to that teapot. But folks came from all
over the world to see that teapot who didn't live there. Now that's
very much the way we are with things familiar to us, things
that are around us all the time. We look at them, we pass by them.
and hardly even notice them. Couldn't tell you any distinctiveness
about it because we just don't look at it. We don't pay any
attention to it. It's there all the time and therefore we become
hardened to it and almost contemptuous toward it. Regrettably, I'm afraid
that we are sometimes that way with regard to very familiar
text of scripture. Scripture that we quote from
memory. Scripture that we have simply
learned as children and we recite it but we So like singing hymns,
we sing hymns and we sing some hymns so constantly we forget
what we're singing and we pay no attention to it. God forgive
us for that evil, but that's the way it is. And I'm afraid
that much of the time, these things are particularly true
with Psalm 23. I can think of no passage in
all the Old Testament more commonly familiar to men and less understood
by men than the 23rd Psalm. I want us to look at it this
morning line by line. I've outlined this Psalm so many
times, I can't remember all the outlines that I have given to
the Psalm. But I think sometimes it might
be better just to read it and make comments as we go along.
Let's look at the psalm this morning, line by line. First,
listen to this word. The Lord is my shepherd. What a word of faith. What a
blessed word of confidence, of joy. David does not say the Lord
is our shepherd. That's good, but he says more
than that, he says the Lord is my shepherd. He does not say,
the Lord shall be, or I hope the Lord shall be my shepherd.
But rather he speaks in the present tense and says, the Lord is my
shepherd. And thus he speaks with confidence
and with assurance concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, the God
of glory, he who made all things, rules all things, and disposes
of all things. He lifts his eyes toward heaven.
And he gives the most honorable ascription imaginable to the
son of God by comparing him to that which honors all his attributes
and all his characters. I say the most honorable description
imaginable, and yet even this is condescending on his part
that he would be called a shepherd. But David looks at the Lord God
and he says, he's my shepherd. He cares for me. He provides
for me. He protects me. He holds me. He leads me. He feeds me. He clothes me. He does everything
for me. As the shepherd is all to the
sheep, so David says, the Lord is my all. He's my shepherd.
and giving him the most exalted, most honorable ascription of
praise, saying he is my shepherd. David at the same time assumes
to himself the most humbling, humbling name possible. He says
he's my shepherd. That makes me his sheep. Sheep. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb animals. Dumbest animals
I reckon walking on the earth. Dirty. You can smell them a mile
away. They're helpless. They can't
even give birth to their own. Sheep. Sheep. If they get lost,
they can't find their way home. A dog can. Blooming cat can. You can't throw them away. Sheep.
You can't get them to walk home if you walk away with them by
their side. They're dumb animals. David says,
the Lord's my shepherd. Me, I'm just a sheep. King of
Israel, just a sheep. A man after God's own heart.
Friend of God, just a sheep. God's redeemed, chosen, anointed
King, just a sheep. That's all, just a sheep. Now,
how could this man lift his eyes to heaven and look upon the Lord
God Almighty, revealed in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, set forth
in all the scriptures and say, the Lord, Jehovah, the eternal
God, He is my How could he do that? How could
he speak with such confidence? How could he speak with such
assurance, with such a personal, possessive noun as saying, this
God is my shepherd? I'll tell you how. He believed
it. That's all. He believed him.
He looked to him for everything. He reveals himself as a shepherd.
He says, he's my shepherd. He reveals himself as one who
cares for sheep. He says, I'm that. He says, the
Lord is my shepherd. Now it's one thing for the shepherd
to say, this is my sheep. But it's another thing altogether
for the sheep to look upon the Lord and speak with the same
possessive pronoun. This is my shepherd. This is
my shepherd. He's as much mine as I am his,
as really and truly mine, as any sheep is the property of
the shepherd, so this shepherd is the property of his sheep.
Trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as his shepherd, David simply
could not doubt his interest in him as such. When he says
the Lord is my shepherd, he's expressing faith in Christ. affection
for Christ and joy because of Christ. Now, I want you to understand
at the outset, if you trust the Lord Jesus Christ, he's your
shepherd too. Turn to John chapter 10, John
the 10th chapter. If the good shepherd has called
you and calls you to hear his voice, if you follow him, that
is to say, if you trust him, that's what it is to follow him.
If you trust him, You're one of his sheep, and he is your
shepherd. John chapter 10, verse one. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into
the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same as a
thief and a robber. Now, I've read commentaries and
they spend pages and pages and pages trying to figure out who
that is. I don't give a hoot who that is. I'm interested in
the next word though. But he that entereth in by the
door, He's the shepherd of the sheep. I won't know him. He that
comes in by the door of divine revelation, comes in by the door
of your heart, opened by the spirit, comes in by the door
of God's own direction and God's own decree. He's the shepherd
of the sheep. To him, the porter opened it. I think it's safe to say in the
analogy here, the porter is talking about the Holy Spirit. The Lord
Jesus comes and the porter opens. He opens the door and the shepherd
calls. The sheep hear his voice and
he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Brother Don, how will I know
if he called me? You know, you know, he called
you. I couldn't, I can't tell you
whether he called you or not. I can't do that. I can't, I can't speak
peace to your soul. Oh, but if he calls you, you'll
know. He calls his own sheep by name.
That doesn't mean he calls them with an audible voice, no. That
doesn't mean he, he speaks from heaven and says Don Fortner,
no. He calls his sheep by name. He calls them by name, sinner,
transgressor, wicked, vile, undone, helpless enemies. He calls his
sheep by many names, but he calls them distinctly and personally
in such a way they understand as he speaks by his word. He's
talking to me. He's talking to me. God's talking
to me. God speaks to me. And when he
speaks to his sheep, they hear his voice and he leads them out. And he puts forth his own sheep,
and he goes before them. And the sheep follow him, for
they know his voice. And a stranger will they not
follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of
strangers. They won't follow a stranger. Look down at verse
26. Our Lord looks at these religious
leaders of his day and says, but you believe not. The reason
you don't believe is because you're not in 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. Now settle this
question. Settle this question and really
it'll settle all others. Settle this question and really
this will settle all other issues between you and God. Do you? or do you not believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ? Do you or do you not trust Jesus
Christ the Lord as your savior, your shepherd, as the Lord your
righteousness? He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. Now, we
must not fail to observe the context, the position of this
23rd Psalm. It is impossible for anyone to
lift their hearts to heaven and look on Christ in faith and say,
the Lord is my shepherd. Until they have heard the son
of God, as he's described in Psalm 22, as the Lord, our substitute,
dying upon the cursed tree, the good shepherd giving his life
for the sheep. As he cries, My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me? You cannot know him as your shepherd
until you understand he died as your shepherd. You cannot
know him as your shepherd. You cannot trust him as your
shepherd until you have seen by some experience that the Lord
God Almighty has cried against him. Awake, O servant, and smite
the shepherd! Slay the shepherd! And the shepherd
being smitten for the sheep. is that one who by the sacrifice
of himself has put away our sins. And now, looking on him as he's
spoken of in Psalm 22, that one who was despised and rejected
of men, that one who was a man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief, that one who was made to be sin for us, forsaken of
God and crucified as our substitute, looking on him, trusting the
merit of his blood, his righteousness. The Lord is my shepherd. He's
my shepherd. The sweetness of it all is to
be found in the fact that this good shepherd has laid down his
life for the sheep. Now then, if the Lord is my shepherd,
and I cannot doubt that he is, then I belong to him. I told you we pass by things
we're familiar with. because we're not really familiar
with them at all. Folks say, the Lord is my shepherd. Sing,
the Lord is my shepherd. Hear, the Lord is my shepherd.
And they think about the shepherd in a nice, serene manner, out
on the hillside, tending his sheep, and leading them, and
guiding them, and protecting them, to see a shepherd sitting
on a rock, overlooking his sheep down in the valley, and just
peaceful, serene thing. They forget something. If the Lord's my shepherd, And
he bought me. Bobby Estes, I flat belong to
him. I'm his property. You're not
your own. You've been bought with a price.
Children of God, hear me. The fact that I belong to the
son of God gives me utmost confidence and security and inspires my
heart to consecrate myself to him. I've been chosen of God,
given to Christ as one of his elect sheep from eternity. Before
the foundation of the world, the shepherd assumed total responsibility
for my soul and the father trusted me into the hands of his son
as my shepherd. Christ has redeemed me. He has
purchased me with his own blood. He said, I'm the good shepherd.
The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, in the place
of the sheep, and to take possession of the sheep. The Lord Jesus,
being my shepherd, has purchased me. And Christ Jesus, my shepherd,
has sought me out, found me, and saved me by his grace. Turn
over to Luke chapter 15. Luke the 15th chapter. Let me
show you. Here in the 15th chapter of Luke,
our Lord speaks a parable, very familiar parable. He says in
verse three, he spake this parable unto them saying, what man of
you having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth
not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after
that which was lost, look at it, until he finds. How long does the son of God,
the good shepherd, seek after his sheep? Till he finds it.
And he seeks after all his sheep, collectively, but individually. Now, this is what I mean by that.
He seeks every one of them, but he seeks every one of them personally. And when he's found his sheep,
look what it says. And when he hath found it, he layeth it on
his shoulders. That means, Ron, you mean something
to him. Did you get that? You mean something to him. He
brought you, he sought you, he holds you, rejoices to have you
held in his hands. The Lord Jesus Christ protects
me, preserves me and promises that I shall never perish. and
the Lord who is my shepherd will bring me safely to heaven at
last. Look at verse six of Luke 15.
And when he cometh home, he calleth to gather his friends and neighbors
and says to them, rejoice with me for I found my sheep which
was lost. I say unto you likewise, joy
shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over
99 just persons which need no repentance. There was a day when the good
shepherd found me and laid me on his shoulders and brought
me into his fold. And I'll be honest with you,
this is almost more than I can even think about, much less declare. But he rejoiced more because
he found me than I did because he found me. And still does. He rejoices more in bringing
to your soul the pardon of sin than you do in the experience
of his pardon. He rejoices. He rejoices. He
delights in mercy. And he will at last bring us
home with him and carry us with him into everlasting glory with
joy. And then at the appointed hour,
my shepherd will appear and he will raise my body to glory. Peter said, when the chief shepherd
shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth
not away. Reckon how he knew that. How
could he say to James, Jordan, whom he's never seen, whom he's
never heard of, whom he had no perception of, how could Peter
say, you shall receive a crown of glory? How could he say that? How could he say to Paul, who
he's never heard of, you shall receive a crown of glory? How
could he say to Don Fortner, you shall receive a crown of
glory? Because what the shepherd does for one of his sheep, he
does for all his sheep. And if you're his sheep, you
shall receive a crown of glory. He'll bring you at last into
glory as well. The other sheep I have, he said,
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. Now, I delight to preach that
Christ is the good shepherd. who lays down his life for the
sheep. I delight to declare to you he is the great shepherd,
exalted, reigning, ruling everything for his sheep. I rejoice to declare
he is the chief shepherd who's coming again for his sheep. But
I have to be honest with you. Maybe it's selfishness on my
part. I'm sure there's a lot to do, a lot of that to do with
it. But I can't think of anything I'm more delighted in than this.
The Lord is my shepherd. He's my shepherd. He is my shepherd
personally. He's my shepherd distinctively. It wouldn't mean anything to
say the Lord is everybody's shepherd. If that's the case, folks who
are in trouble, had just as much comfort and hope as I have. Folks
that have no knowledge of God have just as much inspiration
as I have. And I have just as little hope
and comfort as they have. If he's everybody's shepherd,
he's nobody's shepherd. If he's everybody's savior, he's nobody's
savior. If he's everybody's redeemer, he's nobody's redeemer. To make
him common to everybody is to make him nothing to everybody. And notice that David uses this
present tense. He says, the Lord is my shepherd. That means sheep of Christ, wherever
you are, whatever your position, whatever your circumstances,
Whatever your condition is, the Lord is presently, perpetually
your shepherd. You're where you are because
he brought you there. You're experiencing what you experienced
because he's called you to experience it. You are in the position you're
in because he put you there. You have what you have because
he gave it to you. Be it considered good or ill,
he's still your shepherd. I hope you understand the meaning
of these words. The Lord is my shepherd. Everywhere and always,
he watches over us, cares for us, protects us, provides for
us, and preserves us. The Lord is my shepherd. Now,
David, seemed to meditate on this a lot. It was frequently
mentioned in the scriptures and he's frequently referred to in
some characteristic as a shepherd by the psalmist. And as David
thought about this, the Lord is my shepherd. What does that mean? But what's
the significance of that? Just what does that entail? He
is that one who is the rock of Israel, promised to come as our
shepherd. He is that one spoken of throughout
the prophets as that one shepherd over one flock whom God would
raise up, that good shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.
What does it mean? The Lord is my shepherd. Well,
this is what it means. I shall not want. I shall not
want. I love the way Little kid recited
that to her Sunday school teacher, little girls reciting the scriptures
and they had Psalm 23 verse one for memory verse and she got
up to recite her scripture and she said, the Lord is my shepherd.
He's all I want. That's a pretty good translation.
I shall not want. I shall not want. You see, faith
must draw this conclusion. If the Lord is my shepherd, I
shall not want anything. For having him, I have everything. Everything. Isaiah, or rather
Paul in Romans chapter eight says, he that spared not his
own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
also with him freely give us all things? Larry Chris, God
gave you his son. Did you hear that? God gave you
his son. It is the height of unbelief
to question that he'd give you anything you need. It's the height
of ingratitude. I would be insulted. I'd be highly
insulted, offended, and I'd probably say so. If my son-in-law came
over here, they're coming over Wednesday, the Lord willing,
he comes by and I recognize that
I've got something that he has some need of. Here, Doug, take
it. It's yours. Oh, you don't mean
that. You wouldn't really give that
to me. I gave you my daughter. I reckon I'll give you a soul. I reckon you need my car. I reckon
I'll give you that. I'd give you anything. I gave
you all I've got. Now, listen to me. God gave us
his son. And he who spared not his son,
but delivered him up for us, he will with him freely give
us all things. In fact, he has. This is what
the apostle says in 1 Corinthians 3. Let no man glory in me, and
for all things are yours, whether part, or apollos, or cephas,
or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things
to come, all are yours. Well, he's talking about preachers.
Yeah, he's talking about preachers. He's also talking about the world,
life, death, things present, things to come. He says it's
all yours. For you're Christ, and Christ
is God's. The Lord is my shepherd. Therefore,
I shall not want any temporal good thing. Turn to Psalm 37. Now listen to me, children of
God. I have just discussed with you
earlier this morning some needs that some of God's saints
have. From time to time I ask you to
assist in particular needs that men have, families have. And having said that, Understanding
that some of you are going through real trouble. Real trouble. Real heartaches. Sometimes I think I've had a
few. And I get looking at some of you and I, man, I've never
had a heartache in my life. Don't know what it's like. Some
of you got some heartaches. Got some difficulties. But God's
sheep in this world shall never want any temporary, temporal
good thing in this world. Nothing. Look at Larry Criss there. I know him better than most of
you. I've seen you in some tough times. Never in a bad time. Never. Never. The psalmist says,
I've been young, and now I'm old. Yet have I not seen the
righteous forsaken, nor his seed-baking bread. Not yet. Not yet. The Lord Jesus' disciples got
to thinking about themselves one time, and they said, well,
boy, we've sacrificed a lot. We've left father and mother
and jobs, but we've left everything to follow you. And our master
said, verily I say unto you, there shall no man that hath
left house, or brother, or sister, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands for my sake and the gospels, but he
shall receive a hundredfold now in this world, in houses, and
brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands with
persecutions. With persecutions, and in the
world to come eternal. Shelby and I were chatting the
other day, and I get to travel around a lot, and God in his
providence has given us friends around the world. Literally around
the world. You don't have to go anywhere
in the world, call somebody up and say, listen, I'm going to
be coming through town first thing the next day, stay with
us. I don't own a house, I got houses everywhere. Got houses
everywhere. I don't want any lamb. I've got
lambs everywhere. Everywhere. I don't even want
any cattle, but I'm not hungry. Everything, everything provided
by God's bountiful hand. The Lord's our shepherd. But
more importantly, if the Lord's my shepherd, I
shall not want for any spiritual or eternal good thing. The Lord has blessed me with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. In Christ dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead and you're complete in Him. Complete in Him. Christ is the one in whom all
fullness dwells. and we have all our needs supplied
by him." Now listen, according to his riches in glory. According to. Now, that's an
interesting phrase Paul uses. He says, God shall supply all
your need according to his riches in glory. Rockefeller, who used
to be governor of West Virginia, who is son of the Rockefellers,
who's son of the Rockefellers, who's son of the Rockefellers,
millions and millions and millions of dollars way on back, got lots
of money. If I should happen to pass by him and he sees I'm
in need and he reaches in his pocket and gives me $100, that's
pretty generous, if it came from you. But from him, why That's
toss of a penny. That's nothing. It's insignificant. It's meaningless. It will graciously
supply me with much for a while, but it is just simply him giving
out of his riches. You follow that? That's not the
way God gives. God supplies you, his children. with all things temporal and
spiritual, listen, according to his riches and glory by Christ
Jesus. Huge difference, huge difference. That's to supply according to
his riches. Rockefeller come by and said,
man, you're down on your luck, so I'll take you, let's go find
you a house. No, no, no, come over here where
I live, let's find a house over here. Let's get you a car, let's
go down there and get you one of them heart-shaped and marked
suits and put it on. Where's your wife? Get your wife,
let's take care of her. Where are your kids? Let's take
care of them. Now he's giving according to his riches. Do you
hear what Paul says? My God shall supply all your
needs according to his riches. His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus. He doesn't give niggardly, He
gives bountifully. He doesn't give stingily, He
gives bountifully. Our souls will never want for
spiritual food, for by Him we go in and out and find pasture.
We'll never want for clothing, for he is the Lord, our righteousness,
and we're dressed in him with the garments of salvation. Our
hearts will never want for rest, for he's our resting place, a
Sabbath day, and we rest in him. Turn to Matthew 11, Matthew chapter
11. Several years ago, Brother Scott
Richardson was preaching from this pulpit on this text of scripture.
And he gave an outstanding exposition of the text. Verse 28. The Lord Jesus says, come unto
me, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden. I'm so glad he didn't say labor
with sin and are heavy laden with iniquity. Our labor was
spiritual darkness and depression, and our head is laden with spiritual
unbelief. No. He said, all ye that labor,
and their head is laden. That means anybody who's got
any care, anybody who's got any trouble, anybody who's got any
need, the Son of God says, come. Come on, come on. And I will give you rest. And that is what that means.
You come to Christ in faith. And as surely as you come to
him, he gives you rest. He causes you to rest, to rest. Rest in him, the Lord, my shepherd.
Rest in him, the Lord, our righteousness. Rest in him for everything. Now
read on. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest
unto your souls. Now Danny has come to the Lord.
And he's found rest. He confessed it a few years ago
here in the waters of baptism. Now then, you got that little
baby girl, darling of her daddy's heart, apple of her daddy's eye,
and trouble comes. Heartache comes. Trial comes. Sickness comes. What do you do? Slip under my yoke. Take my yoke on you. Bow down
to me. You surrender to me. You submit
to my will, my dominion, my glory. You submit to me. And as you
submit to me, bowing to me, you shall find rest unto yourself. The Lord my shepherd, I shall
not want. Now these words might also be
translated, I shall not fail or come short. And thus the meaning
would be the Lord, because he is my shepherd, I shall not fail
to attain eternal glory and everlasting happiness. Oh, I know folks who are wealthier
than I am. and wiser than I am, who are
always in want, and yet I have all things in
the bound. Not because I've got money in the bank, not because
I've got skill and art so I know I can always fall back on my
abilities, I can always make a living, no. But I have contentment
and satisfaction in my soul, because the Lord's my shepherd.
The Lord is my shepherd. The righteous shall be satisfied. The unbeliever, no matter how
much he has, he's like the leech, cries more, more, give me more. But those whose shepherd the
Lord is dwell in that most beautiful of all palaces called contentment. I've learned whatsoever state
I am, therewith to be content. I have all things and abound. All right, read on, verse two. He maketh me. Isn't that wonderful? He maketh me. David, you wouldn't
unless he made you. Won't happen. Won't happen. But
he maketh me to lie down in green pastures. Spurgeon said, what
are these pastures but the deep, deep grasses and pastures of
the word of God. They said the sheep never need
to fear biting dirt when the pastures are thick enough they
can lay down in the grass. He makes me lie down in green
pastures. such as the character of a sheep, that we would roam restlessly
everywhere else. They didn't make us lie down
in green pastures. In his good providence, in his
wise, gracious, good providence, Bob Pottser, if you're his, He's
going to make you lie down in His pastures. He's going to make you do it.
And you'll be glad He made you. I have folks all the time. call and discuss things. You know, they think that most
people still think a preacher is a priest and they still use
him like a priest. You know, a boy's dying, you
better go over there and spend every day with him. No, no. I
need to go over and visit with him, let him know I care and
let him spend every day with his master. You understand that? But you know, folks in trouble,
you need to go take care of them. No, no, no. They need to learn
to go to the master and let him take care of them. I can't give
you peace. I can't do it. I can't minister
peace to you. I can't do it. I am not your
priest. I'm just your pastor. That means
I am He who leads you like a shepherd to the green pastures. But only
He who is the shepherd and bishop of your soul can make you lie
down in these green pastures. And He will if you're His. He'll
cause you to lie down and fall back on the blessed, blessed
green pastures of his everlasting covenant. Preaching my house is a mess.
My kids are all rebels. I don't know what I've done wrong. I've been, wife and I, we've
been pacing the floor, second-guessing ourselves, wondering what we've
done wrong. Quit second-guessing yourselves. To second-guess yourselves
is to second-guess God's providence. These things have come to pass
as they have come to pass because God has brought them to pass.
You mean we ought to just forget our sins? I hope I can be understood. Would
to God you could just forget your sins. Would to God I could just forget
my sins. He has. Well, what are we to
do then? Although my house be not so with
God, yet the Lord hath made with me
an everlasting covenant ordered in all things. And sure, this
is all my salvation and all my desire. I lie down right here. That's
it. Lie down. He makes you to lie
down in green pastures. Lying down in the person and
work of his own dear son. Lying down in the blessed doctrines
of the gospel. Lying down in the sweet promises
of his providence. He makes you to lie down in the
blessed ordinances of the gospel. If you're his, he'll fix it. So you say with David, I was
glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord.
He'll fix it. He'll do it. You need to scold
and upbraid and pull and push and prime and pump. No, I just
preach. If you're his, he'll fix it so
you want to be here. He'll make you lie down in the
preaching of the word. He'll cause you to read his book. He'll make you. He'll fix it so you have to pray. I'm not talking merely about
crying out from desperation. I'm talking about if you're his,
he'll fix it so you learn something about what prayer is. He'll fix
it so that you sing his praise. Remember him. He leadeth me beside
the still waters. What a gentle, gentle word. He
leads me, leads me by the waters of quietness. I heard Brother Mahan say one time,
he and I were traveling, just driving down the road, and he
said, you know, Don, Somehow, with God's people, things are just in order. They're
just in order. Easy. With most people, their lives
are a constant turmoil. Constant indecision. We've got to make a decision
about this. Got to make a decision about that. What are we going
to do now? Oh, what are we going to do now?
I mean, for most folks, no sooner does one thing come to pass and
get resolved. Oh, what are we going to do now? But the Lord takes his sheep
and leads them by waters of quiet. I don't have many decisions to
make. I really don't. And there's a reason for that.
I've committed the decisions in my life to his purpose, his
will. Not much decision for me to make.
Not many choices for me to make. I'm his sheep. And he leads me,
and as he does, he gives me quietness. You know what that is? quietness
with His will, quietness with His providence, quietness with
His goodness, with His grace. He leads me beside the waters
of quietness, still waters. There is a river, the psalmist
says, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the
holy places of the tabernacles of the Most High. It's the river
of God's everlasting love. Oh, everyone that thirsteth,
come on to the waters and take a drink. Take a drink. And when this life is over, according
to Revelation 7, 7, this Good Shepherd's still going to lead
us to these waters of refreshing and cleansing where we read,
He restoreth my soul. I sat down last night and when
I finish preparing a message, a lot of times I just like to
pull out what I can and read what somebody says. And I read
Hawker's Poor Man's Portion on Psalm 22, 3. And he said, Oh,
my soul be thankful. It is he that restoreth your
soul. And he doesn't wait for you to
do it. He restores my soul. with fresh discoveries of his
love, blessed promises of his grace, the sweet memory of his
sacrifice, with the loving rod of his correction, with the renewing
grace of his spirit. When I stray, he fetches me back
again. When I seem to be dying within,
he relieves me, refreshes me, comforts me. Revives me, he restores
my soul. Look at it again, verse three.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. Why did he say paths? Paths of
righteousness, because they're plural. He leads me first to
the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Lord my righteousness, in
whom all my righteousness is found. And he leads me to him
continually to look to him for righteousness. And as I follow
him, and he leads me along the way, he leads me in paths of
faith and obedience and surrender to him. He leads me. in paths of righteousness for
His namesake, by His example, by His Word. You want to know
a preacher what's right? Just read the book. You don't
have to guess. By His Spirit. Just follow the
teaching of the Spirit of God in the Word of God. Thus He leads
you in paths of righteousness for His namesake, for the glory
and honor of His name. Preachers these days love to
get involved in counseling because preachers like to be priests.
Preachers really like to, they like to manipulate your life.
They like to get in your mind, you know, they can't get in their
own mind, they haven't got any, but they want to get in yours
and control yours, and so they like to be counselors. The fact
is, you listen to me preach three times a week, And you got a decision
to make? Lindsey comes to me and he's
got a terrible decision to make. You know, I've got this thing
here and I have this opportunity, but it's not quite up to snuff,
you know. But boy, it should be an opportunity.
Well, my soul, we're not in a decision to make. No question to know
what's right or wrong. You know what's right, what's
wrong. It's a matter of deciding whether you're going to do what's
right. That's all. That's all. And the Lord's your shepherd.
You don't need me to lead you. He leads you. In paths of righteousness. And he doesn't drive you there.
He doesn't stand behind you with the whip of the law and beat
you in paths of righteousness. Oh, no, no, no, no. That's what
Moses did because he was not a shepherd. The Lord, our shepherd,
leads us in paths of righteousness. Read on. Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. There's so much to be said concerning
this valley of the shadow of death. Certain that's talking about
us as we go through this world. This whole, this whole experience
is just dying. Bloody we're dying. Everything
around us is dying. It's valley of the shadow of
death. Now, for you folks who know what mountains are, if you
live in the mountains, farmer lives in the mountains. If he's
smart, most farmers learn pretty quick what it takes to get along,
but he doesn't plant many crops up on top of the mountain. Because the land up there is
not rich. It's not fertile. The rivers never overflow up
that high. He goes down into the valleys. Shoot, you just go down here,
this little swagger lane right down here in front of the church
building. Richest property there is on this 10 acres. Just rich! Because every time it floods,
you get a flood right there in that valley. All the debris and
everything's left there. All the washing comes down to
that valley. Now, the valley of the shadow
of death. is the place of great riches. And as believers leave this world,
they walk. Yea, though I walk. Isn't it
amazing? Does it mean tiptoe? What's going on? No. It doesn't mean rush around with
confusion here and there. Rushing here and there. Just
rush to this thing, rush to that. You know, sometimes folks find
out they've got cancer, heart trouble, This doctor over here's
got a cure. This one down here, he found
out if you chew on dynamite, it'll help you. This one, he
found out if you chew on granite, it'll help you. And they run
here and there, run everywhere, trying to get some help, because
they're scared to death to die. Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Believers exercise reasonable
care and walk. Walk. I've been walking in this
valley a long time. And we walk with purpose, deliberation,
determination, and confidence. And walk through it. It's just
a valley. And it's just the shadow of death.
We ain't gonna die. We ain't gonna die. We're just
walking through this valley of a shadow of death. I've walked
through a lot of shadows. Also a lot of shadows. Never
had one hurt me yet. Never had one slowed me down
yet. Shadows are nothing. And the shadow of death is nothing. I will fear no evil. I won't
fear Satan, the evil one, who walks about as a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour, because my savior has conquered him.
I'll fear no evil man, because the Lord is my light and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my
life. Of whom shall I be afraid? And I'll fear no evil thing.
God is our refuge, the psalmist says. God is our strength, the
very present help in time of trouble. Therefore will we not
fear, though the earth be removed? Though mountains be carried into
the midst of the sea? Though the waters thereof roar
and be troubled? Though the mountains shake with
the swelling thereof? There is a river, the streams
whereof make glad the city of God. I will fear no evil, not
because I'm braver than somebody else. Not because I'm smarter than
somebody else, not because I've learned more than anybody else. I said,
boy, I wish I had his strength. You do if you have the Lord.
For the Lord is my strength, he said. The Lord is our rock. It's not the strength of my faith
or David's faith or your faith. It's the strength who is the
object of our faith. The Lord is our strength. Thou
art with me. Now I'm telling you, the Lord
Jesus is a suitable shepherd. He's omnipotent. He got all power. He's omniscient. He knows all
things. And He's omnipresent. He's everywhere
present with you. Thou art with me. Rejoice always in everything.
Give thanks. Let your moderation be known
unto all men. The Lord's at hand. Thou art
with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort
me. This refers to the shepherd's
staff. It's a long, you've seen those
long staffs with a crook on the end. He takes the staff, and
when the sheep get out of line, he pulls them in, pulls them
in. A wolf comes, he smacks the wolf
away. Something comes after the sheep,
he smacks it away, the staff to protect the sheep. And after he pulled the sheep
in, Back in line, back in line, back in line. And he takes the
rod and pops that sheep on the bottom. And if that didn't work, I've
been told that shepherds would take their staff and break the
sheep's leg. And then he'd bind it up, carry
it in his bosom. Isaiah 40, verse 11. Carry it
in his bosom until that leg's healed. Well, that sheep been
in the shepherd's bosom all this time. He's carrying it. He has to take care of it and
hold it right up next to him all the time. Takes the bandage off,
takes the splint off, sets the sheep down. He can't keep it
away from him. Follows him everywhere. That's
the reason he broke his leg. The reason he broke your leg.
The reason he'll break it again. Because he leaves me his rod
and his staff. They comfort me. Thank you. My God, my shepherd. For your rod. And your staff. Thank you. When you're growing up, you never
think you'll ever hear him say it. My daughter is 26 years old
now. I've heard her express gratitude
and thanks for the paddling. Thank you. Thank you. And I felt my father's rod a
number of times. And never, never, never have
I felt his rod. that soon I didn't turn to him
with overflowing heart and say, thank you, thank you. Thou prepares
the table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Amazing how God will take you
when those who oppose you think, well, Well, old Joe's down now. Let's see what happens to it
now. Job has now cursed God and wished to die. Now he's down. We'll watch and see what God
does. What's he doing? Well, Job's
got more than he ever had. More sons, more daughters, more
cattle, more sheep, more camels, more houses. He got more than
he ever had. because I've prepared a table before me, banqueting
table, in the presence of my enemies.
Maybe this has reference to that valley of the shadow of death
when I've passed through it. Abraham has Lazarus in his bosom
and the rich man lifts up his eyes and he sees Lazarus at the
father's banqueting table. Thou anointest my head with oil.
This is an allusion to the Holy Spirit. pouring down through
the Lord Jesus Christ, our great high priest, as Aaron's head
was anointed and the oil flowed down over his beard and over
his body and over his skirts. So the Lord Jesus, our great
high priest, has been anointed in the spirit of God, flows from
him down to us, all his members, and is a seal and preserver and
unction, power to keep us and teach us always and in all things. My cup. Runs over her. It really does. It really does.