THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
Psalms 23:1-6
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
V:1. \” The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.\”
A. The \”Lord is\” whatever you need Him to be.
1. King David had been a shepherd.
2. He knew what it took to be a shepherd.
3. Some say David wrote this Psalms after He was King of
Israel flecting on what God had been to him.
B. Every Christian can relate to God based on their own
experience.
1. We should be able to fill in the blank of what the \”Lord
is_____\”
2. According to David He was Jehovah – Raah, my shepherd.
3. He could be your Jehovah- Rapha, the Lord who heals.
4. He could be your Jehovah- Jireh, the Lord who provides.
5. He could be Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there.
6. He could be Jehovah Shalom, The Lord is peace.
7. When you are in trouble, He could be your Jehovah Sabaoth,
The Lord of Hosts (Powers).
8. To every Christian He should be El Shaddai, Lord God
Almighty.
9. He should be your El Elyon, The Most High God.
10. He should be your Adonai, Lord Master.
C. David said the Lord is my Shepherd.
1. The my makes God personal to you.
2. The my claims God for yourself.
3. The my says you have a personal relationship with God.
4. The my says you have some experience with God.
D. In order for God to be your shepherd, you have to decide to be His sheep.
1. In John 10:11, 10:14, Jesus say He is our shepherd.
2. In order for God to be your shepherd, you have to decide
that you are going to act like a sheep.
3. A sheep is property, it is brought with a price.
a. Jesus paid our sin debt with His death on the cross.
b. Jesus is our legal owner.
4. An owner take care of his property.
a. You have to decide that you want to be dependant on
Jesus.
b. You have to have an attitude of not worrying, because
you know Jesus is going to take care of you.
5. A shepherd is the leader of his sheep.
a. You have to decide that you want to be led by Jesus.
b. To be led, you have to decide that your are going to
follow Jesus instructions, i.e, His commandments.
6. According to Spurgeon, in order to be a sheep , you have
to know that your are a sheep by nature.
a. You have a tendency to wander.
b. There are times when you are foolish.
c. You can\’t change directions unless driven to change.
d. If left to yourself, you will perish.
e. You are blind and can\’t see two steps ahead of you.
E. \”I shall not want\”.
1. In order to be a sheep, you have to the accept the fact,
that Jesus is your provider.
2. You have to accept the fact that you need Jesus help.
3. You have to accept the fact that Jesus is willing and able
to provide all you need.
4. You have to decide that what the Lord gives is sufficient
for you.
THE LORD OF MY REST
V:2. \” He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.\”
A. Jesus knows the best place for us.
1. Jesus know how to get us to the best place.
2. Jesus will not lead us to a desolate place, but will lead
us to a place of abundance.
B. Jesus knows how to makes us rest when we need to rest.
1. Since Jesus owns us, He has the authority to make us rest.
2. He makes us rest, because rest is necessary for
rejuvenation.
3. He makes us rest, because rest is necessary for meditation.
4. He makes us rest, because rest is necessary for reflection.
5. If we want rest when He wants us to rest, Jesus know how to
put us flat on our backs.
C. He leads me beside quiet waters.
1. Jesus knows the best time for us to get out of the hustle
and bustle.
2. Jesus knows when our stress level is to high.
3. Every once and awhile we need to get away from our normal
routine.
THE LORD OF MY RESTORATION
V:3. \” He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of
righteousness For His name\’s sake.\”
A. We need some quiet time to meditate on the Lord for our soul\’s
sake.
1. We need some quiet time to refocus.
2. In Hebrew, the word restore means to turn back or repent.
3. Sometimes we need some quiet time to talk to Lord to get
new directions.
B. The Lord\’s guidance will always be in the path of
righteousness.
1. We can get so involved in our mission for the Lord that we
can\’t see the sin that has crept into our life.
2. Sometimes we are so close to the mission that we can\’t
see that it is off track.
3. The Lord guides us according to His commands so that He
get the glory.
THE LORD OF MY VALLEYS
V:4. : Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. \”
A. Life is a journey through time.
1. There will be some good times and there will be some
difficult times.
There maybe even be some terrible times.
2. It is down in the valley when our faith is tested.
B. We must remember that a shadow is not real.
1. If there is a shadow, there must be some light.
2. A shadow is a reflection of light over a solid object.
a. The object may not be a threat and it may not be
real.
b. The shadow highlights something that you are
mindful of.
c. It is the light of God that highlights your fears
d. It is also the light of God that arrests your
fears.
e. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but power,
love and sound mind.
C. If there is a valley, there must be a mountain.
1. The light of God shine above the mountain.
2. No matter how big your problem may seem, God is much
bigger.
3. Relying on God is the solution to your fears.
4. God may put you in the valley to make you realize how much
you need Him.
D. God is everywhere all the time.
1. God is with you in the valley.
2 God has twins who comfort us while we are in the valley;
His rod and His staff.
a. His rod protect us from all danger.
The rod is His Word.
b. His staff supports us through the dangers that we
face.
E. God can set our minds at ease in perceived and real dangers.
1. We can take comfort that the almighty God is constantly at
our side.
2. He is the Good Shepherd that protect us.
3. He is the Good Shepherd that shields us from dangers we
can\’t see.
THE LORD IS MY PROVIDER
V:5. \” You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. \”
A. Even in our most difficult times, God provides for us,
1. God is good to us, even when our circumstances seem bad.
2. We can sit with confidence when our enemies are all around
us.
3. God does not eliminate our enemies, He puts a wall of
protection between us.
4. God allows our enemies to see us enjoying His presence.
B. God anoints us for the position of Glorifying Him in the
presents of our enemies.
1. Faith come by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
2. When our enemies see us in the presence of the trouble they
caused, worshipping God, they are affected.
3. When we face troubles, we need to testify that we serve a
God who make all situations work out for our good.
C. What is meant by the cup?
1. Maybe it is a cup of peace.
2. Maybe it is a cup of joy.
3. May be it is a cup contentment.
4. Maybe it is a cup of confidence.
5. Maybe it is all the above and more.
D. When our cup runs over we should be prepared to let the
overflow run on brothers and sisters in need.
1. God has been good to us, we must in turn be good to others
in need.
2. When others are going through the valley of life, we must be
there to encourage and to uplift so that God gets glorified.
THE TWIN TOWERS OF GOD
V:6. \” Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.\”
A. This is a declaration of confidence and obedience.
1. It is confidence because we have the twin towers following
us; surely goodness and mercy.
2. God\’s goodness is sure to us all the time.
1. God is good to those who love Him.
2. When we are faithful to God, His goodness flows in our
lives.
B. God\’s mercy is His wiliness to forgive the guilty.
1. God forgives those who confess their sin and repents.
2. Our relationship with the Lord is strengthen when we
recognize our sins and experience His forgiveness.
C. We have to make a conscience decision to abide in the Word of
God.
1. Dwelling in the House of the Lord means following all of
His commands.
2. Jesus said that if we abide in His Word, He would abide
in us.
3. We have to continue in God\’s Word daily.
4. We should wake in the morning with our daily agenda to
continue in God\’s Word.
D. The final declaration in this verse is eternal salvation.
1. By our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are
assured of an eternal life with Him.
2. Eternity begins the moment we confess Jesus.
3. While we are here in the land of the dying, we should live
like the heavenly beings that we are.
THANK YOU JESUS FOR BEING OUR SHEPHERD
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Park Way
Houston, Texas 77040
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