DWELLING WITH THE LORD
PSALMS 23:6
A QUICK REVIEW
VERSE I
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want
- Jesus is the Shepherd
- Believers are the Sheep
- Cannot get to no want unless you are His sheep
VERSE 2
He makes me lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside quiet waters
- The Shepherd provides all provisions
- Rest, food, shelter
VERSE 3
He restores my soul. He guides me in the path of righteousness
- The shepherd trains us in the Word and restores us to right fellowship with the Father
VERSE 4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil
- The shepherd protects us and provides confidence through trials
VERSE 5
The shepherd prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies
- God has a hedge of protection around us while we dine with Him
- The enemy look on with envy and jealousy but unable to affect our joy
VERSE 6
SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER
FROM RECEIVING TO GRATEFULNESS
This last verse moves from what the Shepherd does to the maturity of the believer. It moves from
Receiving blessing to reflections and confidence in the shepherd,
This verse represents a state of state of complete faith. King David moved from a state of being fed to a state of confidence,
SURELY GOODNESS
The Hebrew word for surely is ak which means a particle of affirmation. David is confirming his devotion to the Lord.
The verse focuses on the confidence of the believer with his/her life in Christ.
Confidence is derived from experience in troubled times. He is sure of his shepherd. There is no doubt in his mind of the care of the Lord.
It is good to be sure of your position. Not only are you sure of your position but you are sure of your
Future.
SURELY GOODNESS
God describes Himself as surely goodness. Jesus
Said that there is no one good but the Father. Luke 18:19
The word good in Hebrew is towb.
The lexicon gives a number of synonyms: beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, joyful, loving, prosperity, sweet, precious, kindness
The Bible speaks all these and more as characteristics of God
Revelation 10:9 The Word is sweet as honey
1 Peter 1:19 The precious blood of Jesus
Titus 3:4 Kindness and loving God
John 15:11 My joy may be in you
2 Corinthians 9:7 God loves a cheerful giver
Matthew 7:17 Every good tree bears good fruit
John 17:25 Righteous Father, I know you
Psalms 129:9 Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity
No one will have all these characteristics all the time.
I would like to think, I am good sometimes. It is
An on and off thing
Malachi 3:6. I am the Lord, I change not
The Lord is good all the time.
Even when your circumstances are bad, God is good.
Joseph said to his brothers after being sold into slavery and forgotten for 20 years. You meant it for evil but God meant it for good. God planned Joseph’s Hell on earth, so he could rise to be second in command to the Pharoah of Egypt and
Save many lives
God is surely good, you can count on it. Unlike us
We may be good today but rotten tomorrow. You
may count us today, but you might not find us tomorrow.
MERCY
Mercy is God’s compassion for the miserable. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He showed compassion for those He came in contact with.
He never missed an opportunity to take time to show kindness by healing those who came to Him.
A widower was on her way to bury her only son.
Jesus stopped the possession and restored his
Life.
The blind received their sight, the lepers were cleaned, and the lame were given the ability to walk.
Demons were cast out of afflicted people.
He feed five thousand families who came to hear
Him teach before he sent them home.
God’s mercy is infinite and boundless. God’s
Mercy knows no race, color, or nationality,
Position or financial status. God is no respecter
Of person.
God’s mercy is a source of comfort to all who believe in Him,
God comforts us by the conviction of our sins and the promise of forgiveness.
God comforts us in our weakness of faith by
Helping our unbelief
God comforts us doing the process of maturing doing this Christian journey of life with the power of the Holy Spirit
God comforts us through adversity and temptations with refuge in Christ
God comforts us by hearing and answering our prayers
Because we live in the flesh and are constantly in need of Him, He shows mercy,
All of us can reflect on our lives and see the Hand of God. I can say with certainty; if it had not been for the Lord I would not be here.
Not only does God show mercy to believers, but He commands us to be merciful to others,
In Matthew 9:13 God said go learn the meaning, I will have mercy and not sacrifice.
The desire to be merciful comes from the heart.
Mercy requires sacrifices. Mercy requires your time and your kindness.
There is no mercy in seeing a brother in need,
Saying a prayer, but doing nothing to help. What
Good is a prayer if it does not move you to an act
Of kindness?
FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE
This is a personal commitment
Grace and mercy will not follow us unless we are
Committed to being obedient to God\’s commands
If we want God to favor us, we must show favor to others
If we want God to continue to be merciful to us, we must be merciful to others.
Mark 4:24. With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you, and even more.
God’s grace and mercy showed up in our lives before we knew Him
Jesus died while we were sinners
DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
A decision to make God’s house your residence
Requires a personal daily commitment and devotion.
God already dwells in us with His Holy Spirit
We are the temple of the Lord. How often do
We dishonor the temple with our disobedience.
To dwell in the house of the Lord we must commit ourselves to be submissive to the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit
Living in God’s house we are subject to God’s rules. Our agenda must align with God’s agenda
God must be first in all our activities.
Living in God’s house we must become role models for the younger generation
Titus 2:1-3
2 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
3 Likewise, teach the older women
WHAT DOES DWELLING IN GOD’S HOUSE LOOK LIKE?
Continual prayer
Glorifying the Lord in all that we do.
Continual praise and worship
Constant fellowship
Constant thankfulness
Constant gratefulness
Trusting Him with our lives
Faithful to Him
Always doing the right things
Kindness and love
FOREVER
From now forward, eternity future
A total commitment. Not sometimes but all the time.
To the end of our days
It is confidence in eternal life
