Great Shepherd
Notes
Transcript
A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 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. Jehovah-rohi What does a shepherd do?
he protects, guides, feeds, for the master. Sometimes the shepherd is the master. Here David says God is the shepherd. We read of the messiah in Isaiah 40:11 “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.” Ezekiel 34:11 “‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.” Clearly, God is the shepherd. And the owner. And Jesus say (again we see why the religious groups called him a blasphemer).
John 10:11 ““I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Peter says 1 Peter 2:25 “For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
Now, this isn't saying in terms of Him being my shepherd that I will have everything I want or even what I think I need. Paul in his travels at times starved, was naked, beaten, etc. This was the the Good shepherd leading where he needed to be. His leading isn't just good, its great, Hebrews 13:20 “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,”
I rest in what he provides. Where he brings me. Not matter where it is, it is good. His scripture is my pasture, my providence and peace. Notice, he doesn't do this to fill my belly but restore my? Soul?
he protects, guides, feeds, for the master. Sometimes the shepherd is the master. Here David says God is the shepherd. We read of the messiah in His leading. God doesn't lead us into temptation. He delivers. To find ourselves living for our flesh or sin, means we are not walking in His leading.
This applies to rich and poor. If you are rich, and spend everything on your flesh (time/money/energy) then you aren't walking in righteousness but in your flesh. Success can judge us as much as lack. Its about Jehovah tziknenu Jeremiah 23:6 “In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” He is the path, John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
I can walk to my death if need be, because I don’t fear man. Tozer wrote the following, which I thought was powerful on what all of us who preach the gospel need to be. AW Tozer: A New Type of Preacher
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. — Acts 20:24
If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.
Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt- spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath. (The Size of the Soul: Principles of Revival and Spiritual Growth, 128-129)
my comfort is in the forceful and loving guidance of God. When I struggle against His guidance, I find that Rod, prodding and pushing. Lovingly knocking against my skull to go in one way or another.
My comfort is when His staff protects me from the wolves, from the robbers and thieves. Even death cannot take me from Him. Turn to John 10. As we look at this passage, we see the impact of recognizing God (Jesus) as our Shepherd. John 10:22–33 “Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30I and My Father are one.” 31Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” 33The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.””
the same God that saves, restores. Take the dross and corruption of this world and returns us as God. We see that in
A table prepared and running cups, as we said before, we have no fear of man when we approach anything in this life. When I’m on His path, I’m not done till He is. When I sit at his table, Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” Jesus Himself said, Luke 12:4–5 ““And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” When we truly trust Christ, when our hope is only in Him,
They would anoint the head with oil, to refresh and make cool. To give relief to the guest. What is this table? John 6:53–56 “Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” In the face of the accuser, we fellowship with God, looking into the darkness that is death, we sit at the table of eternity. Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
How in the midst of such a table, can our head not be overflowing as our cup dependent on the Spirit of God and not the skill or rhetoric of man. even with my enemies standing to kill me, I have no fear. I sit and fellowship with the King of Kings. What can a president do? I have eternal life, what can death do but give me victory over it all? Hebrews 13:6 “So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?””
the oil - that which refreshes, welcomes, honors, anoints us. Oil represented so much and biblically, both the Spirit, and intense fellowship between Yahweh and His people. By the oil, he sanctified the tabernacle and all in it. Including us. He is our Jehovah-mekaddeschem (Ex 31:13) 2 Corinthians 1:21 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,”
Goodness, mercy. Both are not just feelings but based in what is morally good from the biblical perspective. It follows what we do. Just as we once acted from the flesh, living in sin, we now instead, follow righteousness, and thus our repentance brings us to where we can know and be mercy. Because we dwell or live in the one who died for us.
2 Timothy 4:18 “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” Revelation 3:12 “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” Hebrews 3:6 “but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” This is our future. This is why the world hates us. We will never truly lose. And our life, lived only for him, We are His house, He is ours. Forever.
there was a “cost” to being able to enter the tabernacle and worship. sacrifices, offerings, there is a cost to us being in Christ. We are crucified in Him. By grace, through faith we enter the house of the Lord, forever.