The Good Shepherd

A scripture reading today is Psalm chapter 23 verses 1 through 4 invite you to read these with me the Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in Green Pastures. He leads me beside Quiet Waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his namesake, even though I walk through the darkest Valley. I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me. Let's pray. Heavenly Father I thank you for this time that you've given us to come together. To come before your throne and worship and to hear a message from you. I pray that these next few moments would not be about me would not be about anyone else would be about you that all of the distractions of the enemy got that you would silence those and that we is your sheep would hear your voice today. Lead us guide us protect us. In Jesus name I pray. You may be seated church, if you have your Bibles and got you to turn with me to John chapter 10, and I want you to mark that and then go with me to Psalm chapter 23. Psalm 23

What is your greatest fear?

What's your greatest fear?

Now I'm a chicken and so I could probably list several things that I'm scared of but probably near the top of my list would have to be being lost and adrift at Sea. Now. I like going to the beach. I like the ocean in theory, but when I get in the water at the beach, I never really get into where my feet can't touch because there are things in there that are just scary sharks. You know that enough said right but even then the sea just represent something it's so fast and so big to me it it's just hard. It boggles my mind that there are places in this earth that are so big places where you cannot really survive on your own. And so that's probably why I've been fascinated to hear the story about a man in the Army and their World War II guy named Eddie Rickenbacker. You may have heard this story before Eddie Rickenbacker was his famous is a race car driver after his his military service. He's also famous is one of the most successful War Pilots probably the most successful American war pilot in World War. He's most decorated won several metal who won the Medal of Honor and other other Awards, but during World War II he was serving his country, and he was sent to give a message to General Douglas MacArthur. It so Eddie join a crew of eight men. They boarded a B-17 bomber and they set off flying across the Pacific Ocean. And you may know that the Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean largest body of water on Earth. But let me just give you a picture of just how big it is because when I when I looked into it, I was surprised the Pacific Ocean covers 1/3 of the total surface of the Earth. It expands about 63 million square miles.

If you were to take every single continent all 7 Continents Africa Asia, North America South America, Australia and Antarctica and put them together. You could fit all of them inside the Pacific Ocean with about 6 million square miles to spare. That's how big of an area were talking about. And is Eddie Rickenbacker was flying over the Pacific making his way to deliver his message? I got lost. Hey, can you imagine flying?

And being in the middle and all you see is water.

You don't know where you are. You can't get your bearing they ended up flying several hundred miles off course ran out of fuel. And we're forced to crash land somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

for a few days they survive on their rations in a life raft.

They battled the weather. They battled the sun. They battled sharks. They battle all sorts of things. but after 3 days at sea They ran out of food.

the new but there hope of being found in the middle of all of that was not likely. At least not likely anytime soon. And they were out of options. They knew that unless a miracle happened. They would not survive.

On the 8th day. the men concluded a short church service And I decided clothes with the prayer and decided that they would lay down and try to rest.

Eddie Lane back and he pulled down his hat over his eyes. And tried to sleep when all of a sudden something landed on his head.

He would later say I don't know how I knew but I knew it was a seagull. In that moment. He didn't have time to really think wow. It's really strange for a seagull to be out here in the middle of the ocean. Typically, they stay close to land and yet we're here hundreds of miles from anything. And here's the seagull. He didn't have a chance to think what a miraculous occurrence. It is at a seagull would land on his head where he was and yet and that moment. All he could think of was if I can catch this there still hope

that bird became not only a small meal for the men on the raft.

But they were able to take the intestines of the bird and use it as fish bait and the catch more food.

And they were able to survive out in the open ocean for 24 days before they were found. I love survival stories. Not you.

Stories of people being out there at 8 just against incredible odds and coming through.

Maybe there are parts of your story. If you were to tell me your life story that would read like a survival story. Times when you faced hardship and difficulty when you didn't know if you were going to make it through and yet here you are you still here? I bring all this up because we've been talking about the story of David this summer and David story is a survival story. When you think about it David spent most of his life facing enemies that were much bigger than he was.

Goliath should have made easy work of David. He was a giant a warrior train from birth and David was a little Shepherd boy and yet David made it through. So should have been able to kill David. He was just one man. Saw was a king. He had an army and yet David somehow made it through.

but how What's the question?

Where's the truth is maybe some of us right now or going through those that struggle? That time when we're experiencing pain and loss and we don't know if we are going to make it through. How was someone like David able to survive long enough to experience God's good promises.

And what we're going to do today is we're going to get the answer to the question in David's own words.

Maybe you know this maybe you don't David wasn't just a warrior and he wasn't just a Man Who Would One Day become King David also had a week. It's a sensitive side. He wrote songs and poetry. He was a musician in many of the things that David wrote ended up being collected into our Bibles into the book of Psalm and we have those psalms to look at and reference. We're going to look at David's most famous song today, but

I want you to pay close attention to David's answer to this question. How do you survive David? Because I believe that the same answer the David gifts will help you to survive through whatever life throws your way.

Every story needs a good hero. Does of you who like to read every story that you've read has a some type of hero in it doesn't who like to watch movies, you don't like to read every movie that you go to has some type of hero some type of person or character that you identify with that you admire that you want to be like who overcomes against impossible odds and I asked this question, who is the hero in David's story? Now we might jump to conclusions and say well obviously the hero is David because here was David the little boy who defeated the Giant. Here was David the little boy who grew to One Day become king. It seems like he overcome the impossible odds, but the interesting thing is that when you go from reading the story of David to reading the writings of David David doesn't see himself as the hero of his own story. When we look at Psalm chapter 23 verse 1 and David sits down to write a point to write a song about his life. He could have written anything that he wanted to write. I mean think about it David became king. He was literally on top of the world during his day. He could have sat down to write I think that I shall never see someone so great and awesome as me, but he does not do that.

He begins his point to say do you want to know how I've made it through? You know, how I survived the giant you want to know how I survive saw. Do you want to know how I survived those those 13 years that I spent on the Run? You know how to survive I'll tell you let me introduce you to who the real hero of the story is and he begins to write the Lord is my shepherd.

The Lord is my shepherd.

If David refers to God as his Shepherd, what does that make David? It's not the hero. It's not the king. It's not the awesome guy that everybody wants to be like it makes him a sheep. I don't know if you've ever spent time with sheep. The David had he grew up as a shepherd and being a Shepherd was not really a very prestigious job. Remember David was the youngest son. He was given the job that nobody else wanted and that was to be the shepherd to take care of the sheep 24/7 to make sure that they had everything that they needed. That was the job of a Shepherd sheep were not capable of surviving for very long on their own if you know anything about sheep, you know that they probably are the animals that require the most attention and the most care the most think they cannot defend themselves. They will not feed themselves. Well, they will wander off and go in any different direction. They need to be corralled and organized. They need to have eyes on them constantly and that is what David says. That's who I am. I'm not the hero of the story. If I have anything if I have anything accomplished anything if I have come through anything, it's not because of my talents. It's not because of my abilities. It's not because of my skill and battle it's not because of my handsome good looks it's not because of any of those things if I have anything I cannot take credit for any of it. All of that has to go to my shepherd because he is the one who is brought me through to where I am right now.

The Lord is my shepherd. Now, let me ask you the same question. Who is the hero? of your story How did you get to where you are right now? How have you made it through to this point. Is it because you were smarter than others is it because you are better is it because you are more talented is it because you have leveraged opportunities is because of you at all. Are you do you take credit for your successes?

Are you a Shepherd the one who calls the shots? Or are you? sheep

if you are a sheep. You need to know what David's going to explain to us in this song. And that's that sheep need a shepherd. sheep meat a Shepherd I could ship.

David says that this is exactly who God has been.

What does a Good Shepherd do? free sheep What did God do for David how did that make the difference in David's life? And this is what he's going to explain. The first thing David is going to tell us is that a good shepherd satisfies? sheep a Good Shepherd satisfies his sheep. Look at what he says. The Lord is my shepherd verse 1 I lack nothing. I love what the the New Living Translation says the Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need.

Let me see. What a Shepherd will do for his sheep. Is he is constantly providing for the needs of the ship hit the Sheep needs food. The shepherd will find places to give the Sheep food sheep need water. The shepherd will find places for the Sheep to get water. The shepherd is constantly concerned about the needs of sheep. Some people think that God is some kind of disinterested disembodied Force out in the universe who doesn't give much thought or care for the needs of people, but David says that is not be farther from the truth. The god of the Bible is actively involved in the life of his people. He is intimately acquainted with the details of your life and he knows better than you do what you need and he's provided for your needs every single day. That's a picture, isn't it? David's it's a reason I've been able to get it this far is because God has been giving me what I needed every single day.

And because of this because of this statement I can be satisfied. I can be satisfied in what God. has given me He continues he says this he makes me lie down in Green Pastures. You see the metaphor the David is trying to give us. He says I have everything that I need because God has given it to me. Just like a lamb who could lay down. Content knowing that he doesn't have to run here or there to have this and have that and to get this and try to acquire things for themselves, but can rest content in the things that God has given it but let me ask you a question. Are you satisfied? And how God has provided for you? Sometimes we're tempted. To be dissatisfied in the things that God has given because we wish that he would have given us something else.

Forgot it's not always interested in giving us everything that we want. He will give us what we need. I think back to the time when I was a teenager and I was growing up home and and I grew up in a good home and my mom was not big into cooking. But but maybe yours was and you think about those time when you go and sit down at the dinner table and your mom had just spent a lot of time working on a meal and sets this meal before you and when it's right before you you can't turn your nose up and say I'll come on really meatloaf again. Did you complain about it?

And that's when your dad precedes to remind you. Well, if you don't like it, you feel free to go out and get your own job buy your own groceries. You cook your own food and and and make it and you can have whatever you want. We do that with God sometimes where we look and we wake up in the morning and we say I'll come on this again. This is what you've given me. Again. This is it.

But we don't have a ride really to complain. Where's the truth? Is that one day I grew up. And now I have to make my own money. Now. I have to go and get the groceries now. I have to go and cook the meal for myself. Now. I have to do all of these things and I can tell you that it was a lot more pleasurable and better even when it was Meatloaf to have that serve to me and given to me rather than just having to do it all on my own.

And Davis is for those of us who have put our trust in God and look at him as our Shepherd. We are never in any moment of Our Lives on our own but God is always looking to provide for us exactly what we need. And as I look around you're still here, aren't you? I am too. And it's not because we can take credit. The thing is we can work our hands to the Bone.

But if God hadn't provided the abilities of God hadn't provided the opportunities of God haven't given us success in the things that we done and we would not have what we have today. He is the one who is taking care of us satisfying us and providing for our needs. He says God makes me lie down in Green Pastures and he leads me beside Quiet Waters. He refreshes my soul. What does David mean by These Quiet Waters?

He's not talking literally about God giving us things to drink although God does that. He speaking in a more. spiritual sense

if you go outside today. And you spend I don't know probably about 30 minutes. It's real hot out there. You going to get thirsty? Right? Your throat is going to get parts. You are going to have a desire for something to quench your thirst.

but just as we understand what it means to have a literal physical thirst, we understand what it means to have a spiritual hunger thirst a desire that we not How there are things in this world that we long for? And if you look around there maybe tons of different watering holes places where we can go to fulfill that desire to quench your thirst.

But here's the reality not every Watering Hole is a safe one.

some watering holes we could go to. May be the last thing that we ever did. When you picture a Shepherd, what do you picture you picture like an English Shepherd like in the movie Babe is that that what you picture, you know, Green Grass and beautiful Meadow is all around. That's not the kind of shepherding that David did David was a Shepherd in desert arid Rocky regents. Food and water was scarce. And so the shepherd needed to know where to go. If you found water, which was hard to come by you needed to make sure that it was the right kind of Watering Place there these Ravines all over the desert region where David is called. Wadies Wadi and these bodies were basically places where water would filter out through the land and run down to the land when it would rain in the mountains to the north. These places it would look like there's this little quiet stream in the bottom. But if it rained in the north that quiet stream could turn into a raging River just like that and those Waters were not very quiet and if a sheep look down there and said all that looks good and went down on its own and was getting a drink and all of a sudden the water starts to rise that she could easily be swept away. God does the same things for you and me when it comes to our spiritual thirst. We as sheep. We look around us and we can't always tell what's good for us. And what's bad for us. What places are dangerous and what places are safe David says that God wants to give us those things once the satisfyer desires but satisfy him in a way, that's not just going to satisfy us physically.

It's going to refresh our soul. It's going to satisfy the deepest parts of Who We Are. And refreshes just like getting a cool glass of water would refresh you on a day like today.

God wants to satisfy your desires. You don't have to be Grudge him. You don't have to complain that you don't have to turn your back on him and wonder off to get things that you want. David says that if we will trust him if we are sheep if we follow him. And he will guide us along the right path for his name's sake. But it's not just that a good shepherd satisfies.

There is a Good Shepherd also safeguards is sheep. verse 4 even though I walk through the darkest Valley. I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me. I love the Spurs. This is a verse that you can continue to go back to time and time and time again.

A Good Shepherd safeguards is sheep.

When God is leading you as a shepherd. It does not guarantee that the road will always be easy.

sometimes he will lead you into areas of pain and heartache struggle and difficulty David experienced all of these. and if you live long enough, you probably have to

times when you're afraid. Times when you don't know if you're going to make it through times when you don't know if you are going to survive it's a dangerous world out there for sheep.

But in this God reminds us that even when it seems like all around us is dark. You're not alone.

He's with you. And not only is he with you? But he is there to protect you against the things. That would harm you.

David says that God's rod and his staff. They come for 10 minutes. I was studying this. I wonder why did he say both a rod and a staff and then I looked into it and this is what I found out. God protects us Like a Shepherd with a rod The shepherd's Rod was used to defend sheep against. Those animals that would come. and harm the flock wolfs and lions tigers and bears. Oh my all sorts of things that want to kill sheep surround these areas that Shepherds were walking through But a Shepherd is never going to let a Good Shepherd is never going to let an enemy come and destroy the flag. So when a lion would attack the shepherd would take the rod and he would defend the flock against the lion. When will sword attack the shepherd would do the same thing? And do you know? That for those of us who consider ourselves sheep followers of God.

That I world is no less a safe place. That we are surrounded. By wolves and lions Matthew chapter 10 verse 16. Jesus said to his disciples behold. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.

1st Peter chapter 5 verse 8 says be alert and a sober mind for your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Here's the dangerous thing. If you were to go off on your own like a sheep without a Shepherd you would have absolutely no defense. You're helpless. Cheap need a Shepherd to survive and God is there for you in those times when you are under attack by the enemy he is fighting your battles for you. What about the staff? The rod was used to punish the enemy. But the staff was used to direct the Sheep.

Isaiah chapter 53 verse 6 gives a pretty good inside of what sheep were like He says that all we like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way.

You might think that if your sheep. That you would stick closely by the Shepherds side, but that's not what we tend to do.

cheap tent the Wonder

and the places that we wonder especially the further that we get from the shepherd are not safe.

That are good shepherd gnosis. And even in those times when we make missteps, even when those times when we take our eyes off of him and make mistakes even in the time when we are wrong. He is still there to protect us in pursuance to protect us. Not only from those things outside of us but to protect us from ourselves.

David would look back on his story and there would be plenty of times where he made Miss steps.

The God was still there. God was still calling him back. God was still in Mercy leading him. Because he was not going to let his sheep.

He devoured. He was not going to let the Sheep get too far.

All of these things that the David says are these just for David is this because David was just as real special guy.

That relationship between David and God. Was that only for David. I don't think so.

I think God wants to be your Shepherd is well. Do you know how I know because in John chapter 10, if you want to look there with me and John chapter 10, Jesus says Look at verse to John chapter 10. He says the one who enters by the gate is The Shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him and the Sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own Sheep by name and leads them out when he is brought out all his own he goes on ahead of them and his sheep follow him because they know his voice look down at verse 11 numbers 14. He says, I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the Sheep. David is not the only one who could say the Lord is my shepherd. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you can say it to Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is the one who is actively involved in our lives. He is the one who is present with us. No matter what we go through when we are going through the darkest Valley in the Hebrew in that says the Valley of the shadow of death, no matter what it is that we are experiencing some of you were here and you know exactly what the Valley of the shadow of death is like because that shadow is looming over you large at this moment. Maybe you've lost someone that you love maybe you're sick and you're facing it yourself, but here's the amazing thing about Jesus as our Shepherd that even when we come to the point of death

And it feels like we're losing everything that we have. He is still there with us. He is still guiding us and can lead us in through to the other side.

He's with us. And we do not have to fear. He satisfies us.

He told himself the bread of life. That's Jesus. He calls himself. He says that I will give you rivers of Living Water.

acai and the way

the path of righteousness that the shepherd would lead you on Jesus is all of these things to those who believe and trust in him.

William

How did David? survive because God was there protecting. guiding in providing

the same that a Rickenbacker story

I don't care how much of a hero. heroic figure he seem to be if God hadn't provided him in those men with that seagull.

He wouldn't have survived.

And the same thing can be said for you and me if you are trying to live this Christian Life on your own.

Trying to pick yourself up by your own bootstraps trying to do these things yourself.

You're not going to make it.

So what can we do?

With the message that we just heard. I want to briefly just give you three things and I'm done.

The first thing that we need to do is we need to acknowledge our dependence on God as our Shepherd.

What does it mean to be dependent on something? I was thinking about that this week. My kids come to me when I can do something for them that they can't do themselves. That's what it means. And if you look on tax forms or anything else they are called what dependence. Because they rely on me. If they could cook their own meals if they could set up their own toys if they could fix the things that are broken. I probably wouldn't see them half as much as I do. But I see them a lot because they need me and they come to me and ask me for help. How many times how often you come before the father? Are you living as if you are dependent on him?

if you are and you will look to him. You will talk to him you will lay your request before him and his David says in Psalm chapter 5 wait expectantly. Because you know that you are not going to make it through this day on your own you need. Shepherd sheep need a good shepherd. But not only should we acknowledge our dependence on him? We should also listen to his voice. Jesus said my sheep know my voice they hear my voice and they follow me. He says, they're not going to follow a stranger. They're not going to follow somebody else because they recognized my voice.

Do you listen to the voice of Jesus? Not only do you come and talk and pray? That's a great thing and you should continue to do that. But you open his word and recognize when he is speaking to you. I think if you do and you make this a practice you'll begin to see. God saying things to you and telling you don't go this way go this way. Don't do this don't respond this way respond this way. He's leading you to safer quiet water. He is leading you the Green Pastures. He's trying to encourage you not to go the way that is dangerous not to wonder away and maybe that's the reason why you're here this morning. Maybe it's is God speaking to you through his words saying listen you and I both know that you've been wondering. I'm calling you to come back. I'm calling you to come home. I'm calling you. To return in to follow me. We need to acknowledge.

Are dependents we need to listen to his voice. and finally if you haven't done so you need to make Jesus. your Shepherd

I don't know your story. I don't know your struggles. I don't know the things that you've done. Often times people will come into a place like this until feel condemned and say will me and God we have problems. And if he knew what I've done then he wouldn't want me. That is a lie. He dots. He knows everything that you've done. He knows everything that you will do and still he sent his son to die on a cross for you. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for you and for me. Who gave himself to the wolves and to the line so that we could be set free? That's Jesus.

And if you want to have a relationship if you want to make him your Shepherd. You can because that's what he wants to be for you.

You simply have to believe in what Jesus has done for you on the cross.

to repent have you seen the former way of life and commit yourself? commit yourself to him baptism

If you haven't made that decision. I encourage you to do it because here's the thing.

God can take care of you a lot better than you can take care of you.

He's been doing it whether you recognize it or not and maybe some of your starting to look back and say I can look back at those times when I didn't think that I would make it through and and God came through in these ways. I actually had nothing to do with it. I can't. And the more that you trust in him the more you'll begin to see his active involvement in your life.

When you leave this place. When you wake up in the morning. They're going to be many different will call them Shepherds. Many different voices calling out to you telling you that you need to do this to buy this to look at this to be this.

But there's one voice it's calling you and that's the voice of Jesus.

And my prayers if that is the one voice. you'll follow

heavenly father. I thank you for this time together. I thank you for your word. Thank you. For the ways that you Shepherd us all.

And I pray that you would help us.

to not Wonder

not wonder whether or not you're here, but

To keep our eyes fixed on you. To walk where you call us to walk to trust when we don't understand.

the father we know the we can't take credit for any of it. You are Shepherd. You make us lay down in Green Pastures. You lead us beside Still Waters you restore so You lead us in the path of righteousness for your namesake you are with us when we walk to the Valley of the shadow of death you. Have the rod and the staff that come for said it is not about us and what we do with about you.

Thank you.

If there's anyone here. He needs to come back to stop wondering. I pray that you would reach out to them in this moment. There's anyone here who feels like they're in the midst of that Valley of the shadow of death and they don't know if they're going to make it through God what you just continue to comfort them to encourage them to give them strength and Hope.

We thank you for all that you've done for us. We give you praise in Jesus name. Would you stand with me Church?