Thank you very much, Richard.
Great song that we need to be thankful for,
that our God is faithful.
Don't answer out loud,
but how would you describe life during this pandemic?
Fearful, stressful, frustrating.
What about uncertain?
Over the past two months,
we have certainly been living in uncertain times.
There's been a lot of uncertainty about a variety of things.
What businesses are open?
And if I go, will they have what I need?
Is my job secure?
Some people, they live with that uncertainty week by week.
Some people, how am I going to work my job
and provide childcare for my children?
And most, all of us are wondering,
how long will it be before life turns to some kind of normalcy?
Chuck Swindoll wrote a book,
a devotional book on the Psalms.
He called it Living in the Psalms.
And he gave his chapter on Psalm 23 this title,
The Grind of Uncertainty.
And he begins the chapter with these words,
I have observed that fewer inner battles are more fierce
than the daily grind of uncertainty.
No doubt, you too have encountered one or more of its many faces
as you have struggled with purpose and pain,
job security, financial pressures,
physical handicaps, relational snags,
and a dozen other confusing puzzles
not quickly or easily solved.
It is for the dark hours of uncertainty
that David penned a song we know as Psalm 23.
If we took a poll of what chapter of the Bible
has God used most over the centuries
to bring comfort and hope to Christians,
I believe we would far and away pick the 23rd Psalm.
For the past several weeks,
I've been thinking about and praying about
what passage of Scripture should I focus on,
preach from on our first Sunday back.
This is a special time.
We've been away for nine weeks.
We're here now as God's people,
worshiping Him, studying His Word.
What passage should I preach?
Well, as I thought about that, prayed about that,
I thought about Psalms.
Psalms has something that touches every condition,
every emotion.
I started thinking about the Psalm 100.
It's a psalm about giving thanks,
and we have a lot to be thankful for.
But early this past week,
I think the Lord brought my attention
to the 23rd Psalm.
That's the chapter.
That's the passage that we need to look at.
Now, I can think of several reasons
why this is a good study for us.
First, Psalm 23 is a very familiar passage of Scripture,
and I think it'll help us, do us all good,
to study something that is familiar
during this unfamiliar time we're in right now.
Psalm 23 is also a very comforting
and encouraging passage.
Comfort and encouragement
is something that most of us need a lot of times,
maybe especially now.
And then Psalm 23 is written in a way
to give us assurance on a personal level.
Look at it.
Psalm 23, verse 1.
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.
Look at it.
The Lord is, present tense, my,
talking about something very personal here,
is my shepherd.
And as a result of that,
I have all that I want,
or more specifically, all that I need.
I want us to begin today
and do about a five or six week study
of this familiar psalm
with a prayer that God will use it
to help us have more certainty
in these uncertain times
because of our personal experience
with the Lord
as our, or let's make it personal,
my shepherd.
Now, David wrote Psalm 23
as an older man,
as the king of Israel.
But as he wrote this psalm,
he thought about his boyhood experience
as a shepherd
taking care of his father's sheep.
You can read about that
in the book of 1 Samuel.
It's important that we understand
the perspective from which David wrote.
He didn't write from the perspective
of himself being the shepherd.
Look at it.
He wrote,
the Lord is my shepherd,
which means he wrote
from the perspective of a sheep
being cared for by the shepherd.
So, the first key to understanding
Psalm 23
and profiting from it
as the Lord wants us to
is this.
If we're going to find certainty
for uncertain times
in Psalm 23,
we must learn to see ourselves
as we really are
before God.
We've got to learn to see ourselves
as God sees us.
Now, in the context of Psalm 23,
we are helpless sheep.
And that is not a compliment.
Don't think in terms of
Mary had a little lamb,
its fleece was white as snow
and all that kind of junk.
Sheep
are not something
that anybody wants to be.
If we did a poll this morning
in this room right now,
if you had to be an animal,
what would you be?
Probably some kind of great dog
or a great cat
like a lion, a tiger.
Maybe a bear.
Some people may want to be
a bird because you like to sing
or something like that.
But I don't believe anybody
would say
if it could be any kind of animal,
they would be a sheep.
Haddon Robinson
explains why
being a sheep
is not complimentary.
Look at this.
A sheep is all of the things
that we do not want to be.
It is defenseless,
dependent,
and stupid.
But when David wrote,
the Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want,
he was saying by implication
that he was a sheep.
He was defenseless,
dependent,
and foolish.
You and I might as well admit it.
Before God,
we too
are sheep.
Yet in the depths
of our proud hearts,
that is a very difficult
admission
to make.
I don't want to be a sheep.
I don't want to think of myself
as dumb
and defenseless
like a sheep is.
But we can't get around it.
In both the Old
and New Testament,
a lot of times,
God's people,
Christians,
are referred to
as sheep.
Here's one
that's probably
most in this room
you know this,
from Isaiah 53.
All we like sheep
have gone astray.
We have turned
everyone
to his own way
as opposed to
God's way.
Jesus described us
as Christians,
his people,
as sheep,
and he,
our good shepherd,
in John 10.
We'll look at that
more
a little bit later
in this series.
The only way
that we will ever
find comfort
in Psalm 23
is to admit
that we
spiritually now,
spiritually,
before God,
we are like sheep.
We are totally
dependent on
our shepherd.
We just can't
make it on our own.
Now,
I know
some people
are thinking,
well,
I'm not dumb.
People aren't
dumb,
and you're right.
This does not
mean,
this idea
of us being
sheep,
does not mean
that we should
think of ourselves
literally
as a dumb,
sheep-like
animal.
As human beings,
we are created
in the image
of God.
And we should
never lose sight
of that.
As human beings,
we are created
in the image
of God.
We are God's
highest,
most special
creation.
We have
many God-given
qualities,
intellectually,
physically,
ability,
a lot of physical
abilities,
socially.
And all that
makes us far
superior to
the best animal,
the most intelligent
animal.
But let's
remember this.
Ever since Adam
and Eve sinned
in the Garden
of Eden,
sin has made
human beings
as spiritually
impoverished
and needy
as sheep.
We really are
before God
spiritually lost,
separated from
God.
That's what sin
did there in the
Garden in the
beginning.
God created Adam
and Eve.
They enjoyed
perfect fellowship
face-to-face
with Him.
But when they
sinned,
what happened?
They hid
from God.
Sin separated
them.
They knew
they were wrong.
Something had
gone wrong.
They couldn't
see,
look at God
as they had
in the past.
Sin messed
up that
relationship.
Think about
this.
On our own,
we are defenseless
against the devil,
against the
forces of evil
in this world
that oppose us,
that tempt us.
And think about
this.
We demonstrate
our spiritual
foolishness by
allowing ourselves
to be shaped
more by the
influence of this
world, this world
that opposes God,
than being shaped
by the truth
of God's Word.
God's Word.
That's why Paul
writes in Romans
12, don't let
the world squeeze
you into its
mold, because
that's what we
naturally do.
And that shows us
just how foolish
we are.
So, if you look
at Psalm 23,
if you've been a
Christian for any
length of time,
if you grew up in a
home where the
Bible was ever read,
you ever went to
church, you know the
23rd Psalm, if you
want to really
experience comfort and
hope from it, first,
look at yourself as
God looks at you.
You are a
spiritually lost
sheep.
You are without hope
in terms of having a
right relationship with
God, being able to
live life in a way
that will please Him
and serve His
purpose.
We are sheep who
are in desperate
need of God's
shepherd-like
guidance, protection,
and loving care.
Jesus emphasizes that
loving care part in
John 10 that we'll be
looking at.
Now, once we
understand who we
are in this Psalm,
then we're ready to
start looking at the
main player, the
focus of the Psalm,
the Lord.
Look at this.
If we're going to
find certainty for
uncertain times in
Psalm 23, we must
learn to see God as
He really is.
And David's real
clear.
David begins with
the Lord.
Now, whenever you
see the word Lord in
all capital letters as
it is in this English
translation, it's
translating the Hebrew
word Yahweh.
That's God's most
sacred name.
And it means that God
is self-sufficient and
God is self-existent.
Let's think about that
for a moment.
To say that God is
self-sufficient means He
has absolutely no
needs.
God needs nothing.
God has no need for
more wisdom because He is
all-wise.
God never has to look
around and try to find
more power because He is
all-powerful.
You know that God never
could become more
loving because as
Scripture calls Him, He is
love.
When we think about God
being self-sufficient, that
means that God has all the
resources at His disposal in
who He is, what He
possesses, He has all the
resources He will ever need
to meet our needs.
God is, if you're a Christian,
think about it, is my
shepherd, my protector, my
guider, my comforter.
And then look at this.
To say that God is self-existent
means that He has always
existed as God.
Put it another way, He is
timeless.
He is above time, beyond
time.
Don't dwell on that too
long because that will
blow your mind on it.
To be above time and space
like God is, time is a
creation of God.
Think about it this way.
He never changes.
That's hard to imagine
because everything changes.
You say you don't like
change?
Well, die.
Die or get used to it
because everything changes.
During the, I don't know,
maybe a couple of weeks
ago, Lisa was looking for
something.
She found some old
pictures.
My hair was jet black.
I didn't have to suck in
this, I didn't have a
belly.
Think about what you look
like five years ago.
Think about what you look
like ten years ago.
Think about twenty years
ago.
All you have to do to know
that change is constant is
just look at yourself in the
mirror day by day.
We change.
Our children grow up.
They have children.
Our parents and
grandparents, they die.
They die.
They're no longer a part of
our lives.
Everything about life
changes.
This coronavirus pandemic
has been an unexpected and
harsh reminder of how
quickly things can change.
But change was not
introduced into our country
or culture or homes as a
result of this pandemic.
everything changes but God
is what I'm getting at.
God is the one
constant.
God's character never
changes.
God's promises never
change.
God's power
will remain the same
forever.
God's power
will remain the same
forever.
We can have confidence in
the Lord as our shepherd
because he will always be who
he has revealed himself to be.
He will always do what he has
promised to do.
That's hard to get our heads
around to think about it because
nobody else does.
Nobody else can do that.
It's sad.
Some of you have
experienced this with your
parent or grandparent or
aunt or uncle.
My dad when he died was not
the person he'd always been
because of Alzheimer's.
A lot of us in this room
right now, we can't do what we
used to do the way we used to
do it.
We just don't have that kind of
strength or stamina now.
But God, he will never be
changed by some kind of
disease.
He will never be changed by
what happens in this world.
His power will never be in any
shape, form or fashion
diminished.
This is the Lord that David
says is my shepherd.
Now if you're a Christian, make
that personal.
Say it to yourself or even if
you want to, say it out loud
right now.
The Lord is my shepherd.
This is a statement of fact that
every believer can say, can claim
every moment of every day.
No matter how uncertain things are
where you work or the school
situation.
The Lord is my shepherd now.
And that should make a tremendous
difference in how we face our
uncertainty.
Let's make this even more personal
by looking at what Jesus said in
John chapter 10.
Jesus describes his relationship
with all who trust him as the good
shepherd who knows, loves, and cares
for his sheep.
Let me give you an example.
John 10 verses 14 and 15.
Jesus said, I am the good shepherd.
I know my own and my own know me.
Just as the Father knows me and I know
the Father.
And I lay down my life for the sheep.
That's how much he loves us.
That's how much he gives of himself
for us.
Now I want you to look at this next
one.
Jesus also says that his sheep,
his followers, Christians,
his sheep know his voice
and they follow him.
This is in John 10 verses 27 and 28.
My sheep hear my voice.
He's talking about through his word
and through his spirit.
My sheep hear my voice and I know
them and they follow me.
Now see, Jesus is describing a fact
about who all real Christians are
and what they do.
We as he is,
we hear his voice.
He knows us
and we follow him.
He says, I give them eternal life
and they will never perish
and no one will snatch them
out of my hand.
We are eternally secure
through faith in Jesus.
We are living in uncertain times.
But wasn't life uncertain
before this pandemic ever
rared its ugly head?
There's uncertainty
in our homes
from time to time.
There's uncertainty
related to jobs.
There's uncertainty
about our health.
Uncertainty is just part of life.
We are spiritually
helpless sheep
who need the good shepherd Jesus
to guide us through
this uncertain world
and the end
to lead us into heaven
where all certainty will end.
Can you say right now,
can you
as an individual,
can you say right now,
the Lord is
my
shepherd?
Are you
one of the Lord's sheep?
You know his voice.
As you read his word,
you hear his voice.
Not literally.
As you read his word,
as you live
as a Christian
with the spirit of God
living in you,
you hear him
leading you,
you experience his
leading you,
prompting you
from within.
Are you one of the Lord's sheep
who hears his voice
and you follow him?
You obey him.
None of us does it perfectly.
None of us does it every day.
No one does it
to the absolute
nth degree.
But if we are
children of God
and dwell by the spirit
of God,
we'll have the desire
and we will put forth
the effort
to hear his voice
and follow him
on a regular basis.
Now what I want us
to understand is
this all applies
to people who believe.
David wrote
the 23rd Psalm
as someone
who knew the Lord
as his shepherd.
He was a believer.
Jesus in John 10
was describing
his relationship
with his followers.
So the question here is
are you as a Christian
are you seeking
to listen to
the voice
of your good shepherd
as he speaks
through his word
and through his spirit
on a regular basis?
And are you listening
to him because
you love him?
You trust him?
You know that his way
is right.
His way is best
even if it's hard.
You know the only way
anybody can live
with confidence
and certainty
in our uncertain times
is to humbly admit
we can't do it
on our own.
We are spiritually
helpless like sheep
and we really are
totally dependent
on our shepherd God,
our shepherd Lord
to give us wisdom.
to guide us
in the right way.
To help us stay
on the right path
in life.
Now if God
has shown you
that your problem
is not that you're
a weak Christian
it's just you're
not a Christian
well you need
to admit that
and thank God
for making that
clear to you.
And the way
you should respond
is to don't argue
but to humble yourself,
admit your need,
turn from your sin,
repent,
change your mind
about how you're
living and put
your trust in Jesus
as your Savior.
Call upon Him
to save you.
I want us to look
at one more thing
quickly that will
also give us
certainty.
Look at this,
number three.
If we're going
to find certainty
for uncertain times
in Psalm 23,
we must learn
to enjoy
and be content
in our relationship
with God.
Now think about
what that's saying.
The Lord is my shepherd
with an emphasis on
I shall not want.
I think Chuck Swindoll
does a good job
of explaining this point.
Look at it.
He says the key thought
is this,
because the Lord
is my shepherd
I shall lack nothing.
Some of you have
a translation that says
the Lord is my shepherd
I shall lack nothing.
Swindoll says
no uncertainty
should frighten me
because the Lord
is my shepherd.
Look at what he says.
I shall not lack
rest or provision.
Why?
He makes me
to lie down
in green pastures.
I shall not lack
peace.
Why?
He leads me
beside quiet waters.
I shall not lack
restoration or encouragement
when I faint,
fail, or fall.
Why?
He restores my soul.
I shall not lack
guidance or fellowship.
Why?
He guides me
in the paths
of righteousness.
I shall not lack
courage when my way
is dark.
Why?
Even though I walk
through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil
for you
are with me.
I shall not lack
companionship.
Why?
You are with me.
Can you honestly
say things like that?
Can you honestly
say that you have
come to the point
in your relationship
with the Lord
that you enjoy Him?
You know Him.
You love Him.
You enjoy Him.
And you are content
with the things
He has provided
for you.
Now we're going
to be looking
at the many ways
God provides for us
as we go on
in this series.
But the main
question now is
does your
personal relationship
with the Lord
bring you
joy
and
contentment?
Now
I am not asking
if you're finding
joy and contentment
in the things
that God gives you.
We're talking about
are you finding
joy and contentment
in God
as your Heavenly Father
and in Jesus Christ
as your Savior
and Lord?
Just about
every Sunday
my sons
daughters-in-law
and grandchildren
come to our house
for lunch.
Lisa and I
we get a lot
of joy
and contentment
by just
having them
with us
like that.
It has
nothing to do
with what they do
because they don't
do a doggone thing
but come and eat
our food.
Our joy
comes from
spending time
with them.
We are content
to know them
and love them
and experience
their love
and just
share life
with them.
Well that's
how the Lord
wants us to
enjoy and be
content with
Him.
And when that
does happen
we will be able
to say
like David
because the Lord
is my shepherd
I have all
that I need.
Let's pray
together.
Lord
show us
now
how you
want us
to respond.
Show us
as Christians
Lord
if
people in
this room
say
I do
enjoy my
relationship
with you.
I am
content
in having
you
and what
you provide.
affirm
them
their God.
Just draw
them close
to you
and affirm
that kind
of love
and commitment
and contentment.
But Lord
if that's
not true
for Christians
convict
them
of their
failure
to seek
joy
in you
and be
content
in knowing
you
and having
what you
provide.
help
them
dear God
to confess
their
selfishness
or any
kind of
specific
sin
that's
keeping
them
from
enjoying
you.
Show
them
how they
need to
change
some
things
in their
lives.
And Lord
if there
are people
in this
room
who are
not
believers
don't let
them
rest
easy
till they
turn from
their sin
and trust
Jesus.
In fact
right now
God we pray
that you
will just
overwhelm
them
with
brokenness
over their
sin
heartfelt
repentance
and cause
them
their God
to call
upon Jesus
to save
them
to want
that
and surrender
their lives
to him.
With every
head bowed
and every
eye closed
listen to
the Lord
and just
obey him.
It'll just
be a time
of your
personal
commitment
so that
you can
leave here
knowing
the Lord
is my
shepherd.