Sitting at the Feet of Jesus: "I AM the Good Shepherd"
Sitting at the Feet of Jesus: "I AM the Good Shepherd" • Sermon • Submitted
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What do I believe God wants them to know? The LORD is their Shepherd
Why? He’s the Good Shepherd who Provides, Restores, Guides, Protects, Blesses, and Purchases
What do I believe God wants them to do? Follow the Good Shepherd
Why? He’s the Good Shepherd who Provides, Restores, Guides, Protects, Blesses, and Purchases
ME/WE
I believe the word the Lord has over this year is PS 23
It’s the most common Pslam
Why?
Many know the Psalm, but many have wander away from the shepherd of the Psalm…we’ve seen it (deconstructing their faith, they have followed PHYISIAns, Political leaders, feelings, unfaithful pastors, prophets) ….and we are prone to wonder.
Why did we wonder away? When God is not shepherd king he
1. Absent father
2. Wise old man but powerless (this the church culture when you learn the wise teaching of God but it’s divorced from the POWER and full love of God
3. Policeman…teaching you…Deut 27…Gal 3
He’s the shepherd king
Why?
Tozer
One of the question you ask NOW, because we need to be reminded, and at the very beginning of your relationship with God for those who believe is
What is God like?
Could you describe Him to me?
Some will say He’s a
POLICE
He’s always making sure you are OBEYING the 10 BIG COMMANDMENTS
He’s hiding out behind a bush ready to get you but He doesn’t just write the tickets he the judge that delivers the sentance
“Did you do LIE to your BOSS? NO
Hey Peter can you roll back that tape from January 12 at 2:30PM on JUDY’s life”
OLD WISE MAN
full of wisdom and lacking in power
The church growth movement God
-
Distant Father (MTD)
There is a god but he’s not active in our life
Why do these and others exist?
Part of these beliefs stem from
Bad teaching and preaching
Not so great earthly fathers.
We have a great propensity to transfer who our dad or mom is onto God
The enemy
WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ... Worship is as high or low as the worshiper entertains how high or low their thoughts of God.
For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most significant fact about any man or woman is not what he or she at a given time may say or do, but what he or she in their deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about God or leaves unsaid.
If we view God as a moral POLICE man out to get us…will we want to be in relationship with Him? NO, we want to hid like ADAM and EVE
If we view God as an OLD WISE POWERLESS MAN…we will we always go to Him in our greatest need for help? NO
BUT IF WE VIEW GOD AS HE IS…WE WILL ALWAYS RUN TO HIM
TENSION
What is God like?
Well He’s indescribable
TRUE
But if we could try to describe Him, is there an image or way we can describe Him?
Yes…there is a IMAGE that God displays Himself over and over in scripture.
And it is SPOKEN about HIM the most FAMOUS PSALM of ALL PS 23
What does that mean?
When is the last time you interacted with a shepherd?
WORD OVER 2023…God is calling us back to follow the Good Shepherd
It is a familar song and I think to illistrate to know
Orator to read Psalm 23 STANDING APPLAUSE
The old pastor to read Psalm 23 their was not a dry eye in the house!
GOD
What does David say about God? You want to know what God is like....let me tell you He’s like SHEPHERD
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
David says YHWH is my shepherd
he’s the one who is leading ME, GUIDING ME, PROCTECTION, BLESSING ME
Also, some of us are huge up being a sheep
Some of us at this moment are saying
Wait, wait, I don’t like that because I don’t want to be a sheep
Why? Because we have been told our whole lives that SHEEP are dumb
Are sheep DUMB? They are not the smartest in the animal kingdom
Get around electric fences
Hear the shepherds voice BILL and SARAH
2nd thing we need to know sheep are highly valuable…talk to a shepherd then…look what happens when he leaves the 99
3rd it is not ONE for ONE
So what is so great about this shepherd?? What makes Him so great to follow??
PROVIDES
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Hebrew says “I shall not lack”
David says you want to know the great thing about my shepherd? He makes sure I never lack.....Get this He cares about me more than I care about myself.
- Get this His whole day is already thought of how I
He provides
PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, SPIRITUALLY, and RELATIONALLY
SHEEP DON’T LOOK FOR FOOD…the SHEPHERD PROVIDES THE FOOD FOR THEM
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Like a real human shepherd
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
I know what you are thinking HOW can He do this?
He’s God....
For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
And it is not just physical provision but it is also emotional provision and spiritual provision
EMOTOINALLY
What’s the ONE things we all want more than food? LOVE
Romans 8 says nothing can separate us from His love
And He being the GOOD SHEPHERD is always there, literally always there 2pm, 2am
HE LOVES US MORE THAN WE LOVE OURSELVES
SPIRUTALLY
He is the LIGHT, HE IS THE TRUTH, HE HIS THE LIFE
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
RELATIONAL: HIM and THE CHURCH
He shows us not just in WORDS but in action
Then the GOD THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Sheep travel in a FLOCK not individually
David continues to show us in verse 2 who God is the PROVIDER
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
Lie down or burn yourself
This shepherd is so GOOD that he knows we need REST and HE GIVES US rest.
God says to us I am LORD OF LORDS AND KING OF KINGS I GOT IT, I SOVEREIGNLY SUFFICENT
DO YOU KNOW WHAT COMFORT THAT IS?
HE LEAD BESIDES STILL WATERS
THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE SHEPHERD KNOWS THAT SHEEP WILL NOT DRINK BY RUSHING WATERS, FAST MOVING WATERS
God says to us I lead you by waters to fill you up
I will say again the SHEPHERD cares for the SHEEP more than the SHEEP care for themselves
RESTORES
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Have you ever had those days where you have been down or CAST DOWN?
The sheep remembers when they were cast down
DO YOU KNOW WHAT A CAST SHEEP IS
A sheep is on its back
RESTORES
7725. שׁוּב shub (996d); a prim. root; to turn back, return:
hurt
cast sheep
How many of you have been CAST DOWN
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
GUIDES
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
have you ever wondered which way should you go?
Follow Him and he will show you
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
His way is the best, way
the right way
the best way
Not always the east way…we know this?
Whoa GOD where are you taking me? I didn’t sign up for this.
To get to where we need to go is not always easy but it is God’s best
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
HIS NAME IS ON THE LINE
Why does it say for His name sake? Not for our sake? Which if it is for His sake it is for our sake
THE WAY THE SHEEP LIVES REFLECTS ON THE SHEPHERD
PROTECTS
That is great and all but what about he enemies!?!
Even 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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
I am not going to fear
Staff is going to pull me back
Rod is going to beat away the wolves and lions
If God is with us whom are we to fear!?!
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
BLESSES and GOODNESS
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
NOTHING THE ENEMY WANTS TO DO CAN STOP GOD PROVIDING FOR US
the way we ware in the family of God is beaus the SHEPHERD PURCHASED US BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB
PURCHASES
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
David Foster Wallace not a Christian
The outstanding reason for choosing to worship and follow God — is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things — if they are where you tap real meaning in life — then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you in the ground. Worship power — you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart — you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on. On one level, we all know this stuff already — it's been codified as myths, proverbs, parables: it’s the skeleton of every great story.
Look, the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they are evil or sinful (some are); it is that they are unconscious. They are default-settings of the human heart. They're the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, And the world will not discourage you from operating on your default-settings, because the world of men and money and power hums along quite nicely on the fuel of fear and contempt and frustration and craving and the worship of self.