Psalm 23

Psalm 23:1-4

Intro

Part 1

Today if you brought your bible go ahead and turn to the book of psalms, chapter 23

Some of you as soon as i said that just rolled your eyes

Psalm 23 is one of the most quoted passages in the bible

Even Pastor Bill and Bryan were teasing asking ironically if this was the passage I would chose

To their dismay I did

This passage is written all over cards, shirts, candles, graves

Even President Bush quoted this passage to comfort the nation after 9/11

It’s often used for funerals

But can i tell you this passage is more relevant to life than to death

Pray

Part 2

How many of you have an embarrassing trend or style in your past?

Mine was emo

I use to carry a journal with me where I would write down my thoughts, dreams, poems and song lyrics.

David is doing the same thing in psalms.

He’s near the end of his life and begins to reflect on it.

He was a shepherd, so as he relates and converses his intimate thoughts to God he uses that vernacular along with his honest, gut wrenched, fully exposed heart.

Scripture 1

Read passage

Shepherd - Identifying God in a way he understands

Uses - Me, I, you - signifying the personal significance - important for later

Application 1

My shepherd (God’s actions)

Provides

“I shall not want”

Sheep are totally dependant on the shepherd

It’s easy to call Him shepherd, but hard to “not want”

Comparison (greener grass)

I love and serve you like they do Jesus?!

Contentment comes not from what we have, but who we have

Guides

The Holy Spirit lives in us

So many christians go looking for direction when God put the director inside of us

If you were traveling to NYC would you rather have a complicated list of instructions or have a local their in person guiding you?

So relax a little bit, you’re just a sheep and leave it to the guide inside

“He make me”

A Shepherd doesn’t ask His sheep what they want or need

God often has to force us (use circumstances) that are for our good

Green pastors - necessary food

Still waters - get both water and rest

The sheep on its best day is only there because of its shepherd

Restores

The mix of needed food, water and rest restores

“Revives our strength”

He knows our need better than we do ourselves

The sabbath - we don’t often like stopping or resting

Especially people who earn their wages by their sweat

God sees the need we don’t

Requires trust

For His name’s sake (God’s reason/our purpose

Christian Hedonism

“God is most glorified in us if we are most satisfied in Him”

He prospers and matures us to reveal His glory and goodness to the world

Go back to “makes me lie down”

Sponsored athlete

Michael Jordan - nike

Willing to pay fee

$5000 a game

Why?

Murders over air jordans

Wanted to decrease price rather than tell people to stop

We covet

God wants to use that to make people covet our relationship with Himself

I will fear no evil (Our response)

I will trust

The valley

We live in a valley

My climb up little mountain

Israel had a major valley

Kidron valley

A lot of tombs

In ancient times they would light torches all over jerusalem that would brighten the whole town except one spot “the valley”

So poetically it represents a giant shadow

Life at it’s darkest

The valley talked about in this passage we have all been to

The valley symbolizes a low point

Depression

Hardship

Loneliness

Some of us have spent more time in here than others

Some of us may even be there now

He doesn't “if” I walk through the valley, but “when”

Today's there's so many self help books trying to teach us the secret to always being happy

Even Christian books

We need to remember that God is more interested in our holiness than happiness

God uses all our experiences

We need to embrace and value the hard and dark times the same as good times

God uses it all

Examples

David

Job

Jeremiah

John the Baptist

Even Jesus

My being diagnosed with minor bipolar disorder

So embarrassed

Felt so lost

Religion didn’t help

A church experience didn’t help

“Flipping the switch” didn’t help

Still hasnt gone away and may never

The only thing that worked is making God my closest friend

Found comfort in Charles Spurgeon

He leads us along paths of righteousness

Means valley is a part of that

The valley is where we grow

Don't see many christians grow in good times

The valley is where we realize our dependence on God

Sheep don’t wander around wolves

The green pastures and still waters is preparation for the valley

The valley is temporary

The valley is death’s shadow not death itself

The valley is always leading somewhere else

God is with me

Never forsakes

“You are with me” - language becomes more personal

Before identified as shepherd (title) now you (close companion)

Draws closer to God as things get harder

So as a christian we need not fear death anymore than the valley

He protects me

Rod - protects from animals - outside danger

Big club with nails in it hanging from the shepherd's belt

Sheep would be comforted by this

Funny story about Kyle open carrying in a store

Tom wouldn’t let get concealed

Natural devil's advocate

So i told him he should open carry

People were terrified

Not like that

Staff - protects from themselves - inside danger

Correcting is absolutely essential for protecting

Directs them on the path to go

Shepherds break wandering sheep’s leg

Spank your kid to rescue them down the line

You don’t want your kids hurt

But more important at the time is the correction

He lies as the door to the pen

Reference video

Explain sheep fold

Nobody gets in our out without His permission

Expression “over my dead body”

We can take comfort in the fact that bad things that happen to us as christians God has allowed and would only do so if was for our good, our growth and His glory

Conclusion

Remember how I mentioned the personal indicators were important here’s how that fits

The Lord cares for us - He does it for His glory - and we respond by trusting Him

Do you trust in the Lord today?