The Good Shepherd The Good Host

Good Morning FE, I hope you have been enjoying this series through the Psalms, I know I have, the Lord has blessed me with many reminders of who he is, majestic in power, wrapped in beauty, who shows grace and mercy towards me and you.

We are going to walk through the most recognized Psalm in the world. Spurgeon called this Psalm “the pearl of psalms”. A psalm which is memorized by many, and has comforted the masses because it is read when people are going through hard times, you may hear this Psalm read at someones death bed or a funeral. These are all good uses for this Psalm. But as I have been reading, studying and meditating on Psalms 23, I began to realize, this Psalm is a discipleship psalm.

You may ask what is a discipleship Psalm? Let’s define discipleship first, I recently heard Matt Chandler define discipleship like this:

“Discipleship to Jesus is the Continual Surrender of All of Life to God’s Good Design for Identity, Purpose, and Belonging”

Which means I surrender everything to the Lord and I allow the Lord through the Scriptures tell me who I am, why I was created and why I am here on this earth and who I can belong to. The creator defines my identity, my purpose and my belonging.

When I say Psalm 23 is a discipleship Psalm I am referring to the idea that;

Psalms 23 teaches us, the Lord who is both a Shepherd and a Host is trustworthy and we can find satisfaction and direction in him in every aspect of life.

You will notice as we go through this Psalm it describes every area of life on the path of discipleship with Jesus. Open your Bibles, Bible App or follow along on the screen with me as we read Psalm 23

Psalm 23 (ESV)

A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

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.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

El Señor es mi pastor, nada me faltará. 2 En lugares de verdes pastos me hace descansar; junto a aguas de reposo me conduce. 3 Él restaura mi alma; me guía por senderos de justicia por amor de su nombre.

4 Aunque pase por el valle de sombra de muerte, no temeré mal alguno, porque tú estás conmigo; tu vara y tu cayado me infunden aliento. 5 Tú preparas mesa delante de mí en presencia de mis enemigos; has ungido mi cabeza con aceite; mi copa está rebosando. 6 Ciertamente el bien y la misericordia me seguirán todos los días de mi vida, y en la casa del Señor moraré por largos días.

The first line of the Psalm is the key to a meaningful and vibrant discipleship relationship with the Lord, the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. The Lord. Yahweh, this name refers to God who is timeless, who has no beginning or has no end, he always was. It also refers to God’s self sufficiency, in other words God doesn’t need anything or anyone. He is sufficient in himself. Yet, it is Yahweh, who choose to enter into a relationship with Israel in the Old Testament and when he does so he reveals himself as the great I am, the timeless and self sufficient one. Which means, Yahweh, who lacks nothing, can provide and care for his people, because he is timeless, lacks nothing and is sufficient in himself. Yahweh, the Great I Am takes this idea of shepherd and attaches it to his name to describe how he cares for his people, The Lord is my Shepherd.

Shepherding wasn’t a great job in ancient societies, it was considered low level work. If a family needed a shepherd it was usually the youngest son who tended the sheep. we see this play out in the life of David, who was tending sheep when Samuel came to appoint one of the sons of Jesse king. Shepherds were with the sheep 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to feed them, guide them, protect them. Yet the Lord, the creator, the all powerful God of the universe takes this idea of Shepherd and attaches it to his name and says The Lord is a Shepherd to his people. Listen to the care our Good Shepherd has for his people

Isaiah 40:11 (ESV)

He will tend his flock like a shepherd;

he will gather the lambs in his arms;

he will carry them in his bosom,

and gently lead those that are with young.

Como pastor apacentará su rebaño, en su brazo recogerá los corderos, y en su seno los llevará; guiará con cuidado a las recién paridas.

The beauty of this image is what David is thinking about when he says the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. You see the sheep find all there needs met by the shepherd, they do not need anything because the good shepherd cares for them, protects them, feeds them, watches over them. The sheep find there satisfaction and needs met in the shepherd. They are content with how the shepherd cares and provides for them, they do not feel the need to wander and find satisfaction in other things.

The key to a meaningful and lasting discipleship in the Lord is finding satisfaction in the Good Shepherd Host who cares for you.

Are you captivated by who the Shepherd is and his love and care for you, that you are satisfied by him and you are content on how he cares for you?

I mentioned earlier, that in the Psalm we find every aspect of life covered, all the highs and lows in life and in discipleship is touched. Verses 2 - 6 stem from the idea the Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want. Even this idea of a shepherd caring for his flock implies a process not just an event. The beauty of Psalms 23 is it begins with rest,

The Lord is My Shepherd when I need rest

Psalm 23:2 (ESV)

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

En lugares de verdes pastos me hace descansar; junto a aguas de reposo me conduce.

In order for sheep to lie down, they need to know they are free from fears that keep them from resting. This is what the shepherd provides for the sheep, the shepherd provides what the sheep needs to feel at rest and the sheep trust the shepherd enough to lie down in the pastures to follow the shepherd beside the still waters. The green pastures and still waters are images of peace, rest and having needs met, being satisfied by the good shepherd.

The Christian life begins by resting in Christ and what he has done for you, resting from your works of trying to gain God’s favor, it is obeying the invitation of Chris;

Matthew 11:28 (ESV)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Venid a mí, todos los que estáis cansados y cargados, y yo os haré descansar.

The Christian life begins with resting in Christ, and a life of discipleship or following Christ is a life long process of learning to rest in Christ in every aspect and every stage of your life from the moment God transforms your life until the moment you give your last breath. Resting in Christ in regards to finding a marriage partner, resting in Christ in your singleness, resting in Christ in your parenting, resting in Christ in your marriage, resting in Christ as you are aging, resting in Christ as you launch your children in adulthood, resting in Christ when you are sick. Resting in Christ doesn’t mean you are doing nothing, it means your efforts are grace driven and empowered by the Holy Spirit and

what Resting implies in this Psalm is you are responding to the direction of the Good Shepherd Host.

He makes me lie down, he leads me, resting implies trusting and obeying the shepherds directions and care for you. When he says come this way, you follow, when he says no don’t go that way, we listen. Many times we think God is just a cosmic killjoy, his commandments are there to keep us from having a good time. But it is the total opposite the goal of the shepherd host is to protect you and provide for you.

The Lord is my Shepherd when I need restoration

He restores my life. This is a beautiful picture because sometimes we are on the path of discipleship and we do not listen to the shepherd, we go on our own and end up in a mess, sick and in need of help. The Good Shepherd Host goes out looking for the sheep and restores the life of the sheep. In Luke 15 Jesus tells the parable of a shepherd in search of a lost sheep, when he finds it he carries it home on his shoulders rejoicing. The good shepherd host restores the sheep to the flock, restores the sheep to health. What did Jesus say, I have come to give life and life more abundantly.

The Lord is my Shepherd when I need Guidance

Psalm 23:3 (ESV)

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

me guía por senderos de justicia por amor de su nombre.

Sheep are foolish animals, how many of you have seen the video of the sheep on FB, he is stuck in a ditch, the shepherd gets him out and less than a minute later, he jumps back in the ditch. Sheep are very foolish animals, you know what, sometimes I feel exactly like that sheep. The Lord rescues me and guides into the path of righteousness and instead of listening, I jump right back in the ditch.

The Good Shepherd Host leads us into the paths of righteousness, he guides us, he shows us the way. How? Through his word,

Psalm 119:105 (ESV)

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

Lámpara es a mis pies tu palabra, y luz para mi camino.

God leads us through his word, there are direct commandments to follow and there are guiding principles to follow, for the areas where the Bible is silent. We set back and think what house should I buy, what college should I go to, where should I live, the Bible doesn’t specifically answer those questions but the Bible does provide wisdom on how you should make those decisions. God lead’s and guides you and if we listen and obey, we will be on the paths of righteousness.

Why does the Good Shepherd Host do this? For his Glory, for his names sake. I hope you have been tracking with this theme since we started our series through the Psalms, God is glorious and all he does is to show forth his glory on the earth. The Lord is giving me rest, restoring me, guiding me, leading me, for the glory of his name. Psalm 31 says

Psalm 31:3 (ESV)

For you are my rock and my fortress;

and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;

Porque tú eres mi roca y mi fortaleza, y por amor de tu nombre me conducirás y me guiarás.

You lead me, you guide me for the glory of your name.

People who take cars to a mechanic for an issue that he says is fixed, but you keep having the same problems with the car. Are you going to keep taking your car back? Why not? because his work is giving him a bad name. A great mechanic is going to try his hardest to fix the car the first time for his name’s sake, for a good reputation. God is leading and guiding for the glory of his name, we know God isn’t promising health wealth and happiness 24/7 365 day a year. How do we know that? because of the very next verse.

psa 23:4

Psalm 23:4 (ESV)

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.

Aunque pase por el valle de sombra de muerte, no temeré mal alguno, porque tú estás conmigo; tu vara y tu cayado me infunden aliento.

The Lord is My Shepherd when I need protection.

When a shepherd i guiding his flock through the valley, the mountains and hills cast their shadows of darkness over them. This is a great picture of a shepherd taking his flock through the valleys to get to green pastures. There are dangers and snares in those valleys for the sheep, but the shepherd protects with his presence, with his rod and staff. The valley of the shadow of death comes to us throughout our lives ,when life gets hard, in rough times, when I am depressed, down, stressed, when I doubt, when I am afraid, when life gets hard I will fear no evil. Why? For you are with me. For the Good Shepherd Host is with me, he is there down in the valleys with you because he cares for you. His rod and staff comfort me because with his rod he provides protection from the enemies by keeping them away, he provides discipline to the sheep to keep them safe and with his staff he provides rescue and wrangles the sheep near to him, to keep them safe, secure and satisfied with no fear. Your rod and staff they comfort me.

Now, if you have been paying attention, you have notice the term The Good Shepherd Host because as we move on to the next verse the metaphor changes from a Good Shepherd to a Good Host. I believe the imagery is of a Good Host because it mentions things a good host would do, feed you, anoint you, keep your cup full. Do you remember that scene when when Jesus was invited to eat at the home Simon and the woman burst forth and anointed Jesus’ feet with ointment, kissing his feet and the host was upset, Jesus says

Luke 7:44–46 (ESV)

Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

Y volviéndose hacia la mujer, le dijo a Simón: ¿Ves esta mujer? Yo entré a tu casa y no me diste agua para los pies, pero ella ha regado mis pies con sus lágrimas y los ha secado con sus cabellos. 45 No me diste beso, pero ella, desde que entré, no ha cesado de besar mis pies. 46 No ungiste mi cabeza con aceite, pero ella ungió mis pies con perfume.

Provide food, oil and drink was common for a good host. The psalmist is telling us that God is not only a good Shepherd but he is a Good Host, who cares for his people. Notice the subtle change about half way through this Psalm, David he makes me, he leads he restores, David begins to change the He to You are with me, You prepare a banquet before me, you anoint my head with oil my cup overflows. Giving the picture of intimacy, th Good Shepherd Host is with me me, he cares for me, he is not distant from me I know him and he knows me.

The feast is ready, and notice he says in the presence of my enemies. The Good Host is caring for you at all times, good times and bad times. The table is ready, come to the table, your host is welcoming you, inviting you. Come and eat, let me cleanse you with my oil, so that you can be clean, let me quench your thirst, with me you will never go thirsty again. Come to me.

What we discover in the New Testament is

Jesus is The Good Shepherd

John 10:1–10 (ESV)

“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.

En verdad, en verdad os digo: el que no entra por la puerta en el redil de las ovejas, sino que sube por otra parte, ese es ladrón y salteador. 2 Pero el que entra por la puerta, es el pastor de las ovejas. 3 A este le abre el portero, y las ovejas oyen su voz; llama a sus ovejas por nombre y las conduce afuera. 4 Cuando saca todas las suyas, va delante de ellas, y las ovejas lo siguen porque conocen su voz. 5 Pero a un desconocido no seguirán, sino que huirán de él, porque no conocen la voz de los extraños. 6 Jesús les habló por medio de esta alegoría, pero ellos no entendieron qué era lo que les decía.

7 Entonces Jesús les dijo de nuevo: En verdad, en verdad os digo: yo soy la puerta de las ovejas. 8 Todos los que vinieron antes de mí son ladrones y salteadores, pero las ovejas no les hicieron caso. 9 Yo soy la puerta; si alguno entra por mí, será salvo; y entrará y saldrá y hallará pasto. 10 El ladrón solo viene para robar y matar y destruir; yo he venido para que tengan vida, y para que la tengan en abundancia.

Jesus says you want yo know the Good Shepherd, thats me, all who repent and believe will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The Good Shepherd who is Jesus wants to give you rest, restore you, guide you, protect and provide for you. The problem is their are thieves out there who will do there best to try and make you discontent in the good shepherd they will tryt and get you to wander off the path. What are those thieves in your life trying to steal, kill and destroy your discipleship relationship with Jesus. It could money, success, relationships, the pursuit of the American Dream What is it for you? You The Good Shepherd want to give you life and more abundantly, which is what a good host does,

Jesus is the Good Host

What did Jesus tell his disciples before his death?

John 14:1–2 (ESV)

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

No se turbe vuestro corazón; creed en Dios, creed también en mí. 2 En la casa de mi Padre hay muchas moradas; si no fuera así, os lo hubiera dicho; porque voy a preparar un lugar para vosotros.

I go to prepare a place for you, The Good Host left to prepare a place for those coming to the Banquet supper of the Lamb, one day all who have trusted Christ will be there and we will have one big fiesta, with Christ, in the place the Good Host is preparing for us. But what about the meantime?

Well in the mean time while we are in the in between, living in this world and not yet in heaven, many of you were with us for th Ephesians series, in this series we learned

Ephesians 1:3 (ESV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Bendito sea el Dios y Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que nos ha bendecido con toda bendición espiritual en los lugares celestiales en Cristo

In the meantime, now on this earth, we have been blessed in Christ with a little spiritual blessings, some spiritual blessings, no! every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. If you read Ephesians we are blessed with every blessing which Paul describes for us in the book and the blessing and promises of Christ is better than the best carnitas, better than the best chicharron con guacamole, the table the Lord has prepared for us in Christ is amazing and our cups are overflowing, we just need to apply them in our lives, we need to trust in the Good Shepherd Host, be satisfied in him and how he cares for us and one day, The Good Host will come and take us home to the place and feats he has prepared for us and we will all join in the roar of heaven

Revelation 19:6–9 (ESV)

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult

and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his Bride has made herself ready;

it was granted her to clothe herself

with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Y oí como la voz de una gran multitud, como el estruendo de muchas aguas y como el sonido de fuertes truenos, que decía:

¡Aleluya! Porque el Señor nuestro Dios Todopoderoso reina. 7 Regocijémonos y alegrémonos, y démosle a Él la gloria, porque las bodas del Cordero han llegado y su esposa se ha preparado. 8 Y a ella le fue concedido vestirse de lino fino, resplandeciente ylimpio, porque las acciones justas de los santos son el lino fino.

9 Y el ángel me dijo*: Escribe: «Bienaventurados los que están invitados a la cena de las bodas del Cordero». Y me dijo*: Estas son palabras verdaderas de Dios.