Faithfulness

Text: Psalms 23:1-6

Subject: Goodness

Theme: The Good shepherd

Introduction: What is God’s goodness?

Proposition: We serve not only a God who loves and cares for His people, but He is also our constant provider and protector.

Transitional Statement: Because Psalm 23 all ready tells us that God is a loving and caring shepherd, the passage goes into telling us how He provides and protects His flock.

Points:

What kind of shepherd is the Lord?

God is a providing shepherd.

- vs.1-2 “I shall not want”

Psalm 37:4“Delight thyself also in the Lord; And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

2. God is a leading shepherd.

Psalm 23:2–3 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

John 10:4 “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.”

Psalm 5:8 “Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; Make thy way straight before my face.”

Isaiah 40:11 “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with his arm, And carry them in his bosom, And shall gently lead those that are with young.”

3. He is a protecting shepherd.

Psalm 23:4“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

- The rod and the staff are uses for protecting the flock.

John 10:15 “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Not only God protects us in the good times, but also in the bad times

4. He is a preparing shepherd.

Psalm 23:5 “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”

When your facing some bad times in your life, just remember God will always be with you. He is faithful.

When David wrote Psalms 23 he was talking about even though God is with us in our good times on the mountain top, He is also with us during troubling times in the valley. He remains faithful to us no matter where life takes us. He is our shepherd and we should always follow him and listen to His voice. An example of God’s faithfulness is in the story of David and Goliath. David knew that he was facing a huge battle, but he leaned on his shepherd, God, who he knew would be by his side.