The good Shepherd

intro:

Have you ever dealt with people or how many of you have ever dealt with people who are inconsistent?

They say they’re gonna do something that they don’t… They promised they’re going to change, but they don’t…

One day, they act a certain way, and we feel safe we feel loved to we feel cared for and then the next day they act a different way and we don’t feel safe

How many of us have been that person where we say one thing that we find we do something else?

Growing up when people would be inconsistent I felt very unsafe. I felt very hurt.

If somebody said they would change or they would do something where they would be there and they weren’t and they didn’t. I would feel better. I would feel resentful.

And it taught me not to trust people… To not put faith in people or believe what they say…

Tonight in our great community, we will be looking at the only consistent person in the entire universe

The good Shepherd… The good father… The consistent one

The one who doesn’t change, he doesn’t fault and we can rely on…

As we read this, and then as we go to Growth community, I want you to pay attention because these words are true for all time

No matter what’s going on in your life, these things are true and they will never change…

Text:

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Tonight in growth community you’re gonna break these down…

You’re gonna look at these verse by verse and learn what it means for the Lord to be your shepherd what it means for him to lead you for him to restore your soul

But I wanna make one thing clear the Lord is not everyone’s shepherd. He is only Shepherd to those who have submitted themselves as sheep.

And what that means is only for those who have repented and believed in Jesus as their Lord, as their savior are children of God are under his care

What David writes about in Psalm 23 is describing what he himself experienced with God and is true only for those who have relationship with him…

If you are in this room, and you do not have a relationship with God, you are not his sheep you are not a part of his family…

You might be in this room and suffering and you might say to yourself I’ve gone to church my whole life I’ve served I’ve gone to camp. I’ve been baptized.

But you still feel like the Lord abandoned you and I want to challenge you do you have a relationship with him?

Have you surrendered repented and believed in Jesus as your savior?

Because these things are only true, the victory of death the victory over fear is only true for those who have been saved by Christ Jesus and have relationship with him

And this doesn’t mean if you’re saved if you do believe in Christ and do have a relationship that you won’t suffer…

You actually will suffer… You’ll probably suffer more than Any unbeliever… But the difference is, you will not suffer alone

For the Lord, your God is with you

Psalm 23:4 ESV

4 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.

So if you do know the Lord, remember the Lord is with you you’re not alone….

And if you don’t know the Lord, please know that he wants to be with you all you have to do is repent and believe in him…

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

And if you want to believe in Christ, if you want to have that relationship with him, I want to invite you to talk to a leader…

And maybe you have questions ask a leader