The Shepherd's Care?

Sermon Text

Psalm 23:1–6 ESV

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.

INTRODUCTION

An Opening Word of Gratitude

Before I dive too deeply into the two verses that I’ve been assigned this morning, let me start by sharing two words.

The first word is one of gratitude…

I have been to plenty of conferences in my time in ministry but I have never been to a conference that so effectively nourished and cared for my soul in one day like this conference did on DAY 1.

Josh preached the Word with a REFRESHING VULNERABILITY on yesterday morning.

Chad exalted the Lord in the closing message and deepened my gratitude for God’s sovereignty.

The breakouts and panel were helpful not just in their depth but in their practicality and applicability.

The worship team ushered us into the presence of God with beautiful singing.

And the other volunteers have served with a hospitality and generosity that has ministered grace to my SOUL.

So, if you don’t mind brothers and sisters, if you too have felt replenished from the careful thought, planning, and service that has gone into encouraging all of us this week, would you please offer your thanks to God for these men and women with a round of applause.

An Opening Word of Refreshment

The second word I would like to share before I dive too deeply into this text is one of refreshment.

And I say that because as I read through this 23rd Psalm on this morning, it is so refreshing to read the word “shepherd” and be able to say “that does not apply to me.”

Yes, I love being a pastor and love caring and leading God’s flock, but I too am in need of care.

Brother, you too are in need of CARE. Brothers, we are shepherds in need of THE SHEPHERD.

No truth has become more evident over the course of the past year than this: “I, A SHEPHERD, am in desperate need of the care of THE shepherd.”

That may sound trivial to some of you, and some of you may be saying to yourself “WELL, OF COURSE WE ARE IN NEED OF CARE and how could this guy be on stage preaching to us and not know that!”

But honestly speaking is there any brother in this room who has often LIVED as if you were not just A shepherd, you were THE shepherd?

Any among you who would never openly admit this but at times has placed the entire success and failure of your church on your shoulders?

Any among you who would never openly admit this but has lived as if the spiritual healthiness of those in your church was primarily a result of your preaching ability and discipleship plan?

Any among you who would never openly admit it but when you hear of member departing your church and ultimately their faith, you sink into depression, not initially because of the shipwrecking of a faith, but because you believe that it is somehow your fault?

The first and most frequent question that you rehearse in your heart in that moment is “What did I do wrong. What did WE DO WRONG”. As if you are THE SHEPHERD.

If any of this applies to you, then you too need to be encouraged as you read the word “shepherd” today and can say with relief and refreshment “that one does not apply to me”.

The shepherds can be shepherded. The shepherds MUST BE shepherded!

For the weary men that this one resonates with, the words in verses 4 and 5 can serve as a balm to our weary soul.

In fact, none other than the prince of preachers himself “Charles Haddon Spurgeon” once said of these verses...

“The other day I found that I needed to eat this heavenly loaf at once, and I did so...I sucked the honey out of this verse some days ago when a tempest howled around me, but its sweetness is there still. I shall enjoy it, I doubt not, when I come near death’s gate; but I have had it already sealed to my own soul with richness and fulness of comfort by the blessed Spirit of our God. Would to God that every believer who is burdened and cast down might find it as precious to his own heart as I have found it to mine...”

He continues...

“...This verse is no doubt very applicable to the experience of a believer when he comes to die; but, for certain, that is not its only intent. It has an inexpressibly delightful application to the dying; but it is for the living, too; and at this time if, through any peculiar trials, your soul is cast down within you, and you are walking through the valley of death-shade, I pray you to repeat the words of the text, and may the Lord help you to feel that they are true,—“Yea, though (even now) 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 words are not in the future tense, and therefore are not reserved for a distant moment. Do not postpone to the future that which you so greatly need in the present.”

This text is for your brothers and sisters. The shepherd by His Spirit is present this morning to provide comfort to weary shepherds among us...

I want to take the rest of my time to key in on three specific areas of focus that I’m drawn to in this text.

The Shepherd’s Confidence

The Shepherd’s Comfort

The Shepherd’s Covering

THE SHEPHERD’S CONFIDENCE

First, the Shepherd’s Confidence.

English Standard Version Psalm 23

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

As Spurgeon so elegantly stated, the valley of the shadow of death is not just for the dead and dying. The valley of the shadow of death is for the living...

In fact, some theologians offer an alternative rendering of this phrase. The valley of DEEP DARKNESS.

The metaphor paints a picture of a narrow valley where unexpected and unseen danger lurks. The sun has to be positioned just right before any significant light gets through and yet you are fully exposed and fully vulnerable because any evildoers with higher ground can observe your every move and pick the perfect spot to strike.

It is not a space that one would usually equate with safety and security.

This is a place of darkness, a place of danger, a place that carries the stench of DEATH.

In other words A PLACE THAT I’m 100% positive nobody in this room is EVEN REMOTE FAMILIAR WITH!

No, of course, you’re familiar with it, most of you have experienced more darkness in this season than you have EVER experienced.

Some of you have stood helpless as members of your church or even members of your family suffered in the hospitals alone.

Some of you have buried beloved members of your church, pillars you were able to lean on for wisdom and encouragement to continue on in your faith and ministry.

And yet some of you have been in the heat of the most senseless moments of your entire ministerial career as people on both sides of the aisles murmured and complained about your decision-making during a 100 year pandemic that none of us were ever given a book on how to navigate.

Some of you have watched marriages crumble. Some of you are IN CRUMBLING MARRIAGES.

You are well acquainted with the valley of DEEP DARKNESS. In fact, pastors are so uniquely acquainted with this valley in this season that a recent study performed by the Barna Group shows that over the course of the past year, 29% of pastors have SERIOUSLY considered quitting ministry. Pastor, do this for me, right now, look at the next pastor to your left, look at the next pastor to your right, look at the next pastor in front of you or behind you…

ILLUSTRATION: We know the percentages are not perfectly distributed but if they were, what that means is literally of the three pastors you looked at: the one on your right, the one on your left, and the one in front of you. The odds that one of these brothers has seriously thought of hanging it up for good is not bad at all. In fact, it is more likely than unlikely. Not looking for a new church, not taking a sabbatical, quitting all together.

Brothers, we are deeply familiar with the valley of DEEP DARKNESS...

AND YET…That is not the most important part of this verse. In fact, the Valley of the Shadow of Death is only hear to serve in accentuating the main thought of this verse. In other words, it is the whose purpose and intent is to more clearly describe the main thought of this passage...

EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH - SUPPORTING CLAUSE...

I WILL FEAR NO EVIL FOR YOU ARE WITH ME - MAIN POINT...

This is not just a lesson in grammar, brothers and sisters. This is a lesson in life. Our attention is oftentimes diverted by the deep darkness when it is intended to reveal the greater truth that God is PRESENT WITH US and therefore, we have nothing to fear...

The valley is PRESENT but I will not fear because SO IS Christ!

Now some of you may be saying, DAVID says He doesn’t fear so why are you calling this the Shepherd’s confidence, because Christ, the GREAT SHEPHERD, GIVES DAVID Confidence with HIS PRESENCE.

I WILL FEAR NO EVIL FOR YOU ARE WITH ME!

Will I fear no evil because I am free of hardships? NO!

Will I fear no evil because life’s conditions are perfect? NO

Will I fear no evil because my political pick was elected to office? NO

Will I fear no evil because our church rolls numbers are growing? NO

I WILL FEAR NO EVIL BECAUSE YOU ARE WITH ME!

The ONLY TRUE HOPE we have in the valley of being free of the perpetual paralyzing fear that tends to grip us there is to rehearse this truth until is welded into our bones…GOD IS WITH US!

Etch this truth into the interior of your hearts this morning, brothers and sisters: I AM NOT ALONE. God is With Me!!!!

Do you know how I know this to be true????

One because God's word said it but two because I myself have experienced perpetual and paralyzing fear and it always come riding in on the waves of my own self-delusion that I am all alone or that the ONE who is with me can’t do anything about the valley I’m in.

Sure I may know the truth that God is with me and even preach the truth that God is sovereign over but the true test and battle is what I BELIEVE in the depths of my soul in the dark of night.

When I believe that the one who holds eternity in His hands is in the darkness with me and leading me through the darkness, than with confidence I cling to Him!

Derek Kidner in his commentary of the Psalms says of God: “Only the Lord can lead a man through death; all other guides turn back, and the traveler must go on alone.”

He is present with me and He is powerful enough to carry me through the valley...

NOW, notice what we don’t not hear! We DO NOT hear that I WILL NOT go through the valley because you are with me!

No, we will go through the valley but He will be with us. So we need not fear.

One theologian puts it this way: “To follow him does not mean that I shall be spared the vicissitudes of life nor the walk through the valley of the shadow of death…It means that I shall not walk alone”

Living like the Valley doesn't exist isn't some step towards nobility...rather it is a sort of a prosperity gospel where we ignore the inevitability of struggles, tests, and suffering.

There is no demonstration of faith in not acknowledging the valley. The demonstration of faith is reflected in the declaration: “YOU ARE WITH ME.”

If we’re honest part of the reason that we struggle with the valley of the shadow of death is because we are too Americanized to anticipate having to travel through it.

We are products of a culture that tells us that if you work hard enough, good things will always happen and so if your church is small, it’s because you’re doing something wrong…or if your struggling financially, it’s obviously your fault, or if your sick, then you probably ate all of the wrong food.

We always have an explanation for the struggle, but Scripture doesn’t break it down as cleanly as we do.

When we read about the inductees into the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, we discover that God approved the faith of some who were delivered from lions and he approved the faith of some who were fed to them. He approved the faith of some who were miraculously delivered from bondage and He approved the faith of some who died in chains.

In fact, as brother Chad pointed out on yesterday, the Apostle Peter reminds us of the inevitability of trials

1 Peter 4:12–13 ESV

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Not only is it a certainty that we will go through the valley. Christ will LEAD US INTO THE VALLEY! Why on EARTH would the Lord do that!?

Brothers, there are times that the Lord will give us the valley as a tool not to despise Him, but as a tool to know Him. A tool to experience Him

Philippians 3:10 ESV

10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

As a matter of fact, did you notice a subtle shift in person as we were reading the text together. Look again!

Psalm 23:1–4 ESV

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.

HE. HE. HE. HE. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, FOR YOU!

David moves from addressing God as HE to addressing God as YOU. The shift is a shift of intimacy. We discover that David is not just simply singing of the God he’s heard of. He is singing of the God he KNOWS...

And where is this deeper intimacy found? It is found in the valley.

ILLUSTRATION: The Death of my Father and the Death of my Sister

NO! I will fear no evil because YOU ARE WITH ME!

From this confidence that we inherit, we now turn to our inherited comfort…look with me family at the 2nd half of verse 4...

THE SHEPHERD’S COMFORT

English Standard Version Psalm 23

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4b

It’s been said that the ancient shepherd carried these tools like natural appendages to his arms. In one hand the rod firmly fixed and in the other the staff firmly fixed. Why was that?

ILLUSTRATION: I have a rescue dog that my family and I adopted nearly two years ago as a newborn puppy. My boys and my wife pleaded endlessly with me to get a dog to which I stood vehemently opposed to until I was overtaken by their sheer force.

And so naturally, I was the one who didn’t want the dog and we are only roughly two years into having the dog, the responsibility to walk the dog falls squarely on…MY SHOULDERS.

If that poor pit bull terrier/bloodhound mix is going to be walked, it’s going to be me that walks her. (All joking aside, my oldest son walks her regularly in the morning with a little “prompting” from his father).

Nevertheless, on one of many days that I was walking our dog…I saw of pack of dogs far ahead roaming our neighborhood free. Now these dogs were not small and from all indications they did not appear to be trained either.

But their backs were to us and they were a long ways away, moving from house to house, leaving precious gifts in strangers’ yards and moving on to the next piece of land to stake a claim…THEY COULDN’T SEE ME BUT I COULD SEE THEM!

Meanwhile, I had my dog. Of course I had her on a leash because I had to not just because she’s a dog but because she is the WILDEST DOG in the history of dogs! Yes, my children and I, by pure coincidence because we had no idea what kind of dog she was, adopted the Tasmanian Devil. She’s big, she’s strong, she’s energetic, and she loves to play and run and get into all kinds of stuff! SO WE HAVE TO HAVE A LEASH…in fact we have traded in leashes and traded in collars in order to find one that would train her to at least walk with some sense of order.

So, I had her on the leash where I could keep her safe from herself, but as we continued on our evening walk as the darkness began to settle in, the thought continued to intensify in my mind “what am I going to do if that pack of wild dogs show up?”

I mean I knew our girl was going to get riled up if she saw them and they appeared to be an undisciplined and untrained pack who may not just have been big, they may have been mean and possibly even dangerous.

If they jumped our dog, I would be helpless to stop them.

At the moment where it seemed this ringing thought in my mind had reached a FEVER PITCH, I just so happened to walk by a neighbors’ house who had brought their trash out for the next morning and lo and behold guess what was protruding out of the can. A METAL ROD! So with a leash in one hand. I grabbed the rod in the other. The lease serving as my dog’s protection from herself; getting loose and possibly running into incoming traffic, getting lost in a wooded area, or even running into people and out of fear biting them and having to be put down because she became a threat to our neighbors. The leash is to protect her from the danger of her. The leash is the staff

But the rod, the rod is to protect her from the danger that surrounds her. The wild animals that occasionally show up in a neighbor with no other intent but to rummage and destroy.

Fam, let me be a little more crude, if you would allow it, because sheep aren’t nearly as prominent in our collective conscious, but I have another comparison that may serve us. We are a lot like our dogs. If left without guidance, we are prone to wonder toward trouble. Prone to veer from safety into danger.

DAVID knows and understands this about himself! He is under no delusion here about who HE IS which is why the staff that the shepherd has brings HIM COMFORT.

EVERYBODY IS COMFORTED BY THE ROD! That is the means of grace that God uses to ward off dangers surrounding us, both seen and unseen.

The daily protection of our lives as we travel back and forth to work and church.

The keeping of our children in a world that is in love with itself and in enmity towards Christ

The super abrasive, anti-vision, church member that finally just leaves…right? I mean they seem to hate everything about what God is doing with us and yet they stay and then finally they leave.

EVERYBODY IS COMFORTED BY THE ROD. MY DOG HAD NO ISSUES WITH THAT METAL ROD that I’m grabbed that evening. Because she knew it wasn’t for her, she knew it was for those who messed with her...

The staff on the other hand or for our modern day understanding the leash!!!!! Now that’s a different story…she’s not a huge fan of the leash, she tolerates it, but it simply because she doesn’t realize that the leash is protecting her just as much as the rod. The only difference is one is protecting her from danger that lurks outside of her, but the other is protecting her from the danger that lurks inside of her...

Spurgeon says of this staff...

"if a sheep goes astray the shepherd [with the staff is able to] pull it back by the leg with his crook, and makes it feel that it cannot wander without suffering for it. So does the Lord chasten us. Blessed be his name for chastening;”

The author of Hebrews (and I’ll let you argue amongst yourselves at the break who that could be) says this about discipline...

Hebrews 12:5–11 ESV

5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

God is poking and prodding some of you out of LOVE for you! Some of you felt that prod as Josh discussed yesterday reaching his breaking point and calling out to Mike Traylor for help. And you felt the shepherd’s staff pushing you in that direction.

Some of you felt that prod as Dr. Fred kept stuffing those balloons in Brother Wyatt’s arms. You felt the nudge knowing that if you don’t reach out for help soon, a lot of those balloons you’re trying to hold on to on your own are about to come crashing down and one of them may be the one you simply can’t afford to drop…like your marriage, your children, your mental and physical health.

Some of you have felt that prod as you have slowly watched your wife drift from her love for the church because she has now realized that you have traded your own bride for the one that belongs to Jesus. Your ambition to be THE SHEPHERD rather than a SHEPHERD has blinded you to the reality that the church is Jesus’ not yours and your commitment in manufacturing “success” in your church is costing you the bride you’ve been given. He’s prodding us all in different ways with different intensities in order to place us back on the path of righteousness even when that path takes us through the deep darkness...

The Lord is prodding you with the staff despite your insistence in going your own way because HE LOVES YOU TOO MUCH AND IS TOO GOOD OF A SHEPHERD TO LEAVE YOU TO YOUR OWN WAY.

This is what brought DAVID comfort and brothers, this is what should bring us comfort…Now, lastly and quickly, let’s fix our attention on verse 5 and...

THE SHEPHERD’S PROVISION

Psalm 23:5 ESV

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

In this verse, the imagery has changed. We’ve moved from the journey in the valley as sheep to a table of abundance as friends.

We are no longer in the valley with the all-wise and all powerful shepherd prodding us along from behind. We are now at the table enjoying the spread in which a loving and kind friend has laid out for his parched and famished friends.

And this table He sets even in the presence of the enemy. The enemy, both natural and otherworldly. Both seen and unseen. Even the enemy of our soul...

The enemy is near but the Lord is nearer and His provision is sufficient even in the midst of the danger.

Psalm 23:5 ESV

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

In the ancient days, when guests would arrive in a home from a long journey, some hosts would have fresh oil provided for them. That might not mean a lot to you and I but to an ancient Israelite traveling by foot or donkey in a dry, windy, and dusty land, the oil provided refreshing for weary, dry, and scaly feet and for a dry and peeling face battered by the elements.

The oil was a sign of refreshing and a sign of gladness and joy.

This is what the Lord brings us when we enjoy fellowship with Him. Even through the most treacherous of seasons, He will bring us fresh oil overflowing…A sustaining, refreshing, and abiding JOY!

But the oil not not signifies refreshment in the Scripture, but it also signifies calling and empowerment, in particular for us the calling and empowerment that comes through the Holy Spirit!

Brothers and sisters, are you empty? are you parched? are you famished? Then cry out to God that He would fill your cup continually by His Spirit

Ephesians 5:18 ESV

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

Brothers and sisters, are you empty? are you parched? are you famished? and instead of looking to the Spirit to be filled with the living and overflowing waters have turned to other sources…Social Media, Alcohol, Netflix Binging, Pornography, Emotional Relationship that has crossed the line, blind ambition or greed to make as much money as you can so instead serving your flocks you’re constantly posturing for the next big pastorate…

Brothers, Sisters Those are waters incapable of filling your soul.

The Lord is PREPARED A TABLE for your brothers and sisters through the death and resurrection of His Son that all those who lay claim to His offering by Faith will receive not only salvation in return but indwelling of the Spirit who brings and a filling of JOY, GLADNESS, and POWER to Live

So in the words of Dr. Joel Beeke, we must offer every available empty vessel in our possession because the Lord stands ready to fill them up with overflowing oil of His Spirit!

Can I share something with you? One of the challenges that we have to never lose sight of in the work of missions in this world, in the work evangelism in the world, in the work of mercy in the world, in the work of pastoring, in the work of planting is the challenge of ensuring that those we are sending carry both the ZEAL for the work and the FILL for the work.

We are sending people out and we ourselves are going out ZEALOUS and ready to make a difference in the world but empty and void of the Spirit’s power because we aren’t even asking to be filled. Brothers and sisters we are calling on men to receive with joy the Spirit which we ourselves have become all too comfortable refusing. We are trying to give but brothers and sisters we cannot give what we do not have...

Our Shepherd has made provision for us. Our shepherd has provided protection for us. Our shepherd has given us his presence, but family it is time for us to SEEK HIM for all that He stands longing to provide and has already provided in His Christ!

He stands ready to fill our cups...

A time of seeking...

For some of you it’s been a long time since you’ve prayed out of yearning but it is time to return back...