The Pastor's Heart for the Church is to Have Peace in the Good Shepherd.

Opening:

Good-morning again Connection Church. I am so glad that you have come out to worship God together with us. I am amazed by how much the LORD has done for us. He has been so good to us. He has been forever faithful to us. We are blessed to be in the house of the LORD. We are blessed to be gathered amidst a temple not built by human hands but by the hands of God. He has built His church and we are blessed and highly favored of the Lord. He is our King. He is our Lord. He is our great God. He is the Good Shepherd. It is beautiful thing to come together on His day and hear from Him. Amen?

Introduction of the Text:

We are taking a short break from the book of Matthew and studying my heart for this church. I am a young pastor, and we are a young church. I bring this up because I love you and I am happy you are here. I don’t say that flippantly. I mean it. I miss you when you are not here. It feels like coming to gether with family when we gather. I love this church deeply. Because of this, I felt it was a good idea to take several weeks and simply express my heart for the church. My heart for you.

Last week we looked at Joshua’s final address to Israel. It was heartfelt and heavy. It was not an easy passage or message. Joshua admonished Israel to keep themselves from idols and false gods. I pleaded with you to put away the idols and false gods from among you. That is deeply rooted in my heart. I long for this church to be faithful to the one true God. It was a heavy and weighty message because this is heavy and weighty on my heart.

But any of you who know me know that I have a deep rooted love for the Psalms. Were I only able to study one book of the Old Testament, it would be the Psalms. The Psalms are a collection of songs from multiple authors. David is the most prominent author, but Solomon, Moses, the sons of Korah, and others wrote Psalms. Much of this love comes from my love for music. Martin Luther famously said “Music is second only to the Scriptures in it’s ability to elevate the soul.” He also said “Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music.”

The Psalms are the song book of the Bible. God loves music so much that He divinely inspired an entire song book. This morning we are looking at one of the most famous songs in history. Psalm 23. Psalm twenty three is one of the most beautiful passages in all Scripture. It was penned by King David likely at the height of his kingdom, yet it can be sung by the lowest of beggars. Children are rightly taught this Psalm young and often it is the passage read to the dying. It is comforting and peaceful. This Psalm is like a refreshing drink on a hot day. It is cooling and comforting to the soul. Regardless of circumstance, it can be sung and read with honesty and passion. It is truly an all encompassing Psalm. This is why it is one of the most beloved passages in all Scripture.

Reading of the Text:

I learned this Psalm as a young child and the mere reading of it will sometimes move me to tears. I would ask the congregation to stand with me and let’s read this Psalm together. It will be on the screen, but let’s read this aloud together. Follow along with me.

Psalm 23

1  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

3  He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

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.

5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The Word of God, Let’s Pray.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for who you are. You are so good to us. You are the Lord of all. We thank you for your Son, the Good Shepher who laid down His life for the sheep. This Psalm is about Him. It speaks to the benefits we have in His loving care. Lord, we are so blessed by you.

But Lord, this life is filled with troubles and trials. This life is filled with darkness and pain. This Psalm is not all sunshine roses, it speaks to the hardships of life. But Lord, may we find comfort in you. May we find peace in the Good Shepherd. May we find peace in you.

Lord, if anyone is here and is struggling and facing hardships, comfort them. May they find comfort and peace in this beloved passage. May their hearts be stilled by the mercy of your grace. May goodness and mercy follow them. May they be filled with joy at the thought of dwelling with you forever.

Lord, may we be in awe of you and your mercy to us. May we praise you today. May this Psalm of thanksgiving be a peace to us oh Lord our God. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Transition:

As we open this familiar song of thanksgiving, we see the phrase, “The LORD is my Shepherd.

The LORD is my Shepherd.

Explanation:

If you remember, when the word LORD is in all caps, it is indicating the divine name of God, YHWH. David starts this Psalm off by declaring that YHWH, almighty God, is his shepherd. This is not uncommon language. Multiple of the prophets use language of God being a shepherd. This is how God relates to His people. It is a very earthy image. Perhaps you have heard me use that term before. The Bible is often described as an earthy book. It is one of the beauties of the Scriptures. It is heavenly and speaks of divine things, but God has spoken to us not in some foreign way, but in a way that smells of a fresh tilled field. It is in our language and speech. God speaks to us in a way that we can understand. He speaks to us using the illustration of a shepherd.

God is the Shepherd and His people are His sheep. This brings to mind images of being lead and following. It is also a great illustration, for shepherds are to love their sheep. The Lord loves us. And is not this the amazing this? Not just that we have a shepherd, but that the LORD is our shepherd? Indeed we see the similarities between ourselves and sheep. We are dumb as sheep. We are easily lost and easily harmed. We need constant care. Anyone who has worked with people and with sheep can instantly see the similarities. We need a shepherd, but we should only hope for an underling to guide us. The Lord of all would not be expected to come and shepherd such dumb sheep as we are.

Yet, this is the gospel, that the God of all so humbled Himself as to shepherd us. He did the unthinkable. He did the scandalous and condescended to shepherd us. We could never even hope for such a blessing. But here, blessing of blessing, the Lord has guided us. He has become our shepherd. This thought alone is an amazing thought beyond belief.

Argumentation:

Were we to understand this one praise from this Psalm, it would be enough for us to praise the LORD for eternity. All earthly blessing pails in comparison to this great gift. In our sin, justice would be to destroy us. We have sinned against God in more ways and at more times than any of us could count. God not only gave us mercy and grace in withholding the judgement we deserve, but also has condescended to be our Shepherd. He has taken it on Himself to be our guide. He has taken the burden of our stupidity and wanderings on Himself. He did not task an angel to gather us when we stray. No, He Himself goes out and fetches the sheep. He sits with us in our smell and filth. He sleeps with us in the field. He does the work and receives no reward as He deserves. He deserves beyond any we could give Him. Our undying love would be only a fraction of what He is owed by us. And yet we are so slow to love our great shepherd. Our hearts do not leap at the thought of His love and guidance. Shame on us for this.

The LORD is our shepherd. We ought to love Him fully. We ought to bless His name without end. We ought to long to gather with the rest of our small flock and praise Him. And this is what we do today. The Lord’s Day is where we sheep come together and praise our great Shepherd. May we do it with full hearts and love. If I may simply express my heart in this one area, thank for being here. Thank you for making time to come and bless our Shepherd. Thank you for expressing love to Him together. Thank you.

Transition:

What follows after the opening phrase of this Psalm is the blessings and thanksgiving for the blessings of our Shepherd. Firstly, He provides for all my needs.

He Provides For All My Needs.

Explanation:

Perhaps is is best expressed by that phrase, “I shall not want.” The LORD is my shepherd, I have no needs. All my needs are met in Him. He provides for all I need. What else do we need beyond the care of God? God, who knows all and is in control of all provides for us. In this way we lack nothing.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” This speaks again to God’s provision of our needs. David continues the analogy of God being our Shepherd. God leads His sheep where they can eat and rest. He brings us into places with food and peace.

“He leadeth me beside the still waters.” He gives us water to drink. But it is still water. Rushing water is incredibly dangerous for sheep. But our Shepherd is wise. He brings us to still waters where we can drink and be satisfied.

Argumentation:

Truly these things has spiritual applications, but we must not miss the basic application. When was the last time you blessed the LORD for food and water. We have such blessing where we live. Truly we are all rich by many standards. We have so much to bless God for. Sadly, I think the more we have, the less we bless God for. But the analogy holds. God has lead His sheep in green pastures to eat lush grass and find rest. God has lead His sheep to still waters to drink. How many of you slept in a bed last night, and have water and food? If you do not, please speak to me, and we will do all we can to provide for you. But if you have those things, you are blessed of the Lord. He has given you food. He has given you water. He has given you a place to sleep. Praise God.

I do not wish to spiritualize this. Give thanks to God for the green pasture. Give thanks to God for the still waters. These are blessings. You all know my deep hatred of the prosperity gospel. I passionately hate that false teaching that if you have enough faith, or manipulate God, you will receive great earthly blessing. However, it is true that we have great earthy blessing! Our Shepherd has blessed us. God has given us so much. Perhaps if we looked away from the culture’s desire for more and simply looked at what God has given us, we would see the immense blessing of God. He has given us so much. Praise God.

Transition:

But perhaps this next phrase should instill within us the most awe and passionate praise. He restores my soul.

He Restores My Soul.

Explanation:

Who could sing this praise more loudly than we Christians? We have been saved from hell by our great Lord. He has restored us. Our souls have wandered but the Good Shepherd has come for us. He has not left us. He has saved us.

Listen to John 10:22-30. 22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

We have been saved. All those who are saved or will be saved are the Lord’s sheep. Those who will not be saved are not the sheep. Christ will save all the sheep and not one will be lost. Not one will perish. He restores our souls. This is true of salvation. When we are saved, it is the first restoration of our souls. Salvation is the first restoration. But even when we are saved we wander.

Remember Matthew 18:10-14 10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

When we are saved and wander into sin, the Good Shepherd comes and restores us again.

Argumentation:

This is comfort beyond belief. Our salvation from beginning to end belongs to the Lord. We are saved by Him and we are maintained by Him. He is our Lord and our God. He will save us and He will restore us. There are few doctrines that bring as much comfort than this. We should hear those words, “He restores my soul” and cry out “Amen” in praise. God restores us. He will lose none. All His sheep will be saved. When we wander, we can trust Him.

Transition:

And this flows so perfectly into that next section. We that He sanctifies me for His name sake.

He Sanctifies Me For His Name Sake.

Explanation:

What is sanctification? What does it mean to be sanctified? The Holy Spirit works within all Christians to make them holy. When we are saved, we are justified. That means that all our sin is paid for. But we are still sinners. We still disobey God. But through our lives, the Spirit works within us to conform our lives to the holy standard we are to live out. What is sanctification? It is to be lead in the paths of righteousness by our Shepherd. To me, this is the most beautiful description and picture of sanctification. We are lead by God in the paths of righteousness. He leads us on the path to be obedient to Him. His law becomes beloved to us. The holy and righteous standard slowly becomes more and more blessed in our eyes. We fall in love with it.

But why does God lead us in the path of righteousness? Why are we made more holy in our lives? It is for His name sake. This seems somewhat contrary to our way of thinking. We expect to hear that God wants us to be more and more holy because it is good for us. We expect to hear it like this, “He leads us the paths of righteousness, for He loves us and wants what is best for us.” But this is not what we see. God leads us into righteousness for His name sake. God’s chief focus is His own glory. God’s chief focus is not our glory. God’s chief focus is His own glory.

Argumentation:

We tend to bristle at this. It seems selfish. “God is self focused?” Yes, God is primarily self focused. God is primarily concerned about His own glory and name. And this is a great thing. If this offends you, who else would you have God glorify? Whatever comes into your heart when I ask that is what you worship other than God. God is concerned with His own glory for there is no higher name than His. He is the greatest good there is. God is the greatest there is. He cannot glorify any over Himself. He is the greatest holiness, the greatest love, the greatest righteousness. This is why He deserves all glory.

It would be selfish for any sinful being to glorify themselves. It would be sinful and evil for me to give myself the highest glory because I am fallen and sinful. But in God there is no evil or sin. He is perfectly righteous and holy. It would be wrong for Him to give highest honor to any other. Because of this, God leads us in the path of righteousness for His name sake. And we ought to say “Amen” to this. I wish that the church was primarily concerned with God’s great name.

Transition:

God provides for us. We lack nothing. He restores us. He leads us in righteousness. Because of this, the next statement is I fear neither death nor evil.

I Fear Neither Death Nor Evil.

Explanation:

This particular verse has been one of the most comforting verses in Scripture. Many precious saints have been comforted in their final breaths through this verse. It speaks to the peace we have in Christ. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me...” This verse speaks to the valley of the shadow. Death is compared to a valley that is walked through. Commentators have remarked at the beauty of the fact that death is simply a valley. It is something that is passed through. Death is not the end for Christians. It is merely a valley to be walked through.

it is also a shadow. Matthew Henry remarks, “It is but the shadow of death; there is no substantial evil in it; the shadow of a serpent will not sting nor the shadow of a sword kill.” There is no real danger in a shadow. Death is a shadow to those who have the LORD as their shepherd. And this is seen in the final phrase. Why is death merely valley of a shadow to Christians? Because God is with them. It is the presence of God that makes death merely a shadow. God is the reason we fear neither death nor evil. And if you notice, the language shifts. The Psalm begins with “He.” But here, it switches to thou. Here is becomes personal. God being with us is what comforts us in light of death.

Argumentation:

We have so lost this idea. Our culture has become so unaccustomed to death. We seem to have this idea that if we just band together, we could eliminate death. This is why last week when I was addressing the false gods of our culture, I listed safe-ism as one of the chief false gods. We worship safety. Now safety is not a bad thing. But any form of danger is seen as a great evil. But the problem is that we all will face danger. Danger lurks in every corner. We cannot avoid it.

I have remarked that the first step in attempting to be safe is to recognize that you will ultimately fail. We all will face danger. We all will face death. Our cultural obsession with safety is insanity. We view safety as the primary virtue. This pandemic has been the ultimate expression of this. We will give up anything just so long as we can be promised that we will be safe. But we cannot be safe. Every living person will face death. You will lose your life. It will end. The valley of death will be walked by every person. You will all walk that valley. Everyone you know will walk that valley. You will die. That should not be a shock to you.

But the question is, will the Lord walk that valley with you? Will you walk that valley alone? If you walk it alone, you have great reason to fear. The only reason we should not fear is if the LORD is there with you. It is only a shadow if the LORD is with you. If the LORD is not with you, then you must fear the viper. You must fear the sword. But if the LORD is with you, fear nothing.

Christians do not view safety as the primary virtue. It is not. We recognize that no one can truly be safe. No one can be protected from death. No one can be protected from harm. Harm will come. What separates Christians is that we do not fear these things. The LORD is with us.

Transition:

And this transitions flawlessly into the next verse. The LORD is with us in danger and death. I find comfort in His rod and staff.

I Find Comfort in His Rod and Staff.

Explanation:

“Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Again this is using the personal language. David is directly addressing the Lord. But what are the rod and staff? They are similar words and are sometimes used interchangeably. However, since they are both used, it is likely that they are referring to the two common tools of the shepherd. The rod is likely referring to the shorter stick that shepherds would carry. It was used for striking predators who would come in. It would also be used to discipline the sheep. The rod was the larger of the two sticks. It was used for guidance and the shepherd would lean on it.

So how do these two sticks comfort us as the sheep? There is protection, discipline, and guidance in the rod and staff of the Lord.

Argumentation:

The protection of the Lord is a great comfort. Especially when we see the character of God. He is all knowing. He is Lord of all and He knows all. Nothing happens outside of His will. He sees all. He is the Lord of all. This should comfort us. There is great peace in knowing that the sovereign Lord of all is our protector. Neither demon nor man can get us outside of the watch of our Lord. We can sleep sound at night knowing that our shepherd watches over us. This is not to say that nothing will ever happen to us, we will face danger, but we can have peace in Christ.

The discipline of the Lord is also a great comfort. Some may be confused by this, but we can trust our Lord to use the rod of discipline well. We are His sheep and His children. Children are to be disciplined. Why do you spank a child? It is for their good. It is to punish an action or behavior with the goal of them refraining from that thing again. It is for the purpose of the betterment of the child. The child may not understand but we know it is good and righteous. It is the same with the Lord. We can have full confidence that God will use the rod well. He knows so much more than we do. When He punishes us, it is for our good.

The guidance of the Lord is also a wonderful comfort. Knowing that His staff will prod us and direct us. That He will use it to life us up out of mires and bogs. The rod and the staff truly is a great comfort to us.

Transition:

Here the picture shifts slightly. David begins to talk about the Lord as a host. The Lord is still our shepherd, but the language changes. He says “You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”

You Prepare a Table for Me in the Presence of Mine Enemies.

Explanation:

This is a bizarre picture. It is not uncommon to think of God as a great host. The uncommon part is that David pictures the table set by God as right in the heart of his enemies. This is flowing out from the lack of fear of anything and the comfort in God. Because we can be fear free and full of comfort, we can have our banquette table set in the middle of enemies. Even surrounded by enemies, we can have peace enough to feast. This is not just a bizarre picture, it is a beautiful picture. David is saying that even surrounded by enemies, he is unconcerned. The enemies on all sides do not even concern him.

David understood being surrounded by enemies. He did not pen this as a man who had no trouble. Several times throughout his life, he had to run for his life. He hid in caves. He ran and ran and ran. He had been surrounded by enemies many times. Those who should have been his allies were his enemies. But here he says that God sets a table in the midst of his enemies.

Argumentation:

And this is so insulting to the enemies. It is so insulting for our enemies to raging and foaming at the mouth while we eat in peace. I love this picture. It is such a lack of concern. Shaking in our boots gives them more credit than they deserve. Shivering and cowering around our enemies is a slap in the face of our God. God sets our table right in the middle of our enemies. Our God is our protector. They cannot harm us without His consent. We can be undisturbed. We can ignore the snarl of the dog.

I find it so sad when I see Christians trembling in fear. I want to give them a big hug and ask them why they are so afraid. We only need to fear one thing. We only fear the Lord our God. We fear nothing else. I also find it so sad when I see Christians screaming and foaming at the mouth yelling at the culture. I want to give them something relaxing to drink and remind them that God will win. The church will be victorious. Calm down.

This does not mean that we don’t speak to culture. We call sin what it is. We clearly preach the truth without care if it offends. But we don’t lose control. We don’t scream and get angry. It also does not mean that we don’t have enemies. Of course we have enemies. The church today is surrounded by enemies. We have enemies within and plenty without. The culture hates us. They hate the truth. They want to kill us. They want to break us. They want to take our children and indoctrinate them. They want to make it illegal for us to meet. And we need to make war. We are not inactive. We make war.

But do you know how we make war? Pass the mashed potatoes. Raise our glasses in toast to our King. We make war by feasting. We make war by laughing. We fight. We laugh. We feast. We do this because God has set our table in the midst of our enemies. They howl and scream at us. That’s okay. We will point and laugh at how ridiculous they look. We will gather around tables, eating hearty food and celebrating the bounty God has given us. Amen? We don’t stoop to their level. We fight and we fight hard. But God has also given us a bountiful table in the midst of our enemies. We ought to use it.

Transition:

But God has not just given us a table. He welcomes us there. You anoint my head with oil, my cup runneth over.

You Anoint my Head with Oil, My Cup Runneth Over.

Explanation:

This is more feast language. When a host would welcome a prized guest, they would provide oil for their head. This was a symbol of honor and great welcome. Same with the cup. When a cup would run over, it was a symbol of welcome. It was a filled cup. This is saying that not only are we welcomed at the table the Lord has set, but we are heartily invited.

Argumentation:

The valley of the shadow of Death? Enemies on all sides? We have no fear. We have no worries. Are the enemies shouting and making war. Raise a toast with our overflowing glasses. Does anyone else feel like we need to have a rich potluck after this text? Is the world going insane? We need not fear. Let us celebrate the Lord. Refresh yourself with the oil the Lord has supplied. Raise your glass and drink deeply.

I am filled with love for the Lord in this passage. In the midst of chaos and evil, we can have peace in the presence of our Lord. We can celebrate. What a wonderful and beautiful picture. This displays the care and compassion of our God. He takes such good care of us. We don’t have any concerns.

Transition:

But it is not over. surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

Surely Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow Me All My Life.

Explanation:

Just that sentence gives me peace. Goodness and mercy will follow me all my life. Don’t you just want that? Even if you don’t know exactly what it means, don’t you just want it? Man, I do. I want goodness and mercy to go wherever I go. What does it mean? It is speaking of the blessing of the Lord. Now we know that the lies of the prosperity gospel are just that, lies. But we have no issue with the blessing of the Lord. All of us are blessed by God. We don’t shy away from this. We don’t shy away from the doctrine of the blessing of God.

We are all blessed by God. All may enjoy the goodness of God. All may enjoy a beautiful sunset, or Ice Cream, or the laugh of a sweet child. All people enjoy the blessings of God. But we who are saved are most blessed. We have been saved. We have recieved the ultimate blessing of God. We have been made right with God. We are forgiven of our sins. Should not we be the most attuned to God’s blessings? Shouldn’t we be the people who enjoy those sunsets the most? We ought to because we know who painted that sky. We know who that painted sky is glorifying and we can join right in. We can worship God along with the birds singing. We can worship God with the rest of creation.

Argumentation:

This is the joy of the Lord. We are followed by goodness and mercy. Everywhere we go we can see the goodness of God. Everywhere we go we can see the mercy of God. We see His fingerprints all around us. James 1:17 “17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Don’t you agree? Can’t you say amen to that? That’s what amen means. It is a statement of agreement. Yes, Let is be so. Amen. We ought to be people who see the blessing of God in our lives and say “amen.” We ought to be the people who see the mercy of God everyday and say “Amen.”

And notice, this is not devoid of life’s troubles. Goodness and mercy are right there in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. Goodness and mercy are right there at the table surrounded by enemies. Goodness and mercy never left. They are our constant companions. Whatever you are going through, it may feel like overwhelming dark, but God is with you. And because of that, goodness and mercy are right there.

Stephen Lawson shares an amazing story in an article in Table-talk magazine. Listen to this.

“Dwight L. Moody, a noted evangelist of the nineteenth century, was once approached by a woman who needed counseling. Two men, she claimed, were following her. Whenever she stepped onto the city trolley, they stepped onto it behind her. When she stepped off, they stepped off. With a nervous twitch in her neck, she insisted that she had even been followed to his office by these very two men.

Moody could easily detect that this precious woman was suffering from a mental delusion. There was no one following her. But to put her at ease, he told her: “Those two men following you are David’s men. Their names are Goodness and Mercy.” He turned in the Bible to Psalm 23:6 and showed her, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.” She was relieved and exclaimed: “That is wonderful. I have always wondered what their names are.” The woman left that day with peace of mind, comforted to know that it was goodness and mercy that were following her.

As believers in Jesus Christ, you and I need to be also trusting that the goodness and mercy of God are following our every step. We need to be similarly confident and comforted, believing that every day of our lives, these two friends of David are with us for every step of life’s journey.”

Transition:

What a story. Everywhere we go, goodness and mercy follow us. This should comfort us. But the most comfort comes from the last sentence. I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

I Will Dwell in the House of the LORD Forever.

Explanation:

This is the peace of all believers. When we walk the valley of the shadow of death for the last time, when the enemies storm the table and take our life, we will go to the place we long to be. We shall be in the house of the LORD. This is the peace of all true believers. The hope of heaven is what takes Christians through life. Someday soon I will pass. My life will end and I shall be with the Lord. There I shall hurt no more. There I shall be at ultimate peace. When I go home, I will be with the one I love most. There is peace in the house of the LORD, and it never ends.

David is speaking of heaven. We know this because of his use of the word forever. But he is speaking in earthly terms. Here again is the very rugged and earthy nature of this text. He speaks of the house of the Lord. Heaven is the house of the Lord, but we must remember the context of when this was written. In Israel there was the tabernacle. David’s son, Solomon, would build the temple. But the tabernacle was considered the house of the LORD. And we know that David had a love for this house. He wanted to build the temple, but God said Solomon would. David loved the house of the Lord and He longed for the day when He could be in God’s house forever.

Argumentation:

We too have a house of the Lord. Heaven is still the house of God, but there is yet on here on earth. It is not a temple built with hands. But we are in it right now. Right now we are in the house of the Lord. When we come together on the LORD’s day, we are in the house of the LORD. It is not our meeting location. It is the church gathering to worship. So I ask you, do you love the house of the Lord? Do you long to be in it forever? If you do not long to be in the house of the Lord here, what makes you think you will love it in heaven? Heaven is like this. This is heaven on earth. People coming together to worship God. That is heaven. I long for the day when we love the earthly house of God so that we may better love the house of God we will be in forever.

We ought to long for heaven. As this beautiful Psalm says earlier, we fear no evil. We fear not death. Death is the old friend of the Christian. It is the one who will carry us to the Lord. We will one day soon be with the LORD forever. Are you ready?

Transition:

And this is the application of this text.

Application:

Is the LORD your shepherd?

Is the LORD Your Shepherd?

Are you saved? Are you trusting in the Lord for salvation? Or are you trusting in yourself. If you will humble yourself, confess you are a sinner in need of saving, and trust in Christ for salvation, you will be saved. Repent and believe. Turn from your sins and turn to Christ. This is all it takes. Romans 10:9-10 “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. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

This is the promise of God. You will be saved if you repent and believe. If you have never done this, do this today. You can have peace in the Lord. If you refuse to do this, you have great reason to fear. The Lord is not your shepherd. You are alone. But if you call out to Him, He will save you.

And for those of you who are saved, have peace in the Good Shepherd.

Have Peace in the Good Shepherd.

If you are here and the Lord is your shepherd, you can be at complete peace. You can be undisturbed by all that is happening around us. You can worship God in peace. You can feast at the table the Lord sets and laugh. You can have perfect peace.

This is the heart of the pastor for the church. Have peace in the Good Shepherd. This is my heart for you. Have peace in the good shepherd. Hear my heart for you. Have peace in the Good Shepherd.

Let’s Pray.

Prayer:

Closing Hymn:

Closing Benediction:

Hebrews 13:20-21 “20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”