The Lord Is My Shepherd

Transcript (sample excerpts)

0:15 Good morning, Cedar Creek. It is good to be together in the Lord's house. Would you turn with me to Psalm 23. We are continuing our fall series, Psalms for the Road.

0:58 Let's read it together. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 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. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 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.

2:40 Most of us know this psalm by heart. We hear it at funerals, and that is right. But David did not write it only for the day we die. He wrote it for the road we walk every day of our lives.

4:05 David was a shepherd before he was a king. He knew what sheep need, and he knew how helpless they are on their own. So when he says the LORD is my shepherd, notice that little word, my. Not just a shepherd. My shepherd. This is personal.

6:30 Here is the first thing I want us to see. The Shepherd provides. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside the still waters. Rest is not a reward you earn. It is a gift the Shepherd gives.

9:10 Some of you are tired this morning. Harvest season, overtime, caring for a parent, raising little ones. The Shepherd does not drive his sheep. He leads them. And sometimes he makes us lie down, because he knows we need rest more than we do.

12:20 Then verse 3: he restoreth my soul. Sheep wander. So do we. And the Shepherd does not give up on a wandering sheep. He comes and brings it back, and he leads us in the paths of righteousness, not for our name, but for his name's sake.

14:45 Second, the Shepherd is with us in the valley. Verse 4: yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Notice the word through. You are not going to stay in the valley. You are walking through it, and you are not walking alone.

17:30 And look what happens to David's words in the valley. In verses 1 through 3 he talks about God: he maketh me, he leadeth me. But in verse 4 he starts talking to God: for thou art with me. In the dark valley, David stops talking about the Shepherd and starts talking to him.

20:05 Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. The rod protects the sheep, and the staff guides them. The same Shepherd who guards you is the one who guides you. That is a comfort when you can't see the path.

22:40 Third, the Shepherd brings us home. Verse 5: thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. And verse 6: surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. That word follow means to pursue. God's goodness and mercy are chasing you down.

25:50 Church, David wrote this psalm, but Jesus fulfilled it. In John chapter 10, verse 11, Jesus said, I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. The Shepherd of Psalm 23 went to the cross for his sheep.

28:30 So here is what I want you to do this week. Pray Psalm 23 slowly, one verse each morning. Name the valley you are walking through, and tell the Shepherd about it. And think of one person in a valley right now. Call them, sit with them, and remind them they are not alone.

31:10 And if you have never trusted Christ, the Good Shepherd is calling you by name this morning. You don't have to clean yourself up first. Come as you are, and I would love to pray with you after the service.

33:00 Let's pray. Lord, thank you for being our shepherd. Restore our souls this week. Walk with us through every valley, and bring us home to your house for ever. In Jesus' name, amen.