Strathalbyn Church of Christ

Perhaps you have a photo album at home, with some of your favourite pictures in it.

Well, the bible is a bit like a photo album containing ‘pictures’ of God. Perhaps one of the favourite pictures of God given to us in the bible is that of ‘God our Shepherd’.

That’s what I’d like to look at with you this morning, we will use psalm 23 for this purpose.

In Bible days psalms were often sung to stringed instruments in public and private worship. Apparently the word ‘psalm’ means ‘twang’ or ‘pluck’.

A king of Israel, David, composed or wrote this psalm, drawing on his own experiences as a shepherd in his younger life. Later in his life God chose him to be another sort of shepherd - to shepherd his people Israel. The same thing happened to Moses.

In the New Testament, elders or church leaders, are told to ‘tend the flock of God that is in your charge.’ The word ‘pastor’ is the Latin word for ‘shepherd’. And in the New Testament scriptures, Jesus is called ‘the good shepherd, the great Shepherd, and the chief Shepherd.'

I have summarised this 23rd psalm under 6 ‘P’s’, we’ll take each in turn.

P for ‘Profess.'

David professes his faith when he declares, ‘The LORD is my Shepherd.' By the ‘LORD’, he means God the Creator, the God who made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who made a covenant with the Israelites under Moses, and the God who spoke to them by the prophet’s. We now know that this God later sent hisSon, came to us in his Son, and made a new covenant. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only true God, the only God that there is.

In professing the LORD is his Shepherd, David is also really saying that he is not self-sufficient, that he’s not his own shepherd, but that he depends on the LORD.

And every believer may do the same.

Because the LORD is his shepherd, David goes on to say “I shall not want."

After a Sunday school or Kid’s church lesson, a little girl was heard quoting Ps 23 v 1. Although she didn’t quote it quite right, she had the right idea when she said, “The LORD is my shepherd, I’ve got all I want.”

The word ‘want’ in this psalm really means ‘need’.

In other words, with the LORD as my shepherd I’ll never really lack what I need.

2nd ‘P’ ‘Provide’

The LORD provides for what I need.

‘He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul.'

After walking for perhaps many kilometres to find green pastures, the sheep need rest; particularly at midday when the sun is hot. The shepherd knows they need some rest ‘he makes me lie down….'

There’s a time for rest. The Christian life isn’t all activity or busyness. Jesus told his disciples ‘Come away to a lonely place and rest a while.'

To others Jesus says ‘Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'

When we partner up with Jesus he lightens our load; he ‘s got bigger shoulders than ours, and he’s got more pulling power.

And as we let him teach us we find rest for our souls.

And in Isaiah the prophet we are assured that ‘they who wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.'

‘He makes me lie down in green pastures.' Green pastures mean nourishment, food, for a hungry sheep. Jesus says ‘whoever comes to me shall not hunger.'

And we can feed on God’s word, and be spiritually nourished everyday. It has been said ‘Feed your faith, and your doubts will starve to death.’

‘He leads me beside still waters’. ‘still’ or quiet waters, not rushing, tumbling waters. Sheep can drink easily from still, quiet waters. God leads us to where we can quench our spiritual thirst. He provides for our spiritual thirst. Jesus says, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and drink.'

‘He restores my soul.’ To be restored is to be renewed in strength, with life put back into you.

Being restored can also mean other things. David had fallen, sinned, but confessed it and prayed ‘Restore to me the joy of your salvation’ Ps 51:12. And Peter, in his first letter to Christians who were suffering, says, ‘And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish and strengthen you.' 1 Peter 5:10

3rd ‘P’ ‘Pilot’

The LORD pilots, guides, me. ‘He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.'

A child stood gazing at a freshly opened box of chocolates - lips pressed together, concentrating fully upon the decision at hand.

The rule was, ‘only one, no more than one, but any one you want.’

Should it be the biggest one, or would the small round one be the favourite peppermint cream? Then again, the long one might last longer! Oh, decisions, decisions.

We all have decisions to make, choices to make, - and I’m not talking now about chocolates! but about moral decisions that have implications for right or wrong or for our relationships with others.

We need wisdom, we need someone who knows the right paths, someone we can trust.

“He leads me in paths of righteousness.'

He leads us by his Word and Spirit. In Proverbs 3 (5,6) we are told ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight, In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.'

But what if I have missed God’s guidance and taken the wrong way? Is the damage irreparable? Must I now be put off course for life? Thank God, no. Our God is a God who restores, and takes up our mistakes and follies into his plan for us and brings good out of them. God said through the prophet Joel (2:25 f) ‘I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten… You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you….'

‘He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake,'

that is, for his honour, to maintain his good name, for the sake of his reputation, his character.

4th ‘P’ ‘Protect’

‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me, your rod and staff they comfort me.'

This is comfort indeed for us when we approach the end of our earthly life. But it is also comfort now, as we go through any dark or frightening circumstances. What is the reason why we can ‘fear no evil’?

‘For you are with me’ that’s the presence of our shepherd -

‘Your rod and staff they comfort me’ - that’s the protection of our shepherd.

Imagine a child walking down a dimly lit street as evening approaches. She is not afraid. Why not? Because her daddy is with her, and he’s big and strong.

With the LORD our shepherd with us, we too can have courage.

The shepherd’s rod was like a club to be used against a wild animal that might be lurking in a valley or ravine of Palestine. On the cross Jesus ‘clubbed’ Satan and freed us from his grip.

The shepherd’s staff was a crook, a long stick with a curve at the end. Anglican bishops have crooks, symbolising their shepherding of God’s flock entrusted to their care. (Notice I didn’t say Anglican bishops are crooks!)

The shepherd could use his crook to hook around one of the legs of a straying sheep. The apostle Peter says in one of his letters ‘you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.’ 1 Peter 2:25

How good it is to return to our Shepherd Jesus if we have strayed!

5th ‘P’ ‘Prepare’

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

The metaphor changes now to hospitality. In Bible days a good host would provide the best meal he could, ‘gel’ his guest’s hair, to smooth and sooth it, and make it smell nice; and he would not only pour a cup for a guest but keep pouring until it over-flowed!

The optimist says, ‘my cup is half full’.

The pessimist says ‘my cup is half empty’.

The sheep of Jesus can say ‘my cup overflows’.

And the 6th ‘P’ ‘Prospect’

‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.'

He’s confident about his future prospects; and what are they?

Two things in particular - ‘surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.' and ‘I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.'

It’s as if he looks back over his shoulder and he sees that two things have been following him, namely, the LORD’s goodness and mercy, and he’s confident that they will continue to do so all the days of his life. And every sheep of Jesus can say the same.

Sheep might run away if they think something is following or chasing them; but who wants to run away or be scared of goodness and mercy?

‘and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever’. The house of the LORD then was the temple at Jerusalem, but Christians can think of Jesus’ promise ‘In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?’ Jn l4:2

And so, trusting in the Lord Jesus we can be at home with God as long as we live, and have the eternal prospect of going to the Father’s house.

And now, in our reading for today from John chapter 10, we hear Jesus say, ‘I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.' Jn 10: l4,l5.

Jesus calls himself ‘the good shepherd’. He cares tenderly for all his believing people. He bears patiently with their many weaknesses and infirmities, and does not cast them off because they are wayward, erring, sick, footsore or lame.

Like a good shepherd, Jesus laid down his life for the sheep. He did it once for all when he was crucified for them. His death was the only way of making atonement for man’s sins. For the joy set before him he willingly endured the cross, and laid down his life in order that we might have eternal life.

And Jesus says ‘I have other sheep, that are not of this fold’ -

that is, not of the Jewish fold - ‘I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.'

John 10:16

You and I who have heard his voice and repented and believed, belong to this one flock. Peter says ‘Once you were no people,

but now you are God’s people’. 1 Peter 2:10

And now to conclude, let’s hear these words of Jesus,

‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.’ Jn 10:27

There’s a story about a lad from East London who told a Christian man, Tom Rees, ‘I’d like to be a Christian, but where I come from you couldn’t keep it up. If you knew my home, and where I have to live, you’d know it’s too tough to be a Christian.’

Tom Rees told him, ‘Put out your hands.’

Tom got hold of this lad’s thin wrists, gripped and said, ‘Now you get away from me if you can.’

He struggled and pulled, but he couldn’t.

Now Tom said, ‘You hold my wrists’. Those little hands got hold of Tom who was strong and well built, and Tom easily broke the grip.

Then Tom asked, ‘Why do you think the hold didn’t break the first time but did the second?’

‘That’s easy; the first time you were holding me; the second time I was holding you.’

Tom said, ‘There is someone stronger than you who will hold onto you. His name is Jesus, and he promises ‘no one shall snatch them out of my hand.'

Not only so, brothers and sisters, but as Jesus says,

‘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. I and the Father are one.’ Jn 10:29,30

Series: Psalms

Topics: #Psalms , #John