Liberty Baptist Church
June 14

      • John 10:7–15ESV

  • To God be the Glory
  • Goodness of God
  • Jesus Strong and Kind

      • Micah 5:4–5ESV

  • He will hold me fast
  • It truly was a fun week this week, and again, I am so thankful and so proud of everyone who served this week. The fellowship and time together truly was fun and encouraging. The theme this year was built on an Irish trip through Psalm 23 & on Thursday I decided, ya know what, this might be fun for us to study as a whole church this week. So if you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, go ahead and grab them and head to Psalm 23. Kiddos, you should be able to preach this for us, so I expect you to be ready after the service to talk with me and your parents on all the stuff I miss, ok?
    Truly, this Psalm is certainly the most well known one of the entire psalter, and quite possibly the most well known passage in the entire Scriptures. Charles Spurgeon calls is the pearl of the psalter. In fact, one pastor I heard this week said that all Scripture could be summed up in this one passage. Which makes tackling it so intimidating. One Hebrew scholar actually said that “it’s even pretentious to comment on it.”
    It’s well known for a reason—is deeply rich. Usually, it’s used during funerals because it’s so comforting, and that’s a very appropriate place to preach this passage. But this isn’t just a psalm for death, it’s a psalm for life. Psalm 23 shows us everything that we long for. For both the high and the low it speaks to us.
    So my aim this morning isn’t necessarily to communicate anything new, but to allow this passage to remind, to encourage, and to call us to follow our Shepherd King.
    So I’m going to read this passage, slowly. As I do, hear the Word of the Lord. Psalm 23
    Psalm 23 ESV
    A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
    This is God’s Word for God’s people. And we respond: Thanks be to God. Let’s go to him in prayer.
    Before we dive into the weeds of the passage there’s two thing worth making note of. David writes this portraying the Lord with two different metaphors. The one that jumps out and everyone knows is in verse 1— “The Lord is my shepherd.” First, David refers to him as a shepherd, but then the metaphor shifts down in verse 5 to The Lord preparing a table for him. Now last I checked, sheep don’t eat at tables, they eat in pastures. The imagery is now of a King. The Lord is a Shepherd King and as a Shepherd King we see him do 3 things in this passage: He provides. He protects. And he pursues.
    Starting with He provides:

    The Lord will provide.

    As a shepherd the first thing he does is make his sheep lie down in green pastures. We might read that word, “make” and think that it sounds forceful. And while I don’t know too much about sheep I don’t know that you can make them do anything.
    One pastor I listened to this week, I think it was Dane Ortlund, talked about how sheep won’t lay down in any environment in which they feel unsafe. SO the only way to make them feel safe is to put them in an environment in which they are safe. So for the Lord to make his sheep lie down, or to rest, he must then give them a safe place in which they can do so.
    Jesus does that. We read this as our call to worship.
    John 10:9 ESV
    I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
    Through Jesus we find the pasture, we find the place, we find the person that allows our hearts to rest; that enables us to lay down and know that our shepherd is looking out for us.
    But he’s not just the pasture, he’s also the living water. Ortlund also talked about how sheep won’t drink from running water. They prefer still water where they have sure footing. In the Old Testament, waters represent a place of spiritual refreshment and renewal from the chaos of life.
    In John 4:10 Jesus confronts the woman at the well & tells her that if she’d had known who spoke to her she’d have asked him for living water. You see Jesus is the gate through which we enter the pasture and the water that refreshes and renews us in the midst of it.
    Now that all sounds great theoretically, but what does it mean practically? In Jeremiah 2:13 the people of Israel are charged with finding their source of water or their source of life somewhere else
    Jeremiah 2:13 ESV
    for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
    When we seek to find peace or to find refreshment in things other than the Lord then we are hewing our cisterns for ourselves that can hold no water. Yet Jesus beckons us to come to him through repentance—which means letting go and turning away from those empty cisterns, and trusting him to give the peace, rest, satisfaction, and renewal our soul longs for.
    Because he is the kind of shepherd who restores our soul. The idea here is to retrieve and revive the sheep. You see, “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way.” That’s that self-reliance and self-seeking Jeremiah talks about. Isaiah carries that idea out , yet tells us where the hope for us is—”the LORD,” the shepherd king, “has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all.”
    Jesus has carried the punishment for our wondering off. Now, instead of bearing the judgment our wandering deserved, we can look to the one who was broken for us and find the restoring our soul longs for.
    Before we go any further I think we need to stop and ask: is the Lord your shepherd? Unlike the woman at the well, have you drank of the living water? Can you say that your soul has found rest in him, that you gain contentment in life from knowing and being known by him? Is he who renews you and makes you whole? Or are you running to empty cisterns that hold no water? In the midst of whatever season life has you in are you looking to your works, your efforts, your understanding or your own security to sustain you?
    You see the problem with trusting in these empty cisterns is where they lead you & leave you. They take you to places that might look attractive & promising, but when you get there, you find that you’ve worked a whole lot for nothing. Your left parched. Your soul is sucked dry.
    Yet when the Lord is your shepherd, he leads—he doesn’t coerce or manipulate or trick. He leads us right where we need to go. Both the right path and the righteous path. And since he is leading sheep who have gone astray then you can know that his leading you is all by his grace. You don’t have to make yourself good enough, or work your way to him. He is the shepherd who leads his sheep for their good, and for his glory. His leading is for his name’s sake—and here’s what I love about that: God’s glory and our good are not competing realities.
    The Lord’s provision through leading, through retrieving and reviving, through granting peace & rest, leaves David with one conclusion: I shall not want. I hear the word want and I think of desire, but that’s not necessarily what is being communicated. Want is better understood in our context as the word lack. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not lack. Everything that we need for life is found in him. He is enough. The Lord is enough. Jesus is enough.
    This is what Peter said in 2 Pet. 1:3
    2 Peter 1:3 ESV
    His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
    Everything that we need for life and godliness is found in knowing and being known by Jesus. And if it that’s true, and you know Jesus, like David you can say, I shall not lack. But that forces question, doesn’t it—what is it you think you’re lacking?
    All of us come in here exhausted—we just finished VBS! Or your come in here with burdens that no one knows that you bear, or fears that you keep trying to suppress, or uncertainties that you are wrestling with.
    And when we have those we begin to think that if I just had ______ then my life would be at peace; I would be content. My soul would be refreshed.
    Here’s the problem: whatever it is that you put in that blank is what you’re looking to as a shepherd. It’s an empty well. It won’t satisfy you. Better kids, a better spouse, time away, being understood, being seen by others, family members who would just get their life together…all good things, but they will fail you and leave you longing for more. Some of you are exhausted because you’ve spent years asking empty wells to do what only the Shepherd can do. But the Shepherd not only provides. He also protects.

    2. The Lord will protect.

    We don’t really know where David was in life when he penned this Psalm. There’s a number of theories, but when you look at the whole of David’s life there was more than one occasion that he walked through the valley of the shadow of death.
    After he was anointed by the prophet Samuel, and while he was serving king Saul, Saul grew angry and tried to kill him. He ended up chasing him into the wilderness where David spent years just trying to survive. Then later in life his own son caused a mutiny and drove David out of the city seeking to kill him. The valley of the shadow of death wasn’t metaphorical for him—it was literal.
    When I look across this room and I think about you I know that there are many of you who feel like your in the dark valley. Maybe it’s not your actual life you’re concerned about at the moment, but there’s some really heavy things you’re carrying. You feel like there’s no light or life.
    I think it was John Piper who observed that David’s theology moved him to prayer. In verses 1-3 he talked about God and in verses 4-5 he talks to God. One leads to the other and one is dependent on the other.
    I’ve never caught this before when I read this passage, but multiple scholars pointed out is the tie between verses 3 & 4. In verse 3 the Shepherd leads down paths or righteousness. And in verse 4 one of those paths of righteousness is the valley of the shadow of death. It’s the dark valley. You can take heart this morning knowing that if the Lord is your shepherd, even if you can’t see him or feel him, he is leading you in the midst of your dark valley.
    And not only is he leading, he’s walking with you. He hasn’t abandoned you and he won’t. You don’t have to be afraid. The presence of the good shepherd is near. The presence of the shepherd causes David to say, “I will not fear.” In the midst of a valley where enemies are pressing in on all sides and death seems certain his response is: I will not fear.
    He knows that the presence and provision of this shepherd cannot be overcome. When you go back to verse 1 in our English Bibles you see, “The LORD” with the word LORD in all caps. It’s the name of the covenant God who delivered Israel out of Egypt. He caused the 10 plagues. He parted the Red Sea. He led the people through the wilderness for 40 years and their clothes didn’t wear out. He delivered them into the promised land. This LORD is the shepherd David has walking with him through the valley of the shadow of death and if the Lord is for him who can be against him? The Lord will protect him.
    But protection doesn’t mean comfort or even life. I know a guy who used to ask all the time, “What’s the worst that could happen?” And it’s true! If the Lord is my shepherd what’s the worst that can happen? Loss? Suffering? Even death? Those things are painful and real, but if I know he’s leading me in the valley then it’s for my good and his glory. He will protect me! What is there to be afraid of?
    Easier said than done, right? Fear tends to drive us and in doing so it becomes revealing for us. But not all fear is bad…There’s different types of fear…I’m afraid of rattlesnakes. That’s a good fear. I stay away from them. But then there’s fear the fear of tomorrow. The fear of being truly seen. The fear of being abandoned. The fear being forgotten. The fear of not measuring up. You see, that kind of fear is indicative. It reveals to us where we’re struggling to trust in the shepherd.
    Fear isn’t unnatural, but it can be sinful. Where are you living in fear and not trusting the shepherd? 1 Jn. 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out fear. When you know what the Shepherd thinks about you, when you know that he promises to never leave or forsake you, when you know he is leading and protecting you on the righteous path, fear melts.
    But remember, he’s not just a shepherd—he’s a king. The metaphor begins to shift here.
    A staff & a rod are tools that belong to a shepherd. They are used to guide and direct the sheep. The staff was used to guide and rescue the sheep. Both can be used as a weapon to beat off anything that attacks. For a sheep to look and see it’s shepherd holding his staff he would find comfort in knowing that he was protected.
    But a rod is more commonly seen as a scepter in the Old Testament. It’s the sign of kingly authority, sovereign rule. So the one who’s with you in the midst of the valley isn’t just a shepherd who loves and protects, he’s a sovereign king who rules. This is why David wrote in Ps. 27:1
    Psalm 27:1 ESV
    The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
    [I had the joy of teaching kids one evening at VBS. The theme was built around Ireland and we talked about the city of Dublin…or Dooblin. There was a poster on the wall of the country and it had Dublin marked on the map by a castle. Off the coast there was a boat heading towards it, symbolic of Vikings who would frequently attack the city. But the city had walls. They were a stronghold. They were a place to find protection from the arrows of the enemy. And there would be a king to lead the people in battle.]
    Sheep have a shepherd. Cities have walls and a king. David has the LORD of heaven and earth who walked with him, lead him, and ruled over everything with his scepter. And as a king he doesn’t just rule, he feasts. This is the opposite of fearing what might happen. This trusting in, rejoicing in, enjoying the presence of the king because their is a quite confidence that this king is sovereign and it doesn’t matter what battle comes, no matter how dark the valley may seem. He will be victorious.
    This isn’t just any party either…he anoints the heads of his guests with oil. This is a sign of celebration. It’s a sign of honor. And its given to David. It’s given to those who follow and submit to this king.
    This is what causes Paul to erupt in Rom. 8:31-39
    Romans 8:31–39 ESV
    What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    If you have Jesus you can sing with David in the midst of your valley, while the enemy is pressing in, Psalm 23:4–5 “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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
    And you can do that because this Shepherd King has come and walked the valley of the shadow of death. He left heaven, and came to earth. He was a man who experienced everything we experienced, yet did it without sin. It led him to death. Yet the enemy didn’t win. He walked out of that valley victorious and now the king rules & reigns on his throne protecting those who are his.
    So many questions, but I wonder, what are you looking to for protection in the midst of the valley? What is sustaining you while the battle rages on? Are you trusting in Jesus—the one who has gone before you & who has won, or are you trusting in yourself? Are you thinking that by controlling the narrative, by maintaining an image, by working a little harder that you will be safe? There is a shepherd who rules and reigns, who leads and conquers, who serves extravagantly, who protects his people. Will you look to him and find your fear melting away, or will you continue to do it on your own?
    David trusted in the Lord. He found him to provide & protect him, and finally he found the Lord pursued him.

    3. The Lord will pursue.

    Let’s reread v6 so that it’s fresh on our minds. PS. 23:6
    Psalm 23:6 ESV
    Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
    The word for mercy here is the word hesed. Throughout the Old Testament it is a picture of the covenantal, steadfast love of the Lord. Love that remains. Love that isn’t earned. Love that covers a multitude of sins.
    The word goodness forms a Hebrew construct that actually modifies the word mercy, in other words, it is a good mercy. Surely your good love—love that promotes, protects, produces, and enhances life—will follow me all the days of my life.
    Goodness & mercy are words that are common in the Christian vocabulary. They’re words we know to be true of God. They’re words that are perfectly displayed in the person of Jesus, but we, or I, tend to view them as things out there. Things that are available to us if we take steps of obedience.
    But that’s not true. That’s not how David, nor the rest of the Scriptures describe God’s good mercy. The word follow here is better translated as pursue. The word gives the picture as the victor chasing the loser in battle. It’s what has caused David to say,
    Psalm 139:7 ESV
    Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
    David can commit the most egregious of sins, but the good love the Lord continues to pursue him. It accompanies him in the valley and it leads him into green pastures. He can’t outrun the Lord. He can’t out sin the good mercy of the Lord. No matter how big of a mess he makes with his life the slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, committed shepherd king will continue to come after him. It doesn’t just wait for him. It comes to him.
    And it’s come to us in the person of Jesus. He left heaven’s throne to redeem those who are his own. Lost, wondering, uncertain. Afraid, exhausted, malnourished. Jesus saw his sheep, Jesus sees his sheep, and he says to them, Matthew 11:28–30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””
    (2 Corinthians 12:9) “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
    So friends this morning you can (Psalm 55:22) “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;” By the grace of God you can humble yourself before him and cast all your anxieties on him knowing that He cares for you
    You might be going, but Matt, you don’t know what I’ve done. You don’t understand the valley that I’m in. You may be right. I don’t know the depths of it all, but the shepherd king does. And he calls you to return, to dwell in his house this morning and in his presence. He beckons you to turn away from empty cisterns. He longs for you to rest in him so that you might find green pastures with food to sustain and water to restore. He has provided for you

      • Psalm 23ESV

      • John 10:9ESV

      • Jeremiah 2:13ESV

      • 2 Peter 1:3ESV

      • Psalm 27:1ESV

      • Romans 8:31–39ESV

      • Psalm 23:6ESV

      • Psalm 139:7ESV

      • Revelation 7:16–17ESV

  • Now to Him
Liberty Baptist Church
office@lbcdalhart.com
8062495344
http://www.lbcdalhart.com
7 members