|
|
Be Comforted: The Lord Is Your Shepherd
Be Comforted: The Lord Is Your Shepherd
1. He Refreshes You Wonderfully
2. He Leads You Safely
3. He Blesses You Richly
4. He Saves You Eternally
Text: Psalm 23 (KJV)
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 forever.
Sermon:
Psalm 23 is surely the most popular and cherished psalm of the Book of Psalms. It is the psalm that Christians throughout the ages have turned to for encouragement and comfort when burdened and distressed.
What type of burdens might you have been carrying on your heart? What concerns have been weighing heavily on your mind? Has your mind been laden with a health problem? Have you been sorrowing over the failing health of someone near and dear to you? Are you struggling with grief over the death of a loved one? Do you have fears about your own death? Are you lonely? Do you feel spiritually weak? Are you troubled by a guilty conscience over a past sin? Do you feel weary from fighting temptations? Are you worn down from suffering and enduring persecution for being a Christian? Are you depressed over family problems? Do you feel like your life is falling apart?
Like us all, whenever something is troubling you, you need a refuge. You need something to shield you, something solid to stand on, something that will give you strength, something that will carry you through. What you need is someone who is bigger and stronger than you are to carry you, to protect you, and to deliver you. That something and someone is Jesus Christ your Lord. So listen closely to Psalm 23, for it tells you: “The Lord Is Your Shepherd. He Refreshes You Wonderfully. He Leads You Safely. He Blesses You Richly. He Saves You Eternally.”
Following the word-picture of Psalm 23, like us all, you are like a sheep before God. A sheep is a rather helpless animal. It cannot protect itself. It cannot provide for itself. It needs to be led to its pasture of food and water. It is a timid creature and easily frightened. It needs to be made to feel safe and secure. But it is also an independent creature when it wants to be. For it has a reputation for wandering away and getting itself lost.
As is true of all of us believers in Jesus, you too are like a sheep – helpless, unable to protect yourself from many things, fearful, independent, but very good at wandering away and getting yourself lost spiritually.
You need a good shepherd to look after you and to care for you. That Shepherd is your Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus said, “ I am the good Shepherd,” he identified himself as the Lord and Shepard promised in this Psalm 23. Jesus is the Lord, the almighty God, who is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin, as he said in Exodus 34:6, 7. Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, who was promised from the beginning of the world in the Garden of Eden. He is the Savior and the Good Shepherd of God’s flock, which consists of the Christians of all ages.
Say to yourself the opening words of this psalm: “The Lord is my Shepard.” When you say those words you are making a confession of faith. The Lord is your shepherd! He is your personal Lord and God, who is an ever present help in time of trouble, as he also promises in Psalm 46:1. When you say, “The Lord is my shepherd,” you are confessing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and stating that you put your trust in him above all else.
Now what kind of a Shepherd is your Lord Jesus Christ? Be assured first of all that “ He Refreshes You Wonderfully.” The opening verses of Psalm 23 tell you: “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.”
Because your Lord Jesus Christ is a gracious Shepherd, you shall not want. The word “ want” means “to lack” and “to be in need”. Your Shepherd Jesus shall not let you lack and go without anything that is for your good. Like a shepherd provides for all of his sheep, Jesus provides for all of your needs of body and soul. This does not mean that you shall be rich, always enjoy good health, or never suffer hardships. It means he will supply every good thing you need for your body and soul to preserve you and to keep you now, and most importantly, for eternity. And if and when he sees that it is in your best interest for your spiritual and eternal life to suffer for a little while during your life on earth, he brings that upon you as well. For whom the Lord loves he chastens and disciplines. Such suffering comes from his loving hand also, to keep you from wandering away from him into unbelief and sin and damnation. He lets you suffer so that you rely on his strength and deliverance. And at the appropriate time he helps you and delivers you, so that you do not want or lack in the end.
The Lord Jesus is your Good Shepherd who makes you lie down in green pastures and who leads you beside the still waters. The shepherd leads his sheep to a lush green meadow where there is refreshing cool water. There he makes them lie down and rest. Picture in your mind the sheep stretching out and lying down, fully contented. There the sheep can feed on the lush, green meadow grass and come to the waters’ edge and drink in safety.
You are that sheep whom your Good Shepherd Jesus Christ has lie down in the green pastures of his Word and drink of its water of eternal life. Jesus feeds you spiritually from his Word with the food and drink for your soul. In his Word Jesus feeds your soul with the saving knowledge that he is the bread of life, and that whoever believes in him shall have Life to the full and without end. Whoever eats of that bread and drinks of that life-giving water of his grace that he gives in the Bible shall never hunger for thirst. That includes you. You shall be content and satisfied now and forever in heaven.
Your Shepherd Jesus brings you through his Word to the lush, green meadow of his rest and salvation. In Jesus you find rest for your soul through the forgiveness of your sins. To you also Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. . . you will find rest for your souls.” And with which words of the Bible does he give rest for your soul ? With such words as “Child, your sins are forgiven (Mark 2:5). . . Peace be with you (John 20:19). . . The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). . . I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). . . . Take eat, this is my body which is given for you (Luke 22:19). . . drink from it all of you; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). By such words as these he restores and refreshes your soul with the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life in heaven.
Furthermore, verses 3 and 4 assure you: Your Shepherd Jesus Leads You Safely. “The Lord is my shepherd; . . . 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.”
Your works and efforts are not a path of righteousness by which you are saved. For God says that you, like us all, are a sinner who falls short of the perfection he demands to obtain eternal life. As it is written, “All of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Even your best efforts remain tainted by sin. By your own works you cannot save yourself.
But the Lord in his love and mercy has supplied a righteousness that saves you. That saving righteousness that saves you is the perfection of Jesus Christ that becomes yours when you believe in him. For the Bible says, “But now a righteousness of God apart from law has been made known, . . . that is a righteousness of God by means of faith in Jesus Christ, for all those who believe.” And so Jesus leads you in the path of his righteousness to your eternal salvation. By faith in him you are justified, which means you are declared righteous.
As far as salvation from hell and obtaining eternal life in heaven are concerned, there is no comfort to be found in your own works and efforts. For like others before you, you also will come to wonder when you have done enough well enough to have earned eternal life in heaven. And the answer is, “Never!” You have never done enough well enough to merit eternal life in heaven. So by your own works you face only death and hell, and when you are facing death, you will be beset by fear and trembling.
But the Lord is your Shepherd who leads you in the path of his saving righteousness, so that when you pass through the dark shadows of the valley of death, you do not fear any evil. For he has saved you by his righteousness from the evil of death and hell and the devil, and brings you into the light of his presence in heaven.
Nor do you need to fear any other dark times of trouble during your life. For your Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, is always with you. As this Psalm states, “Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Therefore you can be certain that your Lord is always with you, and he only brings on you what troubles he knows are good for you, and he protects you from whatever else could prove to be harmful to you.
His rod and his staff will comfort you. The shepherd’s rod was a short club that was used to beat off wild beasts that threatened the sheep. The shepherd’s staff was a long walking stick by which he prodded the sheep in the direction they were to go. The rod and the staff are pictures of your Lord Jesus’ almighty power by which he protects you from all danger and his powerful word by which he guides you. In his power and word you find comfort at that time of trouble and distress, regardless of what those troubles may be.
The Lord Jesus is your Shepherd, and verse 5 of Psalm 23 tells you that “He Blesses You Richly.” For the verse states: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
The enemies of Jesus’ sheep are the devil, his demons, the unbelieving and ungodly people in this world who oppose Jesus and his kingdom of grace, and who desire to scatter his sheep and destroy them. Our Good Shepherd Jesus was hated by the world and the kingdom of the devil. Jesus was persecuted and even put to death. We believers in Jesus are his sheep who are also hated by the world and the kingdom of darkness. And so there are those in the world and the kingdom of darkness who want to destroy you in the depths of hell. Beware of the devil who prowls about seeking whom he may devour. Beware of the people and the ways of the world that seek to lead you astray from the Word of God and a morally pure life. Beware of people in high places who could intimidate you with their power or influential ideas to abandon the Word of God that you have learned.
But rejoice in this: Your Shepard Jesus blesses you richly right under the noses of those enemies. He blesses you spiritually through his Word to strengthen and to keep you in the faith and in his ways. He delivers you from the power of the devil to mislead you into false beliefs, hopelessness, and sin.
What is more, Jesus anoints your head with oil. That is a symbol in the Bible of being blessed with the Holy Spirit. Through his Word he pours out the Holy Spirit upon you, who guides you into the truth of his Word for your salvation. Indeed, your cup then runs over spiritually. Spiritually you are strengthened and satisfied to the full, right in the very presence of those enemies who would like to destroy you. But they cannot, for the Lord Jesus is your Shepherd who saves you eternally.
The last verse of Psalm 23 states: “ surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” For as long as you live on this earth your Lord Jesus will bless you with his goodness. He brings many good things into your life for your temporal needs and especially for your spiritual needs. For your life on earth he gives you your daily bread – all that you need to sustain your body and life, such as: food, drink, house, home, possessions, health, peace, good weather, good government, and so forth. For your spiritual life he blesses you with his Word and Sacraments and the Holy Spirit who works faith in your heart through them.
The Lord’s mercy also follows you all the days of your life. There is no one single English word for the Hebrew word that is frequently translated “ mercy” or “ lovingkindness”. A good rendering of the word is “covenant-love”. The Hebrew word embraces your Lord Jesus’ mercy, pity, love, grace, faithfulness, help, and especially the relationship that he has brought about between you and himself, the relationship of shepherd and sheep, of father and child. The thought expressed is that he has bound himself to you as your Good Shepherd and Savior to pardon your sins, to accept you as his own, and to receive you to himself in heaven.
Consequently and appropriately Psalm 23 ends with this confession of faith: “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Because the Lord Jesus is your Shepherd, you shall live on even after the days of your life on earth are over. You shall live as your Lord Jesus himself lives. Death is not the final chapter of your life’s story. Hell cannot claim you. You shall live in the house of the Lord in heaven forever. And forever you shall not experience anymore death or mourning or crying or pain.
So, what concerns did you bring with you when you clicked on this sermon to open it. Whatever those concerns were, be comforted. For whether your concerns were about your body or soul, or about this life or the next, behold from this Psalm 23 how your Lord Jesus provides for all of your needs. Indeed rejoice: the Lord is your shepherd; you shall not want.
Amen.
1. He Refreshes You Wonderfully
2. He Leads You Safely
3. He Blesses You Richly
4. He Saves You Eternally
Text: Psalm 23 (KJV)
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 forever.
Sermon:
Psalm 23 is surely the most popular and cherished psalm of the Book of Psalms. It is the psalm that Christians throughout the ages have turned to for encouragement and comfort when burdened and distressed.
What type of burdens might you have been carrying on your heart? What concerns have been weighing heavily on your mind? Has your mind been laden with a health problem? Have you been sorrowing over the failing health of someone near and dear to you? Are you struggling with grief over the death of a loved one? Do you have fears about your own death? Are you lonely? Do you feel spiritually weak? Are you troubled by a guilty conscience over a past sin? Do you feel weary from fighting temptations? Are you worn down from suffering and enduring persecution for being a Christian? Are you depressed over family problems? Do you feel like your life is falling apart?
Like us all, whenever something is troubling you, you need a refuge. You need something to shield you, something solid to stand on, something that will give you strength, something that will carry you through. What you need is someone who is bigger and stronger than you are to carry you, to protect you, and to deliver you. That something and someone is Jesus Christ your Lord. So listen closely to Psalm 23, for it tells you: “The Lord Is Your Shepherd. He Refreshes You Wonderfully. He Leads You Safely. He Blesses You Richly. He Saves You Eternally.”
Following the word-picture of Psalm 23, like us all, you are like a sheep before God. A sheep is a rather helpless animal. It cannot protect itself. It cannot provide for itself. It needs to be led to its pasture of food and water. It is a timid creature and easily frightened. It needs to be made to feel safe and secure. But it is also an independent creature when it wants to be. For it has a reputation for wandering away and getting itself lost.
As is true of all of us believers in Jesus, you too are like a sheep – helpless, unable to protect yourself from many things, fearful, independent, but very good at wandering away and getting yourself lost spiritually.
You need a good shepherd to look after you and to care for you. That Shepherd is your Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus said, “ I am the good Shepherd,” he identified himself as the Lord and Shepard promised in this Psalm 23. Jesus is the Lord, the almighty God, who is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin, as he said in Exodus 34:6, 7. Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, who was promised from the beginning of the world in the Garden of Eden. He is the Savior and the Good Shepherd of God’s flock, which consists of the Christians of all ages.
Say to yourself the opening words of this psalm: “The Lord is my Shepard.” When you say those words you are making a confession of faith. The Lord is your shepherd! He is your personal Lord and God, who is an ever present help in time of trouble, as he also promises in Psalm 46:1. When you say, “The Lord is my shepherd,” you are confessing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and stating that you put your trust in him above all else.
Now what kind of a Shepherd is your Lord Jesus Christ? Be assured first of all that “ He Refreshes You Wonderfully.” The opening verses of Psalm 23 tell you: “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.”
Because your Lord Jesus Christ is a gracious Shepherd, you shall not want. The word “ want” means “to lack” and “to be in need”. Your Shepherd Jesus shall not let you lack and go without anything that is for your good. Like a shepherd provides for all of his sheep, Jesus provides for all of your needs of body and soul. This does not mean that you shall be rich, always enjoy good health, or never suffer hardships. It means he will supply every good thing you need for your body and soul to preserve you and to keep you now, and most importantly, for eternity. And if and when he sees that it is in your best interest for your spiritual and eternal life to suffer for a little while during your life on earth, he brings that upon you as well. For whom the Lord loves he chastens and disciplines. Such suffering comes from his loving hand also, to keep you from wandering away from him into unbelief and sin and damnation. He lets you suffer so that you rely on his strength and deliverance. And at the appropriate time he helps you and delivers you, so that you do not want or lack in the end.
The Lord Jesus is your Good Shepherd who makes you lie down in green pastures and who leads you beside the still waters. The shepherd leads his sheep to a lush green meadow where there is refreshing cool water. There he makes them lie down and rest. Picture in your mind the sheep stretching out and lying down, fully contented. There the sheep can feed on the lush, green meadow grass and come to the waters’ edge and drink in safety.
You are that sheep whom your Good Shepherd Jesus Christ has lie down in the green pastures of his Word and drink of its water of eternal life. Jesus feeds you spiritually from his Word with the food and drink for your soul. In his Word Jesus feeds your soul with the saving knowledge that he is the bread of life, and that whoever believes in him shall have Life to the full and without end. Whoever eats of that bread and drinks of that life-giving water of his grace that he gives in the Bible shall never hunger for thirst. That includes you. You shall be content and satisfied now and forever in heaven.
Your Shepherd Jesus brings you through his Word to the lush, green meadow of his rest and salvation. In Jesus you find rest for your soul through the forgiveness of your sins. To you also Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. . . you will find rest for your souls.” And with which words of the Bible does he give rest for your soul ? With such words as “Child, your sins are forgiven (Mark 2:5). . . Peace be with you (John 20:19). . . The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). . . I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). . . . Take eat, this is my body which is given for you (Luke 22:19). . . drink from it all of you; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). By such words as these he restores and refreshes your soul with the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life in heaven.
Furthermore, verses 3 and 4 assure you: Your Shepherd Jesus Leads You Safely. “The Lord is my shepherd; . . . 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.”
Your works and efforts are not a path of righteousness by which you are saved. For God says that you, like us all, are a sinner who falls short of the perfection he demands to obtain eternal life. As it is written, “All of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Even your best efforts remain tainted by sin. By your own works you cannot save yourself.
But the Lord in his love and mercy has supplied a righteousness that saves you. That saving righteousness that saves you is the perfection of Jesus Christ that becomes yours when you believe in him. For the Bible says, “But now a righteousness of God apart from law has been made known, . . . that is a righteousness of God by means of faith in Jesus Christ, for all those who believe.” And so Jesus leads you in the path of his righteousness to your eternal salvation. By faith in him you are justified, which means you are declared righteous.
As far as salvation from hell and obtaining eternal life in heaven are concerned, there is no comfort to be found in your own works and efforts. For like others before you, you also will come to wonder when you have done enough well enough to have earned eternal life in heaven. And the answer is, “Never!” You have never done enough well enough to merit eternal life in heaven. So by your own works you face only death and hell, and when you are facing death, you will be beset by fear and trembling.
But the Lord is your Shepherd who leads you in the path of his saving righteousness, so that when you pass through the dark shadows of the valley of death, you do not fear any evil. For he has saved you by his righteousness from the evil of death and hell and the devil, and brings you into the light of his presence in heaven.
Nor do you need to fear any other dark times of trouble during your life. For your Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, is always with you. As this Psalm states, “Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Therefore you can be certain that your Lord is always with you, and he only brings on you what troubles he knows are good for you, and he protects you from whatever else could prove to be harmful to you.
His rod and his staff will comfort you. The shepherd’s rod was a short club that was used to beat off wild beasts that threatened the sheep. The shepherd’s staff was a long walking stick by which he prodded the sheep in the direction they were to go. The rod and the staff are pictures of your Lord Jesus’ almighty power by which he protects you from all danger and his powerful word by which he guides you. In his power and word you find comfort at that time of trouble and distress, regardless of what those troubles may be.
The Lord Jesus is your Shepherd, and verse 5 of Psalm 23 tells you that “He Blesses You Richly.” For the verse states: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
The enemies of Jesus’ sheep are the devil, his demons, the unbelieving and ungodly people in this world who oppose Jesus and his kingdom of grace, and who desire to scatter his sheep and destroy them. Our Good Shepherd Jesus was hated by the world and the kingdom of the devil. Jesus was persecuted and even put to death. We believers in Jesus are his sheep who are also hated by the world and the kingdom of darkness. And so there are those in the world and the kingdom of darkness who want to destroy you in the depths of hell. Beware of the devil who prowls about seeking whom he may devour. Beware of the people and the ways of the world that seek to lead you astray from the Word of God and a morally pure life. Beware of people in high places who could intimidate you with their power or influential ideas to abandon the Word of God that you have learned.
But rejoice in this: Your Shepard Jesus blesses you richly right under the noses of those enemies. He blesses you spiritually through his Word to strengthen and to keep you in the faith and in his ways. He delivers you from the power of the devil to mislead you into false beliefs, hopelessness, and sin.
What is more, Jesus anoints your head with oil. That is a symbol in the Bible of being blessed with the Holy Spirit. Through his Word he pours out the Holy Spirit upon you, who guides you into the truth of his Word for your salvation. Indeed, your cup then runs over spiritually. Spiritually you are strengthened and satisfied to the full, right in the very presence of those enemies who would like to destroy you. But they cannot, for the Lord Jesus is your Shepherd who saves you eternally.
The last verse of Psalm 23 states: “ surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” For as long as you live on this earth your Lord Jesus will bless you with his goodness. He brings many good things into your life for your temporal needs and especially for your spiritual needs. For your life on earth he gives you your daily bread – all that you need to sustain your body and life, such as: food, drink, house, home, possessions, health, peace, good weather, good government, and so forth. For your spiritual life he blesses you with his Word and Sacraments and the Holy Spirit who works faith in your heart through them.
The Lord’s mercy also follows you all the days of your life. There is no one single English word for the Hebrew word that is frequently translated “ mercy” or “ lovingkindness”. A good rendering of the word is “covenant-love”. The Hebrew word embraces your Lord Jesus’ mercy, pity, love, grace, faithfulness, help, and especially the relationship that he has brought about between you and himself, the relationship of shepherd and sheep, of father and child. The thought expressed is that he has bound himself to you as your Good Shepherd and Savior to pardon your sins, to accept you as his own, and to receive you to himself in heaven.
Consequently and appropriately Psalm 23 ends with this confession of faith: “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Because the Lord Jesus is your Shepherd, you shall live on even after the days of your life on earth are over. You shall live as your Lord Jesus himself lives. Death is not the final chapter of your life’s story. Hell cannot claim you. You shall live in the house of the Lord in heaven forever. And forever you shall not experience anymore death or mourning or crying or pain.
So, what concerns did you bring with you when you clicked on this sermon to open it. Whatever those concerns were, be comforted. For whether your concerns were about your body or soul, or about this life or the next, behold from this Psalm 23 how your Lord Jesus provides for all of your needs. Indeed rejoice: the Lord is your shepherd; you shall not want.
Amen.
|
There are many kinds of Christians. Whichever kind you may be, you can never hear enough of the good news that God has for you in Christ or be reassured too often of your final destination and eternal dwelling place. With this book its author Rev. JC aims to do just that for you by means of the inspired words and message of God as written through his apostle John.
|
Return to the Sermons page or the Hope & Comfort page.
