The God Who Is Our Shepherd - Psalm 23
“SOME NATIONS BOAST OF THEIR CHARIOTS AND HORSES, BUT WE BOAST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD.” PSALMS 20:7 NLT
“PRAISE THE LORD, MY SOUL, AND FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS” PSALMS 103:2 NIV
RIGHTEOUS
SANCTIFIER
BANNER OF VICTORY
PEACE
HEALER
PROVIDER
THE GOD WHO IS OUR SHEPHERD
“THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I LACK NOTHING. HE MAKES ME LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES, HE LEADS ME BESIDE QUIET WATERS, HE REFRESHES MY SOUL. HE GUIDES ME ALONG THE RIGHT PATHS FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE. EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE DARKEST VALLEY, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME; YOUR ROD AND YOUR STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME.” PSALMS 23:1-6 NIV
“THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD…” PSALMS 23:1 NIV
“THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I LACK NOTHING.” PSALMS 23:1 NIV
THRIVE IN THIS LIFE
GOD IS YOUR SHEPHERD
A SHEPHERDS MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE SURE HIS SHEEP ARE TAKEN CARE OF
“WHEN A LION OR A BEAR CAME AND CARRIED OFF A SHEEP FROM THE FLOCK” 1 SAMUEL 17:34 NIV
“ I WENT AFTER IT, STRUCK IT AND RESCUED THE SHEEP FROM ITS MOUTH.” 1 SAMUEL 17:35 NIV
“WHEN IT TURNED ON ME, I SEIZED IT BY ITS HAIR, STRUCK IT AND KILLED IT” 1 SAMUEL 17:35 NIV
YOU HAVE A SHEPHERD
THE LORD IS OUR RELATIONAL SHEPHERD
“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD; I KNOW MY OWN SHEEP AND THEY KNOW ME, JUST AS MY FATHER KNOWS ME AND I KNOW THE FATHER. SO I SACRIFICE MY LIFE FOR THE SHEEP.” JOHN 10:14 NLT
“THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I LACK NOTHING” PSALM 23:1 NIV
“HE MAKES ME LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES…” PSALM 23:2 NIV
THE LORD IS OUR PROVIDING SHEPHERD
SHEPHERD ALWAYS KNOWS WHATS BEST FOR HIS FLOCK
NO FEAR
NO FRICTION FROM WITHIN THE FLOCK
NO PARASITES
NO HUNGER
“…HE LEADS ME BESIDE QUIET WATERS, HE REFRESHES MY SOUL.” PSALM 23:2 NIV
THE LORD IS OUR GUIDING SHEPHERD
GOD JUST WANTS US TO TAKE A STEP
WHAT IS ONE BABY STEP THAT GOD WANTS ME TO TAKE?
“HE GUIDES ME ALONG THE RIGHT PATHS FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE.”
THE LORD IS OUR GUIDING SHEPHERD
“I KNOW, LORD, THAT OUR LIVES ARE NOT OUR OWN. WE ARE NOT ABLE TO PLAN OUR OWN COURSE.” JEREMIAH 10:23 NLT
“BY YOUR WORDS I CAN SEE WHERE IM GOING; THEY THROW A BEAM OF LIGHT ON MY DARK PATH. IVE COMMITTED MYSELF AND ILL NEVER TURN BACK FROM LIVING BY YOUR RIGHTEOUS ORDER” PSALMS 119:105-106 MSG
“EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE DARKEST VALLEY, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME; YOUR ROD AND YOUR STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME.” PSALM 23:4 NIV
THE LORD IS OUR PROTECTING SHEPHERD
YOUR ROD AND YOUR STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME
“ FOR GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR, BUT OF POWER AND OF LOVE AND OF A SOUND MIND” 2 TIMOTHY 1:7
'Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.' Psalms 20:7 NLT
'Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits ' Psalms 103:2 NIV
THE GOD WHO HEALS
He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.” Exodus 15:26 NLT
THE GOD WHO PROVIDES
'Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). Genesis 22:13-14 NLT
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1
FEAR IS CONQUERED BY FAITH AND FAITH IS FUELED BY TRUST
One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.” 2 Kings 4:1 NLT
1. GOD CARES ABOUT YOUR SITUATION
'The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.' Psalms 34:17-18 NLT
“What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. 2 Kings 4:2 NLT
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things. Psalms 81:10 NLT
But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around. Psalms 81:11 NLT
2. YOUR MINDSET MATTERS
“Tell me, what do you have in the house?” 2 Kings 4:2 NLT
“Nothing at all…" she replied. 2 Kings 4:2 NLT
“Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied. 2 Kings 4:2 NLT
3. WE DO THE GIVING AND GOD DOES THE MULTIPLYING
And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.” So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.” 2 Kings 4:3-7 NLT
4. WHEN WE STOP GIVING GOD STOPS PROVIDING
“Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. 2 Kings 4:6 NLT
'Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” Mark 8:34-37 NLT
Psalms 20:7 NLT
Psalms 103:2 NIV
GOD IS MY BANNER OF VICTORY
Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”). Exodus 17:15 NLT
Mark 10:27 NLT
GOD IS OUR PEACE
'And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”). Judges 6:24 NLT
Matthew 21:21-22 NLT
Victory in God comes from believing in God’s promises, and Peace comes when you know that God has your best interest at heart.
John 16:33 NLT
Mark 4:35-37 NLT
Mark 4:38 NLT
Mark 4:38-40 NLT
1. You have to believe the canoe will float.
Romans 4:18-24 NLT
Hebrews 11:17-19 NLT
2. Do you understand what a paddle really does?
Exodus 14:10-12 NLT
Exodus 14:13-16 NLT
3. The Key to canoeing is balance
James 1:6-8 NLT
Philippians 4:7 NLT
Philippians 4:4 NLT
"Feelings are important in many areas but completely unreliable in matters of faith“ Eugene Peterson
Philippians 4:4-6 NLT
Philippians 4:7 NLT
Philippians 4:8-9 NLT
4. Who is in your canoe matters
1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT
Proverbs 27:19 TLB
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
'Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.' Psalms 20:7 NLT
'Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits ' Psalms 103:2 NIV
'And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”' Matthew 3:17 NIV
'Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.' John 16:26-27 NLT
GOD IS RIGHTEOUS
'And this will be his name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’ Jeremiah 23:6 NLT
'Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. ' Philippians 3:8-9 NLT
1. SPIRITUAL SLAVERY IS A CHOICE
'Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living… Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.' Romans 6:16,19 NLT
'We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin.' Romans 6:6,10 NLT
2. SPIRITUAL SEPERATION IS A CHOICE
'When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. ' Romans 6:20-21 NLT
'But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death...' Romans 6:22-23 NLT
3. SALVATION IS A CHOICE
'For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 6:23 NLT
GOD IS OUR SANCTIFIER
'Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. ' Galatians 5:24-25 NLT
'And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” ' Joshua 3:5 NKJV