Well, good morning.
I wonder if we could turn again to our Scripture from John 10. I am going to read John 10:1-16.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door unto the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
But He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To Him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear His voice: and He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice.
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which He spake unto them.
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.
But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.
As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Then in Isaiah 53:6, I will just read one verse.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned every one to his own way;
And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Now, if we could read Psalm 23.
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.
And then one more, Ephesians 3, starting with verse 17.
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to apprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Lord, that is our prayer this morning: that we may know, Lord, more of You today. We thank You for this beautiful psalm. Lord, we thank You for these times together, and pray, Lord, that You would continue to speak to our hearts.
Lord, You are the great Shepherd. We can trust You with all of our beings. Lord, be with us now. I pray that You would speak to our hearts by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Well, saints, this is the third time in sharing The Lord Is My Shepherd. Last time, we got through the third verse, and praise the Lord, it is just so rich. There is so much here. I would like to review very briefly, just a few points, and then we will go on with the rest of the psalm.
Last time we talked about how the Lord restores my soul, how He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. We talked about how the Lord is the One who does that restoring.
We talked about how the shepherd leads the sheep and does not drive the sheep. We also talked about the paths of righteousness that we take, or the choices that we make.
We can, as those sheep, make decisions that are not really the best. The Lord gives us free will to make certain decisions, and like sheep, we can take shortcuts. We can enter into things that seem appealing, things which would entice us. But thank the Lord, He is faithful to lead us only in the paths of righteousness.
We talked last time about sheep being cast—the cast-down sheep. Basically, when we were talking about the Lord restoring my soul, we talked about a cast sheep as one that had fallen and could not get up.
One way a sheep becomes cast is that it may be lying down and roll into a little depression. Because the weight of its coat is so heavy upon it, it cannot stand up. If you have ever seen a turtle on its back, I can envision that; but a turtle has a way of getting onto its feet, whereas sheep do not.
If the sheep is there with its legs up in the air and kind of flailing, the shepherd has to be ever vigilant to find it. The shepherd will count the sheep and know which ones are not there.
We talked last time about how, when the shepherd found the sheep, he would actually have to massage the sheep’s legs so that blood could circulate back into them. Then, when the sheep was back on its feet, it would be able to support its own weight.
So I want you to picture the ever-vigilant care that the shepherd has for the sheep.
Another way that the sheep can be cast, and this is directly related to us—and I believe I forgot to mention this last time—is that, in addition to sheep lying down and not being able to get up, sheep can also be cast if their coats are too long.
If you have ever put on a heavy wool coat, you know how heavy that is. But for a sheep, a long woolen coat can become a real problem. It can become matted, weighed down with burrs, and have sticks lodged in it as the sheep go through bushes and so on. The weight of that can actually tip a sheep over, as if it is top-heavy.
I want you to picture the shepherd of old shearing those sheep. Probably the sheep did not enjoy that process, but the shepherd knew what was best for the sheep.
The shepherd may have to restrain, may have to subdue the sheep, but the shepherd was willing to do that because he knew that only then would the sheep be able to stand on its own feet.
Well, what does that have to do with us? What does wool speak of in the Scriptures? It speaks of our self-life.
As sheep, we can also be dragged down and cast down by things in our own self-life. But thank the Lord, as we are faithful to confess those things, as the Lord reveals His light, and we walk anew in the truth that He has shown us, those things no longer weigh us down either.
So, in terms of application, it is a matter of yielding that part of the self-life to the Lord. He is faithful. He will rid us of those things that would weigh us down and cause us to become cast, provided that we let Him. He will only do those things that we allow Him to do in our lives.
So, as we consider today, we are in the valley:
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.
Again, picture the shepherd leading the sheep. We have talked before about the shepherd needing to know where the pastures are. In this particular Scripture, the picture is a little bit different.
It is not being led from one grazing land to another grazing land next door, perhaps. The shepherd may have to lead the sheep over extended distances—through valleys, through low places, and up to the tabletop mesas that were there in that time.
Those mesas were full of lush green pasturage. That was the target of the shepherd. That is where he wanted to take the sheep.
As we think of the shepherd leading the sheep, we have to remember the character of the sheep. Sheep are very skittish kinds of creatures. A little rabbit bolting out of the bush is enough to startle and stampede a whole flock.
But when you think of the shepherd leading the sheep through these valleys, the picture I would like to show is that, even though the way may be dangerous, there could be pathways through the valleys where predators are waiting to seize the sheep. They could be hiding in the shadows to attack the flock.
But it is said, “I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.” As we picture the shepherd leading the sheep, one thing to remember is that this valley of the shadow of death is something that the shepherd leads the sheep through. They do not stay there; it is a valley through which they walk.
Now, I know that oftentimes we use this Scripture in a wonderful way to refer to our passing from this world into the next. It is a precious picture of our being at home eternally with the Lord. We do pass through and into the presence of the Lord, and that is something we can rejoice over, because that is truly what happens to us.
But there is another application in terms of daily living and daily trusting this great Shepherd.
When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and we are listening to the Lord working in our lives, the Holy Spirit will prompt us. The Holy Spirit will prevent us from entering into sin, into those things which would cast us down.
This is a serious matter concerning believers, because we all know what sin does in the life of the believer. It causes a separation between the believer and the Lord.
In James 1:14-15:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:
And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
But thank the Lord, He has given us that Holy Spirit in residence to prompt us, to make us aware when we come close to the edge of entering into sin. Again, we have to be listening to that still, small voice of the Lord.
I believe that we are warned by the Holy Spirit so that we can turn away from sin. Again, the Lord is showing us how much He loves us.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13:
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:
But God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
But will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
So, when we come to those times of testing and see that, yes, the Lord has kept me from straying where I have strayed before—that has happened in my life. I believe that, if you think, saint, you will recognize how the Lord does protect us in that way.
That is something we can rejoice over, really and truly. It is a wonderful picture of the shepherd’s keeping.
One of my favorite Scriptures, going back forty years now, is in James:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.
It does not say that he might flee from you; it says that he will flee from you. We resist, led by the Holy Spirit, and the Lord will be our enabling. The Lord will allow us to be tested, and hopefully, as we come out on the other side, we will be strengthened in the Lord as a result.
Another thing to consider in this particular verse: did you notice that it is the shadow of death? It is not death itself; it is the shadow of death.
And, dear hearts, for there to be a shadow, guess what? There has to be light somewhere. Isn’t that the truth?
So thank the Lord, He is our light.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
That reality is why I believe the sheep can walk through that valley. They are not running helter-skelter. They are walking beside the Shepherd who cares for them and loves them.
In 1 John 1:5-7, we have another reference to God as our light:
God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Saints, when I think of walking in that light, I mention being led by the Holy Spirit and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit. But walking in that light is actually living in fellowship with the Lord.
Sin may interrupt that fellowship, but it does not change our relationship with our heavenly Father. Thank God for that.
The Lord has made a way. We do fall. We do enter into sin. We confess, we ask the Lord to forgive us of that, and we repent. The Lord restores that fellowship, so that fellowship can remain unbroken if we truly repent and confess.
When we think again of the shepherd leading the sheep and walking with them, it is a picture of beautiful, trusting fellowship with the Shepherd.
“They fear no evil: for Thou art with me.” The Lord is with the sheep. The Lord is with us.
The Lord says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” Other precious verses that we have.
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
Here we have a picture of the discipline of the shepherd with the rod. It is used for protection as well. We know that David rescued sheep from the bear and from the lion. He probably used a rod—maybe his slingshot, I am not sure.
But certainly, the rod is something that the shepherd used to offer protection and discipline. It speaks of authority also. It speaks of the One who has control over us—truly, the authority of the Lord.
In Ezekiel 20, we know that when the sheep passed under the rod, it meant that the shepherd would basically count the flock and bring the faithful into the blessings that he had for them.
One thing that the rod does is enable the shepherd to count the sheep. It also conveys that they are under his absolute care and his protection. It is another wonderful, comforting thought that we have concerning the rod of the shepherd.
The staff is actually the shepherd’s crook. When you think about different devices, if you will, instruments that were used in the care of animals, according to our brother in this book, the crook is the only thing that the shepherd carries that is used with sheep alone.
It was made especially for sheep. It is not used for any other animal.
When you think of the shepherd with the crook, it is something that identifies the shepherd from someone else. The shepherd had that particular crook. That was the shepherd’s instrument.
Again, the shepherd’s crook was used to show care and compassion for the sheep. In the natural, back in the old days, the shepherd’s crook could be used in a number of ways to show his concern, his care, and his protection for the sheep.
It could be used to lift a newborn lamb that had become separated from its mother. If a sheep became entangled in bushes, the shepherd could use it to help the sheep get out of the briars or whatever was holding it.
The shepherd would use it to inspect and examine each sheep. Now, when you think about that, does not the Lord do that in our own lives? He knows each one of us.
He does not apply merely general things to our lives, because He knows us each one by name. He will work by His Holy Spirit in the things that we need Him to work on, if we surrender to Him.
Things that benefit me, He would not necessarily work in Jerry’s life, because He knows me that well.
So the shepherd and his crook are a way to remember how the shepherd would inspect each sheep, making sure that they were free from sores, disease, and so on. The crook could also be used to guide sheep.
I think this is a wonderful picture as well. Through the valley of the shadow of death, leading in the paths of righteousness, as the shepherd would walk by the sheep and they were following him, often all he had to do was take that crook and reach out and touch the side of a sheep.
That sheep would then turn in the way the shepherd touched it on its side. So, in terms of leading in the paths of righteousness, that was something that gave the sheep direction—the way the shepherd wanted them to go.
Again, another picture of what the Shepherd has for us.
The shepherd’s rod, when we are talking about the rod and the staff, reminds us that in the Old Testament the rod symbolized the Word of God. When Moses went before Pharaoh with his rod, it was as if, when he said, “Thus saith the Lord,” the rod was shown.
Essentially, the rod was used not only to show that Moses was there in God’s authority, but it was used to show the children of Israel God’s presence throughout those journeys, those forty years.
As the staff was used to benefit and comfort the sheep, we also have that marvelous Comforter in the Holy Spirit. We have the authority represented by the rod, and we have His wonderful Comforter in the staff, so far as that picture is concerned.
So praise the Lord. The Shepherd uses those as instruments for the sheep’s good. He uses His authority, and He uses the guiding of the Holy Spirit in our lives as well.
So, we come to another verse:
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
“This is another picture of the tremendous care that the shepherd has for the sheep.
I have already mentioned, I believe, how the shepherd would go before the sheep and scout out the grazing area, scout out the pastures, and make sure there were no poisonous weeds in them—things that could make the sheep sick if they ate of them.
But also, in preparing the table, we realize that the shepherd did other things as well. It was not just a matter of the shepherd waking up one day and deciding to take the sheep to another pasture. The shepherd went before them to prepare the way, preparing the table before them.
The shepherd might have to take minerals up there for the sheep. Salt comes to mind as something that animals need. The shepherd would scout out those pasturelands to make sure that, if there were predators there, he could drive them away, trap them, or perhaps hunt them.
Picture the shepherd making that area safe for the sheep.
Another thing he would do would be to clear out the streams. If there was water there and the streams had become filled with brush and whatever else, the shepherd would work very diligently to clear the streams so that the sheep would have unencumbered access to the water they needed for life.
Sometimes, if the shepherd had been there before, he may have made dams in streams to have pools of water for the sheep. If the dams had become broken, the shepherd would work to rebuild them so that, again, the sheep would have a safe haven, not only to eat but to drink as well.
So the picture that I have in that, again, is the ever-diligent care that the shepherd has for the sheep.
In preparing the table, before we go back to the verse, it says, “in the presence of mine enemies.” The presence of enemies speaks of warfare. It speaks of something going on that wants to harm the sheep.
But if we are able to have a table prepared for us, it is a bit of a different picture. It speaks of peace. It speaks of the rest that the shepherd can give.
In the natural sense, in battle, it speaks of warfare and battles being fought—not by the one doing the eating, but by the one watching over them. Thank God, we know that the Lord is our Advocate, and the victory is won by what He has accomplished on the cross for us.
In terms of that aspect of preparing a table before me in the presence of our enemies, turn to 2 Corinthians 10:3.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
As much as we are willing to yield our thought life, as much as we are willing to bring every thought into captivity, saints, the Lord will change those thoughts if they are not toward Him. Thank the Lord for that.
That is the warfare that we face. But we know that the One who is fighting for us is far greater than the one who is coming after us, and that we can rejoice.
Another aspect of the table is that which we just celebrated together in the first hour. It would take an eternity to share about how the Lord’s love for His sheep is shown by the table—the Lord’s Table.
It is a sign of the covenant that the Lord has made for us.
In John, the verses that we read say:
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.
And verse 15:
As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.
As we see that Scripture in the aspect of His covenant, initially that Scripture made reference to the Jews. Then we see the Gentiles being included in Ephesians 2:13.
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
So we see His death for us as well.
Another familiar Scripture is John 3:16. We have known that since we were children.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Again, those familiar verses. But if we could just meditate for a second on the amazing love for us that those Scriptures show—familiar Scriptures, but amazing love that He has for us.
The next part of this Scripture says, “Thou anointest my head with oil.”
Again, this is the care that the shepherd has for the sheep. I mentioned before, when we talked about being made to lie down in green pastures, how sheep would not lie down if they were tormented by bugs, flies, and things like that buzzing around their heads.
Actually, certain kinds of flies would want to lay eggs in the sheep’s nose. When those eggs hatched, that would be a real source of torment for the sheep.
But the shepherd would anoint the sheep’s head and keep those bugs away, giving the sheep peace.
Another thing particular to sheep is that they carried disease and could spread disease by rubbing their heads and noses together.
So not only did the shepherd have to anoint the sheep’s heads to keep the bugs away, but he would have to examine the sheep to make sure that they were not covered with disease and would not spread disease to the whole flock.
When disease was found, if you can visualize it, the shepherd would dip the sheep’s whole body into a vat of medicine.
I have never tried to pick up a sheep, but I cannot imagine that it would be an easy task to lift a sheep that probably did not want to go somewhere and dip it into a vat, taking care to submerge the sheep’s head so that the medicine would be completely all over the sheep’s body.
But that is the care, saints, that the shepherd had for the sheep. He would go through that just as he would shear the sheep. They might not like to be shorn, but the shepherd would do that because that is how he cared for them. That is how he showed his love for them.
The other custom in Bible times was that anointing heads with oil was something done when a guest arrived. The host would anoint the guest’s head to show respect and love.
If we could turn to John 14 for a minute, I would like to start with verse 16.
This has to do, again, with the Lord anointing us with the oil of His Holy Spirit.
And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;
Even the Spirit of truth; Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him:
But ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
The Lord told His disciples in these verses what to expect. But saints, not only did He tell them what to expect, but the way He told them conveys so much of His love for them and for us.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Do you see the love of the Chief Shepherd in those words?
Again, He did not want them to fear. We have talked about how the shepherd would do his utmost to keep the sheep from being scattered and afraid. Certainly, the Lord comforted the disciples in saying that He was not going to leave them alone.
“Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
Again, we see that in those days, if you were a guest in someone’s home, it was customary for the host to pour drink into your cup and let a little spill over the edge. That was to show the guest that, as long as you were in the host’s home, he would provide for you in an abundant way—a way of showing honor to the guest.
Speaking of the abundance that the Lord gives, oh, saints, John 10:10 says:
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
The unsearchable riches of Christ have been given to us. That is His love for us. That is the love the great Shepherd has for us.
Ephesians 3, starting with verse 14, says:
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto Him be glory in the church.
Saints, how many times has it been your experience that you have prayed, earnestly sought the Lord in a situation, and asked the Lord for a certain thing to happen in your life? Then, lo and behold, when the Lord answered that prayer, indeed, it was more than you had imagined.
How He showers us with that love. His concern for us, His care for us, His abundant blessing—these are things that we can truly testify to and rejoice in.
And finally:
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.
Again, I am not sure that we have time to consider all the truths in this particular verse. I certainly cannot do it in fifteen minutes. But saints, again, I want us to reflect on how much of the Lord’s love for us is shown here.
Let us turn to Psalm 103, just to put this in the context of some verses. I will start with verse 1.
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
And in verse 10:
He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.
I began this series by talking about how the Lord has indeed given us so much in salvation. This speaks to us of a gift that we really, truly cannot comprehend.
But the burden that I have had on my heart is that we trust the Lord with the small things, and in so doing, be truly transformed into His likeness. The Lord will only do as much as we will allow Him to do. It is a matter of that yielding as part of the mercy and goodness that the Lord shows us.
If we turn to 1 Peter 1, starting with verse 3:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Thank the Lord, He does keep us. He has given us that Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts and to lead us in those paths that He wants us to take.
In Ephesians 2, verse 4:
But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved;
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
That is what we have—dwelling in the house of the Lord forever, a portion of that.
Darby wrote about Psalm 23 and said some wonderful things. He said, “The end of our Lord’s dealing will be our dwelling with Him forever.” Thank the Lord for that truth.
He also said, in another place in reference to Psalm 23, “The comfort of Psalm 23 is not in what the Lord gives, but in the Lord Himself.” Is that not precious?
The comfort of Psalm 23 is not in what the Lord gives, but in the Lord Himself.
So this great Shepherd, who leads us to Himself, who loves us and keeps us—if we can picture His constant care, His laying down His life for the sheep—He is ever, ever faithful to us, just as the shepherds of old, even more.
The great Shepherd is the One who not only leads us to those pastures that we talked about, but the Lord is our Shepherd, and He is that pasture for us. He is those green pastures set before us.
The Holy Spirit that He has given us is that oil of anointing that we talked about—our indwelling Guide through this life.
When we think of the still waters mentioned in this psalm, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in that still, small voice. We can picture the Holy Spirit as those still waters coming down, speaking to us, guiding us, and leading us in those paths of righteousness.
So, saints, to recap what the Lord has laid on my heart: I wanted us to see that, indeed, we are sheep.
We have talked about how sheep are helpless creatures. They are defenseless. Actually, they are kind of pitiful. They are easily led astray. Are we not like that?
Sheep are utterly dependent on the care of the shepherd. In the hands of a loving shepherd like we have, the sheep are completely content in his care, totally committed to him.
The shepherd’s constant care is needed for their very lives. Without that care, the sheep would perish.
So far as seeing the Lord as our Shepherd, a shepherd’s life is one that is truly laid down for the sheep—truly laid down twenty-four hours a day. That is the way the Lord is through the Holy Spirit in our lives as well.
When we consider all the different things that the shepherd did for his sheep, we see a wonderful picture in this psalm of the great Shepherd’s love for us. We can absolutely trust our Lord with every part of our lives.
The big things as well as the little things. Sometimes the little things can count up, mount up, and keep us from truly walking as we should.
But as the shepherd would shear the sheep, when we confess those things to the Lord, He will rid us of those things and make it possible, again, saints, for us to be transformed into His image.
So I do rejoice in the insights the Lord gave our brother in A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.
I would like to conclude with some thoughts about the songs that we have been singing.
Turn with me to John 21, verse 25.
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one,
I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
What I picture in this, saints, is when we go before the Lord, when we see the Lord face to face—what if He is holding a book?
Not about me, but it says, “My life is shown in Glenn.” Not to exalt me, but saints, each one of us: “My life is shown by Maury.”
What a wonderful picture that is: that the Lord would be pleased with our lives, with the way that He has worked in our lives, and with the way that we have been a blessing to Him.
In a practical sense, when I considered this aspect of coming before the Lord and having that life review, if you will, that book of the Lord in my life, I do not want a small book.
I do not want just a short twenty-five-pager. Is that not what we all want?
As we come before the Lord, and we have allowed Him to work in our lives day after day and year after year, transforming us into His image—many dealings, many dealings.
The Lord has revealed to me so many times that I had run away from Him. So many times I had preferred the flesh and did not surrender to Him.
But we see in this psalm how that great Shepherd truly desires all of our hearts, all of us, to be totally dependent upon Him. He can do that work. He will only do as much as we let Him.
So, saints, it really is up to us whether we have a twenty-five-page book or whether we have a really thick document that shows the Lord’s work in our lives.
We sang three songs as we began to get ready for the ministry. I want to read some of those words.
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give.
We sang:
As the deer panteth for the water,
You alone are my heart’s desire,
And I long to worship You.
I love You more than any other,
So much more than anything.
I want You more than gold or silver;
Only You can satisfy.
Today:
Be Thou my vision.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart.
So the Lord would have us examine what we say, what we sing. I believe the Lord would show us when those words are not true in our lives, and that He would send the Holy Spirit for us to turn those things over to Him.
Because, as our great Shepherd, He does care for us in that way. It is only by doing that that we can be transformed into His likeness.
Let us pray.
Lord, thank You for the beauty of Your Word. Thank You, Lord, for just revealing to us another aspect of Your love for us.
Lord, indeed, the unsearchable riches of Christ You have laid before us. May we be able to apprehend even more today how much You love us, how much You have given us.
Lord, may we truly walk with You in a way that says, indeed, You are first in our hearts. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.