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Hope Bible Church
The Psalm of the Crook
Morning Worship Service
Locations & Times
Hope Bible Church
173 Pieper Rd, O'Fallon, MO 63366, USA
Sunday 10:00 AM
The Psalm of the Crook
Easter in the Psalms
Psalm 23
Pastor Andy Chulka
Last week we began a miniseries in Psalms as we look forward to and prepare for Easter: Easter in the Psalms.
Last Sunday morning we considered together Psalm 22: The Psalm of the Cross.
This morning, we will visit a very familiar psalm, Psalm 23: The Psalm of the Crook.
Then, on Resurrection Sunday morning, we will reflect upon Psalm 24: The Psalm of the Crown.
Last week, we saw a portrait, painted by David, that clearly prophesied about the sufferings of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God. In Psalm 22, we saw the Lord Jesus Christ forsaken by God the Father as he died in the sinner’s place, bearing their sins. We saw the Lord Jesus Christ crying for deliverance, a deliverance that came when he was resurrected from the dead after he had finished the work of the atonement.
Jesus was forsaken by his Father that we might never be forsaken.
Now, as we saw last week, Psalm 22 ended triumphantly, the prayers of the sufferer were answered and his prayers of suffering became a praise of salvation and deliverance, because his Father raised Him from the dead!
And because our Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, he is our Shepherd as described in Psalm 23! Hebrews 13:20-21: “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
“The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world” (John 1:29), because he was slain, is now the Good Shepherd of the sheep!
Psalm 23 has been described as “the center diamond in a three stone ring”: In Psalm 22 we see the Good Shepherd dying for the sheep; in Psalm 23 we see the Great Shepherd caring for the sheep; and in Psalm 24 we see the Chief Shepherd coming for the sheep.
We have a Good Shepherd who leads and provides!
I. The Leading Shepherd (1-4)
II. The Providing Shepherd (5-6)
Easter in the Psalms
Psalm 23
Pastor Andy Chulka
Last week we began a miniseries in Psalms as we look forward to and prepare for Easter: Easter in the Psalms.
Last Sunday morning we considered together Psalm 22: The Psalm of the Cross.
This morning, we will visit a very familiar psalm, Psalm 23: The Psalm of the Crook.
Then, on Resurrection Sunday morning, we will reflect upon Psalm 24: The Psalm of the Crown.
Last week, we saw a portrait, painted by David, that clearly prophesied about the sufferings of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God. In Psalm 22, we saw the Lord Jesus Christ forsaken by God the Father as he died in the sinner’s place, bearing their sins. We saw the Lord Jesus Christ crying for deliverance, a deliverance that came when he was resurrected from the dead after he had finished the work of the atonement.
Jesus was forsaken by his Father that we might never be forsaken.
Now, as we saw last week, Psalm 22 ended triumphantly, the prayers of the sufferer were answered and his prayers of suffering became a praise of salvation and deliverance, because his Father raised Him from the dead!
And because our Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, he is our Shepherd as described in Psalm 23! Hebrews 13:20-21: “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
“The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world” (John 1:29), because he was slain, is now the Good Shepherd of the sheep!
Psalm 23 has been described as “the center diamond in a three stone ring”: In Psalm 22 we see the Good Shepherd dying for the sheep; in Psalm 23 we see the Great Shepherd caring for the sheep; and in Psalm 24 we see the Chief Shepherd coming for the sheep.
We have a Good Shepherd who leads and provides!
I. The Leading Shepherd (1-4)
II. The Providing Shepherd (5-6)
I. The Leading Shepherd (1-4)
A. The Lord as shepherd.
We find several passages in the Old Testament that show us that the Lord views himself as our shepherd and we as his sheep, here are just a few:
The Lord Jesus Christ identified himself as that expected “Good Shepherd” from Isaiah 40:11:
Throughout the New Testament, we see our Lord Jesus Christ identified as:
The Good Shepherd (John 10:14)
The Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20)
The Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) (~BKC)
The Good Shepherd (John 10:14)
The Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20)
The Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) (~BKC)
B. All we like sheep.
Robert L. Alden describes sheep as: “among the most helpless and stupid of animals. They desperately need guidance and assistance. Probably for this reason God’s people are likened to them.”
James Montgomery Boice concurs: “Left to themselves, sheep lace everything. They are the most helpless. But if we belong to the one who is self-sufficient, inexhaustible, and utterly unchanged by time, we will lack nothing. He is sufficient for all things and will provide for us.”
James Montgomery Boice concurs: “Left to themselves, sheep lace everything. They are the most helpless. But if we belong to the one who is self-sufficient, inexhaustible, and utterly unchanged by time, we will lack nothing. He is sufficient for all things and will provide for us.”
C. The Lord is MY shepherd!
Note David’s confidence in the fact that the Lord is HIS Shepherd.
And this is in the present tense, for David, and for you and I, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, even now, right now, we can say confidently, “The Lord is MY shepherd,” we are even now under the care of the great “I AM”!
And this is in the present tense, for David, and for you and I, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, even now, right now, we can say confidently, “The Lord is MY shepherd,” we are even now under the care of the great “I AM”!
Can you, with David, say, “the Lord is MY Shepherd”?
As we noticed a few minutes ago, it is significant that Psalm 23 follows Psalm 22.
In Psalm 22 we see the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, forsaken by God as he bears our sin on the cross.
It is only after that that we read, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”
We must believe in Him as our sacrificial substitute, who died on the cross for our sins, before we can know Him as our good Shepherd who meets our every need.
“Without Psalm 22, there can be no Psalm 23.” (SJC)
As we noticed a few minutes ago, it is significant that Psalm 23 follows Psalm 22.
In Psalm 22 we see the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, forsaken by God as he bears our sin on the cross.
It is only after that that we read, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”
We must believe in Him as our sacrificial substitute, who died on the cross for our sins, before we can know Him as our good Shepherd who meets our every need.
“Without Psalm 22, there can be no Psalm 23.” (SJC)
D. I've got all I want.
If we have the Lord Jesus Christ as our good Shepherd, then we can truly say, “I’ve got all I want.”
What are some examples David gives us, specifically, of the blessings our Shepherd leads us to so that we “shall not want” [lack]”?
E. The first blessing our Shepherd leads us to:Rest and Refreshment.
Sheep must have grass and water to live, and it’s the responsibility of the shepherd to provide these for them.
And as a shepherd leads sheep to fresh grass for feeding, so the Lord leads his people.
God’s Word is the “green pastures” He has provided for His sheep.
Let us feed on it daily and chew on it as sheep chew their cud.
And as a shepherd leads sheep to fresh grass for feeding, so the Lord leads his people.
God’s Word is the “green pastures” He has provided for His sheep.
Let us feed on it daily and chew on it as sheep chew their cud.
Sheep cannot be rested and refreshed if they are thirsty.
What is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the sheep who follow the Good Shepherd, and how does he provide rest and refreshment?
We are born again through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-8) and He indwells every believer (Romans 8:9).
The Spirit empowers us to live holy lives as we depend on Him (Galatians 5:16-23).
He gives us hope in the trials of life (Romans 5:3-5; 15:13).
He guides (Acts 13:2-4; 16:6-7) and teaches us (1 John 2:27); He prays for us (Romans 8:26) and gives us help and comfort (John 14:16; 15:26).
He gives us spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-11) and empowers us to bear witness of Jesus Christ throughout the world (Acts 1:8). (Above list complied by others)
We are born again through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-8) and He indwells every believer (Romans 8:9).
The Spirit empowers us to live holy lives as we depend on Him (Galatians 5:16-23).
He gives us hope in the trials of life (Romans 5:3-5; 15:13).
He guides (Acts 13:2-4; 16:6-7) and teaches us (1 John 2:27); He prays for us (Romans 8:26) and gives us help and comfort (John 14:16; 15:26).
He gives us spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-11) and empowers us to bear witness of Jesus Christ throughout the world (Acts 1:8). (Above list complied by others)
F. The second blessing our Shepherd leads us to: Restoration and Righteousness.
When David confessed and repented of his sins he experienced cleansing, renewal, and restoration from the Holy Spirit.
Our Shepherd restores and leads us “in paths of righteousness.”
We stray when we sin, but our Shepherd leads us into righteous paths for his name’s sake.
G. The third blessing our Shepherd leads us to: Protection
Notice the change from “He” (1-3) to “You” (4-5); to David, his Shepherd becomes even more personal!
James Montgomery Boice:“It is important to note that ‘the valley of the shadow of death’ is as much God’s right path for us as the ‘green pastures’ which lie beside ‘still waters.’ That is, the Christian life is not always tranquil nor, as we say, a mountain-top experience. God gives us valleys also. It is in the valleys with their trials and dangers that we develop character.... We are never so conscious of the presence of God as when we pass through life’s valleys.”
It is important for us to see that David does NOT say the “valley of death,” but rather the “valley of the shadow of death.”
The Christian walks through the “shadow” of death, but not through “death” itself.
With his “rod” the Shepherd defends his sheep from their enemies, with his “staff,” or shepherd’s crook, he directs and cares for his sheep.
It’s no wonder David could declare, “they comfort me.”
We have a Good Shepherd who leads and provides!
The Christian walks through the “shadow” of death, but not through “death” itself.
With his “rod” the Shepherd defends his sheep from their enemies, with his “staff,” or shepherd’s crook, he directs and cares for his sheep.
It’s no wonder David could declare, “they comfort me.”
We have a Good Shepherd who leads and provides!
II. The Providing Shepherd (5-6)
A. Our Shepherd provides for our needs in the presence of our enemies.
Nobody likes conflict, but the Good Shepherd takes care of His sheep by preparing a table for them, in the presence of their enemies.
Shepherds anoint their sheep with oil to soothe their scratches and wounds.
Oil has been used in Scripture to picture the person and work of the Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 25:1-13; John 15:16-17; 16:13-15; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; Galatians 5:22-23).
Oil has been used in Scripture to picture the person and work of the Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 25:1-13; John 15:16-17; 16:13-15; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; Galatians 5:22-23).
So, in view of his Shepherd’s faithful, plentiful provision of the table and the oil, David said that his cup overflows.
B. Our Shepherd provides the way home.
H. A. Ironside:“‘Goodness and mercy’ are the two sheepdogs that help keep the sheep where they belong.”
We have a Good Shepherd who leads and provides!