The Lord is my Shepherd

Limavady Independent Methodist Church

Sunday 29 November 2020 pm

Psalm 23

This Psalm is one of the most well known portions of scripture and I am sure we have heard it preached over and over again. In the first 5 words of the opening verse we read David's statement of faith.  This Psalm sets a wonderful challenge to us - can you say "the Lord is my shepherd"?  The most precious statement ever uttered from the lips of man.

A precious statement - "The Lord is my shepherd".  David is not looking to anyone else, the Lord is the one to whom he is responding to.  This is the great creator and sustainer of all things.  There is none above him and none equates to him yet he became flesh and walked among man and died on the cross just to save you and me.   "There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin."  Whenever I sit back read that wonderful verse in John 3 verse 16 "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." I think of a world that is in rebellion and rejection, man has turned fast away from God to go his own way.  He loved you and I so much that he would send his only begotten son into the world - not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.  If you haven't come to Christ, to the cross will you come?  Psalm 8 "what is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou shouldest visit him."  Jesus did something on that day on Calvary no-one else could ever do.  Moses was mighty in word and in deed, the meekest of all men who went in before Pharoah and led the children of Israel out of Egypt.  He was mighty and meek but he could never redeem a soul from sin.  Think of Elijah standing before King Ahab.  He had power and authority.  He went up Mount Carmel and challenged a nation, he asked God to shut up the heavens and later to open them again but he could not redeem a nation.  Think of the archangel who assisted Hezekiah when the King of Syria's forces came against Israel.  The next day 185,000 lay dead.  The archangel could never redeem a soul.  It took the Lord's own son who did no sin, who was sent down into the world to die for our sins - that is "our shepherd."

A personal statement - "the Lord is my shepherd".  The Psalmist could say this of himself.  Not everyone can make this claim.  Moses went into Pharoah and demanded he let the children of Israel go.  Pharoah said "who is this Lord that I should obey him?"  Can you say 'the Lord is my Saviour"?  Pilate was standing in the Judgment Hall with Jesus.  He asked the question "what shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ?"  It all came down to him.  What have you done with the Lord?  We are faced with the same dilemna today.  Jesus came to seek and to save that which is lost.  When I come face to face with the claims of Christ then the same question comes back "what have I done with Jesus?"  What have you done with Jesus up to this point in your life?  Have you been born again?  Agrippa as he listened to Paul and looked into his face said "almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."  It didn't matter who was sitting there, he realised it came down to him personally.  Is it possible that you are not saved?  That you can come so close to him and again reject the God of heaven?  Almost saved is to be completely and utterly lost.

A positive statement - "the Lord is my shepherd."  The Psalmist knows in whom he has been depending on.  A positive relationship not hope or may be.  When he faced Goliath the giant he knew he could face whatever would come his way.  You and I are going to face the valley of the shadow of death when we will step out to God's eternity but we can do so without fear knowing our judgment was placed on the Lord.

How can you be so sure you are saved?  How can you be sure of eternal life?  A man came to the apostle Paul one day, the Philippian jailer with a burning question "what must I do to be saved?"  The answer was so simple "believe on the Lord and thou shalt be saved."  Believe that Jesus came into the world for sinners and he died for you.  That he rose again the third day and one day he is coming back to take us home to heaven.  The angel told Cornelius "send for Peter and he will give you words by which you will be saved."  Remember the blind man who was healed - his testimony was "once I was blind but now I can see."

A professed statement.  He couldn't keep it to himself.  As the darkness draws in are you trusting the Lord?  Believe is all that is needed, repent and turn to Christ now.