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WEEKLY
Volume 3 Number 23
2 November 2008
The LORD Is My Shepherd
(Message delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the Worship
Service, 2:00 pm, Nov 2, 08)
Text: Psalm 23
We have known that our Lord
Jesus Christ is the Jehovah or Yahweh of the Old Testament (Isa
40:3; Matt 3:3; Isa 6:5; John 12:41; Joel 2:32; Rom 10:13; John 8:58; et
al). We have learnt about Jehovah-jireh, which means “The LORD will
see/provide” (Gen 22:14). Today, we are learning about Jehovah-rohi,
which means “The LORD is my Shepherd” (Ps 23:1).
Jesus Is Our Good Shepherd
Last year, we learnt about our
Lord Jesus as our Good Shepherd (Psalm 23 and John 10), today we shall
focus on our personal relationship with our Lord. It is always good for
us to remember that our Lord Jesus is our Good Shepherd, who declares,
“I AM the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the
sheep” (John 10:11). Truly, our Lord Jesus is the same Shepherd of
His people in the past, in the present and forever, and we can confess
with trust like David, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”
(Ps 23:1). God’s Word also confirms that the Lord Jesus is “that
great shepherd of the sheep” (Heb 13:20), and “the Shepherd and
Bishop of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25), and “the chief Shepherd”
(1 Peter 5:4).
Sheep are naive, harmless,
defenceless and simple. They cannot live by themselves, and without a
shepherd, they easily go astray and are scattered here and there (Matt
9:36). If the shepherd does not seek the lost sheep and bring them back,
they will perish as they do not know how to seek the shepherd or go back
to the fold by themselves. The LORD says, “As a shepherd seeketh out
his flock…, so will I seek out my sheep” (Eze 34:11). The Lord Jesus
says, “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” (John 10:16).
It is vital for you and me to
know, receive and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ as our Good Shepherd
personally, who has given His life for us – seeking us, bringing us back
to His fold, taking care of us, guiding us and protecting us - “For
ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd
and Bishop of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25).
The LORD Is My Shepherd
David confessed with his trust
and life experience, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”
(Ps 23:1). How about you and me? The knowledge that the Lord Jesus
Christ is our Good Shepherd is only a head-knowledge if you and I have
not trusted in Him and submitted to Him as “my Shepherd”
personally. What does it mean when you and I confess, “The LORD is my
shepherd”?
First, I must acknowledge
Jesus’ Divine Lordship as my eternal Jehovah and my Shepherd. I confess
that I really need and wholeheartedly trust in my Lord’s loving care,
guidance and protection, from which I shall have all I need, both my
spiritual needs, “He restoreth my soul… thou anointest my head with
oil; my cup runneth over” (Ps 23:3, 5) “life… more abundantly”
(John 10:10) and my physical needs, “having all sufficiency in all
things” (2 Cor 9:8).
Then, I must be the Lord’s
sheep, and this means I truly commit my life to the Lord, belong to Him,
and submit to His leadership, guidance, and discipline. I will not run
before Him or listen to strangers’ voice, but I do “know his voice”
(God’s Word) and only hear His voice and walk after Him alone with my
full trust and confidence as the Lord Jesus says, “My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27), and this
is my proper response, “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” (Ps 23:4).
Finally, I put my hope and
trust in my Lord’s goodness and mercy for my life and my eternal future
with Him, “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” (Ps
23:6).
Following My Shepherd’s
Guidance
A sheep will go astray without
the guidance of a shepherd. When I confess that the LORD is my Shepherd,
I do mean that I need His guidance or else I shall go astray. Our Lord
Jesus Christ is our good Shepherd, who always goes before us and leads
us in His right way (John 10:4). Then, how can you and I enjoy His
guidance?
Pray for His Guidance:
“Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path” (Ps
27:11), and “For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy
name’s sake lead me, and guide me” (Ps 31:3). Do you and I earnestly
and wholeheartedly pray for our LORD’s guidance?
Acknowledge the LORD:
“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”
(Prov 3:6). Do you and I remember the LORD, acknowledge His Godhead,
Lordship and sovereignty, and then look unto Him for His guidance so
that He may direct our paths?
Fear God and Be Teachable:
“The meek will he guide in judgment: …What man is he that feareth the
LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose” (Ps 25:9,
12). The meek are those who are humble, teachable and receptive to God’s
Word. How about the fear of the Lord? “The fear of the LORD is to
hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward
mouth, do I hate” (Prov 8:13). You and I shall never enjoy our
Lord’s guidance if we arrogantly doubt, question or criticise His Word.
Shall we not wisely fear God and be teachable and receptive to His Word?
Commit to the Lord and Trust
in Him:
“Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it
to pass” (Ps 37:5). Even when we do not see God’s will and His way
clearly, it is wise to commit ourselves and everything to the LORD,
trust in Him and wait upon Him.
Following Jesus Just Step by
Step: It is
always wise and safe to hear our Shepherd’s voice (God’s Word) and walk
after Him, just step by step at a time (John 10:4, 27).
Trusting in My Shepherd’s
Protection
As we greatly need and
appreciate our Shepherd’s guidance in this confusing world of sin and
darkness, we also greatly need His protection. Sheep are helpless and
defenceless. They cannot protect themselves and become easy prey for the
wild beasts. If the shepherd does not protect them, they are helpless.
The Lord Jesus says, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst
of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”
(Matt 10:16). Moreover, Satan is like “a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Without our LORD’s
protection, we are just like defenceless victims of Satan! Truly,
“except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Ps
127:1). Therefore, our Lord’s protection is always vital for you and me.
Thank God that our Lord Jesus
is our true, good and caring Shepherd. Jesus is not like an hireling,
“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 an hireling, and careth not for the
sheep” (John 10:12-13). Our Lord Jesus truly loves, cares, protects
His sheep, and even “giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:13).
He will never leave nor forsake us (Heb 12:5), and He promises, “And
I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me,
is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s
hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:28-30). We are safe in our
Shepherd’s mighty hand and our loving Father’s hand. Praise the Lord!
When I confess that the LORD
is my Shepherd, I do mean that I greatly need His protection or else I
shall perish. Then how can you and I enjoy His protection?
Be Cautious, Prayerful and
Hiding Ourselves in Christ:
We cannot take our Lord’s protection for granted and do whatever we like
or go wherever we want. It is a sin of tempting/testing God! Satan
tempted the Lord Jesus by asking Him to jump down from the pinnacle of
the temple, quoting God’s promise, “He shall give his angels charge
over thee, to keep thee” (Luke 4:9-10), but our Lord answered,
“It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (v 12). We
cannot expect God to protect us while we are driving carelessly. We
cannot tempt God by watching ungodly movies or programmes, reading
unbiblical articles, surfing ungodly websites or going to places full of
temptations and then expecting God to keep us from defilement, sin and
evil! Our Lord resisted Satan until he fled away, so we have to do the
same, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you” (James 4:7). Dear friends, we are to keep
ourselves (1 John 5:18), to “be sober, be vigilant” (1 Peter
5:8), to “watch and pray” (Matt 26:41) and to hide ourselves
“in Jesus Christ” (Jude 1; cf. Ps 91:1).
Live in God’s Presence:
To be kept from sin and evil, we are to walk in God’s light and practise
living in God’s presence everywhere and all the time, “I have set the
LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be
moved” (Ps 16:8) and “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” (1 John 1:7).
Commit Ourselves and
Everything to the LORD:
The LORD only keeps what we have committed to Him. If I ask you to keep
my key, but I do not pass it to you, you cannot help me. Many pray to
God to keep them, but they have not committed themselves to the Lord.
Their lives are not the Lord’s. They still do whatever they like and go
wherever they want, then how can God keep them? It is wise for you and
me to commit our lives and everything to the Lord, “I know whom I
have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I
have committed unto him against that day” (2 Tim 1:12).
Trust in God’s Faithful
Protection: To
enjoy God’s protection, we are to trust in His promises and protection
“for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom 14:23). Truly,
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee” (Isa 26:3; Ps 91). Shall you and I not
wisely trust in our almighty and faithful LORD?
Love God and Keep His Word:
To enjoy God’s protection, we must love Him and keep His Word, “The
LORD preserveth all them that love him” (Ps 145:20), and “Because
thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the
hour of temptation” (Rev 3:10). Shall you and I not wisely
love God and keep His Word? (John 14:23).
Be Kind to the Needy:
“Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him
in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive”
(Ps 41:1-2; cf. Prov 19:17). May the Lord fill us with His love so that
we may show His love to the needy, especially, bringing them to our Good
Shepherd.
Conclusion
Is the LORD your and my
personal Shepherd? Are you and I His own sheep? May the LORD help us
wholeheartedly trust in Him, His Word, His loving care, His guidance and
protection and submit ourselves to Him, listen to His voice (Word) alone
and follow after Him alone.
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