CLAMING MY HEAVENLY HOME
23 PSALMS VERSE 6
Ps 23:1-6
23 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in
green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet
waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of
righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the
shadow of death.
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before
me
in the presence of my
enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love
will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord
Forever.
In the first 4 verses, the
shepherd is leading the sheep
In verse 5 the shepherd plays
host to the sheep.
In the first 5 verses the 23 Psalms
is from the shepherd’s
Perspective .
In verse 6, the view is from
the sheep’s perspective. The Sheep are
viewed as mature disciples.
Starting in verse 1, the
disciples were immature. But in
Verse 6 the sheep are now
mature disciples.
That is our life story as
Christians. We start with our
introduction to Christ as
babes. In life through
circumstances, trials and tribulations we gradually become
mature disciples in Christ.
In Verse 6, the disciple is
convinced and confident
of his relationship with
Christ. He/she have become one
one with Him.
Verse 6 starts with the
English word” surely”. The word in Hebrew
Is “ak” which means only or
no doubt.
In order to arrive at the conviction
of “only goodness and mercy” the disciple has been transformed from being
immature to complete maturity in Christ.
Let’s consider three areas of
transformation that must take place
for a disciple to make this
proclamation; “Only goodness and mercy
will follow me”. A
transformation. With God. His neighbor and
Himself must take place to
make that proclamation.
I. RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
1. He loves the Lord with heart, mind and
sole .
2. He
surrendered completely to the Lord.
3. He studies the Bible and believes every
Word
applies to his life
4. The disciple lives according to God’s
commands
5. He looks for ways to bless the Lord
daily
6. He
developed complete trust in the Lord Jesus.
a. How does this happen? It is in the
first 4 verses.
b. The shepherd led him to green pasture and
still waters
c. The Shepherd gave His disciples rest
and peace when trouble
was
all round them.
d. To strength their faith the shepherd
led the disciples
through
valleys of deep darkness.
e. The disciples had been in places they
knew that should not have
been
but the shepherd led them out.
f. The disciples had been in
situations that they could see no way
out, but the shepherd rescued them.
h. The disciples had knocked down, kicked
around and counted
out,
but the Shepherd stepped in the ring with victory.
7. The disciples became convinced that Lord
was on their side.
a. While their enemies looked on, the
Shepherd prepared a table
before them.
b. Their enemies look on in frustration
thinking
they were out, but the Shepherd
stepped in , dressed them in
wedding clothes and serve the
wedding cake of salvation.
ATTITUDE TOWARD HIS
NEIGHBOR
1. He loves his neighbor as
himself.
2. The disciple is in the
state of mind where he treats everybody
right
3. He is aware of his enemies
and blesses them with the prayer
of forgiveness.
4. When he is treated wrong,
he blesses them with kindness
5. He is quick to forgive his
neighbor for any wrong done to him
6. He forces himself to
consider the neighbors point of view.
7. He uses his gifts and
talents to serve the Lord by helping thoses
in need
to bring glory to His name.
RESTORATION OF HIMSELF
1.The disciple recognizes
that he is a work of God in progress.
2. He recognizes God’s goodness
in his life
He is favored by the Lord.
3. The disciple now sees all things
as good. He sees the bad
as good
to be worked in his life. Rom 8:28 , All things
work together for my good.
4. He recognizes the mercy of
God in his life.
Mercy is God forgiving the guilty.
a. All have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God Rom 3:23
b. The disciple is confident in
faithfulness of God to forgive
his sins as he confesses them. 1 John 1:9
5. The disciple is living in trouble times.
His enemies are all
around him, yet he has no fear but follows
God. 2 Tim 1:7
6. The disciple righted his wrongs before God
and man
7. He
confesses his sins daily.
HE DEVELOPLED AN ATTITYDE
OF PRAISE
He praises God with his lips
and his service
He brings his tithes and
offering to the store House Mal 3:10
He shouts for joy in middle
of this coronavirus
He not afraid to let the
world know that he serves
The one true and living God.
He serves the Lord with
gladness.
Notice, it is the shepherd
that now following the disciples with
His Goodness and His mercy.
The Second Proclamation
“I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever.” WHY?
There is an abundance in the Lord’s House
John 15:7
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you.
There is love in the
Lord’s House
John 15:10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love; even as I have
kept my Father's commandments, and abide
in his love.
There is Joy in the Lord’s
House
John 15:11
11 These things have I spoken
unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
There is friendship in the
Lord’s House
John 15:14
14 Ye are my friends, if ye
do whatsoever I command you.
There is peace in the
Lord’s House
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace
I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid.
There is salvation in the
Lord’s House
Acts 4:12
Salvation is found in no one
else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by whom we must be
saved."
“I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever”
The disciple claims heaven
as his current home.
Phil 3:20-21
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we
eagerly await a Savior from
there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by
the power that enables him to
bring everything under his control, will
transform our lowly bodies so that
they will be like his glorious body.
This is why we say, this to will pass, this virus will pass.
The disciple claims heaven as his final destination
2 Cor 5:1
Now we know that if the earthly tent we
live in is destroyed, we have a
building from God, an eternal house in heaven,
not built by human hands.
Dr Martin Luther King said in
one of his final speeches,
I have been to the mountain
top and seen the promise land
I not fear any man. My eyes
have seen the glory of the Lord.
The disciple claimed his
home in the new Heaven and Earth
Rev 21:1-2
Then I saw a new heaven and a
new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there
was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City
That bride is us
The disciple claims himself
to be the bride of Christ
John 3:29
The bride belongs to the
bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him,
and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and
it is now complete.
If we chose, we can have joy
in this pandemic time
The disciple claims
eternal life
Another book was opened, which is the book
of life.
If anyone's name was not found written in
the book of life, he was thrown
into the lake of fire.
Rev 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, "Now the dwelling of
God is with men, and he will live with them.
They will be his people, and
God himself will be with them and be their
God.
Amen
Rev. M. Mitchell
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