THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
PSALMS 23:1
THE BASICS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
Every once in a while we need to go back to the basics. When building a house, you must have a good foundation. Before the cement is poured, the ground has to be prepared. The soil has to be compacted to hold the weight of the structure. Before the soil is prepared, you need a building plan. Before the plan is finalized, you need to contact the right authorities to get all the necessary permits.
The foundation of the Christian faith is the Lord. All the permits for building a Christian life rest with the Lord. God has already laid out a plan for Christian living. The 23rd Psalms is a plan for Christian living.
It starts with the authority and basic requirements. The Lord is my shepherd.
The first thing we have to decide is who is the Lord and do we want Him to be the authority over our lives. We have one source of written information that has survived over 4000 years. Time and circumstances have not been able to destroy its contents. Not only has the Bible survived, but it has been translated into every known language and been distributed to every land of the world. Not only that, but The Lord has missionaries risking their lives teaching the Word.
EVIDENCE OF BIBLICAL ACCURACY
The Dead Sea scrolls found in the Quorum caves near Jerusalem in 1946 had fragments and copies of the entire Old Testament except for the book of Esther and were found to be word-for-word accurate of the original language of the text in print today. The Dead Sea Scrolls were dated 300 years before the birth of Lord and Savior in Bethlehem. Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scroll, the earliest
copy of the original Old Testament was dated 1000 years after the birth of Christ.
Jesus taught from the Old Testament. He quoted many scriptures.
COME TO FAITH IN THE LORD
The first thing you and I must conclude is whether there is a Lord over everything and everybody. Or did everything come into existence by a BIG BANG as some highly educated people suggest? Does the world exist today without any control? I am not a scientist, but I have never seen an order come out of an explosion. I don't know of any experiment that man has conducted where the order was the result of a controlled explosion.
I do know that everything that man has developed, breaks down and does not last for any long length of time. I do know that everything that man puts his hands on is ever-increasing cost. I know of no single item that man has developed that does not become obsolete.
The world we live in does not change, does not become obsolete, and cannot be improved by man. As science develops, we are learning more and more about creation that we cannot explain.
Some believe in evolution. Everything evolved from a single-cell organism, That man evolved from an ape. Somewhere there should be a fossil that is part man and part ape.
Therefore, I conclude for me that there is a God of creation and that I see His glory every day of my life. I conclude for myself that the Bible is an accurate record of God's creation and that He is in control at all times. What do you conclude?
If God is not in control, then who is? Is any president or leader of any country in control? They can not control the events in their own lives. How can they control yours?
I changed my conclusion to my Faith the Lord is in control. That is the cornerstone we must start with. We cannot build a Christian life without faith. It is impossible to please God without faith
According to our Biblical record, God created everything that exists out of nothing
In seven days even though a day had not been defined. We could say
creation took place in 6 time frames. On the seventh time frame, He rested.
WHO IS THE LORD
Psalms 23:1 says the Lord is my shepherd. Who is this Lord and how do you
attempt to define Him?
Concluding that Genesis chapter one is correct, then God has more power than all the nations on earth. He is omnipotent. All Powerful
Concluding that Genesis is correct, God has more creative ability than all the engineers and scientists on Earth. He is omniscient. All knowledgeable.
Concluding that Genesis is correct our Lord knows the length and breadth of the entire universe. Man does not have telescopes designed to see the end of the universe. Man continues to see farther into the universe as technology advances.
God is omnipresent. Everywhere all the time
God is sovereign. He does what He wants and there is no one to judge him. He is right all the time. God is Holy, there is no sin in Him nor will He tolerate sin.
God is the complete truth. According to Revelation 22, the Bible is complete. You cannot add anything to it or take anything from it. There is nothing for God to learn.
ANY QUESTIONS?
SINCE GOD IS IN CONTROL, YOU CAN NOT BE IN CONTROL
The biggest problem we have is trusting God’s control.
Do you trust that God is in control of His universe?
Do you trust that God is in control of your circumstances?
Do you trust that God is in control of your life?
Do you trust that God has already decided all the circumstances of your life?
God knows the end from the beginning. It is no surprise to God that you have problems. The World with all the wars, the turmoil, the violence, the storms, the droughts, and everything that is happening are all under God's control.
We have a promise from God that all things, good and bad work for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His promises.
The Lord we serve is a loving God, who has an intimate relationship with us and cares about all our needs and desires.
Psalms 55:22
22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.
Does that mean you won't have any problems? Does that mean He is not in control? It means He does care because He is getting you prepared for the next stage of your journey.
1 Peter 5:5
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
LET THE LORD BE YOUR LORD
Claim God as your God. In Ephesians 1:4, God claimed you before the foundation of the earth. He is our Father. In earthly terms, He is our daddy. He tells us unless we become as little children we cannot enter the kingdom of God
Matthew 10:33
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 18:3-4
3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
PRACTICE YOUR FAITH
We must practice the concept that there is someone bigger than the man who is in charge. What does that look like in our lives? First, we must take every decision to the Lord in Prayer. While we can use the knowledge we have, we cannot determine the outcome of any decision we make
Second, every day is a day of prayer and reflection. Every day is a day of thanksgiving. As we love to have conversations with our children, God loves to have conversations with us. It is the quiet time we have with the Lord that we gain guidance and direction.
Thirdly we need time to rest from all activities so God has our full attention
Genesis says on the seventh day God rested from His labors. I am not sure what that means for God other than there were no more creative activities. We need to put all problems and issues aside so we are not distracted from precious time with the Lord
WE SERVE A PRESENT-TIME GOD
The verb "is" present tense. We serve God who is present now. We don't serve a yesterday God
God is always present. He is our present help (Psalms 46:1). He is the same today as He was yesterday
Hebrews 13:8
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
God does not change (Malachi 3:6). Whatever God did for someone else, He will do for you. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. There is not a moment in time that we can make it on our own strength.
We need to quit thinking that it is through our knowledge, our education, and our experience that we make it through the day. We can do nothing without God
OUR SHEPHERD
What is a shepherd? Do you want the Lord to be your shepherd?
In Biblical times a shepherd was an important position. It was a low position on the economic scale. But it was important in developing men for leadership for families and communities
Some of the great leaders of the Bible were shepherds. Abel was a keeper of flocks.
Abraham, Issac, and Jacob were shepherds. Moses was trained as a shepherd for 40 years under his father-in-law, the priest of Median. King David was a shepherd until God called Him to be king. The greatest shepherd of all time was and is Jesus Christ.
God used sheep in the Bible to symbolize the character of Christian men Sheep are as important today as they were in Biblical times. We get wool for clothing, milk to drink, meat to eat. Goats were also important for shelter. Goat hair was used to make tents. The Apostle Paul was a tent maker.
The job of a shepherd was 24 hours of labor and love. The Shepherd was responsible for the entire life cycle of the sheep. In the morning the shepherd led the flock to feed on grass.
The morning dew was water for the flock. Sheep require constant supervision. Their heads are on the ground constantly looking for grass to eat. They have no short sight so they can easily get lost. They don't fight so they are easy targets for predators. It is the Shepherd's job to protect them.
In the evening the sheep are led back to an enclosed location.
The Shepherd lay across the door to protect them. The shepherd will lay down his life for his sheep. David said if a lion or bear threatened his sheep he killed them.
The shepherd keeps count of the sheep. In a parable, Jesus said if a man has a hundred sheep and one gets lost, he leaves the herd to find the lost. The shepherd inspects each sheep for the quality of the wool.
The shepherd talks with his sheep so they know his voice. Not only that the shepherd knows sheep. The shepherd trains the sheep to stay in the herd. Their sheep are obedient
to the commands of the shepherd.
This is what Jesus is to his followers and much more. Jesus said I am the good Shepherd.
A shepherd only has two eyes. But Jesus has eyes everywhere. A shepherd has to sleep. But Jesus never sleeps or slumbers. A shepherd can be overpowered, but Jesus has unlimited power. A shepherd can only be in one place. But Jesus is in every place all the time. A shepherd sees a danger and reacts, but Jesus knows the danger before it is a danger.
A shepherd leads the sheep to food and water. Jesus brings food and water to
the sheep.
Who would you want to protect you?
Sheep are valuable to its owner. You are valuable to Jesus.
Sheep produce valuable products. You have valuable products
Love
Compassion
Obedience
The works of your hands
Service
WHY YOU NEED A SHEPHERD?
YOU DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH
YOU CAN ONLY SEE NOW
YOU CAN’T PROTECT YOURSELF FROM UNKNOWN DANGERS
YOU DO NOT HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE CIRCUMSTANCES
YOU CAN’T MAKE ALL THINGS WORK FOR YOUR GOOD
THERE IS BUT ONE WHO LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR YOU
JESUS IS THE ONLY DOOR TO HEAVEN
The b part of Psalms 23:1 is YOU SHALL NOT WANT.
You need a shepherd for all your needs. You need a shepherd for
all your desires.
You need a shepherd to guide and direct you
You need a shepherd to protect you
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
Rev. M. Mitchell
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