SPEAKER_00 0:11

Another shift is we're going to pause our look at the book of Acts. It's a little hard to keep up with a big series in the summer because you guys are here and you're gone and you're here and you're gone and we're here and we're gone and we're here and we're gonna we're all over the place. So we take a we take a break and we do different summer series. And so I'm looking forward to the weeks that I'm preaching. I'm gonna preach on Psalm 23. The weeks that Tim's preaching, he's gonna look at Romans 8, the weeks that Pete's preaching. I have no idea what he's gonna talk about, but he's gonna talk about what the Lord puts on his heart, so I'm looking forward to seeing where God leads him this summer. But I really look forward to the summer, and I'm really excited about taking some time in Psalm 23. So listen as I read through these verses. Psalm 23, a psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Take a deep breath. In ask that God would, in your mind and your heart, quiet the noise. Because you all came in here with a lot of noise, probably. I'm gonna read it again. Listen. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This is an incredible promise. These words from David here are not positive sync thinking. They're not empty platitudes. This is the story of David. This is the story of a sheep. It's the story of a sheep that's not unlike you and I. A sheep whose life had ups and downs, who had victories and defeats, who at times was God's faithful servant, used powerfully by God to lead his people, and at other times was a total mess with actions that led to shocking failure. These words were true for David. These words are true for us, and they're true for us thousands of years later because God has not changed. Our God remains true. These are promises from God, a God who is perfectly faithful, a God who's been then revealed perfectly in his Son Jesus Christ. Because we can read these words unlike David could through the lens of Christ, Christ being our shepherd, the good shepherd. Not long ago we were in John chapter 10, and we read these words. Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, but I come that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I don't know about you, but those words may have life and have it abundantly. That's something that my heart, my spirit, my soul longs for. Life abundant. Not just getting by, not oh, another week ticked off, but life abundant. And that life abundant that Jesus is promising, the life abundant that David celebrates in Psalm 23, is a life found in restored relationship with God our Father. And it's a relationship that was restored, that was made possible by Jesus, our Messiah, the one who did indeed lay down his life for the sheep. The promises we read in Psalm 23 are secured by the completed work of Christ on the cross. They find their fulfillment in Christ, and we live in the reality of these promises. And so, since it's the summer, we've got some time to slow down. We're going to spend five weeks on these verses. The first week, we're just simply going to do an introduction on the psalmist, David, looking at his life from just kind of a big, big picture of his life. Next time we'll be in this verse, which is a shocking statement. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Ever find yourself wanting? Who's pretty quick at navigating to Amazon? Want, right? Want, want. Facebook marketplace, want. It's constant. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. I have no one. I'm perfectly satisfied in him. Wow. So contrary to our nature, so full of the satisfaction that we need. Verses two and three, paths we can follow. Verses four and five, hope in life's darkest moments. Verse six, the joy we find in this moment of life that's before us, but also the joy that's set before us as we look toward eternal life. I'm really looking forward to spending some time in these truths together. So this week, an introduction, a look at the psalmist, the author, a psalm of David. And we actually know a lot about David. There's books of the Bible devoted to his life. The Bible gives us much information about him. Most famously, maybe you remember the story positively, David and Goliath. It's a famous one. Most of you know it or at least heard of it. Negatively, you can think of the story of David and Bathsheba. As you read through scripture, it's under David's military victories and leadership that the nation of Israel thrives. It's under David that the promises made to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12, the promises of a people, a land, and a nation in blessing. It's under David that these see amazing fulfillment. It's an incredible story. His life is an incredible story found in 1 and 2 Samuel. And the reason those books are called 1 and 2 Samuel is because it's Samuel the prophet that bridges the transition from when Israel has no king except God, the way they were supposed to. But then they want an earthly king, so God gives them Saul, and Samuel bridges that transition. And then he also bridges the transition between Saul and David. So this morning, looking at an introduction to David's life, we're going to look at it in three eras: the beginning of his life, the middle of his life, and the end of his life. In each era of his life, the words of Psalm 23 are true, and in each era of David's life, there's tremendous application and practical application for us. So let's get introduced to David. We find him, or we're introduced to him in 1 Samuel chapter 16, verse 1. The Lord said to Samuel, How long will you grieve over Saul since I had rejected him from being king over Israel? So Saul did a number of things to deserve God's rejection of him. He said, Fill your horn to Samuel, fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king from among his sons. So that's what Samuel does. He's obedient, he goes. He gets to Jesse's house, and Jesse parades the oldest in front of him. No, it's not him. Second, no, third, four. They go down all through the line. And then we get to these verses in ver chap starting in verse eleven. Then Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here. And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. Samuel rose up and went to Rama. So David, talking about his beginning, he had a humble beginning, didn't he? So he's the youngest son of a farmer. Is it kind of humorous how it talks about him? It's almost like he doesn't count. Jesse's like, or say, do you have any more sons? Oh, I do have one more. Yeah, he's out in the field. Do you ever feel like that as a middle child? Like there's the oldest and the youngest. You get lost in the middle. This is like the youngest, it's like he doesn't really even count. He's put in charge of the sheep, which wasn't a glamorous job, spends lots of time alone in the wilderness, and there he's learning things that would guide and lead him through the rest of his life. He's learning how to look after, care for, provide for, and protect sheep. Those who can't lead, guide, or if they can't provide for themselves, they can't protect themselves. So when David rejoices that the Lord is my shepherd in Psalm 23, he actually knows what he's talking about. When he identifies as a sheep, he's identifying as one who needs care and provision and guidance and help and protection. David is humble and obedient, and he's anointed by God to be king. He's anointed by God to be king, not because he has all the qualifications. Notice when he's anointed to be king. He comes like fresh off the field. As a young boy. A few weeks ago we talked about Peter and John and about how they have a pretty short, one-lined resume. It wasn't his accuracy with the sling. God was with David. That's what qualified him for leadership. And God's spirit in David was abundantly clear. As you follow the story, you see men being drawn to him. What are they drawn to? The spirit of God that's resting on David. As you continue to read the story, Saul starts to go mad, like an evil spirit's tormenting him, and he looks for someone to play music, and they bring in David because the spirit of the Lord is clearly upon him, and it's clearly coming forth in the music that he's playing. And then when the opportunity arises to defend the honor and name of the Lord, David does not hesitate. So he goes to see his brothers in battle, he hears about the taunt, he hears the taunts of Goliath, and he says, This to Saul, your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcilistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God. And David said, Look at this. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. What is David depending on in this moment? Is it his own strength or accuracy? Absolutely not. He's depending on the hand of the Lord to be with him. And Saul said to David, Go and the Lord be with you. David is not confident in himself, he is confident in God, and he slays the giant. He is humble and obedient and is immediately a national hero. After this astounding victory, Saul sends him into battle, and David's wildly successful. David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistines, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tambourines, with songs of joy, with musical instruments. And the women sang to one another as they celebrated. Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands. David's fame is growing. And he's continuing to be humble and obedient to the Lord. He's giving a God the credit, a God the glory. David's fame is growing. Saul's jealousy is keeping pace with that fame. Maybe you remember the story. And it's that Saul's jealousy, because he's impressive in himself and wants to be seen as the one having all the strength. It eventually undoes him. It destroys him. David is not taken up with himself. He's impressed with God. His life is lived in awe of God. He's overwhelmed with God's honor and prerogatives, his activities and purposes, and he sets himself up to give glory and honor to God, not himself. Early David is a beautiful thing. Looking at the beginning of his life, he is humble and obedient to the Lord. He allows the Lord to guide him. David is a sheep following the good shepherd. Beginning of his life, that's the story. A sheep following the good shepherd. It's God's care and provision that carry David through the downs. In the middle of David's life, there are just a lot of downs. He's just getting beat up. It carries him through the downs and the ups. David did not have it easy. First as a shepherd, not an easy job. He didn't have it easy as a national hero because he's constantly having to look at his back. He's got a target on his back from King Saul. He's hunted by Saul, persecuted by Saul, forced to flee, forced to hide, not for like days or weeks or months, for years. It's a wild story. Even though Saul is a mess, even though Saul clearly is not following the Lord and God's blessing has departed from Saul, David will not kill him. He will not usurp that authority. He is going to wait on God. He is going to be humble and obedient again, a sheep following the good shepherd. When David, when Saul dies in battle, David mourns for him, and then he turns to the Lord for guidance. After this, David inquired of the Lord. He said, Shall I go up into any of these cities of Judah? And the Lord said to him, Go up. David said, To which shall I go up? And he said, To Hebron. David is a sheep following the good shepherd. God, what should I do next? Not God, here's all my plans, bless them. God, what should I do next? And then he's obedient to what the Lord tells him to do. He's a man after God's own heart, filled with the Spirit of God, yielded to God, dependent of God. And then we read about the results of this dependence. Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus. So David is putting soldiers, he's putting government in place, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute, and the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. The result of David following the Lord is this. Then we're reading further on in chapter 8. Then he put garrisons in Edom. Throughout all Edom, he book garrisons, and all the Edomites became David's servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. So David reigned over all Israel, and David administered justice and equity to all his people. David yielded to the Lord, followed the Lord, listened to the Lord. And imagine how amazing it was to be a person in Israel at this time. You could say this of your government. It administered justice and equity, and all the people rejoiced, right? It's just a beautiful picture of a servant of God being used by God. Military victories, the delegation of leadership, impartial justice. He finally, totally, and finally and totally conquers the land, drives out all the Canaanites, expands the kingdom, and then rules it. The middle of David's life is beautiful, marked by dependence on God and strong leadership. David continues to be a sheep, and God abundantly blesses him. So it would be amazing if the story of David ended. 2 Samuel chapter 8. It doesn't. So let's read about what happens. We find out that David is far from perfect, and we see the huge consequences of not following the Lord, huge consequences of sin for him and the nation. So, chapter 10. And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore. So things are going great for the nation of Israel. In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab and his servants with him in all Israel. So the army goes out. They ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Arabah. They continue to do the work God has called them to do to conquer this land for God, that it would be God's place on this earth to be a blessing to the nation. So they're doing what they've been called to do. But David remained at Jerusalem, which sounds pretty harmless, doesn't it, when you read it? So he remained at Jerusalem. He, you know, he's kind of gotten a little older, you know, maybe he's not as fit as he used to be. He's quite as strong with the sword, and so he sends the young fit guys out into battle, and he hangs out. He slows down a bit. Retires from military battle. Maybe stops living on mission. And he stays home. He maintains he enjoys what he's built. Which sounds harmless. Except we know the story. His eyes start to drift. His heart strays. He is no longer a sheep following the good shepherd, but a sheep who's intentionally wandering and pursuing gratification of the flesh. Let's get to the story of Bathsheba, where he sees her, he lusts after her, steals her from her husband, sleeps with her, and when that leads to her being pregnant, he devises a scheme to cover it up. And when that doesn't work, he has her husband killed. I was talking with someone on Friday. Our neighbors had some friends in town and they were over. And I said, I'm a well, one of the things I do is I'm a pastor of a church, and he was interested in that. And he said, I said, so he said, so like you preach, and I said, Yeah, and I he said, Well, what are you preaching on this Sunday? I was like, Well, I I preaching on David, and he goes, He hasn't, he had no religious background, he's never been to church in his life, never had no idea what that story was, and so I got to share with him the five-minute version of this sermon, which is what you wish you had gotten, right? But he he was shocked when I told this story about David. Shocked. He's like, that's in the Bible? Yeah, and a whole lot more stuff. Shocking things, horrible things, things that reveal to us the nature and sin and what it does, what happens when we stop following the Good Shepherd, the consequences of that, the judgment of God for that. I don't want to assume you know this story, but the prophet Nathan comes and rebukes David for this sin. I'm going to read the whole passage. The Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, There are two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many. Many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing but one little ew lamb which he had bought, and he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guests who had cut to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him. Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity. Nathan said to David, You are the man. Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord to do what is evil in his sight? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife, and had killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this son, for you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the Son. David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. He admits it. He confesses, he repents. Nathan said to David, The Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die. Nevertheless, because of this deed you because of this die this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord. The child who was born to you shall die. Then Nathan went to his house. David despised the word of the Lord. He despised the Lord himself. Instead of being a sheep who followed, he was a sheep who wandered. And the consequences are tragic and disastrous. In chapter 12, the child dies. Chapter 13, in David's family with David's other children, lust, rape, murder. David does not render justice. Guilty party is exiled, but then returns, usurps David's power, and David is forced to flee. It's a total mess. It's a real story about real people, and it's a story about the real consequences of sin. They're ugly and they're tragic. Sins of commission, the ones you can easily see, like David and Bathsheba, sins of omission, equally deadly, harder to see when David didn't render appropriate justice. Sin has consequences. David stopped acting like a sheep with a good shepherd and thought, you know, I might figure this out on my own and just, you know, kind of wander. To tragic end with generational consequences. But we read about this beautiful verse in store, verse 13. David said to Nathan, I have sinned. David repents, and that is the key. That's what matters in his life. He realizes he need for the redemption. He realizes that redemption is possible, that none are too far gone, and that's why we read about David that he's a man after God's own heart. A man who was a sheep, who followed a good shepherd, who failed, who returned, who repented. You cannot outsin the grace of God. Certainly, if anyone could, David could have. If you look at the things he's done, you cannot outsun the grace of God because the ultimate price was paid. David needed us. David wasn't the savior. David needed a savior just like us. Jesus is that savior, David's and ours. So let's take a step back and think about these eras. Beginning, reminder, David. Young, humble, teachable, flat broke, obscure, right? The last son of a farmer, a sheep, following a good shepherd, filled with the Spirit of God. That's beautiful. And that continues into the middle of his life. He is dependent on God. We see him connected to godly leadership, leaders like Samuel and then Nathan. We see David following God on mission. He had a role, he had something to do. We also see David connected to godly peers. He goes out with an army, with men who could hold him accountable. David in the middle of his life, again, a sheep following the Good Shepherd. But then the end of his life, the sheep wanders off. He's got all the power, all the fame, all the fortune, but he begins to be disconnected from godly leadership. He begins to be disconnected from godly peers, right? They all go out to battle. He's home alone. Not living on mission. He starts to coast and to tragic end. So let's make this story personal. A sheep named, can you fill your name in that blank? Is Jesus your shepherd? Have you turned to him? It starts there. You have to turn to him. Jesus, I'm a sinner in need of a savior. And then you have an opportunity to like David, to follow him, to submit to him. Are you a sheep? Would that be said of your life? Someone who follows? Someone who's consumed with their Lord, with their God? Submitted to his leadership, allowing him to lead, humble and dependent? Are you connected to godly leadership? This church or some other church, but you need to be connected to godly leadership. You need to find a church. If it's not this one, let us help you find another one. I pray it's this one, and we would love to help lead you to Christ. Help you follow Christ. Are you connected to others? Are there people in your life who can hold you accountable? Do you have relationships built where they can see what's going on in your life and help to steer you away from it? I love the men's breakfast. I had to miss another one yesterday. It drove me crazy. But that's an opportunity that we have, men to come together, hold each other accountable. We need that. Are you living on mission? Or are you coasting? Enjoying what you built. As you get older, that can it seems like that can be the tendency. You have some financial stability, some financial freedom. And you can just kind of turn in and coast. Make life all about you. I ran into someone this week, and that's the story they were telling. Enjoying what we've built. And it was a lot of going on cruises and bouncing from here to there, and it didn't sound like any sort of accountability or godly leadership or any sort of mission. And to me, it's it did not seem like I mean contrast that. Yesterday I got to go to a memorial service for someone who ended well. It was awesome. Using the later years in life, using some of that freedom and that stability to invest in people, to invest in those who needed it. Following Jesus, a sheep who followed the shepherd through all of it. That's our opportunity. The blessings of being a sheep are incredible. Listen again. The Lord is my shepherd. I have no want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Join me in praying that this would be true of us. God, I pray that we would be sheep who follow a good shepherd, not sheep who wander, not sheep who make our own plan, not sheep who get consumed with this world and the things going on around us, but God, we would follow you. And God, I pray that we would do that whether it's in the be like right now, and we're flat broke and humble, and it's pretty obvious that we need you, God, that we would follow you then in the middle of life through ups and downs. God, I pray that you would help us to follow you. And God, if it's toward the end of life when maybe we're getting ready to just cruise, getting ready to coast, Lord, I pray that in all of those phases of our lives, God, we would we would follow you. We would submit to you. God, we would wake up each day and say, Lord, what would you have for me today? And then, Lord, you would help us to be obedient to what you've called us to. And God, we want to be characterized as kind of like John and Peter, Peter, those who've spent time with Jesus, like David, those who are filled with the Spirit of God. Lord, I pray you'd help us uh to be the kind of sheep that you can use. And uh Lord, we're so thankful for your promises like those we read in Psalm 23. Pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.