SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to the Redemption Church Podcast.
SPEAKER_00: Our church in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, that exists to glorify God for the fulfillment of the Great Commission in the Spirit of the Great Commandment.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us today.
SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you for that.
SPEAKER_01: That's very kind.
SPEAKER_01: My own church doesn't even greet me like that.
SPEAKER_01: And uh so thank you.
SPEAKER_01: It it's a treat to be here.
SPEAKER_01: Um, Mike and I, Pastor Mike, uh, we have history.
SPEAKER_01: We went to school together, and uh and I've seen what the Lord has done in his life, and that man has come a long way.
SPEAKER_01: And uh praise the Lord for that.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure like your church, much like mine, uh, has had its ups and downs in the last couple years.
SPEAKER_01: COVID has been difficult, life happens, and uh so it's just a joy.
SPEAKER_01: Uh just a joy to be with you here this morning.
SPEAKER_01: A joy to hear uh what he presented as odd, but I actually found very refreshing.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: We worship a perfect Lord, and so we want to make much of him this morning, and so uh, like was already said, if you have your Bibles, I'm gonna invite you to go uh to Psalm 23.
SPEAKER_01: I don't want to waste a ton of time here, uh, but kind of get into it.
SPEAKER_01: And so Psalm 23 is one of my favorite passages uh in scripture, it's one that I've often come back to.
SPEAKER_01: It's been transformative in my own development and even in the development of my family, and and so you you have a chance to kind of see them up here.
SPEAKER_01: Uh I brought a picture of them with me here this morning, and so you're gonna see uh my lovely wife Jen, uh, who is beside me there, and then I have two two children, and um and and they're psychopaths.
SPEAKER_01: They they look cute in that picture, uh, but they are insane.
SPEAKER_01: And uh and so Callum is stronger than I am at the age of seven, and Nora has uh the ability, um I'm sure those of you who have kids, particularly dads, if you have daughters, uh, they perfect the puppy dog face.
SPEAKER_01: And she is the most manipulative child that I have ever encountered, and she can make me melt with her big blue eyes, and uh, but they're sweet, sweet kids.
SPEAKER_01: And we have the as uh as sure most parents who believe in Jesus and and want to raise their kids in the way that they would uh have them go and worship the Lord too.
SPEAKER_01: Uh we've been praying for our kids' salvation from the day they were born.
SPEAKER_01: And uh and by God's grace, at young ages, they they know the gospel, they believe in Jesus, but but they're far from perfect, just like I'm far from perfect.
SPEAKER_01: They're there are works in progress, and we're working out our salvation in fear and trembling, like scripture says.
SPEAKER_01: And and so my son will often come to me and he'll say, Hey Dad, can I have like a God talk?
SPEAKER_01: And that's those are that's music to my ears.
SPEAKER_01: Like the basement could be flooding, and you just accept that.
SPEAKER_01: You go and sit with your son and you talk about Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: He's asking for it, and I don't want to waste that.
SPEAKER_01: And so uh right away I stop what I'm doing, I go sit with him.
SPEAKER_01: And we've been in this rhythm lately where he believes in Jesus, he loves Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, it's neat to see spiritual disciplines being formed in his life and memorizing scripture and applying it.
SPEAKER_01: And uh for a seven-year-old, I'm so impressed.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, but he has a lot of questions as for why, beyond just not going to hell, why are we Christians?
SPEAKER_01: Why do we do what we do?
SPEAKER_01: It's a good question to ask us here this morning.
SPEAKER_01: You know, why are you a Christian?
SPEAKER_01: Why do you believe in Jesus?
SPEAKER_01: Uh growing up, a huge compelling argument for me was I didn't want to go to hell.
SPEAKER_01: You know, as a five-year-old, that was pretty much all it was for me at that point is heaven, hell seems pretty straightforward.
SPEAKER_01: You know, but though that doesn't get you very far because life is hard.
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure you guys have experienced it much like I have in the last couple of years, especially that life is incredibly difficult.
SPEAKER_01: And if your hope is in something that comes after you die, then it makes the present kind of lonely.
SPEAKER_01: And and maybe you're here this morning and you've been wrestling with that question much like I have for times in my Christian life, is why do I why am I here on a Sunday morning when my friends are getting ready to watch football?
SPEAKER_01: Why am I here?
SPEAKER_01: Or on a Sunday morning when my kids could be at their hockey practice, why are we here?
SPEAKER_01: Why do we do what we do?
SPEAKER_01: And Psalm 23, particular verse 1, is the passage we're going to look at here this morning.
SPEAKER_01: I think seeks to address that very question.
SPEAKER_01: It seeks to address why it is we do what we do.
SPEAKER_01: And so I sat down with my son.
SPEAKER_01: We were sitting on the couch, and uh, and I shared with him a story from when I was nine or ten years old.
SPEAKER_01: And uh, and as a nine or a ten-year-old, I I hated church.
SPEAKER_01: Didn't didn't like it at all.
SPEAKER_01: Um I would sit in the seat, a message went over my head, worship seemed contrived, um, it seemed like an adult thing.
SPEAKER_01: It didn't seem like something geared to 10-year-olds.
SPEAKER_01: And uh, but what I did love was when my parents, highly social individuals, uh, after the service, would go talk to their friends for half an hour, and then I got to go goof around with my friends.
SPEAKER_01: And so some of you, uh, you might have done this as a kid.
SPEAKER_01: Um we did it all the time when I was nine, ten years old.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, you'd find a pop can and you'd crush it, and then you'd immediately just start playing soccer in the hallway.
SPEAKER_01: Or in wintertime, you would fold your glove up and kind of create another little soccer ball, and and you'd you'd kick it, we'd take our shoes off, they would be goalposts, and me and my four or five friends, we would find a classroom in the back of our church and we would just play until our parents came and got us.
SPEAKER_01: That was the extent of Christianity for me as a 10-year-old.
SPEAKER_01: It was soccer after church.
SPEAKER_01: And being 10 years old, soccer rarely stayed soccer, we were hockey people, and so soccer had body checking in it as well.
SPEAKER_01: And you can tell by my frame, I'm not petite.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: This this body was designed for manual labor and for running people over.
SPEAKER_01: And that's why I exist.
SPEAKER_01: My friend, on the other hand, uh, his name was Matt.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, to this day, as a 35-year-old, you can put your pinky and your thumb together, and his wrist will fit in that hole.
SPEAKER_01: Tiny little man.
SPEAKER_01: Um great guy, but tiny.
SPEAKER_01: And we are with this particular Sunday, I was sharing with my son, you know, it was the very first Sunday in our new church.
SPEAKER_01: We'd been meeting in a school, we had built this brand new facility.
SPEAKER_01: The church has literally been three hours old.
SPEAKER_01: We had just met, and me and my friends, we found a black back classroom, and uh, we were playing soccer, we're kicking a glove around, and Matt came outside the crease.
SPEAKER_01: And that's a no-no.
SPEAKER_01: You don't do that, Matt.
SPEAKER_01: And so I came flying across, and like any good enforcer does, just a clean check.
SPEAKER_01: Just a clean body check, no need for NHL player safety, shoulder to shoulder.
SPEAKER_01: The problem being, Matt fits in this hole.
SPEAKER_01: And so Matt went through the first sheet of drywall, uh, went through the standard 16-inch gap between your studs, and out the other sheet of drywall.
SPEAKER_01: And it was at that point when I told my parents and I told the pastor, uh, and that week I'm back at the church and I'm learning how to do drywall.
SPEAKER_01: I'm with the caretaker and we're filling this mat-sized hole in this classroom wall.
SPEAKER_01: And my youth pastor is sitting and talking to me as I'm trying to kind of mud and tape this patch that we've created, and he's asking me this question, you know, Mark, why are you here?
SPEAKER_01: Why do you why are you here?
SPEAKER_01: If if what you live to is play hockey and just destroy your friends, then why do that here on a Sunday?
SPEAKER_01: And and he brought to me this passage, he brought to me Psalm 23, verse 1, and I shared this with my son and answered the question, and here's what I would believe that God would have for us here this morning is the answer to the question why you are a Christian is made very plain and simple in Psalm 23, verse 1.
SPEAKER_01: The reason why we are here, the reason we worship, the reason we do what we do is exists purely and can be answered perfectly in this one verse.
SPEAKER_01: And so we want to look at it this morning.
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna take a lot of time to really pull it apart and stretch it apart, and we'll acknowledge the rest of the psalm, because the rest of the psalm is real important, but it's important we get it in the right sequence.
SPEAKER_01: And so let me read it for us, and then let's pray, and uh, and then let's dive into this together and let's answer this question.
SPEAKER_01: You know, why is it that we are Christians?
SPEAKER_01: Why is it that we do what we do?
SPEAKER_01: So here we go, Psalm 23, you can follow along, verse 1.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
SPEAKER_01: 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.
SPEAKER_01: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
SPEAKER_01: Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
SPEAKER_01: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
SPEAKER_01: You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.
SPEAKER_01: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
SPEAKER_01: Father, we thank you here this morning.
SPEAKER_01: We thank you for your word, we thank you for your love, we thank you for your kindness.
SPEAKER_01: God, I was reminded this week, just in my time with you, God.
SPEAKER_01: I'm just, I love that verse in Romans, Father, where it talks about your loving kindness leads us to repentance.
SPEAKER_01: God, you're not a harsh God.
SPEAKER_01: You're you're a kind soul.
SPEAKER_01: And God, it's your love that seeks to bring us to that place of recognition and acknowledgement of who you are.
SPEAKER_01: And so, God, I pray that that would be true here this morning.
SPEAKER_01: Would we lovingly look at your word to understand your heart for what it is that you would have for us while we're here on this planet?
SPEAKER_01: God, help us understand what you what you have for us, what your word would say to us this morning.
SPEAKER_01: Speak to us.
SPEAKER_01: We ask these things in your name.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: So here's some background.
SPEAKER_01: Psalm 23.
SPEAKER_01: Uh things we need to know.
SPEAKER_01: Number one, it's the most celebrated psalm, probably the most celebrated scripture in the entire Bible.
SPEAKER_01: It's read at funerals, it's read at weddings.
SPEAKER_01: Up until just a few generations ago, it was read in our public schools.
SPEAKER_01: You would sing the national anthem and you would read Psalm 23.
SPEAKER_01: The problem is that I think a lot of people misunderstand the point of it.
SPEAKER_01: David wrote this Psalm.
SPEAKER_01: David was a shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: Imagery of a shepherd is very important.
SPEAKER_01: We know the first verse, right?
SPEAKER_01: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
SPEAKER_01: And it's this idea that Jesus is the sheep and we are the shepherd, or sorry, Jesus is the shepherd and we are the sheep, and we have to understand that dynamic.
SPEAKER_01: The problem is that the most of us, we look at verses 2 through 6 and we assume that they're automatic.
SPEAKER_01: We assume that when we read things about being made to lie down, when we read about restoration, being led on paths of righteousness, not fearing evil, God's presence with us at all times, all these things, all these good and right things, we assume that they're automatic if we say that we're Christian.
SPEAKER_01: And this is what the world largely does, right?
SPEAKER_01: I mean, how many of us know people who claim to be Christians, but aren't really walking, aren't really invested, and then burn out and get frustrated when they look at verses two through six and see that they're not really realities in their life.
SPEAKER_01: It's very common.
SPEAKER_01: It can be common for the Christian.
SPEAKER_01: And so we have David who writes this psalm, and he writes it in a very specific way, because it's meant to have verse one as your premise.
SPEAKER_01: Verse one is what tees everything up, and if you get verse one right, then you get verses two through six.
SPEAKER_01: You have to understand verse one, though.
SPEAKER_01: Two through six do not come automatically by just saying you are something.
SPEAKER_01: There's something very important in verse one that we need to understand.
SPEAKER_01: And so David wrote this, ironically, at the very end of his life, and as a reflection of saying, based on his relationship with the Lord, based on his walk with the Lord, this is what he experienced.
SPEAKER_01: And so our goal here this morning is to kind of look at this thesis, this verse one, look at what David experienced himself and then see how does it translate for us.
SPEAKER_01: And so as we do that, here's the thing we we need to understand.
SPEAKER_01: Let me read the verse and then let's talk about what I shall not want really means.
SPEAKER_01: It says, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
SPEAKER_01: So it's a question of supply, right?
SPEAKER_01: I shall not want means that there are inherently things that I get from being a Christian.
SPEAKER_01: I shall not want means that there is some sort of need that I no longer have because I believe in Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: The question is, what is that?
SPEAKER_01: What do we get from being a Christian?
SPEAKER_01: What's the incentive?
SPEAKER_01: Why?
SPEAKER_01: Remember our question: why are we Christians?
SPEAKER_01: And so let's talk about what it's not.
SPEAKER_01: Here's the first thing that I would suggest.
SPEAKER_01: The first thing is not is that being a Christian does not automatically make you rich.
SPEAKER_01: I don't know about you, I am not rich.
SPEAKER_01: I've been a Christian a long time.
SPEAKER_01: There's this entire segment of Christianity, and you've probably heard of this before, prosperity gospel.
SPEAKER_01: How many of us have heard that term?
SPEAKER_01: Many of us, right?
SPEAKER_01: Name it and claim it.
SPEAKER_01: If you have enough faith, it'll happen.
SPEAKER_01: Pray enough, it'll come.
SPEAKER_01: It's just not biblical.
SPEAKER_01: It's not how God operates.
SPEAKER_01: The very people that God targeted, that Jesus targeted in his ministry here on earth was poor people, widows, orphans, sick.
SPEAKER_01: And they had life-changing events.
SPEAKER_01: They met Jesus and everything changed.
SPEAKER_01: But it wasn't automatic that all of a sudden they were rich.
SPEAKER_01: You know, the Son of Man had no place to lay his head.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus himself was more or less homeless.
SPEAKER_01: Him and his disciples were nomadic.
SPEAKER_01: They traveled around, they didn't accumulate wealth.
SPEAKER_01: And so we need to put to rest that when we read this, and I know people who have read this, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
SPEAKER_01: That must mean I'm without want.
SPEAKER_01: I get everything I want.
SPEAKER_01: I get everything I need.
SPEAKER_01: I have all the money that I need to make me happy.
SPEAKER_01: It's just not true.
SPEAKER_01: Scripture tells us the exact opposite.
SPEAKER_01: The love of money is the root of all evil.
SPEAKER_01: Scripture doesn't suggest at all that you will be wealthy if you're a Christian.
SPEAKER_01: Here's the second thing.
SPEAKER_01: Not only does not want mean that you won't be rich, it also doesn't mean you'll always be healthy.
SPEAKER_01: I have a very good friend.
SPEAKER_01: I'm in a small group with him actually, uh, has the same name as me.
SPEAKER_01: And um he grew up in a church where they would uh put you in a room if you were sick and they would pray over that room and you couldn't come out until you were healed.
SPEAKER_01: It's not biblical.
SPEAKER_01: Because you are sick does not mean that you're not a Christian.
SPEAKER_01: And because you're a Christian doesn't mean that you won't get sick.
SPEAKER_01: My grandmother, uh fantastic lady, uh, just passed away on Christmas Day, 93 years old.
SPEAKER_01: I got I brought a picture.
SPEAKER_01: This is the back.
SPEAKER_01: Um, this is the back of her funeral brochure, I'll call it.
SPEAKER_01: Psalm 23 was her favorite passage.
SPEAKER_01: And you look at the list, okay, on the right-hand side, you have Psalm 23 written out, and then all kind of the categories of blessing that are inherent in it.
SPEAKER_01: You have rest when he makes you lie down, refreshment when he leads you, restoration when he restores your soul, guidance when he leads me on paths of righteousness.
SPEAKER_01: You can go through it.
SPEAKER_01: Confidence, companionship, comfort, satisfaction, protection.
SPEAKER_01: She experienced all of these things.
SPEAKER_01: All of these things.
SPEAKER_01: She was the most godly woman I ever knew.
SPEAKER_01: 93 years following the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Unbelievable woman, but died incredibly sick.
SPEAKER_01: The last decade of her life was awful.
SPEAKER_01: Dementia, mobility issues, heart issues, lung issues, it just never ended.
SPEAKER_01: Healthy people who love Jesus should not assume that they will always be healthy.
SPEAKER_01: And yet, some of us, that's what we believe.
SPEAKER_01: That if I know Jesus, that if I can, if my faith is strong enough, he's gonna preserve me, all of us are gonna die one day.
SPEAKER_01: You're not always gonna be healthy.
SPEAKER_01: My wife, right now, again, unbelievably godly woman, has an incredible Iron Man streak of being in the Word every day.
SPEAKER_01: I see it come out in her prayer, I see it as she interacts with our kids.
SPEAKER_01: Fantastic woman.
SPEAKER_01: Has some serious health stuff going on right now.
SPEAKER_01: Is gonna be seeing specialists for her heart this week.
SPEAKER_01: Godly woman, but very sick.
SPEAKER_01: Christian life's hard.
SPEAKER_01: And it brings us to our third thing.
SPEAKER_01: Not only should you not assume that I shall not want, doesn't mean you're gonna be rich.
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't mean you're gonna be healthy.
SPEAKER_01: Here's the last thing, it doesn't mean you're always gonna be happy.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, the opposite, the Christian life, you should expect a degree of suffering.
SPEAKER_01: When you look at James chapter 1, 1 Peter chapter 1, 2 Corinthians chapter 1, even Romans 8, we're told time and time again that all of creation is groaning, we're waiting.
SPEAKER_01: Life is hard.
SPEAKER_01: Hebrews chapter 12, verse 10 says, the Lord disciplines those he loves.
SPEAKER_01: There is something inherent in the Christian life that yes, sin has affected everything and we suffer because of that, but because of that, God can still use those things to refine us, to discipline us, to change us.
SPEAKER_01: A Christian life should not just be static.
SPEAKER_01: It's a dynamic thing where there's peaks and valleys, and the good news is God's in it all.
SPEAKER_01: And so here's the question.
SPEAKER_01: So what does it mean then?
SPEAKER_01: So I shall not want what?
SPEAKER_01: What does that mean?
SPEAKER_01: And here's the alternative.
SPEAKER_01: And here's the question or the answer to our question.
SPEAKER_01: Why is it that we're Christians?
SPEAKER_01: Why is it that we do what we do?
SPEAKER_01: Here's what Psalm 23, verse 1 says.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, your relationship with the Lord is so vibrant, it is so dynamic, and is so heartfelt and personal that your soul requires nothing else for its survival.
SPEAKER_01: You don't need idols.
SPEAKER_01: You don't need other things to make you happy, healthy.
SPEAKER_01: You don't need those things.
SPEAKER_01: Christ is enough.
SPEAKER_01: That's what David is telling us here this morning, that the reason that we are Christians, it's not so we can get everything in verses 2 through 6.
SPEAKER_01: Primarily, it's so that we can get Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: That He's enough for us, that He's all we need.
SPEAKER_01: And yet, so many of us, we go through the Christian life and we tend to flip the verses around.
SPEAKER_01: We look for rest, we look for comfort, we look for guidance, we look for blessing in all these areas, and we put it as the goal ahead of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: But here's the scary reality for us here this morning is that without Jesus, there is no two through six.
SPEAKER_01: The rest of Scripture does not apply if you don't have Jesus as the sole shepherd of your heart.
SPEAKER_01: That is the answer to our question.
SPEAKER_01: Why is it that you are a Christian?
SPEAKER_01: It's because of who Jesus is.
SPEAKER_01: That your walk with him is so vibrant and is so powerful that he satisfies your soul.
SPEAKER_01: It's a powerful, powerful image.
SPEAKER_01: And so to understand that, we need to understand the dynamic between a shepherd and a sheep.
SPEAKER_01: That's the first part, right?
SPEAKER_01: We know the I shall not want another shepherd, but the Lord is my shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: Here's some observations.
SPEAKER_01: Number one, it's personal.
SPEAKER_01: Notice that it's my shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: It's not our shepherd, it's not a collective, it's not a distant thing, it's it's intimate.
SPEAKER_01: It's personal.
SPEAKER_01: He's my shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: Here's another thing.
SPEAKER_01: Uh sheep, um, I don't know how to put it more delicately right now, but but sheep are incredibly dumb.
SPEAKER_01: Those of you who have known, I'd highly recommend Philip Keller's book, A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm, uh, is uh life-changing when you understand what a sheep truly is.
SPEAKER_01: Here's some observations from his book.
SPEAKER_01: Number one, uh, sheep are the only animal that have to be led at all times.
SPEAKER_01: They need supervision, they need babysitting all the time.
SPEAKER_01: They're the only farm animal that requires that.
SPEAKER_01: They are the only animal that can literally kill themselves by overeating.
SPEAKER_01: They can eat so much, and if they lie down, their stomach expands and gases are created, and their stomachs literally explode and they die.
SPEAKER_01: They're the only animal that if they lay down at an incorrect angle are physically unable to get up, and that someone has to literally pick them up and put them back on their feet.
SPEAKER_01: They're the only animal that will blindly follow another one of its kind, another sheep, for no apparent reason.
SPEAKER_01: They're the only animal that when they eat, they can only stay in the same field for a few days at a time because their waste will kill their fellow sheep.
SPEAKER_01: Sheep are unbelievable.
SPEAKER_01: Ignorant.
SPEAKER_01: They're incredibly naive and they require constant attention and care.
SPEAKER_01: There's a fascinating show.
SPEAKER_01: I can't remember the name of it.
SPEAKER_01: It's on Amazon Prime.
SPEAKER_01: You can go home and look it up.
SPEAKER_01: Amazon Prime is this Irish lady, and she's a modern-day shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: Her life is insane.
SPEAKER_01: Everything revolves around these sheep.
SPEAKER_01: She gets no sleep.
SPEAKER_01: It'll be two in the morning, and she has to be up supervising and caring and ensuring that they're safe, that some are laying down.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you look at the rest of the psalm, look at the implication.
SPEAKER_01: You know, he makes me lie down.
SPEAKER_01: Do you understand what that actually means?
SPEAKER_01: That sheep are capable of over-exerting themselves to the point of danger.
SPEAKER_01: So a shepherd sometimes has to tie their legs.
SPEAKER_01: Or worst case scenario, certainly in Bible times, break one of their legs so that they would actually lay down and rest.
SPEAKER_01: He leads us beside Stillwell.
SPEAKER_01: Why?
SPEAKER_01: Because you will drink that dirty, polluted, waste-filled puddle water in your field and kill yourself.
SPEAKER_01: You look at the rest of it, he restores my soul, even though I walk to the valley of Shepherd, the rod and the staff.
SPEAKER_01: Do you understand the implications of that for a shepherd?
SPEAKER_01: One is correction and one is safety.
SPEAKER_01: As sheep, we are constantly putting ourselves in harm's way.
SPEAKER_01: We need a shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: We need that personal, the Lord is my shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: And until a sheep we understand that, we can't fully expect to experience the Christian life to the fullest.
SPEAKER_01: Because here's the problem: sheep are incredibly stubborn.
SPEAKER_01: And here's what I've observed, and this comes from my own life.
SPEAKER_01: That the times when I am furthest from the Lord, it's because even though I'm a sheep, I think I'm the shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: It's the number one thing preventing me from living the Christian life to the fullest.
SPEAKER_01: There's role reversal there when I think that I know it's best.
SPEAKER_01: That's pride.
SPEAKER_01: That's stubbornness.
SPEAKER_01: It gets in the way of a personal relationship with Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord is my shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: I am not the shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: I need to recognize I am what I am.
SPEAKER_01: I'm a sheep, and I need a lot of help.
SPEAKER_01: And so here's two things that I would suggest for us.
SPEAKER_01: Here's the alternative, two things that help us understand how do we make the Lord our shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: Number one is this: it's confidence.
SPEAKER_01: Do you hear that?
SPEAKER_01: The Lord is my shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: It's a matter of fact.
SPEAKER_01: David went to his grave confident that the Lord was who he said he was, that the Lord was going to be faithful to keep his promises.
SPEAKER_01: I saw this in my grandmother.
SPEAKER_01: Couldn't talk by the end, couldn't move by the end, but confident as anything, never shaken.
SPEAKER_01: Confident that the Lord was her shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: A sheep requires a degree of confidence that God is who he says he is.
SPEAKER_01: We need that this morning to experience the full Christian life.
SPEAKER_01: We need to be confident.
SPEAKER_01: Here's the second thing I would suggest.
SPEAKER_01: Not only does a sheep need to be confident, we need to be self-controlled.
SPEAKER_01: And I think this is the hardest one.
SPEAKER_01: A sheep, we need to be self-controlled.
SPEAKER_01: You notice the language of I shall not want?
SPEAKER_01: It implies there's a choice.
SPEAKER_01: You and I this morning have a choice.
SPEAKER_01: When you got up this morning and came here, you had a choice if you were going to follow Jesus today.
SPEAKER_01: I hope you made the right choice.
SPEAKER_01: I shall not want.
SPEAKER_01: Requires great self-control.
SPEAKER_01: And I see this all the time in my life.
SPEAKER_01: I see it in the time of my kids.
SPEAKER_01: I see it in my own church.
SPEAKER_01: I see it in our culture.
SPEAKER_01: We love to self-medicate.
SPEAKER_01: We love to self-soothe.
SPEAKER_01: As I already said, I'm a big hockey player.
SPEAKER_01: When I get emotional, there's nothing like a couple of Bauer S3 Supremes that'll make my day feel better.
SPEAKER_01: Skates are expensive, by the way.
SPEAKER_01: Not a good thing to put my hope in.
SPEAKER_01: I see it in my kids.
SPEAKER_01: You know, when school is hard.
SPEAKER_01: My son just finished uh, it's called map testing.
SPEAKER_01: It's like provincial testing for private schools.
SPEAKER_01: He finished that.
SPEAKER_01: Every day he had to write like an hour-long test.
SPEAKER_01: One was reading, one was writing.
SPEAKER_01: Every day was a different subject.
SPEAKER_01: And by the end of the week, he was frazzled.
SPEAKER_01: You know what my son wants to do?
SPEAKER_01: He wants to escape.
SPEAKER_01: He wants to be in his room.
SPEAKER_01: He wants to be alone.
SPEAKER_01: He wants to live in a world where there are no problems.
SPEAKER_01: How many of us escape?
SPEAKER_01: You know, if we were honest, how many of us, and this just comes from the counseling ministry that I'm a part of, the addictions that we encounter?
SPEAKER_01: Drugs, alcohol, pornography, all of these things are ultimately a consequence of a lack of self-control, a lack of confidence that God is who he says he is.
SPEAKER_01: And it gets in the way of us living Psalm 23 to the fullest.
SPEAKER_01: Sheep, we need to be confident.
SPEAKER_01: We need to be convicted.
SPEAKER_01: We need to have a degree of self-control so that when we get up each day, we say to ourselves, the Lord is my shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: I shall not want.
SPEAKER_01: Paul tells us in Galatians that a fruit of the Spirit is self-control.
SPEAKER_01: It's evidence of the Spirit's work in your life that we as sheep are actually able to demonstrate self-control.
SPEAKER_01: I don't know about you, but I've been guilty of this as well.
SPEAKER_01: I used to pray a lot in my life, you know, God, give me humility.
SPEAKER_01: Do you understand that that's not actually a biblical prayer that Scripture tells me?
SPEAKER_01: The book of James tells me to just be humble.
SPEAKER_01: Some of us kind of wait, you know, God, help me be this.
SPEAKER_01: God help me to stop sinning.
SPEAKER_01: God, give me the strength.
SPEAKER_01: That's not biblical.
SPEAKER_01: You have the spirit in you, child of God.
SPEAKER_01: Have some self-control.
SPEAKER_01: Show the fruit of that walk with the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Be confident.
SPEAKER_01: Be self-controlled.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord is your shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: And so now let's look at how the shepherd then cares for us.
SPEAKER_01: Here is where the Christian life really comes alive.
SPEAKER_01: When you can come to that place where you can say, the Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing else competing for my heart.
SPEAKER_01: Here's what you should expect to see.
SPEAKER_01: And this comes out of the rest of our Psalm.
SPEAKER_01: Number one is this He leads us.
SPEAKER_01: We see it right there in verse 2 and 3.
SPEAKER_01: He makes me lie down in green pastures.
SPEAKER_01: He leads me beside still waters.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 3, He leads me in paths of righteousness.
SPEAKER_01: God is a shepherd that never leaves you.
SPEAKER_01: He leads you everywhere.
SPEAKER_01: A shepherd, it's fascinating when you study, and I really I recommend Philip Keller's book.
SPEAKER_01: He says the line there is not an unapproved piece of land that a sheep's foot touches.
SPEAKER_01: The shepherd has vetted it all.
SPEAKER_01: That's what leadership looks like.
SPEAKER_01: That even in your worst moment and in your best moment, God is with you.
SPEAKER_01: He's leading you through that.
SPEAKER_01: Tough times does not mean the absence of God.
SPEAKER_01: It's the presence and the even the approval of God in that to bring you through to whatever He has for you next.
SPEAKER_01: He leads us.
SPEAKER_01: That's so powerful.
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's so pivotal for a world that it is grasping for something that is tangible, that is readily translatable to our experiences.
SPEAKER_01: We need to be led.
SPEAKER_01: We need to have presence.
SPEAKER_01: We need to have someone bigger than ourselves walking with us.
SPEAKER_01: Our world desperately needs that.
SPEAKER_01: God promises us that.
SPEAKER_01: As a shepherd, he will promise to lead you through everything.
SPEAKER_01: Even through the valley of the shadow of death.
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to be afraid because why?
SPEAKER_01: God leads you.
SPEAKER_01: Here's the second thing.
SPEAKER_01: Not only does God lead you, he also protects you.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, we see that later in verse 6.
SPEAKER_01: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
SPEAKER_01: All the days of your life, you can have protection knowing that God's goodness and God's mercy go with you everywhere.
SPEAKER_01: That's so profound.
SPEAKER_01: That's so encouraging.
SPEAKER_01: When I get up in the morning and I look at the state of my life, when I look at the state of my church, when you get up and you do the same thing, imagine the difference it makes when you stop and think about that God's goodness and mercy are present with you today.
SPEAKER_01: That's powerful.
SPEAKER_01: He protects us.
SPEAKER_01: He walks with us.
SPEAKER_01: Here's the third thing: He feeds us.
SPEAKER_01: We were sitting around the dinner table the other night, and this is, I'm not saying this is the right way, this is just how our family has found a rhythm.
SPEAKER_01: The best way for us to have kind of a quick communal time in God's Word together is usually at dinner.
SPEAKER_01: Specifically dessert.
SPEAKER_01: Because dessert means that my kids have eaten their dinner and they're going to be real quiet for about five minutes.
SPEAKER_01: And so we capitalize on that time.
SPEAKER_01: And so on this particular night, we were having ice cream, and my kids are just chowing down, and we're going through our devotional.
SPEAKER_01: We're in Psalm 119, and we read the verse, Your words I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.
SPEAKER_01: And my son asked the question between bites God, why, or sorry, Dad, why does God's word keep us from sinning?
SPEAKER_01: That's a great question.
SPEAKER_01: As an adult, I've asked that question, why are devotions so essential for my Christian growth?
SPEAKER_01: And it hinges on this very question that in order for us to be fed, we have to ask ourselves the question, what are we eating?
SPEAKER_01: Because we're going to expect to live out of the byproduct of what we consume.
SPEAKER_01: And so if I feed on media, if I feed on sports, if I feed on X or Y, I should expect the consequential fruit of that.
SPEAKER_01: But what Psalm 919 tells me, and what we were able to talk about around the dinner table that night, was when we feed on scripture, our mind innately becomes aware and attuned and full of it.
SPEAKER_01: And the more full and the more competent and the more capacity you have to digest scripture, the less likely you're going to experience temptation or struggle with sin because you're acutely aware of what's going on.
SPEAKER_01: And so we've been testing that as a family.
SPEAKER_01: I've been watching my son as he memorizes scripture, and it's fascinating.
SPEAKER_01: Now, I'm not setting him up to be like a disciple.
SPEAKER_01: He's a seven-year-old.
SPEAKER_01: But it is interesting that when you memorize the fruit of the Spirit, and in a moment when he's having a tough time, when he's just punched his sister in the head, and you give him that look, he can connect the fruit that he needs pretty quickly.
SPEAKER_01: It's an awareness piece for him.
SPEAKER_01: And it's fascinating to see how God is already working in his heart, helping him have self-control.
SPEAKER_01: This is what the Christian life requires.
SPEAKER_01: That God leads us, he protects us, and he feeds us on his word, and I would argue, equally important, through prayer.
SPEAKER_01: The question I always ask myself, it's a question I always ask my counselees when I'm sitting down and we're doing counseling is there is always a correlation between their spiritual health and their overall satisfaction in life, and the amount to which they are in God's word in praying.
SPEAKER_01: It's the same correlation every time.
SPEAKER_01: Low devotional, low prayer time, very little satisfaction in life.
SPEAKER_01: The two go hand in hand.
SPEAKER_01: So here's the last thing, probably the most important.
SPEAKER_01: Our shepherd loves us.
SPEAKER_01: We see this come through the entire Psalm, that everything this shepherd is doing is an act of service for his sheep.
SPEAKER_01: Psalm 23 is the mantra of what Christ will do for his sheep.
SPEAKER_01: That if you can get to the place where the Lord is the sole shepherd of your heart, you can expect an unbelievable amount of love in your life.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you consider what happened in Genesis chapter 3.
SPEAKER_01: Sin enters the world and it wrecks everything.
SPEAKER_01: I'm now sinning against others, others are sinning against me.
SPEAKER_01: All of creation is fractured.
SPEAKER_01: We have things like natural disasters and death, horrible things in our world.
SPEAKER_01: We have spiritual attack that's happening.
SPEAKER_01: All of this was not part of the original design.
SPEAKER_01: And you consider that God, after everything that we had done to corrupt what he had created, still chose to send a perfect son, a perfect shepherd, to die on a cross.
SPEAKER_01: And as he hung there, he had Mark Hosh's sin at the front of his mind.
SPEAKER_01: He had your sin at the front of his mind.
SPEAKER_01: Each and every act and deed and thought that you and I commit that is sinful was present and he was aware of on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: And when he died and rose again, not only did he satisfy God's wrath, he gave us an opportunity to be directly in relationship with God again.
SPEAKER_01: That's the significance of the curtain tearing, right?
SPEAKER_01: The Holy of Holies is open.
SPEAKER_01: You and I can directly go to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: And so if we do what Scripture tells us to do, to believe in Him, that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive.
SPEAKER_01: That's the good news that we have.
SPEAKER_01: That's the love that is available for us here today.
SPEAKER_01: God loves you.
SPEAKER_01: He sent His Son to die for you, that if you would put your faith in Him, that if you would repent of your sin, you will be protected, you will be led, you will be fed, and you will be loved until you're in His presence.
SPEAKER_01: None of that happens if He's not the shepherd of your heart.
SPEAKER_01: That's why we do what we do.
SPEAKER_01: And so today here's what I would suggest for us.
SPEAKER_01: When we ask ourselves, where do we go from here?
SPEAKER_01: Why is this relevant?
SPEAKER_01: John chapter 10, verse 27.
SPEAKER_01: One verse written for sheep.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is expanding upon the metaphor, and you know, he's the good shepherd, and we are the sheep.
SPEAKER_01: This is what he says in verse 27.
SPEAKER_01: He says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
SPEAKER_01: If you're here this morning and you don't know Jesus, I pray that you will have conversation, that you will come talk to me.
SPEAKER_01: I would love to tell you more about how he loves you and how he seeks to care for you and lead you and all these things that Psalm 23 talks about, but we need to get to the place where you can acknowledge that you need a shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about that.
SPEAKER_01: For those of you here, and I put myself in this category.
SPEAKER_01: You've been following Jesus for a while.
SPEAKER_01: Two questions I want to ask you.
SPEAKER_01: Number one, right out of the text, can you hear his voice?
SPEAKER_01: How's your conscience these days?
SPEAKER_01: How are you seeing God at work in your midst?
SPEAKER_01: Can you see what he's doing in your family and your friends and your workplace?
SPEAKER_01: Can you hear and see what he's up to?
SPEAKER_01: And the second question I ask is, are you following him?
SPEAKER_01: Are you following through on what he's calling you to?
SPEAKER_01: Do you need to be reconciled to a loved one?
SPEAKER_01: Do you need to extend forgiveness to someone who's hurt you?
SPEAKER_01: What is it that you need to do today to be following what God is leading you to?
SPEAKER_01: You see, sheep need a shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: But the only way that that relationship is maintained is that we don't mix up those rules.
SPEAKER_01: As sheep, we're called to hear and follow.
SPEAKER_01: That's my prayer for us today.
SPEAKER_01: That's my prayer for myself today, is that you could answer the question.
SPEAKER_01: You know, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want another shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: Is your soul craving anything other than the Lord this morning?
SPEAKER_01: And if it is, answer those questions.
SPEAKER_01: Can you hear them?
SPEAKER_01: Are you is it your desire to follow him?
SPEAKER_01: I'd like to close this morning by just simply uh praying for us, um, but giving you an opportunity as well to uh to participate that as well.
SPEAKER_01: And so even while I'm praying or even in a moment here, feel free to just pray in your own heart as you think about those questions, as you think about who is in command of your heart right now.
SPEAKER_01: And maybe you need a bit of a self-diagnostic, a bit of a formula to kind of evaluate, okay, well, I am a Christian, but but am I living the Christian life to the fullest?
SPEAKER_01: Or am I in it just for the perks?
SPEAKER_01: Are you in it just to play soccer after school or after church?
SPEAKER_01: Are you in it for the sports?
SPEAKER_01: Are you in it for the social time?
SPEAKER_01: Are you in it for the support or the opportunity to be in a room and feel good about yourself because you're part of something bigger than you?
SPEAKER_01: All of those are good things, but they can't be the reason that you're here.
SPEAKER_01: It has to be because of the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: And so I want to pray for you here this morning and pray through uh this text before we close.
SPEAKER_01: Father, thank you for this morning.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for this time.
SPEAKER_01: God, I needed this message this week.
SPEAKER_01: Uh Lord, you know the state of my heart.
SPEAKER_01: You know I'm exhausted.
SPEAKER_01: You know the difficulties uh that my family is going through.
SPEAKER_01: God, you know the challenges that that Redemption New Market's going through.
SPEAKER_01: You know the people here in this room, you know the folks watching at home.
SPEAKER_01: You know what they woke up with and the challenges that they experienced this week.
SPEAKER_01: God, I'm thankful that you love us, that you protect us, that you feed us.
SPEAKER_01: God, I pray that if there's anyone here in this room here this morning that needs to know you, would your spirit work?
SPEAKER_01: God, don't let them leave without having an opportunity to have met with you.
SPEAKER_01: God, if there are some in the room that are tired like me this morning, God, I pray that your voice would be loud and clear.
SPEAKER_01: I pray that you would give them the courage and the strength to follow through on the things that you have called us to.
SPEAKER_01: God, help us.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, while you do not love us because of what we are, God, you you do call us to change.
SPEAKER_01: And so, God, I pray that you would help us to be confident, to demonstrate self-control, to put our faith solely in you so that we could experience a life here on earth that may not be perfect.
SPEAKER_01: We may not be wealthy, we may not be healthy, we may not be happy, but we will have a full and vibrant life because of you.
SPEAKER_01: And so, God, I pray that you would heal where you need to heal, that you would encourage where you would need to encourage, that you would spur on, where you need to spur on.
SPEAKER_01: And for every single soul in this room, Lord, I pray that before they leave, they will have had a meaningful point of interaction with you here today.
SPEAKER_01: God, help us all answer this question wisely.
SPEAKER_01: Is the Lord really our shepherd?
SPEAKER_01: And if not, God, would you give us uh a lot of goodness and mercy to navigate that, to repent of that, and to follow through on that.
SPEAKER_01: I thank you and praise you for all these things in your name.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you all so much for being here today.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, it's been, I hope, as much fun for you as it has been for me.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, it's good to be back.
SPEAKER_01: I'll be praying for you in your church.
SPEAKER_01: And uh above anything, go today knowing you are loved.
SPEAKER_01: We'll see you soon.