WEBVTT 00:00:01.280 --> 00:00:04.080 Hello and welcome to the Redemption Church Podcast. 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:12.480 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. 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:14.080 Thanks for joining us today. 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:22.800 Well, thank you for that. 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:23.920 That's very kind. 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:26.399 My own church doesn't even greet me like that. 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:28.239 And uh so thank you. 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:29.839 It it's a treat to be here. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.600 Um, Mike and I, Pastor Mike, uh, we have history. 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:39.520 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. 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:41.439 And uh praise the Lord for that. 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:47.439 And I'm sure like your church, much like mine, uh, has had its ups and downs in the last couple years. 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:52.079 COVID has been difficult, life happens, and uh so it's just a joy. 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:54.479 Uh just a joy to be with you here this morning. 00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:59.439 A joy to hear uh what he presented as odd, but I actually found very refreshing. 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:00.000 Amen. 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:09.200 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. 00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:13.599 I don't want to waste a ton of time here, uh, but kind of get into it. 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:19.439 And so Psalm 23 is one of my favorite passages uh in scripture, it's one that I've often come back to. 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:26.879 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. 00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:39.359 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. 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:43.040 They they look cute in that picture, uh, but they are insane. 00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:56.480 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. 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:05.200 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. 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:15.039 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. 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:18.479 Uh we've been praying for our kids' salvation from the day they were born. 00:02:18.639 --> 00:02:26.479 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. 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:31.520 They're there are works in progress, and we're working out our salvation in fear and trembling, like scripture says. 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:36.960 And and so my son will often come to me and he'll say, Hey Dad, can I have like a God talk? 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:40.000 And that's those are that's music to my ears. 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:42.800 Like the basement could be flooding, and you just accept that. 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:45.120 You go and sit with your son and you talk about Jesus. 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:47.599 He's asking for it, and I don't want to waste that. 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:50.719 And so uh right away I stop what I'm doing, I go sit with him. 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:54.800 And we've been in this rhythm lately where he believes in Jesus, he loves Jesus. 00:02:54.879 --> 00:03:00.080 Uh, it's neat to see spiritual disciplines being formed in his life and memorizing scripture and applying it. 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:03.120 And uh for a seven-year-old, I'm so impressed. 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:10.240 Uh, but he has a lot of questions as for why, beyond just not going to hell, why are we Christians? 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:11.840 Why do we do what we do? 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:14.159 It's a good question to ask us here this morning. 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:16.000 You know, why are you a Christian? 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:18.479 Why do you believe in Jesus? 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:24.479 Uh growing up, a huge compelling argument for me was I didn't want to go to hell. 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:31.360 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. 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:35.520 You know, but though that doesn't get you very far because life is hard. 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:42.080 I'm sure you guys have experienced it much like I have in the last couple of years, especially that life is incredibly difficult. 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:49.439 And if your hope is in something that comes after you die, then it makes the present kind of lonely. 00:03:50.000 --> 00:04:00.800 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? 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:01.840 Why am I here? 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:06.639 Or on a Sunday morning when my kids could be at their hockey practice, why are we here? 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:08.400 Why do we do what we do? 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:13.039 And Psalm 23, particular verse 1, is the passage we're going to look at here this morning. 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:15.759 I think seeks to address that very question. 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:19.519 It seeks to address why it is we do what we do. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:21.279 And so I sat down with my son. 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:27.120 We were sitting on the couch, and uh, and I shared with him a story from when I was nine or ten years old. 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:31.360 And uh, and as a nine or a ten-year-old, I I hated church. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:33.680 Didn't didn't like it at all. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:41.279 Um I would sit in the seat, a message went over my head, worship seemed contrived, um, it seemed like an adult thing. 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:44.160 It didn't seem like something geared to 10-year-olds. 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:55.040 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. 00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:58.319 And so some of you, uh, you might have done this as a kid. 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:01.199 Um we did it all the time when I was nine, ten years old. 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:06.160 Uh, you'd find a pop can and you'd crush it, and then you'd immediately just start playing soccer in the hallway. 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:19.600 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. 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:22.800 That was the extent of Christianity for me as a 10-year-old. 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:24.720 It was soccer after church. 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:32.959 And being 10 years old, soccer rarely stayed soccer, we were hockey people, and so soccer had body checking in it as well. 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:37.040 And you can tell by my frame, I'm not petite. 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:37.680 Okay? 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:42.160 This this body was designed for manual labor and for running people over. 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:44.319 And that's why I exist. 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:48.160 My friend, on the other hand, uh, his name was Matt. 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:57.680 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. 00:05:58.079 --> 00:05:59.279 Tiny little man. 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:02.399 Um great guy, but tiny. 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:08.480 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. 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:11.439 We'd been meeting in a school, we had built this brand new facility. 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:14.240 The church has literally been three hours old. 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:24.160 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. 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:26.160 And that's a no-no. 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:27.920 You don't do that, Matt. 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:33.600 And so I came flying across, and like any good enforcer does, just a clean check. 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:37.920 Just a clean body check, no need for NHL player safety, shoulder to shoulder. 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:42.319 The problem being, Matt fits in this hole. 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:52.879 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. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:07:03.040 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. 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:07.519 I'm with the caretaker and we're filling this mat-sized hole in this classroom wall. 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:16.959 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? 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:19.040 Why do you why are you here? 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:27.040 If if what you live to is play hockey and just destroy your friends, then why do that here on a Sunday? 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:44.000 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. 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:53.279 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. 00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:55.040 And so we want to look at it this morning. 00:07:55.120 --> 00:08:04.720 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. 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:10.560 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. 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:12.319 You know, why is it that we are Christians? 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:14.319 Why is it that we do what we do? 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:17.680 So here we go, Psalm 23, you can follow along, verse 1. 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:21.199 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:34.639 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. 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:40.720 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:44.080 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:48.000 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:51.840 You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:59.600 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:01.919 Father, we thank you here this morning. 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:07.279 We thank you for your word, we thank you for your love, we thank you for your kindness. 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:11.919 God, I was reminded this week, just in my time with you, God. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:18.320 I'm just, I love that verse in Romans, Father, where it talks about your loving kindness leads us to repentance. 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:20.960 God, you're not a harsh God. 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:23.039 You're you're a kind soul. 00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:30.000 And God, it's your love that seeks to bring us to that place of recognition and acknowledgement of who you are. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:32.639 And so, God, I pray that that would be true here this morning. 00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:40.960 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? 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:48.480 God, help us understand what you what you have for us, what your word would say to us this morning. 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:49.759 Speak to us. 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:51.840 We ask these things in your name. 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:52.799 Amen. 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:54.960 So here's some background. 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:56.080 Psalm 23. 00:09:56.240 --> 00:09:57.440 Uh things we need to know. 00:09:57.519 --> 00:10:03.759 Number one, it's the most celebrated psalm, probably the most celebrated scripture in the entire Bible. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:07.200 It's read at funerals, it's read at weddings. 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:10.960 Up until just a few generations ago, it was read in our public schools. 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:14.799 You would sing the national anthem and you would read Psalm 23. 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:20.320 The problem is that I think a lot of people misunderstand the point of it. 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:21.759 David wrote this Psalm. 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:22.960 David was a shepherd. 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:24.960 Imagery of a shepherd is very important. 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:26.399 We know the first verse, right? 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:29.279 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:37.600 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. 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:44.320 The problem is that the most of us, we look at verses 2 through 6 and we assume that they're automatic. 00:10:44.559 --> 00:11:01.039 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. 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:03.200 And this is what the world largely does, right? 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:16.240 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. 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:18.000 It's very common. 00:11:18.159 --> 00:11:20.159 It can be common for the Christian. 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:29.360 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. 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:36.080 Verse one is what tees everything up, and if you get verse one right, then you get verses two through six. 00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:38.240 You have to understand verse one, though. 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:42.879 Two through six do not come automatically by just saying you are something. 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:46.799 There's something very important in verse one that we need to understand. 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:58.080 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. 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:09.200 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. 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:13.120 And so as we do that, here's the thing we we need to understand. 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:17.039 Let me read the verse and then let's talk about what I shall not want really means. 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:21.440 It says, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:23.840 So it's a question of supply, right? 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:30.080 I shall not want means that there are inherently things that I get from being a Christian. 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:36.480 I shall not want means that there is some sort of need that I no longer have because I believe in Jesus. 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.799 The question is, what is that? 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:41.279 What do we get from being a Christian? 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:42.240 What's the incentive? 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:42.639 Why? 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:45.200 Remember our question: why are we Christians? 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:47.120 And so let's talk about what it's not. 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:48.879 Here's the first thing that I would suggest. 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:53.519 The first thing is not is that being a Christian does not automatically make you rich. 00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:57.440 I don't know about you, I am not rich. 00:12:57.759 --> 00:12:59.840 I've been a Christian a long time. 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:06.639 There's this entire segment of Christianity, and you've probably heard of this before, prosperity gospel. 00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:08.080 How many of us have heard that term? 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:09.279 Many of us, right? 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:10.720 Name it and claim it. 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:13.039 If you have enough faith, it'll happen. 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:15.039 Pray enough, it'll come. 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:16.960 It's just not biblical. 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:18.960 It's not how God operates. 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:29.679 The very people that God targeted, that Jesus targeted in his ministry here on earth was poor people, widows, orphans, sick. 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:32.559 And they had life-changing events. 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:34.879 They met Jesus and everything changed. 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:38.480 But it wasn't automatic that all of a sudden they were rich. 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:43.039 You know, the Son of Man had no place to lay his head. 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:46.000 Jesus himself was more or less homeless. 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:48.000 Him and his disciples were nomadic. 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:52.399 They traveled around, they didn't accumulate wealth. 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:58.960 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. 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:00.639 That must mean I'm without want. 00:14:00.799 --> 00:14:02.080 I get everything I want. 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:03.840 I get everything I need. 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:07.360 I have all the money that I need to make me happy. 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:09.120 It's just not true. 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:11.200 Scripture tells us the exact opposite. 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:14.559 The love of money is the root of all evil. 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:19.519 Scripture doesn't suggest at all that you will be wealthy if you're a Christian. 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:21.360 Here's the second thing. 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:28.240 Not only does not want mean that you won't be rich, it also doesn't mean you'll always be healthy. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:30.240 I have a very good friend. 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:33.840 I'm in a small group with him actually, uh, has the same name as me. 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:45.759 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. 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:48.720 It's not biblical. 00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:52.720 Because you are sick does not mean that you're not a Christian. 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:55.919 And because you're a Christian doesn't mean that you won't get sick. 00:14:56.639 --> 00:15:03.919 My grandmother, uh fantastic lady, uh, just passed away on Christmas Day, 93 years old. 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:05.120 I got I brought a picture. 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:06.240 This is the back. 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:12.399 Um, this is the back of her funeral brochure, I'll call it. 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:15.200 Psalm 23 was her favorite passage. 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:25.440 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. 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:34.879 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. 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:35.919 You can go through it. 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:39.919 Confidence, companionship, comfort, satisfaction, protection. 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:42.799 She experienced all of these things. 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:44.080 All of these things. 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:46.159 She was the most godly woman I ever knew. 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:48.960 93 years following the Lord. 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:54.000 Unbelievable woman, but died incredibly sick. 00:15:54.480 --> 00:15:57.039 The last decade of her life was awful. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:06.960 Dementia, mobility issues, heart issues, lung issues, it just never ended. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:14.480 Healthy people who love Jesus should not assume that they will always be healthy. 00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:18.639 And yet, some of us, that's what we believe. 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:27.519 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. 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:31.120 You're not always gonna be healthy. 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:41.039 My wife, right now, again, unbelievably godly woman, has an incredible Iron Man streak of being in the Word every day. 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:44.720 I see it come out in her prayer, I see it as she interacts with our kids. 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:46.320 Fantastic woman. 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:49.519 Has some serious health stuff going on right now. 00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:53.440 Is gonna be seeing specialists for her heart this week. 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:57.519 Godly woman, but very sick. 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:00.720 Christian life's hard. 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:02.559 And it brings us to our third thing. 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:06.559 Not only should you not assume that I shall not want, doesn't mean you're gonna be rich. 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:08.079 It doesn't mean you're gonna be healthy. 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:11.279 Here's the last thing, it doesn't mean you're always gonna be happy. 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:17.279 In fact, the opposite, the Christian life, you should expect a degree of suffering. 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:29.759 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. 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:31.920 Life is hard. 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:38.559 Hebrews chapter 12, verse 10 says, the Lord disciplines those he loves. 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:52.960 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. 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:58.000 A Christian life should not just be static. 00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:04.000 It's a dynamic thing where there's peaks and valleys, and the good news is God's in it all. 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:09.200 And so here's the question. 00:18:09.519 --> 00:18:10.799 So what does it mean then? 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:12.960 So I shall not want what? 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:13.920 What does that mean? 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:15.440 And here's the alternative. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:18.799 And here's the question or the answer to our question. 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:21.119 Why is it that we're Christians? 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:23.359 Why is it that we do what we do? 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:26.559 Here's what Psalm 23, verse 1 says. 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:56.160 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. 00:18:56.720 --> 00:18:58.240 You don't need idols. 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:01.279 You don't need other things to make you happy, healthy. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:03.440 You don't need those things. 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:05.839 Christ is enough. 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:13.839 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. 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:16.559 Primarily, it's so that we can get Jesus. 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:20.799 That He's enough for us, that He's all we need. 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:27.920 And yet, so many of us, we go through the Christian life and we tend to flip the verses around. 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:37.039 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. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:45.359 But here's the scary reality for us here this morning is that without Jesus, there is no two through six. 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:52.160 The rest of Scripture does not apply if you don't have Jesus as the sole shepherd of your heart. 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:55.359 That is the answer to our question. 00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:56.799 Why is it that you are a Christian? 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:59.519 It's because of who Jesus is. 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:06.400 That your walk with him is so vibrant and is so powerful that he satisfies your soul. 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:10.559 It's a powerful, powerful image. 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:15.839 And so to understand that, we need to understand the dynamic between a shepherd and a sheep. 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:16.880 That's the first part, right? 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:20.880 We know the I shall not want another shepherd, but the Lord is my shepherd. 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:21.920 Here's some observations. 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:23.759 Number one, it's personal. 00:20:24.079 --> 00:20:26.640 Notice that it's my shepherd. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:32.160 It's not our shepherd, it's not a collective, it's not a distant thing, it's it's intimate. 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:33.039 It's personal. 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:34.799 He's my shepherd. 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:36.960 Here's another thing. 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:45.519 Uh sheep, um, I don't know how to put it more delicately right now, but but sheep are incredibly dumb. 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:57.119 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. 00:20:57.279 --> 00:20:59.039 Here's some observations from his book. 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:06.559 Number one, uh, sheep are the only animal that have to be led at all times. 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:09.920 They need supervision, they need babysitting all the time. 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:12.720 They're the only farm animal that requires that. 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:17.440 They are the only animal that can literally kill themselves by overeating. 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:26.880 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. 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:38.160 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. 00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:46.640 They're the only animal that will blindly follow another one of its kind, another sheep, for no apparent reason. 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:56.640 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. 00:21:58.319 --> 00:21:59.599 Sheep are unbelievable. 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:01.119 Ignorant. 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:05.920 They're incredibly naive and they require constant attention and care. 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:08.559 There's a fascinating show. 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:10.240 I can't remember the name of it. 00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:11.599 It's on Amazon Prime. 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:12.960 You can go home and look it up. 00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:18.000 Amazon Prime is this Irish lady, and she's a modern-day shepherd. 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:20.079 Her life is insane. 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:23.119 Everything revolves around these sheep. 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:24.160 She gets no sleep. 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:30.799 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. 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:33.839 I mean, you look at the rest of the psalm, look at the implication. 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:35.920 You know, he makes me lie down. 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:39.279 Do you understand what that actually means? 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:43.839 That sheep are capable of over-exerting themselves to the point of danger. 00:22:44.079 --> 00:22:46.960 So a shepherd sometimes has to tie their legs. 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:54.319 Or worst case scenario, certainly in Bible times, break one of their legs so that they would actually lay down and rest. 00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:57.359 He leads us beside Stillwell. 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:57.920 Why? 00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:04.160 Because you will drink that dirty, polluted, waste-filled puddle water in your field and kill yourself. 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:10.000 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. 00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:13.039 Do you understand the implications of that for a shepherd? 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:16.480 One is correction and one is safety. 00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:21.200 As sheep, we are constantly putting ourselves in harm's way. 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:23.599 We need a shepherd. 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:28.480 We need that personal, the Lord is my shepherd. 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:36.400 And until a sheep we understand that, we can't fully expect to experience the Christian life to the fullest. 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:40.880 Because here's the problem: sheep are incredibly stubborn. 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:44.400 And here's what I've observed, and this comes from my own life. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:54.640 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. 00:23:56.240 --> 00:24:00.400 It's the number one thing preventing me from living the Christian life to the fullest. 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:04.880 There's role reversal there when I think that I know it's best. 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:06.880 That's pride. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:08.240 That's stubbornness. 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:11.599 It gets in the way of a personal relationship with Jesus. 00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:13.759 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:15.200 I am not the shepherd. 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:18.400 I need to recognize I am what I am. 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:21.680 I'm a sheep, and I need a lot of help. 00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:24.400 And so here's two things that I would suggest for us. 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:30.559 Here's the alternative, two things that help us understand how do we make the Lord our shepherd. 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:32.880 Number one is this: it's confidence. 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:34.640 Do you hear that? 00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:38.799 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:41.359 It's a matter of fact. 00:24:41.680 --> 00:24:50.799 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. 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:54.000 I saw this in my grandmother. 00:24:54.559 --> 00:25:02.400 Couldn't talk by the end, couldn't move by the end, but confident as anything, never shaken. 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:05.359 Confident that the Lord was her shepherd. 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:12.480 A sheep requires a degree of confidence that God is who he says he is. 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:16.160 We need that this morning to experience the full Christian life. 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:18.240 We need to be confident. 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:21.759 Here's the second thing I would suggest. 00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:26.319 Not only does a sheep need to be confident, we need to be self-controlled. 00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:29.920 And I think this is the hardest one. 00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:33.440 A sheep, we need to be self-controlled. 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:36.720 You notice the language of I shall not want? 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:39.920 It implies there's a choice. 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:42.559 You and I this morning have a choice. 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:49.759 When you got up this morning and came here, you had a choice if you were going to follow Jesus today. 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:53.599 I hope you made the right choice. 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:55.279 I shall not want. 00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:58.559 Requires great self-control. 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:01.200 And I see this all the time in my life. 00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:02.480 I see it in the time of my kids. 00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:03.920 I see it in my own church. 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:05.519 I see it in our culture. 00:26:05.759 --> 00:26:08.000 We love to self-medicate. 00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:10.319 We love to self-soothe. 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:13.519 As I already said, I'm a big hockey player. 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:21.440 When I get emotional, there's nothing like a couple of Bauer S3 Supremes that'll make my day feel better. 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:24.160 Skates are expensive, by the way. 00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:27.920 Not a good thing to put my hope in. 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:30.240 I see it in my kids. 00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:32.720 You know, when school is hard. 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:36.000 My son just finished uh, it's called map testing. 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:38.880 It's like provincial testing for private schools. 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:40.000 He finished that. 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:43.200 Every day he had to write like an hour-long test. 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:44.880 One was reading, one was writing. 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:46.160 Every day was a different subject. 00:26:46.240 --> 00:26:48.720 And by the end of the week, he was frazzled. 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:51.759 You know what my son wants to do? 00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:53.599 He wants to escape. 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:55.039 He wants to be in his room. 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:56.799 He wants to be alone. 00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:01.519 He wants to live in a world where there are no problems. 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:04.720 How many of us escape? 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:14.160 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? 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:28.079 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. 00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:32.640 And it gets in the way of us living Psalm 23 to the fullest. 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:36.960 Sheep, we need to be confident. 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:41.839 We need to be convicted. 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:53.920 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. 00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:55.680 I shall not want. 00:27:57.599 --> 00:28:01.599 Paul tells us in Galatians that a fruit of the Spirit is self-control. 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:09.119 It's evidence of the Spirit's work in your life that we as sheep are actually able to demonstrate self-control. 00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:11.519 I don't know about you, but I've been guilty of this as well. 00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:14.960 I used to pray a lot in my life, you know, God, give me humility. 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:21.279 Do you understand that that's not actually a biblical prayer that Scripture tells me? 00:28:21.440 --> 00:28:24.319 The book of James tells me to just be humble. 00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:28.160 Some of us kind of wait, you know, God, help me be this. 00:28:28.319 --> 00:28:29.519 God help me to stop sinning. 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:30.640 God, give me the strength. 00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:32.240 That's not biblical. 00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:34.559 You have the spirit in you, child of God. 00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:36.640 Have some self-control. 00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:40.720 Show the fruit of that walk with the Lord. 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:41.920 Be confident. 00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:44.319 Be self-controlled. 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:46.640 The Lord is your shepherd. 00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:51.279 And so now let's look at how the shepherd then cares for us. 00:28:51.599 --> 00:28:55.039 Here is where the Christian life really comes alive. 00:28:55.119 --> 00:29:01.359 When you can come to that place where you can say, the Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing else competing for my heart. 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:04.000 Here's what you should expect to see. 00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:05.759 And this comes out of the rest of our Psalm. 00:29:05.920 --> 00:29:08.319 Number one is this He leads us. 00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:10.160 We see it right there in verse 2 and 3. 00:29:10.319 --> 00:29:12.079 He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:14.960