Graham Hall 22nd April 2012
Psalm 23
David knew something fundamental about God. God was his Lord and Shepherd. Because he knew him personally, he got to
know his character.
An understanding of God comes out of our understanding and
relationship.
David knew because God was his shepherd, he would lack
nothing. He trusted God so much, he
knew he wouldn’t lack anything. It’s so
so simple, yet so so profound. In
actual fact this is the Gospel in the Old Testament!
Abraham was called to sacrifice his son. Isaac put the wood on his back and carried
it up the mountain. He asked his Father
where the sacrifice was and Abraham said that the Lord will provide it. The obedience to God was profound and just
as Abraham was putting the knife to his son He provided a lamb caught in a
thicket.
Graham was reading in Luke how Jesus needed a room for the
Passover supper so He, trusting God said to his disciples, that the man with
two jars of water will lead you to the room.
He told them about the donkey in the City and about the gold coin in the
fish’s mouth to pay Caesar. Jesus was
teaching his disciples to trust God for provision.
A friend of Graham’s at Ashford took early retirement to
serve the church. Before Christmas he
lost the feeling in his legs, then he lost his balance and couldn’t walk. Where
is God?
Because there was a long wait on the NHS he paid £250.00 to
see a specialist who told him that he must have an operation on his spinal
column straight away or he will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his
life. It would cost £14,000.00 to go
private which would mean selling his house.
He asked the Elders for wisdom, should he sell his house or wait on the
NHS? Graham said to him, don’t live in fear, live in faith! On telling the
specialist this, he reduced the cost of the operation but Graham’s friend said
no! he would wait, then phoned his G.P.
It transpired that he got the operation five days later on the NHS in a
private hospital with the same specialist. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
David knew God was his shepherd because he knew God.
Psalm 50 v10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
God is able – He can provide in the most profound
way. We will have troubles, but be of
good cheer, we have overcome the world!
There is a rest that comes with knowing that God will provide. David uses this picture language in Psalm 23
to demonstrate his relationship with God.
The sheep on Romney Marsh are numbered.
We are numbered by God, we are unique.
Isaiah 53 ….The mountain where Isaiah was to sacrifice is
probably Calvary. A lamb led to the
slaughter for us. God is not caught out
by our lives, when we get it wrong, we wonder why God chose us and He says that
He called us because He loves us.
Deuteronomy 7 v
7 The Lord did not set His love upon
you and choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for
you were the fewest of all people.
In a world of fear the death and resurrection of Jesus
provides a way back to God and people need to know this. That’s our message to the world. God has provided an answer in Jesus.
Chrissie Chapman was a minister in Burundi, the church was
attached and they were Macheted down.
Walking along the road there was a 70year old man who was part of the
congregation. He looked up at her and
said “ I didn’t know that Jesus was all I needed until Jesus was all I had”.
There was nothing insurmountable in David’s life because
God was with him.
Those who are truly God’s He keeps, He loves the church
because that is his nature. The shepherd left the 99 to look for the lost lamb
– Jesus doesn’t lose any of his sheep.
Children in your family may have gone away from God but He hasn’t gone
away from them.
Proverbs 18 v 24 The
man of many friends will prove himself a bad friend, but there is a friend who
sticks closer than a brother.
Joseph Scriven had been engaged twice to be married and
both of his Fiancé’s died, one on the day before their wedding. He wrote the
hymn ‘What a Friend We Have In Jesus’.
He knew that he could take his sorrows and depression to Jesus. He knew
that God was his shepherd.
In verse two is says He causes me to lie down in green
pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
The psalmist wasn’t talking about sheep grazing in the
meadow here. It says ‘causes me to lie down’
Graham has never seen a sheep eating whilst laying down. It’s not one describing the provision of
food, but of restorational rest! A
sheep’s job is to eat, we don’t get our significance by what we do. God was not a task master, He knew David
needed space and time to rest.
Deuteronomy 33 v 27
The eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place, and underneath are
the everlasting arms; He drove the
enemy before you and thrust them out. Saying. Destroy!
David says “ Restores my soul” Elijah needed to get away, so God fed
him and told him to rest. God didn’t
shout at him to get back to work, He knew he needed rest.
God as a shepherd whispers to us. It was hard in the New Testament church, so
they prayed.
Acts 9 v31 So the church throughout the whole of Judea
and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was edified and walking in the respect
and reverential fear of the Lord and in the consolation and exhortation of the
Holy Spirit, continued to increase and was multiplied.
Wouldn’t it be nice to grow without doing a lot. We don’t have to strive – just be! Graham felt
that this Psalm is a word for our church.
Jesus is the answer to all our needs, He said “ I am
the way and the life”.