Joy To The World: The Saviour Reigns Psalm 23 Pr Adrian Chong | 4/5 Dec 2021 ============================== Psalm 23 (ESV) 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ## Psalm 23 Background * God was like a _________ to David and David a _______ to God. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “I like to recall the fact that this psalm was written by David, probably when he was a king. He had been a shepherd, and he was not ashamed of his former occupation.” ## BIG IDEA: There is _____ when the ______ ______ in our life. ## ## JOY * Joy is a feeling of good pleasure and happiness that is dependent on who ______ is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us. * Joy comes from the ____________ abiding in God’s presence and from hope in His Word. God reigns in our life in the capacity of a Shepherd and He is no ordinary shepherd. He is known as the Good Shepherd and as soon as we realise that the word in Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is ____ Shepherd and we are HIS sheep” we can then fully develop the understanding of The Saviour Reigns (note the monosyllable MY). (John 10:11,12) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. # 1. The __________ brings Joy V2 - “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, Phillip Keller in his book “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23” writes that sheep do not lie down easily and will not unless four conditions are met. Because they are social animals, they will not lie down if there is friction among the sheep. If flies or parasites trouble them, they will not lie down. Finally, if sheep are anxious about food or hungry, they will not lie down. Rest comes because the _________ has dealt with fear, friction, flies, and famine. V3 - he restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. In Hebrew the words “restores my soul” can mean “brings me to repentance”. The Shepherd takes what is soiled and grown foul (sin infestation) and restores to purity. # 2. Uncertain Circumstances do not ___________ Joy V4 - 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. Even if we have Christ as our Shepherd there will be times when we will have ups and downs in life but note the joy factor does not _______, it is a constant as long as we allow Christ to reign in our lives. David used this powerful phrase to speak of some kind of dark, fearful experience. It is a ______, not a mountain-top or broad meadow. A ______ suggests being hedged in and surrounded. It is a valley of the _______ of death – not facing the substance of death itself, but the ________ of death, casting its dark, fearful outline across David’s path. V5 - You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows. # 3. Joy secured for _________ V6 - Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. “Mercy is the covenant-word rendered ‘steadfast love’ elsewhere…. Together with goodness it suggests the steady kindness and support that one can count on in the family or between firm friends.” (Kidner) And I will dwell in the house of the LORD _______: The psalm ends with the calmest assurance that he will enjoy the presence of the LORD _______ – both in his days on this earth and beyond.