- April 15, 2020
Re: Pastor Russ’ Message
To my dear sisters and brothers of Grace Baptist Church of Dallas, Oregon,
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV) Yes this is the most recognized verse in the Bible, but what I want to point out is that when Jesus said “world,” He also means “you!” “Jesus loves us this we know, for the Bible tells me so…” Never forget this good news, and remind yourself daily that you are loved by the Father.
Easter came and went and I sorely missed our congregation on that day. No Easter Breakfast, no Easter Flowers on the Cross, No Easter Hymn singing, and no Easter Service as we have been used to. I can’t wait for this “shelter in place” order to be over so that we can get back to seeing each other face to face again. May the Lord have mercy on us all.
Last week I spoke of the “Bigger Story” of God’s redemptive history and reminded us of the four movements of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. In the redemption part I highlighted how Jesus was our Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. But now, for us, Jesus is also our Great Shepherd who is leading us toward the consummation of all things where He will one day make all things new. How blessed we are to have a Great Shepherd like Him.
In Psalm 23, King David wrote about his Shepherd, and I think in this time of turmoil it might do us well to consider the shepherding skills of this Great Shepherd. Here is the text from the NIV… (The KJV is the most widely known and memorized.)
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, 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 your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Now this Psalm is rich and there is no way we can exhaust its meaning in one sitting. With that said, allow me to unpack a few things that I think will encourage us today.
#1. Notice it is the Lord who is our Shepherd. That says a lot! He is the same Lord who descended from heaven and became obedient unto death on a cross. Yes the Great Passover Lamb, now resurrected and seated in glory, is the same One who is willing to lead us day to day. He loves us and has our best interest at heart. How great is it to have a shepherd like that? He isn’t a hireling, He isn’t second class, He is not self-serving, but a totally committed shepherd to His sheep. If you are going to have a shepherd in your life (and we all need one), Jesus is the very best one possible! And as far as a track record is concerned, listen to what Jesus says about His shepherding skills, “14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd,” John 10:14-16. David says of this shepherd—that because of Him, he lacks nothing. Now that is a Great Shepherd, and how fortunate we are to have Him shepherding us.
#2. A shepherd isn’t someone who pampers his animals for the sake of making them happy. Sheep aren’t pets, they are livestock for the shepherd—meaning that he has a purpose for them. The shepherd is committed to making the sheep productive in his enterprise. King David was a shepherd before he was a king and so he knows something about caring for animals. But he also understands being a “sheep” led by the Great Shepherd. There are times that sheep and people become exhausted, and when that happens our Great Shepherd “makes” us lie down in green pastures. He also leads us beside quiet waters. Left to ourselves, I think we would tend to run too long and not take advantage of the green pasture before us. We also tend to neglect our health; but Jesus has an eye on us. We can thank Him for that. Next time you are laid up; perhaps it’s because Jesus saw you needed a break? The Sabbath was made for man because our Great Shepherd knew we need to Sabbath with Him.
#3. Consider this shepherding skill: He refreshes my soul. I’m not so sure sheep need their soul refreshed, but people surely do. King David knew that, and needed it. We do to. Often times in our falleness we try to refresh our own souls, but not in ways that are conducive to spiritual growth. Instead of turning to the Shepherd, we run away from Him. We are all prone to wander, but when we wander we never wind up in a good spot. As for Jesus, He is the One who truly knows how to refresh our souls. We should take a tip from Him. In John 4:10 Jesus told the woman at the well that “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Later He said in verse 14, “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus isn’t speaking of literal water—rather He is talking about refreshing her soul.
#4. Another thing to consider is that He guides us along the right paths for His Name’s sake. Sometimes we think, or treat Jesus as if He is somehow our personal servant. Like He is supposed to take us wherever we ask Him to go. We get our roles reversed. Jesus is the Shepherd and we are the sheep. He leads and we are to follow. Where does He take us when we willingly follow? He takes us on the right paths… good paths, paths which are known to Him and which He wants us to take. Why? Because it is for His Name’s sake. In our flesh we do everything for our own sake, but Jesus said that those who followed Him would have to deny self and take up his/her cross and follow Him. Where does Jesus lead? Along right paths for His Name’s sake.
#5. In verse 4 we read, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The King James version renders “darkest valley” as “the valley of the shadow of death.” I think most of us relate to that better than simply the darkest valley. We know this is a particularly difficult time in a person’s life and no doubt it feels like death. So how do we get in this valley? Apparently it is by following Jesus. He said that He would guide us along right paths for His Name’s sake… and at times that right path heads though the darkest valley. To us, that seems wrong. We want happy and bright paths—not dark and foreboding ones. But for our Great Shepherd who also walked that same path—and continues to walk that path, He knows that it is necessary if we are going to amount to anything in the kingdom. For those following the Great Shepherd, there is no bypassing His cross. We would all like a shortcut to glory, but there is no glory before the cross. Dying to self is a very hard thing for us. But Jesus remains with us through it all and His rod and His staff are there to help us, and ensure us that we will get through it. Never fear when Jesus is near. He knows the path well and will get us through to where we need to go.
#6. King David declares that his Shepherd prepares a table for him in the presence of his enemies. Why not? Our Great Shepherd, having conquered sin and the grave can certainly prepare a table wherever He wants. It’s only incredulous to us that He can do that. When we walk by sight and not by faith—we see our enemies and shrink, thinking I’m no match for them. It feels impossible. But by faith, we see our Great Shepherd and think, “Nothing is impossible for Him.” David, by faith, knew his Shepherd—so why not prepare a table for him in the midst of his enemies. He can do anything, and how fitting that would be. He is the lifter of our heads. Our Shepherd seeks to bring honor and glory to Himself by delivering and uplifting His people. And while He is at it, He anoints our head with oil—and our cup overflows. Meaning: We have more blessings than we know what to do with. Can I get an “Amen” for that? Start counting your blessings…
#7. In wrapping this up we see that goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives. Our Great Shepherd assures us of that. Goodness is the character quality of being good, acting virtuously and with generosity. That sounds just like Jesus! Love is the unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the wellbeing of another regardless of the cost to yourself. It is the “more excellent way” described in 1 Cor. 13. Again, we see Jesus Himself in that definition. He is both good and loving—and looking back at life we see His finger prints all over our past. So He follows us, so to speak, while in reality He is leading us. It’s just easier to see our past… like hindsight… it’s 20/20. But knowing what He has done in the past, we can rest easier trusting where He is ultimately taking us in the future. And where is that? Simple, we are headed to His house, and there we will dwell with Him forever. Jesus did say, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going,” John 14:2-4. What way is that? Simple: “Follow the Great Shepherd… He IS the way!”
I hope and pray this teaching on Psalm 23 is an encouragement to your heart in this coronavirus pandemic. Many are troubled and for good reason. Even so, take the Great Shepherd by the hand and enjoy your journey together. May His peace fill your heart as you do.
Now then, last Sunday I provided an Easter Message on our Facebook page. Several commented that the sound quality was poor and you had trouble with that. I will try to do better this coming Sunday as we press on in this shutdown.
This Sunday we would have launched our Mission Conference with our Wycliffe Missionaries, Lamont and Shannon Weniger, coming to speak. Due to the current crisis, this too will be postponed. We will try for a Missions Conference and Banquet later in the year, Lord willing. Please be in prayer for all our missionaries on the front lines.
In keeping with the theme of this message let me close with a benediction from Jude 24-25: “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Now, may the Lord richly bless you as you take these things to heart.
Pastor Russ Hilsinger,
Grace Baptist Church, Dallas, OR