For our Scripture reading tonight, turn with me to John chapter 10, as we read together the first 18 verses, and then we will turn back to Psalm 23. John 10, beginning at verse 1, as we give our attention to the Word of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ says there, I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. but they will never follow a stranger. In fact, they will run away from Him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice. Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what He was telling them. Therefore, Jesus said again, I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All whoever came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns 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. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of the sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again. No one takes it from me. but I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. And if you would turn with me back to Psalm 23. The first verse serves as the text tonight. And I'd like us to read this together in unison. Let's read Psalm 23 together in unison. Shall we read these words together? The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, someone has said that Psalm 23 is the pearl of the Psalms. A precious gem, a treasure. And I wouldn't really be surprised if most, if not all of you, agreed with that statement. For those of you who had the privilege of being born and raised into a Christian family and were raised in the church, if there's one memory verse that sticks in your mind from your childhood days, it may very well be this psalm. And what a beautiful way through this psalm to introduce our covenant children to the Lord and His care for His people. And in addition to being one of the most memorized passages of Scripture, Psalm 23 has brought much comfort to families in the time of death. And for so many, no doubt, the words of this psalm have been the last words they've uttered in this life. It's no wonder that this psalm holds an important place in the hearts of many Christians. And that's because the absence of doubt and misgiving and fear and anxiety that the Lord gives through this psalm is indeed so wonderful. And the peace that the psalmist expresses, we must understand, is not some sort of an escape from his surroundings. And the contentment of the psalmist is not a complacent shrug of the shoulders giving it, because he can do nothing else anyway. It's clear that the psalmist is ready to face deep darkness and imminent attack. And the finale of this song, the climax, reveals a love that doesn't focus on any material goal, but looks to the Lord Himself. The confidence of the psalmist, of the believer, is found indeed in the first few words, the Lord is my shepherd. It's interesting that this psalm follows the psalm of the cross. Psalm 22, verse 1 says, My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? The Word of our Lord Jesus Christ from the cross in His deepest, darkest agony of hell, suffering the torment of hell, as His Father, as it were, turned His face and turned the light of His countenance away from His Son. It's after these words then that we find green pastures and still waters and most of all the Lord Shepherd. And this means, beloved, that we must know the value of the blood shedding. And we must see that sword awakened against the Shepherd. That sword which was not stayed as we heard about this morning against God's people, but that sword that was awakened against the Shepherd. We must know that before we will be able truly to know the sweetness of the Good Shepherd's care. because only when you know the good shepherd by the grace of God who has laid down his life for the sheep can you confess confident assurance in the good shepherd. David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote this psalm and the imagery he uses really is no surprise. You see, he describes his intimate relationship with the Lord using the imagery of a shepherd and his sheep. Of course, we know that David himself was a shepherd. And it's interesting, I believe, that he saw in his care over his flock a parallel or a copy of the care that he was confident of having from his God. Now, most likely, most of us here are not too familiar with sheep, with shepherding, with taking care of sheep, at least not in the way that David used to do it, without the modern technologies of barbed wire and electric fences and farms and gated in communities for the sheep. When I was a young boy, one of my grandfathers had a good-sized flock of sheep. And the thing I remember is that sheep really are not too bright. They were smart enough to stay away from us little kids as we chased them, but they really are not too bright. They are far from being the most intelligent animals created. They need to be guided and led and protected and cared for. They are always in danger because they don't have sense enough to keep away from it. They walk right into danger. If there's grass before their nose, they continue to eat, not caring where they have come from. Not worrying about where they are going. Just eating. Going straight ahead. And if a sheep gets its head caught in the fence, most often it will not be able to get itself out. And after struggling for a while, it will simply lay down and die. A sheep, we might say, is totally dependent upon its shepherd for its life. And the shepherd, on the other hand, thinking in David's day especially, lived with his flock. A shepherd is everything to the flock. Guide, physician, protector. In David's day, shepherds had to live with the flocks 24 hours a day. Indeed, at night, they would try to enclose them. But they would be there. And the task of caring for the sheep was unending. Day and night, summer and winter, in fair weather and foul weather, shepherds had to nourish, guide, and protect the sheep. Yet what's interesting is that with all the responsibility involved, being a shepherd was considered the lowest of all the work. And shepherds were not always looked upon too favorably. And in a family, if a family needed a shepherd, well, the task fell to the youngest. Kind of a menial chore, if you will. David knew all about that. You remember that he was almost forgotten in the count of Jesse's sons when Samuel was looking for the next king, for the future king. And you remember, I trust, that on the front lines of the battle, when the young David heard Goliath's challenge and had the courage to ask, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? His oldest brother, Eli, became angry with him and he said, really debasing David, putting him down, trying to point out that his work was menial. Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? Again, sheep are stupid animals, boys and girls, not in the sense that we use that word wrongly, or when we're naughty, but ignorant. They lack, we might say, a common animal sense. Other animals really are somewhat smarter, we might say, and protect themselves. But sheep don't really take care of themselves. More than any other class of livestock, they require endless attention and detailed care. We would say that no one in their right mind would choose to be a shepherd. Yet it makes sense, as David knew, that the lot in life of any particular sheep depended on the type of man who cared for it. The owner of the sheep, the one who has paid a great price for his sheep and risked his life for his sheep as David did when he went after the lions and the bears who would take one of his flock, the owner would take care of the sheep in such a way that they would be content, they would thrive, they would grow under his care. But under a hired man, one who didn't own the sheep, one who really didn't care for the sheep in the same way, The sheep would struggle and starve and suffer endless hardship, as Jesus says in John 10, verse 12. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns 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. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. David knew very well the intimate relationship that existed between a shepherd and a sheep. And that's how he saw the relationship that he enjoyed with God. By God's grace, David was humbled as he compared himself to a weak, defenseless, and foolish sheep. And he confesses God to be his full-time provider, preserver, protector, director. His everything. It's no compliment to refer to yourself as a sheep. But that doesn't bother David. Because he wants to boast in who his shepherd is. In his worship, he wants to exalt the character of God. The Lord is my shepherd. He could confess, I am not my own. But I belong body and soul and life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. David knew the voice of his shepherd. And, beloved, to exclaim, the Lord is my shepherd, is to make a confession of faith. It's a positive declaration of trust that is rooted in a deep realization that one has been cared for and a clear understanding of who it is that has watched over you. That's what Paul has done. That's been Paul's testimony as well as the testimony of all of you who have stood before God's people, before God. who is David's shepherd? The Lord. Yahweh. Jehovah. We know that Lord is the personal name for God. David's shepherd is the one who called himself, I am who I am. The one who said there is no other. The one who said I will not share my glory with another. He is the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the one who has bound Himself in that covenant relationship to His people. He is the one who is timeless and self-sufficient. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Only this God is the one who guards, guides, and protects His sheep. He is the one who gives help to the helpless, strength to the weary, The One who finds and saves and restores the lost. Who feeds the hungry soul. And beloved, by His very nature, the Lord has the credentials to be my shepherd. To be my owner. You see, when we come to the end of a day, today, for example, before you go to bed, and you look back and you think about this day and you realize, I've survived this day. then we must understand, beloved, that it is the Lord our Shepherd who has brought us safely through. And when we open our eyes to a new day every morning, tomorrow morning, for example, the Lord willing, we realize that we've been given a gift of a new day. And that during all those hours when we were sleeping and unconscious to what has been going on, that it is the Lord our Shepherd who has brought us safely through. And as we think about the fact, beloved, that unless the Lord Jesus Christ comes first, that we will all face death. We must understand then, too, that it is the Lord our shepherd who says of his people, of you and me, it is enough. This life has been enough for you. And I now take you to be with me. David was indeed able to boast that the Lord was his shepherd, not because he had chosen the Lord, but because the Lord had chosen him. Sheep don't choose their shepherds. Shepherds choose their sheep. I said a moment ago that in our thinking, who would choose to be a shepherd? Especially because of the stubbornness and the ignorance of the sheep. There are a lot of work. The Lord chose to be the shepherd of His people for His own glory. And because we were in such need, He has stooped to take just such care of His people as a shepherd takes of his sheep. We cannot truly imagine the love and the care that the Lord has for His people. But we were reminded this morning as Pastor Donovan reminded us that the Lord said to the angel, enough, stop! And that angel was frozen with that sword because of God's pity upon His people. And the Word of God throughout as that passage and so many times throughout Scripture teaches us and points to that which Jesus Christ did for His people. Such great love. Yet, we can read about it, we believe it, we understand it to a point, but we cannot truly imagine it. It's so difficult. Yet, a shepherd comes about as close as we can imagine. This illustration, this image of a shepherd supports the theme of the Old Testament. That God is the refuge, the rock, the supporting arm of those who trust Him. He is the provider of the rich blessings of life. And this psalm, Psalm 23, is not the only place in Holy Scripture which gives that beautiful picture of God as shepherd, especially in relation to His people as a whole. In Psalm 95, verse 7, it says, For He is our God and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Isaiah 40, verse 11 says, He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs with His arms and carry them in His bosom and gently lead those who are with young. And 1 Peter 2, verse 25 says, For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the shepherd and the overseer of your souls. Pardon me for a second. Congregation, David had the confident assurance that the Lord was his shepherd. And our Lord Jesus Christ confirmed that He is David's shepherd and He is the shepherd of all those who believe on Him. He says in John 10, 14, I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. In spite of the fact that left to ourselves, we have all those terrible and annoying qualities of sheep, Jesus humbled Himself even to the point of death for His sheep. He chose us. He bought us. He calls us by name. He makes us His own. He delights, believe it or not, in caring for us. He is ever interceding for us and ever guiding us by the Holy Spirit. He is ever working on our behalf so that we benefit from His care. He does it all for us. Who are His sheep? What is the character of those who can say with David, not if the Lord is my shepherd, or I hope the Lord is my shepherd, but who can say with all confidence, the Lord is my shepherd? The sheep are those only who know their own weakness and poverty, who feel their need for His protection and who willingly abide by the regenerating grace of God in his sheepfold and surrender themselves to be governed by Him. David had both power and riches. We were reminded of that too this morning, weren't we? All the servants he had at his disposal, all the soldiers ready to fight at his beck and call, he had power. He had riches. Yet he confessed himself to be a poor sheep, destitute and lifeless without his good shepherd. He was fully aware of the provider of all that he enjoyed. And with this one image of a shepherd, David points to God's provision of sustenance for life. To the Lord's safe direction. And especially to the gentle care that the Lord of the universe manifests toward the small and the weak. And David had such confident assurance that he could confess, because the Lord is my shepherd, Therefore, I shall not be in want. And with this phrase, we see the comprehensive care of the shepherd for his sheep. Now, by saying, I shall not be in want, David is literally saying, I shall lack nothing. This is comprehensive. It's all-inclusive care. Now, on the one hand, we might think, well, what could David want? We just said that he had power and he had riches. What in the world could David want? He had it all as far as this world is concerned. And when Nathan confronts David about his sin with Bathsheba, the Lord says in 2 Samuel 12, I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more. We might think that it was easy for David to say that he lacks nothing because he had everything. But you see, beloved, on the other hand, David's life was far from being a bed of all roses. We know largely because of his own sin. And he was called upon to suffer the effects of his sin. The temporal punishment of life, as Dr. Godfrey reminded us this morning. He was hounded as well and harassed repeatedly by the forces of his enemy, Saul. By his own son, Absalom. And by the rest of his enemies. He was a man of war. His reign was not a peaceful reign. He knew deep personal poverty. He knew intense hardship. He knew anguish of spirit. And when David confesses, I shall not be in want or I shall lack nothing, he doesn't mean that God's people will not suffer hardship. difficulties or physical needs as we think of them or the effects of sin David knew very well that even if he had all the treasures and all the power in this life anything that we could store up on this earth any treasures but yet did not have the Lord as his shepherd that he had nothing he was empty handed he was in grave danger he was in the greatest kind of want you see when a Christian does face lack in the physical sense he can boast in confidence I shall not be in want or I shall not lack the expert care and management of my master the good shepherd because God does not ignore the needs of his sheep as the rest of the psalm points out as we will see the Lord willing in the weeks to come. I shall not be in what is a confession of contentment and not a craving or desiring anything more. It is a confession that nothing more is needed than what the good shepherd can and does give. And because of the good shepherd's care, God's sheep enjoy a rich spirit, a generous heart, A satisfied soul, a serene confidence, and a quiet joy that overcomes any tragedy. Now indeed, we don't always enjoy these things perfectly yet. But because we live from the sufficiency of Christ, we will one day in glory. Christians will never want or lack spiritually because God is their portion and their strength. and we know that this includes our temporal and material needs, which God uses toward our spiritual health, God promises to provide for us all that we need. All that we need. He feeds the sparrows. He clothes the lilies of the field. And Jesus said not to worry, because God also knows what we need, but we cannot forget that as God supplies our physical needs, beloved, He uses that to strengthen our spiritual life. And point is to Him. But that also means that if going hungry for a day will bring us closer to the Lord, then He will withhold our physical food. If our weakness will show forth the greatness of His strength, then indeed, He might take away our physical strength. The point is, with the Lord as my Savior, even when I have little, I have much. neither famine, old age, nor death, shall leave me in want, not because I have riches stored up on this earth, but because the Lord is my shepherd. We find a beautiful illustration of God's people lacking nothing when we read about how God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness. Those 40 years in the wilderness were, for God's people, a lifetime experience in the most difficult and really in the most uncertain of circumstances. They didn't know where they were going. They didn't know what trouble they had. Yet we know that God protected them against the enemies. He provided food and drink to sustain their life. And in Nehemiah 9, verse 21, we read, "...Indeed, forty years thou didst provide for them in the wilderness, and they were not in want. Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell." I have a good shepherd who is both able and willing to supply all of my needs. Jesus says in John 10.10, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. Or as another version says, have it abundantly. God's people lack nothing, beloved, because the good shepherd has laid down his life for his sheep. And we can have the confident assurance in every circumstance that God's grace is sufficient for us, for you, for me. Sin and Satan separated God's people from the Good Shepherd. Those things leave one hungry and thirsty and sick, without shelter and safety. Sin and Satan leave one spiritually bankrupt. And just like sheep who left to themselves lack everything, those who are not of the fold, those who have not been born again unto new obedience by the blood of the Lamb. They are restless. They are unsettled. They are covetous. They are greedy. They are wanting this and that. They are never satisfied in spirit. And those who continue to suffer under sin and Satan are like gaunt, skinny, malnourished, and abused sheep who don't even realize the grass is greener in the good shepherd's pasture. That's why we have the call to take the Gospel to all nations. Because they don't understand it. That indeed the grass is greener in the Gospel pasture. But like David, those who can confess the Lord is my shepherd, they have the confident assurance by the grace of God that they shall not be in want. David says in Psalm 34, verse 10, The young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall lack no good thing. Beloved God gives to us all that we need physically and spiritually to honor Him and to serve Him through our work, through our recreation and our relationships, in our free time, simply all the time. He doesn't necessarily give us what we want and praise Him for that. Pray that He never will. Pray that He will not remove His hand of restraint from us like He did with David. And let Him go ahead and take the census. Because if He were to let us have our own way, we would turn to our own way away from Him. But may our prayer be the prayer of Augur who desired to only have physically that which he needed to keep his spiritual focus in order. Auger says in Proverbs 30, verses 8 and 9, Keep falsehood and lies far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, Who is the Lord? Or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God. Beloved Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who was slain to take away my sins. He has restored His people with a Father. He is the only shepherd who can say in confidence, I have not lost even one of my sheep. He is the only one that can give you and me the assurance that no one will snatch you or me out of His hand. He is the good shepherd of those who believe on Him by grace through faith and for the people of His pasture. For the sheep of his hand, he provides the finest grazing, the richest pasture, abundant winter feed, clean fresh water, shelter from the storms, protection from deadly enemies and the diseases and the parasites to which sheep are so susceptible. In other words, he provides eternal life in the paradise of God. And because of that truth, beloved, whatever my lot may be in this life, whatever, I can say it is well with my soul because of my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, because of my Good Shepherd. Do you enjoy the safety of the Good Shepherd staff? Do you know the voice of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ? Because there is no greater comfort than to belong body and soul in life and in death to Him. There's that beautiful song that says, I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold or anything this world affords. May that be your desire. May it be my desire. You see, apart from Jesus, you will be in want. You will lack everything and you will be unsatisfied forever. But if you own the riches of heaven for the sake of Jesus, you shall not be in want. Because He provides eternal provision for you. And if you don't know Him, heed the Good Shepherd's voice today and want no more. Amen. Shall we pray? Dear Heavenly Father, as we bow before You at the close of this service and this day once again, we give You thanksgiving and praise for the truth of Your Word, for the comfort of Your Word, for the encouragement of Your Word, when we need it, the admonition of Your Word. Father, may we, each one of us here, live in the comfort that indeed the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want. May we understand indeed what a blessed relationship that is that You have with Your people that we also understand what complete and comprehensive care we enjoy safe in the palm of Your hand. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.