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Well, brethren, it is again a 
joy to be with you today and to again have the privilege of 
directing your attention to God's Holy Word. And to that end, as 
I've announced this morning, we'll come back to Psalm 23. 
So Psalm 23. In light especially of the closing 
application from this morning's message, if you were here, I 
would ask you, how aware are you of your blessedness as one 
belonging to the Lord? Your blessedness. God's Word 
tells us of it throughout. Genesis to Revelation. We could 
appeal to verses in both of those books and every book in between 
that speak of the blessedness of belonging to the Lord. Well, 
that is most certainly so in this, what is perhaps one of 
the best-known Psalms, Psalm 23. And so we introduce our study 
this evening by again reading that well-known portion of God's 
Word. Notice now Psalm 23, beginning 
at verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall 
not want. He makes me to lie down in green 
pastures. He leads me beside the still 
waters. He restores my soul. He leads 
me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. Yea, 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 runs over. Surely goodness 
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will 
dwell in the house of the Lord forever. My God be pleased to 
again bless his word for our good and his honor. Now this 
morning, just by way of quick review, we saw four major blessings 
that belong to all who belong to the Lord. It's not just David's 
own personal experience and testimony and well, the rest of us, sorry, 
we missed out. No, no, this is that which really is the portion 
of all of the Lord's people. And not only that blessing in 
eternity, that is to say that we all together will dwell in 
the house of the Lord forever. But as I pointed out, most of 
the blessings that are here mentioned in this psalm have to do with 
the here and now, our present blessedness in this life in knowing 
the Lord and belonging to him. For instance, when David says, 
I shall not want, He isn't referring there to eternity, right? I mean, 
it's true we won't lack anything in eternal glory, but he's saying 
in this world he would lack nothing, and God would indeed provide 
for him. He amplifies that when he He 
uses the analogy in verse 2 of like a sheep being led into these 
kind meadows of tender grass and then the still waters from 
which he can drink a plenty. He's showing God's provision 
even abundantly. In verse 5, he's even clearer 
when he says, my cup runs over a supply beyond what we can contain. Well, that's certainly an emphasis 
here. God provides. But as I pointed out this morning, 
though that's true in the temporal, in the material, it's especially 
true in that spiritual realm in which he gives us every spiritual 
blessing in heavenly places in Christ, Paul says. Or as Peter 
said, he's given us all things pertaining to life and godliness 
through these exceeding great and precious promises, even that 
we should be partakers of the divine nature by way of God's 
moral nature made more and more like unto Christ himself. Well, that's one of the blessings 
that belongs then to all who belong to the Lord. And then 
we also pointed out that God protects his own, the very idea 
of a shepherd. It bespeaks that watchful care, 
a real concern for each of the sheep. Even as the Lord Jesus 
said, I give my sheep eternal life. They shall never perish. 
None shall snatch them from my hand. He speaks of that in verse 
four. by way of that rod and staff, defending and that shepherd's 
crook, protecting or rescuing the sheep, guiding them along. 
He can say boldly, I fear no evil. Why? Well, not because 
he's such a courageous military man, but because it's the Lord. He is my shepherd who is with 
me and protecting, and therefore it presupposes there will be 
a valley of the shadow of death, be it death itself, the act of 
dying, or dark trials in the meantime, presupposes that we 
will have enemies about us, and yet God prepares a table before 
us and protects us. You know, you think of the picture 
like that, of sitting down here at a table spread by our great 
host, the Lord God, with enemies about, we might be inclined to 
think, wait a minute, who can eat at a time like this, right? 
And yet, here is what David can say, he protects us. Or then 
also, not only that, but we saw another blessing is the consolation. He doesn't simply say, your rod 
and your staff, they protect me, true that is, but they comfort 
me, that God himself comes. It's one thing not to fear evil, 
it's one thing, to recognize that God will protect us. But he speaks here of great comfort 
being enjoyed. Even in the midst of these hard 
times and the like, well, God himself comes as the God of all 
comfort and encourages us in the way. And then finally, we'll 
also notice the promised blessing of the Lord's presence that throughout 
here. He's underscoring that. A shepherd 
who's actually with his sheep, with his people, right there 
in that valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil. 
Ultimately, I'm going to dwell in his house forever. I'm going 
to be with him forever. But even now, and in the meantime, 
the Lord is near and does good to his people from very up close. Again, the idea of that table 
spread there for our feasting with God as that host. Well, 
that in a nutshell is what we saw this morning as just constituting 
something of our blessedness, but please understand, David 
was not out to give an exhaustive list. Well, this is all you get. 
Sorry, we're done there. And in fact, I didn't even do 
an exhaustive treatment of the blessings that are found in this 
psalm that are currently ours. For instance, Twice, David emphasized 
God's leading. Now, I suppose we could say three 
times, because the very idea of a shepherd, he leads. But David articulates 
it very clearly when he says in verse two, he leads me beside 
the still water. And then he follows in verse 
three, he leads me in the paths of righteousness. And you know, 
this is a matter that perhaps we don't give enough attention 
to. But there is that blessed leading that we experience, and 
it's found throughout Scripture, and it's found even more than 
one way in which God does lead and direct our steps. We all 
understand that God works all things according to the counsel 
of his will. We understand that by providence, 
he shuts up our path and he opens doors that he directs. He leads 
us in his providence, the steps of a good man or ordered of the 
Lord, as we see in Psalm 37. And elsewhere, we see that Proverbs 
makes reference to the heart plans the ways, but it's God 
who directs the steps. In providence, you are where 
you are, dear Christian, your context, because of God's providence 
directing and leading you. Well, that's a rich blessing, 
isn't it? But that's not the only way he leads us, of course. 
I mean, when the Lord Jesus spoke in John chapter 10 of, my sheep 
hear my voice and they follow, obviously it means he leads us 
by his own word, right? He gives us the scriptures. He 
directs our steps according to his own word, right? And in addition 
to that, there's that working of the spirit. Perhaps you're 
familiar with that statement that Paul makes in Romans chapter 
eight and And I think it's verse 14, as many as are led by the 
Spirit, these are the sons of God. That doesn't mean that God 
puts a hook on our nose and leads us here, you go witness to that 
guy, you go give this. It's the idea of that internal 
leading of the Holy Spirit, convicting us and leading us on in holiness. 
He just got through there, Romans 8, 13, about mortifying the flesh 
by the power of the Spirit. Or Paul writes of it again over 
in Galatians 5, about God leading us, those who are led by the 
Spirit, they're not walking according to the deeds of the flesh. Rather, 
they're going on in that context, Galatians 5, bearing the fruits 
of the Holy Spirit. The point is, he's leading his 
people, and he leads us, he says, in the paths of righteousness. So his word comes with power. There's that internal working 
of the Holy Spirit, inclining us to put sin to death and to 
pursue holiness and to grow in grace and to bear those fruits 
of the Spirit And then in all of that, he's also directing 
by his providence, not leading us into the way of temptation, 
but rather, again, in the paths of righteousness. Well, that's 
yet another blessing, and I didn't open that up this morning, so 
I'm happy to throw that one in now as well. And even this, brethren, 
it doesn't exhaust the blessings that are found, but it is a rich 
blessing. And just as surely as God is 
leading us by those still waters, And just as surely as our good 
shepherd leads us in the paths of righteousness, so too when 
we come to that valley of the shadow of death, it's well, sorry, 
he quit leading there, you're on your own now. No, he leads 
us even there, right? And I find it interesting that 
David doesn't simply say when he walks into the valley of the 
shadow of death, is when I walk through the valley of the shadow 
of death, kind of presupposing, and he comes out the other side. 
And so with us, because of that leading of our great and glorious 
shepherd. Yes, we do go into the valley 
of the shadow of death, be it the act of dying, death itself, 
or even some dark trial that's as dark as death. Yet he doesn't 
leave us in the midst of it. He leads us all the way through. We come out on the other side. Bless God. were his leading. Well, that is something then 
of David's blessedness, and it's our blessedness. And again, we 
have even greater light this side of the coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, God manifested in the flesh. If our blessing is as David's 
blessing, then our response should be as David's response. You agree? And that seems logical enough, 
right? And therefore, we come back to this text because David 
actually shows us much of his own response to these truths 
that he's here stating. He doesn't just list them out 
as so many facts. We see David having a very experiential 
response to that which he here recognizes as true about God, 
his relationship to God, his blessedness belonging to the 
Lord himself. For instance, like David, we 
should then respond, if this is our blessedness, we should 
then respond with strong confidence in the Lord, because that is 
what David is here voicing throughout. That's a major emphasis. One 
commentator has said, the Psalm breathes throughout a spirit 
of the calmest and most assured trust in God. David is saying, 
here is my blessedness, both now and forever. And it's all 
because of the Lord, because of who he is and because of what 
he does. Even because of that relationship 
that David had with the true and living God by God's grace. 
And that being so, all because of his loving care, here is my 
blessedness. And he's speaking with a dogmatism. 
He's speaking with a certainty. I shall not want, I can't, here's 
why. No lack in any sense I have and 
shall have all that I ever need, all from him. And so it is that 
he goes throughout this psalm really expanding on that, going 
into specifics. He gives me this, he does this, 
he gives me this, he does... And all of this is the expression 
of his faith, of his confidence in God himself. He's gone, so 
for me, here is my state and my blessedness. And so too, when 
he comes and he says, I fear no evil, even in that dark valley, 
whatever that might be, he didn't deny that there would be some 
dark valley of the shadow of death. He anticipated it. And 
he wasn't gonna trust in anything in himself. No, it's because 
you are with me. His confidence is in God. And 
he's quite emphatic when he says here in the Hebrew, it's an emphasis 
there. It's your rod, your staff, not 
just any rod, not just any staff. It's because they're yours, oh 
Lord. It's because you are there present. And it's what you do. 
The instruments of your shepherding are there, very visible and very 
active. And therefore I fear no evil. Is that your confidence in the 
true and living God, your shepherd? Is that your confidence? You 
believe all that he's revealed of himself and you're trusting 
him always, always. Are you living in dread of the 
valley of the shadow of death? Maybe it's fearful of death itself or what precedes it, the days 
leading up to the act of dying. Are you living in dread of that, 
fearful? Or do you live in fear of waiting for the next shoe 
to drop? Yeah, things are going well now, but I just know a hard 
time is going to come. I'm going to get trials and it's 
going to be rough. And so you can actually live with a sense 
of dread in the anticipation of it. Is that you? Anybody here? I mean, could it be that a Christian 
would be that, entertain that kind of sense of dread of what 
may come? Well, I've met one. In fact, 
I see him when I shave on those rare occasions, okay? Brethren, recognize and believe 
what David knew. You won't be alone. Your good 
shepherd will be right there with you. whatever that valley 
is and whatever it entails, and he will be there in all that 
loving care as your shepherd, fully equipped to protect and 
to, again, not leave you in that valley, but he's going to bring 
you through it, okay? Bless God he does it even if 
we fail to have strong confidence, but how right it is that we should 
have confidence. Even in the face of death itself, 
or even in the deep, dark trials that may come, our safety is 
certain. He will bring us through. We 
are kept by the power of God through faith. Therefore, trust 
him. Confidence. That's what David's 
showing us here. Trust him. And as if verse four 
was not enough, by way of expressing his confidence and his reason 
for that confidence, we then have that verse five, he prepares 
a table before me in the presence of my enemies. I've got enemies. 
David had many enemies. Well, we can be grateful that 
we don't experience what he did. I personally have never had quite 
a multitude of people out to see me dead. I'm not complaining, 
that's just never been my portion. Well, we can be grateful that 
his trials are not ours, but even as I said this morning, 
we all have that enemy who goes about like a lion seeking whom 
he may devour, Satan himself, right? And that spiritual warfare 
against Satan and his hellish host. But even so, again, God 
preparing that table God protecting us so that we can enjoy the feast, 
even with enemies round about us. As I said earlier, who can 
eat at a time like this? Well, we can, because it's God 
himself who's there protecting. And the emphasis is David was 
trusting God. He does this, he does provide, 
he does protect, even with enemies all about. And then there's that 
capstone that's expressed, that crescendo, if you please, when 
he comes to verse six, Ending in his confidence about his eternal 
future, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. There's 
no doubt about it, so much so that David has even a joyful 
anticipation of, I will be with him forever. Whatever comes in 
the meantime, this is my lot. Well, again, that's so with us. And the Bible speaks repeatedly, 
especially when we come to the New Testament, of our living 
in anticipation of eternal glory. When Paul says we're justified 
by faith in Christ in Romans 5, he then goes on to say, and 
we now rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. What's that 
all about? It means right now, so justified, so right with God, 
unchangeably so are we in the righteousness imputed to us, 
Christ's righteousness, so justified that we right now have nothing 
betwixt us and that eternal blessedness being a certainty, so we now 
rejoice in that confident expectation of eternal glory. Or when Paul 
writes to Titus about how God now, by His grace, has taught 
us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, to live soberly, righteously, 
godly in the present age, Looking beyond the present age, we're 
now eagerly anticipating that coming of our great God and Savior, 
our Lord Jesus Christ, living with that anticipation. The Bible 
describes this repeatedly as those who eagerly wait for Him. 
He's going to change these bodies to be like unto His glorious 
body, those who eagerly wait for Him. That's us. So like David, 
We should have that kind of confidence. I'm so right with God all because 
of his provision for sinners like me in Jesus Christ. But 
now this is a certainty. And I can look ahead, I will 
dwell in the house of the Lord forever. You see what I'm saying 
here? He's voicing confidence. Is that your confidence? Such 
that now causes you to joy in that eternal blessedness that 
is most certainly yours in Christ. But again, David's not just thinking 
of the future. Because before he makes that 
dwelling in the house of the Lord statement forever, he says 
that surely goodness and mercy will follow. Surely, of a certainty, 
goodness and mercy shall follow me. Here's his confidence. It's 
not like two dogs, one named goodness, one named mercy, and 
they're following me everywhere I go. It's the idea of the word 
is pursue, right? That God's goodness, God's mercy, 
It chases me down and it overtakes me all the days of my life. It said of your Royal Canadian 
Mounted Police, they always get their man. God's goodness and 
mercy always gets his man and woman, okay? It pursues me and 
overtakes me every day, all my days. That's what David as you're 
saying, each one of those days, no matter what that day may bring 
forth, even in hardships, even in that valley of the shadow 
of death, all the way to the end, all of those days, God's 
goodness, God's mercy. Again, it presupposes we're gonna 
have needs. Our soul needs to be restored. 
We have enemies round and about. There's that dark valley that 
we will go through. And yet we can have that kind 
of confidence no less than David. God's goodness and God's mercy 
are just constantly chasing me down and overtaking me until 
they overtake me at last and usher me into his presence. That 
is your portion, dear brother, dear sister, by God's grace. 
Are you living with that kind of confidence? And if not, why 
not? Well, we can write up a number 
of reasons, remaining corruption, failure to really believe, failure 
to be occupied, easily distracted, and on down the list. But recognize 
what is true, believe it, and trust God. I hope that's somewhat 
easy to do right now, sitting comfortably in the midst of God's 
people. But whatever tomorrow and the 
next day and the next day hold, We'll stop then and reflect on 
Psalm 23 and reckon, no, no, no, here's what's true of me. 
And like David, have in voice that strong confidence in the 
Lord. Come what may, it's God's goodness 
and God's mercy. There they are, they're overtaking 
me again. Well, that's one response that 
we see in David, must be seen in us. And that's important for 
another response of what we see here in David. David is here giving praise to 
God. That's what this psalm really 
is. What is praise? If I were to 
ask you, give me a dictionary definition of the word praise. You know, sometimes we know words 
and we're just not quite able to articulate exactly what they 
mean, right? I cheated, I looked at a dictionary. 
The idea of to express approval or admiration. Well, that's what 
we see David doing here. He's declaring truth about God 
and doing so with adoration and joy. He speaks elsewhere of his 
soul making its boast in the Lord, kind of a verbal overflow 
of here he is. Or to illustrate the point, Psalm 
102. You know how Hebrew parallelism, 
Hebrew poetry, it'll be a statement and then another statement that 
says the same thing basically in other words, right? Well, 
that's very telling as to show the meaning of things. For instance, 
he says in Psalm 102, 21, declare the name of the Lord in Zion 
and his praise in Jerusalem. To declare his name and his praise 
are synonymous. there, right? Same thing. What 
does it mean to praise him? It means to declare his name. 
It means to declare truth about him. Psalm 106, verse 2, who 
can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all 
of his praise? What is praising? It's declaring 
his mighty acts. It's declaring truth about him 
with joy and admiration. One more example. Psalm 9, 1, 
I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart. I will tell of 
all your marvelous works. Praising is telling of all of 
his marvelous works. You get the point. It's speaking truth 
about God, not just as so many facts. In that sense, it's distinct 
from thanksgiving, though it's often joined with it. But it's 
actually focusing on truth about God, his attributes, his ways, 
his dealings with us, et cetera, and declaring and rejoicing in 
truth about him. Isn't that what we see here in 
Psalm 23? Isn't that what he's doing? He's 
not talking about himself, and I did this, I did that, I got 
this. His focus is, well, from the outset, the Lord. is my shepherd, 
and here's what he does, and here is all that is mine because 
of who he is and what he does." And again, he's not stating it 
as just so many facts. Well, I've got this, I've got 
that, he's this, I've got... He's saying this with an elation 
of spirit. He's saying this with adoration, 
with true joy in the Lord himself, and that especially to God's 
honor. David was very aware of his blessedness. He's very aware of how it was 
his. And then out of the overflow 
of his own heart, these words come forth so that each verse 
is actually a declaration of truth about God, praise to God. Do you do that? Do you praise 
God? David's even speaking of specifics 
about God, God and his dealings. Look at what he does. He leads 
me beside the still waters. He makes me to lie down as gentle 
passion. He leads in the paths of righteousness 
for his namesake. How great and how good this God 
is. He's glorying in this truth and 
he's my God. It's noteworthy that at times, 
David talks about God, and at other times he's talking to God. I remember hearing of a young 
man who was complaining about the use of the hymnal. And he 
said, well, you know, you like to sing about God. I want to 
sing Well, that sounds noble and spiritual and so forth, but 
it's a false dichotomy, because what we find in Scripture is 
both. For instance, when David says, 
verse 1, the Lord is my shepherd, it's like he's talking to us. 
When he talks about he makes me lie down, great pastor, leads 
me, it's like he leads me in the paths of righteousness, he's 
talking to us. And yet, when we come, say, to verse four, 
suddenly it switches over, walking to the valley of shadow death, 
fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod. Now he's talking 
to God. Verse five, you prepare a table 
before me in the presence of my enemies. So whether he's talking 
about God or to God, it's one and the same. It's praise to 
God, to the honor of God, giving worship to God. And so too in 
our singing, the hymns and the like, brethren. Right? Well, 
you're singing about God. Well, that's very biblical too, 
right? It's not just because it's all to and about and before 
God as expression of worship and adoration. Well, that's what 
we see then going on here. I think of Psalm 66 and verse 
16. Come and hear all you who fear God, and I will declare 
what he has done for my soul. I'm going to praise him. I will 
tell you. But the Psalm actually early on, verses two and three 
of Psalm 66, we're commanded there, sing out the honor of 
his name. Say to God, how awesome are your works. So beware of 
that kind of false dichotomy. Whether you're singing about 
God to God, it's still the same. It's praise and adoration for 
the true and living God. Well, do you do that? in addition to, in many ways 
distinct from, thanksgiving to God. I trust that we are doing 
that, though none of us can say yeah enough. But do you gladly 
declare truth about God to others? Let me tell you about God. Let 
me tell you about His glory. Let me tell you about His goodness 
to me. Let me tell you. Do you tell others about God? 
That's what it means to praise Him. You know, we're commanded 
repeatedly in Scripture, aren't we, to praise the Lord, right? 
But also, in your own prayer times, When you're alone before 
him, do you praise him? It's easy to pray and bring something 
of a grocery list. I need this and I need that and 
I need this and I need that, right? But we're commanded to 
praise him. Well, do you do that? Are these 
blessings in Psalm 23 your blessings because of God's grace in Christ? 
Then let me encourage you. If you have nothing else to bring 
before God by way of praise in your own private devotions, Come 
with Psalm 23. Read it before him, speaking 
to him with joy and adoration. and true praise, and keep the 
heart well stocked. And again, standing this side 
of Calvary, standing this side of the good shepherd coming to 
lay down his life for sheep like us, and then being raised, exalted, 
glorified, and gathering sheep even from the Gentile fold to 
make all one fold under that one shepherd. Rather, we've got 
all kinds of ammunition here to bring before God in praise, 
shooting it up to heaven by way of praise and adoration. Truth 
about God declared to God or before men, but it's one and 
the same, and especially in our own private times. Isn't it easy 
to kind of go through that? And we give thanks, at least 
somewhat, but do we actually praise Him? Do you rejoice and 
speak truth about Him to Him as well as to others? Well, that's 
what we see David doing, and I think that is a very right 
application. If this is our blessing, then 
do as David, and that means being occupied with God and his goodness, 
knowing theology, if you please, knowing truth about God and God's 
ways, so much so that, again, I say, out of the abundance of 
the heart, the mouth speaks. Might God help us to be a praising 
people. But now, thirdly, by way of David's 
response, and it really ties right in to what we've just seen. 
We see David here having great delight in his shepherd, as before 
God, as present with God. As seen, the very idea of a shepherd 
communicates that, that the shepherd is with his sheep. He's very 
present, and David is very mindful of that. He says, you are with 
me, not only in that dark valley, but even in that dark valley, 
you are very present with me. David was clearly mindful of 
this, that God's presence was comforting him. Here, no matter 
what goes on, here you are. It wasn't just consolation, it's 
a source of great joy. When he's talking about, he leads 
me beside the still waters, surely it would be wrong to think in 
terms of a monotone, yeah, yeah, he leads me beside the still 
water, I don't know why. No, there's a sense of joy. Look 
what he's doing. He's leading me in the path of 
righteousness too. Look at this. He's delighting in God himself. And knowing that he's leading 
not from a distance, but he's right here with me directing 
my steps, making me lie down in those dreams as if, you know, 
I'm a bit unsettled here. I'm a bit too nervous. I can't 
be skittish. I can't be laying down at a time like this. I got 
too much on my mind to do. He makes me lie down. And perhaps sometimes 
trials come that way, huh? To slow us down and make us lie 
down in those green pastures so that we might enjoy the Lord's 
goodness and enjoy the Lord himself right there in those green pastures 
beside that still water. David was enjoying the Lord as 
one who's truly glad, not simply for the blessings, but glad to 
belong to the Lord. He's my shepherd. I'm tickled, 
I'm truly rejoicing that he is my shepherd, this God, he's mine, 
knowing him and seeing himself as before him. You know, the 
shepherd sheep analogy, it communicates that well enough that he's in 
God's presence, God is with him, right? But after all, I mean, 
there's not a whole lot of intelligent communication typically going 
on between a sheep and a shepherd. You know, it's not like they're 
having some great powwow here. And perhaps that's why we find 
the shift in the analogy where he changes from talking about 
the Lord as my shepherd to, and God is my host. And here's what 
he does. He spreads out this table for 
me. As this host, even all that oil 
of gladness with which he anoints by way of that welcoming and 
honoring and consoling and comforting and encouraging me, and this 
table with this cup that's overflowing, well, the very idea of God as 
a host and spreading the table, what does that communicate? not 
simply delight in the feast, but delight in who he's feasting 
with. It's the Lord himself here, that 
kind of mutual delight and fellowship. And that's why, again, I pointed 
out this morning, I say it again, that's why David here, he switches 
gears. He's not now talking about the Lord. He says, you, you prepare 
the table. You're right here with me. You've 
got this luscious feast spread for me. You did that. And he's 
having happy interaction with God. Doesn't the analogy of a 
feast, isn't that used repeatedly in scripture to speak of fellowship? 
You remember when the Lord Jesus, speaking to the church of Laodicea 
there in Revelation chapter three, it's nothing to do about knocking 
on the door of a sinner's heart when he says, behold, I stand 
at the door and knock. It seems more the picture is he stands knocking, 
if you please, on the church door that, look at Laodicea, 
he's not even in there because of the way that church had gone. 
But he says, I stand at the door and knock of anyone, anyone in 
that church, here's my voice. I will come into him and sup 
with him and he with me." What does he mean? It's the idea of 
fellowship, a feast, having fellowship together. Or Luke 13 and elsewhere, 
when the Bible speaks of our eternal blessedness, so often, 
you know, it speaks in terms of a feast spread and we come 
feasting together. That's the analogy that David 
here employs. It's not simply that I'm a sheep 
being shepherded by this good shepherd, but he's a host, I'm 
a guest, and he's wanting me to have fellowship with him. 
He's the one who made all the provisions and spread the table 
and filled the cup and anointed with oil. More than that, brethren, 
he's the one who sent his only begotten son into this world 
to redeem us and save us from our sins in order to bring us 
into fellowship with himself, right? 1 John 1. Here's the gospel. This is what it is. It's so that 
we might have fellowship not only with one another, but our 
fellowships with the Father and with his Son. You think you desire 
fellowship with God? How much have you invested in 
it? Think of what he's invested in having fellowship with you, 
right? Sending Christ himself. The idea 
of mutual delight, so much so that God delights in the prayers 
of the upright, Proverbs 15, eight. Well, that's something 
here of what's going on in this picture. Eternally is considered 
as a feast and in God's presence is fullness of joy. But we've 
something of a foretaste of that even now in the meantime. Fellowship, 
delighting in God. You recall, you well know the 
Westminster Shorter Catechism, question number one, what is 
man's chief end? A man's chief end is to glorify 
God and to enjoy Him forever. Well, we will forever. But that 
doesn't mean, well, only in eternity, and now not much, but no, forever 
means now, as well as forever, endlessly, right? To enjoy him, 
man's chief end. Well, that's something of what 
we see reflected here in the words of David. He spread this 
feast, my cups overflowing. He's there with me. Well, how 
right then that we should be aware of God's presence. that 
we should be aware of His goodness and all that He's done for us 
in order to have us. And especially again, in greater 
light of the new covenant and the good shepherd coming and 
laying down his life and laying hold upon us and giving us everlasting 
life, even beginning now. Remember what Jesus said in John 
17, three, that he came as power over all flesh to give eternal 
life to as many as the father was given. And he says, and this 
is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God in Jesus 
Christ, whom you have sent. Well, it means eternal life begins 
now, knowing him now. rejoicing in our blessedness. That's what we see here. Acknowledging 
God's goodness, acknowledging God's presence with delight. Well, do you do that? That's 
what we see David doing here. Lord, you're here. You spread 
this feast. You want fellowship with me? 
Hymn number 31 in your hymnals, that God should stoop to ask 
the love of our poor hearts. Yet so it is. Fellowship. with us. Real and happy interaction. In fact, a New Testament trilogy 
of commands underscores this. I just wanted to take a quick 
digression to direct your attention to it. Please come to 1 Thessalonians 
5, because I would like this to have some practical demonstration 
or clearly practical outworking. As I said, it's a trilogy of 
very brief commands given us in 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 
16 through 18. Paul begins, rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything 
give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Now what do these three commands 
in particular have in common? Well, first of all, when he calls 
us to rejoice always, he's not simply saying flash out a 32-tooth 
grin at something you think is funny. It's just like what he 
says to the Philippians, rejoice in the Lord always, right? In 
him and truth about him. So when he's saying rejoice always, 
it's rejoicing in your relationship with the true and living God. 
Well, does that not require some degree of mindfulness of that, 
right? And so too, when he follows with 
that other very short command, pray without ceasing, and it 
doesn't mean that's all we could ever possibly do, but it is the 
idea of with a great regularity, a great consistency, pray, not 
just times of your own personal devotions or not even just corporate 
prayer, but even throughout the day, those extemporary prayers. 
But does that not again bespeak a mindfulness of God present, 
and we're speaking with Him even as we go about our daily routine, 
whatever that routine may entail, that you're praying without ceasing, 
that throughout the day you're having this conversation, this 
interaction. with God. And so, too, when he comes to 
the next verse and he talks about, in everything give thanks, well, 
in everything that means there's a mindfulness of God and of God's 
constant goodness to you so that there's, again, that expression 
before and to God himself. The point is, brethren, even 
in this commands, these three commands, we're actually commanded 
to have fellowship with God. that God is real to us. And throughout 
the course of the day, we're interacting with him and rejoicing 
him, glorying in him and thanking him as we constantly recognize 
his great goodness to us. Well, if you please, that's kind 
of a practical demonstration of what I'm getting at from Psalm 
23, that David was mindful of God's presence and he's enjoying 
him. He's having fellowship with him, 
real communication going on with him. That was David's response 
to his blessedness. Shouldn't it be our response, 
especially since it's commanded so clearly here in 1 Thessalonians 
5 and elsewhere, right? Well, there's yet one more element 
to David's response to which I would direct your attention. 
Coming back now to Psalm 23. If the Lord is our shepherd, then we are to live as his sheep. I referred in the morning message 
more than once to that Isaiah 53, six statement that describes 
all men in their native state. All we like sheep have gone astray. 
Each has turned to his own way. That was us natively, right? 
But now by God's grace, that's not us. In fact, we're the opposite 
of that. Not going our own way and not 
sheep straying, but rather we're with our good shepherd. And therefore 
we're to live like it. He leads in the paths of righteousness. Therefore, we're to follow in 
the paths of righteousness. We're to show that love for him. We're to show that life with 
him by how we live. To follow him. The Lord Jesus, 
when he talked about he had other sheep, not of this fold, them 
also must bring it. There'll be one fold under one 
shepherd. And it's in that connection that 
he says, my sheep hear my voice. and they follow. That's not simply 
the effectual call, it includes that, right, that effectual drawing 
us when the gospel comes with power, but it's ongoing. His people hear his voice and 
his word, and they follow. He goes on to say, you love me, 
you keep my commandments in a later chapter there in John's gospel. If he's leading us in the paths 
of righteousness, it's for us to live as his sheep. were to 
listen to His Word and obey it, were to know it, we recognize, 
I trust, not only the authority of Scripture, but the sufficiency 
of Scripture, right? That, to me, is a hallmark, a 
distinctive of our churches, of the Reformed faith, of biblical 
Christianity. We believe it's sufficient. When 
Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3 and talks about not only that 
the Word of God is God-breathed and profitable, but he says that 
the man of God, not just you, Timothy, but any man engaged 
in pastoral-type labors, will be thoroughly equipped for every 
good work. Timothy, whatever you have to 
deal with as a pastor, whatever anyone or as an apostolic delegate 
or whatever any pastor throughout the ages will ever have to deal 
with, he's got it all right there in God's Word, God's inspired 
and prophet Word. And if that's so for whatever 
any pastor anywhere ever will face, that would include what 
you and I face as individuals in our own life, right? God's 
Word being a light to our feet and a lamp to our path, and that 
means every step of the way is sufficient. He leads us in the 
paths of righteousness, and that means He directs us by His Word, 
made effectual. My sheep hear my voice, they 
follow. That at least includes our loving 
obedience to Him, right? And I mentioned earlier that 
emphasis on the leading of the Holy Spirit. As many as are led 
by the Spirit, these are the sons of God. As I point out then, 
it's not leading us with a hook in the nose to go do certain 
works, but it's the idea of leading us to put sin to death and to 
grow in grace, to not walk according to the flesh, but to walk in 
the paths of righteousness. That's his dealings. That's great 
blessing. It's for us to follow, right? So when the Spirit convicts, 
when the Spirit inclines, that sin is exposed, what are you 
going to do with it? Don't hide it. Don't sweep it 
under the carpet. Don't explain it away. Mortify by the power 
of the Spirit. He's leading you in that direction. When you see areas in which you 
desperately need to grow in grace, that you need the Holy Spirit's 
work in bearing those various fruits, love, joy, peace, etc. 
there, What are you gonna do? You're convicted. You see, boy, 
I'm lacking in this one. Take your pick, which one it 
is in the list. What are you gonna do? Well, follow the leading 
of the Spirit and apply the word of God, knowing also that God 
directs in providence to aid us, not leading us into temptation, 
but rather, again, in the paths of righteousness. Then live as 
his sheep. Follow. And recognize he leads 
us in the paths of righteousness, For his namesake. What does that 
mean? Well, obviously it means for 
his honor and glory, now and forever. One point of that, for 
his namesake, it underscores it's not because of anything 
deserving in us. It's all of your grace. But as 
such, my brother, my sister, that makes us trophies of his 
grace, right? We are to the praise of the glory 
of his grace, Ephesians 1.6. Well, how right then that we 
should live as trophies of his grace, as those sheep who've 
been rescued from Satan and the roaring lion that he is, those 
sheep who've been bought at such a price, those sheep who've been 
brought under the shepherd's loving care. Well, out of love 
for our shepherd, our gracious host, wanting to honor him, then 
follow in the paths of righteousness, even yielding our very bodies 
a living sacrifice in light of his great mercies, knowing it 
is our reasonable service, as well as being very acceptable 
before God. Again, think of Jesus Christ. 
He gave himself to deliver us, to redeem us from every lawless 
deed and to purify unto himself his own special people, zealous 
for good works, Titus 2, 14. Not just redeeming us from the 
guilt of sin, but from the practice of sin, from the slavery that 
was ours in sin. Well then follow the shepherd. That's what David's talking about. 
He leads in the paths of righteousness. How are you doing, my brother? 
How are you doing, my sister? He is leading you in the paths of 
righteousness. He is. I mean, as providence, he's brought 
you here to this congregation, his church. Well, are you following? How are you doing in your following? 
And is it for his namesake? Is that our priority, that he 
should be honored and glorified, and especially out of response 
to his great goodness? Lord, you redeemed me, you've 
led me, and you're leading me to this end. Let me put it another 
way. Isn't His glory our desire? You 
as a Christian, if I were to take each believer here individually, 
I would say, isn't it your heart's desire to glorify Him, to see 
Him honored in the earth? And notwithstanding our remaining 
corruption and times of dullness and even declension, we would 
all say, yes, amen. My grief is that it's not as 
I would wish it to be. Why do you have that desire? 
Well, we can answer, I suppose, in a number of ways, but let 
me just appeal to Paul's words in Philippians 2.13. God works 
in us to will his good pleasure. That's why, so even that very 
desire that God should be glorified, his work, he works in us to will 
his good pleasure. But I suspect not a few of you 
are saying, oh, but wait a minute, preacher, you're not giving us 
that whole verse. Oh, you're right. Because Paul follows with, 
he works in us to will and to do. His good pleasure. Not only that inclination of 
heart, but that enabling by His Holy Spirit that we should indeed 
follow in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. Brethren, that 
is our blessedness and how right we like David should respond 
in living consistent with it. How are you doing? How will you 
do? By God's grace. Isn't this our 
desire? He works in you to will, then 
cry out, Lord, work in me to do, and keep leading me in the 
paths of righteousness for your name's sake. Man's chief end, 
to glorify God and enjoy him forever. It's not one and the 
same, they are distinct, but they're both to be enjoyed in 
tandem. Oh, might God grant it to be so even ever increasingly 
in this congregation, in the lives of God's people here, and 
all to the praise, to the glory, of his grace. The unsaved, they do not want 
God as their shepherd. Even that good shepherd who would 
lay down his life for his sheep and love them and protect them 
all the way to the end. Instead, they love their sin. 
That's why, like sheep, they go astray, going their own way. even though sheep having no shepherd 
are set forth in a bad way. I think I used the analogy this 
morning of some lion had a sheep. Is it gonna be bleeding, crying 
out, or is it just gonna passively say, yeah, go ahead, take a bite, 
have lunch? No, it's gonna, and yet the unsaved, 
they don't recognize their precarious position that Satan already has 
them. Why wouldn't they want this shepherd to rescue them? 
Well, I know, I mean, the idea of a shepherd, it means he's 
got authority. He's to be obeyed. But is that a bad thing? I mean, 
look at the mess that people make of their lives. And you're 
telling me you're doing a better job than the good shepherd would 
do? Really? Proof's in the pudding, man. What great blessedness was held 
out? Protecting, comforting, joy guiding, his goodness and 
mercy overtaking. Does it make sense to reject 
all of that in order to live a life at best that is in a bad 
way and ends with being damned forever? Does that make sense? 
I mean, just pure logic would show the folly of that. And it shows the extent of the 
folly of man in sin, man in life, without God. You recall the parable 
of the prodigal son, right? And the picture of his repentance 
and how, you know, I'm going to return to my father and so 
forth. But you remember what's said kind of preceding his repentance? He came to his senses. Paul uses 
that language of the unconverted generally over in 2 Timothy. 
Let's say, if perhaps they should come to their senses and escape 
the snare of the devil being taken captive by him at his will. 
That's the problem with the unsaved. They're not in the right mind. 
I don't mean, if you're a non-Christian, I don't mean to sound belittling 
or insulting to you, but the point is, you're not thinking 
clearly, man. You're not seeing things very 
clearly here, young person or not so young person. What sense 
does it make to refuse reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ? 
To live out your life here, what will it profit a man if he gains 
the whole world and loses his own soul? And yet isn't it true, 
the unsaved, they don't get the whole world. They sell their 
soul for just a tiny portion of the world, probably with a 
lot of misery attached to it. And then they're damned forever. 
Does that make sense? Well, why do they do that? Well, 
because they're held by sin and they're held by Satan. What hope 
is there? Ah, there's hope. Christ Jesus 
came into this world to save sinners. That shepherd who rescues 
from the lion and the bear, that shepherd who truly lays hold 
and changes lives, gives new hearts as well as forgives sins. 
He laid down his life for his sheep. He lives to save and to 
keep his sheep. And it's this shepherd, it's 
this shepherd who's set before you in scripture. And when you're 
commanded to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, there's that glorious 
promise. You will be saved. That's true, not only that Philippian 
jailer there in Acts 16, that's true of sinners everywhere. You, 
call upon the name of the Lord. He's rich to all who call upon 
him. Whoever calls upon him shall 
be saved. Will you trust him? Will you 
believe on him? Will you cry out for mercy? Lord, 
save a sinner like me and trust him to do so. Might God grant 
it to be so. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you 
again for your mercies to us, and even the greater light of 
the new covenant and seeing this psalm in light of Christ himself 
coming to rescue and to lead us. Father, we ask that we would 
very much take these things to heart, that we, like David, be 
very aware of our blessedness, even rehearsing these things 
from even this portion of your word, and grant too that we would 
respond with that strong confidence in you And grant, too, that we 
would know more of giving praise, even overflowing with praise 
to you. And grant us well, our Father, 
that we would delight in you, that we would have realized communion 
with you, sweet fellowship, knowing your presence even with great 
joy and rejoicing. but also grant that we would 
indeed follow. We would be led in the paths 
of righteousness, and we would live consistent with your law, 
with your loving word for us, and by the enabling of your Holy 
Spirit, by that grace given us in Jesus Christ, and grant especially 
it would be for your namesake. Oh, for your honor and glory 
in the earth. Bless this church and all the members of this congregation, 
and grant, oh Father, that you would get honor for your name 
here in this place through them. It's in Jesus' name we pray, 
amen.