Safe and Sound - Part B

Maybe you sort of feel like a cast sheep.

You just want to get into a little comfortable zone and now your legs are sticking straight up. You've wandered just a little too far and you need God's goodness and mercy now. Let alone following you all the days of your life. Then you make that decision like David to say the Lord is my shepherd.

I'm coming back to his care, back to his fold, because here's the catch. All the things about God as a shepherd will never be true unless you let him be the shepherd of your life. Did you know that while Psalm 23 talks about the shadow of death, it actually has more to do with life. The truths you find in it can lead you into a strong security found only in our great shepherd. Today on Connect with Skip Heiseck, Skip shares how you can access the abundant protection and provision God offers. But before we begin, here's a great resource that will equip you to live in God's truth. Fake news. It used to be restricted to tabloids at the grocery store checkout and it used to be so obvious.

Chimpanzee head put on human body. But now there are entire websites dedicated to helping us figure out if a story, speech, or statistic is true or not. Here's Skip Heiseck with an important question. Is there such a thing as absolute truth? I want you to just think about that question. We want to help you get started in answering that question with two brand new booklets by Pastor Skip, Why Truth Matters and God and Suicide. You see, the Bible makes truth claims and some of those claims are, well, pretty absolute.

But how can you know it's really true? These resources will help you better understand the nature of truth so you can pursue God's truth in your life. And there are a way to thank you for your gift of $35 or more today to help expand this Bible teaching outreach.

Get your copies when you give online securely at connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888. Okay, we're in Psalm 23 today as we get into the teaching with Skip Heiseck. One of the common questions that we have is how do I find the Lord's will for my life? How do I get direction for my life? I want guidance for my life. And what they expect, I think, to hear from me is sort of a one, two, three, A, B, C formula for how to determine God's will. If you memorize this scripture and take this step and counsel with this person, bingo, you'll find God's will every time. And I think we're so hung up with guidance that we forget we have the guide living in us. We want direction when God is saying, hey, I, the director, will live inside of you. Now, if you were traveling to a foreign city like New York City, would you rather have a complicated set of instructions to get you around town? Or how about this? What if a local resident said, yo, let me get in the car with you.

I'll show you my town. You go, yeah, I want that guy. You've got that guy. You have the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, when the spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. I know sometimes we wonder, well, how is that going to work? Is he going to give me an impression of my heart? Am I going to have to memorize the scripture? Is it going to be through the counsel of others?

Answer, yes, all of the above. Relax a little bit. You're just a sheep. Leave that to the guide, the director. He leads.

He guides. His second phrase, I shall not want. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Now, I've discovered that not everyone who says the first part can actually say with honesty the second part. The Lord is my shepherd, but not everybody can say I shall not want.

We live in a society filled with discontentment. We're always looking at what other sheep are eating. Hey, that guy has greener pastures than I have. Lord, I trust you like they do. I serve you like they do. How come their pasture looks so much better than my pasture?

It's greener over there. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. There's a great little book called A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Philip Keller.

Some of you have seen it. It's an old book. It's the musings of an actual shepherd who was raised in East Africa, later on became a shepherd by occupation in Canada, who raised sheep for a living before he became a lay pastor. And he said, I remember in my flock, there was one particular little ewe lamb, a female sheep, who was beautiful.

Beautiful constitution, beautifully formed body, but always discontented. He called this sheep a fence crawler because no matter what pasture he led his sheep into, and he said, my pastures were the greenest pastures in the area. I had this one little sheep who would always move to the edge and sort of look out to see what's over there.

He eventually called her Miss Gadabout because she was always gadding about, looking for other pastures. I wonder if God doesn't have some sheep like that, who are disgruntled, who are always complaining, and may I be quick to add that a complaining sheep is a disgrace to the shepherd? Because a complaining sheep reflects the kind of care that that sheep thinks the shepherd is giving him or her or not giving him or her. And imagine how unbelievers feel when they look at complaining sheep's lives. You're trying to win people to Christ and you're always complaining and moaning. You know what they're thinking? I don't want to follow your shepherd.

He didn't take very good care of you, or so it seems, because you don't ever seem happy with him. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Contentment does not come from what we have. Contentment comes from whom we have. And if the Lord is your shepherd, you ought to be able to declare firmly and confidently, I shall not want. As a shepherd, he gives us direction. There's a second principle I want to discuss with you, and that is, as a friend, he gives us protection. Now you'll notice the pronoun change in verse four from speaking about he and his in the third person.

He speaks now directly to the Lord. 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. Now immediately this tells me that life is not always going to be about green pastures and still waters. There's going to be some valleys that I walk through.

And I know we don't like that. We hate valleys. I don't meet many people who go, oh, good, I'm in a valley right now.

It's dark down here. Praise the Lord. I think knowing the shepherd, we should be able to say that. But typically we go, Lord, please get me out of this valley. Just get me out of this valley. Just deliver me from this valley. Just carry me from mountain peak to mountain peak to mountain peak.

In Jesus' name, hallelujah. But there are going to be some valleys. Shepherds will lead sheep down into the valleys. Over in the Middle East where this scene takes place, when it gets really, really hot outside like it is these days, shepherds will move their sheep down into the ravines.

They call them the wadis. And sheep hate it. Sheep don't have great eyesight and they hate walking downwards into a shadow, dark ravine. But the reason that shepherds brings his sheep down there is because it's cooler down there. And that's where the streams of water are running, at the bottom of the ravine. In other words, sometimes the darkest valleys are pathways to the greenest pastures.

The sheep don't know that. They go, oh, this is scary. Oh, I hate these valleys.

Just wait. It's going to be cool down there and it's going to be beautiful and refreshing. And I've met many a believer who has testified to the fact that though they're going through a difficult time in their life and it's the trial of a lifetime, so to speak, that's where they meet the Lord. They have direct contact with God and his comfort in a way they've never experienced before. So you'll have some valleys. Verse four also tells me that you'll have some dark valleys. What David calls the valley of the shadow of death. Now, this is why it's recited at funerals, because of that phrase. But it doesn't necessarily refer to physical dying.

The Hebrew word is figurative of gloom or calamity. Here's a guy who isn't dying. Here's a guy who's living but experiencing a dark valley, the valley, what he calls the shadow of death.

But let me say this. Even when you do come to an end of your life and you do die, it's going to be okay. Death is sort of like going into a valley. When you approach that time to die, it feels dark. It feels like you're going down. Your movement is limited.

Your breathing is coarse. It seems so dark, but you're not going to stay there. You're going to come out of the valley, though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, not live forever in the valley, and then you awake and you have arisen on the other side in pure light. It's like walking through a valley. Charles Haddon Spurgeon used to say, death is not the house, it's just the porch.

It's just leading you somewhere. And notice, it does not say the valley of death, but the valley of the shadow of death. Can a shadow hurt you? Can a shadow of a dog bite you? Can the shadow of a sword or a knife cut you? The valley of the shadow of death cannot destroy you. The substance of death or the sting of death, as Paul said, has been removed.

Only the shadow remains. That's why David says, I will fear no evil. The other thing this tells me in verse four is that you can find comfort in the valleys, for he notices, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. David is now speaking of the equipment that a shepherd carries. There's two pieces of equipment every shepherd would carry. A staff, a staff is the crook, and a rod.

The rod is the club. So the staff or the crook is for directing sheep. The club or the rod is for protecting sheep. It was a little club that hung from the belt of a shepherd and often had nails in it.

It was for one purpose, and that is to beat up wolves. And you can imagine a little sheep looking up at a shepherd and seeing that weapon hanging from his side going, I'm comforted by that. I know that if the predator comes my way, I've got the kind of a shepherd who will give me protection.

In the New Testament, we have already read in First Peter that Peter describes Satan as a roaring what? Lion, seeking whom he may devour. But you need to know that that lion cannot get to you until he goes through your shepherd.

And if he allows any exposure at all to you, it will be very calculated for your own growth. He just won't let you at his disposal. That should be very, very comforting to you. Because I know, again, a lot of believers, it's always the devil's this, and the devil's there, and the devil did that. Okay, great.

Don't worry about him. You have a shepherd who will protect you. If you remember in the New Testament, Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. And then he talked about a sheep and calling their names, and they hear his voice and they follow him. But then Jesus said, I am the door to the sheepfold.

And let me just explain what that is. It kind of lends itself to understanding the meaning of this passage. In ancient times when they would bring sheep out to the countryside, they would place them in these little sheepfolds, sheep pens, which are like low lying walls with an opening, a narrow opening with no door. And a traveler was over in the Middle East, and the tour guide brought him out to see this shepherd, and the shepherd said, my sheep get inside this at night and they're perfectly safe.

He goes, wait, wait, wait. There's no door. And the shepherd said, that's because I am the door. I lie at night and sleep in front of the opening of this sheep enclosure. And no sheep can get out unless he goes over my body. And no wolf or predator can come in unless he goes over my body. Remember the old expression?

Over my dead body. So Satan might say, hey, I want to rip that Christian apart over my body. You can't get to that person unless I give you some kind of clearance for my purpose and for that sheep's growth. So this speaks of protection. As a friend, he gives us protection. As a shepherd, he gives us direction. As a friend, he gives us protection. And here's the third.

We close on this. As a host, he gives us provision. Verse five. Again, in the first person, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil and 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. Please notice in verse five, we have a change of metaphor, a change of picture. We're not dealing with sheep and a shepherd any longer. We're now inside the tent being the guest to someone who is being the host and lavishly giving us a meal. Unless you're prepared to think of little sheep sitting around a table drinking coffee, which is a ridiculous thought, understand that the metaphor has changed.

Now we're dealing with God, not as a shepherd, but God as a host who lavishes upon us what the Middle East is so famous for, and that is hospitality. One time I was in the city of Nazareth where Jesus grew up. I was with a few guys from our church.

We were doing a little film of the area. My son was there. And this guy comes out of the house, never met him before and goes, hi. And we said hi and we talked. His name was Tony.

He was a Palestinian Arab living in Nazareth. He invited us into his home. He gave us coffee, gave us tea, wanted to give us food, which he did, then asked us to stay through the night and have a huge meal with his family. We were unable to do that, but I just thought, here's a perfect stranger inviting perfect strangers into his house, willing to give us everything he's got. Amazing hospitality.

That's the picture that is drawn here. In ancient times, when you went into somebody's tent as a visitor, there was a protocol. First of all, they would give you the common kiss three times on one cheek, the other cheek, and then back to the first cheek. Then the servant would remove your sandals and wash your feet. Then they would place oil on your face, on your head, a scented olive oil to refresh you after the burning sun. Then they would give you a glass of wine with honey, a very sweet mixture to bring you refreshment. Then they would spread a rug before you and they would serve you a meal.

Lavish provision is the idea. Notice that David says, my cup runs over. Can't you just picture the host just pouring, pouring, and the guest going, no, no, that's enough. That's enough.

Really? He just kind of keeps pouring over and over. Sometimes I play a little joke on my friends. You know, we're sitting at lunch and I have water and they say, hey, can I ask for more water? I just sort of keep pouring and keep pouring and keep pouring until it just overflows onto the table. Looks like they made a mess.

I know it's an adolescent thing to do, but what can I say? God isn't playing a joke on his guests. The idea is that you are just so abundant in your provision and your love for me, Lord, my cup runs over. And then you'll notice this followed by surely goodness and mercy shall follow me. That's a declaration of the future based on the past. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Why would he say that? He would say that because that's been the track record. You have taken care of me and protected me and directed me and taken care of me all through my life.

I am now sure that in the future you're going to do the same. He's not saying I declare by faith that my life will be painless from now on. After all, he's eating in the presence of his what? Enemies.

He's got some enemies. But though his enemies pursue him, what David is saying is I know that goodness and mercy will also chase after me all the days of my life because it's always been that way. I'm making a declaration of my future based upon the past. This, folks, this is a statement of choice.

This is a statement of faith. It's, forgive the analogy, but in the words of Winnie the Pooh, the famous theologian, it's the choice to be Tigger and not Eeyore. Some people have just chosen to be Eeyore.

They're just always, it's always bad. It's not my cup runneth over, it's my cup leaketh under. But then there are those who say, no, I'm making a stand by faith to declare based upon who God is, what he has promised and where he has taken me, surely goodness and mercy will follow all the days of my life.

That's the choice to be like Tigger and not like Eeyore. Our trouble is that so often we write our sorrows in the marble and we write our mercies in the dust. Not David, not David.

My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Do you know the shepherd? There was once a famous actor that was invited to a social gathering. People were so excited to have this actor there.

He was known for his ability to portray characters and say lines in a way that was unparalleled. So that night at dinner, people were asking him to recite famous lines of different literary works. There was a minister who was also at that dinner and he said, I'd like you to recite Psalm 23 for the audience. And the actor said, I'd love to do that under one condition that after I'm done, you come and recite Psalm 23.

The pastor said, you're on. So the actor, as you would expect, in typical eloquence like a thespian would, rising of his voice and the falling of his voice just said it perfectly. And afterwards, people gave him a cheering round of applause that lasted for several moments.

Afterwards, the pastor got up. He was older. His voice was a little rougher. His eloquence was not perfect. But he recited Psalm 23 and after he did, there was not a dry eye in the audience.

Everyone was in tears. And after dinner, they asked the actor what made the difference. The actor said, I know the Psalm. He knows the shepherd. We all know the Psalm.

Everybody knows this Psalm. But do you know the shepherd? Do you know his direction in your life? Do you know his protection in your life? Do you feel and experience his provision in your life? Can you say the Lord is my personal shepherd?

I shall not want. And it could be, it could be that you're just in a little bit of a rut today. Did you know that one of the, one of the common problems that the sheep have is called being cast, C-A-S-T. Shepherds will refer to a cast sheep. This is a sheep who wanders from the fold, gets out on his own, all us like sheep have gone astray, and wants to just sort of lie down in a comfortable position in a little depression in the ground, and just sort of lies there, kicks back, and what happens is the sheep turns over just a little too much. And its legs are kind of sticking out, and then tries to shift and get out of it, and its legs sticking up like this. And the sheep cannot for the life of it get back on its feet.

Gases build up inside the abdomen, cutting off the circulation, and the sheep will die unless the shepherd finds it and restores it, verse three. He restores my soul, means brings me back. Maybe you sort of feel like a cast sheep.

You just want to get into a little comfortable zone, and now your legs are sticking straight up. You've wandered just a little too far, and you need God's goodness and mercy now, let alone following you all the days of your life. Then you make that decision, like David, to say the Lord is my shepherd. I'm coming back to his care, back to his fold, because here's the catch. All the things about God as a shepherd will never be true unless you let him be the shepherd of your life. You have to come into his fold by an act of your own will in cooperating with his call.

That wraps up Skip Heiseck's message for you from the series playlist. Right now, here's Skip to tell you how your support helps keep these messages coming your way and connects more people to God's truths. We live in a self-styled culture that is focused on pleasure and possessions. Because of that, we strive to promote a lifestyle that's all about Jesus. We do that by sharing biblically solid teachings. But did you know that there are expenses that we have to meet to make that happen? I'd like you to consider partnering with this ministry so we can continue sharing God's unchanging Word around the world with friends like you. Here's how you can become a partner today. Visit connectwithskip.com slash donate to give your gift today. That's connectwithskip.com slash donate, or call 800-922-1888.

Again, that's 800-922-1888. Coming up tomorrow, Skip Heiseck talks about the spiritual reality of depression and gives you hopeful truth to face life's difficulties and find your joy in God's light. Be sure to join us. Whenever our purpose is challenged or our usefulness is challenged, we become susceptible to spiritual depression.

This shows up when a person feels trapped in a marriage, when a person feels trapped in a job, when a person is forced into retirement because of a medical condition. They start asking questions, what use am I? What is my purpose? Make a connection, make a connection at the foot of the cross and cast all burdens on His Word. Make a connection, connection. Connect with Skip Heiseck is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.