The Lord the Shepherd of His People Part 1

The Lord the Shepherd of His People
Psalm 23
1. The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want.
2. He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3. He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4. Yes, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they
comfort me.
5. You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.



The most repeated Psalm in the book of Psalms, but yet do we dwell on it as we should? I keep a copy of it in my truck so that I can read it when troubled, but I confess I have never dwelled on it till today. This week I will devout my time to the study of this beloved Psalm and share my study with you. I pray we all come away with a better understanding of Jesus as a shepherd to His people.
In most of David’s Psalm we find complaints, and crying out for mercy, here David talks of comfort and of the tenderness of the Lord. He establishes a relationship to God, and that it is God who will meet his needs. He reminds himself of the comfort that God has provided for him and that he shall want of nothing. He talks of the goodness of God, not only being with him now but forever, and that he will be established as God’s child in His kingdom for all times.

"The Lord is my shepherd." Psalm 78:70,71; He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. It is God who has chosen our savior, for only God knows the needs of the sheep and the skills needed to shepherd His people. When I hired on with CCX, I went through a process where I was tested worthy to be an employee with this company. My application was reviewed to see if I had the experience to do this job. Christ fulfilled all the prophecies written about Him in the Old Testament, it was His resume. We have before us a list of the qualifications of our shepherd and in His life, death and resurrection we see them all fulfilled.
I was given a road test to see if I indeed had the skills needed to do the job. I was given a physical, drug test, and background check, all to see if I was the employee that they needed. By testing the scriptures we find that Christ was the only one qualified to become our savior, and that He passed every test put before Him. If God knew Jesus as Himself, why the test, was it to prove Jesus worthy to Himself? No, it was to prove to us that Christ was our savior.
John 10:11; “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Just as David faced the lion, to save his flock, Jesus was willing to go to the cross to save His sheep. It was the final qualification needed for the shepherd, that he was willing to face death for the sake of the sheep. Just as David knew that it was God who saved him when he faced death, Christ prayed for strength to endure what He was about to go through. Luke 22:42.
Isaiah 40:11 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.
Jesus is not only a shepherd to the flock but a shepherd to the individual believer. Jesus cares for our every need, from the time we are new Christians, to the times we are hurting and carrying burdens that slow our walk. He will go after us when we stray from the flock and rejoice when we return to the fold.
"I shall not want." I feel this statement goes far beyond physical needs, to mean that if Jesus is my shepherd than I will not look for another. When God established the nation of Israel, He wanted to be their God and for them to rely upon Him. The people on the other hand wanted a king just like everyone else and failed to see that God was their king. In John chapter 11 and verse three, John sends his disciples to Jesus to ask if He was indeed the Coming One, or if they should look for another. John was in prison and needed reassurance from Jesus. When faced with trouble, we tend to cry out to God wondering if this is all there is, needing that same reassurance.
Or people want to deny the savior, thinking there needs to be more to salvation, or they want an active part in that salvation. Thinking themselves good people, and ignoring that scripture teaches that there is none good, but God.
Still others don’t want what Jesus has to offer and want to serve another who seems more aligned to their personal goals. These choices lead to temporary satisfaction, but leave us empty searching for more, not fulfilling that God given need to be with Him.
When we find the peace from trusting Jesus as our savior, and depend upon Him for our every need, we shall surely want for nothing nor search for another.
When David wrote this Psalm, he remembered that He begged for food twice before while chased by Saul, and that he did not have physical needs for himself and his men. David had an inner peace that is available to each of us from the Holy Spirit, which reminds us that God is indeed with us. Jesus is our savior, having fulfilled all scripture relating to the Messiah, and leads us with the sacrificial love of a shepherd, willing to lay down His life for the flock.

Going on To Perfection

Going on to Perfection
Ephesians 4:13-16
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. 15 but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part doe its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Again Paul is writing to a church that is made of Jews and gentiles, all trying to come together in faith. They have one common bond and that is Christ, the Jews welcoming their Messiah and the gentiles entering into the family of God by faith in that Messiah. It is faith that joins them in the church and it is faith in Christ that propels them to work as a church to spread the good news of the gospel of Christ to others. When a team, talented as it may be, works as a group of individuals, it is not able to accomplish all that God intended it to be. God brings certain people together and gifts them according to His will and then is with them to help them accomplish His goals. Individuals are able to accomplish some things alone, but when we pool our gifts together and work in unity, imagine what we can accomplish for God. What stands in our way? What keeps us from being all God intended for us to be? In verse thirteen Paul says we are to go on to perfection, to the measure of Christ. Christ is our example of how to act, and our image in a mirror to become. One exercise we could do each day is to go to the mirror once a day and ask ourselves, am I measuring up to Christ today? For we are to be Jesus to the world!
There are two images I get in verse fourteen to explain what Paul is saying. One is that of a child, who follows every popular fad, or is attracted to a new and shiny toy that they just can’t live without. People react in like manner to new doctrine that please them and seem more attractive, and lesson the impact of the need of a savior, making them feel good and right in their own minds. One of Satan’s biggest lies is to convince us that we are okay, or not that bad. If we can come away from church thinking that we are good people and feeling pretty good about ourselves than we have no need of a savior. There are many new and shiny toys for us to seek after, that all led us to the same perception that we are good people.
The other image that I get is of a ship tossed to and fro by the winds of a storm, unable to be steered, but controlled by that wind. In the recent hurricane, one man lost his life while trying to ride out the storm in his sailboat. When we loose our focus on the word of God, we tend to follow false doctrines that control our thinking and we are unable to follow the will of the Father for our lives. Our salvation remains intact, but we loose the opportunity to be used of the Father to further His kingdom, if Satan cannot keep us from the Father than he will make us ineffective in our walk.
Men also will attempt to persuade us from the will of the Father by deceit, in order to force their will upon us, or to obtain their goals. By being grounded in the word of God we are able to recognize false doctrine when it appears and avoid it. 2 Timothy 2:15 states; Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. The word diligent means to quietly and steadily preserver, especially in detail or exactness. When we study the word of God with this attitude, we guard ourselves against every wind or false doctrine that comes along. We are able to look past the new and shiny coating to see the lie that is beneath, mixed in with just enough truth to make it palatable.
V.15, “speaking the truth in love,” I have always heard it said that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, does this mean we are to sugar coat the gospel? Certainly not, but when you express the love of God for His people, through arrogance, hatred, and indifference, isn’t that a contradiction to the gospel itself? When people tell me off color jokes, I have two ways to approach this. One I can tell them I don’t want to here that trash and drive away any chance to even talk to them, or I can ask them in friendship to keep it clean, and listen to a watered down version of their joke. I have tried this and found that it doesn’t offend people, and I project a good witness. After awhile others tend to even apologize for using foul language around me.
Nobody wants to have things crammed down their throats, or our opinions forced on them, but when we lead a life that is parallel to the gospel, we open the door for the gospel to be shared. God will place you in certain situations where you will have an opportunity to share His love for His people, so always be prepared to give a reason why you believe. 1Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
Just as the body needs nourishment to grow, so does the spirit, that whatever comes our way, we will not live in fear, but continue in the hope of the gospel. A steady diet of teaching and prayer, and a life of sharing love for God’s people, will help you face each situation that comes along. God may not deliver you out of your situation, but He will deliver you through it. In this we are learning to be dependant upon the grace of God, and walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called. People will watch how you handle each situation that comes your way and react towards God by how you react to each situation.
From verse sixteen we come away with the thought that we have a family that is growing in grace as we are. That when we all express our gifts for the furthering of the church, and work together to spread the gospel that we grow into what God desires for us, as the body of Christ, to become. Just as a proper diet is needed for the body to grow and mature, so does the church. If you feed the body sweets all your life you will do the body no justice. If the body Of Christ is fed with anything but the truth, tempered with love, and presented in a way that reaches to each ones needs, than it will fail. A proper diet of the word spoken in truth and prayer are vital for the church to grow.
I leave you with this story: Remember putting your face above a headless frame painted to represent a muscle man, a clown, or even a bathing beauty? Many of us have had our pictures taken this way, and the photos are humorous because the head doesn't fit the body. If we could picture Christ as the head of our local body of believers, would the world laugh at the misfit? Or would they stand in awe of a human body so closely related to a divine head? Dan Bernard.

Equipping the Saints

Equipping the Saints
Ephesians 4:7-12
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led the captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”-what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
In verse seven we read that Christ gives us all gifts, by His grace, and to a degree that suits His purpose and pleasure. We are all equal in Christ, yet we all have certain offices and duties to fill in the church and in the world. I have listened to preachers, and would like to speak as they do, but it is by God’s grace that they are able to minister the word in such manner. I, at times, envy those who have great people skills, yet again this is their gift. These gifts given to us are often sources of strife and envy by those who have not accepted their own role in the church and the gifts that Christ has blessed them with. Our gift seems so natural that we feel that it was with us all the time. I have been asked, “How can you stand before a group of people and speak, and make it seem so natural?” Before I came to Christ this was not possible to me, I stuttered while speaking and avoided conversation at all costs. The word of God to me was as foreign as a new language. By the grace of God I now feel that if I do not teach and speak on His word that I will go crazy, it is a part of me and I love to study His word. I at times listen to three sermons a day. We may be searching so hard for our gifts, that we don’t realize that we are practicing them already. I jumped from job to job in the church not realizing that I was already working in the gifts that God had given me, so before looking high and low for your gift try looking at what you are doing already.
In Verse eight Paul refers to Psalm 68:18, but the last line is misquoted. Is this a contradiction, or a misuse of Scripture? In Psalm 68:18 the last line states that the victorious one receives gifts from men, and in Ephesians 4:8 the victorious one give gifts to men. This depiction of the Victory of God may have reminded Paul of the victory Christ obtained on the cross, this could be why he referred to this passage, but does Paul simply alter the text to fit his need.
A likely explanation is that In Paul’s time most Jews no longer understood Hebrew, in fact Aramaic was the everyday language. In the synagogue, when the scripture was read by the Rabbi, he read it in Hebrew. A translator would freely render the text in a paraphrased form, sometimes clarifying difficulties and contemporary applications. These translations were handed down by word of mouth, considering that is what the common man had of the written word, and were later written down in what were called Targums. The Targum text has exactly the change from Psalm 68:18 to what we read in Ephesians 4:8.
Now that we have a possible explanation to why Paul used this reference, he goes on in verse nine and ten to explain the meaning of it. Since Christ first descended, and then came the ascension, we wonder where He ascended and descended to? 1 Peter 3:19 refers to captives that He preached in the Spirit, who are these captives? In Acts 2:31 it says that His soul was not left in Hades. Since Hades was the place where the saints were that died in faith, waiting for the Messiah. Now their Messiah had come, He had come to set them free. His descent into Hades was the final victory over death, which allows us to say: “Death where is your sting?” Christ has achieved victory over death, hell and the grave, and He has given to us the gift of salvation because of the victory. In Psalm 68, David talks of the great victory of God, in verse one He says: “Let God arise and His enemies be scattered;” Death being our enemy tries to keep it’s hold on us, but with the Death of Christ, Jesus has gained the victory over death and given it to us. Can you imagine the scene of Jesus coming to Hades and those who waited so long for Him? Death has no power over us, for Jesus has defeated it, and given His subjects freedom from it. My fellow believers rejoice! For you are alive forever more!
Since Jesus has now defeated death, He has ascended far above the heavens, to sit at the right hand of the Father. In this He has fulfilled all things, and brought about the reconciliation between man and God. Since He has ascended He sent one to be with us in the person of the Holy Spirit, that we may be gifted to perform the works of the Body of Christ. Jesus’ ministry has not ended at the cross, but was furthered by it. So that He is able to work in the Sprit, through the believers.
So if He works in the Church He needs offices in which to work through, so He has gifted believers according to His will and purpose. These offices listed are set up by Christ, and He chooses those whom He would have fill them. Have there been those who serve who have not been called? Certainly and though they are well intended, their ministries either led people away from the truth or come to nothing. There are some who are gifted speakers, but are not of God, and there are those who have charismatic personalities, who might be better off as car salesman. We have to remember that this is the body of Christ, and He will equip it as the need arises. Some of the gifts maybe temporary as the needs arise and some may be permanent. If a church needs a word of wisdom that God wants the church to receive, He may send a prophet with that word, or gift someone in the church to get that message across. This list in verse eleven is small and there are several other gifts that the saints have that keep the church running. I know of one lady who faithfully places a glass of fresh cold water, every Sunday, on the altar for the pastor. The glass bead with the cool sweat from the ice that is in the glass and is almost as inviting as the sermon itself. The glass is placed with care on a napkin as not to stain the pulpit. This is a gift, a wonderful calling to fulfill a need.
It is important that we realize that God chooses to work through His people to equip the church to spread the gospel to the whole world. The body of Christ needs maintenance from within to operate as Christ wills and we are the maintenance crew. By prayer we seek out God’s will for our lives and act upon that will with the confidence that we are never left alone to complete His will. Christ is the head of the church and it is Christ who will see that it accomplishes what He desires.

Walking and Working in Unity

Walking and Working Together
Ephesians 4:1-6
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. 2 with all lowliness, and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you are called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
V.1 “I, therefore” In these two words we finds not only Paul’s authority, but ours as well, to spread the gospel. Therefore, since God has provided salvation and we have our testimonies, and are given full liberty to use all the means to spread the gospel, through the grace of God. If a company achieves success it may want to guard its secrets of success from the rest of the business world. We as Christians, having obtained life everlasting, are required by the joy that is in us to spread the good news to the world. I use require for I feel that if you are born again and the joy of the Lord is in you, that joy can not help but come out. We are driven to spread the gospel, by the fact that we are saved.
“the prisoner of the Lord,” Paul seems to rejoice in his imprisonment, as though it were a badge of honor. The world sees imprisonment as a shameful thing, and that you are removed from society for you are no longer able to function by societies rules. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel, or fearful of the results of doing the work of the Lord. I am sure that he did consider that he could be imprisoned for what he was saying, but he saw that if he put forth the gospel of Christ, that perhaps even one would be persuaded to accept Jesus as their savoir. We are to fear God more than public opinion when spreading the gospel. I have met with ridicule and men who would get angry that I would even suggest that they were in need of a savior. Paul also knew that if imprisoned for Christ than others would see the lengths that he was willing to go through to get the message of salvation to others. I feel that obedience to the will of God is the greatest offering we can give to God. In that way other may see that the gospel of Christ is real in our lives, even to the point of death.
In the former Soviet Union, a group of believers had gathered to worship together. Their service was interrupted by soldiers entering their church and standing before them. They said that anyone not willing to die for their faith should leave now. Several people headed for the doors and windows, while a few remained. The soldiers than laid down theirs weapons, called them brothers and sat down to worship with them. This story has been passed down by word of mouth and I may not have gotten it correct, but I wanted to stress the willingness we are to have to spread the gospel of Christ.
“walk worthy of the calling” A person is known by their trade or calling. You meet a few people who are just born to do a certain job. Over the years they perfect their skills at that job, and work hard to receive the benefits of that trade. Without care, attention, and hard work, he knows that he will not enjoy all the benefits that trade has to offer.
So we are called out of our old lives to the salvation we have received in Christ, and we are to walk worthy of that calling. By studying God’s word, prayer, and spreading the good news, we are practicing the calling or trade that God has called us to. If we do not practice the calling how can we expect to receive the full benefits of the salvation we have received. It’s not God’s intention to save us and leave us till the time of our death or the rapture of the church, but that we should have a healthy relationship with Him and fellow believers. That we should work diligently at the Christian life, that we would be a shining example to the world, that others would come to Christ.
V.2 Paul does not give us our marching orders without giving us the means by which we are to accomplish them. Lowliness, is walking in submission to God, and walking in humility. We are not to think of ourselves to highly, for God deals with pride.
Walking in gentleness is acting the opposite of acting in anger. Anger is not the sin but reacting out of that anger could be. Acting with longsuffering to trials or provocation will help us to control that anger. If we take the time to think and pray, through these situations, it will help us to respond in a way that honors God. Paul, being imprisoned for preaching the word, could have acted in anger towards God, and those who imprisoned him. By acting in gentleness he became a witness to the peace and love of God, and even while imprisoned, was able to lead others to Christ.
By bearing one another’s burdens, out of love for them as a brother or sister in Christ, or even for a non-believer, we are walking worthy to the call as Christians. What a marvelous statement it would be if we told another, suffering in whatever trial comes their way that you would pray for them but what else can I do for you. Christianity is going the extra mile for another. Indeed we are to pray for another, but when you pray, do not be surprised if God chooses you as the instrument in which He will bring the answer.
V. 3, 4 The church is made up of different personalities and people from different backgrounds. There are also two groups, one likes the way things have always been done and another who feels God moving in a new way. Who is right and who is wrong? We must work as a unit through the unity of the Spirit to the common mission of the church, to spread the gospel to the world, if the church can take the unique personalities and gifts of each believer and use them for the good of the church, than the church would accomplish the will of the Father. This peace is only obtainable through a life that is centered not on the will of the people, but upon the will of the Father. By walking as Paul directs in verse two, we would see a considerable change in the church.
The following several stories are examples of unity.
During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not faced harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp.
When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was much tension. Finally they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ's commands. Then they came together. Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, "What did you do then?" "We were just one," he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.
When love prevails among believers, especially in times of strong disagreement, it presents to the world an indisputable mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ.
Our Daily Bread, October 4, 1992.
In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn't. "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" asks Linus.
"These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they're nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold."
"Which channel do you want?" asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, "Why can't you guys get organized like that?" Charles Schultz.
There are two ways of being united -- one is by being frozen together, and the other is by being melted together. What Christians need is to be united in brotherly love, and then they may expect to have power. Moody's Anecdotes, p. 53.
Tonto and the Lone Ranger were riding through a canyon together when all of a sudden both sides were filled with Native American warriors on horses, dressed for battle. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and asked, "What are we going to do?" Tonto replied, "What you mean 'we,' Whiteman?" Edward Dobson, In Search of Unity, p. 20-27.
There can be union without unity: tie two cats together by their tails and throw them over a clothesline. Source Unknown.
Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God.
Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together. Vesta Kelly.
There is one Body, and one Spirit uniting all believers by Christ, each gifted to walk as one, working for the will of the Father, this unity in unobtainable, without the Spirit of God, and us surrendering our will for the will of the Father. For we all have the same hope, the hope of eternal life in heaven with the Father, under the leadership of the Son.
V.5, 6 We have one Lord and governor of the church, Jesus Christ. There is one faith, the hope of our redemption, to God, through Jesus Christ. There is one Baptism administered in the name of the Holy Trinity, as an act of declaration of faith.
There is one God, Father of all, eternal and creator of all that is. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, providing for all creatures, and working through all creation. By the energy of the Spirit is in all, enlightening, quickening, purifying, and comforting, making our hearts the temple of the Holy Ghost.