I WILL NOT FEAR

 

  1. Introduction: God’s Word to His people in times of trouble is always:  Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isa 41:10, ESV).
  2. We’ve begun to talk about what it means to have God with us, and how knowing that He is with us helps us deal with the fears we all experience in this difficult life.
  3. In the Bible, God tells us not to fear, and then He gives us reasons why we can trust Him in our situation. God’s written Word reveals that He is Omnipotent (All-powerful), Omniscient (All-knowing), and Omnipresent (present everywhere at once).
  4. This means that nothing can come against us that is bigger than God who is with us. Nothing takes Him by surprise.  And there is no circumstance for which He does not already have a plan to cause it to serve His ultimate purposes for our good and His glory.
  5. Therefore, even though we go through great difficulties in this broken world, we can be assured that nothing can permanently harm or defeat us, and that God will get us through until He gets us out.
  6. In the last two lessons we’ve been talking about Israel’s great King David. He faced many serious and life-threatening situations in his life.  Yet, in the midst of all of them, because he knew that God was with him, he was able to say:  When I am afraid, I will trust in you, God (Ps 56:3, NIV).
  7. David wrote numerous psalms (poetic songs) that give us insight into how he saw God and how he saw himself in relation to God. These psalms reveal that David’s perspective helped him trust God.  We have been focusing on his most famous psalm, Psalm 23.
  8. The two best known lines in Psalm 23 are: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me (Ps 23:1-4, ESV).
  9. The valley of the shadow of death is this life. This world is infused with corruption and death due to the sin of the first man Adam.  And we deal with the effects on a daily basis—hardship, tragedy, pain, sorrow, disappointment, loss, on top of death. Rom 5:12; Isa 25:7-8
  10. Yet David was able to say that he feared no evil because the Lord was with him. David knew that God is Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent.  Therefore, nothing is bigger than God.  There is nothing He does not know, and where ever David was, God was already there.  He wrote:
  11. Ps 139:3-7—Every moment you know where I am…You both precede me and follow me …I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence (NLT).
  12. Ps 139:8-10—If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead (Hell), you are there. If I ride the wings of the mornings, if I dwell in the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me (NLT).
  13. Ps 139:13-17—You knit me together in my mother’s womb…your workmanship is marvelous …You watched me as I was formed in utter seclusion…How precious are your

thoughts about me…and when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me (NLT).

  1. David spent his youth tending sheep. David knew what sheep mean to a shepherd and what a shepherd means to sheep.  Thus, David knew what it meant to call God his shepherd—I am valued by God, seen by God, surrounded by God, helped and rescued by God.  Therefore, I do not fear.
  2. Sheep were among Israel’s most valuable possessions. But they require more attention and care than any other class of livestock because they are dependent creatures.  They must be regularly led to green pastures and fresh water, and need constant protection from predators.  And, they are also vulnerable to pests and parasites.
  3. Sheep easily stampede when frightened. And, they have a pecking order and butt each other for the best grazing spots, which makes them agitated and restless.  Sheep will not lie down and rest unless they are free from fear, hunger, thirst, friction with other sheep, pests, and parasites.
  4. It was the shepherd’s job to help his sheep be at ease and at rest. His job required him to be ever present with his sheep and on constant alert.  If a sheep was missing or in trouble in some way, because sheep were valuable, the shepherd went after the sheep to rescue it.
  5. David knew that having the shepherd in the field had a calming effect on sheep. They know they are safe.  David wrote:  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Ps 23:4, ESV).
  6. Shepherds time carried a rod and a staff. The rod had a knob on the end that fit in the owner’s hand.  It was his main weapon of defense and was used to drive off predators.  David would have used when he fought a bear and lion (I Sam 17:34-36)  It was a comfort to the sheep because it was there to protect them.
  7. The staff was used to lift and return newborns to their mother if they were separated (ewes rejected newborns with the smell of human hands) and to rescue sheep that fell into brambles or ravines. It was also used to guide sheep.  The shepherd pressed the end of the stick to a sheep’s side to direct it, or he held his staff against a favorite sheep as they walked together.  The sheep enjoyed the attention and close contact.  It was a comfort to them.
  8. A good shepherd was not only an owner, he was a provider, protector, and guide for his sheep.

David knew that that is what God the Shepherd was to him.  Therefore, David did not fear.

 

  1. Almighty God is beyond our comprehension. He is transcendent or completely other than us.  God is infinite (no limits) and eternal (no beginning, no end).  So, He uses certain word pictures to describe Himself and His relationship with His people.  One of those images is that of a shepherd and his sheep.
  2. In the Old Testament, God is portrayed as the Shepherd of Israel, meaning that He protects, provides for, and guides His people. Ps 23:1; Ps 74:1; Ps 78:52; 79:13; Ps 80:1; etc.
  3. Ps 100:3—Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his.  We are his people, the sheep of his pasture…Give thanks to him and bless his name.  For the Lord is good (NLT).
  4. Even though Israel, at various times in their history, abandoned God to worship idols, the Lord

revealed Himself as a Shepherd who goes after sheep gone astray.  When Israel was scattered in exile among foreign nations because of their sin, God did not abandon them.  Note what He said to His people (His sheep) through the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah:

  1. Ezek 34:12-16—I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered…I will bring them back home…I myself will tend my sheep and cause them to lie down in peace says the Sovereign Lord.  I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again.  I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak (NLT).
  2. Isa 40:10-11—The Sovereign Lord is coming in all his glorious power…He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.  He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young (NLT).
  3. In the great prophetic picture of the coming Messiah (Savior) that was given to Isaiah, men lost in sin are referred to as sheep gone astray (Ps Isa 53:6). In the New Testament, Jesus took the title of the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11).
  4. When the religious leaders criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners, He responded by telling them that lost sheep are still valuable to their owner. And the owner goes out to seek and save lost sheep and rejoices when he finds them. Luke 15:4-7; Matt 12:10-13
  5. Jesus told these parables to emphasize the value that we have to God, as well as our complete

dependence on Him.  We have no power to save ourselves.  If He didn’t come after us, we would be forever lost.  And Jesus’ words assure us of His care once we come back to Him.

  1. We aren’t denying the awfulness of sin, or the fact that those lost sheep who don’t come back to Father’s house will be forever separated from Him. We are emphasizing the fact that lost men don’t lose their value to God because they are lost.  However, their value can’t be realized by Him or them.
  2. Almighty God created men and women to be His sons and daughters who live in loving relationship with Him as they bring honor and glory to Him. Lost sheep are lost to their created purpose unless they come back to Father’s house. Eph 1:4-5; Rom 3:23; John 8:24; etc.
  3. Jesus not only talked about a shepherd going after lost sheep (or son), Jesus also talked about what happens when a lost sheep (or son) comes back to his father’s house. Luke 15:11-32
  4. Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son, a son who took his inheritance early, went to a far country, and spent all his money on wild, sinful living. When he ended up in a pigpen eating swine food, he came to himself (repented) and went back to his father’s house.  The son realized that he had sinned against Heaven and against his father.
  5. His father welcomed the lost son with love and compassion, cleansed him of his filth, restored him to his created purpose (to be a loving, obedient son), and celebrated his return.
  6. Obviously, David didn’t have all the details that we have about God’s plan to recover and restore His lost family, because God gradually and progressively revealed down through the centuries. But David knew what it meant to have a Good Shepherd (Almighty God) take care of him.  And that helped him deal with his fears.  Let’s reread Psalm 23 and begin to go through it verse by verse.
  7. Psalm 23:1-3—The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (ESV).
  8. Psalm 23:4—Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me ESV).
  9. Psalm 23:5-6—You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my

head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (ESV).

 

  1. The imagery of green pastures and still waters resonated with people familiar with sheep and good shepherds. It was a shepherd’s job to lead his sheep to pastures where they could be refreshed and restored.
  2. The first people to hear this psalm knew what David meant: I have what I need because my Shepherd provides for me.  Therefore, I can lie down in peace, free from worry and agitation.
  3. Notice that David refers to God (the Shepherd) leading him (His sheep) two times. Shepherds don’t drive their sheep as other livestock are driven.  Shepherds lead their flocks mostly by calling their names.  Two points:  We give names to things that we value, and sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd (John 10:3; 27).  There is a relationship between a good shepherd and his sheep.
  4. Sheep not only need provision and protection, they need guidance. Sheep are creatures of habit.  They will follow the same trails until those trails are ruts.  They will graze the same spots until the vegetation is destroyed, the ground is polluted, and they become infested with parasites and pests.
  5. Sheep must be guided by a shepherd. If sheep are not led to proper grazing fields on a regular basis, they will overgraze and destroy their food source.  They can’t be left to their own ways, so the shepherd moves them on a planned rotation.
  6. David said that a good shepherd leads his sheep in the paths of righteousness—in the right way, the way that they should go, a path that ensures they are provided for.
  7. Almighty God has taken the name Good Shepherd, and will be a good shepherd, even to bad sheep. This He does, not because we deserve it, but because it is an expression of His character, His grace.  He does it for His name’s sake.  That’s who He is.
  8. Ps 23:1-3—You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need.  You let me rest in fields of green grass.  You lead me to streams of peaceful water, and you refresh my life.  You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths (CEV).
  9. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the way to true life. He directs our path as we follow Him.  His call to His sheep is:  Deny yourself and follow Me (Matt 16:24-25).  We think we know what is best and try to direct our way.  But as we follow our Shepherd, He will lead us on the right path.
  10. David wrote that God the Shepherd restores his soul, meaning his life (inward and outward). We could do many lessons on this topic, but consider this point for our present discussion.
  11. The Hebrew word David used for restore means to bring back. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, “died

for sinners that he might bring us safely home to God” (I Pet 3:18, NLT).

  1. We have been returned to the Shepherd of our lives (souls). We came from God and we have been returned to Him through faith in Jesus.
  2. I Pet 2:24-25—He (Jesus) himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.  For you were straying like sheep, but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (your life) (ESV).
  3. Salvation is the complete restoration and transformation of human nature by the power of the Holy Spirit on the basis of the Cross (many lessons for another day).
  4. When Jesus was on earth He repeated the parables that we’ve quoted many times during His three plus year ministry, as He travelled around Israel.
  5. Luke’s gospel reports that one of the times Jesus told His followers not to worry about where life’s provisions will come from since they have a Father in Heaven who takes care of birds and flowers and He will take care of them, Jesus included the following statement.
  6. Luke 12:31-32—Your Father knows that you need (these things). Seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.  Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (ESV).  Almighty God is our Good Shepherd and we are His much loved sheep.

 

D,  Conclusion:  God assures us in His Word that He is with us.  He assures us that He does and will take care of His sheep.  When we are afraid, we can trust Him.  Consider these thoughts as we close.

  1. God is perfectly present with us. The problem is that we can’t see or feel Him (most of the time).  We have to make an effort to become conscious or aware of the fact that He is with us.
  2. When we study David’s life, we find that he spent a lot of his time purposefully thinking about the Lord. In other words, he kept his eye on the Shepherd.  We must learn to do the same.
  3. God reveals Himself to us through His written Word. We keep our focus on our Shepherd by thinking about Him and talking to ourselves about Him.  That’s what David did.  What if you talked like this to yourself:
  4. Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. I have what I need because my Shepherd is a good shepherd who provides me with what I need to flourish.
  5. I don’t have to worry. I can lie down and rest in peace, despite how things look right now, as I keep my eye on my Shepherd.
  6. He restores my soul (my inward and outward life)—some now and some in the life to come. He leads me in the right way, not because I deserve it, but because that’s a Good Shepherds does.
  7. Almighty God is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. He is our owner, provider, protector, and guide.  He is in the field with us.  Therefore, we do not have to fear.  More next week.