The Lord Is My Shepherd — David Ford

Well, let's have a word of prayer those that are here this afternoon. Amen. Our Heavenly Father. We thank you for your faithfulness and your goodness to us. Lord, I pray that you illuminate our minds into your word.

I pray that we come to the scriptures to see Jesus. For they are they which testify and speak of you Lord Jesus. And may we come to your word to see Jesus and in that Revelation of Jesus may our lives be transformed.

Transformed utterly changed sanctified by the Word of God. Sanctified by the power of the Spirit of Almighty God as well. So Lord, I pray today speak Lord in the stillness. While we wait upon thee. Hushed our hearts to listen in expectancy.

Speak O blessed master in this hallowed hour. Let us see thy face Lord and feel and know your touch of power. Father, we thank you. We bless your holy name and all God's people said Amen, take your Bibles if you have them this afternoon and turn to the book of Psalms.

Psalm 23: The Lord as Shepherd

Psalm chapter number 23. Psalm chapter 23. Vented today's if you're Latino and Psalm 23. Wonderful chapter known and memorized by many from childhood. But this chapter has become dear to my heart more in the last two months than ever in all of my life.

We'll begin reading in verse number one. We'll read the whole chapter. 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 thou art with me thy rod and thy staff. They comfort me.

Thou prepares to table before me in the presence of mine 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.

And everybody said Amen. Psalm chapter 22 is reference to the cross of Jesus and it is I say if in terms of since it is. And chapter 24 has to do with Jesus and the crown. I love chapter 24. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord who shall stand in his holy place?

He that has clean hands. If we're going to receive anything from the Lord in this conference this weekend We must come with clean hands and a pure heart. Who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully.

He shall receive the blessing from the Lord and we have come to receive his blessing. Amen, he shall receive the blessing from the Lord. Life. Life and praise God for that life. So chapter 22 is the cross.

Chapter 24 is the crown. Chapter 23 is the crook. Written by David a psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd. Quickly he's a master provider. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want now. It doesn't say the Lord is my shepherd.

I get everything I want. It says the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want you can turn that around because the is is not there in the actual Hebrew. You can actually an application say it this way when and where the shepherd is Lord.

I shall not lack. Is he Lord of your life? Is he Lord of my life? Lord of every thought and action. Lord descendant Lord to stay. Lord in writing speaking giving Lord of all things to obey. Lord of all that is of me now whenever more to be thou art king in my life.

And yet in this verse right here. It's capital letters Lord the Covenant making God the Covenant keeping God. God taught Adam and Eve to cut covenant in the shedding of blood and clothing them with coats of skin.

All throughout Genesis you have in chapter 22 offering up of Abraham his son Isaac. God provided himself a lamp all throughout the Word of God that God is a covenant-keeping God. He cut covenant on the cross of Calvary 2 ,000 years ago.

You and I through faith in Jesus Christ are glad recipients of all the blessings of the new covenant. Andrew Murray said a covenant is an end of enmity and uncertainty. Isn't it a blessing to know that because the Lord is my shepherd you and I could come to him in prayer with with certainty.

Because the covenant ends uncertainty you can say with glorious rejoicing and glad renown. Jesus is my shepherd. Jesus is my Lord. He's king of kings of my life in every area for this in Christ both died and rose and lives again.

That he might be Lord Lord of all. I don't make him Lord. He already is Lord. But my response to him is in surrender to him the Lord the covenant making and keeping. God is my shepherd. I Shall not want I shall not lack when Jesus is Lord.

When Jesus the Shepherd is Lord of our life. He promises to supply all of our needs. Verse 2 he makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. Notice the word leads me he restores my soul.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Not only is a master provider Jesus He's a master leader and restore but look at the verses there. He makes me to lie down in green pastures.

You say David what does this have to do with a conference on persecution in the church? Let me tell you this I'm going to start now and in where I begin. Look at Stephen the first martyr of the Church of Jesus Christ what happened when Stephen was facing martyrdom when stones were begun to be hurled at him and Persecution and a certain death was coming to his life.

He lifted up his eyes and he saw Jesus Standing at the right hand of the Father. Regardless of what turmoil you go through and the travail you go through and the adversities of life you go through friends.

You and I deem a fresh revelation of Jesus and who he is. That's where Stephen was. I'll never forget. Flying back into Chicago, Illinois years ago having lived in Wheaton, Illinois, and I met with their dear brother from Romania Joseph Sohn, dr. Joseph Sohn, we met at a restaurant his wife and I and he and I and He talked about how in Romania.

He was a well-known minister over there and they tried to get him and persecute him. They threatened to kill him and dr. Sohn said this to them in Romania. He said listen, listen, listen. He said you can take my body.

You can cut me up. You can kill me and you can shed my blood but always remember this every drop of blood that pours forth from my body will only go to water the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ in Romania and So instead of killing him they sent him to the US and wouldn't let him come back for many years.

Jesus in Persecution and Adversity

I'll never forget in the Durban South Africa years ago walking early one morning on the beach. We had just come into Durban for ministry and I went out early one morning onto the beach to walk around.

It was our first day there. And a boy walked up to me nice clothes, but dirty a bag and some books and things in his arm. I Said don't tell me your story. He said a few weeks ago. He said my home was petrol bombed.

He said who did it and I was familiar with who did it. He said but I know this. He said although my mother was killed and although my father was killed and although my twin brother was killed and all the sudden that Boy looked up and tears began to stream down his eyes.

He said although I know that they were killed in their life was snuffed out that someday. Those men who murdered and killed and bombed my home and killed my parents and they burned to death. He said someday every single one of them will have to bow their knees to Jesus and say Jesus is Lord.

Jesus is Lord. I knew that boy knew something of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When times are turbulent as I believe they're coming to the world and times are distressful. The Bible prophesies the troubling times.

We need a fresh revelation of Jesus. We need a fresh of revelation of the person of Jesus. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not lack anything. I need for grace. He'll supply Whatever we're facing in life.

Listen, the trials in life are like the hardships that hold us to the cross by nails so that in crucifixion We can walk and experience resurrection power in life so take whatever adversity you may be going through right now and See this the nails is that we're crucified with Jesus and in that death Ushers out and pours forth resurrection power and life.

Is your shepherd? Is you truly indeed our shepherd. I shall not lack. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He's the leader. That's a beautiful passage right there because what it speaks of is this.

But a shepherd goes and he finds grassy area where the grass is freshly growing. It's tender. It's easy to eat. But as a leader, he says he leads me in the pastures. He leads me in those pastures. Pastures are white areas.

You think God's done with your ministry? You think you're beyond what God wants to do with your life and yet you may be on the verge of God. Expanding your ministry like you've never known in all of your life because Jesus the Good Shepherd.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures. I heard a pastor say years ago facing difficulty in his church. He made the comment. He said that he was troubled about things and he was trying to take care of this and this and this and this.

He said finally one day God brought conviction to his soul and he said to him son if you'll just lay down I'll show you what I can do. And By faith, he didn't shirk his responsibilities. But by faith he laid down as it were in faith in the green pastures.

I Think of the pastures of the Word of the Living God how God nourishes us and and feeds us on the Word of God. I was rising through and taking time just the other day in the first Corinthians chapter number one Paul an apostle sent of God.

He says there who Jesus he will confirm you unto the end and that word there. I didn't bring the notes really to look at it closely, but the word confirm means to make stable to stabilitate. So whatever you and I are facing Jesus will Stabilitate us to the very end you say but where are we as a nation?

Where are we going as a nation? There seems to be so much instability all around us the average age of the world's greatest Civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years those nations always progressed to the following sequence from bondage to spiritual faith.

From spiritual faith to great courage from great courage to liberty. From liberty to abundance. From abundance to complacency. From complacency to apathy. From apathy to Dependence. From dependence back again into bondage.

You see, where are we today? I say we're probably in this country anyway somewhere along the apathy and dependence side again sliding deeply in the dependence. Which is precursor to going back into bondage again.

But the blessing of it is this. I was at a conference years ago and a brother from the New England States was there. He wrote on Evan Roberts and the Welsh revival and someone had said it seems like brother.

It seems like Kevin. Kevin was his name. It seems like this gross darkness covering the land every return. There seems to be darkness everywhere and they had a conversation and Kevin Adams and I were talking later and I said brother.

It reminds me of what Jesus what the Word of God says in Isaiah gross darkness shall cover the land. But the glory of the Lord is risen upon you Stephen. Persecuted to be stoned to death, but the glory of the Lord had risen upon Stephen.

That's the answer. It's all not just about Jesus. Although that's true. It has to be Jesus. He makes me lie down in green pastures. I Tell you what when God took the children of Israel took him to Goshen.

Famine everywhere else dryness everywhere else not in Goshen. Be loving when you're in Christ. Regardless of what happens to you and I all around us you may be in the depth of loneliness right now. But when you're in Jesus on the inside, that's where strength and peace comes in all of our hearts and lives.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leaves me beside the still waters. That's peace as a leader. He leads us in the pastures plural pastures. Maybe you're coming to the end of a ministry somewhere.

But God has a whole new direction for you a whole new chapter of ministry. Isn't that hopeful? Isn't that encouraging that God isn't done with you yet? Look at John chapter 2. Jesus turned the water into wine.

And what was the response? Ah, ah. But you saved the best for the last. Does that meet someone's heart condition right now? You think maybe your best years are behind you you think maybe your years of freedom and usefulness.

Are way somewhere in your past. Do you not realize it may be through the death to self and just accepting the sentence of death and your circumstances? As they are that God is sovereign that he's Lord of your circumstances.

He knows where you are. His eyes are ever on you every second every moment that you live. Do we a dare doubt that you may be on the verge of the greatest chapter of your life. He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside the still waters. That's peace. Do you know sheep won't drink from fast-moving water? Water us have to be float slow moving or still. That's peace. Beloved there's peace in the midst of storm.

And traveling all over the world and in all of our lives people here could tell stories Of how in the midst of the storms all around them on the inside. There's peace. If you go back into Hebrew. And look at the Hebrew letters for the word peace.

There's four Hebrew letters. But if you go back to beyond contemporary Hebrew and walk back in the etymology of the Hebrew language in the letters I won't go into detail now, but the four letters the first one symbolizes fire or destruction.

The second one is the symbol right to left in Hebrew. The second letter has to do with the crook or it's symbolic of authority. The third one is the top it's symbolic of a nail or covenant or to bind to.

The last letter for the word piece is the is the letter Mema M E M. We get our M from it from Hebrew all the way down through to our English language. And it's like an M with a it comes back underneath it to the left the pictographic Hebrew letter.

What peace literally means in the word picture form is this to destroy the authority that binds to chaos. When Jesus Spoke to the chaotic tumultuous waters. What did he say church? He said peace be still.

Is it not true when you have that daily quiet time in the morning and you meet with God in? Adoring silence and you humble your soul before the Word of God and you listen to the Holy Spirit in the text that when God Speaks to your soul.

He administers peace to you. You can have storm all around you don't know how you're going to pay the bills coming next week or that are already there. You don't know how your ministry is going to stay afloat.

Can I encourage you he the Shepherd still leads us beside the still waters. Jesus is our peace. It only takes but for you and I to get along with God and get away and hear from God in the Holy Word of God and isn't it amazing how all the troubling waters come to peace?

All the disturbances come to peace When we hear from God. Oh There's peace but it doesn't end there. Keep on going he leaves me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. I Of God, you know the picture that David's using here is this that a little sheep sometime and David knew as a shepherd.

Sometimes you sheep will go out brother and he would lay down and he had all this wool on him. You know and he would lay down in the field somewhere and unknown to him. There was a little depression in the ground right there and he would roll over on his back.

And he couldn't get back on his feet because of so much wool. Have you ever been there? Maybe someone bumped you over when you rolled into that depression. Maybe you're aching so much on the inside of your life because Jesus really we've lost a vision as it were of him and his lordship and his sovereign control and his love and goodness and.

Maybe you came home and you there was a letter on your kitchen table. Then today they said they don't want to be married to you anymore. Maybe all the sudden your dad that you loved for years you get word that he's passed away.

Maybe all the sudden a sibling something happens in their life and or someone loses his job or or whatever it is. But you feel like you've been cast into a pit of depression. David said Why art thou cast down?

Oh my soul. Why are you disquieted within me? Do you know why he used the word cast down because when that happens to a sheep they call that when a sheep is cast. They're cast they're cast on their back.

The Bible talks about our face being cast down. A Hope being cast down and shattered. Recall the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Talking of all that had just happened in Jerusalem. Jesus drew near. They didn't know it was Jesus and he says worthy.

What are you talking about? He said well of Jesus of Nazareth. We had hoped that it had been he our deliverer. Their faith was shaken. Have you ever had a strong faith in your walk with God and something happened to you?

That literally seemed to shake your faith to the core and you thought you were strong. Could it be sometimes our strength in the final analysis is not in the Lord. It's in our own faith. We think We put faith in faith instead of faith in Jesus and all the sudden when the mirage sometimes of the true faith.

It's a mirage when put a faith in him and things happen and shattering circumstances come into our lives. Persecution or whatever it is. God has a loving way of purifying our faith. Putting the fire to it and you get in that place where you're cast on your back on the ground and you crowd.

Oh god. Oh god. Where are you? The Shepherd has never taken his eyes off of the sheep. The Shepherd even at the side of a field someplace may look up and see buzzards in the air. He knows he has a sheep that's been cast down somewhere.

Listen if you're cast down right now, wherever you are. Will you simply by the heart of faith quicken by the Spirit of God by this very verse? Will you confess Lord Jesus you restore my soul? Jesus come to my aid deliver me from this place that I'm at.

Listen friend nothing else can deliver you. Everything else is a band-aid. I Testify a day in their life when they were so cast down. And they fell on their knees on their face at the side of their bed.

They cried out to God. And God so met him and God so changed their circumstances that they now say with David old Jesus. Thank you Jesus you restore my soul. Do you have peace? Are you in places of pastures of wideness and Openness and blessing of ministry.

Recall the prayer of Jabez God that you had blessed me indeed that you would enlarge my more that your Hand would be upon me. But I bring no evil upon anybody and God granted him his request. That hand there by the way in Jabez is the open hand not the closed fist.

It's the open hand of God's direction the open hand of God's provision the open hand of God's power. Beloved all that there is available of God is available to the one who makes all that there is available of him.

Available to the one who has made himself totally available to you. Did you get that? Did we get that? True Christianity is his deity clothed with our humanity. That's Christianity. Jesus didn't come merely to get us out of earth into heaven.

He came so that God would move out of heaven as it were and into men. That's why Jesus came. Our body is simply the cloak the clothes the Christ the covering of the indwelling Christ. Let us not be afraid of the indwelling Jesus.

Paul said to me to lives. Christ to die is again friend. Friend, he's a leader. He'll lead you in those green pastures. He'll lead you beside the still waters. Notice. It says beside the still waters.

He doesn't lead you there to trick you and drown you in the waters. He leads you there so you can drink and be refreshed. The rivers of living water from Jesus. He restores my soul. He leads us in paths of his power.

But there's more look quickly there. It says there in the verse 3. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. That's how Jesus does. He leads us in pastures. He leads us in the place of peace.

He leads us by showing us his power and he leads us in the paths of righteousness. For his name said but quickly though he's a deliverer. Verse 4. Look at that. Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but let me stop right there.

Let's back up. He didn't just begin David. He didn't just begin by saying though. I walk through he said yes, though I walk through. You see because he knows Jesus. Yahweh. Jehovah God as his shepherd.

He knows Yahweh the one who supplies all of his need most dynamically his spiritual need. He knows him as the one who makes him to lie down in green pastures. He knows the shepherd who leads him beside the still waters.

He knows him as the restore of his own soul. He knows him as the one who will lead him. By the way, if you have the Spirit of God, he'll lead you. They were the Holy Spirit forbade Paul to go into Bithynia.

Can I ask you? Are you being led by the Holy Spirit? I don't mean theoretically. I mean the Holy Spirit's a person. Are you being led? Are we being led by the Holy Spirit? Amen Church? What a glorious thing when Jesus does that but look at the words there.

Yay, though I walk. My sister sitting right down here. She's sitting down on the outside, but on the inside she's walking. Pastors that can sit here that may be sitting on the outside, but they're walking on the inside.

You prayer warriors. You may be sitting on the outside, but you're walking on the inside. Yay, do I walk? God didn't lead you to sit still in some ways here. You have him makes me to lie down here. You have him yay, though I walk.

Beloved it's a walk with God walk in love walk in faith walk in the Spirit walk in holiness. Walk in righteousness and really what it is. It's Jesus in you and I walking through us by his indwelling presence the life that he is.

Yay, though I walk through. Through he didn't stop with just walking. Never. Jesus doesn't lead you to that valley to leave you there. Yay, do I walk through? Are you in that valley right now? There's a persecution in your life right now somewhere.

The Word of God says yay, though I walk through oh someone needs that. Somebody needs that right now. You feel like you have been in that situation and you have been for a long time and the devil's been telling you lies that.

You deserve to be happy. That's a lie of the devil. You deserve to be holy need to be holy. But devil's been lying you and telling you why you should get out of the situation. You're in why you should run from the circumstance that you are in.

Let me tell you something that God has you where he has you Sovereignly is in control. That's the law. He's given you right now and his grace is sufficient. Is it not? Paul second Corinthians in chapter 11 and telling and about all the things in 12 what he had gone through and the stripes many times and The nights and days in the deep and the beatings and the sleeplessness and all those things.

Yet he bestowed the Lord three times to remove the thorn in the flesh and yet the Lord came back to Paul. Paul. Paul. My grace is sufficient for thee, but wait a minute. What is grace? Grace is God's unmerited favor, but what is grace?

Grace is the undeserved moment by moment Activity of God in your life and our lives in the church. That's what grace is the favor of Almighty God. Not just something on the shelf of theology not something sitting in some sermon CD or recording somewhere.

It's the life-giving influence of Jesus the Christ giver in your life and mine. Well, you and I can walk moment my moment and day by day. Casting ourself every second upon dependence on Jesus and knowing and experiencing the tremendous overwhelming Soul transforming grace of Almighty God my grace.

Jesus said it's sufficient for you. Whatever the task my grace. Whatever the difficulty my grace. That person hard to love my grace. The persecution my grace. My grace he said it's sufficient for thee, but my strength therefore has made perfect in weakness.

Paul said most gladly therefore he didn't say well, I'm gonna fake it till I make it. He didn't say I hope I make it through. Paul said most gladly. Therefore therefore most gladly will I rather glory in my infirmities in my weaknesses?

You think your weaknesses is a curse? No, God has you where he is that he might in his weakness put his power upon your life. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities of the power of Christ the rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches and persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak then am I strong notice has said though for Christ's sake. Could it be you're pastoring a church and you're so full of distress.

You want to quit and give up friend. Would you look to Jesus and see him? Will you say most gladly therefore well I rather glory and my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Let me tell you church.

Is it not true the New Testament church? They knew when the power of God was on them. They knew the Spirit of God was upon their life. They knew it. Even Jesus said the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. It wasn't a doubtful thing.

He knew it and the church knew it. Separate me men of wisdom and full of the Holy Spirit under the work that I've called them to. How could you separate them if it wasn't obvious they lived in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

It's to be conscious. You're conscious of that. It's to be continuous be being filled and it's to be conspicuous. Remember they said in Acts about Peter. He said these men had been with Jesus. We since the same aura as it were of the divine upon their lives as was upon Jesus.

We since the same manifest presence of God upon their lives as we did with Jesus. Oh, I remember reading so many times of George Whitfield how he would stand and on September 29 1770 up in Exeter, New Hampshire.

He died the next morning 6 a .m. In Newburyport. But on that day before he was traveling to head to preach the next day in Newburyport and they asked him to preach and they he stopped and he would do it and they put a barrel there and put a plank On top of the barrel and and I've been there's a very there's a stone marker right there in the exact place where he preached This message on that day.

They helped him up on top of it. And by the way, his pulpit his his traveling carrying wooden pulpit you can find it. It's still available or you can see it. It's still in existence. It's in Texas. But they took George Whitfield and they held them up and they put him up to help him up on top of that board and George Whitfield stood there and Didn't speak for a season his body was so rots with pain and he would cough up blood every time he preached.

He felt that preaching brought the lather of his body and it helped him in his lungs. Because of his ill health. Finally, he began to speak people all around watching and listening with bated breath the breeze blowing through and the nice beautiful green trees and that part of the country on that September 29th and George all the sudden began to speak and it seemed they said he was a little a little a little rough.

And his voice at first but then all the sudden it's like the hand of God. It fused his life he began to preach and thundered the glorious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How often it was said at Whitfield and looked as if you were looking at an angel as he preached.

The hand of God was so heavy on his life. The glory of God was so evident upon him as he preached. I listened to a dear brother in Trinidad West Indies just two weeks ago down there. He said I've been in the Chicago area in many churches and Richard Owen Roberts.

My longtime friend has said the same thing of a man. He knew from over in the England part of the world both of them said the same thing. He very humbly said to me in his Trinidadian accent David David.

He said I've been all over the Chicago area. I've heard a lot of preachers been to a lot of churches up there. He said David It seems to me in America. You have a lot of teachers, but almost no preachers.

He said you can find teachers a dime a dozen Beloved brothers you men of God that preached the Word of God and God puts that burden in your soul to preach. We used to use the term you deliver a message now.

We said you give a talk. That's why we're not seeing revival in America. We have too many talks and not enough messages from the throne of God. We were a delivery you deliver. Why is a woman giving birth?

It was a delivery of a burden on your soul. Be it the form of quiet or strong voice doesn't matter. It's the intensity of the delivery that transformers the anointing of the Holy Spirit, but it was said of George Whitefield.

It's seen he seemed like an angel watching that man. I Recall the brother over in FB Meyer in England told the store that there was an intellectual in his church. He had difficulties in the things of the Word of God.

So FB Meyer said I prepared a series of sermons to address all of his questions. He said finally one day after the series was over the man came to me says he's dr. Myers. Yes, sir. He said I want to be baptized.

I am thoroughly Born again now. I've been redeemed. I've been regenerated. I'm saved. He said oh my brother. He says wonderful good news. He said he said tell me what was it in what part of what sermon was it that did it for you?

He said oh, it was nothing about your sermons. He said well, what was it? He said on one day I was helping an elderly lady out the back door of the church walking down the stairs. I held her to help her down the stairs.

She looked and she said oh, thank you. She said. She said do you know Jesus? Jesus is wonderful to me. He said that's when I knew it was real. And that's when Jesus saved me why the glory of God was upon that woman.

Remember the story years ago in Wales of a man of God. Out to watch a beautiful sunrise. And someone asked him to pray. That dear brother preacher began to pray in the hand of God was so heavy upon his prayer life.

The glory of God set down on that gathering as he began to pray and his soul Agonized in prayer and he finished praying and it was obvious to everybody there all the tourists standing all around. It was obvious something mighty had happened in that place.

He heard later on on that occasion that people that were around them hearing him pray. Around 40 of them were saved right there when he finished praying he said oh my last he said but here's the miracle.

Not one of them knew a bit of your language. It was the glory of God. Paul said most gladly. Therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ May rest upon me. My father in the faith.

Stephen offered. I recall being with him before he would take a pulpit. He is a mighty man in the pulpit strong and powerful mightily used of God all over the world in his day. Here you go with him in a back room somewhere I've seen him where his hands were a little bit shaky.

He was so overcome with a sense of his own inadequacy and his own powerlessness. But he would walk out and take that pulpit and although he was about five foot six is all he was. He stood in the hand of God's power was upon his life.