Vision Sunday: The Lord of Psalm 23
Text: Psalm 23:1-3
Message: “Jesus Is Our Vision”

“My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me.” — John 10:27

What do we learn here in today’s text about God as our Shepherd? We learn…(1. Who He is 2. How He Provides 3. Why it matters)

1. Who He is (v. 1)

“The Lord is my shepherd…”

“It means that, as many commentators point out, God is profoundly mysterious…This takes on even greater significance when we consider the words of Exodus 3 in relation to the picture of Exodus 3. While scholars debate the best possible translation of “I AM WHO I AM”…what is clear is that this unusual rendering of the Hebrew verb meaning “to be” points to “One who remains constant because he is independent.”…to be God is to be completely and utterly other than us. He is who He is without us. He is eternally who He is from before we were until after we have been. And he is who he is despite our life circumstances…God is absolutely self-sufficient, and He is our shepherd.” — David Gibson

“In Psalm 23, David reaches for the most comprehensive and intimate metaphor for God he can think of. He says, ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ So far in the book of Psalms, most of the metaphors for God have been more distant. God is king. God is deliverer. God is rock. God is shield. David himself has been a shepherd a long time and he knows the long hours and hard work involved. He has experienced the kind of bond that is formed between shepherd and sheep.” — D. A. Carson

2. How He provides (v. 1b-3a)

“…I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul.”

“He restores my soul is an expression open to more than one interpretation.” — Derek Kidner

3. Why this matters (v. 3)

“He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

“Always men are searching for safety beyond themselves. They are restless, unsettled, covetous, greedy for more — wanting this and that, yet never really satisfied in spirit. By contrast the simple Christian, the humble person, the Shepherd’s sheep can stand up proudly and boast. “The Lord is my Shepherd — I shall not want. I am completely satisfied with His management of my life. Why? Because He is the sheepman to whom no trouble is too great as He cares for His flock. He is the Rancher who is outstanding because of His fondness for sheep — who loves them for their own sake as well as His personal pleasure in them…Above all, He is very jealous of His name and high reputation as “The Good Shepherd.” — W. Phillip Keller

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity’s sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done.
For my “ideal” is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever. —  Marcia Hornok  “Psalm 23, Antithesis”

“He meets my needs, renews my life, and leads me in the right paths, putting his reputation on the line. His name. His glory.” — Josh Smith

“…to uphold that name, God will make new men of us, whose ways will be His own.” – Derek Kidner

TAKEAWAYS: In this new year, will you…

* Commit to learning more about who God is

“Not only do we know God by Jesus Christ alone, but we know ourselves only by Jesus Christ. We know life and death only through Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus Christ, we do not know what is our life, nor our death, nor God, nor ourselves.” — Blaise Pascal

* Commit to trusting God’s provision in your life

* Commit to seeking God’s path for your life

“…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (learn, trust, seek, HOW?!), 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” — Hebrews 12:1b-2