Sermon Title: GREEN PASTURES & QUIET WATERS
Scripture Text: PSALM 23:2
Sermon Series: SUMMER IN THE PSALMS
Sermon Notes:
PSALM 23:1-6 ESV
1 A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd; 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 leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
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 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 messenger and email inbox 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.
(Author Unknown)
PSALM 23:1 ESV
1 A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
“All promises of rest apart from Christ are ultimately empty.”
I. THE SHEPHERD
PSALM 23:2 ESV
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
JOHN 10:3 ESV
3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
PSALM 8:3-4 ESV
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
“God’s call to rest is neither duty nor discipline but a response.”
MATTHEW 11:28-30 ESV
28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
II. GREEN PASTURES
PSALM 23:2 ESV
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
PHILIPPIANS 4:10-13 NIV
10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
PHILIPPIANS 4:10-13 NIV
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
PHILIPPIANS 4:10-13 NIV
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
PSALM 23:2 ESV
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
Birds Sing On A Bare Bough; O, Believer, Canst Not Thou? — Charles Haddon Spurgeon
III. QUIET WATERS
PSALM 23:2 ESV
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
PSALM 4:8 ESV
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
“An uncertain future leaves us stranded in an unhappy present with nothing to do but wait.” — Daniel Gilbert
DEUTERONOMY 31:8 ESV
8 It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
“Only he who can say, ‘The Lord is the strength of my life,’ can say, ‘Of whom shall I be afraid?’” — Alexander MacLaren