Psalms 23

Rev Jameson Yeoh

It's good to be back in Penang. Thank God for the opportunity to share the word here. The pulpit is a sacred place and I thank God for this opportunity. 

The first time I was here I shared from John 14. What Jesus left for us when he went to heaven. The second time continued with the theme what Jesus want us to do for him. Today I want to continue with this theme.

What did God wanted from David, a man after God's heart. After this service, I pray that we will want to be a man after God's heart.

I thank God for the smartphone, because there are resistance in using a physical Bible. This is now my Bible. So when they ask if I brought a bible, I said no.

Psalms 23

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul:

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 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.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth 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 for ever.

The 23rd Psalms have only 6 verses. And each verse I have pages of notes and it takes 2 hours to cover one verse. I travel as a bible teacher and I thank God for that privilege. In 2018, I will be in Africa for 5 months. You may ask how I know I will still be around in 2018? Because God open that door for me so I know God will keep me alive until June 2018. After that I don't know.

The Lord is my Shepherd. This is a fact. How do we know the Lord is our Shepherd? There are two meaning. The first is that he's our Master and Saviour. A statement of fact. Jehovah God is our Father. Jesus revealed that. That is a fact of God. We can humbly say we have need of nothing because the Lord God is the creator of the heavens and the earth and the all mighty, all knowing, all present God and above all else he keeps his promise for you and me for his namesake.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He promised to make me. Once upon a time, I was a sinner. Not a common sinner but one that no one wants to know. Paul says he's a chief sinner. King David, steal people's wife yet many want to take the name David. He was a murderer and liar but when he comes to God and confess his sins to God, God says to David he want to make him a child of the devil to one who is a man after God's heart.

How many of you have held sand? I worked with sand for a while. One of the way to make a ship's hull is to use sand. In every household how many of you have glasses. Glass is made from sand. From sand, God wants to make you into a glass that can be used. You may be the worst kind of sinner, God wants to make you a man or woman after his own heart or Paul says a man or woman of God. The question is are you willing.

Are you willing to allow the almighty God to make you to become a man or a woman after his own heart. Are you willing and are you ready.

Jesus said to his disciples follow me and I will.make you to become fishers of men. It's not fishermen but to become leaders of men. Leaders of your community. One that influence the society and community that you live in. Come and follow me. Are you willing? Or you want to sit in your comfort zone and do nothing.

Following Jesus Christ is never a risk. When you say a risk it's failure or success. When you follow Jesus it's always a success. Then he will make you a man or a woman after God's heart. Then you become the leader of your community. God promised to make you but are you willing. He's all powerful, all knowing and an ever present help when you're in need. Are you willing.

When he make you to become what he intended you to be, he followed up with his word, he makes me and then he leads me.

After he make you to be what you should be, as leaders of men he promised to lead you. He will lead us how to do the things to be done according to his purpose and his will. God will not abandon you. He will make you to be a success for the glory of his name.

The word was is very interesting. It is holding your hand, go beside you and giving you instructions on what to do or what not to do. Giving you the word of wisdom and how to say the right things at the right time so that you will bring glory and honour to his name, in other words for his namesake.

When we go out into the world and claim to be a Christian everybody looks at your lifestyle which will reflect your saviour and your master. He will see to it that you become what he intended you to be. The question is are you willing? Most if not all of us are very quick to resist his making and leading. Why? He make you and me a free will agent. When he first created us, he made us a human being, a thinking person, one who can choose. So that we can truly worship  and he can take pleasure in our worship because of this free will. And he will not violate that free will. He will ask you permission. He honour the principle that he has put in your life.

The devil will not honour that free will and will manipulate you. So you have a choice to a make. After he makes you, he will lead you. And what else? He will restore your soul.

The word restore is very important. It has a purposeful concept. It is rebuilding or giving back to you what you have lost or taken away from you or stolen from you. To restore to you the first intention of when you were first created. When God created me and you, we are meant to become leaders. To become sons of God. But the sad day that happened in the garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve were created to rule creation, but when they sinned against God and gave into the devil's suggestion, all that God has given was lost. The devil stole from Adam and Eve the right to rule.

And as his descendants, we have forfeited that right. The world today is manipulated by the devil. The result is what Adam and Eve had done. Jesus came to restore it back to us. If you want to know what we have lost read Revelations chapter 2 and 3. He who overcome and then the following statements. He came to restore that which we have lost. Seven rights that we have lost and God says he will restore it so that we can become joint heirs with Jesus Christ and be called sons of God. Ruling the nations at the throne with God and that was why we were created.

But there is a cost. The cost is to follow him. Once he restores you he wants to lead you to a path of righteousness. To live a lifestyle that is holy and righteous. Without holiness we cannot see God. Being a Christian is not by name but must be demonstrated through our lifestyle. Be holy for I am holy. Faithful is he that calls you and instruct you.

If you dare to follow him, then he says he will do it for you. He will make you to become that man or woman that will bring glory to his name. Christian lifestyle must reflect the image of God, righteousness and holiness. Then they will see our lifestyle and it's a testimony that will attract others to God for his namesake.

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death….it sums up verse one to three. We will walk through and live through life's threatening moments but we will not fear the evil one. Because his rod and staff, they comfort me.

I have made research on the staff and the rod. The shepherd's staff and rod. The rod is a weapon of war. It is meant to kill or to maim. It is made from a chosen hard wood tree. The length of this rod depends on the height of the Shepherd. It's about 20 to 30mm across. At the end of the rod, it is enforced by a ring of iron. Three to four inches length. It is used to attack to maim or to kill. It is never used on the sheep.

No Shepherd will go out into the field without first knowing how to use this rod. Used against predators but never the sheep.

The staff is made from the same tree about 7 feet in length with a hook at the end.  It is designed to help the sheep. If the sheep falls, the hook is used to rescue the sheep.

The rod they comfort me because the rod is never meant for me while the staff is always used to help me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

He prepares you to meet your enemies. Our enemy is not flesh and blood but the devil who is unseen. We fight him with spiritual weapons. Through spiritual weapons. God will prepare you and me how to fight the devil.

He will equip you through your pastor how to make yourself a victor. It's not easy to be a pastor. I now am a teacher, a little lower than the pastor. Teachers can bully the sheep. I don't have the patience to be a pastor.

I was travelling in Tonga and a principal in the Bible school asked me to go teach. Then I saw a student of mine that married the principal. This student was an average student that just managed to pass but today he managed the largest church on that island. He told me he appreciate the tough times learning under me. Pastors are often unappreciated.

The table here is a table of celebration. He makes you victorious and he will anoint your head with oil and your cup runs over. In other words, he anoints you with the Holy Spirit to do the work and your blessings will overflow so you can share with others. He not only gave you eternal life but abundant life. God will make you, lead you, guide you, restore you, prepare you so that your blessings will overflow to bless others. This is what God wants to make you to become.

Surely goodness and mercy follows after you. You do not need to run after them. They will follow you. What an encouraging Psalm. What you have learnt is an outline of this Psalms.