The Great Shepherd Restores the Soul

Part One: Jesus Is Our Great Shepherd

Psalm 23: 1

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The Lord is my shepherd, maker, Father, protector, the Great Shepherd.

Our needs are taken care of. It’s not what we think we need; what He has for us is all we need.

David is writing out of his own experience as a shepherd to his father’s sheep as a young boy.

1 Samuel 16: 11

And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

Sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance and protection.

As God’s children, we are dependent on Him for His guidance and protection. The New Testament calls Jesus the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd.

Psalm 23: 2

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

When you drive by or fly over farmland, you’ll see the green pastures. What a peaceful feeling that brings. This is the feeling you have when you truly place yourself in God’s hands.

Isaiah 43: 2

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

God will lead you to the path of rightness. If you go your own way, you are going to walk the path Satan has for you. Don’t think that Satan isn’t waiting to lead you. Check out the following verses below.

Job 2:2

And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Matthew 4: 1

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Now if the devil thought he could tempt Jesus, what do you think he can do with you? Without Jesus to protect you, you have no chance against Satan.

When you put ourselves in Jesus’s hands, you have contentment. Psalm 23 does not focus on the animal-like qualities of sheep but on the discipleship qualities of those who follow Our Lord and Savior.

However, when you choose to sin, you go your own way. Don’t blame God for the place you find yourself.

Psalm 23: 3

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

God won’t lead you to a wrong path.

He restores you because He loves you. He loved us before we loved Him.

God sent His Son to pay for your sins. And by sending His Son, He made a way for you to go to Him directly without anything or anyone intervening.

He restores your soul out of love, but if you are rebellious and disobedient, you are going against your own best interest.

Read the full chapters of the Scriptures referenced:

Please return later this week for Part Two of Jesus Is Our Great Shepherd.

Don’t Despise God’s Discipline

Scripture: Job 5: 17

Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

Scripture Commentary: The Lord disciplines those He loves.

Eliphaz was correct. It is a blessing to be disciplined by God when we are wrong. This shows a view of discipline that has been almost forgotten; pain can help us grow. These are good words to remember when we face hardship and loss.

As we know from the beginning, Job’s suffering was not a result of some sin but was from Satan trying to make Job denounce God.

What is Satan trying to do in your life?

Because Job did not understand why he suffered, his faith in God had a chance to grow. Is your faith in God growing? Are you living a life that will let your godly spirit grow?

God does not eliminate all hardship when we follow Him.

Good behavior is not always rewarded by prosperity. Rewards for good and punishment for evil are in God’s hands and are given out according to His timetable.

Our true reward is the forgiveness that God, through His Son Jesus Christ, has made for us. We can go directly to Him because Jesus died on the cross for us. Satan’s ploy is to get us to doubt God’s goodwill toward us.

Read the Entire Chapter:

Job Chapter 5

Would You Curse God When the Devil Is Your Enemy?

Would You Curse God When It’s the Devil Who is Your Enemy?

Part Three: 1 Peter 5: 8

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Satan greatly misunderstands the breadth and depth of God’s mercy and forgiveness toward those who believe in Him. Satan believed that Job was willing to accept the loss of family and property as long as his own skin was safe.

We can be like that in a way. It’s like that when we see someone who is hurt or suffering, or who is losing everything and we say to ourselves that we’re glad it isn’t us.

Satan comes at you in many ways just as he did with Job.

First, he attacked Job’s family by removing his sons and daughters. Second, he went after Job’s property, and last, Satan attacked Job’s health.

In Job, chapter 6, verse 2, we see that Satan needed God’s permission to hurt Job but God didn’t allow for Job to be killed.

Job 2:9

His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”

Job remained faithful to God.

With all that Job went through, he never lost his love for God, and he never cursed God. Would you be able to say the same if you were in Job’s shoes?

People curse God everyday when they use language that is ungodly. Some people profane God’s name with no thought to what they’re saying. But when you live a godly life, you put away the things that are not of God.

For anyone who doesn’t know how the story ends, Job was given back more than he lost.

Job 42: 12-17

The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years.

In God’s house you do not need money, cars, and boats. You need only God; He will provide your needs.

Would the message of Job change if God hadn’t restored Job to his former blessings? No, God is still sovereign.

Don’t let anything come between you and God. If there’s anything in your life that you value more than God, get it out of your life! And don’t dwell on what you give up. God gave his Son for your sins.

You can never out give God!

Read the Entire Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced:

Read the other parts of the sermon, Would You Curse God?

Part One: Would You Curse God?

Part Two: Would You Curse God When the Pressure Is On?

Would You Curse God When the Pressure Is On?

Sermon: Would You Curse God When the Pressure Is On?

Part Two: Job 1: 11

But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

Satan challenges God by saying Job is only faithful because God had placed a hedge of protection around him. Satan is telling God that if He took away that protection, Job would give up under Satan’s pressure.

What about you? Would you give God up?

Consider what you would be giving up. Eternity with God over something temporal and fleeting.

Revelation 12: 9

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Things will always happen – some good, some bad – and sometimes it is not for you to know why. You must put your faith and trust in God. Experience life as Job did, one day at a time. Thank God for giving you another day to praise Him.

God’s love doesn’t exempt you from life’s challenges.

God loves you but that does not exempt you from life’s calamities. Setbacks, tragedies, and sorrows strike both Christians and non-Christians alike. The difference is in how we deal with them.

Psalms 34: 7

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

Satan says that we are fair weather people, only honoring God as long as we get what we want. God gives Satan permission to test Job. However, Satan has no authority other than what God gives him.

God is compassionate toward you.

While God may allow you to suffer for reasons beyond your understanding, He is never caught by surprise by your troubles. There are limits on what Satan is allowed to do; God is compassionate. So do not worry about Satan. Stay faithful to the One and Only God who loves you.

Read the Entire Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced:

Job Chapter 1

Revelation Chapter 12

Psalms Chapter 34

Read Part One and Part Three of the Sermon, Would You Curse God?

Part One: Would You Curse God?

Part Three: Would You Curse God When the Devil Is Your Enemy?

The Lord Is the Great Shepherd

Sermon: The Lord Is The Great Shepherd

Part One: Psalm 23: 1

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

We are God’s child. He is our Father, Protector, the Great Shepherd. When David describes the Lord as a shepherd, he is writing about of his own experience as a shepherd when he was a young boy.

Sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance and protection.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep.

The New Testament calls Jesus the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd. The Lord is the Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep. We are not to be frightened or passive. We are to be obedient followers who place ourselves in His hands. He will lead us in the path of rightness.

If we go our own way then we are going to walk the path satan has for us. Do not think that satan isn’t waiting to lead you.

Job 2: 2

“And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

Matthew 4:1

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted^[a]by the devil.”

Now the devil thought he could tempt Jesus. What do you think he can do with us?

When we put ourselves in God’s hands, we have contentment.

Psalm 23 does not focus on the animal-like qualities of sheep but on the discipleship qualities of those who follow Our Lord and Savior. However, when we choose to sin, we go our own way and we can’t blame God for the consequences of that choice.

Read the Full Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced:
Psalm Chapter 23
Job Chapter 2
Matthew Chapter 4

Join us later this week for Part Two of the sermon, The Lord is My Shepherd.

Have you considered the Testimony in the Trial?

Scripture: Job 2: 2-3

And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

Scripture Commentary: Have you considered why there are obstacles in your life?

God shines a spotlight with the question, “Have you considered my servant Job?” Throughout our lives we become Job. When things happen to us, good or bad, we question God’s reasons. We like the spotlight when we are the recipient of something that we want. Why does he think we are deserving of gifts? But when it’s something we don’t want, we ask why has he let something bad happen to us? When things happen to us, it may be a message from God to us, a family member, or even our friends and coworkers.

Have you considered that your obstacles are the blessings that help you grow?

Some people are only faithful to God when they feel his blessings. They do not consider the obstacles he gives us blessings because of the work and struggle they entail. Some believe that being a follower of God makes them immune to trouble, but that is not true.

If you thought you were losing everything, would you draw nearer to God or blame him for your pain? Satan believed that if Job lost everything he would curse God. It is common that when calamity strikes, people question God’s justice. That was not the case of Job, and it is not the case of those who stand by their faith.

God did not allow Satan to destroy Job, and he will not allow Satan to destroy you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Job Chapter 2

How Should God Reward You?

Scripture: Job 34: 32-37

“Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’ Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know. “Men of understanding declare, wise men who hear me say to me, ‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight.’ Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost for answering like a wicked man! To his sin he adds rebellion; scornfully he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.”

Scripture Commentary: What should we do and how should we be before God?

There are many things we should do, say, be. Ask God to show you what you aren’t able to see. Learn what you are doing wrong and make correction.

We can:

Turn to God for understanding, endurance, and deliverance
Ask important questions we might not take time to think about in our normal routine
Prepare to identify with and comfort others who suffer
Open ourselves to helping others
Obey God’s Word
Be ready to learn from a trustworthy God
Realize we can identify with what Christ suffered on the cross for us and be sensitized to the amount of suffering in the world

That, OR we can:

Become hardened and reject God
Refuse to ask any questions and miss any lessons that might be good for us
Allow ourselves to be self-centered and selfish
Withdraw from the help that others can give
Reject the fact that God can bring good out of calamity
Accuse God of being unjust and perhaps lead others to reject Him
Close ourselves to any changes in our lives

God is still concerned even though He does not intervene all the time. God will always execute justice. He loves us.

Read the Entire Chapter:

Job 34

The Gain From Sin Lasts But A Moment

Scripture: Job 20: 1-8

Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: “My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer because I am greatly disturbed.I hear a rebuke that dishonors me, and my understanding inspires me to reply.“Surely you know how it has been from of old, ever since mankind was placed on the earth,that the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment. Though the pride of the godless person reaches to the heavens and his head touches the clouds,he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’ Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found, banished like a vision of the night.

Scripture Commentary: The joy from doing wrong lasts but a moment but the long term effect destroys your eternity

Although Zophar was wrong to direct his tirade against Job, he was correct in talking about the final end of evil people. At first sin seems enjoyable and attractive. But “the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.”

Lying, stealing and oppressing others often brings temporary gain to the perpetrator. Some live a long time with ill-gotten gain. But in the end, God’s justice prevails.

What Zophar missed is that judgement for these sins may not come during the sinner’s lifetime. Punishment may be deferred until the last judgement when sinners will be eternally cut off from God.

Some people think that that they are Christians because they go to church, pray, and act pious. By earthly standards they are successful but they are living a sinful life.

We shouldn’t be impressed with the success and power of evil people. No one will escape God’s judgement. You can lie to yourself but not to God.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Job 20

Be Honest With God and Trust Him in Your Anguish

Scripture: Job 7: 1, 11

Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?(1) Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.(11)

Scripture Commentary: Do not act out in your anguish

Job felt deep anguish and bitterness, and he spoke honestly to God about his feelings to let out his frustration.

How is your relationship with God? Can you talk to Him and be honest?

If you express your feelings to God, you can deal with them without exploding in harsh words and actions. Job referred to his own integrity, not because he was sinless but because he had a right relationship with God.

No one except Jesus Christ has been sinless, free from all wrong thoughts and actions.

Take your troubles to God in prayer

All of us, like Job, need to make some changes in our attitude toward God. We must obey God to the best of our ability at all times and in all aspects of our life.

The next time strong emotions threaten to overwhelm you, express them openly – take them to God in prayer. God will help you gain an eternal perspective on the situation and give you greater ability to deal with it constructively.

Do not forget that Satan will always work to get you to forsake God. Your suffering may not be the result of your sin, but you must be careful not to sin as a result of your suffering.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Job Chapter 7

“Have you considered my servant, Job?”

Scripture: Job 1: 8-11

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

Scripture Commentary: Have you been a fair weather believer or do you have the faith of Job?

Satan came to God after roaming the earth looking for those whom he could possibly turn away from God. And God asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job?”

Satan attacked Job’s motives for being faithful to God, saying that Job was blameless and upright only because he had no reason to turn against God. Everything in Job’s life had gone well. Satan wanted to prove that Job worshiped God not out of love, but because God had given him so much.

Satan accurately analyzed why many people trust God. They are fair weather believers, following God only when everything is going well or for what they can get.

God expects you to express your faith even when you’re struggling

Adversity destroys this superficial faith. Adversity, however, strengthens real faith by causing the believer to dig their roots deeper into God to withstand life’s storms.

Although God loves us, believing and obeying Him does not shelter us from life’s calamities. Setbacks, tragedies, and sorrows strike Christians and non-Christians alike. But for the Christian, God expects us to express our faith to the world during our trials.

How do you respond to the trials in your life? Do you ask God, “Why me?” or do you say, “Use me!”?

God is never caught by surprise by our troubles

The conversation between God and Satan teaches us an important fact about God: He is fully aware of every attempt by Satan to bring suffering and difficulty upon us.

While God may allow us to suffer for a reason beyond our understanding, He is never caught by surprise by our troubles and He is always compassionate. God’s love for us is truly immeasurable.

Think of how God has lifted you, your family and loved ones out of harm’s way, even when you were in darkness. God’s love is true and unchanging.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Job Chapter 1