The Shepherd: What He Provides

The Shepherd: What He Provides | Psalm 23

John Bourgeois, Lead Pastor

Key Takeaways

• Desire is good.
  God created us as creatures who desire to ultimately find satisfaction in him.

• Satan hijacks our good desires through three channels:

  • Desires of the flesh (immediate gratification)

  • Desires of the eyes (materialism and appearances)

  • Pride of life (self-centeredness and status)

• Jesus fulfills our deepest desires. 
  Where Adam and Eve failed, Jesus succeeded. He perfectly resisted temptation and became the sacrifice of Psalm 22 so he could be our shepherd of Psalm 23.

• "I shall not want" means "I shall not lack."
  When God is our shepherd, we lack nothing that truly matters. Our deepest desires are met in him.

  
  Study Questions

• Question 1

  How is the "I shall not want" of Psalm 23 different from getting everything we think we want?

• Question 2

  John commented, "Your religion is what you do with your solitude." What does your alone time reveal about what you're truly seeking satisfaction in?

• Question 3

  In what ways might you be ruining your spiritual appetite by filling up on substitutes for God, and what would it look like to fast from those things?

• Question 4

  When have you felt God's absence? How might that feeling actually be evidence of his presence and pursuit of you?

• Question 5

  How does Jesus' perfect obedience in resisting temptation in the wilderness provide hope for us when we face our own temptations and failures?

Seeking God’s Face Devotional

This year, we’ll be using the devotional “Seeking God’s Face” for our personal daily discipleship.

This Week’s Liturgy

Call to worship

Psalm 23:1,4

Leader: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

All: 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.

Confession of FAITH

New City Catechism Q & A #26

Q: What else does Christ’s death redeem?

A: Christ’s death is the beginning of the redemption and renewal of every part of fallen creation, as he powerfully directs all things for his own glory and creation’s good.

Confession of sin

Lord Jesus our Good Shepherd, we confess we have not trusted you with our deepest desires, but have gone our own way. We have ruined our appetites with lesser goods, filled our longings with the desires of the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life. Restore our souls. Lead us back to yourself, that we might live our lives without lack, all to your glory. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Romans 5:6-8

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This Week’s Playlist

Looking Ahead

Invite a friend, bring the kids, and join us next week as we continue our Summer in Psalm 23!