Full transcript of “Portrait Of God - Week 1 | PASTOR DAVID COOPER | Mount Paran Church”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:00 foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we're going to take a look at the portrait of God as we look at Psalm 23 everyone wants to know God and to experience God in his or her life God reveals himself to us in ways that we can know him in ways that we can understand him creation for example reveals the person and works of God in Psalm 19 and 1. the psalmist writes the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies show
0:45 forth his handiwork you may remember when Jesus was telling his disciples do not worry about your life in the great sermon of the mount he said look at the birds of the air and look at the flowers of the field he was telling them that in creation you can learn a lot of things about who God is and how God works well the psalmist David he began to experience God and see God in creation and in his own job as a shepherd now David was a shepherd a psalmist and eventually the king of Israel he grew up tending sheep on his father's Farm and as he would work with the Sheep over time he began to see God as the
1:33 great Shepherd and us as people as the Sheep of his pasture God is revealed as a shepherd and as David had the role of a shepherd and the responsibilities of the care of the Sheep he began to make a connection of how God cares for us he knew everything about sheep and he watched their behavior in their mannerisms and he saw a great similarity in the relationship between a shepherd and the Sheep and the relationship of the Sheep to the shepherd Psalm 23 staying Supreme is David's greatest literary and musical masterpiece the word saw means a song of praise
2:21 so Psalm 23 is not just poetry it's the lyrics of a song David was a musician he played a liar very much like a mandolin or a guitar a stringed instrument and as he would work and sit out on the hillsides watch it over the Sheep we can picture him with his guitar playing and Melody's coming to him in lyrics coming three thousand years later people still recite the 23rd psalm of all the Psalms that he wrote and he wrote The Great majority of them in the Old Testament not all but the great majority of them Psalm 23 is his greatest literary achievement and it also came by the inspiration of
3:08 the Holy Spirit the spirit of God gave him that song helped him see the revelation of God that's revealed in the way that he describes God in psalm 23. the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want the personal expression of who God is is powerful in this psalm he doesn't say the Lord is Our Shepherd although that's true he doesn't say the Lord is the shepherd although that's true he said the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want and this one reason people connect so greatly with this Psalm is so personal and it reflects David the man after
3:54 God's Own Heart It reflects the personal awareness David had of God and his personal love for God his connection to God has a greater portrait of God ever been painted by the hand of an artist or captured in the words of a lyricist then David's portrait of God in this inspired psalm Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd does two things it reveres God In Worship it Praises God for his love and his care his Provisions his protection and it reveals God to us it reveals God to those who read the psalm we learn about who God is in the lyrics of Psalm 23. so God is our Shepherd
4:41 he's my shepherd he's your Shepherd he is the one who cares for us and watches over us the Lord is my shepherd we're not Cosmic orphans in the universe lost to God God is not watching us from a distance he watches us closely and he watches us and cares for us in ways that we don't even understand or recognize at times he leads us in Paths of righteousness he leads us to the Valley of the shadow of death and one day he will lead us ultimately to dwell in this house forever Psalm 23 begins describing our relationship to God and his relationship to us the Lord is my shepherd now notice the
5:27 Lord comes before the word my we should always get our theology in front of our anthropology the Bible starts within the beginning God and then it tells us that God made man in his own image so here first of all we're learning about God's relationship to us and then how we respond in our relationship to him so he gives us a portrait of God as our Shepherd and if you're like me and I know most of you are you don't know very much about Shepherds and sheep I once said a careful study of Shepherds and sheep in fact went out to some sheep farms just to be around the sheep and see what they were like and how they moved and to learn a little bit but here David grew up on a farm and is very familiar with sheep he grew up in
6:12 Bethlehem when there were many Shepherds there it was a major part of their business he says God is The Shepherd of his people now in the Old Testament God reveals himself as The Shepherd of Israel in Isaiah chapter 40 verse 11 in Ezekiel 34 Verse 11-16 God describes himself as The Shepherd of his people he says that he'll go and gather up the Strays that wander off and bring them back he'll tend to his flock gently he searches for us when we're lost he provides for our every need he watches over us he protects us from predators and the feeling in these Psalms of David and in these Old Testament scriptures we see that God even tells us
6:58 that his relationship to us his care is commitment his watchful eye is like that of a shepherd Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd in John 10 verse 11 he said I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the Sheep in the book of Hebrews chapter 13 verse 20 at the conclusion of that magnificent book about the supremacy of Christ the writer of Hebrews expresses a blessing over the people of God and he refers to Jesus as that great Shepherd of the Sheep in First Peter chapter 5 verse 4.
7:44 Peter writes and he says that he is the chief Shepherd and the overseer of our souls so here we see that God is like a shepherd in the way that a Shepherd watches over the Sheep cares for the sheep and stays with a sheep when a Shepherd takes the Sheep out for pasture he or she never leaves the Sheep because if you leave them they just wander off you can't delegate that oversight Shepherd has to always be with the Sheep the word Pastor in the New Testament we talk about the pastors of the church it's the Greek word Shepherd an overseer one who watches over the spiritual welfare of others so God reveals himself to us here in this Psalm as the shepherd and David saw
8:30 a great analogy between who God is and how God relates to us in the role of the shepherd but then we're the Sheep there is the leadership of the shepherd but then there's the life of the sheep you and I are like sheep which means first of all that we belong to him all the sheep that a Shepherd watches over belong to the shepherd they are his sheep the Bible says in Psalm 100 that we are the Sheep of his pasture we are God's sheep we belong to him we belong to God in two ways first of all by virtue of creation the psalmist tells us in Psalm 24 verse
9:18 1 the Earth is the Lord's and everything in it God is our father he's our creator we belong to him we are his children and in this analogy we are the Sheep of his pasture so you belong to God and we also belong to God by the way of redemption because Christ Jesus came to this world to save us from sin and the word Redemption one of the meanings is to buy back something that has been lost to purchase it so First Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19 and 20 says do you not realize that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you've received from God you're not your own you are bought with a price therefore glorify God with your body and your spirit
10:05 as just as sheep are branded by a shepherd God places his mark on us we belong to him and Shepherds brand the Sheep the same way that ranchers will brand cattle so that they wander off everybody knows which flock does she belong to so there's a mark on them there's an interesting passage in the book of Exodus chapter 21 verse 5 and 6. where a person could voluntarily become a servant to someone that they admired and wanted to serve and they would have a physical Mark put on them to express their loyalty and their devotion
10:51 Paul uses this analogy in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13 when we accept Christ he says when you believed in him and Jesus you were marked in him for the seal the promised Holy Spirit who's a deposit guaranteed God's Redemption and God's possession that when you believe in Christ you are marked with a seal if you go to the Book of Revelation he describes the people of God as a hundred to forty four thousand which represents all of the people of God all the New Testament but he says specifically Revelation chapter 7 that we have the Seal of God in our foreheads it's a spiritual seal
11:37 in other words he's placed his Mark upon us we belong to him that's why the psalmist said in Psalm 100 we are his people and we are the Sheep of his pasture we need to know God as a shepherd so that we know that our needs are going to be met and many people just want to know God as a Shepherd so that they can just have their needs met that's that's the only way they think of God is go into God for something they want or they need but there's a lot more to our relationship than that I'm a father and I can't imagine that the only time my kids would want to talk to me is to ask me for something that would not be a healthy relationship and it's not a healthy relationship when
12:22 people think of God like that the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want but he not only provides for our needs and our wants he also leads us and guides us and so the Sheep must be submitted to the direction and the will of the shepherd and that's very important when we begin to think about ourselves as his sheep what does that mean it certainly means to be blessed by all that he's going to provide for us I shall not walk but it also means that we follow him into the path of righteousness we submit to his will and when we bear his mark his sign his seal we are demonstrating that we belong to him that becomes our Assurance you know this world of anxiety and uncertainty when you know that you belong to the Lord that's what gives you peace in life
13:09 and that you belong to him you're marked in him with a seal the promised Holy Spirit who's guaranteeing our inheritance in heaven now the psalmist goes on not only to describe this relationship that God relates to us like a Shepherd does the sheep and the Sheep relate to God like they respond to a shepherd following the shepherd trusting the shepherd and he says that God will provide for us I shall not want here's a confident affirmation of a sheep who's completely satisfied and content with his place in life and he's content with the care of the shepherd he's so confident of the shepherd's love that he says I shall not want and the phrase I shall not want me as I shall not lack anything we will not like
13:55 anything that we need in this life and it also means to be fully content in God's care not Desiring anything more or fearing not having what we need I shall not want as a statement of tremendous contentment and peace knowing that God will provide that he is the provider the Apostle Paul put it this way and Philippians 4 11. he said I've learned to be content whatever the circumstances that's what David means when he says the Lord is my shepherd I shall not one I'm content I'm at peace I know that God's going to Watch Over Me protect me and provide for me and even in crisis the sheep have contentment because the shepherd is always with them David was a man who was hunted by King
14:41 Saul and lived as a fugitive for 10 years in the desert before he ever became king yet even in the desert God was his source of contentment he said even though he was on the run I shall not want and even in those 10 years of adversity and struggle he saw God provide for him and God protect him David also knew his share of failures and some of his great moral failures are chronicled in the Bible and yet he knew God was with him through failure and God's atonement would cover his sins and God forgave him he also knew the meaning of depression and grief he lost the sun Absalom in battle who rebelled against him he and Bathsheba lost a child early on right after this child had been born he
15:28 knew depression and grief and sadness but even through all that he could say I shall not war God gave him peace God gave him Joy God restored him you see God provides his grace for us even in life's difficulties the Bible tells us that God will bless us and provide everything we need according to his riches and glory and that's what he means by the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want a rest contended in God's promise to provide for me and it also means a sense of security I shall not want security business is a big business these days people are very frightened to go out in place and we see a spike in violence And yet when you know that the Lord is your Shepherd
16:13 you have a deep sense of security that he'll protect you and that's what it means but I shall not Ward and David faced so many enemies at times who became king they fought battles armies attacked them but he found this place of security when Saul tried to find him to arrest him threatened to kill him even on the run in the desert hiding in caves and mountains from Saul's Army David felt secure you can feel secure in an insecure world when you know the Lord is your Shepherd the Shepherd gets up early every day to prepare the day for the Sheep he stays in them throughout the day as they graze and they rest in the evening he'll respect them for any wounds he'll look for any pests
16:59 he treats him and he cares for each one of them and Jesus talks about that in John 10 verse 11-15 when he said I'm the Good Shepherd of the Good Shepherd to hear my voice and they follow me on the Gate of the sheep and the gate is for the Sheep go out to pass or they come in and as they come in through the gate the shepherd inspects them treats their wounds gets any pests off of them the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want whatever you're facing today in your life you can have a deep sense of peace and contentment in your relationship to God no matter what changes in life around you God's care for you never changes so face life today confidently like
17:45 David did and say even in the midst of great challenges the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want let's pray together thank you Lord for your word and this amazing revelation of your love for us in psalm 23. bless your people today with peace I pray knowing that they shall not like anything they need because you were with him in Jesus name I pray thank you for joining me today I'm looking forward to this study what a rich explanation of the love of God for us his people let me encourage you to subscribe to my social media follow me and also make sure you get the sermons on the YouTube channel Pastor David Cooper and stay connected get the mail print
18:31 out today if you don't have it please share the app with someone else get as many people as you can connect into the ministry so that we can be a blessing in their lives as well thank you so much for your faithful partnership and Ministry your gracious support in every way I'm looking forward to seeing you and your family this Sunday for worship God bless you have a great day [Music] thank you [Music]
