Over the last few weeks, we’ve been exploring who the Lord our Shepherd is in Psalm 23. King David, in a great expression of thought, imagery, creativity, crafted a description of God’s desire for a relationship with us here in this chapter. And here’s what we’ve discovered as we were studying this. We found that the Lord is my shepherd who provides, the Lord is my shepherd who protects, the Lord is my shepherd who prepares, and the Lord is my shepherd who passionately pursues me.
We started by studying verse one, which begins with the phrase the Lord my shepherd. The Hebrew word for Lord in this verse is Jehovah. And there are five characteristics of Jehovah that define who he is fully. And again, those five are he is the Lord, the self existent, eternal One. He is the God of all favor, the one bringing into being, the life giver, the giver of existence, the Creator, he who brings to pass the performer of his promises. And then the fifth one is the one ever coming into manifestation as the God of redemption. Two weeks ago, we started looking into the Lord, the self existent One, and exploring that characteristic of this definition of Jehovah. Last week we explored the second characteristic, which is the God of all favor.
His favor is expressed through his kindness and divine blessing. And because he favors us, he takes pleasure in us, delights in us, and shows us goodwill. He accepts us, approves us, and shows us unmerited favor, which means we don’t have to earn it or do anything to deserve it. He shows us his favor because of his unconditional love for us. We also saw his favor surrounds us as a shield at all times, for he is with us always. He never leaves us, he never forsakes us. His favor is always with us. Today we will continue our study by looking into the third characteristic which defines Jehovah.
Our Lord, the One bringing into being, the life giver, the Giver of existence, the Creator. Psalm 23:1 3. Let’s read that again together. This is from the new King James Version. It says, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. Let’s start by looking at this first quality of Jehovah, the one bringing into being, the One who causes things to become. Wow. Exodus 3:15 says, Moreover, God said to Moses, thus you shall say to the Children of Israel, the Lord Jehovah, God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever and this is my memorial to all generations. The name Jehovah there means he causes to become. He was saying to the children of Israel, I caused your fathers to become. I brought them into being.
And just like I brought them into being, I have brought you into being and I caused you to become. This was emphasizing to the children of Israel God’s role in bringing his purposes and his creations into existence. It also told them that Moses was sent by God to deliver them from bondage to Egypt. Here in Psalm 23, David is recognizing and acknowledging the Lord Jehovah who brings into being, who causes things to become. It is he who is my Shepherd. Not only is he the self existent One, from him flows the existence of all other things. While he did not have an author, nothing caused him to be. His life flows from him and he authored life in all of us and caused us to become Caused us to be Isaiah 46, 9 and 10 says this.
Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is no other I am God and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times, things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. God brings his plans and purposes into being those things he planned before the foundation of the world. As it says here in the end of that verse, I will do all my pleasure. I’m going to bring it to pass. Paul said to us in Ephesians 1, 4 and 5 and I’m reading this from the Amplified classic, Ephesians 1 4, 5 even as in his love he chose us, he actually picked us out for himself as his own in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, consecrated and set apart for him, blameless in his sight, even above reproach before him in love. For he ordained us, destined us, planned in love for us to be adopted, revealed as his own children through Jesus Christ in accordance with the purpose of his will, because it pleased him and was his kind intent. Wow.
Paul goes on to say in second Timothy 1:9 I’m reading this from the new Living Translation for God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time to show us his grace through Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. He had already thought all of this planned for it so we see that we are a part of God’s plan purpose. And we have been before the beginning of time, before the foundation of the world. God planned for you. God has a purpose for you. That is why you’re here today. He brought you into being.
He caused you to become. We are not here by chance. We are here by design. Hallelujah. Romans 4:17 says this as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations. Now this is the Lord speaking to Abraham. I have made you a father of many nations in the presence of him whom he believed. God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist.
So they did. God’s creative power extends beyond what is visible. He is still bringing things into being. He is still causing things to become. Because we are his children and created in his image and likeness, we can partner with him in this and he encourages us to do so. He is causing things to become even today. The second thing we see here is this. Jehovah is the life giver.
He’s a giver of all life. Genesis 2:7 and the Lord God informed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. God is the direct source of life. He breathed life into us. All life for all things flows out of him, flow from him. All of creation exists and has become because he ordained it. Job 33, verse 4. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
And that is true for all of us. God created you. God made you. God caused you to come forth. Life is a direct gift from Jehovah. The power to be and become is a gift from the Lord, your Shepherd. Hallelujah. John 5, verse 26 for as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.
So just like the Father, God has life flowing from him and others. Jesus Christ has that same life that flows from him into us. And he redeems us, redeems our life, restores us. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. As we saw a couple weeks ago, God’s life is self existent and independent. And Jesus has that same life in him because he is God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. The next thing we see here is Jehovah is the giver of existence.
All things exist because of him. Acts 17:24 through 25. And then verse 28 says, this God, who made the world and everything in it, since he is the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is he worshipped with men’s hands as though he needed anything, since he gives to all life, breath and all things. For in him we live and move and have our being, our existence, our being is in him. We exist Him. Everything exists and continues because of God’s sustaining power. If God were to remove his spirit from the earth today, chaos would ensue and it would all come to an end.
Whether we realize it or not, or see it or not. It’s because of God’s life giving, sustaining power that we are here and existing today. Psalm 36:9 says this for with you is the fountain of life and your light we see light. God is the very source of light and life here in the Earth. John 1, 3 and 4 in the Amplified says this all things were made and came into existence through him, and without him was not even one thing made that was come into being. In him was life, and the life was the life of men. The writer of Nehemiah 9,6 said this, you alone are the Lord. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and you preserve them all, and the host of heaven worships you.
Hallelujah. He preserves it all here on the earth, here in the seas, in the heavens, throughout the universe or universes, he preserves it all. Isaiah 42, 5 says, Thus says the Lord. Thus says the God, the Lord who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it. God not only created, but continues to sustain life. Not only did Jehovah create, but he sustains all things people, animals, vegetation, the air, clouds, everything flows from him. He sustains it all. Which brings us to the fourth quality we want to look at in this description of who the Lord Jehovah is.
Jehovah the Creator. Genesis 1:1 in the Amplified in the beginning, God prepared, formed, fashioned, and created the heavens and the earth. This is a foundational statement of God’s creative work in the beginning God John chapter one gives us a little more insight into this. John chapter 1, verses 1 through 3 in the Amplified in the beginning, before all time was the Word Christ, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God himself. He was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through him, and without him was not even one thing made that has come into being. God’s creative power was released through His Word. He called things that be not things that were not seen into being.
And they were Hebrews 11:3 in the Amplified says by faith we understand that the worlds during the successive ages were framed and fashioned and put in order and equipped for their intended purpose by the word God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. Wow. Everything around us today, everything we see, everything we know about, came from the invisible. What we don’t see, we see. God’s creative power extends beyond what is visible, beyond what is visible. As it said in Ephesians 3:20 in the Amplified it says that he can accomplish his purpose in you super abundantly, far over and above anything you dare ask or think. Infinitely beyond. Think about that.
Infinitely beyond, infinitely beyond your highest prayer, desire, thought or dream. God goes on and on and on, way beyond, way beyond, way beyond. Hallelujah. He extends far beyond what we can see, think or imagine. Isaiah 40:28 says this. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. He is his understanding is un searchable. We can study, research, pray for insight and understanding.
The revelation and God freely gives it said, if you lack wisdom in any way, in anything, ask. And he freely gives it. But for all of our life and days, we will never, never, never come to the end of understanding who he is and how he works and what he does. We will always be learning and growing. Throughout eternity we will be learning and growing. God’s creative power is limitless. Limitless. And he works that creative power in you, which I’ve already I just read this with Ephesians 3:20 in the amplified says this in consequence of the action of its power that is at work within us, he is able to carry out his purpose.
God is carrying out his purpose today and through you. And as you yield yourself to him and surrender to him, he does even more in and through you. That’s why he says he can go super abundantly, far over and above anything you dare ask or think. The limitless creative power of God is working in you and through you you. It works with you and it works for you. Praise God. His creative power is carrying out his purpose in and through all of us. Colossians 1:16 and 17 says this for by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through him, and for him, and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. The Lord, your shepherd, is the origin, the author, bringing everything into being, causing all things to become. He is the life giver and the sustainer of all creation. He is Jehovah. Praise God. Father, we thank you for your creative power. Your limitless, infinite creative power that is working in us, through us, with us, for us to accomplish your purpose here in the earth. And Father, we yield ourselves.
We set our hearts right now to yield ourselves to you. To walk as you desire us to walk. To be who you’ve created us to be so we can fulfill the purpose you have for each of us individually here in the earth as it pleases you. Father, we give ourselves to you so that we see your kingdom come. Your will be done here in the earth as it is in heaven. Thank you Father. Thank you Father, for your creative power that causes us to be and become more. And we give you praise and glory for it.
In Jesus name, Amen. Hallelujah. You have a blessed week. Pastor Kanye is coming now with a closing word. God be with.
