Do you ever have one of those weeks when it seems that everyone you meet is just a little out of sorts with you. Try as you do, you can't seem to please anyone. The harder you work, the more frustrated you become. Each day demands more from you that you can deliver. You can finally identify with that sign you saw years ago that says, "the hurried-er I go, the behind-er I get."

What do you do when the hurry and the rush of the world takes you to your limit? Where do you turn when you know there is no person on earth that can slow things down for you and give your life meaning?

David said, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." The Lord is only the shepherd to those who are true sheep. The nature of the true sheep is to follow its shepherd. Some church members and "professing Christians" are not really sheep. They are most miserable because the Lord is not really their Shepherd. Sadly, some by their actions do not appear to besheep, but goats.

Often Christians find they have not submitted themselves to being sheep. You cannot say "I shall not want" until you first truthfully say "The Lord is my Shephard."

David, the shepherd king, continued by saying there is one who is not only present with us in the time of our greatest need, but He is there to give us the rest that we need in the midst of a storm. He is the giver of peace and rest. The second verse of the Twenty-Third Psalm tells us of the divine peace and rest that He wants to give us.

As we look at the second verse of this Psalm, try and visualize the sheep that David watched. Picture the flock as they depended on the shepherd for protection and for rest. Listen to the words of this verse as David tells us about:

I. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures" V2 – Literally in Hebrew it is "pastures of tender grass." This is a picture of the rest that we receive from our Lord.

A. Sheep are unusual animals. They find it difficult to lie down unless four requirements are met.

1. Since they are so timid, they will not lie down unless they are absolutely free from all fear.

2. They are social animals that depend on there being harmony within the flock. They will not lie down unless there is a complete absence from friction within the flock.

3. They will not lie down if flies or other insects are bothering them.

4. They must be completely free from hunger before they will lie down. If there is any hunger, they will continue looking for food until their hunger is satisfied (A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller, p. 35).

B. These four things keep sheep from resting: fear, tension, irritations and hunger. The only person that can liberate the sheep from these concerns is the shepherd. And so it is with people. The only one who can liberate us from the concerns that prevent our rest is the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

1. Fear. Sheep are very timid animals. They lack any means to defend themselves. Therefore, they must rely completely on the shepherd for protection. If there is one thing above others that keeps us from being able to relax it is fear. What are we afraid of? Children are afraid of the dark or of loud noises. They may be afraid of big dogs or little mice. But fear is a common emotion for children, teenagers and adults of all ages also experience fear.

ILLUS: We are surrounded by people who are afraid. They fear rejection by the people they love so they alter their behavior to try to gain more attention.

Some people fear that they will not have all the money they need to make ends meet in life so they continually pursue jobs with higher salaries.

There are many other people who are afraid that they are not acceptable to God, so they spend their lives trying to be worthy of the Savior's love. False religion and cults are populated by people who fear hell and try to through works and ritual to appease their god. They never have peace, because they never know if they have done enough to please god.

They fell to realize there is nothing that we can do that will make us worthy of His love. We are powerless to make the change necessary in our lives to wipe away all fear. Where it is their pride or lack of knowing God’s plan of salvation they continue on a road of discontentment. They fell to realize or accept that only Jesus Christ can take away all of our fears and bring peace in our lives.

2. Tension. Another factor that robs us of rest is tension that comes from our personal relationships. Anytime people are working together, the potential for tension exists. There is tension in working relationships, school relationships, in our homes and even in our churches.

We feel a need to prove our worth. We believe it is important for others to know that we are people of value. We want the praise of others and when we do not get it, there are tensions in these relationships.

Each of us knows that a person's true feelings are hidden from us. We may feel that they believe we are inferior to them. We get a little paranoid and the tension increases.

We also experience tension in the most intimate relationships and it can happen in our church relationships. Even in our own families among people we love, we often get caught up in situations that cause tension.

Often people assert their "rights." Even if exercising their rights offend others, causes disturbances, elienates other from us, sets a bad example,....some press demaining their rights.

The example of the Lord Jesus is not considered. He was abused, persecuted, assaulted, and even crucified. Yet, He was God who created those that treated Him so terribly....yet he opened not His mouth. He allowed Himself to be led as a lamb to the slaughter.

WhY? So that He could offer you and I, sinners that we are, the free gift of salvation.

There are times when we think we are mistreated. Realistically, often it is our own faut. Often people demain their rights and ignore the rights of others.

Paul in 1 Cornthians 8 explains the principles of liberty in Christ. The principle is that even if it is not a sin, but offends some weaker brother, he would not do it. He said in verse 9 "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak." (1 Corinthians 8:9)

Some complain about not having friends. God says in Proverbs "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24)

Further the Lord says, "Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend." (Proverbs 6:3)

Yet, if we follow the principles that God has given us to live by...we can cope and overcome friction between ourselves and others.

3. Irritations. Irritations and aggravations also keep us from finding rest. What causes you irritation? Do you get irritated with people when they are late for an appointment? Are you ever irritated when you get delayed due to traffic snarls? Have you ever gotten irritated when a person failed to fulfill an agreement? There are numerous sources of frustrations and irritations that we face daily. Irritations are part and parcel of our everyday lives. They are normal, but they should not be a source that causes us to be angry or to act improperly. Irritations should not rob us of our peace. You cannot control others and are at the mercy of the situations you face. Learn to accept them. Ask God for strength to keep you calm. Pray for those who are irritating you.

ILLUS: A young woman somewhere in Europe e-mailed me and asked how to respond when she was criticized at church for being over weight. What would you have told her? I told her to respond by saying something to the effect that she was trying really hard to overcome her obesity and then ask the criticizing person to pray for her that she would overcome her problem.

We will always have minor irritations as long as we are living on this world. But the answer to those irritations is Jesus Christ. He alone can bring purpose to a purposeless life. He alone can bring order in the midst of confusion. Only Jesus can turn the irritations of life into blessings for us. But, He peace is not possible unless we believe and commit ourselves to living our lives by His prinicples and humbling ourselves.

James says "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James 4:10)

4. Hunger. The last thing that keeps sheep from finding rest is hunger. This is also true with us. The thing that keeps humanity from finding rest is spiritual hunger. Ever since man has walked the face of the earth, he has been searching for something to fill what theologians call the God-shaped vacuum that is within each of us. People look to religion for the answer, but find no peace or contentment.

C. But organized religion doesn't satisfy the hunger of man's soul. Some people try to find the answer to spiritual hunger by performing good deeds. But the more good deeds they perform, the more they realize that there is an emptiness in their lives that good works cannot fill.

Religion is of the devil’s world and is a hollow and vain substitute of the peace of God and true salvation. Contentment brings peace and satisfaction and this is only in found in God’s word. Thank about the false religions. Islam murders, and forces itself forcefully on others. It seeks to dominate the world through killing and war. There is no peace in Islam. There is no peace in the cults. They offer a false hope in a false god and false Jesus. The look so good on the outside and boust of being so religious, but deep in side...they are not a peace...they have no peace.

Fear, tension, irritation and hunger keep sheep from resting. But the shepherd can take away all of their anxiety. His presence with the flock has a settling influence. In the same way, the Good Shepherd can take away all of the anxiety that we have that keeps us from finding rest. "In the Christian's life, there is no substitute for the keen awareness that my shepherd is present,"

The question is who is in charge, who is running our lives. I have a book in my library that is titled "God is there and He is not Silent."

The first statement is absolute. Yes, God is there!

However, the second statement is subjective. Many times "God is Silent." It is not because of any fault of God, but that we do not listen. Or that we through disobedience, do not allow him to speak to us.

Often sheep are fearful. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Often we do not have a proper fear of God or we fear putting our trust totally in Him. To not to trust the Lord is sin. A lack of trust comes from a lack of belief.

Can a man truly trust God? Would anyone here say that God cannot be trusted? The next question is why do we not fully trust Him? Many trust more in their jobs, savings accounts, abilities, Unions, health, etc.. than in God's ability to take care of His own.

God is promising "green pastures."

II. QUIET WATERS. V2

A. "He leadeth me beside the still waters" – Literally "quiet waters." Sheep can prosper on some of the poorest land. They do very well in an almost desert environment. But they still need water. They depend on the shepherd to lead them to a source of water that will take care of their needs. Since sheep are naturally timid, the shepherd would never lead them to a rapidly running stream. Instead, he will find them a quiet, protected pool where nothing will harm them.

Just as sheep need water to survive, we need spiritual water to satisfy the inner thirst of our souls. In the fourth chapter of John, Jesus met a woman at Jacob's well, outside the city of Sycar.

B. There were several things about the woman that tell us that she had a deep need. She came for water alone at mid-day rather than in the early mornings hours with the other women of the town. It was obvious that she was a social outcast.

That day Jesus told her that He could meet the need of her life. In John 4:14, Jesus said, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw."

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." This verse tells us of three great needs that all people have. We have a need for rest, food and water.

Jesus the Good Shepherd meets all of these needs. He gives us the peace in our hearts that we need to be able to take nourishment and rest without worry of enemy attack. Since Christ supplies our every need in life, we can have the courage that we need to face any challenge. Do you have an inner courage that comes from the Lord?

CONCLUSION:

History tells us of an incident that took place when Napoleon was trying to conquer the world. He assembled his army and explained that they had reached a crucial day in their campaign. He said that there was an important assignment that had to be carried out for the army to claim victory. The general went on to explain that the assignment would require only one man and that man would meet certain death. He knew that it would take a special man who was at peace with himself and with God.

Napoleon then turned his back to them and asked the one who wanted to volunteer for the mission to step forward. When he turned to face his men the ranks were unbroken. It is recorded that the face of the general fell as he saw not even one volunteer. One of the soldiers saw the disappointment on his face and said, "Sir, we all stepped forward." (I Shall Not Want, Robert Ketcham p. 32.)

If the Lord stood before you this today and asked for one volunteer to take a stand for Him against impossible odds, would you have the courage to step forward? Do you have the peace in your heart to know that whatever happens you will be all right because you are walking with the Lord?

If you have received Jesus as your Savior and you are living a daily surrendered life to Him, you will have that peace that David described in verse two of the Shepherd's Psalm.

There may be someone here today who do not have that peace in their hearts. They live in turmoil because they have never received Christ as Savior. If you don't know Him in a personal way, would you come and give your heart to Him today? This invitation is for you. Come as we begin to sing....

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