Temple Baptist Church - 11-17-2024
Psalm 23:6
Introduction:
A. Tonight, I will end our look at the 23rd Psalm. This Psalm can be preached word by word as I find at least thirty complete messages here. What a wonderful story of the life of a believer, the soon to be King David, King of Israel and the establishment of an eternal Throne on which Christ will one day sit.
B. As with any good biography, in spite of all David’s faults and failures during his life, all is well that ends well. At the beginning of salvation, God intends to lead, feed, and restore throughout our lives.
C. At the end of our physical life, God intends to walk the Valley of Death with us so that we will fear no evil.
D. During our physical life, God wants to do things to us, with us, and through us as He uses the rod, staff, and table to correct, comfort, and communicate with us.
E. Tonight, I want to look at verse six. We find here the Promise of our Earthly Existence and our Eternal Existence. God has give two wonderful promises to those who know the Lord in salvation, allow Him to lead/feed/restore us and then allow Him to have an intimate part of our life between salvation and the Valley of Death.
F. Let us look at the breakdown of verse 6: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (Temporal life): and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. (Eternal life)”
1. Our guarantee from the LORD: “Surely” is not a question, it is a promise. God always keeps His promises!
2 Corinthians 1:18-20 But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. (19) For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. (20) For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
a. Verse 6 is a promise of happiness and hope to the child of God. There are words in the Bible that are used in diverse ways but mean the same thing and “surely” is one of them. The sister words for “surely” are “verily” and “truly” or “Amen” (let it be so).
Verily - Of Hebrew origin [H543]; properly firm, that is, (figuratively) trustworthy; adverbially surely (often as interjection so be it): - amen, verily.
b. This promise is also unconditional. No conditions are stated here. God is a good God and intends to take care of His children in this life.
2. Temporary Life. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” is the earthly extent of His promise. I do not know what will transpire between now and the end of my life, but I promise to carry this promise of God to the grave! In the New Testament, our Lord said that He would not leave nor forsake us which is also unconditional.
a. All the days of our lives, the LORD fills with “goodness.” Moses asked to see God’s glory and God shared “all my goodness” with him.
Exodus 33:18-19 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. (19) And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
Exodus 34:5-7 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. (6) And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, (7) Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
b. There are so many areas of God’s glorious goodness that Moses saw in the above disclosure: mercy, graciousness, longsuffering, goodness, truth.
c. “Follow me” shows us that where we go, goodness and mercy go with us. I look back over life after salvation and I can say that God has been so good to Barbara and me.
d. In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord made this promise.
Matthew 6:25-34 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (26) Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (27) Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? (28) And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: (29) And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (30) Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? (31) Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (32) (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. (33) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (34) Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
d. I do not know how long “all the days of my life” is going to be but I know that He will always be better to me than I am to Him.
2 Peter 1:2-3 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, (3) According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
3. Eternal Life. “And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” The promise of the Father’s house.
John 14:1-4 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. (2) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (4) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Revelation 21:1-7 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (2) And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (4) And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (5) And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (6) And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. (7) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
These verses are followed by a description of the New Jerusalem where we will eternally dwell and, in chapter 22, we find these words.
Revelation 22:1-5 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (3) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: (4) And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. (5) And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Heaven: a place of peace, perfection, and promise!
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