Taught by Grace

Luke 2:1-7 details the birth of Jesus, but without verses 8-14 we don't know the significance of His birth. The angel appears to the shepherds that night to declare to them the good news of Jesus birth - A savior is born. The good news of Christmas is the greatest news ever told.

The Christmas season is and should be filled with hope. However, it’s not because of a chubby dude squeezing into your chimney. It’s not because that special someone will meet you under the mistletoe. Frosty may be a jolly, happy soul, but he can neither thrill nor heal your soul. Rudolph, with his nose so bright may guide Santa’s sleigh, but he can’t light your way to hope. 

Where is hope found? In a lowly manger, after a decree of a wicked ruler. The Savior is born and this is hope.

You submitted questions and we offered some answers. Adam Rorrer joined me for a Q+A episode. We seek to offer Biblical and edifying responses. We've got everything from serious questions to a Frozen reference to determining if dancing is a sin and everything in between.

Timestamps for Questions:

This Psalm has reminded us that the Lord is our sufficient, restoring, and faithful Shepherd for every step of the journey. He is with us when we’re deciding where to go to school, what job to have, and who to marry. He is with us when the company accepts you and the girl rejects you. This life is a journey and we need a Shepherd who is with us through every hill, valley, canyon, and tragedy. He is and He will be with us forever. 

Verse 6 directs our gaze to this truth about the Lord - He will be our Shepherd forever.

Verse 6 of Psalm 23 stops looking at what the Shepherd has done or is doing and looks to the future. This is David’s emphatic conclusion, based upon the character of His Shepherd about what the future holds. Verse 6 declares that He will be our Shepherd forever in two ways: 

Every day is not a clear sky, the sun is shining 65 degrees. There are times when we walk into the valley of the shadow of death. A bad doctor’s report enters your inbox. That car T-bones your daughter out of nowhere. He decides that he doesn’t want to go through with the wedding. Anything can take you from green pastures and tumble you into the valley of the shadow of death. Your Shepherd is good, but that doesn’t mean there will never be bad times. 

The only thing we know about the valley of the shadow of death is that we will walk into it. You will go into this valley of deep darkness. 

How do we navigate it? How do we make it through? We have a good shepherd who is near. He is with us when we are in the valley.

How are you? This is a question we get asked on a regular basis and it is a question we ask on a regular basis. What is the typical response? “I’m doing good, how are you?” we may say we’re doing well or alright. The truth, however, is that we’re not always doing great. 

There are days, weeks, and even months at a time when we are mentally exhausted, physically tired, and spiritually downcast. It’s all part of this journey we are on that Psalm 23 describes for us. The journey doesn’t just have hyper-productive days when papers are being written, yards are being mowed, and books are being read. It also includes days where your brain is still on dial-up in a wireless world. 

We’re not always at our best, but our sufficient Shepherd is always at his best. He’s always at His best and because He is, He is our restoring Shepherd. We see this in verses 2 and 3 of Psalm 23. He is our Restoring Shepherd in two ways. 

The life of every believer is a journey. It’s not like driving on an interstate where you hop on one exit and just drive until you reach your next exit. It’s more like starting in a distant forest and climbing to the top of a mountain. That journey is not straightforward. It has twists and turns, uphills and downhills, peaks and valleys. It would be nice if our lives were an immediate ascent from salvation to heaven, but that’s not the case.

With all the twists and turns, predators and traps, how does anyone survive? 

How does anyone make it through this journey? 

We’re on this journey, but we are not alone. The Shepherd of Psalm 23, Good Shepherd of John 10, and Chief Shepherd of First Peter 5 is with you. The one who fed 5,000, turned water to wine, and journeyed with his disciples down dusty roads, green pastures, and into dark valleys is your Shepherd and He is with you. 

We’re going to study this Psalm over the next four episodes and behold the Shepherd of this Psalm. 

A little white lie is not a little white sin to God. He despises lying. He hates both the lying tongue and the false witness that speaks lies. So then, to break the ninth commandment is to do something that God hates. Satan deceived Eve in the garden by lying to her about the heart and Word of God. In John, Jesus called Satan the father of lies. To be a liar is to be as Satan-like as you can be and as un-God-like as you can be. 

God is not indifferent about lying. His Word is not indifferent about lying. You and I should not be indifferent about lying. Let's examine the ninth commandment to see what is meant by bearing false witness and how we can be a people of truth instead.