08/30/2026
# THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
# # # **“Where Would We Be Without the Shepherd?”**
**Psalm 23:1–3 KJV | Ezekiel 34:1–10 KJV | Psalm 19:7–11 KJV | Psalm 25:8–10 KJV | John 16:13–15 KJV | Psalm 37:3 KJV**
It is good to be in the house of the Lord this morning. Amen.
That song was talking about coming to the end. Coming to the end of this life on earth, to spend eternity with the Lord. And further along, someday we'll understand what all of this has meant. Someday we'll understand why we've been through what we've been through, why we've struggled with what we've struggled with, and why we've had to walk the roads we've had to walk.
But one day, the Lord is going to bring us into His presence.
So this morning, I want us to think about something very familiar to us, but something that means more than we sometimes realize.
Turn with me to the book of **Psalms, chapter 23.**
The Bible says:
> **“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
> He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
> He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”**
Let us pray.
Father God, we thank You this morning for being our help, our guidance, and our leadership. We thank You for being who You are. Lord, lead us this morning according to Your Holy Spirit. Give us the words You would have us speak. Help us to hear Your Word and apply it to our lives. And God, above everything else, help us to see lost souls saved. We'll give You all the praise, all the glory, and all the honor. In Jesus' name, Amen.
# # THE SHEPHERD
I've been thinking about the shepherd.
A lot of times when we think about the shepherd, we think about Jesus being the Shepherd of the flock.
We think about Him guiding us.
We think about Him leading us through everyday life.
We thank God for salvation.
We thank God for His Son.
We thank God for the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary.
But I want us to stop for just a moment this morning and think about something else:
**Where would we be if it had not been for Jesus?**
Where would we be if we didn't have a Shepherd?
Go with me to **Ezekiel, chapter 34.**
The Word of God says:
> **“And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel...”**
The Lord was speaking against the shepherds because they had failed to take care of the flock.
Verse 2 says:
> **“Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?”**
And then verse 5 says:
> **“And they were scattered, because there was no shepherd.”**
Think about that.
They were scattered because there was no shepherd.
The shepherds had fed themselves instead of feeding the flock.
They had not protected the sheep.
They had not searched for the sheep.
They had not cared for the sheep the way God commanded them to.
And this is a picture for us.
These weren't simply animals. God was talking about His people.
The people who were supposed to lead them had allowed them to wander.
They had allowed them to go wherever they wanted to go.
They had not corrected them.
They had not protected them.
They had not fed them.
They had not kept them from danger.
But then we go back to Psalm 23, and David says:
**“The Lord is my shepherd.”**
Thank God for the difference!
Because the shepherds of Ezekiel's day failed, but **Jesus never fails.**
# # WE NEED THE SHEPHERD
A shepherd is somebody who goes before the sheep.
He watches what is ahead.
He looks for danger.
He finds food and water.
He protects the sheep.
He keeps them from wandering.
And there is a reason sheep need a shepherd.
Sheep can be intelligent animals, but when they are frightened or under pressure, they can make mistakes they normally wouldn't make.
They don't always pay attention to what is ahead.
They can become focused on what is right in front of them and wander into danger without realizing it.
And aren't we the same way?
When everything is going well, we think we know what we're doing.
But when pressure comes, sometimes we don't think clearly.
When trouble comes, sometimes we make decisions we wouldn't normally make.
When we're frightened, sometimes we run in the wrong direction.
And that's why we need the Shepherd.
**We are the sheep. Jesus is the Shepherd.**
We have to understand our place.
Sometimes we get to a place where we think:
*“I can handle this.”*
*“I don't need anybody guiding me.”*
*“I can make my own decisions.”*
But can I tell you this morning?
**We can't do it without Him.**
The moment the Shepherd takes His hand off of us, we would find ourselves wandering into places of danger.
We don't always see the danger.
**The sheep don't have to see every danger because the Shepherd sees it.**
The Shepherd sees what is ahead and turns us in another direction.
There are things God has kept us from that we don't even know He kept us from.
There are places He wouldn't let us go.
There are things we could have gotten ourselves into, but God put something in our pathway and redirected us.
And all we can say is:
**“Thank You, Jesus!”**
# # THE SHEPHERD WARNS US
Psalm 19:7 says:
> **“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”**
And verse 11 says:
> **“Moreover by them is thy servant warned.”**
Thank God for the warnings of the Lord!
When God warns us, He's not trying to force us.
He's not dragging us somewhere against our will.
A warning is God opening our eyes to what is ahead.
A warning says:
**“Look. Pay attention. There's something coming.”**
That's what a shepherd does.
As the sheep are grazing, the shepherd is watching the field ahead.
The sheep may not see the danger, but the shepherd does.
And God does the same thing for us.
He warns us through His Word.
He warns us through the Holy Spirit.
He warns us through conviction.
He warns us before we walk into places we shouldn't go.
That's why we have to listen.
Because **the Shepherd knows what is ahead.**
# # THE SHEPHERD FEEDS US
Psalm 37:3 says:
> **“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”**
The shepherd doesn't just protect the sheep.
He leads them somewhere they can eat.
He leads them to green pastures.
He leads them to still waters.
And God knows how to lead us to the place where our soul can be refreshed.
When we're weary, He knows how to strengthen us.
When we're hungry, He knows how to feed us.
When we're thirsty, He knows how to give us water.
When we're weak, He knows how to give us strength.
He knows how to lead us to the house of God.
He knows how to lead us to the altar.
He knows how to lead us into prayer.
He knows how to lead us into His Word.
He knows exactly what our soul needs.
There have been times when God put something right in your pathway.
You didn't know where it came from.
You didn't know why it happened.
But suddenly your eyes were fixed upon it.
Something moved in your spirit.
And all you could say was:
**“Thank You, Jesus!”**
Because the Shepherd had led you to a place where you could be fed.
# # THE SHEPHERD KEEPS US FROM WANDERING
The third thing the Shepherd does is that **He keeps us from wandering.**
Trying to gather wandering sheep isn't easy.
One goes this way.
Another goes that way.
You've got to go after one and bring it back.
Then another wanders away.
But thank God for a Shepherd who knows how to bring His sheep back into the fold!
Psalm 25:8 says:
> **“Good and upright is the Lord: therefore he will teach sinners in the way.”**
Verse 9 says:
> **“The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.”**
He teaches us.
He guides us.
He directs us.
He stops us from wandering.
Because wandering means going your own way.
Wandering means doing what you want to do.
And somebody may say:
**“I'm not lost.”**
But if you're not following the Shepherd, you're wandering.
You don't know where that road is going to take you.
You don't know what's around the next corner.
You don't know what danger is ahead.
But the Shepherd does.
That's why we have to stay with Him.
# # THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDES US
Jesus said in John 16:13:
> **“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.”**
And verse 15 says:
> **“All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”**
Thank God for a Shepherd who guides us into truth!
He shows us His glory.
He leads us in the right direction.
He speaks to our hearts.
He corrects us.
He warns us.
He feeds us.
He keeps us.
And He brings us back when we wander.
# # WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT JESUS?
Now this morning, I want you to stop and examine your life.
Look at where you are right now.
Look at your salvation.
Look at God's mercy.
Look at God's grace.
Look at everything Jesus has done for you.
And then ask yourself:
**“Where would I be if it wasn't for the Shepherd?”**
I want you to picture something in your mind.
Picture an unkept sheep.
A sheep that has wandered away.
A sheep that hasn't been protected.
A sheep that hasn't been fed.
A sheep that hasn't been cleaned.
A sheep that's been wandering through the wilderness.
Through the mire.
Through the clay.
Through the rocks.
Through the briars.
Dirty.
Tangled.
Lost.
Unkept.
And now realize something:
**That was us.**
That was me.
That was you.
Where would we be if it had not been for Jesus?
If He hadn't kept us from danger?
If He hadn't led us to nourishment?
If He hadn't stopped us from wandering?
If He hadn't come looking for us?
Thank God He came looking!
Jesus said the shepherd would leave the ninety-nine and go after the one that was lost.
**That one was me.**
**That one was you.**
He didn't leave us wandering.
He came after us.
And when He found us, He didn't just bring us back and leave us the way He found us.
Think about that unkept sheep.
Somebody has to clean it.
Somebody has to shear the wool.
Somebody has to remove the dirt.
Somebody has to care for it.
Somebody has to restore it.
And thank God that's what Jesus did for us!
He found us dirty.
He found us broken.
He found us wandering.
He found us covered in sin.
But He didn't throw us away.
**He cleaned us up.**
He brought us back into the fold.
He restored us.
He saved us.
He sanctified us.
He filled us with His Holy Spirit.
And He continues to keep us.
# # REMEMBER HOW GOOD GOD HAS BEEN
Sometimes we talk about how hard life is.
And I know life gets hard.
I know there are valleys.
I know there are battles.
I know there are mountains that are steep.
I know there are times when the road gets rough.
There are times when we're hungry.
There are times when we're thirsty.
There are times when the desert gets hot.
There are times when our steps get hard to take.
We've all been there.
But when the battle gets hot, sometimes we forget what the Shepherd has already done.
We forget the green pastures.
We forget the still waters.
We forget the times He fed us.
We forget the times He gave us water.
We forget the times He protected us.
We forget the times He made a way.
We forget the times He brought us through.
But Psalm 23 says:
> **“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”**
What about all those times?
What about all the times He was there?
What about all the times He gave us strength?
What about all the times He restored our soul?
What about all the times He kept us from danger?
What about all the times He brought us back?
**He's been good to us!**
So when life gets difficult, don't get wrapped up in self-pity.
Don't forget how good God has been.
Instead, stop and say:
**“Lord, I know this is hard, but I remember where You brought me from.”**
**“I know this is a battle, but I remember who brought me through the last battle.”**
**“I know I'm walking through a valley, but I remember that my Shepherd is with me.”**
Thank You, Jesus!
# # LOOK AT WHERE YOU ARE
Sometimes we can find fault in everything.
We can find something wrong.
We can find something that needs to change.
We can find something we don't like.
But what if, for just a moment, we stopped looking at everything that's wrong and looked at where we would be without Jesus?
**“This is where I would be without Him.”**
**“But this is where I am today.”**
When you put those two pictures beside each other, there are some things you might reconsider.
There are some complaints you might take back.
There are some things you might stop worrying about.
Because when you remember where He brought you from, you realize:
**I'm blessed.**
**I'm saved.**
**I'm kept.**
**I'm loved.**
**I'm in the fold.**
And it's all because of the Shepherd.
# # WHERE WOULD WE BE?
Where would we be this morning without Jesus?
How dirty would we be?
How far would we have wandered?
How much danger would we have walked into?
How sinful would we be?
How shameful would we be?
How lost would we be?
But thank God, **we are not what we used to be.**
We're here because of Him.
We're saved because of Him.
We're kept because of Him.
We're guided because of Him.
We're fed because of Him.
We're protected because of Him.
We're cleansed because of Him.
**Everything we are is because of Jesus.**
And that ought to give us something to praise Him for!
That ought to give us something to worship Him for!
That ought to give us something to glorify God about!
# # CLOSING
So this morning, I want you to get your mind on Jesus.
Get your mind on the Shepherd.
Think about what He's brought you through.
Think about what He's delivered you from.
Think about the dangers He kept you from that you never even saw.
Think about the times He fed your soul.
Think about the times He gave you water when you were thirsty.
Think about the times He restored you when you were weary.
Think about the times He came looking for you when you wandered.
And remember:
**You're not an unkept sheep this morning.**
You've been found.
You've been cleaned.
You've been brought back into the fold.
You've been cared for by the Shepherd.
You've been saved.
You've been sanctified.
You've been filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
**You are what you are today because of Him.**
So where would you be without the Shepherd?
**Where would you be without Jesus?**
Thank You, Lord!
Thank You, Jesus!
Aren't you glad He's your Shepherd?
Aren't you glad He didn't leave you wandering?
Aren't you glad He came looking for you?
Aren't you glad He cleaned you up?
Aren't you glad He saved you?
**Then you've got something to praise Him for!**
If you've got something to thank God for this morning, give Him glory.
If He's been good to you, praise Him.
If He's brought you through something, praise Him.
If He's saved your soul, praise Him.
If He's kept you, praise Him.
If He's fed you, praise Him.
If He's guided you, praise Him.
If He's brought you back from wandering, praise Him!
Because:
> **“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”**
Let's get our minds on Jesus.
Let's get our hearts on the Lord.
Let's follow the Shepherd.
And whatever you do, **don't forget how good He's been to you.**
Because one day this journey is going to come to an end.
And when we reach the other side, we'll understand.
We'll understand the valleys.
We'll understand the battles.
We'll understand the struggles.
We'll understand the tears.
But until that day comes, we've got a Shepherd.
**And the Shepherd knows the way home.**
Amen.
