The Blessing of Walking w/ Jesus

- Today we are going to be talking about walking with Jesus. I want to open by asking, “What walks have you taken?”
  - Walks with yourself
    - Im going to just do me
    - Agnostic or athiestic view
    - I don’t need God
  - Walks with your flesh
    - Lifestyle of being led by your flesh
    - Whatever feels good
  - Walks with sensual deliances
    - Sexual immorality
    - Multiple partners
    - Sex outside of the context of marriage
    - Same sex partners
  - Walks with drugs/alcohol
    - Life was about the high
    - It was about the feeling of being drunk
    - Chasing a feeling that is induced
  - Walks with work
    - Work being your life
    - Pursuit of the american dream and social ascension
- Testimony from Solomon who walked with some of everyone and everything
  - Ecclesiastes 2:1-11-vanity, in vain, useless, futile
  - Ecclesiastes 12:13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Fear God and keep his commandments

- - - Walk with God, do what pleases Him!
All those walks, all those lifestyles are temporary pleasure

They don’t last
Only a walk with Jesus, only a lifestlye of walking with Jesus gives you:
- Peace
- Safety
- Comfort
- Blessings
- Mercy
- Continual restoration and revitalizing
- Eternal glory

To walk with Jesus is to be led by Him
- As we read the text, read with an emphasis on His action and His leading

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

“The Blessings of Walking w/Jesus”

This walking with Jesus, being Led by the Lord is an everyday thing, it is a lifelong thing, go to verse 6

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

- lifestyle

All the days of my life

Dwell in the house of the lord forever

- - Today I want to talk about the benefits and the benefactor
  - The blessings and the blessor
  - Of a lifestyle of walking with Jesus
Encourage the saints & compel the sinners
Lets walk through this text with an eye on the blessings we receive from walking with God and worship the great God who has blessed us with such great blessings

*Blessing #1, Green Pastures, which represent Provision*

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

What are these green pastures? What are these still waters?

- Green pastures
  - For the illustration, sheep are led by the shepherd to lush and green grazing lands as opposed to pasture that is trodden and not good for food
  - God promises us green pastures
  - What does that look like?
    - Talk about the danger of this verse
    - Think biblically
      - Scripture never promises earthly riches, but it does promise that He will provide for us and it teaches contentment
      - If your God is a good shepherd, then know He will provide!
      - He knows our needs:
      - Paul exclaims in Philippians 4:19 my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus
      - 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work

**Blessing #2, Still Waters, which represent His peace**

Still waters

- I believe this is a place of rest in Him, not a promise of perpetual peace in our circumstances, because we go through these valleys of deep darkness
- But in Him we get peace
- When we walk with Jesus, we walk with the God peace
  - Judges 6:24 we get the name of God, Jehovah Shalom, The Lord is peace
  - John 14:23 tells us that this very God of peace will make His home in us
    - Then in verse 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you
- So when all hell is breaking loose in our lives:
  - Job not acting right
  - Spouse not acting right
  - Kids not acting right
  - Society not acting right
  - Finances not acting right
  - Body not acting right
  - Friends not acting right
  - Students not acting right
  - Even when your car not acting right, we can find the still waters of the presence of God, Jehovah Shalom
    - We have access to drink of those waters at all times
    - This is why Christians are different.
      - We can have peace in the midst of the storm because we have Jesus who is the master of the storm and quieter of our souls in the midst of a mess
- The peace, the rest, the provision that we find in Him
- These are benefits, blessings and promises from God to the Christian

***Blessing #3, a restored soul***

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

He restores my soul

- - Restores my soul from what?
    - Lifestyle picture of needing restoration and renewal
      - Anybody ever been hungry?
      - Any introverts in the room?
      - Same thing in our walk with Christ
        
        We get bogged down by sin
        
        We get bogged down by the world
        
        We get bogged down with the troubles of this world that groaneth
        
        But…
        
        He restores our soul
        
        How does he restore our soul?
        
        By seeking Him!
        
        Seek your shepherd in His word
        
        Seek your shepherd in prayer
        
        Seek your shepherd in singing and worship
        
        Seek your shepherd in the community of believers
        
        Seek your shepherd by hearing His preached word
        
        Seek your shepherd by getting alone w/ just you and Him and let Him restore your soul!
        
        *somebody say, restore me Lord!*
      - This psalm is here for a reason
        
        As believers we will sometimes need our soul restored for many reasons, but I want to mention two today
        
        1) Our soul needs restoration from seasons of suffering
        
        look at the backdrop of Psalm 23

4 even through I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

- - - - We go through things sometimes as Christians
        
        Yes, we get green pastures
        
        Yes we get still waters
        
        And yes we go through seasons of suffering, crisis, hurt, sickness, etc
        
        1 Peter 4:12-13
        
        5:10 himself!
        
        So we have a promise of restoration by God himself, He restores my soul!
        
        2) Our soul needs restoration from our own sin, specifically seasons of willful sin and struggle in sin

Psalm 51:1-12

- - - - For the saint that is struggling in their sanctification, or is coming back to the Lord after a season of sin, He promises, He will restore your soul!
        
        As long as you have breath and the Lord draws you, you can be restored to Him!
      - Big picture-gospel restoration!
        
        Relationship with God restored
        
        Gospel

***Blessing #4, His righteousness, For His Glory***

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

- Walk through the 2nd half of this verse
- You have been made righteous
- He led you to himself and His righteousness
- He makes you righteous, He made you righteous, He did this for His glory and His name and His fame

He leads me in paths of righteousness

- - It is His righteousness, only He is righteous, we get His imputed righteousness
    - Psalm 5:8a says it well, Lead me O Lord in your righteousness

Paths of righteousness

- - Think shepherd and sheep
  - This lifestyle of being led by Jesus, walking with Jesus, walking like Jesus, walking in Jesus righteousness is Him leading you
  - Paths of righteousness are constantly being presented throughout our life
  - We always have a crossroads, a fork in the road
  - Jesus is leading us by His spirit and His word towards paths of righteousness
    - We either choose those or choose our flesh or man’s wisdom
    - Some paths of righteousness the Lord may be leading you to:
      - “I need you to seek me”
      - “I need you to seek me in prayer more”
      - I need you to seek me in scripture more
      - I need you stop gossipping
      - I need you to give more generously
      - I need you to encourage so and so
      - I need you to disciple so and so
      - I need you to control your eyes better
      - I need you to use your words better
      - I need you to fast
      - These are all paths of righteousness that our shepherd leads us in, are you following? Are you being humble and obedient sheep? Or are you the sheep He has to pull with the crook of His staff? Or are you the sheep he has to search for and find because you are a wandering sheep?
  - Why is He leading you in paths of righteousness? For His name’s sake! For His glory!
  - You being His sheep, your righteousness reflects on your shepherd
    - Like me dressing Joshy
    - Like the way my children act in public
  - During this time, everyone knew the Israelites by their God
    - The god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
    - The God who brought Jews out of Egypt with mighty signs
    - The God who allowed this nation to defeat everyone in their path
    - Often they would appeal to God for His namesake
      - God don’t let the people think you aren’t the real God
    - They also knew that they were the people of promise
      - God you said you would make us a great nation
    - So David knew that in writing this that for one to walk in righteousness and fear of the Lord was by His power and for His name
    - Same with us
    - Our righteousness, our being presented before God as innocent, is a constant reflection of the sacrifice that the God-man Jesus made to glorify His father by making many sons righteous

In our righteousness, from Jesus, we bring God glory and we reflect any righteousness we have to Him

- - Because He gave it to us and it is for Him
  - FHBH
  - Matthew 5:16 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
  - Philippians 1:9-11 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, sand so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Saints, let us be lead by the Lord and His righteousness, for His glory by the green pastures, by the still waters, our restored soul bringing Him fruits of righteousness from now until eternity. amen.