Psalm 23

For every day, sir, they appreciate your prayers. In this Bible, it's called... this is Scofield Reference Bible. It's a King James. It's an old King James. They make new King James as well. But in Genesis chapter 2, they have a footnote. I'd like to just read one little part of it as I begin this sermon. Genesis chapter 2. The footnote at the bottom of the page is page 7 in this Bible. And he does have commentary along the way. He says, In his redemptive relation to man, Jehovah, or JHVH, the tetragrammaton, which is the four letters that the Jews use, they don't say his name. So we don't know if it's Jehovah, if it's Yahweh, if it's Yahweh, if it's Javeh, we don't know how to pronounce it. We know it would be Y, because J is not pronounced as J is pronounced as a Y. So, it says, In his redemptive relation to man, Jehovah has seven compound names, which reveal him in meeting every need of man from his lost state, as he puts it, to the end. These compound names are, and I gave them to you. You have all seven that I'm going to cover today. You might, there might be another one, Yahweh, Sabahoth, which means the Lord of Hosts. There might be one, Al Shaddai, you've heard of that song, The Lord Almighty. But these are the names that are compounded with J H V H. The first one is Yehovah or Yahweh or J H V H, Ra'ah. Ra'ah means shepherd. The second one is Jehovah or Yehovah Yerah. That means the Lord who provides. The third one is Yahweh Shalom. You know, people, Jews, they be each other, say Shalom, it means peace. The Lord art peace. The fourth one is Yahweh Nisei. The Lord our banner, the one who stands up for us, the one who leads the way.

Number five is Yahweh. The fifth one down is Yahweh Rofah or Rofah or Rofah Nah, the Lord who heals. And number six is Yahweh T'Sed K'Nu. The Lord our righteousness. And the last one is Yahweh Shammah, the Lord who is with us. Did you know in Psalms 23, which probably as a kid, if you went to Sunday school, you were asked to memorize. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, he makes me lie down in green bashers, please be besides the still waters, he restores my soul, and so on. You memorized that, but you did.

Did you know in reading Psalms 23, in that one psalm, that short psalm, every one of the names of God may be found, not by name, but by the act that they do. So I'd like to take the time today to go through that with you and glorify God, because it's an awesome thing that God's glory may be seen in his redemptive action and relationship with human beings.

Every one of them is found, the essence of the seven names of God. Let's look at it, and let's honor and glorify him as we do. I'll read out of Old King James, I have New King James here too, but I'll read out of Old King James, and I'll modernize it for you.

So if you have Old King James, you say, it doesn't sound like Old King James, I avoid the these and thou's and thine's and goeth's and cometh's, and I just automatically in my mind change it. So Psalm 23, let's begin. Name number one, the first one, Javeh Ra'a, is found in Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. This is Jehovah Ra'a. God is my shepherd. A shepherd takes care of his sheep. A shepherd leads his sheep. A shepherd protects his sheep. A shepherd feeds his sheep. So notice, the word for Ra'a means somebody to keep company with, someone to befriend, someone who pastors you.

Those are some of the words that are used for Ra'a. But Psalm 23 verse 1, the Lord is my shepherd. That is Yahweh Ra'a. Notice John chapter 10. We're going to see how God Almighty fulfilled all of these. I'm going to put a marker in here so I can back through it all the time.

Over in John chapter 10, when Jesus Christ came to this earth, what was he known as? One of the titles he's known as is our shepherd, John 10 and verse 2. But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. So he's the one that leads the way. He's the one that enters by the door and others follow him.

And he knows his sheep. He looks after him. He says, does his sheep follow him? Because they know his voice. They won't look to a stranger. They'll look to the shepherd. And notice what Jesus Christ said in verse 11. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. And in verse 14 he says it again. I am the good shepherd and I know my sheep and I know nothing.

So when you think of God, when you think of Jesus Christ who was God in the flesh, when you think of God, think of someone who shepherds you, who looks after you. And shepherds walk with their sheep. And the sheep know their shepherds. The sheep even know their own folds. Did you know the sheep aren't so dumb? Actually, if you take a lamb and put it with a different flock, usually about, what they say, up to 50, 35 to 50, it'll know it's in the wrong flock.

And it'll scream and cry. And if you put it in, okay, here, it'll put you with a lot of ewes, a lot of female sheep. Put you in with them. It'll know which one's its mother. And it'll keep crying until its mother comes to it. A little lamb. They're smart. They're sensitive. They're tender. And Jesus Christ is there to look after all of His people, who are tender, who are not combative, as we heard in the sermon at.

They're not combative. Good sermon at. Good message that we heard from Joshua and Bush. I appreciate that. Again, Hebrews 13, verse 20. Jesus Christ was a good shepherd. He looks after His flock and He keeps them. The John chapter, I'm sorry, Hebrews 13, verse 20. One more scripture on this point. All I'm going to do is show you how God is the shepherd, how He's revealed as the shepherd at other places.

Hebrews 13, verse 20. Now, the God of peace, there again is the peace part of it, but I won't come back, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus. How does it describe our Lord Jesus? That great shepherd of the sheep. Jesus Christ is that great shepherd of the sheep who gives His life for them. My wife's reading a small book called this 23rd Psalm. There's another one on a shepherd's view, the 23rd Psalm.

So again, you can look at those and read those. You can find out what a shepherd does. But one of the names of God, the Lord, Yahweh, is Yahweh our shepherd, God our shepherd, Yahweh, Rachah. So you can honor and glorify Him. And in Psalms 23, we're going to find the others too. So notice verse 2, going back to Psalms 23.

Verse 2. He makes thee lie down in green pastures. What would green pastures be? Green pastures would be that which would be verdant, right? Lush. When you're lying, it doesn't lead them by brown pastures. It doesn't lead them by pastures that are already decayed and rotting. He leads them to green pastures. So what do we find in this verse? Yahweh, Yira.

The second one, the Lord who provides. It means you have no lack. It means you will not lack anything. And he talks about his being green pastures. Some say the word Yira means God will see to it. He will supply your every need. God will see to it. I need to have this done. I'll take care of that. That's what God will say. Yahweh, Yira. I will provide for you. The Lord who provides. You know, we're told when we bless our food. You know, in Psalms, in Psalms, Matthew, he said, Pray, give us this day our daily bread.

Isn't that interesting? If we pray for our daily bread this day, what must we have to do? Sometimes I forget to pray for it. I thank God for it when I eat it. But I pray to forget in the morning, say, God, please provide for us. Please provide our needs today. Now, I suppose you could say, God, I'm praying for the whole year now, today.

Please give me food every day this year. Now, I'll see you next year about that issue. But he does say, pray daily, doesn't he? So, when you come to him, you could say, You're my provider. You're Yahweh, you're my provider. You're the God who provides. And here's the source of that word. The source of that word is found in Genesis 22. Genesis 22. And you're familiar with the situation with Abraham when he wanted a child. God promised him one.

He couldn't have one. So, they figured out if Sarah could just have a child through her handmade, that that would be good enough. That would do it. Because after all, Hagar's his handmaid, and whatever child she bears, it kind of goes to the mother, to the household woman, the lady of the house. And that's how Abraham generates it. That's his child. Abraham went along about 14 years, figuring, this is my child. This is my son, Ishmael.

This is my son. This is the one. This is the man of promise. And then God says, hey, no, he did it your way. That isn't the way I want it. And so then God said, I'll bless you with Isaac. When they were 100 years old and 90 years old, and she, I got to bear a child, and she laughed. And God says, because you did that, you named it laughter.

Every time you call Isaac, you're going to remember you laughed at me, because that's his name. But here now God is told, and Genesis 22, he is told Abraham to offer Isaac. Now you've had him, you got rid of the other kid, you set him off into the wilderness with his water and food. He survived with his, because angels looked after him and his mom. But now you're going to take him from me. God, I want you to, told him, I want you to go sacrifice.

Verse 2, he said, take now your son, your only son, Isaac. It's like God giving up his only son whom you love and get you to the land of Moriah, Mount Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will tell you of. Offer him! Now he knew this was God. You know, if somebody fired this in this dream, go offer your wife a burnt offering. I'm not listening to it because I know God doesn't want me to kill my wife. But he knew God. Why? Because back in those days, they walked with God. They'd stop, not talk with God. God knew Abraham. Abraham knew God. He fed him dinner, right? He knew him. God said, go offer him. Abraham obeyed.

He took him, and he went. And in verse 8, Abraham said, My son, God will provide. God will provide. Do you know what that is?

Yahweh Yira, the Lord who provides himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they went, both of them together. Remember, he said, Father, there's the wood. They're the matches.

True, they've not matches, but some flint or... And I see the altar. Where's the lamb?

And then God had, Abraham had to tell him, You're the sacrifice. It's you. And he went to put his arm back to kill him, and the angel of the Lord stopped him. In verse 14, Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah, this is in the King James, Jehovah or Yahova, Yira, as it is said to this day in the Mount of Moriah of the Lord, it shall be seen. Yahweh Yira, God will provide. Called the name of that place, the place where God provided. God is our provider. Yahweh Yira, we learned that from Psalms 23. Notice Philippians 4.19. Here's a promise in the New Testament through the pen of the Apostle Paul, Philippians chapter 4 and verse 19. I was speaking to one of the men on the pen across, yes, and I was telling him, in my studies I came across this. And he was really excited, or maybe it was trumpets or whatever I was telling him about this, and he was really excited about this. I said, I might write a book on this. He said, you ought to. The biblical, what the names of God has found in Psalms 23, something like that. But anyway, he said, he'd be really interested in that. Philippians 4.19. Paul writes this under God's inspiration, My God, remember Yahweh, Yerah, Yahweh the Lord God, My God shall supply all your need, according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. God will supply your need. Yahweh, Yerah, that's Old Testament Hebrew. Hebrew with the, this is New Testament Greek.

But God will provide our every need. God will see to it. There's another translation of, God will see to it. You need truth. God will see to it. You need protection. God will see to it. I will provide for you. Notice one more, Psalms 37 verse 25. Psalms 37 and verse 25.

I love this scripture. Psalms 37 verse 25. Psalm of David, he said, I have been young, and now I am old, and yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Why? God says, I will provide for you. I will provide for you.

So again, the second lesson we learned, the second characteristic or compounded name, is YHVH, the Lord who provides. The third one, the third one is also found in verse 2.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he's providing. He leads me beside the still waters.

Still waters are very important for sheep. They can be very skittish. They can also, lambs can get, if it's a rushing water, you take them, there's a rushing stream, you know, like a rapids. Oh, there's a nice water hole, let's put them into rapids. They can watch those lambs right down the stream and drown them. So he says, he leads me beside the still waters, the peaceful waters. He's bringing me peace. Yahweh, the Lord is peace is the meaning of this, and it's Yahweh, Shalom, Yahweh, Shalom. And it is symbolic, the symbolical name of an altar in Palestine is Yahweh Shalom. It means health, it means safety, it means peace. So oftentimes they say Shalom, you know, Shalom, it means peace, health, safety, be with you. Let's see where it was found in Judges 6 verses 23 and 24. Judges 6 verses 23 and 24. This is where it's where the origins of that is, Joshua, Judges, Ruth. Judges chapter 6 verses 23 and 24. Yes. Judges 6 verses 23 and 24. And God is trying to settle and comfort Gideon, the sixth judge.

And verse 23, And the Lord said to him, Peace be to you. Don't be afraid, you shall not die. When these battles, when you go battle, go to battle against the enemy, don't be afraid, you will not die. He said, Peace be with you. Have peace within you. Again, that's the peace that passes understanding, as mentioned in chapter 14, which we'll see in a moment. But peace from God. Notice verse 24, Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord. And what did he call it?

Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace. And to this day it is yet an orpha of the Abazurites, the Biosurites. So what do we have? Again, the name Yahweh, Shalom, the Lord our peace.

You can have peace in your life. You can have peace in a world of trouble. Why? Because God gives us peace. It's not that we fight. Peace in the world is absence of war, absence of conflict. That's peace. That's not peace. Because you could have the absence of war, and you could have the absence of conflict, and you could be in turmoil yourself over your own personal issues. Notice John 14, where this is fulfilled. John 14. We see God has these characteristics. I'm just scratching the surface. You could add a lot more scriptures to each one of these about how God is your provider, how God is your shepherd, how God is your peace. Just giving, scratching the surface to show you all of them are found in that very brief Psalm 23. Also encouraging you that when you read the scriptures, think about them. Think deeply about them. I'll give you, for instance, this is a sidebar. I was reading through the book, reading through about the centurions and how they were right there when Jesus Christ died. The centurion said, this is the Son of God, or this was the Son of God, and truly this was the Son of God. The first person converted among the Gentiles that opened the way to the Gentiles. Cornelius was a centurion of the Italian band. They had centurions who were over about a hundred men. That's why they were called centurions. Sometimes it was 60s, sometimes 80s, sometimes 100. Usually 100 men. They were middle management people, always loyal, always faithful, and they knew how the middle class or the lower class felt because they were among them. You'll even find the centurion who asked Jesus Christ to heal his servant. He was full of good deeds. What had he done? He had built a synagogue for the Jews. He was helpful to them. He cared for them. Cornelius gave alms to the people. He helped people.

He was known as a servant. So you find them. They're good people. They were good people. Reading a book called, read the book, called A Week in the Life of a Roman Century.

Really interesting. It's fiction, and then it weaves in in fact, and then it's fiction reads in fact. It's a story, okay, that tells you about centurions.

I hope I'll give a split sermon or a sermon on Are You a Good Centurion? That's a really good... But it takes time. See, take time to think about what does the scripture mean? What is in here? What is found in... I read Psalm 23 numerous times, but I'd never seen those seven compound names of God in there as far as the meaning of them.

Look at John 14 and verse 27, continuing with peace. Here's what Jesus said among his last words to his disciples. He said, peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give it to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Don't let your emotions overwhelm you. Don't let your emotions overwhelm you with sadness or irritation or anything else because God gives you peace. And notice it's a peace that passes understanding. It's the kind of peace that a little lady used to come in Toronto with her four children, whose husband was very much opposed to her coming to our church. He didn't want her to come, but she was staunch, a little bit of a thing. Slight, slight build. Catholic before, four children, every Sabbath she comes. She come in, she'd be cheerful and happy. Knowing that when she left to go home, she was going to have to face a man who would sit there sometimes with a revolver in his hand, spinning the cylinder and pointing at her head. Knowing every time she came home, she was going to face a man who threatened her life just for coming to church.

When you saw her at church, you never knew she had a word.

To me, that's the peace that passes understanding. And you know the end result? She left him for a period of time. He missed her so much. He contacted us. He would sit outside our services looking to see if she was there. She wasn't. She didn't come out. He didn't know where she was. I didn't officially know where she was, but I knew where she was. I didn't officially know. I knew she was somewhere in Buffalo Beach, but I didn't know the exact place. That lady, finally, he asked for a meeting with us. We didn't know if he would be carrying his gun with him. I'm the minister, right? He's going to shoot me. We'd better have been a hotel in the lobby of a hotel. If he's going to do it, he's going to do it in front of everybody, and he's going to be charged. So we went there. We watched him carefully. My assistant and I watched him carefully. We had the plan. If he pulled out his gun, my assistant was going to jump in front of me because he was worth less non-receasing. I'm just teasing. We were watching him. He was wearing a trench coat, and we were wearing trench coats with bulletproof, but I didn't have bulletproof masks. We visited with him. He wanted his wife back, and we said, will you let her come to church without asking her? If you let her come, we'll see what we can do about getting her back. I agree. She went home. He let her go to church. He continued drinking heavily. He ended up with cirrhosis of the liver.

In the last few years of his life, his wife nursed a bedridden husband who tried to kill her.

You talk about irony, and you talk about peace. That woman, while not with our organization, united or worldwide back in those days, that woman still belongs to the Church of God, still trying to practice what she believed and helping to spread it in her particular organization.

So I give her high marks. Wonderful lady. She had beautiful kids. Unfortunately, they didn't come along with all the mess up, mess with the dad, all this, but she did. She still hangs in there.

Last time I saw her and knew her, she was still hanging in there. So, peace. So peace that passes understanding. How does a person have that kind of peace? I'd be worried. Don't you care? She had peace.

Peace that passes understanding. One more scripture on this is Romans 15 verse 33.

Romans 15 and verse 33. You need peace in your life? Ask God for it. Don't ask God to fire somebody, but ask God to help you have peace. And to coach. Romans, sometimes we get exasperated. Romans 15, 33. Notice what it calls God. This is the New Testament now, what it calls God.

Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. So when you have troubles, when you feel distraught, when you feel upset, when you feel hurt, when you feel down, when you feel troubled, say, Father, give me peace. Again, what is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit? Love, joy, what?

Peace. How about fruits of the Holy Spirit? Because it comes from God. Okay, number four, the fourth one is Yahweh Nisi. Yahweh Nisi. Here, Jehovah Nisi. And this word means God who is our banner. God who leads. Where do you normally put a banner? View marches in a band, and they have flags. Where did the flags go? Not in the back. Flags come in the front of them, and they're leading the way. You have a military. Where did the flags go in front? God is our banner. God is our leader. He's out in front. God is our leader. And it means a banner, and it means it's a standard. It's a banner. It's a pole. Moses built it to honor Joshua's victory.

We'll see that over in Exodus 17, verse 15. Well, first, let's look at Psalm 23. Psalm 23, and this is also found in verse 2. He leads me. He leads me beside the still waters. You'll see it again, or he leads them as well. You prepare, and you anoint my head, and all this. You'll see that. He leads me. That's another one. He leads me beside the still waters. That's the banner going in front.

Leads me beside the still waters. Exodus 17, verse 15. Exodus 17 and verse 15.

And Moses built an altar and called the name. You know, God told him to build this memorial to Joshua. Let Joshua know you're doing it for him to honor what he did. And Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nisq. For he said, because the Lord has sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation, that God will lead you in your battles. God will be out in front. God will be your banner. He'll be your standard bearer. He'll be your shield.

He'll be out in front. So, again, God is our leader. Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 10.

We find when Jesus Christ comes back, Isaiah 11 and verse 10.

To what will the Gentiles look? In that day there shall be a root of Jesse. That's David.

David's project. Which shall stand for an Ensign or a symbol for the people. To it shall the Gentiles seek and his rest shall be glorious. God is going to be that banner, that Ensign, for us to look to. For the Gentiles to look to. For the Israelites to look to. Hebrews 2 and verse 10. That's Isaiah 11 and verse 10. Hebrews 2 and verse 10. We find Jesus Christ here, this is the captain of our salvation. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 10.

For it became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons to glory. God wants to bring, people say, you want to be, you can be like God. He's bringing you to glory. He's sharing with you glory, his glory, Jesus Christ said. Bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Who's the one that leads the way? The captain. He's your banner. He's the one who's the leader. Unlike our world wars today, where did the generals sit? In the war-making room, in the planet. A lot, guys. In the olden days, you had the Alexander leading his troops. You had the various ones leading their troops in the battle, Patton being with his troops, and others going out with them. MacArthur walking through the waters in Philippines to lead his group back. You had individuals who were not in front, and you normally were the best fighters. Normally, we're the strongest ones, too. So, Jesus Christ will be our banner, our leader, our captain. 2 Corinthians 2,14. One more scripture here. Follow along, I'm at it. 2 Corinthians 2,14.

We read this. Now, thanks be to God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place. So, God wants to cause us to triumph. He gives us triumph. He's the one who leads us in the battle. He's the one who leads us in the South to salvation.

So, Jave Nisi, the standard bearer, the one who leads, the banner. Number five is Jave Raffa. Let's look at that in verse three. Verse three. He restores my soul. Again, another lead. He leads me in the paths. So, God is our leader. But, He restores my soul. What does He mean by this?

Brings your soul back from heaven. People believe in the mortal soul. The word for souls, nefesh, the word for soul means that which is fleshly, breathing, animal, creature, human.

God, the word Raffa, actually Raffa is the way you pronounce it. God, who mends, repairs, makes whole, or cures. He mends you like you mend a sock. He repairs, He makes whole, and He cures. The word that leads us to understand that is restores your soul.

So, where do we find that? Exodus 15 verse 26. This should be a scripture that we know, and I pray about this a lot. Exodus 15 verse 26. When Israel was coming out of Egypt, you know what God promised them? I'm not going to put these diseases upon you. I will keep them from you. But notice Exodus 15.26. And He said, if you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that which is right in His sight, will give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes. I will put none of these diseases upon you which I have brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that heals you. Yahweh, Ropham, Lord that heals you.

So, there you find it. Again, it's Yahweh, Rapham, the God who heals. God can restore.

God can mend our lives. 1 Peter 2.24. What do we find in the New Testament?

Again, how many great attributes God has. He has them for the benefit of us.

He doesn't need to be healed. He's whole. He's spirit.

1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 24. We read about Christ. Speaking about Jesus Christ, verse 21, He said us an example, and it says, who, who, who, and in verse 24 it says, who, his own self, 1 Peter 2.24, bore our sins in his own body on the tree, or the stake, or the cross, that we, being dead to sins, should live to righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. Remember Isaiah 53? He took upon him our infirmities, our weaknesses, our sicknesses, our diseases, our bruises, our pains. My prayer is, God, why, why do you let, why do you let people in your church continue to suffer? Why do you allow that?

Why do you put a difference between them and the world? Remember, he did put a difference after certain plagues in the times of the before the Exodus. Remember when he was softening up the heart of Pharaoh, came to a certain point, he said, now, from now on, my people are protected from all these. I beg him, why are you going to put a difference between your people and I'm not saying he hasn't already in the way they are as Christians, as people, attitude, and how we're headed toward eternal life, but when do you keep these diseases? I mean, cancer victim, as cancer sufferers popping up almost every day in my emails. I get so many, I get overwhelmed. I have to pray for them. I pray for certain groups all the time, but if I try to pray for everybody all the time, I might as well just sit and sit and pray or lie beyond my knees all day long.

A lot of people are suffering. I think of this lady, Jamie Devoy, in Holland. She's had cancer for a long time now. It's creeped up in her back, in her body. She has no feeling in her back, in her body. Basically, she's in bed all the time. She has a contraction, so she can do sub-exercises with her arms. She's doing some knitting, and she's trying to stay positive, and people send her scriptures to think about and tell her to know they're praying for her. I say, God, why did you keep her alive so long? If you're going to let cancer win, why do you let her suffer for so long? How many lessons would she have to learn in all that suffering? She's still alive. I say, God, I think because you kept her alive for so long, you're going to stun people. Let her feelings come back into her body. Let her start to feel again. Let her get up and walk around. Let her be there. She's not that old. Let her be there for her family. You know, her son is like in his early twenties, and her husband, and then she has a daughter whose early twenties as well. She's not old. Not according to me. She's not old.

When will you heal her? So again, Yahweh Raph for the one who heals. Matthew 9, verse 35, is God stymied by certain ailments? Are there certain afflictions he can't heal? Matthew 9, verse 35. Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all the cancers. Healing every disease with certain difficult ones. He can't stop those. Healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

There's nothing too hard for God. It's why He decides to show His mercy. We can't make Him do it.

He has a plan for salvation that He's working on a plan here below for all of us.

Not only does He have an individual plan for this person to get cancer, then for this person. The time and chance happens to all of us in sickness and disease and whatever we've inherited from our families as weaknesses. So please pray for those people. But realize you have Yahweh Rofah. God our healer. Number six. Number six is found in verse 3 also of Psalms 23. So here we've gone through six of them. We only covered three verses. Verse 3. He restores my soul. That's Yahweh Rofah. He leads me. There again you have Yahweh Nissi. He leads me. Where does He lead you? Where does God lead us? In the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Why? What is one of His names?

Yahweh Tzitkenu. Yahweh Tzitkenu. You know what it means? The Lord is right. The Lord our righteousness. It's used as a symbol for Jerusalem. It's used as a symbol for Jesus Christ, the Messiah. But notice Jeremiah 23 in verse 6. We're seeing where it's founded in Scripture. Jeremiah 23 in verse 6.

When He's talking about God coming back as a shepherd. Verse 5. He says, the day's time says, Lord, I will raise up to David. A righteous branch, a king shall reign and prosper. Shall I execute judgment and justice in the earth? Who's that? Who's coming back as king? We had a phrase for him, the opening prayer. Jesus Christ. Verse 6. In His days, Judah shall be saved. Israel shall dwell safely. And this is the name whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness. That word is Jehovah Tzitkenu, or Yahweh Tzitkenu.

God our righteousness. You know what God doesn't want us to have? Our own righteousness.

Our own righteousnesses before God are so many filthy rags. Isaiah 64.6. So many filthy rags.

Can we do it alone? Can we make it? Can you choose the system of law and expect to make it?

If you don't have grace, you can't make it. You need God's righteousness. I need God's righteousness, which is the goodness that we can do because of Him. Not the goodness we do because of us.

Because when I generate goodness from me, I expect something back. I did this for you. What do you want to do for me? Oh, you didn't do that for me? I know. I saw it. My mother gave Christmas, and my parents did. I did for about the first 16 or 17 years of my life. I saw when my mom sent out Christmas cards to people. When they sent them back, we had an old farmhouse, so we would take the cards that we got from people to our wall. And when we did get one from somebody she sent it to, she doesn't send me one. I'm taking her off my list. That's the Christmas spirit.

Our righteousness, our goodness, comes from God.

It's doing good because it's right to do. It's not doing good because you expect something back.

God's righteousness, and that's what we need. Notice Matthew 6, verse 33.

Matthew 6, verse 33. What should we be seeking for? We often use the Scripture to say, seek first the kingdom of God. But I ask you to look at the last part of verse 33.

Matthew 6, 33. But seek you first the kingdom of God, and what His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. We need to ask God to help us be at His righteousness, because He is Yahweh, the sin canoe, the Lord who is righteous, and He can give it to us. Philippians 3, verse 9. Philippians 3, verse 9. I could dwell on this a lot. What does righteousness mean? What's the definition that the Bible gives of righteousness? Write it down. Psalm 119, verse 172.

All your commandments are righteousness. Psalms 119, verse 172. All God's commandments are righteousness. So when you're doing God's way, you have God's righteousness in you. But it's from Him, and He gives you the strength to do it through His Holy Spirit. Philippians 3, verse 9.

Philippians 3, verse 9. I heard the Apostle Paul writes to the church he loved a lot.

Philippians 3 and 9. He said that I may be found in Him not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, that which I can do by the system of law. See, the law is still good. We're not doing it in way of the law. But if you think, I'm going to earn my salvation, if I just keep this law perfectly, I will earn my salvation. No, you won't. No, you won't. First time you mess up, he's going to forgive you. God's grace, you can't be forgiven. So he says, be found not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness, which is by God, of God, by faith. I believe that God can help me be a Christian. I believe that God can help me overcome. I believe that God can help me live his way of life, which is so contrary.

Why are only 18 people here today, or 13 or 14? Why? I'll tell you why, because God's way is not an easy way. It's a straight gate. It's the narrow path that you would never take.

Get me on I-75. I'm happy. Take me to the bad road. Stop, start, stop, stop, start, to bouncing, chop potholes, gravel. That's going to take a long time, but at the end of the gravel road is eternal life. At the end of the superhighway is hell, the gates of Hades, and ultimately, the gates of G-Hanna. I don't want to go fast to death. I want to go God's way to life. That's why God, when he takes you by the hand, where does he lead you? In the paths of righteousness. That's God. That's your God. That's my God. But we don't want our own righteousness, like this, his righteousness. Number seven, the last one is found in verse four, Psalm 23 and verse four. So he says, he leads me in the paths of righteousness, verse three, from his name, saying, Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, though I go through threatening peril, though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

Do you ever drive through Death Valley in California?

My wife and I took a road trip across the country, I think after our first year and second year in California, we had this little gray Datsun. It was a Datsun wagon, I think it was a 280 or whatever, 180, whatever it was. It was, it had been used by the college. We bought it for real expensively at all because it had like 80-some thousand miles on it, or 100,000 miles. So we were taking that at all service and ready to go driving across the country. The only problem was the air conditioning wasn't real great in it, and the radiator wasn't real great in it. And we were coming back through Death Valley, and it was hot. We had our two daughters and our dog in the car. And in order to keep the, I was watching the heat, the gauge overheat, and getting up there. So I turned off my air conditioner, who we would drive for a while, and it would go back down. I'd drive for a while, drive from, and we'd start to get really hot. We'd go roll up the windows, put the air conditioning back on, air conditioning back on, and I'd start through this. We were going through Death Valley. Death Valley's very difficult area to go through. Not because you get overheated, but at that time it was overheated.

Though we go through the Valley of Death, Shadow of Death, he says, I'll fear no evil. And believe me, I did a lot of praying at that time too. No evil would make it to, it was really getting hot.

For you are with me. You are with me. You know what YHVH means?

YHVH, the God who is there. God is there. God is with you.

YHVH. There are several. The place where you can find this in Scripture is in Ezekiel 48 verse 35. Very briefly, at the end, when he talks about the re-gathering of the Israelites, the re-placing them, settling them in their land, the city and its gates, and he's talking about the priests and the Levites and the portion of the princes, and how the land is going to be laid out, the division of the land. But at the end, the last verse of Ezekiel, it was chapter 48 verse 35, it was round about 18,000 measures, and the name of the city from that day shall be, the Lord is there. YHVH, Shammah. God is there. God will be with you. God says that's His city. That's where He's going to dwell. It's going to be called the City of Truth. It's going to be the capital city of the earth. Why? Because God is there. I'll give you one example in Exodus chapter 33. Exodus 33. Moses was leading a bunch of rebellious cantankerous Israelites who got Him already upset as He was waiting about, and almost to the point where God says, you can't go into the Promised Land because I asked you to speak to the rock and you struck it.

And you said to the Israelites, do I have to give you water? He didn't give them water. God gave them water. God said, you know, you shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have done that. But before that time, notice in Exodus chapter 33 as He was leading them, what He had to say. Exodus chapter 33, verse 12. Moses said to the Lord, see, you say to Me, bring up this people. Bring these people up, and you have not let Me know whom you will send with Me. Who's going to help Me?

These are a rebellious group of people. These are difficult people to deal with. Who's going to help Me? And yet, you have said, I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.

You've told Me I'm favored by you, but you haven't told Me who's going to go with Me. And now I beg you, I pray to you, if I have found grace in your sight, show Me now your way, that I may know you, that I may find grace in your sight. And consider this nation as your people.

Verse 14, and He said, My presence shall go with you. My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. You want to know who's going to go with you? I'll go with you.

I'm Yahweh Shammah. My presence shall go with you. And again, verse 15, He said to him, If your presence does not go with me, please don't carry us up.

And verse 16, and wherein shall it be known here, that I and my people have found grace in your sight. Is it not that you go with us? So shall we be separated, I and your people, from all the earth that are upon the face of you. Because we are your people, you will go with us.

And isn't it interesting in Matthew 28 and verse 20, what God promises His people?

Jesus Christ said after His resurrection, to the right hand of God, what He told His disciples after appearing to them numerous times, what did He promise them? Matthew 28 and verse 20. Matthew 28 and verse 20. He had already said, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. You go therefore and baptize, make disciples of other nations, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.

God fulfilled Yahweh Shammah, even in the name, in the New Testament, He fulfilled that in Jesus Christ.

God is there for us. God will abound and always be with us. He'll be there to protect, to keep us, keep us safe. I want to read you one quote. Two quotes. How to give the sheep rest. Philip Keller, once a shepherd himself in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, relates a strange thing about sheep is that because of their very makeup, it's almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met.

Due to their timidity, they must be free from all fear. Next, because of their sociability, they must be free from friction with others of their kind. Third, they must be free from flies or parasites if they are to relax. And lastly, they will not lie down unless free from hunger.

And it's only the shepherd who can provide release from all of these anxieties. The shepherd who goes with them. And finally, you know, the last, let me read the last few verses of Psalm 23, as I conclude. Psalm 23, again, he says, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Verse 5, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. That's feeding them, preparing for them. You anoint my head with oil and my cup runs over, anointing them, protect them from buds and the soothed and calm them. He said, surely goodness and mercy follows me, shall follow me all the days of my life. When I was a kid and I learned to Psalm, you know what I thought? Surely it was an attribute. Surely goodness and mercy. Surely goodness and mercy will all follow me. Surely, you know, just a comment. Yes, for certain, they will follow you. Goodness and mercy. Goodness, he carries with it the sense, beautiful, best, bountiful, cheerful, at ease. Good, goodness, kindness, loving, precious, prosperity, sweet. That's how that word is rendered, goodness, throughout the Bible. Mercy, mercy is God's favor, God's kindness, God's loving kindness, God's mercy, God's pity.

All those can be certainly applied to that at the end. So, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

How great is our God to pack so many awesome descriptions of His goodness for us in such a small but meaningful song. I hope I've enlightened you and brought some glory to God in the process of this sermon.