Psalm 23 (Finding God’s Faithfulness)
Lesson 3: God’s Direction
September 18 & 19, 2021
We Have The Privilege Of Helping God Help People
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. New King James Version
John 17:18 In the same way that you (God) gave me (Jesus) a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world… 20 I'm praying not only for them but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me. The Message
Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me… New International Version
Romans 12:4-5 Just as there are many parts to our (human) bodies, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others. Living Bible
God created your “God Path”
"The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will not make sense." — Rick Warren
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Amplified Bible Classic Edition
Psalm 139:16 but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do. Contemporary English Version
God gifted you to fulfill your “God Path”
1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ… New International Version
God will reward you eternally for taking your “God Path”
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad. New American Standard Bible
2 Corinthians 5:11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade people, but we are well known to God; and I hope that we are also well known in your consciences. New American Standard Bible
“Without God’s vision, you may find yourself in the all too common position of looking back on a life that was given to accumulating green pieces of paper with pictures of dead presidents on them. Accumulating money or stuff is a vision of sorts. But it is the kind of vision that leaves men and women wondering. Wondering if there was more. Wondering what they could have done — should have done — with their brief stay on this little ball of dirt.” — Andy Stanley
There will be opposition if you walk your “God Path”
Mark 4:16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. New International Version
In a 2017 Barna Study they found that weekly Church Attendance had gone from 45% of born again Christians in 1993 to 29% of born again Christians in 2017. In a later 2019 Barna Study they discovered that 45% of Evangelicals attend church once a year or less.
God will reveal your “God Path”
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. King James Version