Scripture Reading: Psa. 23:1-4; 1 Pet. 2:25
Ⅰ
The all-inclusive Christ is our inward, pneumatic Shepherd, taking care of our inner being—John 10:11; Heb. 13:20-21; 1 Pet. 5:4; 2:25.
Ⅱ
The indwelling, pneumatic Christ is "my Shepherd," and under His all-inclusive, tender care "I will lack nothing"—2 Cor. 3:17a; 2 Tim. 4:22; 1 Cor. 6:17; Psa. 23:1.
Ⅲ
In His organic shepherding, the pneumatic Christ "makes me lie down in green pastures"—v. 2a:
A
Green signifies the riches of life; the green pastures are Christ Himself as our nourishment—John 10:9.
B
Christ can be our green pasture, our feeding place, through His incarnation, death, and resurrection.
Ⅳ
In His organic shepherding, the pneumatic Christ "leads me beside waters of rest"—Psa. 23:2b:
A
The waters of rest are the Spirit, the consummated Spirit after Christ's resurrection—John 7:39.
B
Both the green pastures and the restful waters are the resurrected, pneumatic Christ as the life-giving Spirit—1 Cor. 15:45b; John 14:16-18.
Ⅴ
In His organic salvation, the pneumatic Christ "restores my soul"—Psa. 23:3a:
A
For our soul to be restored means that we are revived; restoring also includes renewing and transforming—Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18.
B
As the Shepherd of our souls, the pneumatic Christ oversees our inward condition, caring for the situation of our inner being—1 Pet. 2:25:
１
Christ takes care of us in a tender, all-inclusive way; this kind of shepherding is an inward, intrinsic, organic comforting.
２
Because our soul is very complicated, we need Christ, who is the life-giving Spirit in our spirit, to shepherd us in our soul, to take care of our mind, emotion, and will and of our problems, needs, and wounds.
Ⅵ
In His organic shepherding, the pneumatic Christ "guides me on the paths of righteousness / For His name's sake"—Psa. 23:3b:
A
The paths of righteousness indicates our walk—Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:16, 25.
B
For His name's sake means for the sake of His person, His living person as the pneumatic Christ—Matt. 28:19; 18:20; Col. 3:17.
C
Christ restores our soul that we may take His way and walk on the paths of righteousness:
１
We need to be proper and balanced in our mind, emotion, and will; otherwise, we cannot be righteous.
２
Under the organic shepherding of the pneumatic Christ, we are balanced, corrected, and adjusted.
３
In all that we do, we need to be under Christ's shepherding, taking Christ as both our paths and our righteousness.
D
Righteousness is being right with persons, things, and matters before God according to His righteous and strict requirements—Matt. 5:20.
E
Righteousness is a matter of God's kingdom; thus, righteousness issues from God for His administration and is related to His government and rule—6:33; Psa. 89:14; 97:2; Isa. 32:1.
F
Righteousness is the outward expression of the Christ who lives in us as the life-giving Spirit, the expression of the Christ whom we live—Rev. 19:8.
G
Righteousness is a matter of being right with God in our being, of having an inner being that is transparent and crystal clear and that is in the mind and will of God—2 Cor. 5:21.
Ⅶ
Under the organic shepherding of the pneumatic Christ, "though I walk / Through the valley of the shadow of death, / I do not fear evil, / For You are with me; / Your rod and Your staff, / They comfort me"—Psa. 23:4:
A
For the pneumatic Christ to be with us means that we enjoy His invisible presence, which is special, personal, and intimate—Matt. 28:20b; 2 Tim. 4:22a.
B
The presence of the pneumatic Christ is a comfort, a rescue, and a sustaining to us when we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
C
The Lord's rod, a symbol of His authority, is our protection:
１
We are under the Lord's authority and take the way marked out by Him.
２
Every negative thing—death, darkness, fear, evil—is under His rule, control, and authority.
D
The Lord's staff is for guidance, instruction, training, direction, and sustenance.
Ⅷ
Under the organic shepherding of the pneumatic Christ in the valley of the shadow of death, we experience God as the God of resurrection and may arrive at the out-resurrection—2 Cor. 1:9; Phil. 3:10-11:
A
Resurrection is the very God, who resurrects the dead—John 11:25.
B
The working of the cross terminates our self that we may experience God in resurrection and trust in the God of resurrection—2 Cor. 1:9.
C
To arrive at the out-resurrection means that our entire being is gradually and continually resurrected—Phil. 3:10.