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The Shepherd's Care · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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We'll turn back to our reading in the book of Psalms, Psalm 23, and just look at the whole of this psalm together.
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We can read just the first couple of verses before we go into it.
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The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
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How often have you heard this psalm? How often have you heard it read or how often have you sung this psalm?
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Perhaps many of you, you know it off by heart. It's a psalm that many of us learned, whether it was in day school or Sunday school, learned all of these words off by heart.
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But it's the most sung psalm in Scripture.
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And it's amazing just how often it's sung in the sense of the kinds of occasions that it's sung at.
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It can be very happy occasions or it can be very sad occasions that these words are sung.
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And that's just a reminder to us that in this psalm there's a whole experience of our lives summed up.
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Whatever situation we are going through, there is a reminder to us in this psalm.
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So we may be very familiar with it, but there's also a danger with familiarity.
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There's a danger with being familiar with these words, but not knowing what these words are actually saying to us.
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Not understanding what they are saying to us.
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Just take the opening words of the psalm.
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The Lord is my shepherd.
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It trips off our tongues so easily.
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But if we just stop there, you know these words well, but what do the words mean?
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What do they mean to you today?
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What do they say to you?
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Do you know this Lord as your shepherd?
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And as you go on and read this psalm, as we go on and sing this psalm, what do the words go on to say about the care of the shepherd, of the shepherd's leading?
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What does it mean to you?
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You see, there's two problems with familiarity.
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There's two sayings that are often used.
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One is familiarity breeds contempt.
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And that means that when we have a close knowledge of someone or something, it can lead to a lack of respect.
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Familiarity breeds contempt.
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And that can be true of this psalm.
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Perhaps it's been true in your own experience.
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Or perhaps in your own experience, it's true today that this is the way that you think of this psalm.
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And you're familiar with it, but it breeds contempt because it speaks of the Lord as a shepherd and the different experiences that we can go through.
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And because of maybe trials you've gone through or different experiences you've had, you start to question God or wonder, is there a God?
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Or why does he allow certain things to happen?
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So is that you today?
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Does a familiarity with this psalm, does it breed contempt in your heart?
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Or another saying is familiarity breeds complacency.
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And complacency is something that can be true with this psalm as well.
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We can just, as we say, hear it or sing it so often, but not really take in what it actually means for us.
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We can become complacent with these words.
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Maybe at first it's got a real sense of power to us, but as time goes on, we become complacent with it.
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Think of the example of starting a new job.
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You're going to start a new job.
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Also, the first maybe few months, you're turning up early, showing that you're keen.
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You're on your best behavior.
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You're listening, paying close attention to all the details, diligently going about your work.
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But over time, as you become more comfortable, you become complacent.
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And so instead of turning up early, you turn up on time.
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Instead of listening to everything, you just listen to what you think you need to know.
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You start to look at where corners can be cut.
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And then over time, you become more and more complacent.
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Once you figure out the limits, you maybe start turning up late because nothing's being said.
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You cut corners.
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All of these kinds of things can come in and become complacent.
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And that's the way we can be with this psalm as well.
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And it's the same true of the Lord in your life.
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Do you love him?
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Or have you loved him and now maybe becoming complacent with him?
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Do you use him in that sense?
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Where you see that God is only there when you need him or when you want something from him.
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And these words, when we say, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, I shall not lack.
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We bring them to him then and say, but God, you have said.
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But we ignore him the rest of the time.
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So there can be a familiarity with this psalm.
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One way it can breed contempt.
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Another way it can breed complacency.
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But we always want to come back to it and see what this psalm is saying to us.
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Reminding us of how we are to walk with the Lord close to him and know the shepherd's care.
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And the cluster of psalms here, 22, 23, and 24, they speak of the shepherd in different ways.
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22, speaks about the shepherd as he dies for his sheep.
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This 23 speaks as a shepherd as he cares for his sheep.
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And then 24 speaks about the shepherd who's coming for his sheep, that he is going to return.
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So this morning we're just going to think for a short time on the shepherd who cares for his sheep.
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We all go through different experiences in our lives.
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And as a congregation, as a people, we know whether it's ourselves or others who are going through a variety of different trials and experiences just now.
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But we pray that these words will help us to bring us close to God.
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And not just for us to come close, but us to bring others close to God as well.
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It to be a prayer for people to know the Lord as a shepherd in these days for each and every one of us.
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And the first thing we see in this psalm is a declaration.
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A declaration.
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David, the psalmist here, we can be familiar with his life.
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David, who was a shepherd himself, a shepherd boy who was called by God to be a king for his people.
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And so he was familiar with the whole idea of what it meant to be, a shepherd.
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And now he's writing these words, seeing who his shepherd is.
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The Lord is my shepherd.
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I shall not want.
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And just these opening words of David, he doesn't say the Lord is a shepherd.
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He's not a shepherd like me.
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He's saying the Lord is my shepherd.
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He is seeing his own need.
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And he's seeing that it is the Lord who is able to help him in his need.
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The Lord is my shepherd, he says as well.
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So it's ongoing.
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It's in that tense where you see this is David's experience day to day.
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The Lord is my shepherd.
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You could almost say still to this day, the Lord is David's shepherd.
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And for ourselves, it reminds us that God still speaks in this way to us, reminding us of our need for a shepherd.
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As we read in John chapter 10, another great passage that reminds us of Jesus who is the good shepherd there for his people.
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In John 10 verse 4 it says,
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There is that calling of the shepherd and there is that people who are following the voice of the shepherd.
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That's what David is doing here.
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Is that what you're doing in your life today?
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Are you hearing that call of the shepherd to follow him?
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And are you following him?
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You see, this is a declaration of trust.
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From the very outset, David is saying,
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The Lord is my shepherd.
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There is a trust there.
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And as he looks at the Lord as his shepherd, he realizes then that he will not want, he will not lack, as he knows the Lord as his shepherd.
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Do you ever say to the Lord as you pray,
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Lord, I want.
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Not in the sense of lack as it is here, but I want.
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I want something.
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We come with our demands.
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You come with your demands too.
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Lord, I want you to do this.
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I want you to change this.
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What are you asking of the Lord in your prayer?
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It's not that we would, that he would give us everything that we want.
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But as David is saying here, it's more,
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I will not want in the sense of, I will not lack.
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That when we are trusting in him, the Lord will provide what we need.
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Not so much what we want, but what we need.
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Because you see when he goes on in verse 2 to say,
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He makes me lie down in green pastures.
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There's this sense of, this scene is something beautiful, something plentiful, and something that's easy to find.
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The shepherd just leads from one green pasture to another.
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But that was not the case.
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It wasn't the case for David as a shepherd or any shepherd in these days.
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It was hard to find these green pastures.
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It was hard to find these places with the waters to quench the thirst.
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We have maybe the opposite problem here in Scotland and our own island.
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The struggle is to find dry ground.
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The struggle here was to find a place that wasn't dry, that wasn't hard, but that was well watered, that had lush grass.
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And so the shepherd very often would have to lead great distances.
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Moving through barren ground, hot areas, difficult terrain, all of these things with wild animals all around.
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And so the green pastures were hard to find.
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But the good shepherd led them to these places.
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Again, as a reminder to us that there are these dry experiences, these difficult experiences in our own life.
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Times of barrenness.
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But as we're looking to the shepherd, to the good shepherd, he is able to bring us to these places of refreshing as well.
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And so do you know this shepherd today as he leads you through all of these experiences in life?
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The question that this raises from David in this psalm is, how do we know this shepherd?
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How can you know this shepherd today?
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Well, again, we go back to John chapter 10 to a verse we didn't read, but it says in verse 27 of chapter 10,
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My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
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And so this declaration that David makes, the Lord is my shepherd, it leads to that question for us,
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how can I know the Lord as my shepherd?
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Well, it's what Jesus says in John 10, 27.
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My sheep hear my voice, and my sheep follow me.
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And so the two questions that arise from that are, are you listening to him, and are you following him?
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If you want the Lord as your shepherd, it's to listen and to follow.
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That's the declaration that David makes here.
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He is listening, and he is following the Lord.
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Are you today, in that sense, listening and following him?
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So we have the good shepherd and the declaration that David makes,
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but we also then have a sense of restoration as we turn to verse 3.
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He restores my soul.
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He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
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And even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
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for you are with me, your rod and your staff.
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They comfort me.
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So these two verses, they remind us of the restoration that the good shepherd gives.
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And the first thing is, he says there, he restores my soul.
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The shepherd gives life.
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A shepherd, in the ordinary sense of an ordinary shepherd, he couldn't give life,
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but he sought to provide care that kept life.
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But Jesus is the one who gives life, because he's no ordinary shepherd.
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He is the Son of God who came into this world.
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And so, as we look to Jesus, we see one who finds his sheep.
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And it's where he finds his sheep, as described by Paul in Ephesians 2, verse 1,
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who are dead in their trespasses and sins.
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That's the way we are as a sheep.
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We are a sheep who have gone astray.
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And yet he is able to restore.
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He is able to restore our soul.
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He is able to give life.
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The word restore means to bring back.
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And that's what the Lord Jesus does for his people.
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He brings back that life that was dead in sin.
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And a life that then we are able to live for him.
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But when you look at these words, it's not just applying to us.
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But we see them first and foremost applying to the Lord Jesus himself.
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Because, as you read and as we sing often in verse Psalm 16 as well,
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the soul is not left to decay, it says.
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And that's speaking of the Lord Jesus.
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And here we are reminded that Jesus was one who gave his life,
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but who took his life up again.
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It's a great reminder to us as we approach the time of Easter
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and remembering the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
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And look at verse 4 and how that applies to the Lord Jesus as well.
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Through the valley of the shadow of death as he went to the cross,
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as he died there for our sins.
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There's a reminder here that the good shepherd has experienced all of this himself.
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And so the life that he is able to give is a life that he has given for us,
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that we might have life through him.
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And so the shepherd here provides life.
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He is life because he gave his own life.
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But the good shepherd also leads his sheep.
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And again we see that both in verse 2 and verse 4.
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So that whether the paths lead us through the still waters,
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the green pastures,
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or whether the path leads us through the deep valley as described in verse 4 here,
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the valley of the shadow of death,
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there is that promise of his presence.
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I will fear no evil for you are with me.
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Your rod and your staff,
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they comfort me.
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The shepherd's tools were the rod and the staff.
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One to catch, one to direct.
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Always used to keep the sheep on the right path,
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whatever experience they were going through.
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And it's a powerful reminder to us here of how often maybe we don't like the paths
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that we are being taken on.
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But that when we find it difficult,
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even in the valley of the shadow of death,
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we have the promise of the shepherd who is near.
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And there's a temptation here for us all,
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for you and for me,
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in terms of where we go in our time of need.
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It's to often think that the grass is greener in some other way.
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That we don't need the Lord,
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that the Lord doesn't care about us.
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And therefore we go and look for that comfort,
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that care somewhere else.
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The grass is greener.
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We are like sheep.
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We wander off.
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And so the question is,
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what path are we on today?
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What way are we going?
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What way are we turning,
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even in the midst of times of hardness?
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Yes.
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The Bible speaks about two paths we can go,
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the broad road and the narrow road.
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The broad road is often the easy way to go
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and the easy way to turn.
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But it says it leads to destruction.
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But the narrow path,
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although it may be difficult,
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although it may be hard,
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it's the one that leads to everlasting life.
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And so which path are you on today?
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Which way are you going with the shepherd?
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Are you turning away from him
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and going your own way?
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Or are you turning to him
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that he might lead you?
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We like to be independent in many ways.
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Are you an independent person?
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Are you one who says,
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well, I'm going to do it,
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but I'll do it my way?
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And we're quite dogmatic.
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We see it in some sort of courage now
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to think for yourself
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and to do your own thing.
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And all of these kinds of ideas
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to be trailblazers.
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And there was a saying that said,
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do not follow where the path may lead you.
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Go instead where there is no path
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and leave a trail.
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And that's kind of the attitude
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that many people will take.
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Perhaps it's your attitude today,
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the way that you want to go.
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It's not to find the path to go
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and that you're being led on,
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but instead to find a place
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where there's no path
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and to leave a trail.
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It's that selfish,
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independent attitude.
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But instead we are to look to the Lord
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because you could say
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the only one
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who has gone away
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where there was no path
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and left a trail
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is the Lord Jesus.
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Because he's the only one
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who could go the way of the cross
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and give his life in this way
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and leave a path for us
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to follow.
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I'm sure many of you
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have been involved in sheep
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over the years
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and taking them out to the moor.
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I can't say it's my favorite pastime,
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but I often enjoyed going out the moor
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because it was just the openness of it.
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And as you were taking either
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gathering sheep
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or taking sheep out,
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you would find
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there was always well-throdden paths
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that the sheep would follow.
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And this is the way
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you would often follow them as well.
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But there was also reminders
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of what it meant
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to go off that path.
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Where you would see a sheep
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who's maybe
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gone off in its own direction,
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gone its own way
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and become stuck
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because it's gone off
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the proper path.
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And it's a reminder to us as well
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of what path are we on?
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Are we going the way
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the Lord has gone?
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Or are we thinking
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we know a better way
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and a way that we can find
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peace for ourselves?
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And we only end up stuck
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in this life,
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lost in this life.
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So he's giving us a way.
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He's giving us a promise
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that he is with us as well.
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Because you see here,
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the sheep are passing through
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the valley of the shadow of death.
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And even though there are times
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when as the Lord's people,
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we have to go through
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the most frightening
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and the most dangerous
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of places,
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we have a promise
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of a companion,
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of a companion
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who will never leave us.
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And that was David's confidence.
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Even though I walk through
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the valley of the shadow of death,
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I will fear no evil.
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That we will be able
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to say that ourselves today.
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even though we go through
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the valley of the shadow of death.
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And we do.
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We all do.
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And we know others
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who are going through it
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even now.
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But we have to see
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that the Lord
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is there for us.
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And notice how it says
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the valley of the shadow
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of death.
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It's like the shadow
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is over us.
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But a shadow
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cannot harm us.
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There was a father
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who was driving
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to his wife's funeral
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with his children.
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And as they were traveling
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along the road,
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they stopped
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at some traffic lights.
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And in front of them
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was a big lorry,
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a big lorry
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with a trailer
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on the back.
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Because it was wintertime,
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there was a long shadow
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being cast from the lorry
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across into the field
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beside the road.
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And the father said
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to the children,
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look at the shadow
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of that truck.
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If you had to be run over,
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would you rather be run over
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by the shadow
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or the truck itself?
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And one of the children
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was piped up
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from the back.
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The shadow, of course,
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because that cannot hurt anybody.
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And the way he went on
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to explain it then
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was to remember
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that Jesus let the truck
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strike him.
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So that all we could have
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was the shadow
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that would not destroy us.
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And he went on to say
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that because her mother
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was a Christian
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and because Jesus
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had taken upon himself
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all that pain of death,
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that it was only the shadow
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that had been cast on her.
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That even now,
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death passed over her
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because she was alive
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with the Lord.
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And that's what this psalm
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speaks of,
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the valley of the shadow
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of death.
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Because of what Jesus
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has done for us,
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we know that he bore
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that pain on the cross.
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That it's only the shadow
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that comes on us.
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Because Jesus said,
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I have come
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that they might have life
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and have it abundantly.
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And the gospel of John
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is full of life.
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Life to the full.
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And today,
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I know some of you
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are going through
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your own grief.
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You go through your worries
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and your fears
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and all of these things
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are the valley
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of the shadow of death.
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But we can take heart
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because the Lord
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is with us.
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He will not let
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his people go.
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And he is there
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to comfort
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by his rod
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and his staff.
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He came
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that we might have
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life
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in him.
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So we have that
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sense of restoration.
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He brings back.
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He gives life.
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He helps
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even in the valley
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of the shadow
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of death.
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death.
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The final thing
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we see here
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just briefly
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is there's preparation.
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In verse 5
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and verse 6,
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you prepare a table
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before me
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in the presence
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of my enemies.
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So there's a sense
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here of a feast,
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of rejoicing,
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that he brings us
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through,
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but that he is
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preparing a better way,
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a better place
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for his people.
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That Christ,
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in Christ,
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we have victory.
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Romans 8
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is full of that
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as it speaks
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of nothing
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being able
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to separate us
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from the love
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of God
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which is in Christ
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Jesus our Lord.
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Not even death
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can separate us
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from that love.
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And so here
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he is saying
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he is preparing
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a place
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for his people.
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And when you look
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at, again,
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the Gospel of John
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as Jesus was going
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to the cross,
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as he was with
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his disciples
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before he went
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out to the cross,
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what does he say?
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He says,
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let not your hearts
25:45
be troubled.
25:46
Believe in God.
25:47
Believe also in me.
25:50
In my Father's house
25:51
are many rooms.
25:53
And I go
25:54
to prepare
25:55
a place
25:56
for you.
25:58
So there's preparation.
26:00
He is going
26:01
to prepare
26:02
a place
26:03
for you.
26:04
and he has
26:06
prepared
26:06
all things
26:07
for his people.
26:10
He has prepared
26:11
for us
26:11
for this day
26:12
while we are here
26:14
on earth.
26:15
And he says here
26:16
that he gives
26:18
a cup
26:18
that overflows.
26:21
You could ask
26:22
yourself,
26:22
then how is
26:23
your cup
26:23
today?
26:25
Even in the
26:26
difficulties
26:26
and trials
26:27
that we face,
26:28
if you are
26:29
trusting in the Lord,
26:30
he is able
26:30
to make your cup
26:31
overflow.
26:32
In these days
26:34
of David's time,
26:37
if you are visiting
26:38
and you were
26:39
a guest
26:40
in a house,
26:41
the host
26:42
would keep
26:43
filling the glass
26:44
as he was enjoying
26:46
your company.
26:48
But when
26:49
the time
26:50
was over,
26:51
when the evening
26:51
was coming
26:52
to a close,
26:54
the host
26:54
to indicate
26:55
that it was
26:56
time to leave,
26:57
instead of
26:57
filling the cup
26:58
up to the top,
27:00
would instead
27:00
only half fill it.
27:03
And that was
27:04
the indication
27:05
it's time
27:05
to go.
27:06
As long as
27:06
the cup
27:07
was being
27:07
filled,
27:08
you were there
27:09
and you were
27:10
enjoying his
27:10
company,
27:11
and he would
27:12
say,
27:12
he would be
27:13
saying,
27:13
I'm liking,
27:14
I'm enjoying
27:14
your company,
27:15
stay for a
27:16
while longer.
27:18
Well,
27:18
that's the image
27:19
that we have
27:19
here.
27:20
Not just
27:20
the host
27:21
filling the
27:23
cup,
27:24
but the cup
27:25
is overflowing.
27:27
He longs
27:28
to be with
27:29
his people.
27:31
And so he
27:31
promises help
27:32
for today
27:33
to his people.
27:35
He says in
27:36
verse 6,
27:36
Surely goodness
27:37
and mercy
27:38
shall follow
27:38
me all the
27:39
days of
27:40
my life.
27:41
He gives
27:41
grace.
27:43
That's what
27:44
goodness and
27:44
mercy sum up
27:45
to.
27:45
It sums up
27:46
to the grace
27:47
of God
27:47
that follow
27:48
all the days
27:49
of my life.
27:50
He is there
27:51
to give us
27:52
that grace
27:52
for everything
27:53
that we need.
27:56
And so what
27:56
do you want
27:57
for this life
27:57
day by day?
28:00
Where do
28:01
you find
28:01
your help?
28:04
You can find
28:05
it in the
28:05
grace that
28:06
he gives,
28:07
in the goodness
28:07
and mercy
28:08
that he gives
28:10
day by day.
28:12
But it says
28:12
too that there
28:13
is more to
28:14
come.
28:15
What do you
28:16
want for
28:16
eternity?
28:20
Do you
28:20
desire God's
28:22
house
28:22
forevermore?
28:25
That should
28:25
be the longing
28:26
of every
28:27
Christian.
28:29
To know
28:29
that hope
28:30
that there
28:31
is a place
28:32
not just
28:33
here
28:33
but for
28:35
all eternity
28:36
that we
28:37
can dwell
28:37
in his
28:37
house
28:38
forever.
28:40
And that's
28:41
what the
28:41
shepherd does.
28:43
He leads
28:44
us in
28:45
this life.
28:46
He leads
28:47
us by
28:47
his grace
28:48
day by day
28:49
but always
28:50
with that
28:51
reminder
28:51
that there
28:53
is more
28:53
to come.
28:55
And so
28:55
this psalm
28:56
is a
28:56
psalm
28:57
of great
28:58
comfort.
29:00
Comfort
29:01
in every
29:01
experience.
29:02
Comfort
29:03
day by
29:04
day.
29:05
Comfort
29:05
through times
29:06
of joy
29:07
and times
29:07
of sorrow
29:08
that he
29:09
gives grace
29:10
for all
29:12
of our
29:12
needs.
29:13
We are
29:14
familiar
29:15
with this
29:16
psalm.
29:17
You are
29:17
familiar with
29:18
it I'm
29:18
sure.
29:20
But what
29:20
does it
29:20
stir up
29:21
in your
29:21
soul
29:22
today?
29:23
Does it
29:24
stir up
29:24
that
29:25
contempt
29:25
where still
29:27
you say
29:27
but God
29:28
he allows
29:29
all these
29:30
difficulties.
29:31
How can
29:31
he be a
29:32
gracious
29:32
God?
29:34
Well we
29:34
can see
29:35
it because
29:35
of what
29:35
he has
29:36
done
29:36
for us
29:37
in giving
29:38
his son
29:39
to take
29:40
that death
29:41
upon himself
29:41
so that
29:42
only the
29:42
shadow
29:43
could touch
29:44
us.
29:45
But it
29:46
can also
29:47
breed
29:47
complacency
29:49
where we
29:51
become
29:51
complacent
29:52
with the
29:52
Lord.
29:54
And if
29:54
that's
29:54
you today
29:55
if you
29:55
are one
29:56
who is
29:56
complacent
29:57
today
29:57
perhaps
29:58
it's
29:58
time to
29:59
ask
29:59
yourself
30:00
do I
30:00
need
30:00
to return
30:01
to the
30:02
Lord
30:02
in this
30:03
way?
30:04
Do I
30:04
need to
30:04
come back
30:05
and see
30:06
for myself
30:06
the Lord
30:07
as my
30:08
shepherd
30:08
again?
30:10
We all
30:11
need
30:11
the Lord
30:13
as our
30:14
shepherd.
30:16
Somebody
30:16
said
30:17
about
30:18
this
30:19
psalm
30:19
if the
30:20
thought
30:21
of his
30:21
grace
30:22
here
30:23
and his
30:24
glory
30:24
there
30:25
in other
30:26
words the
30:26
grace that
30:27
he gives
30:27
for today
30:28
and the
30:29
glory of
30:29
eternity
30:30
the thought
30:32
of his
30:32
grace here
30:33
and his
30:33
glory there
30:34
don't light
30:35
your fire
30:36
then your
30:37
wood
30:38
must be
30:38
wet.
30:41
Isn't that
30:41
a good way
30:42
of putting
30:42
it?
30:43
If the
30:43
thought of
30:44
his grace
30:44
here and
30:45
his glory
30:45
there don't
30:46
light your
30:47
fire then
30:48
your wood
30:48
must be
30:49
wet.
30:51
Contempt
30:52
complacency
30:54
they can
30:55
pour water
30:56
on the
30:57
wood of
30:57
our fire
30:58
that burns.
31:00
Is your
31:01
wood wet
31:01
today?
31:03
As you
31:03
think of
31:04
the Lord
31:04
are you
31:06
stirred up
31:07
in your
31:07
soul
31:08
to think
31:09
of his
31:10
grace
31:10
for here
31:11
and now
31:12
and his
31:13
glory there
31:14
that we
31:15
long to
31:16
see.
31:18
May his
31:18
word not
31:19
just be
31:19
familiar to
31:20
us but
31:22
may we be
31:22
familiar more
31:23
and more
31:23
with the
31:24
shepherd it
31:24
speaks of
31:25
so that our
31:26
hearts would be
31:27
stirred up by
31:28
these words
31:29
to find
31:29
comfort
31:30
to find
31:31
grace in
31:32
time of
31:32
need
31:33
but also
31:34
to find
31:34
that hope
31:35
that longs
31:37
for better
31:37
that looks
31:38
to a place
31:39
of God's
31:40
dwelling
31:41
forevermore
31:42
and to
31:43
know the
31:43
shepherd
31:44
who leads
31:45
us there.
31:47
May his
31:48
word, may
31:49
this psalm
31:50
stir our
31:50
hearts in
31:51
that way.
31:52
Let us
31:52
pray.
31:56
Lord our
31:57
gracious God
31:58
we thank you
31:59
for the
31:59
wonder of
32:00
these words
32:01
words that
32:01
we sing
32:03
so often
32:03
words that
32:04
we are so
32:04
familiar with
32:05
and yet
32:06
words that
32:06
we need to
32:07
hear on a
32:08
daily basis
32:09
that we
32:10
need your
32:11
goodness and
32:11
mercy day
32:12
by day
32:12
here that
32:14
we need to
32:14
have that
32:15
hope that
32:15
we can look
32:16
forward to
32:17
a dwelling
32:18
place with
32:18
you forever
32:19
more and
32:20
it's all in
32:21
knowing the
32:22
shepherd, the
32:23
good shepherd
32:23
who came to
32:25
lay down his
32:25
life for his
32:26
sheep.
32:27
We pray
32:28
Lord today for
32:29
these words to
32:30
challenge us, to
32:32
convict us, that
32:33
we would not be
32:34
complacent or
32:36
that we would
32:36
not have contempt
32:37
towards him,
32:38
but that we
32:39
would have that
32:40
longing, that
32:40
desire to
32:41
know them
32:42
more and
32:42
more and
32:43
to help all
32:44
who need you
32:45
in these ways
32:46
whether it's
32:46
times of the
32:48
still waters
32:49
and the
32:50
calmness of
32:50
life rejoicing
32:52
in you or
32:53
whether it's
32:53
going through
32:54
that valley of
32:55
the shadow
32:55
of death,
32:56
whatever place
32:57
we find
32:58
ourselves today
32:59
may we know
33:00
the rod and
33:01
the staff that
33:02
comfort, that
33:03
keep, that
33:03
uphold us
33:04
day by day.
33:06
So Lord be
33:06
with us, go
33:07
before us,
33:08
pardon our
33:09
sin, in
33:10
Jesus' name.
33:11
Amen.
33:20
We're going to
33:21
conclude by
33:22
singing to
33:23
God's praise
33:23
in Psalm 95.
33:25
Sing
33:26
Psalms version
33:26
page 126.
33:34
Psalm 95
33:35
We'll sing
33:36
from verse
33:36
1 down
33:38
to verse
33:38
8.
33:42
O come,
33:42
let us
33:43
joyfully
33:43
sing to
33:44
the Lord,
33:44
to the
33:45
rock of
33:45
salvation.
33:46
Let us
33:46
raise our
33:47
voice.
33:48
Let us
33:48
come before
33:49
him,
33:49
expressing our
33:50
thanks.
33:51
Let us
33:51
with loud
33:52
singing,
33:53
praise him
33:54
and rejoice.
33:55
We'll sing
33:56
from verse
33:56
1 to
33:57
verse 8
33:58
to God's
33:59
praise.
33:59
the
34:01
tune of
34:02
St. Daniel.
34:07
O come,
34:08
let us
34:09
joyfully
34:11
sing to
34:13
the Lord.
34:15
To the
34:16
rock of
34:17
salvation,
34:19
let us
34:21
raise our
34:22
voice.
34:24
Let us
34:25
come before
34:27
him,
34:28
expressing
34:29
our
34:31
thanks.
34:33
Let us
34:34
with light
34:35
singing,
34:37
praise him
34:38
and rejoice.
34:40
The
34:43
Lord is
34:44
the
34:45
great
34:46
God
34:47
King
34:47
over
34:48
all
34:50
gods.
34:51
The
34:51
earth's
34:53
deepest
34:53
places
34:55
he
34:56
holds
34:57
in
34:58
his
34:58
hand.
35:00
The
35:00
heights
35:01
of
35:02
the
35:03
mountains
35:04
belong
35:05
to
35:06
the
35:07
Lord.
35:09
The
35:09
oceans
35:11
are
35:12
his
35:13
and
35:13
he
35:14
formed
35:15
the
35:16
dry
35:16
land.
35:18
Come,
35:19
let us
35:21
bow
35:21
humbly
35:22
and
35:24
worship
35:24
the
35:26
Lord.
35:27
Let
35:28
us
35:29
kneel
35:29
before
35:30
him
35:31
our
35:32
make
35:33
God
35:34
in
35:35
prayer.
35:36
For
35:37
we
35:38
!
35:39
He
35:40
is
35:39
our
35:40
God.
35:41
He
35:42
shepherds
35:42
and feeds
35:45
us
35:45
in his
35:47
loving
35:48
care.
35:50
Today,
35:52
if you
35:54
hear
35:55
and attend
35:56
his
35:58
voice,
35:59
don't
36:00
harden
36:01
your
36:02
hearts
36:03
as you
36:05
did
36:06
on the
36:07
way.
36:08
In
36:09
menopause
36:11
desert
36:12
you
36:13
quarreled
36:15
with me,
36:17
you
36:18
quarreled
36:19
with me,
36:21
you
36:22
tested
36:23
my
36:24
patience
36:26
at
36:27
Massa
36:28
that
36:29
day.
36:32
After the
36:32
benediction,
36:33
I'll go to the door to my left.
36:34
We'll close with the benediction.
36:36
Now may grace,
36:37
mercy,
36:38
and peace from
36:38
God,
36:39
Father,
36:40
Son,
36:40
and Holy
36:40
Spirit rest upon
36:42
and abide with you
36:43
all now
36:44
and forevermore.
36:45
Amen.
36:46
Amen.
37:15
Amen.