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I Am the Good Shepherd · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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When we begin our worship this evening, we're going to sing to God's praise in Psalm 42, the Scottish Psalter, verse 262.
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And to thy countenance approach, and in God's sight appear.
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How we come to worship God, thirsting for him and longing for his presence.
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Psalm 42, verse 1 to 5, we stand to sing.
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Amen.
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Psalm 42, verse 1 to 5, we stand to sing.
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Psalm 42, verse 1 to 5, we stand to sing.
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Psalm 42, verse 1 to 5, we stand to sing.
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Psalm 42, verse 1 to 5, we stand to sing.
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My heart to me, God, in my heart, where this night of the same.
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My soul is poured out in me, when this night of the same.
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He was born, because that with the maldiction I here to go, had gone.
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With the maldiction I here to sing.
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With the maldiction I here to sing.
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Of the maldiction I here to sing.
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Of the mald voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy
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!
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voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy
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Trust down my soul, why in this odyssey?
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Trust of for I shall precede,
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this countenance is my name.
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Let's come to God in prayer. Bow our heads in a word of prayer.
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Lord, our gracious God, as we gather in your name,
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I knew this evening we are thankful for this, your day.
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We are thankful to be able to gather together in this way to come,
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offering praise to you, beginning with these words that we have sung,
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thirsting for your presence, thirsting for you as the psalmist was.
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We pray that that would be our longing and desire this evening as we come,
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as we come seeking you and come to hear your word,
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come to be in your presence and in the fellowship of your people.
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We pray that you will give us that thirsting soul and that longing after you.
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And we thank you that in the psalm we are reminded too that,
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just like the psalmist in his day who lived in a time when there was so much mocking of you,
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when people said to him,
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where is this God of yours?
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And we live in such a day as well and we see so much mocking of you,
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when we hear so many people who just put slander across about you,
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who make fun of you, who make a joke out of you.
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And we thank you that we can come this evening knowing that you are God and there is no other.
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And we pray, Lord, for your mercy upon us as we live in these days,
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as we see these things around us.
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We pray, Lord, that we will have the confidence of the psalmist,
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that we will come maybe feeling our souls cast down,
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but yet saying, why are we so dismayed when we can trust God and praise you
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and that you are our aid at all times,
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that you are the one who is our help and our keeper.
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And so, Lord, we pray these words this evening.
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We pray that they may bring us close to you in our worship,
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that they may, from the outset, give us a focus upon you,
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that we'll be able to leave aside other distractions
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that maybe we even had as we came through these doors this evening
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or even as we sat speaking to one another
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when there are things that can easily lead our minds away from you.
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We pray that you will give us that focus upon you for this time of worship,
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that you will give us a prayerful spirit,
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that you will help us even now as we unite our hearts in this way,
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offering up all our prayers to you,
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spoken and unspoken,
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prayers that maybe no one else knows,
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but you do.
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And we thank you that you are the hearer and answerer of prayer.
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And we thank you that we can come to you in that way,
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that we can come,
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even as Jesus himself taught the disciples so long ago,
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to come saying,
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Our Father, who art in heaven,
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we thank you that we can come in that way,
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calling upon you in such an intimate and a personal way,
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even though you are Lord and God of all,
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that we can say,
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Our Father, who art in heaven.
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And so hear all our prayers
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and guide us by your spirit as we seek to worship you.
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We might do so in truth,
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that we might hear your truth as we read from it
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and as we consider it together this evening.
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May it be your truth that guides us in life
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and keeps us going on.
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Your truth that brings us back to the right paths
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and helps us to remain on them.
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And we pray for the blessing of your spirit
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to be on the reading of your word
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and all our meditation upon it,
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that you will lead us into it in a fresh way,
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in a new way,
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and that your word would speak to all our hearts.
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We are thankful for it,
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for all it says to us,
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for all we have been reminded about already this day,
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of the wonder of your covenant bond with us,
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for all that you have done for us
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and for all the generations of your people.
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As we were reminded of the covenant with Abraham this morning,
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we thank you for how we see it out,
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worked and fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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And we pray that this evening,
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as we continue to worship you as Lord and God,
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that you would continue to remind us
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of all the blessings that are ours in Christ
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and that we have so much to be thankful for.
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So hear our prayers, Lord,
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and we pray for so many different needs around us.
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We pray for our communities.
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We pray for our island.
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We pray for our nation and the world in which we live.
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We pray for all the different needs.
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There are so many, Lord,
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and yet none hidden from you.
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We thank you for your knowledge of us,
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that wonderful knowledge that nothing is beyond your reach,
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nothing is beyond your control or power,
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but that all things are done by you and for you.
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And so we pray, Lord, that you will do good to us,
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do good to our people, our congregation here.
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May you bless us.
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May you guide us.
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May you help us.
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Every step that we take,
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may you guide us by your spirit,
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unite our hearts in prayer,
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and bless us, Lord, with your presence
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and with your peace.
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We do pray, Lord,
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to see your spirit working in our midst,
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thankful for all the promises that we have in your word
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that remind us that your word does not return to you empty or void.
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And we pray that,
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whether it's in the preaching of your word from the pulpit here
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or in our prayer meetings,
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in our Sunday school and creche and twinnies and Bible class
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and all the efforts made to reach out with your gospel,
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that you would bless it.
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We pray for this week ahead as we think of all that goes on
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and as we look ahead, God willing,
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to our baptism service next Sunday morning.
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We thank you for the privilege of that.
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We thank you for the families who will be coming for baptism.
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We pray for the parents and the children and all the families,
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that your spirit be with them, Lord,
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as we prepare for that.
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We thank you for the blessings that there is in baptism.
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And not just for the ones that we look forward to, God willing,
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but as we look back as well,
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we thank you for the bonds that there are in baptism as a congregation.
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And we remember the many children who have been baptized here
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over so many years.
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Many now even parents themselves or even grandparents.
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We're thankful for the blessings that there are
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in that community of your people.
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We pray for those who have been committed to you over many years,
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who have fulfilled their vows,
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who have kept the faith,
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who have gone to flourish as Christians.
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We thank you for that.
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Remember those who are maybe still seeking after you,
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maybe even over many years seeking for you
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and seeking your peace and your presence.
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We pray that you will come and bring that peace to them,
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that they will find you as their Lord and as their God.
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We remember others maybe who have,
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although been baptized,
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have wandered away,
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who have gone maybe to different parts of the world even,
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who have even turned their back on you at a time.
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But Lord, we pray that you will remember these vows that were taken,
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remember these children as they were baptized,
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or even adults as they were baptized,
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and draw them to yourself in your time and by your spirit.
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And so we do thank you, Lord,
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that your eyes are upon us.
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We thank you for that,
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for our community as well,
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and all the different things that are going on.
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And we thank you that you are not a God who is sleeping,
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not a God who will be mocked,
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but that you will come in your power and by your ways.
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Remember that as our community needs you.
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It needs enriching.
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It needs enlivening.
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It needs your spirit to work,
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that we would see many being drawn to you,
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turning from darkness to light.
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And so we pray for every endeavor made in your name.
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And we pray for our nation, O Lord,
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that you would bless us,
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that you would guide us,
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that you would help us,
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even as we think of our government at this time.
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And even in this coming week,
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when there are many decisions that will be made,
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many budgets that will be set,
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and we think of the great trials that they face
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in terms of leading our nation,
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helping our nation.
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And we pray, Lord,
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for your spirit in the midst of it all,
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to give wisdom,
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to give guidance,
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to give a turning to you.
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For we neglect you at our peril.
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We turn away from you,
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and we see the consequences.
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But we thank you that your promise in your word
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is that when we return to you,
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that you will return to us.
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And so, Lord,
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may you hear our cries,
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may you hear our prayers,
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and protect your people.
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Protect your people to all ends of the earth,
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Lord,
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as we thank you for the gospel that goes out to all ends.
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We pray that it will be blessed,
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and that your people,
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near and far,
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as they are described as your sheep,
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even as we think of it this evening,
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we thank you for our shepherd,
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the one who is gathering his flock together,
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the one who is building his church.
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And we pray, Lord,
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to see and hear great things
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throughout all nations of the world.
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So remember us, we pray.
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Remember our people.
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Remember those in need at this time,
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as we remember those in hospital,
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both here in Stornoway,
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and further afield as well,
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those who are going through treatment,
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those who have gone through operations,
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those who are laid aside at this time.
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Lord,
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may you be their refuge and their strength.
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May you be their ever-present aid.
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May you watch over them and all the families
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and hear our prayers for them.
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So remember us, Lord.
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Go before us,
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comfort us,
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guide us by your Spirit.
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Receive our praise
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and forgive all our sins
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as we come confessing them on you this evening.
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You know, Lord, our hearts,
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and we pray that you will cleanse us,
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that you will renew us,
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that you will build us up.
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And all we ask,
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we ask in the precious name
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of our Lord and Saviour,
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Jesus Christ,
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for his sake and glory.
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Amen.
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We'll again sing to God's praise.
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We're going to sing this time in Psalm 139a,
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in the Sing Psalms version.
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You'll find this on page 180,
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Psalm 139a.
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We'll sing from verse 1 down to verse 10.
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Psalm speaks of the wonderful knowledge
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that God has of his people,
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has of us all,
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how he knows everything about us.
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O Lord,
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you have examined me,
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you know me through and through.
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My sitting,
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rising,
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all my thoughts
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are far
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are known to you.
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My going out
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and lying down
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are plain before your view.
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Before I speak a word,
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O Lord,
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it is
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well known to you.
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We will sing
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from verse 1
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to verse 10
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and the tune is
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Saint Andrew.
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We stand to sing
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to God's praise.
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O Lord, you have examined me.
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You know me through and through.
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My Savior Christ, in all my thoughts,
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have found my room to live.
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My going out and lying down
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are plenty for your good.
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Before I speak a word, O Lord,
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it is my home to you.
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You have been behind before.
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You hear only your hand.
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Such joy is too wonderful.
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To hide, to understand.
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Where can I from your spirit flee?
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Are proper dresses full?
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If doom the heavens dear are there,
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or in the necks below.
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If I should take the wings of God,
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and where are beyond the sea,
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there also you who give my guide,
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your right and holding me.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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We'll turn together now to read God's word.
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We're reading in the Gospel of John,
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chapter 10.
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Gospel of John, chapter 10.
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We read from the beginning of that chapter
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down to verse 21.
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John, chapter 10, verse 21.
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John chapter 10, verse 1.
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This passage that speaks of Jesus
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and one of the I am sayings in the Gospel of John
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where he describes himself as the good shepherd.
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I am the good shepherd.
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Truly, truly, I say to you,
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he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door
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but climbs in by another way,
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that man is a thief and a robber.
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But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
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To him the gatekeeper opens.
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The sheep hear his voice,
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and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
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When he has brought out all his own,
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he goes before them,
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and the sheep follow him,
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for they know his voice.
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A stranger they will not follow,
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but they will flee from him,
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for they do not know the voice of strangers.
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This figure of speech Jesus used with them,
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but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
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So Jesus again said to them,
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Truly, truly, I say to you,
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I am the door of the sheep,
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and all who come before me are thieves and robbers.
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But the sheep did not listen to them.
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I am the door.
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If anyone enters by me,
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he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
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The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
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I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
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I am the good shepherd.
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The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
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He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd,
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who does not own the sheep,
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sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees,
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and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
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He flees because he is a hired hand
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and cares nothing for the sheep.
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I am the good shepherd.
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I know my own and my own know me,
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just as a father knows me and I know the father,
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and I lay down my life for the sheep.
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And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.
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I must bring them also,
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and they will listen to my voice.
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So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
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For this reason the father loves me,
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because I lay down my life,
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that I may take it up again.
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No one takes it from me,
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but I lay it down of my own accord.
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I have authority to lay it down,
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and I have authority to take it up again.
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This charge I have received from my father.
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There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.
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Many of them said,
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He has a demon and is insane.
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Why listen to him?
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Others said,
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These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon.
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Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?
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And so on.
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And may God bless that reading from his word.
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Before we turn back to look at this passage,
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we'll again sing to God's praise this time in Psalm 106
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in the Scottish Psalter,
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singing at the beginning of the Psalm.
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Psalm 106 from the beginning,
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verse 1 to verse 5,
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four stanzas.
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The tune is St. David.
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Give praise and thanks unto the Lord,
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for bountiful is he,
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his tender mercy doth endure into eternity.
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God's mighty works who can express
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or show forth all his praise.
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Blessed are they that judgment keep,
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and justly do always.
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We'll sing from verse 1 to 5
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into God's praise we stand to sing.
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Amen.
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Give freedom and sound to the Lord,
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for bounty, cool is he.
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His tender mercy doth endure unto eternity.
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God's mighty works who can express
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our show forth all his praise.
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our show forth all his praise.
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God's mighty works who can express
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our show forth all his praise.
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Blessed are they that judgment keep,
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and King,
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and just
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in due
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always.
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Remember
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me,
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Lord, with
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God above,
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which thou
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tonight
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us bear.
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With
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thy
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salvation,
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O
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my God,
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to visit
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thee
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for near.
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But I
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thy
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chosen
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could
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be seen,
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and
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in their
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joy
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rejoice,
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and
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and
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be
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with
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thy
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inheritance,
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on
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cheerful
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voice.
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As we're
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singing in
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these verses
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in Psalm
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106,
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that verse
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4,
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there is like
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a prayer for
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us to offer
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up.
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Remember me,
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Lord, with
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that love,
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which thou to
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thine
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dost bear,
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with thy
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salvation,
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O my God,
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to visit
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me,
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throw near.
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And sometimes
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we can feel
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like we're
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calling out to
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God in
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that way.
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Remember me,
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Lord,
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remember me
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with that
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love which
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you show to
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your people.
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And as we
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come to
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this passage
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this evening
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in John
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10,
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we are
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reminded of
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how God
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has remembered
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us,
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and how he
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has sent
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salvation for
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us.
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And he has
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visited us,
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he has drawn
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near to us
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in the
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person of
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Jesus Christ,
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his son.
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And that's
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what we see
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as we were
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thinking as
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Gordon was
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preaching this
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morning on
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the reminder
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of the
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covenant,
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God's promise
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to us,
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and how it
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will be
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fulfilled in
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Christ this
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evening.
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We're just
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kind of
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following on
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on that
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theme and
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just seeing
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how Jesus
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is the
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one we
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see the
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fulfillment
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of that
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in.
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He is the
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good shepherd
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who has
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come for
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his people.
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We're going
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to read at
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verse 9 in
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John 10,
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verse 9 to
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11.
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I am the
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door.
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If anyone
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enters by
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me, he
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will be
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saved and
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will go
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in and
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out and
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find pasture.
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The thief
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comes only
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to steal
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and kill
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and destroy.
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I came
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that they
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may have
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life and
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have it
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abundantly.
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I am
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the good
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shepherd.
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The good
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shepherd lays
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down his
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life for
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the sheep.
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The Bible
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often describes
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the relationship
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between God
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and his
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people in
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this way
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of using
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the image
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of the
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shepherd
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and the
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sheep.
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We are
26:37
described as
26:38
people as
26:39
being like
26:39
sheep and
26:40
I don't
26:40
know what
26:40
that calls
26:41
to mind
26:42
for you as
26:42
you immediately
26:43
start to
26:43
think.
26:44
When you
26:45
think of
26:45
sheep,
26:46
what do
26:46
you think
26:46
of?
26:47
For some
26:48
people,
26:48
when you
26:49
think of
26:49
sheep,
26:49
it's a
26:50
joyous
26:50
thing.
26:51
If you
26:52
love
26:52
sheep,
26:52
if you
26:53
love
26:53
looking
26:53
after
26:53
sheep,
26:54
spending
26:55
time on
26:56
the moor
26:56
or gathering
26:57
the sheep,
26:58
shearing the
26:58
sheep,
26:58
whatever it
26:59
is, it's
27:00
a pleasure
27:00
for many
27:01
people.
27:02
For others,
27:02
it may be
27:03
just a
27:03
pain, a
27:04
waste of
27:05
a good
27:05
Saturday,
27:06
or just
27:07
a time
27:07
that's
27:07
misspent.
27:09
Sheep are
27:10
often seen
27:11
in these
27:11
two different
27:12
ways.
27:12
But what
27:13
characteristics
27:13
of sheep
27:14
do you see
27:15
and you start
27:16
to think,
27:17
well, I can
27:17
understand why
27:19
the Bible
27:20
describes us
27:21
as sheep
27:22
and the need
27:23
of a shepherd
27:24
that we have.
27:25
think of
27:26
some of the
27:26
characteristics
27:27
of sheep.
27:28
Maybe some
27:29
of the more
27:29
negative ones
27:30
first, they
27:31
easily led
27:32
astray.
27:33
Many will
27:34
just follow
27:34
after one
27:35
or a part
27:36
of the flock
27:37
and they'll
27:37
just go
27:38
with them.
27:38
It doesn't
27:38
matter which
27:39
way they're
27:39
heading or
27:40
what they're
27:41
doing.
27:42
They're social
27:43
creatures.
27:44
They like to
27:44
be surrounded
27:45
by others.
27:46
They like to
27:46
be part of
27:47
a flock.
27:48
Again, that
27:48
can describe
27:49
people.
27:51
They can be
27:51
wanderers.
27:52
They can just
27:52
go off on
27:53
their own and
27:54
just go
27:55
astray,
27:55
just thinking
27:56
the grass
27:56
is greener
27:57
over there,
27:57
that's the
27:58
way I'm
27:58
going,
27:59
and they
27:59
wander off
28:00
and end
28:01
up lost.
28:03
They can
28:03
be stubborn.
28:05
Again, it's
28:06
a characteristic
28:06
we see in
28:08
ourselves so
28:08
often.
28:09
We see so
28:10
many characteristics
28:11
in sheep
28:11
that remind
28:12
us of
28:13
ourselves,
28:14
but we're
28:14
also like
28:15
sheep,
28:16
defenseless,
28:16
we're
28:17
vulnerable.
28:18
We're all
28:19
of these
28:19
things.
28:20
The list
28:20
could go
28:21
on and
28:22
you could
28:22
perhaps add
28:23
your own
28:23
description.
28:25
But what
28:26
about valuable
28:27
or precious?
28:29
Is that
28:30
the way
28:30
that you
28:31
think of
28:32
sheep?
28:33
Is that
28:33
the way
28:33
you think
28:34
of yourself
28:35
as valuable
28:36
or precious?
28:39
Well, as we
28:39
think of these
28:40
words of Psalm
28:40
106,
28:41
remember me,
28:42
Lord,
28:43
with that
28:43
love which
28:44
thou to
28:44
thine
28:45
dost bear.
28:46
The word
28:47
of God
28:47
reminds us
28:48
that we
28:48
are indeed
28:49
precious.
28:50
sheep can
28:51
be very
28:52
precious.
28:53
In
28:53
August
28:54
2020
28:55
in
28:55
Lanark,
28:56
just
28:56
outside
28:57
Glasgow,
28:58
there was
28:58
a sheep
28:58
sale
28:59
there.
29:00
And on
29:01
that day,
29:02
a Texel
29:02
ram by
29:04
the name
29:04
Double
29:04
Diamond
29:05
sold for
29:06
a world
29:07
record fee.
29:09
368,000
29:11
pounds.
29:12
A valuable
29:13
sheep.
29:15
That just
29:16
sounds like
29:16
madness to
29:18
pay that
29:18
much money
29:19
for a
29:20
sheep.
29:21
And yet,
29:22
when we
29:22
think of
29:23
that,
29:24
we are
29:24
reminded of
29:25
those sheep
29:26
are vulnerable,
29:27
they can be
29:28
valuable,
29:29
and because
29:29
they're valuable,
29:30
they come
29:31
under threat.
29:32
There are
29:33
those who
29:33
want to
29:34
steal them.
29:35
There are
29:35
thieves who
29:36
want to
29:36
get a hold
29:36
of them
29:37
so they
29:38
can get
29:38
money out
29:39
of it.
29:40
But there
29:40
are shepherds
29:41
who want
29:42
to protect
29:43
them.
29:44
And as we
29:44
think of the
29:45
Bible and
29:45
how it
29:46
describes
29:46
sheep,
29:47
and the
29:48
shepherd in
29:48
this way,
29:50
we are
29:50
reminded of
29:51
so many
29:51
different things.
29:52
But one of
29:52
the greatest
29:53
images is
29:54
when we
29:54
find the
29:55
sheep who
29:56
are going
29:56
astray,
29:57
the sheep
29:58
who are
29:58
precious to
29:59
the shepherd.
30:00
And because
30:00
they're so
30:00
precious,
30:02
the shepherd
30:02
will go
30:02
out after
30:03
his sheep.
30:05
And even
30:06
to the extent
30:07
as we read
30:07
of here in
30:08
John 10,
30:09
the shepherd
30:10
who will
30:11
give his
30:11
life for
30:13
the sheep.
30:15
Our idea
30:15
of sheep
30:16
and the
30:16
shepherd
30:17
and the
30:18
way the
30:18
Bible
30:19
describes the
30:19
relationship
30:20
of the
30:20
sheep and
30:21
shepherd
30:21
are
30:21
probably
30:22
poles
30:23
apart.
30:25
Modern
30:25
day
30:25
thinking of
30:26
as we
30:27
would think
30:27
of the
30:28
shepherd and
30:28
the sheep
30:28
is very
30:29
different to
30:29
what Jesus
30:30
would be
30:31
describing to
30:32
the people
30:32
here and
30:33
what they
30:33
would be
30:33
understanding
30:34
of this
30:35
relationship.
30:37
You see
30:38
just the
30:39
kind of
30:39
language that
30:39
Jesus uses
30:40
here in
30:41
this passage.
30:42
he says
30:43
the sheep
30:43
hear my
30:44
voice.
30:45
They
30:45
follow me.
30:47
Now when
30:47
do you
30:47
see that
30:48
around our
30:48
island here?
30:49
The sheep
30:49
just listen
30:50
to the
30:51
voice of
30:51
the shepherd.
30:51
It has
30:52
to be a
30:52
very good
30:53
shepherd who
30:54
will just
30:54
speak and
30:55
the sheep
30:55
will follow.
30:56
More often
30:57
than not,
30:57
the shepherd
30:58
is behind
30:58
the sheep
30:59
driving the
31:00
sheep.
31:01
So often
31:02
it's about
31:02
the quantity,
31:03
a large
31:04
quantity of
31:05
sheep in
31:06
our idea,
31:07
whereas in
31:08
Jesus'
31:08
day it
31:09
would be
31:09
smaller
31:10
numbers.
31:11
Every
31:11
sheep would
31:13
have a
31:13
name.
31:14
Today we
31:15
don't often
31:16
see,
31:17
although sometimes
31:17
you do,
31:18
you have a
31:19
lamb,
31:19
you call it
31:20
a name,
31:20
you look
31:20
after it,
31:21
but it
31:22
can soon
31:22
be forgotten
31:23
about,
31:23
whereas the
31:24
sheep in
31:25
Jesus'
31:25
day the
31:26
shepherd would
31:26
have them
31:27
perhaps for
31:27
many years
31:28
and know
31:29
each one
31:30
by name
31:30
and be
31:31
able to
31:32
look out
31:32
for them
31:32
and see
31:33
this personal
31:34
and protective
31:35
oversight of
31:36
them.
31:38
And so
31:39
what Jesus
31:39
is talking
31:40
about here
31:40
is a very
31:41
intimate,
31:42
it's a very
31:42
personal
31:43
relationship.
31:45
And you
31:46
see that
31:46
throughout the
31:47
Bible.
31:48
You see it
31:48
in Psalm
31:49
100,
31:50
when in
31:51
verse 3
31:51
it says,
31:52
no,
31:52
the Lord,
31:53
he is
31:53
God,
31:54
it is he
31:55
who made
31:56
us,
31:56
we are
31:56
his,
31:57
we are
31:57
his people,
31:59
and then
31:59
it describes
32:00
and we are
32:00
the sheep
32:01
of his
32:02
pasture.
32:04
He has
32:04
made us,
32:06
we are
32:06
his people,
32:07
but describes
32:08
the sheep
32:09
of his
32:10
pasture.
32:11
So it's
32:11
a reminder
32:11
that God
32:12
has made
32:12
us in
32:13
that image
32:14
of sheep.
32:15
There's
32:16
a reminder
32:16
of where
32:17
we are
32:17
as sinners
32:18
in Isaiah
32:19
53,
32:20
verse 6,
32:20
it says,
32:21
all we
32:21
like sheep
32:22
have gone
32:23
astray,
32:23
we have
32:24
turned
32:24
everyone
32:24
to his
32:26
own way.
32:27
So we've
32:27
wandered
32:27
off,
32:29
we've
32:29
gone
32:29
away.
32:31
Jesus
32:31
has another
32:32
moment in
32:33
his experience
32:34
when Matthew
32:35
9,
32:35
verse 36,
32:36
when he's
32:37
seeing great
32:38
crowds of
32:38
people and
32:39
he has
32:39
compassion on
32:40
them.
32:41
Why does he
32:42
have compassion
32:43
on them?
32:43
It says,
32:43
because they
32:44
were harassed
32:44
and helpless
32:45
like sheep
32:47
without a
32:48
shepherd.
32:50
So you're
32:50
seeing there,
32:51
there's this
32:51
close bond
32:53
between shepherd
32:54
and sheep.
32:55
So the sheep
32:56
who are harassed
32:57
and helpless,
32:58
there's no
32:58
shepherd to look
32:59
after them.
33:00
And that's why
33:01
he has
33:01
compassion,
33:03
like sheep
33:04
without a
33:05
shepherd.
33:06
But then you
33:06
come to
33:06
John 10
33:07
and you
33:07
have this
33:08
wonderful
33:08
passage that
33:10
describes the
33:11
sheep and
33:12
the most
33:12
precious
33:13
shepherd of
33:14
all.
33:16
As you think
33:16
of this in
33:16
light of
33:17
John's
33:18
gospel and
33:19
him talking
33:20
about the
33:20
great I
33:21
am sayings
33:22
and how
33:23
that reminds
33:24
us of how
33:25
God
33:25
remembers his
33:27
people.
33:28
Well here
33:28
we are again
33:29
reminded of
33:30
Jesus as
33:31
the I
33:32
am,
33:33
the I
33:33
am,
33:33
the shepherd
33:34
of the
33:36
sheep.
33:36
The shepherd
33:37
who ultimately
33:38
lays down
33:39
his life
33:40
for his
33:41
sheep because
33:42
that's how
33:42
precious his
33:44
sheep are
33:44
to him.
33:46
We want to
33:46
think of
33:47
three things
33:48
about this
33:49
shepherd this
33:50
evening.
33:51
Three things
33:52
that we see
33:53
of Jesus
33:54
as the
33:55
shepherd of
33:56
his sheep.
33:56
And the
33:57
first is
33:57
his perception,
34:00
his knowledge
34:01
of the
34:02
sheep.
34:02
shepherd.
34:03
The second
34:04
thing is
34:04
his purpose
34:05
as the
34:06
shepherd.
34:07
And then
34:08
thirdly we'll
34:08
see the
34:09
promise and
34:09
protection that
34:11
he gives
34:11
to his
34:12
sheep.
34:14
We'll begin
34:14
by looking
34:15
at his
34:15
perception,
34:16
his knowledge
34:17
of the
34:18
sheep.
34:19
When we
34:20
think of
34:20
ourselves and
34:21
the people
34:21
we have
34:22
around us,
34:23
what kind
34:24
of knowledge
34:24
do you have
34:26
of the people
34:26
around you?
34:27
What kind
34:27
of knowledge
34:27
do you have
34:27
of the people
34:28
sitting next
34:29
to you,
34:29
behind you,
34:30
or in front
34:30
of you?
34:31
It depends
34:32
maybe how
34:33
close you
34:34
are to
34:34
them.
34:34
There'll be
34:35
some who
34:35
are family,
34:36
there'll be
34:36
some who
34:36
are friends,
34:38
there'll be
34:38
maybe some
34:39
who are
34:39
strangers to
34:40
you.
34:41
Our knowledge
34:42
varies depending
34:43
on how much
34:45
we see of
34:46
the people.
34:48
And there
34:48
might be
34:48
some people
34:49
you know
34:50
pretty well.
34:52
You've got to
34:52
know them
34:52
over a long
34:53
period of
34:54
time.
34:55
You know
34:55
their good
34:56
habits,
34:57
their kind
34:58
hearts,
34:58
their generous
35:00
spirit,
35:00
you know
35:01
all of
35:01
these things
35:01
about them.
35:03
And then
35:03
the more
35:04
you get
35:04
to know
35:04
people,
35:05
you also
35:05
see the
35:07
less positive
35:07
side of them,
35:08
the bad
35:08
habits that
35:09
the people
35:10
might have,
35:11
their failings
35:12
as well.
35:13
But it's
35:13
all about
35:14
getting to
35:14
know the
35:15
people.
35:17
And as you
35:18
get to know
35:18
people,
35:19
you realise
35:19
all of
35:20
these things
35:20
about them,
35:21
yet even
35:22
the person
35:22
you know
35:22
best,
35:24
you don't
35:25
know them
35:25
better than
35:26
Jesus does.
35:27
Jesus'
35:29
knowledge of
35:30
his people,
35:31
of his
35:31
sheep,
35:32
is far
35:33
more than
35:33
any of
35:33
us can
35:34
have,
35:34
even we
35:35
could say
35:35
of ourselves,
35:38
that Jesus
35:38
knows us
35:40
better than
35:41
we know
35:41
ourselves.
35:44
And Jesus
35:45
speaks of
35:46
his knowledge
35:47
of his
35:48
sheep here
35:48
in John
35:49
10.
35:49
He speaks
35:50
of it in
35:50
verse 2
35:51
and 3
35:52
where he
35:53
says,
35:54
He
35:56
knows
35:57
his sheep
36:10
so
36:10
personally.
36:12
He knows
36:13
them that
36:14
just at
36:14
the command
36:15
of his
36:15
voice,
36:16
they will
36:17
follow.
36:18
They will
36:19
follow after
36:20
him.
36:21
You see
36:21
it too
36:22
in verse
36:23
14.
36:25
I am
36:25
the good
36:25
shepherd.
36:27
I know
36:27
my own
36:28
and my
36:29
own
36:30
know me.
36:32
There's
36:32
this
36:32
relationship
36:33
that's
36:33
about
36:34
knowledge
36:34
of how
36:36
he knows
36:37
his
36:38
sheep.
36:40
What
36:40
kind of
36:40
knowledge
36:41
is this?
36:44
It's
36:44
the kind
36:44
of knowledge
36:45
that the
36:45
psalmist
36:46
speaks of
36:47
in Psalm
36:47
139.
36:49
The
36:49
knowledge
36:50
that he
36:50
says
36:50
is too
36:52
wonderful
36:53
as he
36:54
describes
36:54
too high
36:55
to
36:55
understand.
36:57
There's
36:58
not a
36:58
word
36:58
that
36:59
comes
36:59
to our
37:00
lips
37:00
that is
37:00
not
37:00
known
37:01
by
37:01
him
37:01
even
37:02
before
37:03
we
37:03
speak
37:03
it.
37:05
Our
37:05
rising,
37:06
our
37:06
sitting,
37:07
our
37:07
sleeping,
37:08
everything
37:09
about us
37:09
it is
37:10
known
37:10
to him.
37:11
The
37:11
psalmist
37:12
describes
37:12
even if
37:13
we
37:13
go to
37:14
the
37:14
utmost
37:14
parts
37:15
of the
37:15
sea,
37:16
even
37:17
there
37:17
your
37:17
right
37:18
hand
37:18
is
37:18
leading
37:18
me.
37:19
There
37:20
is a
37:20
knowledge
37:21
that is
37:21
so
37:22
wonderful,
37:23
so
37:23
personal
37:24
beyond
37:24
anything
37:25
that
37:25
anybody
37:26
else
37:26
has
37:26
of
37:27
us,
37:27
even
37:28
ourselves.
37:30
You
37:30
think of
37:31
a
37:31
relationship
37:32
with your
37:32
parents
37:33
and the
37:34
knowledge
37:35
that they
37:36
have of
37:37
you and
37:37
you have
37:38
of them.
37:39
Think
37:40
back maybe
37:40
when you
37:41
were younger
37:41
or perhaps
37:42
you were at
37:43
that age
37:43
just now
37:44
when you
37:44
would go
37:45
out in
37:45
an evening.
37:47
You would
37:47
go away
37:48
for an
37:48
evening
37:48
and by
37:48
the time
37:49
you come
37:49
home
37:49
it's
37:50
later
37:51
than you
37:51
maybe
37:51
should
37:51
have
37:52
been
37:52
out.
37:53
You're
37:53
trying to
37:54
sneak
37:54
back in.
37:55
You're
37:55
trying to
37:56
sneak
37:56
through
37:56
the front
37:57
door
37:58
and then
37:58
trying to
37:58
sneak
37:59
through
37:59
the inside
38:00
door,
38:01
sneak
38:01
through
38:01
the
38:01
rooms,
38:02
sneak
38:02
up the
38:03
stairs
38:03
into your
38:04
own
38:04
bedroom
38:04
and go
38:05
to sleep
38:06
and you
38:06
think to
38:06
yourself
38:07
I've
38:08
got away
38:08
with it.
38:10
They don't
38:10
know what
38:11
time I
38:12
came in.
38:12
They don't
38:12
know I
38:13
was past
38:14
the time
38:14
I was
38:15
meant to
38:15
come in
38:16
until the
38:17
next morning
38:18
and they
38:19
tell you
38:19
exactly what
38:20
time you
38:21
came in.
38:22
They know.
38:25
They don't
38:25
miss much
38:26
but sometimes
38:27
they do.
38:29
And yet
38:30
the knowledge
38:30
that Jesus
38:31
has of
38:32
us,
38:33
it goes
38:33
way beyond
38:34
even that.
38:36
Everything
38:37
about us,
38:37
every little
38:39
detail.
38:40
When Jesus
38:41
says I
38:42
am the
38:42
door and
38:43
I am
38:43
the shepherd,
38:45
he is
38:45
describing
38:46
this knowledge
38:47
of us,
38:48
that there's
38:48
nothing that
38:49
we do,
38:50
nowhere that
38:51
we go,
38:52
that he
38:52
doesn't
38:53
know.
38:55
And
38:55
describing
38:55
himself as
38:56
the door
38:57
and the
38:57
shepherd,
38:58
it's not
38:59
two different
38:59
things.
39:01
It's the
39:02
same thing.
39:04
The shepherd
39:05
as the
39:06
door and
39:07
just being
39:08
the shepherd
39:09
as the
39:09
shepherd himself,
39:10
they're talking
39:11
about the
39:11
same thing.
39:13
The shepherd
39:13
is the
39:15
door.
39:15
when you
39:16
see here
39:17
Jesus
39:17
talking about
39:18
the sheep
39:19
fold in
39:20
verse 1.
39:23
He says
39:24
later,
39:24
I am the
39:24
door for
39:25
the sheep.
39:26
He's
39:27
describing
39:27
this setting
39:28
where the
39:29
sheep would
39:29
have to
39:30
come in
39:30
and go
39:31
out of.
39:32
A place
39:32
that would
39:33
have
39:33
walls,
39:34
four walls
39:34
and just
39:35
one entry.
39:38
And for
39:38
every sheep
39:39
they had to
39:39
go through
39:40
this entry,
39:41
either coming
39:41
out or
39:42
going in.
39:43
and the
39:45
shepherd
39:45
would be
39:47
the door.
39:49
The sheep
39:50
would have
39:50
to pass
39:50
him,
39:51
either coming
39:52
out or
39:53
going in.
39:54
So he knew
39:55
exactly the
39:56
sheep that he
39:57
had, he knew
39:58
their condition,
39:59
and he knew
40:00
that he had
40:00
them coming
40:01
back in at
40:02
the end of
40:02
the day.
40:03
Nothing
40:04
was missed.
40:05
And that's
40:07
the knowledge
40:08
that Jesus
40:09
has of his
40:10
sheep.
40:11
And us
40:12
as his
40:13
sheep,
40:13
there's nothing
40:14
that passes
40:15
by him.
40:17
And so when
40:17
you think of
40:18
your life,
40:18
there's no
40:19
sneaking past
40:20
Jesus,
40:21
there's no
40:21
thinking,
40:22
I got away
40:23
with that.
40:24
Everything
40:25
is known
40:26
to him.
40:27
This knowledge
40:28
is so
40:28
wonderful,
40:29
it's so
40:29
high,
40:30
it's beyond
40:31
our understanding,
40:32
and yet it
40:32
should give us
40:33
such great
40:34
comfort.
40:35
Because his
40:36
knowledge is
40:36
complete.
40:38
His knowledge
40:39
is past,
40:40
present,
40:40
and future.
40:43
His knowledge
40:44
of us means
40:45
that we are
40:46
watched over
40:47
at all times,
40:49
wherever we
40:49
go.
40:51
And there's a
40:51
great blessing
40:52
in that.
40:54
As we think
40:54
of ourselves,
40:56
as we think
40:57
of others,
40:57
as we think
40:58
even of,
40:58
as we're
40:59
praying there
40:59
for the
41:00
baptism service
41:01
next week,
41:01
God willing,
41:02
as we think
41:02
of baptized
41:03
children,
41:04
as we think
41:04
of those
41:05
who have
41:05
gone away
41:06
from here,
41:07
gone away
41:07
from home,
41:08
that this
41:09
is knowledge
41:10
that Jesus
41:11
has,
41:12
that he is
41:13
watching over
41:14
his sheep,
41:16
that he has
41:17
them as his
41:18
flock watched
41:19
over at all
41:20
times.
41:20
They're coming
41:21
in and they're
41:21
going out.
41:24
And that as
41:24
we pray,
41:25
we can pray
41:26
in that way
41:26
of his
41:27
knowing
41:28
everything
41:29
about us.
41:31
So whatever
41:31
stage we're
41:32
at in life,
41:33
we come
41:34
to the
41:34
shepherd
41:35
looking for
41:36
his help,
41:37
looking for
41:37
his guidance,
41:39
for his
41:39
knowledge to
41:40
be revealed
41:40
to us,
41:42
for his
41:43
help to
41:43
be given
41:44
to us,
41:45
for his
41:46
rod and
41:47
his staff,
41:48
as we'll
41:48
consider later,
41:49
as well as
41:50
directing us in
41:51
every way that
41:52
we should go,
41:53
bringing us
41:53
back or
41:54
putting us
41:55
forward.
41:56
So as we
41:57
think of
41:57
what school
41:58
subjects we
41:59
take,
41:59
as we think
42:00
about moving
42:01
away from
42:01
home to
42:02
university,
42:03
as we think
42:04
of going
42:04
into the
42:04
working life,
42:06
as we think
42:07
of other
42:07
struggles that
42:08
will come
42:09
our way
42:09
through life,
42:11
challenges,
42:12
as we think
42:13
of illness
42:14
and bereavement
42:15
and all of
42:16
these things,
42:16
all the
42:17
struggles that
42:17
we might
42:18
have,
42:19
whatever it
42:19
is,
42:20
he knows.
42:23
His
42:23
knowledge of
42:24
us is so
42:25
complete.
42:27
He is
42:28
the good
42:29
shepherd who
42:30
knows his
42:31
sheep.
42:34
And that
42:34
leads us
42:35
then into
42:35
his purpose.
42:38
His knowledge
42:38
of us is so
42:39
complete, but
42:40
then we begin
42:41
to see his
42:42
purpose.
42:45
Why has
42:46
Jesus come?
42:47
Why did
42:48
God send
42:49
his son into
42:50
this world?
42:52
Well, when you
42:53
think of,
42:53
again, just
42:54
our natural
42:55
setting, when
42:55
you think of
42:56
the lamb
42:56
sails or the
42:57
sheep sails,
42:58
when they
42:59
go ahead,
42:59
buyers will
43:00
come with
43:00
a purpose.
43:02
They come
43:03
for the
43:03
best, they
43:04
come for the
43:04
quality, and
43:06
they come to
43:06
pay good
43:07
money, you
43:08
hope for
43:09
them.
43:10
And you
43:10
see the
43:11
extraordinary
43:11
amounts when
43:12
you think of
43:12
double diamond
43:13
bought for
43:14
368,000
43:16
pounds.
43:18
Vast
43:19
sums of
43:19
money can
43:20
be spent
43:21
on sheep.
43:23
And how
43:23
does the
43:24
purpose of
43:24
Jesus, the
43:26
good shepherd,
43:27
compare to
43:28
that?
43:29
Did he
43:30
just come
43:31
for the
43:32
best?
43:33
Did he
43:34
come just
43:34
to hand
43:35
pick the
43:36
best for
43:37
himself?
43:39
Imagine
43:39
going to
43:40
a sale and
43:40
coming home
43:41
with sheep
43:42
that were
43:42
old, sheep
43:44
that had no
43:45
teeth, sheep
43:46
that were
43:47
lame or
43:47
blind.
43:49
It would
43:49
seem foolish,
43:50
it would
43:50
seem madness,
43:52
you would be
43:52
asked questions,
43:53
what have you
43:53
done?
43:55
Hope you
43:55
didn't pay
43:56
anything for
43:56
them.
43:58
And if
43:58
you were
43:58
to turn
43:59
around and
43:59
say I
43:59
actually paid
44:00
top money
44:00
for these,
44:02
you would
44:02
be seen
44:02
as being
44:03
crazy.
44:04
It would
44:04
be madness
44:05
to spend
44:06
any money
44:07
on sheep
44:07
that are
44:08
old and
44:08
lame.
44:11
And yet
44:11
when you
44:11
look at the
44:12
scriptures and
44:12
you see the
44:13
relationship of
44:14
the shepherd
44:15
and his
44:15
sheep,
44:16
did he
44:17
come to
44:18
pick the
44:18
best?
44:20
Did he
44:20
come to
44:21
pay only
44:22
the top
44:22
prize for
44:23
those who
44:24
were worthy?
44:26
Did he
44:26
look at
44:26
their
44:26
qualities and
44:27
say that
44:28
one's not
44:28
good enough?
44:30
When you
44:31
read through
44:32
God's word
44:33
you see who
44:34
Jesus came
44:35
for.
44:36
As he
44:36
came for
44:37
his sheep
44:37
he came
44:38
for them
44:38
all.
44:40
Each of
44:40
them sinful,
44:42
lost,
44:44
facing God's
44:45
judgment.
44:47
In order
44:47
for them to
44:48
become his
44:48
sheep,
44:50
Jesus had
44:50
to come
44:51
for his
44:52
sheep.
44:53
And coming
44:54
for his
44:55
sheep,
44:56
that involved
44:57
a great
44:58
price.
44:59
It involved
45:00
a great
45:01
cost.
45:03
The good
45:04
shepherd lays
45:05
down his
45:06
life for
45:08
the sheep.
45:09
He pays
45:10
the ultimate
45:12
price.
45:14
He paid
45:15
for our
45:16
sins.
45:19
And this
45:20
redemption,
45:21
this price
45:21
cost much.
45:23
And yet
45:25
what he
45:26
says is
45:27
my sheep
45:28
they love
45:29
to hear
45:29
my voice.
45:30
My sheep
45:31
they hear
45:32
my voice
45:33
and follow
45:34
me.
45:36
And isn't
45:37
that just a
45:37
wonderful reminder
45:39
to us?
45:40
The purpose
45:41
of Jesus
45:41
is to call
45:42
not the
45:43
perfect,
45:45
not those
45:46
who are
45:46
everything
45:47
sorted,
45:48
but to
45:49
call his
45:50
sheep as
45:50
his own,
45:51
to call
45:52
them by
45:53
their name.
45:55
What kind
45:56
of sheep
45:57
are you?
46:00
Are you a
46:00
perfect
46:01
sheep?
46:02
Prime
46:03
quality,
46:04
top price?
46:06
No.
46:08
There's none
46:09
of us who
46:09
could say
46:09
we're that.
46:11
We're
46:11
straying,
46:13
we're lost,
46:14
we're sinful.
46:15
And yet
46:17
what kind
46:18
of sheep
46:18
did Jesus
46:19
come to
46:19
give his
46:20
life for?
46:22
The very
46:22
sheep that
46:23
we think
46:23
of as
46:24
worthless,
46:25
the lame,
46:26
the blind,
46:26
the sick,
46:28
the ones
46:29
who are
46:29
useless in
46:30
other
46:30
people's
46:31
eyes.
46:32
Jesus
46:33
says that
46:33
himself in
46:34
the Gospel
46:34
of Mark,
46:35
chapter 2,
46:36
the scribes
46:37
and the
46:37
Pharisees
46:38
were around
46:38
and when
46:39
they saw
46:40
him eating
46:41
with sinners
46:41
and tax
46:42
collectors,
46:43
they said
46:43
to his
46:45
disciples,
46:45
why does
46:46
he eat
46:46
with tax
46:47
collectors
46:48
and sinners?
46:51
Why?
46:51
Why does
46:52
he do
46:52
that?
46:53
Well,
46:54
Jesus heard
46:54
it and
46:54
he said
46:55
to them,
46:55
those who
46:56
are well
46:56
have no
46:57
need of
46:57
a physician,
46:58
but those
46:59
who are
46:59
sick.
47:01
I came
47:02
not to
47:02
call the
47:03
righteous,
47:04
but sinners.
47:06
We are
47:07
all sheep
47:08
who have
47:09
gone
47:09
astray.
47:09
We're
47:09
all
47:10
turned
47:10
to our
47:11
own
47:12
way
47:12
and
47:13
that's
47:13
why
47:14
Jesus
47:14
came.
47:15
That's
47:16
his
47:16
purpose.
47:18
We've
47:18
all gone
47:19
astray,
47:20
but he
47:20
came to
47:21
call his
47:22
own
47:23
to himself.
47:25
The
47:26
parable of
47:26
the
47:27
prodigal
47:27
son,
47:28
which comes
47:29
just after
47:30
the parable
47:30
of the
47:31
lost
47:31
sheep
47:32
who
47:32
left
47:33
the 99
47:34
to go
47:34
out after
47:35
the one
47:35
sheep
47:36
who was
47:36
missing.
47:37
The
47:37
prodigal
47:38
son is
47:38
along the
47:39
same
47:39
lines.
47:39
When the
47:40
prodigal
47:40
son goes
47:41
away,
47:42
wanders
47:42
off into
47:43
his sinful
47:43
life,
47:45
fulfills it
47:46
the way
47:46
he would
47:46
see best,
47:47
and then
47:47
realizes how
47:49
empty it
47:49
is.
47:51
And when
47:51
he comes
47:51
to his
47:52
senses,
47:53
he says,
47:54
I will
47:54
return to
47:55
my father.
47:57
And there's
47:57
that part
47:58
in Luke
47:58
15,
47:59
verse 20,
48:00
where it
48:00
says,
48:01
the father
48:02
ran out
48:02
to meet
48:03
him and
48:05
embraced
48:05
him.
48:07
Another
48:07
word of
48:08
translation
48:08
there for
48:09
embrace is
48:09
he fell
48:10
upon him.
48:12
You think
48:13
to yourself,
48:13
what's the
48:14
significance
48:14
there?
48:16
Why fall
48:17
upon him
48:17
in this
48:18
way?
48:20
Well,
48:20
if you go
48:20
back to
48:21
the Old
48:21
Testament
48:22
and to
48:22
Deuteronomy
48:23
21,
48:25
verse 18
48:26
to 21
48:27
there,
48:27
it speaks
48:28
about what
48:30
people were
48:31
instructed to
48:31
do to
48:33
a child
48:33
who had
48:34
disobeyed
48:34
and dishonored
48:35
his parents.
48:37
What was
48:38
the price
48:39
that was
48:39
paid?
48:41
Well,
48:41
they were
48:42
instructed
48:42
to stone
48:44
that child.
48:46
Sounds
48:47
so awful,
48:48
sounds so
48:49
cruel,
48:51
that they
48:51
would put
48:51
that child
48:52
to death
48:53
for disobeying
48:54
their parents
48:55
and dishonoring
48:56
their parents.
48:58
But if you
48:59
see that
48:59
version and
49:00
you see
49:00
the prodigal
49:01
son,
49:02
you realize
49:03
just how
49:04
significant
49:04
that embrace
49:05
and that
49:06
falling upon
49:07
him is.
49:09
Because what
49:09
the father
49:10
was doing
49:11
was knowing
49:12
what the
49:12
people would
49:13
be commanded
49:14
to do for
49:15
that son
49:16
who had
49:16
dishonored
49:16
him.
49:18
He fell
49:18
upon them,
49:19
upon his
49:20
son,
49:20
he embraced
49:21
him to
49:22
protect him.
49:23
So they
49:24
wouldn't
49:24
harm him,
49:25
so they
49:25
wouldn't
49:26
touch him.
49:28
And that's
49:29
exactly what
49:30
Jesus is
49:31
doing here
49:31
for his
49:32
sheep.
49:33
I am
49:34
the good
49:34
shepherd,
49:35
the good
49:36
shepherd who
49:36
lays down
49:37
his life
49:39
for his
49:39
sheep.
49:40
So I
49:40
would put
49:41
that into
49:42
the same
49:42
way,
49:43
who lays
49:43
down upon
49:44
his sheep,
49:45
who protects
49:46
his sheep.
49:49
They
49:49
deserve to
49:50
die,
49:51
but he
49:52
took our
49:53
sin.
49:54
And he
49:55
took out
49:56
our sin
49:57
that we
49:57
might have
49:58
life and
49:59
have it
50:00
abundantly,
50:02
as is
50:02
described here,
50:04
that they
50:04
might have
50:05
life and
50:06
have it
50:07
abundantly.
50:09
So his
50:09
purpose was
50:11
to save
50:12
his sheep.
50:14
He knows
50:15
his sheep,
50:16
he knows
50:16
their sin,
50:17
but his
50:18
purpose is
50:18
that he
50:19
might save
50:19
his sheep
50:22
from their
50:23
sins,
50:24
and that
50:24
we might
50:25
have life
50:25
abundantly.
50:28
And the
50:28
third and
50:29
final thing
50:30
we see
50:30
here is
50:30
his promise
50:32
and protection.
50:35
There are
50:36
many things
50:36
calling for
50:37
our attention
50:38
in life,
50:39
many things
50:40
that lead us
50:40
in different
50:41
directions.
50:43
And you
50:43
think of
50:43
Isaiah,
50:44
he knew
50:45
so well as
50:46
he was
50:46
describing
50:47
there,
50:48
all we
50:48
like sheep
50:49
have gone
50:50
as they,
50:50
we have
50:50
turned each
50:51
to his
50:52
own way.
50:53
We wander
50:54
off,
50:54
we listen
50:55
to the
50:56
wrong voices,
50:56
we listen
50:57
to the
50:57
wrong things,
50:59
we go
50:59
in our
51:00
different
51:00
directions.
51:02
But as
51:03
Jesus
51:03
describes
51:04
himself
51:05
here as
51:05
the good
51:05
shepherd,
51:06
he's
51:06
describing
51:07
himself
51:07
in light
51:08
of the
51:09
thief as
51:10
well in
51:10
verse 10.
51:11
The thief
51:12
comes only
51:13
to steal
51:13
and kill
51:14
and destroy.
51:16
I came
51:17
that they
51:17
may have
51:18
life and
51:19
have it
51:20
abundantly.
51:20
And what
51:21
he's saying
51:21
here is
51:22
there's
51:22
the two
51:23
different
51:23
outcomes
51:24
depending
51:26
on whose
51:26
voice that
51:28
we listen
51:28
to.
51:30
Do we
51:31
listen to
51:31
the thief?
51:33
Do we
51:33
listen to
51:33
the devil?
51:35
Do we
51:35
listen to
51:36
his wiles
51:36
of forgetting
51:38
God?
51:40
Even like
51:41
the psalm
51:41
in which
51:42
we're singing,
51:44
Psalm 42,
51:45
when we
51:45
see so many
51:46
people saying,
51:46
when is
51:47
this God
51:48
of yours?
51:48
is that
51:50
what we
51:50
listen to?
51:52
Is that
51:52
the voices
51:52
that we
51:53
heed and
51:53
say,
51:53
well,
51:54
maybe there
51:54
isn't a
51:55
God.
51:56
Maybe we
51:56
shouldn't
51:57
listen to
51:57
what the
51:58
Bible
51:58
says.
51:58
Maybe it
51:59
is just
51:59
something to
52:00
be forgotten
52:01
about.
52:03
Well,
52:03
we are
52:03
reminded here
52:04
the thief
52:05
comes only
52:06
to steal
52:08
and kill
52:08
and destroy.
52:10
There's no
52:10
other purpose.
52:11
but Jesus
52:13
has come.
52:15
I came
52:15
that they
52:16
may have
52:17
life and
52:18
have it
52:18
abundantly.
52:19
I am the
52:19
good shepherd.
52:21
The good
52:21
shepherd lays
52:22
down his
52:22
life for
52:24
his sheep.
52:28
The thief
52:29
has a
52:29
purpose,
52:31
but there's
52:31
nothing good
52:32
about it.
52:34
It's a bit
52:34
like the
52:36
shepherd that
52:37
we see
52:37
described in
52:38
the Old
52:38
Testament
52:39
in Ezekiel
52:40
as well,
52:40
where the
52:41
Lord warns
52:42
in Ezekiel
52:43
34,
52:44
verse 2,
52:45
Woe to
52:45
the shepherds
52:46
of Israel
52:47
who only
52:47
take care
52:48
of themselves.
52:49
Should not
52:50
shepherds
52:50
take care
52:51
of the
52:52
flock?
52:53
They're only
52:54
interested in
52:55
themselves,
52:56
so impersonal,
52:57
so selfish.
52:59
They come
53:00
only to
53:01
steal and
53:01
kill and
53:03
destroy.
53:04
And listen
53:04
to that
53:05
voice,
53:06
and that's
53:07
where we
53:07
end up
53:07
ourselves.
53:08
So there
53:10
is that
53:12
warning to
53:13
us.
53:14
But contrast
53:15
that to the
53:16
leading of
53:16
the shepherd,
53:17
the good
53:17
shepherd,
53:18
the good
53:19
shepherd who
53:20
lays down
53:20
his life
53:21
for his
53:22
sheep,
53:23
the good
53:24
shepherd who
53:25
knows his
53:27
sheep,
53:28
the good
53:29
shepherd who
53:29
has done
53:30
everything for
53:31
his sheep.
53:33
So we'll be
53:33
singing in
53:34
conclusion in
53:35
a few moments
53:35
Psalm 23.
53:36
that great
53:37
psalm just
53:38
reminds us of
53:39
the leading
53:39
of the
53:40
shepherd through
53:40
every experience
53:42
in life.
53:45
And his
53:45
tender leading,
53:48
his care
53:49
towards his
53:50
own.
53:52
And when you
53:53
think of the
53:53
rod and the
53:54
staff as
53:55
described in
53:57
that psalm,
53:57
and as you
53:58
read about it
53:59
in light of
54:00
other scripture
54:01
passages, you
54:01
see that these
54:02
were the key
54:03
things that the
54:04
shepherd would
54:04
use to help
54:05
the sheep
54:06
along the
54:07
way.
54:08
The rod was
54:09
probably shorter
54:10
and used
54:12
more closely
54:13
to prod the
54:14
sheep, to
54:15
put them in
54:16
the right
54:16
direction, to
54:17
move them
54:18
along the
54:18
way.
54:19
The staff
54:20
was longer
54:20
with the
54:21
crook at
54:22
the top so
54:22
the shepherd
54:23
could pull
54:24
the sheep
54:25
back.
54:26
And again,
54:27
it's just that
54:27
reminder of
54:28
the way we
54:29
are.
54:29
Sometimes we
54:30
just need the
54:30
prod in the
54:31
right direction,
54:32
just gently
54:33
kept on the
54:34
right path.
54:34
Other times,
54:35
we need a
54:36
good pull
54:37
back onto
54:38
the right
54:38
path.
54:41
But there
54:41
was another
54:41
purpose of
54:43
the rod and
54:44
the staff as
54:45
well, maybe
54:45
more so the
54:46
staff.
54:48
And it
54:48
reminds us of
54:50
just how
54:50
personal the
54:52
care of the
54:53
shepherd is,
54:54
of his promise
54:55
and protection
54:56
to his
54:57
sheep.
54:59
And what it
54:59
was, was as
55:00
the sheep were
55:01
being brought
55:01
in at the
55:02
end of the
55:02
day, the
55:04
shepherd would
55:04
lay the
55:05
staff across
55:06
the entrance
55:07
into the
55:07
sheepfold.
55:09
And the
55:10
sheep would
55:10
stop, each
55:12
one, one
55:13
at a time.
55:14
And the
55:15
shepherd would
55:15
look over
55:16
the sheep
55:17
and make
55:18
sure that
55:19
sheep was
55:20
well, that
55:21
everything about
55:22
that sheep
55:23
was right, that
55:24
it hadn't been
55:24
injured, that
55:25
it wasn't
55:25
lame, that
55:27
nothing had
55:27
come upon it
55:28
during the
55:29
day, no
55:29
injury.
55:30
And if
55:31
the sheep
55:31
was fine, he
55:33
would lift
55:33
up the
55:34
staff and
55:34
let the
55:34
sheep in, and
55:36
the next
55:36
one would
55:37
stop.
55:39
And when
55:39
you think of
55:39
that in
55:40
light of
55:40
Psalm 23,
55:43
and especially
55:44
when you think
55:45
of the last
55:45
words of
55:47
Psalm 23,
55:48
goodness and
55:48
mercy, all
55:49
my life, so
55:50
surely follow
55:50
me, and
55:51
in God's
55:52
house forevermore
55:53
my dwelling
55:54
place shall
55:56
be.
55:57
You think
55:57
just of the
55:58
care of the
55:58
shepherd.
56:00
How he's
56:00
going to
56:01
look over
56:02
all his
56:02
sheep, and
56:04
how he's
56:04
going to
56:04
heal every
56:05
hurt and
56:06
every wound.
56:09
Why is
56:09
that important?
56:12
Well, again,
56:12
when you go
56:13
back to
56:14
Ezekiel, in
56:15
chapter 20,
56:16
verse 37, it
56:18
says, I
56:19
will make you
56:19
pass under
56:20
the rod.
56:22
I will
56:22
bring you
56:23
into the
56:23
bond of
56:25
the covenant.
56:26
I will
56:27
purge out
56:27
the rebels
56:28
from among
56:29
you.
56:30
And those
56:31
who transgress
56:32
against me.
56:34
And there's
56:35
a description
56:35
there of
56:36
the care and
56:37
concern of
56:38
the shepherd.
56:39
Only his
56:39
own will
56:41
get in.
56:42
He will
56:42
allow his
56:43
own to
56:44
pass under
56:45
the rod,
56:46
but not
56:47
those who
56:48
have no
56:48
place there.
56:51
The good
56:52
shepherd cares
56:53
for his
56:54
sheep.
56:55
He will
56:55
heal his
56:57
sheep.
56:57
He will
56:58
look after
56:58
his sheep.
57:01
So there
57:01
is that
57:02
care now
57:03
and there
57:05
is that
57:05
care
57:06
eternally.
57:08
That the
57:08
hope of the
57:09
Christian is
57:10
just that,
57:12
the promise
57:13
and the
57:14
protection
57:14
of Christ
57:16
as our
57:17
shepherd.
57:18
He knows
57:19
his sheep
57:21
and his
57:22
purpose for
57:23
his sheep
57:23
was that
57:23
he would
57:24
come and
57:25
lay down
57:25
his life
57:26
for his
57:28
sheep.
57:29
That we
57:30
might have
57:30
life abundantly
57:32
in him.
57:34
His healing
57:35
touch,
57:36
his caring
57:37
touch,
57:38
his restoration
57:39
of his
57:40
sheep.
57:42
Well,
57:42
do you
57:42
know
57:43
God
57:44
as your
57:46
shepherd
57:46
today?
57:48
Do you
57:49
know
57:49
the good
57:50
shepherd?
57:52
And can
57:52
you say
57:53
the Lord
57:53
is my
57:55
shepherd?
57:57
For some
57:58
of us,
57:59
the call
57:59
tonight
58:00
is come.
58:03
Come to
58:03
me and
58:05
I will
58:05
save you.
58:07
Hear my
58:08
voice,
58:09
and follow
58:10
me.
58:12
Perhaps
58:13
that's you
58:13
this evening.
58:15
You're
58:16
hearing the
58:17
shepherd
58:17
calling.
58:19
It's time
58:19
to follow.
58:22
And for
58:22
others,
58:23
he's saying
58:23
stay with
58:25
me.
58:26
I will
58:27
guard you.
58:29
There's so
58:29
often we're
58:30
tempted to
58:30
drift off
58:31
and go
58:32
our own
58:32
direction,
58:33
to wander
58:34
away,
58:35
for doubts
58:35
to come in,
58:36
but he's
58:36
saying stay
58:37
with me.
58:39
I will
58:40
keep you.
58:41
I will
58:42
watch over
58:42
you.
58:43
I will
58:44
care for
58:45
you.
58:46
I will
58:46
heal you.
58:49
And each
58:49
of us
58:49
knows
58:50
which voice
58:51
to listen
58:52
to.
58:53
My sheep
58:54
hear my
58:55
voice
58:55
and follow
58:57
me.
58:58
The call
58:59
is
59:00
to follow
59:01
him.
59:02
remember
59:04
double
59:05
diamond,
59:06
the
59:06
texel
59:06
ram,
59:07
sold for
59:08
368,000.
59:12
Well,
59:12
you're even
59:13
more precious.
59:15
You're worth
59:15
far more
59:16
than that
59:17
to the
59:18
shepherd of
59:18
his sheep
59:20
who has
59:21
given his
59:21
life for
59:23
you.
59:24
Let's not
59:25
be stubborn.
59:27
Let's not
59:28
turn away
59:28
and go our
59:29
own way.
59:30
let us
59:31
listen to
59:32
the voice
59:33
of the
59:33
shepherd
59:33
and follow
59:35
him.
59:36
Let us
59:37
pray.
59:39
Our
59:40
Father in
59:40
heaven,
59:41
we thank
59:41
you that
59:42
you are
59:42
the shepherd
59:43
who calls
59:44
and give us
59:45
ears to hear
59:46
and to
59:46
follow,
59:47
to listen
59:48
to your
59:48
voice and
59:49
not to
59:49
those who
59:50
would seek
59:50
to kill
59:51
and destroy,
59:53
but to
59:53
seek to
59:53
listen to
59:54
the one
59:54
who has
59:54
come that
59:55
we might
59:55
have life
59:56
and have
59:57
it abundantly.
59:58
Teach us,
59:59
Lord,
59:59
your ways
1:00:00
and lead
1:00:00
us in
1:00:01
them.
1:00:01
So we
1:00:02
ask it
1:00:02
all in
1:00:02
your
1:00:03
precious
1:00:03
name.
1:00:04
Amen.
1:00:07
We're
1:00:08
going to
1:00:08
conclude by
1:00:09
singing these
1:00:10
words of
1:00:10
Psalm 23
1:00:11
and the
1:00:12
Sing
1:00:12
Psalms
1:00:12
version.
1:00:16
Page
1:00:16
28 of
1:00:17
the
1:00:17
Psalm
1:00:18
book.
1:00:18
The
1:00:18
tune is
1:00:19
Jehovah's
1:00:20
and
1:00:20
Kenyu.
1:00:22
Psalm
1:00:22
23.
1:00:23
The
1:00:23
Lord is
1:00:23
my
1:00:23
shepherd,
1:00:24
no one
1:00:24
shall I
1:00:25
know.
1:00:25
He
1:00:26
makes me
1:00:26
lie
1:00:26
down
1:00:27
where
1:00:27
the
1:00:27
green
1:00:27
pastures
1:00:28
grow.
1:00:29
He
1:00:29
leads
1:00:29
me
1:00:29
to
1:00:29
rest
1:00:30
with
1:00:30
the
1:00:31
calm
1:00:31
waters
1:00:31
flow.
1:00:32
We'll
1:00:32
sing the
1:00:32
whole of
1:00:33
this
1:00:33
Psalm
1:00:33
and we
1:00:34
stand
1:00:34
to
1:00:35
sing.
1:00:40
The
1:00:40
Lord is
1:00:41
my
1:00:42
shepherd,
1:00:44
no one
1:00:45
shall I
1:00:46
know.
1:00:48
He
1:00:49
makes me
1:00:50
lie
1:00:50
down
1:00:52
where
1:00:53
the
1:00:53
green
1:00:54
master's
1:00:55
grow.
1:00:55
He
1:00:56
leads
1:00:58
me
1:00:58
to
1:00:59
rest
1:01:00
where
1:01:01
the
1:01:02
waters
1:01:03
flow.
1:01:05
He
1:01:06
leads
1:01:07
me
1:01:07
to
1:01:08
rest
1:01:09
where
1:01:10
the
1:01:11
waters
1:01:12
flow.
1:01:14
My
1:01:15
wandering
1:01:16
steps
1:01:18
he
1:01:19
brings
1:01:20
back
1:01:20
to this
1:01:21
day.
1:01:22
He
1:01:24
has
1:01:24
done
1:01:25
his
1:01:27
great name
1:01:28
to
1:01:29
display.
1:01:30
He
1:01:31
has
1:01:33
done
1:01:34
his
1:01:37
great name
1:01:38
to
1:01:38
display.
1:01:41
He
1:01:41
has
1:01:43
done
1:01:43
his
1:01:44
great name
1:01:46
to
1:01:47
display.
1:01:47
!
1:01:49
Lord,
1:01:50
!
1:01:50
walk
1:01:51
in
1:01:51
des
1:01:52
paris
1:01:54
where
1:01:55
darkness
1:01:56
is near.
1:01:58
Because
1:01:59
you are
1:02:01
with me,
1:02:02
no evil
1:02:04
I'll
1:02:05
fear.
1:02:07
Your
1:02:08
rod and
1:02:09
your
1:02:09
suffering
1:02:10
become
1:02:12
heart and
1:02:14
cheer.
1:02:15
cheer.
1:02:16
Your
1:02:16
heart and
1:02:17
your
1:02:18
suffering
1:02:20
become
1:02:21
heart and
1:02:22
cheer.
1:02:25
In the
1:02:26
sight of
1:02:27
my
1:02:27
enemies
1:02:29
the
1:02:30
table
1:02:31
you
1:02:31
spread.
1:02:34
In
1:02:34
oil of
1:02:35
rejoicing
1:02:38
you
1:02:39
pour on
1:02:40
my
1:02:40
head.
1:02:42
my
1:02:43
cup
1:02:43
overclose
1:02:46
and
1:02:46
I'm
1:02:47
gracious
1:02:48
me
1:02:49
fed.
1:02:51
My
1:02:51
cup
1:02:52
overclose
1:02:54
and
1:02:55
I'm
1:02:56
gracious
1:02:56
me
1:02:57
fed.
1:03:00
So
1:03:00
cheer
1:03:01
in your
1:03:02
covenant
1:03:03
and
1:03:05
mercy
1:03:05
and
1:03:06
grace
1:03:08
will
1:03:09
follow
1:03:09
me
1:03:10
close
1:03:12
me
1:03:12
in
1:03:13
all
1:03:14
of
1:03:14
my
1:03:14
ways.
1:03:17
I
1:03:17
will
1:03:17
dwell
1:03:18
in
1:03:18
the
1:03:19
hands
1:03:20
of
1:03:21
the
1:03:22
Lord
1:03:22
all
1:03:23
my
1:03:23
days.
1:03:25
I
1:03:25
will
1:03:26
dwell
1:03:26
in
1:03:27
the
1:03:27
hands
1:03:28
of
1:03:29
the
1:03:30
Lord
1:03:30
all
1:03:31
my
1:03:31
days.
1:03:34
After
1:03:35
the
1:03:35
benediction
1:03:35
I'll go to
1:03:36
the door
1:03:36
to my
1:03:37
left.
1:03:37
We'll
1:03:37
close
1:03:37
with
1:03:38
the
1:03:38
benediction.
1:03:38
Now may
1:03:39
grace,
1:03:40
mercy and
1:03:41
peace from
1:03:41
God,
1:03:42
Father,
1:03:43
Son and
1:03:43
Holy Spirit
1:03:44
rest upon
1:03:45
and abide
1:03:46
with you
1:03:46
all now
1:03:47
and forever
1:03:48
more.
1:03:49
Amen.
1:03:49
Amen.
1:03:49
Amen.
1:03:51
Amen.