Jesus the Shepherd

[0:00] Well good morning and a warm welcome to the service this morning. A special welcome to those who are visiting with us today. Ian Coffey will be served at the close of the service and all are welcome to join together with us at that time.

[0:20] Evening service will be at 6 and that will be conducted by myself, God willing. Ladies Bible Study meets at 8 on Monday. Road to Recovery meets at 8 on Tuesday in the Community Centre here. The Island Study Conference, an annual film, will take place in the Harris Hotel this coming weekend, 22nd to 24th of April. The year's speakers are the Professor John Angus MacLeod from Edinburgh Theological Seminary and Reverend Dominic Smart from Aberdeen.

[0:51] Programme leaflets are available at the door. The speakers will be preaching in the Church of Scotland on a Sunday and will join with them for both services. That's next Lord's Day, 11 and 6pm.

[1:03] The postponed fundraising cafe to support this year's Challenger Bus Mission has been rearranged for Saturday 30th of April. The money raised will enable community funding to take place at the start of the mission as well as help towards the cost of the rest of the mission.

[1:18] Volunteers are needed to help run the cafe as well as donations of sandwich, fillings, baking and so on. There's a sign up sheet on the table if you're able to help in any way or please contact Teenie or Lucy. Two more information. Standing order forms are available on the table.

[1:37] There are those who haven't got one yet and have been up looking for one. WFM Thursday at half past seven in the Targut Community Centre Committee room. And Nurse Marion will be speaking about Malawi and all ladies are welcome to that meeting.

[1:55] Finally, just a word of thanks. It's been good to be away for a couple of weeks and for you to have a bit of refreshment and from hearing other people preaching. So thank you to those who preached.

[2:07] I know Rory Morrison is not here and I'm quite sure he's not listening online either. But I want to just record my thanks to Rory and to the elders as well who preached in my absence.

[2:19] Listen, I worship God and sing to his praise. We sing first of all from Mission Praise 59. Mission Praise 59 and the words are on the screen.

[2:32] Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. O God, the foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation, purchase of God. Born of his spirit, washed in his blood.

[2:42] This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Saviour all the day long. A couple more information actually. I think I admitted to say, did I tell you there was a prayer meeting on Wednesday at half past seven?

[2:54] I didn't think I had. Well, let me just underline the fact that we will meet to pray at half past seven on Wednesday. And that will now be in the community centre.

[3:05] So all are welcome to come along to that. And all are encouraged to go along to that as well. If you've never been before, why not come along? I won't put you on your feet and ask you to pray and embarrass you or anything like that.

[3:16] So be encouraged to come along and join together in prayer. One final thing. One or two people have been asking about the communion season and when that will be. The communion weekend will be from the 5th through to the 9th of May.

[3:31] And the teachers who are coming will be the Reverend John Mardin MacDonald from Kyle and the Reverend Anacian MacDonald who is retired and lives in Everness.

[3:43] He took the services in Scalpy in the last communion there. The time before perhaps it was. So that's another day to put in your diary.

[3:53] So let's keep these in our minds and now let's join together with each other and come to God in prayer. Our Heavenly Father we do thank you that we are able to come together as your people on this Lord's day.

[4:16] In the name of Jesus Christ your Son. Led by the Holy Spirit. We thank you that we are given this gift and we are able now to take this opportunity to come to you in prayer.

[4:33] And Lord we are gathered here this morning in worship. We are gathered to acknowledge publicly that you are the one true God. And you are our God.

[4:45] The Lord our shepherd. The one who leads us through life. The one who is able to lead us through death and into life that is everlasting.

[4:58] And Lord we thank you that these promises, these assurances are given to us as we place our faith in Jesus. And so we pray from the outset of this service that each one of us would be enabled to place our faith in Christ.

[5:18] We're not here putting our faith in ourselves. We're not here to proclaim that we are good people. We're not here to try and justify ourselves because we can't.

[5:31] We come before you this morning Lord as sinners that are without hope apart from Christ. But we thank you that we are sinners who are saved to an eternal hope when we are in Christ.

[5:47] And Lord all of this is of grace. And we deserve the worst. And we deserve nothing short of punishment. You have in Christ given us the best.

[6:00] You have given us that blessed assurance that when Jesus is ours. We are redeemed. We are saved. We are washed in his blood and forgiven.

[6:12] We become heirs of salvation. And those who belong to you as your children. Through the finished word of Jesus. So enable us we pray.

[6:24] Grant us we pray that faith. That saves. And enable us we ask to walk close. With you. Following Christ.

[6:36] As our shepherd. We pray. We pray Lord for those this morning who are in particular need. We thank you that we are able not only to come to you as individuals and as a congregation in prayer.

[6:49] But we are able to bring many others to you in prayer. Those who perhaps are not able to find the words to pray for themselves. So Lord we pray for those in particular need.

[7:03] We think of a world that is so broken. And there is so much suffering. And we pray for countries where we see acute suffering at present. We pray for Japan.

[7:15] We pray for Ecuador. We see devastation. We hear of lives that are lost. And although this is far from us. In terms of geography.

[7:26] We thank you that through prayer. We are able to unite with these people. And bring these people too. And so we ask Lord for comfort.

[7:36] We pray Father for relief of suffering. We pray for a smooth course for those who would seek to bring aid and relief.

[7:47] And we pray that the gospel may be heard in these countries where perhaps it is not often heard. We ask Lord for Nepal today.

[7:58] We hear of laws that are trying to be imposed upon that people that will make it illegal for preaching of Christ crucified to be permitted.

[8:09] We hear of threats of five years in prison for those who will dare to speak of Jesus. And we pray against a government that would seek to bring this in.

[8:20] We pray that these proposals would fall. And that it would be possible to continue to preach Christ in our country. We pray for our own country. We ask Lord again that you would look in mercy upon us.

[8:34] We pray that the gospel light would continue to shine. We thank you for the peace and for the liberty that we have to be able to preach. We don't take it for granted. And we ask that we would make every use of every opportunity that you give us.

[8:49] To live a salt and light in this community. And Lord we pray for those in leadership over us. And we acknowledge that you have permitted all who are in authority to be in authority.

[9:04] And we ask that they would humble themselves and that they would look to you. And that they would govern wisely as you lead. And Lord we pray for our own community and for our own congregation here also.

[9:18] We pray especially today for those who are grieving. And Lord as we come to terms as a community with such loss.

[9:30] And the tragedy of life that is lost at such a young age. We pray for those who are grieving most acutely. We pray for the families and for the friends of those lost at sea in past days.

[9:46] And we ask that they may know your comfort. And that they may be enabled to draw near to you at this time. We pray for those who are grieving.

[9:58] We pray also for the man who survived them. As he will come to terms with life from here on in. We pray that you would be near to him. And that you would watch over him and that he would find you.

[10:13] We ask Lord for others who are grieving for loved ones lost in past days and past weeks and past years even. And we ask that your comfort and the balm of the Holy Spirit may be their portion through difficult days.

[10:29] Lord you have said that you will not guard us from suffering in this world. But you have promised that you will be with us in suffering.

[10:41] And so we pray for those who grieve. We pray for those who are in hospital. We pray for those who have loved ones in hospital. We ask for their recovery. We ask for their health and strength.

[10:53] We pray for those at home, housebound. Who would desire to be here but can't be. And we ask Lord that you would minister to them in the power of your spirit. We ask now Father that you would continue with us.

[11:07] Cleanse us from sin. Fill us with your spirit we pray. And enable us to be united in worship of Jesus Christ. Our Saviour and our Lord.

[11:17] We pray these things in his name and for his sake. Amen. Boys and girls would you like to come down the front please. How are you all today?

[11:35] All fine? Oh running away. Have you had a good holiday? Tell me some of the things you might be doing on your holiday. Is anybody away?

[11:49] Where were you at? Glasgow? Glasgow? Good, good. Anyone else away? Who's? Edinburgh? I know you were away.

[12:02] We'll get to that in a second. Alistair, were you away? I see you've got new cowboy boots. Very cool. Well, we were away on our holidays as well.

[12:14] And one of the places that we were in at the end of our holidays was a place called Reif. Do you know what Reif is? R-E-I-F-F. You know what it is? Has anybody heard of Reif?

[12:27] Anybody know what it is? No? Right over on the west coast. Right, right, right over on the west coast. I feel you buoy and then Reif is just at the very, very end of the road.

[12:41] And when you live at the very end of the road in Reif, then one thing that you don't see much of during the day. You don't see much cars. One or two, but not much cars.

[12:51] It's very quiet. Not much traffic noise in the road. But every day, here's the puzzle. What are you thinking? Every day, at one point in the day, there was a big noise in Reif.

[13:09] We would all be out in the garden doing all the jobs that were there for us to do. And then you would hear all this. All of a sudden you would hear beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.

[13:22] Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. And there was a man in a land rover. And he had heavy plastic bags flapping about to decide the land rover.

[13:38] And then when I looked out of the garden, I tried to figure out what on earth is going on. You know what I saw? What do you think I saw?

[13:52] you saw up too today so not here yet. what do you think I saw? a bit of lorry? no not a bit of lorry.

[14:05] let me give you a clue. there were some things following the land rover with the bags hanging out of it. sheep. it was sheep. why were they following? why were they following a land rover with bags hanging out of it?

[14:26] who do you think was driving the land rover with bags hanging out of it? go on then grace. the shepherd. the shepherd was driving the land rover with the bags hanging out of it and as he drove down to that same place every day you would see all the sheep running well not like that but they were running down the hill charging along behind the land rover and then once he opened the back of the land rover what do you think he did? what did he bring out? let's get this microphone your answers are always better than mine. what do you think he was bringing out? seeds. why do you think he was bringing out the sheep? what do you think he was bringing out? lunch. exactly he was bringing out lunch. whose lunch?

[15:21] sheep. sheep. sheep. sheep. the sheep's lunch. he was bringing out sheep's lunch and so he opened the back and then he would put all the lunch into the lunch thing and he would check the and he's just laughing at me. i haven't got the terminology right and he was checking the sheep over to make sure they were okay and so the shepherd why did he follow?

[15:47] why did the sheep all follow the shepherd? do you think it's because they were scared about it? grace? because they knew that he was going to get food for them. do you think they trusted the shepherd?

[16:06] they trusted the shepherd so when they heard his call they all charged after him and he gave them good stuff he looked after them and then over the next few weeks they'll have a whole lot of looking after the sheep to do. so the shepherd called and the sheep followed. the bible tells us about somebody who is called the good shepherd. who's the good shepherd? god yeah who's the good shepherd? god. jesus. jesus is the one who said that he is the good shepherd. who are the sheep?

[16:55] we are the sheep. do you think? we are the sheep? because we need to look after don't we? you ever find a sheep you ever seen a sheep that got lost?

[17:08] anyone ever heard of a sheep that got lost? no one or two sheep maybe got lost? i saw two sheep just on the junction of mcqueen street when i was driving into church this morning i think we were having a conversation about which garden up in mcqueen street to uh terrorize during church time. sheep get lost they get stuck up hills they get stuck in bogs they get into all kinds of messes and so sheep need a shepherd and jesus is our good shepherd and if we follow him he will guide us through life he'll take us the best way not always the easiest way but he'll take us the best way he'll take us through life and you know if the lord jesus is our shepherd he'll take us the best way he'll take us through death into life that is everlasting and perfect and full so all i want to say to you this morning boys and girls just to finish off is trust jesus and follow jesus as your shepherd we'll pray heavenly father we thank you that jesus your son is our good shepherd and we thank you that he is the one who does guide us through life and through death into life that is everlasting and he guides those who will follow him we pray that you would forgive us because often we are slow to follow and lord we ask that you would help us to follow you more closely we pray for any here this morning young or old who've never yet begun to follow jesus and we ask that today that they would turn around stop going their own way and start going jesus way and lord we thank you that jesus is the one who loved us so much that he laid down his life for the sheep and lord we pray that we would find that everlasting life in him and we pray this in jesus name amen we're going to sing now and we're going to sing mission phase one thousand and eight i think it is and the words are on the screen it's a version of sam 23 that we're going to be studying today mission phase one thousand and eight the lord's my shepherd i'll not want he makes me lie in pastures dream he leads me by the still still waters his goodness restored my soul and i will trust in you alone i hope you can sing psalm 23 and uh we read the whole psalm from verse one psalm 23 and verse one psalm of david the lord is my shepherd i shall not be in one he makes me lie down in green pastures he leads me beside quiet waters he restores my soul he guides me in paths of righteousness for his namesake even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head royal my cup overflows surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and i will dwell in the house of the lord forever and also just a short portion from john chapter 10 just a few verses from there

[21:18] john chapter 10 and he then end from verse 14 jesus says i am a good shepherd i know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the father knows me and i know the father i have other sheep that are not called the sheep then i must bring them also they too will listen to my voice and there shall be one flock and one shepherd the reason my father loves me is that i lay down my life only to take it up again no one takes it from me but i lay it down in my own accord i have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again this command i receive from my father amen and may god bless these rules of his word to us and his alma from now let us in prayer and gather peace as цел much you

[23:00] Rings with it in our way. From萃ine to the chaloc pilates of the Ter bulk of tones.

[23:21] Trueuvian follows the details in our way, be p.m.

[23:55] The End Our hope and life has been so pł It can be a relatively simple life For our ick myself Di pon yick What I did in the audience, we made the слуш.

[25:03] Oh snitch dogs come and 먹고s.

[25:14] 지점 board 1 00-2018, 2D parasal值, stats global are myascenen.

[25:28] 3D parasal值 ii, and blow for a Usually the Pfannyдуковers spies by the Hebrews.

[26:03] Can't forget, it's inevitable that the Bible dichs happened. His Feah sentence has been blessed with a Spanish god and luego Regards mówies.

[26:21] O, hionarr a ligus amongst agli than sa biax nut 200. O, ghose hionarr a crooniak celular, Mas pipa muķinash strade show cu cova ila a ninoar.

[26:34] Yil ok przyafogennu. Jord autosmienatih hab vedo buk providing nature. Hjiechärn kw rbrogani hiy, Smoshwenu angraas brpiamas cikropiamas Just give all the blessings.

[26:51] I suppose he really pray for me I'm bringing up his sar ils To make the elabaste I was just talking a little the letter table goose pulpit You know, I can protect my brothers, and then I can treat them as a girl pup.

[27:53] Your friends, you see I get lost atmosphere, Iicar, I got you so excited about you.

[28:05] перепs second again that is because of!」 That Eve is aワkeón That is just one of the explode Even if the velvet of makeup is who the female King has his eyes quioses and gifts The great sideof of the world The Angrist styles The white again show me oh she know she's likeội oh

[29:17] Oh, hold your feet up and forth all. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

[29:29] Oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh. Oh my gosh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

[29:42] Jesus, my God, O and My God, and Lourds in讲 ОченьONI the poor, in этих man with this poem andễc� meritoral song of mumboochism, so that Ngeriàng theo dGEGRA às lucidemment of HARVEY советон pipeline in coast and thus Gascon oversight and antir 1955, and to bond with the Morocco to get to God.

[30:04] Take care and take care for the reduzments of people PROF. Please stop watching a orphandreıkları or with nocultural love.

[30:21] No proszę ability, but you can use the word out you can use the word.

[30:35] 말씀 follow the words Girls to learn. Our hearts are still prophesied in newspapers, they were Goodbye, they were the wegens within Its son, of honor, this is theятно of God, is his thinking.

[31:14] God, over me, my God. Let forth walk in the church. Hallelujah.

[31:28] 僕は勝利が間違い知 Mitsub君は poverty天一世не we're going to sing the first two stanzas now of psalm 23 in gaelic and psalm 23 and verses 1 to 3 and the first two stanzas the lord's my shepherd out once he makes me down to land in pastures green he leadeth me the quiet waters by my soul he doth restore again and me to walk with me within the past of righteousness even for his own name seeking with a man seeking to sing this

[32:34] Oh Hildông said he was married and weil nobody or she only And by that fell upon his and weary cups and healthy and

[33:55] Thank you.

[34:25] Thank you.

[34:55] Thank you.

[35:25] Thank you.

[35:55] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[36:07] Thank you. Thank you.

[36:39] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[36:51] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[37:03] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[37:15] Thank you. Thank you. propels us to the cross. Psalm 23 is a psalm where we are looking into guidance particularly today and Psalm 24 is a psalm where we are showing something more of the glory of God.

[37:37] So today I want to spend some moments looking at Psalm 23, a psalm of David and a psalm at the basic level which is about sheep and their shepherd. And I don't think I need to spend much time painting any kind of picture to bridge the gap between the text and the reality.

[38:01] Sometimes we're in a passage and we're having to work hard to get from there to here but I think virtually all of you as you're sitting here today know more about sheep than I do.

[38:16] We all encounter sheep. I encounter a couple on the corner swerving to avoid them on the road just as we were coming in towards the church. Many of you have been on various estipades trying to rescue sheep who have put their heads through a hole in a fence not giving any thought to how they were going to get their heads back out of that hole once they got to what was on the other side. I know lots of you have been up hills and in bogs and wading through rivers and climbing up precarious cliffs to try to come to the aid of a sheep that just cannot get out of the fix that it's got itself into. So I think it's clear and we would all be agreed that sheep need a shepherd.

[39:04] sheep are not animals that thrive without care and attention being given to them.

[39:14] Sheep need someone who will look out for them and tend to them and care for them and lead them and sometimes rescue them. And it is humbling to think about the fact that as you look in the mirror of God's word what we see is a portrait of ourselves as sheep. We are like sheep.

[39:43] We are not like powerful stallions galloping through the land. We are not like majestic lions or breathtaking eagles that soar. We are like sheep. We need a shepherd.

[39:59] that's a humbling fact. And that's a humbling fact. And it was quite a striking fact for the psalmist to expound in his position. David, the psalmist, he was the king.

[40:13] he was the one who was powerful in the land that he was writing he had riches, he had power he had everything and yet before the Lord he acknowledges that he is like a lost sheep and he needs a shepherd and as we read from John 10 we see that Jesus is the one who came to be our shepherd he is the good shepherd as he speaks himself to us in John 10 he is the great shepherd as the writer to the Hebrews tells us in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 20 Jesus is the chief shepherd as Peter tells us in his first epistle in chapter 5 and verse 4 and Jesus is the one who came to be our guide he came to be many things for us and to us but I want to think particularly today about how Jesus is our guide and I want to think about three things

[41:25] I'd like to think first of all about life this life here and now with Jesus as our shepherd and then I want to think secondly about death with Jesus as our shepherd and thirdly about eternal life with Jesus as our shepherd so that's the map for the sermon today first of all then life with Jesus as your shepherd shepherd is one who leads the sheep remember the children's talk the sheep don't lead the shepherd the shepherd leads the sheep and the sheep follow so where does the Lord lead us in this life?

[42:09] where does he lead the sheep? well he leads us first of all into contentment and he leads us secondly into righteousness so Jesus is the one who leads us into contentment and how much are we in need of contentment today?

[42:31] how many people out there and I wonder how many people in here today are wrestling day by day with a lack of contentment? Jesus is the one who leads us into contentment look at verse 2 he makes me lie down in green pastures he leads me beside quiet waters from the perspective of a sheep green pastures and quiet waters make for a happy contented life green pastures are that place where there is this endless supply of lush thick grass they're fed, they're well fed in green pastures still waters are that place where there's a supply of drink I'm told, I don't know but you can nod and shake out sheep can't drink

[43:32] I'm told from a fast flowing stream so they need to have still waters to be able to find that rich nourishment and drink and if a sheep has green pastures still waters it has everything it needs it doesn't need a new iPod sheep doesn't need a back up to date collection of garments from the latest designer it doesn't need any new technology it just needs green pastures and still waters and when it has that it lacks nothing and so very simplistically and this whole message is strikingly simplistic David the psalmist is saying with the Lord as my shepherd verse 1 I lack nothing I'm contented all my needs maybe not all at once because David was a sinner like we are but he acknowledges that all his needs are supplied and met and the Lord is a shepherd and it fits so neatly with what Jesus says in Matthew 6

[44:57] I haven't got time to go there but in Matthew 6 verses 31 to 33 Jesus he's speaking to people who are prone to worry people like us any worriers in here?

[45:11] and Jesus as he speaks to people who wrestle with worry he says trust the Lord very simply trust my Father and he will give you what you need don't be worrying about food don't be worrying about clothes trust my Father and he will ensure that you get everything that you need in this world Paul the Apostle who we've studied closely over past months he writes about us in Philippians chapter 4 and Paul in verses 12 and 13 in Philippians 4 he speaks personally and he says I'm a man who knows what it is to have plenty and I'm a man who knows what it is to be in abject poverty and I've learned that the secret of contentment is not in the plenty and it's not in the poverty the secret of contentment is finding Christ with having the Lord as my shepherd and I know this seems so simplistic and this is so stripped down but that is the truth of where contentment is it's in Christ it's in having the Lord as our shepherd

[46:34] I remember being stunned and convicted and challenged by this point when I was out in India a few years ago we went out to India a few of us and we were supposed to be speaking in a seminary to 40 or so theological students when we got there the seminary looked like no seminary that I'd ever been in it was essentially just a cave a concrete cave 40 lads were there they had nothing absolutely nothing they didn't have the stationery to be able to study they didn't have the books to be able to to study they didn't even have their own clothes it was a big food back a big clothes back and first up was best dressed saw the same t-shirt and six different guys and six different gay things they had nothing and yet never have I come across men who were so content and so joyful and there us three were with all our stuff as a stark contrast to the contentment of these people who had nothing but who had such a sense of the Lord as our shepherd and this is so counter to everything that is propelled at us on our TVs and in the magazines as we read the adverts the whole advertising industry trades on our lack of contentment we're told and we take it in just one more pair of shoes just one more outfit just one more update on the gadget that I'm working with every day and then I'll be content and I won't look any more for anything else except we do and Jesus speaks into our world and our day and he says all that's thrown at you in terms of advertising it's like a mirage it promises so much in the distance that when you get it you're nothing so Jesus says follow me no one else follow me into contentment and into rest

[49:00] Jesus says in these verses that we love so much come to me all who are weary and all who are burdened and I will give you rest so the application you want to know you want to know rest and contentment in life follow Jesus let him be your shepherd he's a good shepherd so let's let him lead us he leads us into contentment he leads us secondly into righteousness look at verse 3 he restores my soul he guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake now when something has gone wrong it needs to be restored when something has malfunctioned it needs to be restored virtually all of us are carrying these things about this thing goes wrong or a phone like it goes wrong what do you have to do you have to plug it back into the computer and select the option that says restore to factory seconds if you've got an antique piece of furniture you pick up from some place and it's shabby and it's looking tired you've got to put it into an expert and what will he or she do they will restore it so when things go wrong in order for them to be made right they have to be restored and you don't need me to tell them that the world has gone wrong

[50:42] I was going to bring a newspaper but I forgot we'd only have to spend 20 seconds flipping through a few headlines to see that the world has gone wrong as you think about some of the relationships that we may have been in and perhaps are now out of and the relationships that we observe in our family and amongst our friendships we see that the world has gone wrong as we struggle with sickness as we wrestle with death and the pain of death we see how this world has gone wrong it's not the original design but the good shepherd Jesus he's the one who came to put wrongs right he is the one who came to this world to restore John chapter 10 in verse 10 we should really have read that whole chapter he says there the thief

[51:46] Jesus speaking here and he says the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy I have come that they may have life and have it to the full I am the good shepherd the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep that's why he came he came to restore he came to give us life true full abundant meaningful eternal life and Jesus delivered that life to us by laying down his life for us to lay down his life for us Galatians chapter 1 verse 3 and 4 says the Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins to rescue us he took our wrongs upon himself and in exchange he offers us his rights his righteousness 2 Corinthians 5 21

[53:02] God made him Jesus who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God might that sink in Spurgeon in his commentary on the Psalms notes that Psalm 23 is carefully placed in the Psalter he says in the Psalms Psalm 22 had to come first my God my God why have you forsaken me Jesus' words had to come before he restores my soul so when Jesus is our shepherd in life he leads leads us into rightness of soul he leads us into restoration for our souls he leads us into a contentment that this world cannot ever offer or it can offer certainly but it can never deliver so life with Jesus as your shepherd secondly

[54:25] I want to think about death with Jesus as your shepherd with Jesus as your shepherd he leads us first of all through darkness and secondly he leads us into light we're sure through darkness even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your spout they comfort me now you go back a couple of hundred years and you just examine the culture and you think about Christians in the culture and even just general people in the culture we weren't slow to talk about death we talked often about death Christians going back two three hundred years wrote many many books about how to die well today it's actually hard to find these books somebody asked me the question can you recommend a book about dying well not many are being published from the

[55:46] Christian perspective and very few people speak about dying it's the last taboo of our age and our nation we're reluctant to talk about death we're reluctant even to think about death and that leaves us perilously unprepared for death we are so prepared for so many things that might not ever happen we have insurance today for every possible eventuality many of the things that we are insured for never actually materialized and yet death it comes to every one of us sometimes it comes unexpectedly abruptly and so we need to be prepared for it in fact maybe I should stop using the we and actually get down to the me

[56:54] David says I verse 4 even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death so David the psalmist is saying I need to be prepared for death and I need to be prepared for death and you need to be prepared for death because no one in this world will be with you and me when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death everything else in this world we tend to do as packs we do together when we step from time into eternity we do it on our own I was thinking about the turnstile in the football stadium you go in one by one by one by one and although we walk together through many things in life there's no one in this world that can take that walk through the valley of the shadow of death with us that's the reality but here's the good news there is one who was in this world and there is one who overcame this world there is one who overcame death and he is the one who offers to walk with you and with me he offers to lead us not only through life but he offers to lead us in death and if we walk with him death is transformed death seems so final in the eyes of this world he talked about a final resting place we talked about coming to the end of the road and we use phrases like that but when

[58:54] Jesus is your shepherd he guides us sheep through death do you see that in verse 4 even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death the good shepherd doesn't just guide us to death he isn't just with us in death but he leads us through death and to the other side and Jesus is your shepherd he leads you through death through darkness through that dark veil of death and into light now you might be looking at the verse here saying where's the light where do you see the light in the verse we'll think of the verse point again

[59:55] David talks about the valley of the shadow of death the valley of the shadow of death now what do you and I need to be able to know that a shadow what do we need that a shadow is going to be catch it needs to be light there are no shadows in utter darkness there are only shadows where there is light present and even though in death there are the shadows of separation and the shadows of suffering physical and mental and spiritual there's light on the other side there's resurrection light there's the light of eternal life if our trust is in Jesus and only if our trust is in

[60:56] Jesus when the Lord Jesus is your shepherd when he walks with you he walks through darkness into light and that's why the psalmist can approach the valley of the shadow of death without any sense of fear when Jesus is my shepherd says David I will fear no evil why for you are with me and your rod and your staff they come through me so let's take comfort from that when Jesus is our shepherd death is not the end Matthew

[61:57] Henry says death is a shadow and he says the shadow of the serpent will not sting nor the shadow of the sword kill and when we are in Christ he has taken the sting of death upon himself and so consequently for those who are in heaven death is not the end death is that gateway to eternal abundant life so life with Jesus as shepherd death with Jesus as shepherd and finally and briefly eternal life with Jesus as shepherd what will that eternal life look like what lies beyond the valley of the shadow of death well there's a prepared place and there's a protected place

[63:06] I'll just give you the headings and not much more verse 5 David the psalmist says you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup overflow the table that David speaks of is a table that represents the sheer abundance of the provision that the good shepherd has in store for those who love him the oil speaks of the health and the honour and the joy for those whom he anoints the overflowing blessings that are poured out upon those who are the sheep and this is the essence of eternal life the eternal life that Jesus the good shepherd has prepared for those who love him he said it himself in John 14 we hear it so often the prepared place

[64:09] Jesus said do not let your hearts be troubled trust in God trust also in me in my father's house in many rooms many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I am going there to the tross and then beyond the tross to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be good I am eternal life there's a prepared place that the good shepherd has for his sheep and finally there's a protected place verse 6 surely goodness and love goodness and covenant mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever the reality of this world is that we are exposed to sin the reality of this world is that we are exposed to the attacks of

[65:26] Satan but beyond this world in that place that Jesus has prepared Satan has been banished sin is not present and so goodness and love will be that constant perpetual state as the light of Christ will forever shine isn't Asperger's words Here we are tired and weary but over there is a land of rest where the sweat of toil will no longer soak our shirts and fatigue will be banished forever To those who are weary and worn the word rest is full of hell

[66:30] We are always in the field of battle We are so tempted and so molested by foes that we have little or no peace but in heaven we will enjoy the victory when the banner shall be unfurled in triumph and the sword will be sheathed and we will hear our captain say well done good and faithful servant We have suffered bereavement after bereavement but we are going to the land of the immortal where graves do not exist here sin is a constant grief to us but there we will be perfectly whole for there will be nothing in heaven to defile so there's just a few thoughts from psalm 23 and it's a song it's a prayer that welled up from within the psalmist

[67:43] David because he could say verse 1 David could say the Lord is my shepherd that was his profession and through David's profession there is this warm invitation that is given to us it's the same one that is expiring to the children trust Jesus as your shepherd let's pray our heavenly father we thank you for the richness of the psalm that we have spent some moments considering and we thank you for the clarity of the picture that we are given that Jesus is the good shepherd and just as battling the shepherd walked on and the sheep followed we thank you that as we read your word today and as the

[69:06] Holy Spirit strives with us we are being called to trust Christ and to follow him as the good shepherd we thank you that when we follow him in life we are contented and when we follow him in life we are made righteous not because of us but because of him we thank you that when we are following Christ as our good shepherd death will still approach but death is transformed because Jesus is the one who guides us through death's dark veil into life that is everlasting and we pray that that everlasting life may be the portion of everyone who is gathered here today we thank you for such great salvation but at such a huge cost the cost of Christ's own blood we know because your word tells us that if we neglect such great salvation we are lost and none of the promises of this are ours so we thank you that as we look in faith to

[70:29] Jesus we are final we are saved and we are blessed so enable us we pray to trust and to follow Christ as our shepherd and the day he stands for his own name save amen we will sing to conclude psalm 23 the metrical version of the psalm which we'll find on the screen the Lord is my shepherd I'll not want he makes me down to lie in pastures dream he leadeth me the quiet waters by my soul he doth restore again in me to walk doth make within the paths of righteousness even for his own name's sake yea though I walk in death's dark rail which is true but I always want to sing through yea though I walk in but yea though I walk through that death's dark rail yet will I fear none for thou art with me and thou

[71:37] God and staff me comfort still my table house furnished and presents with my foes my head the dust and heart with oil and wine and my cup overflows goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me and in God's hearts forevermore my dwelling place shall be let's stand for saying the Lord's my shepherd I am not want he picks me down to lie in my church in he leadeth me the quiet waters by my my soul he doth restore again and thee to walk to faith within the paths of righteousness still for his own sake he do

[73:16] I walk in depth of ill yet will I fear come ill or thou walk with me and I thy rod of staff me comfort still my table love has furnished it in essence of my foes my head of dust with heart and light and height of her close goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me shall surely follow me and in

[74:44] God's earth forevermore my dwelling holy waters forever more my dwelling grace shall be and I may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of God the Holy Spirit be with us all both now and forevermore. Amen.

[75:17] Amen.