WEBVTT 00:00:00.100 --> 00:00:01.120 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:04.139 --> 00:00:09.759 It's good to be with you all this morning, whether here in the sanctuary or on the live 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:10.380 stream at home. 00:00:11.220 --> 00:00:16.699 Our sermon text today is Psalm 23, so let's go there together. 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:22.359 The words will be on the screen here in the sanctuary, but let me encourage you to have 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:25.260 the text in front of you too if you brought a Bible or on your phone or at home. 00:00:25.900 --> 00:00:27.820 Have the text open in front of you if you can. 00:00:27.820 --> 00:00:31.719 Let me pray for us, and then I'll read Psalm 23. 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:41.000 Our Father in heaven, we pray that as we come to your word now, you would do what you promised, 00:00:41.380 --> 00:00:49.659 that you would send forth your word to accomplish all the purposes that you have for it, and 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:55.579 that you would cause the growth and life and flourishing of your people as you have promised. 00:00:55.579 --> 00:01:00.359 Lord, we look to you for a life-giving word today. 00:01:00.859 --> 00:01:02.539 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:06.879 Psalm 23, a Psalm of David. 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:10.640 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:10.659 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:12.759 I shall not want. 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:16.359 He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:01:17.060 --> 00:01:19.340 He leads me beside still waters. 00:01:20.199 --> 00:01:22.359 He restores my soul. 00:01:23.079 --> 00:01:26.099 He leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. 00:01:26.099 --> 00:01:33.959 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you 00:01:33.959 --> 00:01:34.500 are with me. 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:37.379 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:01:39.060 --> 00:01:42.119 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 00:01:42.679 --> 00:01:44.139 You anoint my head with oil. 00:01:44.739 --> 00:01:46.239 My cup overflows. 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:54.319 Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:55.239 house of the Lord. 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:56.519 Lord forever. 00:02:00.259 --> 00:02:06.560 Well, one of the things that I really enjoy, especially on a chilly fall weekend like this, 00:02:06.979 --> 00:02:08.579 is a good cup of coffee. 00:02:11.219 --> 00:02:15.780 Now, you know, coffee is a good thing, but it has its pros and cons, right? 00:02:15.780 --> 00:02:19.699 On the pro side, coffee is warm. 00:02:20.219 --> 00:02:21.259 It's caffeinated. 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:23.479 It tastes good. 00:02:23.920 --> 00:02:26.360 Although some of you might disagree with the tasting good part. 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:29.080 But of course, coffee is not everything. 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:32.460 Coffee is not the most nutritious thing in the world, right? 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:40.219 So not long ago, Starbucks released a coffee that they called Starbucks Essential Vitamins, 00:02:40.480 --> 00:02:48.900 which, as their website says, is specially crafted with vitamins and biotin to help keep 00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:51.120 your body running at its best. 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:55.659 Now, I have never tried that vitamin supplemented coffee before. 00:02:55.920 --> 00:02:57.460 I think it's a bit ridiculous. 00:02:57.680 --> 00:02:59.400 I laughed out loud when I first heard about it. 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:02.539 But it's kind of an interesting case, isn't it? 00:03:03.159 --> 00:03:08.979 We know that coffee really isn't enough to keep our body running at its best. 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:11.560 So we try to add something to it. 00:03:11.719 --> 00:03:15.939 We try to put something in there that might make it better for us. 00:03:16.259 --> 00:03:19.280 You know, we really know that coffee is not sufficient. 00:03:19.539 --> 00:03:21.479 So we need to kind of bulk it up a little bit. 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:24.599 Now, here's the thing. 00:03:24.599 --> 00:03:32.099 I wonder if many of us can fall into the same mindset spiritually. 00:03:34.099 --> 00:03:39.000 We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is good, that it's necessary. 00:03:39.579 --> 00:03:46.259 But I wonder if at the end of the day, we can have a sneaking suspicion that it might not 00:03:46.259 --> 00:03:51.340 be totally sufficient for all of our soul's needs. 00:03:51.340 --> 00:03:57.099 I wonder if we feel like we still need something a little more to be okay. 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:04.560 You know, as believers in Jesus, we know that we need Christ for our sins to be forgiven. 00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:07.300 But what about when we're weary? 00:04:09.099 --> 00:04:11.539 Is Jesus enough for us when we're weary? 00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:13.719 What about when we're afraid? 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:15.319 Is he enough then? 00:04:15.379 --> 00:04:16.879 What about when we're afflicted? 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:18.300 Is he enough? 00:04:21.339 --> 00:04:25.519 Or sometimes do we kind of treat Jesus a little bit like a good coffee drink? 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:26.099 He's tasty. 00:04:26.199 --> 00:04:26.879 He's energizing. 00:04:26.979 --> 00:04:28.139 I need him to wake up in the morning. 00:04:28.359 --> 00:04:31.719 But I might still need some other essential vitamins somewhere else. 00:04:35.139 --> 00:04:36.339 Now, Psalm 23. 00:04:36.539 --> 00:04:40.659 Psalm 23 begins with this radical statement. 00:04:40.659 --> 00:04:43.099 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:04:44.039 --> 00:04:46.679 I shall not want. 00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:53.860 Now, when David says, I shall not want, he means that he has everything he needs. 00:04:53.939 --> 00:04:55.040 He lacks nothing. 00:04:55.439 --> 00:05:00.579 The Lord is the utterly sufficient shepherd of his soul. 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:06.060 That's the big idea of this familiar psalm. 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:15.240 Because the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing my soul truly needs. 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:20.400 Psalm 23 is a meditation on the all-sufficiency of our good shepherd. 00:05:22.579 --> 00:05:24.000 Now, can we say that today? 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:29.100 That's why Psalm 23 is here. 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:35.340 It's helping us not just to say that, but even more to experience that reality as good news. 00:05:35.339 --> 00:05:45.639 So, this morning, what I want to do is I want to just follow the course of this psalm and kind of enter into that experience that it lays out for us. 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:50.719 And to help us see what it means to say, the Lord is my shepherd. 00:05:51.239 --> 00:05:52.799 I shall not want. 00:05:52.800 --> 00:06:03.040 And the first thing that we see as the psalm opens up is that the Lord is sufficient for our weary souls. 00:06:03.160 --> 00:06:05.319 The Lord is sufficient for our weary souls. 00:06:05.400 --> 00:06:07.020 We see this in verses 2 and 3. 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:08.840 Let me read those again. 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:10.879 He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:12.620 He leads me beside still waters. 00:06:12.740 --> 00:06:14.199 He restores my soul. 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:18.000 He leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:29.540 Now, it was a common thing in the ancient world for a king to be referred to metaphorically as a shepherd because kings were seen as the leaders and protectors of their people. 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:32.600 And we see that same metaphor at work in the Bible, too. 00:06:33.620 --> 00:06:41.279 You know, ultimately, not just Israel's kings, but because God is king, God is sometimes seen as the ultimate shepherd and talked about that way. 00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:48.919 But, you know, here in Psalm 23, David is sort of taking that common metaphor and he's pushing into it. 00:06:49.299 --> 00:06:51.099 He's really exploring it. 00:06:51.179 --> 00:06:58.759 He's slowing down and meditating on what it might really mean to say that the Lord is our shepherd. 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:05.679 And as David begins that meditation, we're sort of taken out to the countryside, aren't we? 00:07:06.219 --> 00:07:06.959 There we are. 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:09.500 We are sheep in a flock. 00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:16.399 And David says, the Lord, our God, is making us lie down like sheep in green pastures. 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:20.459 And he's leading us beside gently flowing fresh water. 00:07:20.699 --> 00:07:29.239 And he's guiding us along paths of righteousness, which means something like the right path, the straight path, the path where we're going to be safe. 00:07:31.919 --> 00:07:35.919 And what's the sort of understood need there of us sheep? 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:39.780 Well, as sheep, we get hungry, right? 00:07:40.420 --> 00:07:41.420 And we get thirsty. 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:43.759 And we get confused. 00:07:43.939 --> 00:07:44.900 And we get misdirected. 00:07:44.960 --> 00:07:46.220 And sometimes we even get lost. 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:48.720 In other words, we get weary. 00:07:50.939 --> 00:07:56.120 But the shepherd, David says, knows how to restore us. 00:07:56.300 --> 00:07:59.280 He restores my soul. 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:04.579 Now, David, of course, had firsthand experience of all of this. 00:08:04.919 --> 00:08:10.919 He spent many of his early years, before he became the king of Israel, literally tending sheep, being a shepherd. 00:08:12.539 --> 00:08:16.579 But David also knew what it was like to be weary. 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:23.139 David knew what it was like to be that metaphorical sheep, to be thirsty and hungry and tired. 00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:26.240 How about us? 00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:27.039 How about you? 00:08:28.899 --> 00:08:33.399 I wonder if you've ever felt that kind of just soul weariness. 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:37.860 Like you're thirsty, but when you drink, it doesn't go away. 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:42.480 Or you're hungry, but when you eat, that kind of gnawing feeling is still there. 00:08:42.759 --> 00:08:46.720 Or you feel sometimes like your life is just wandering in circles and you're trying to find the right path. 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:56.680 Now, of course, when we're feeling physically weary, sometimes the best thing we need to do is just take a nap, right? 00:08:56.740 --> 00:08:57.440 Get some sleep. 00:08:58.560 --> 00:09:02.800 Or when we're feeling relationally weary, sometimes we need to call up a friend. 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:06.879 Or sometimes we need to take a break from people and spend some time in solitude. 00:09:08.860 --> 00:09:11.779 But what about when you feel like your soul is weary? 00:09:11.779 --> 00:09:17.759 When that center of you that kind of connects to every part of you, when that's feeling weary, where do you turn? 00:09:20.319 --> 00:09:22.779 I think most of us know that feeling. 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:29.419 And I think most of us know that we have some things that we try to do to make that weariness go away. 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:32.459 Sometimes we look to friends. 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:38.279 Sometimes we just zone out and, you know, start listening to music. 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:42.000 And sometimes those things help, right? 00:09:43.459 --> 00:09:45.360 But do they restore your soul? 00:09:49.199 --> 00:09:54.519 Do you remember that time in Jesus' ministry when he was out in the field and he was teaching the crowds? 00:09:55.240 --> 00:09:56.620 And then evening started to come. 00:09:57.459 --> 00:10:01.179 And the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that were there, they started to get hungry. 00:10:02.339 --> 00:10:03.279 And then what happens? 00:10:03.839 --> 00:10:06.220 The disciples start to get a little nervous, right? 00:10:06.220 --> 00:10:09.220 And they say, Lord, send these people home. 00:10:09.680 --> 00:10:11.639 There's no way we have enough food for them. 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:13.639 This is going to get out of control here in a second. 00:10:14.700 --> 00:10:17.100 And then what does Jesus say to the disciples? 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:20.820 Does he say, oh man, you're right. 00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:22.879 I totally lost track of time. 00:10:23.080 --> 00:10:24.200 We got to get these people home. 00:10:24.420 --> 00:10:24.920 Send them back. 00:10:24.980 --> 00:10:26.000 We don't have enough food for them. 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:27.639 No, what does he do? 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:34.460 He has them all sit down on the green grass, Mark says, in the Gospel of Mark. 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:38.500 Jesus takes a little meal and he blesses it. 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:47.600 And then miraculously, the good shepherd feeds every single weary soul that had gathered. 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:49.759 And there's baskets left over. 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:53.819 He's showing them. 00:10:53.819 --> 00:11:03.819 He's showing us that we don't need to search anywhere else to find the restoration that our weary and hungry souls need. 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:10.379 We need to only come to the all-sufficient shepherd of our souls. 00:11:11.740 --> 00:11:13.200 Because here's the good news, friends. 00:11:13.899 --> 00:11:17.539 God created your soul, your life. 00:11:17.819 --> 00:11:18.539 He created it. 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:19.059 He made it. 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:22.199 He surely knows how to restore it. 00:11:23.539 --> 00:11:31.240 If my car were broken down and someone just wandered down the street and said, I could try to fix it, I would not believe them. 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:37.699 But if he said, no, I actually designed that car and I made it, I would be like, oh great, here's my toolbox. 00:11:37.980 --> 00:11:38.519 Have fun. 00:11:38.699 --> 00:11:39.339 Fix the thing. 00:11:39.819 --> 00:11:41.599 This is what it's like when we come to God. 00:11:41.659 --> 00:11:42.599 He made your soul. 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:45.379 Surely, he's the one who can restore your soul. 00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:57.120 And that promise that he makes in this first part of Psalm 23 to restore our souls, David says that's a promise as good as God's own name. 00:11:57.559 --> 00:12:01.519 Verse 3 says that he does all of this for his name's sake. 00:12:01.580 --> 00:12:02.340 Now, what does that mean? 00:12:02.340 --> 00:12:08.560 In the Bible, God's name refers to his revealed character. 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:11.580 He shows us who he is, his name. 00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:15.340 But it also refers to his public reputation. 00:12:15.340 --> 00:12:22.960 So, in other words, this promise that God will restore our souls, it's a good promise. 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:29.080 And it's based on the fact of who he is and the fact that he deserves glory. 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:34.240 It's a promise as good as his character and as his fame. 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:35.440 He will do it. 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:42.960 So, practically then, when our souls are weary, what should we do? 00:12:44.560 --> 00:12:55.020 What are the means at our disposal so that we can actually commune with our shepherd to be led and to be fed and to be restored by him? 00:12:55.019 --> 00:13:02.039 Well, there are ways of doing that together as sheep. 00:13:02.299 --> 00:13:06.120 After all, when God saves us as sheep, we become part of a flock, right? 00:13:06.419 --> 00:13:08.919 So, part of communing with our shepherd happens together. 00:13:09.699 --> 00:13:15.519 And those are sort of the corporate or the congregational or the gathered, what are sometimes called means of grace. 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:17.939 Ways of experiencing God together. 00:13:18.980 --> 00:13:20.000 So, how do we do that together? 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:25.720 We do that through things like worship and prayer and reading scripture together, taking the Lord's Supper. 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:29.299 What we're doing right now together and virtually at home. 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:34.720 But there are also what we might call individual means of grace. 00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:36.659 Things that we do personally, privately. 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:42.000 Things like meditation on scripture. 00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:46.039 Things like spending silence before God. 00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:48.460 Things like private prayer to God. 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:56.500 You know, these aren't just sort of things you have to tick to be okay spiritually or to be a good Christian. 00:13:56.620 --> 00:14:00.639 No, they're means, they're avenues of restoring your soul. 00:14:00.639 --> 00:14:12.939 So, the next time you feel weary, rather than scrolling on your phone or streaming the next episode of a show. 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:16.179 Not that there's anything wrong with those things. 00:14:16.199 --> 00:14:21.679 But when your soul's feeling weary and you feel yourself going to those forms of kind of cheap rest. 00:14:22.199 --> 00:14:26.799 Instead of turning to those things, turn to scripture. 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:33.979 Find a quiet place where you can quiet your heart in silence. 00:14:34.419 --> 00:14:37.299 And read God's word slowly. 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:43.120 And remember that God is present to you in glory and in love. 00:14:44.179 --> 00:14:46.479 We live very distracted lives. 00:14:47.359 --> 00:14:53.459 Taking time from our day and slowing down and being quiet is utterly essential to communing with our shepherd. 00:14:53.459 --> 00:14:55.859 Especially in our distracted world. 00:14:55.860 --> 00:15:02.620 And in those moments we can tell him our concerns and our needs and our preoccupations. 00:15:02.620 --> 00:15:04.500 And the passage that's before us. 00:15:04.560 --> 00:15:07.080 Maybe we just choose a short passage from the gospels. 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:09.340 Let that passage before you speak. 00:15:09.940 --> 00:15:12.800 Let the truths that you see there comfort you and support you. 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:17.500 Let the promises be comfort and joy for you. 00:15:17.740 --> 00:15:23.300 Let the commands that you see there be the paths of righteousness along which your shepherd wants to guide you. 00:15:23.299 --> 00:15:24.299 Listen to God. 00:15:24.299 --> 00:15:25.099 Listen to God. 00:15:25.859 --> 00:15:26.379 Rest. 00:15:27.219 --> 00:15:27.779 Breathe. 00:15:28.319 --> 00:15:28.740 Pray. 00:15:30.019 --> 00:15:33.120 Lie down in the green pastures. 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:35.959 Sit beside the still waters. 00:15:36.079 --> 00:15:40.159 Jesus has promised to be with us by his Holy Spirit. 00:15:40.279 --> 00:15:43.699 He's promised to restore your weary soul. 00:15:43.700 --> 00:15:48.080 And it's a promise as good as his name. 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:53.580 So that's the first thing that Psalm 23 shows us. 00:15:53.620 --> 00:15:55.500 That the Lord's sufficient for our weary souls. 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:58.280 But the Psalm starts to go further. 00:15:59.340 --> 00:16:02.440 And it shows us that the Lord isn't just sufficient for our weary souls. 00:16:02.560 --> 00:16:06.680 But verse 4 goes on to say that the Lord is sufficient for our fearful souls. 00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:08.520 Let me read verse 4 again. 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:14.120 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. 00:16:14.699 --> 00:16:15.500 For you are with me. 00:16:15.939 --> 00:16:17.840 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:22.720 So David is sticking here with his extended meditation on the metaphor of the Lord as our shepherd. 00:16:23.439 --> 00:16:26.199 And as the journey of the sheep with the shepherd through the wilderness continues, 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.079 the path has now grown dark. 00:16:29.059 --> 00:16:31.600 Into the valley of the shadow of death. 00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:33.279 The path leads. 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:39.600 Now that's a Hebrew turn of phrase that means something like the dark valley of darkness. 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:41.759 It's as dark as it gets. 00:16:42.339 --> 00:16:45.379 And this darkness makes us afraid. 00:16:46.899 --> 00:16:48.860 Life doesn't just make us weary. 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:51.519 It also makes us fearful. 00:16:53.500 --> 00:16:55.000 Because there are dangers. 00:16:55.779 --> 00:16:57.299 And there are unknowns. 00:16:57.899 --> 00:17:00.220 And there are things out of our control. 00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:06.440 And lingering behind them all is sort of the greatest darkness of all. 00:17:07.220 --> 00:17:10.860 That lingering darkness of death. 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:19.019 And the question is, is our shepherd enough when we are afraid? 00:17:19.600 --> 00:17:27.360 When death and its many faces comes around, as the darkness descends, you know, the death of a job that you thought you had. 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:30.179 The death of a relationship that you thought was going to be with you. 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:32.939 The death of a dream that you had been dreaming for ages. 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:37.159 Or even when literal, physical death itself stares you in the face. 00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:40.319 Is the Lord sufficient for us? 00:17:42.579 --> 00:17:44.179 Or do we need to run somewhere else? 00:17:47.699 --> 00:17:49.599 You know, David knew what it was like to be afraid. 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:54.199 Most of his young life, he was on the run from Saul. 00:17:54.839 --> 00:17:56.879 Being constantly hunted down in the wilderness. 00:17:58.199 --> 00:18:02.619 And, you know, imagine the fears that he had when he actually became king. 00:18:03.500 --> 00:18:09.139 Imagine an entire nation looking at you for leadership and strength and wisdom and protection. 00:18:09.619 --> 00:18:11.519 That's enough to make you a little afraid, isn't it? 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:19.400 And then at the end of his life, he faced the fear of his whole household collapsing under the rebellion of his son Absalom. 00:18:19.700 --> 00:18:22.099 Which drove David again out into the wilderness. 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:23.599 Just where he had begun. 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:32.019 David knew what it was like to walk through the dark valley of darkness. 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:33.980 The valley of the shadow of death. 00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:40.539 And yet, David can write here in Psalm 23, 00:18:42.259 --> 00:18:44.200 I will fear no evil. 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:46.700 No danger will I fear. 00:18:47.579 --> 00:18:47.920 Why? 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:49.539 For you are with me. 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:52.599 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:57.640 Now notice at this moment, at this moment in Psalm 23, notice what just happened. 00:18:58.059 --> 00:19:01.579 Up until this point in the Psalm, we've been talking about God, right? 00:19:01.579 --> 00:19:02.440 He leads me. 00:19:02.740 --> 00:19:03.480 He guides me. 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:05.759 But now, what are we doing? 00:19:06.099 --> 00:19:07.059 We're talking to God. 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:08.839 You're with me. 00:19:10.360 --> 00:19:14.420 And you know, meditation, thinking and sitting deeply with Scripture is like that. 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:16.360 We begin thinking about God. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:20.000 And then we end up communing with God and talking to God. 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:22.759 There's something really powerful happening here. 00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:26.000 And what is it that verse 4 points us to? 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:31.019 What is the thing that helps us fear no evil when God is with us? 00:19:31.019 --> 00:19:34.779 Your rod and your staff. 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:36.180 They comfort me. 00:19:36.180 --> 00:19:36.819 What is that? 00:19:37.460 --> 00:19:41.799 Well, it's an image of God's strength, of his power, of his authority. 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:44.180 The rod and the staff of a shepherd. 00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:51.420 Those were the, you know, the equipment that he had to protect the sheep from attack, from wolves, from lions. 00:19:51.420 --> 00:19:54.220 But also to guide the sheep from straying off the path. 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:58.940 The staff was the thing that brought them back when they were wandering far. 00:19:58.940 --> 00:20:01.640 So you see what David is saying here. 00:20:01.700 --> 00:20:06.900 He's saying that there's no threat external or internal. 00:20:07.820 --> 00:20:13.519 Either an enemy from the outside or my own internal wandering and waywardness. 00:20:13.580 --> 00:20:19.880 There's no threat outside of me or inside of me that can overwhelm God's power and authority for me. 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:22.400 His rod and his staff. 00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:27.960 If the Lord is our shepherd, David is saying, then we must be safe. 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:31.200 Safe even from death itself. 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:34.800 Now that's a powerful statement. 00:20:35.340 --> 00:20:38.940 That we are safe even from death itself. 00:20:43.140 --> 00:20:48.420 After all, our good shepherd Jesus didn't just feed the weary crowds, did he? 00:20:48.420 --> 00:20:54.779 But as we read earlier from John 10, he laid down his life for the sheep. 00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:59.460 You see, in the ancient world, this was the order of the day. 00:21:00.420 --> 00:21:02.100 Kings were called shepherds. 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:06.900 But when trouble came, what would happen? 00:21:07.420 --> 00:21:12.800 The king would muster up his armies and he would send out the sheep to go and die for the shepherd. 00:21:13.779 --> 00:21:14.740 That's how it worked. 00:21:14.740 --> 00:21:19.079 But you see how the gospel is completely different. 00:21:19.980 --> 00:21:26.160 In the gospel, when trouble comes, when sin and death and hell rear their heads, what does the shepherd do? 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:29.259 He goes out and he dies. 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:30.420 He dies for the sheep. 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:36.120 We've all gone astray, Isaiah says. 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:38.339 We're all like sheep that have gone astray. 00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:40.079 We're all sinners before a holy God. 00:21:40.160 --> 00:21:42.240 We're all headed towards death and destruction. 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:48.720 But the Lord has laid on him, on Christ, the iniquity, the sins of us all. 00:21:52.839 --> 00:22:00.059 You know, that's why Paul can say in the New Testament at the end of 1 Corinthians 15, almost in a taunt. 00:22:00.220 --> 00:22:01.140 Oh, death. 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:05.980 In light of our Savior Jesus, where is your sting? 00:22:05.980 --> 00:22:13.180 Then he goes on to say the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. 00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:17.319 Now, that's some pretty dense theologizing in about four words, right? 00:22:17.339 --> 00:22:18.160 But think about it. 00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:24.140 What has Jesus done for us that takes the sting out of death? 00:22:24.140 --> 00:22:27.259 Well, the Lord came. 00:22:28.580 --> 00:22:33.220 And in his perfectly righteous life, he fulfills the law of God for the sheep. 00:22:34.120 --> 00:22:40.780 And at the end of his life, he lays down his life to take the curse of the law, to pay the penalty of the law for our sins. 00:22:41.820 --> 00:22:48.480 So now that the law has been drained of its condemning power, sin is rendered powerless. 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:53.440 Sin can no longer condemn us because Jesus has fulfilled the law for us. 00:22:54.420 --> 00:22:56.880 So sin has been drained of its power. 00:22:56.960 --> 00:23:02.480 And if sin has been drained of its power, then when we go to death, is there any sting left in death? 00:23:04.099 --> 00:23:09.559 Because now not even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:23:11.099 --> 00:23:12.960 Do you see what the shepherd has done? 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:27.079 The one who holds the rod and the staff was willing to be struck so that we could be forgiven and face death without fear. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:30.960 Whatever that death might be. 00:23:31.059 --> 00:23:34.980 So friends, what dark valley of darkness lies before you? 00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:39.360 What is it you're afraid of? 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:52.120 Psalm 23 is saying that you have a sufficient shepherd who has walked the valley of death for you and come through the other side for you. 00:23:52.660 --> 00:24:00.039 And he now holds his rod and his staff of authority to protect you and guide you all the way through that valley as well. 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:07.299 He doesn't promise that the path will be easy, but he promises he will be with us and bring us home. 00:24:07.299 --> 00:24:18.680 So Psalm 23 shows us the Lord's sufficiency, his all-sufficiency for our souls when they're weary and for our souls when they're fearful. 00:24:19.079 --> 00:24:26.559 But last, we see that the Lord is sufficient not just for our weary souls or our fearful souls, but for our afflicted souls. 00:24:26.659 --> 00:24:28.779 For our souls when they are afflicted. 00:24:28.839 --> 00:24:30.500 Let me read verses 5 and 6 again. 00:24:30.500 --> 00:24:55.660 As Psalm 23 heads towards its conclusion and its climax, you notice here that the metaphors start to shift, don't they? 00:24:55.660 --> 00:24:57.500 The pictures start to get a little different. 00:24:57.880 --> 00:24:59.580 The shepherd is now a host. 00:25:00.140 --> 00:25:02.060 And the sheep are now guests. 00:25:02.380 --> 00:25:06.580 And the fields and the valleys are traded for a home and a table and a cup. 00:25:06.779 --> 00:25:09.200 And the present starts to look ahead to the future. 00:25:10.600 --> 00:25:13.980 You see, Psalm 23 is kind of taking us on this journey, isn't it? 00:25:13.980 --> 00:25:17.600 From the wilderness through the valley and finally back home. 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:26.500 And that story is actually as deep as the Bible itself, as all of human history. 00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:32.339 We lost our home in the garden and it's been a long road back. 00:25:34.039 --> 00:25:36.579 Isn't that the story of Israel in the Old Testament? 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:39.419 After the Exodus, God liberates them from slavery. 00:25:39.659 --> 00:25:41.039 He leads them through the wilderness. 00:25:41.219 --> 00:25:42.319 Things get pretty dark. 00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:47.519 And yet He takes them all the way to their home, their dwelling place in the promised land. 00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:52.279 And friends, that's the journey of the church in the New Testament. 00:25:52.419 --> 00:25:54.639 And that is the journey of every soul in Christ. 00:25:54.740 --> 00:25:56.179 He liberates us from sin. 00:25:56.559 --> 00:25:58.039 He leads us through the wilderness. 00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:00.759 And finally, He brings us home. 00:26:03.460 --> 00:26:10.799 But, as Psalm 23 points out, there are many enemies along the way. 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:17.539 Paul will say in Acts 14, it's through many afflictions that we must enter the kingdom of God. 00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:22.180 But notice again what the Psalm says. 00:26:23.480 --> 00:26:27.919 You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. 00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:34.379 Now, I have to confess to you, that image always struck me as a little odd. 00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:41.560 The picture of sort of enemies looking on while God sort of has us at this table eating a meal together. 00:26:43.040 --> 00:26:46.240 That always seemed a little weird, a little weird mental picture. 00:26:47.360 --> 00:26:48.940 I didn't know what that was all about. 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:53.780 But as I was studying this week, I ran across one commentator, one Bible scholar, 00:26:53.860 --> 00:26:55.300 who was talking about the next line. 00:26:55.360 --> 00:26:56.240 Talking about the line, 00:26:56.240 --> 00:26:59.900 You anoint my head with oil and my cup overflows. 00:27:00.259 --> 00:27:09.500 And he was saying that the point of those verses is to say that we are honored guests at the Lord's table. 00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:12.460 You see, in the hot sort of desert climate of the ancient Near East, 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:17.160 the guests of honor would be given sort of soothing oil for their dry skin. 00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:18.460 They'd be anointed with oil. 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:22.099 And their cups would be full of drink for them. 00:27:22.099 --> 00:27:24.399 And that's how they would be given honor. 00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:33.480 So you see, to say, to say that the Lord prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:37.859 is to say that the Lord is honoring us. 00:27:38.579 --> 00:27:43.740 Even when all around us there are those who would seek our shame. 00:27:44.139 --> 00:27:45.980 Who would want to treat us with contempt. 00:27:46.439 --> 00:27:48.519 Who would love to see us stumble and fall. 00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:52.599 You see, despite all the voices around us, 00:27:53.319 --> 00:27:54.240 God says, 00:27:54.879 --> 00:27:56.740 You are my honored guest. 00:28:01.079 --> 00:28:06.059 You know, honor, it's not a word that we use a whole lot in our culture anyway. 00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:09.759 But honor is something that we all long for. 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:16.200 And it is something that we spend so much of our lives trying to get. 00:28:16.200 --> 00:28:19.620 Trying to get a name for ourselves. 00:28:20.200 --> 00:28:21.440 Trying to get an identity. 00:28:21.620 --> 00:28:22.860 Trying to get honor, right? 00:28:23.799 --> 00:28:25.059 Whether through our looks. 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:27.920 Or through our peers and our friend group. 00:28:28.100 --> 00:28:29.420 Or through our accomplishments. 00:28:33.640 --> 00:28:37.240 Is the Lord sufficient for us even there? 00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:40.720 Even in that troubled, afflicted place in our souls 00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:43.620 where we want to be seen and honored? 00:28:43.619 --> 00:28:51.599 But look again at what Psalm 23 is sort of laying out before us. 00:28:52.599 --> 00:28:55.919 There's a table set with the finest of food. 00:28:56.719 --> 00:28:57.919 The oil is ready. 00:28:58.399 --> 00:28:59.519 The cup is full. 00:29:00.019 --> 00:29:00.899 And you have to ask, 00:29:00.979 --> 00:29:01.679 Who are the ones? 00:29:01.919 --> 00:29:04.459 Who are the ones who get the honor of such an invitation? 00:29:05.139 --> 00:29:08.599 I mean, this is the party that every party wishes it could be, right? 00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:11.219 Who are the lucky ones that get to be a part of that? 00:29:11.220 --> 00:29:14.000 Who has the honor of sitting at that table? 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:18.519 And the psalm says, 00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:18.940 It's you. 00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:20.940 You're the ones. 00:29:21.720 --> 00:29:23.480 The Lord wants you to have this honor. 00:29:24.299 --> 00:29:26.519 In the gospel, in Christ Jesus, 00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:30.339 God has given you the right to become children of God. 00:29:30.700 --> 00:29:32.539 Sons and daughters of the King. 00:29:32.940 --> 00:29:35.600 The one who has a name above every name 00:29:35.600 --> 00:29:37.000 has put his name on you 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:37.920 and says, 00:29:38.019 --> 00:29:39.339 Come sit here with me. 00:29:41.180 --> 00:29:44.319 So when the enemies of your soul gather around and say, 00:29:44.420 --> 00:29:44.980 You're nothing. 00:29:45.660 --> 00:29:46.960 You're not worth it. 00:29:47.160 --> 00:29:48.380 You'll amount to nothing. 00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:51.220 When your soul is afflicted 00:29:51.220 --> 00:29:53.220 by the voice of the accuser, 00:29:55.220 --> 00:29:55.900 the psalmist saying, 00:29:56.079 --> 00:29:57.299 Look to the table. 00:29:58.380 --> 00:30:00.500 There's a card with your name on it. 00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:02.279 And underneath your name it says, 00:30:02.680 --> 00:30:03.200 Beloved, 00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:06.700 you will never be put to shame. 00:30:10.059 --> 00:30:11.400 And that means 00:30:11.400 --> 00:30:16.279 that you don't need 00:30:16.279 --> 00:30:18.380 anything else 00:30:18.380 --> 00:30:19.559 in this life 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:21.619 to give you a name. 00:30:21.980 --> 00:30:24.140 You don't need anything else in this life 00:30:24.140 --> 00:30:25.680 to grant you the honor 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:27.920 your soul longs for. 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:29.560 You know, 00:30:29.620 --> 00:30:30.460 good looks are fine. 00:30:30.840 --> 00:30:31.560 Friends are good. 00:30:32.120 --> 00:30:33.060 Accomplishments are nice. 00:30:33.400 --> 00:30:34.440 But look to the table, 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:35.279 the psalm says. 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:36.380 Even if you have 00:30:36.380 --> 00:30:37.700 none of those things, 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:38.840 look at this table. 00:30:38.940 --> 00:30:40.019 The King of the universe 00:30:40.019 --> 00:30:41.660 has made you his own 00:30:41.660 --> 00:30:43.440 and you will dwell in his house 00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:44.140 forever. 00:30:48.759 --> 00:30:50.140 So how do we conclude then? 00:30:52.340 --> 00:30:53.140 In verse 6, 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:53.960 by the end of this psalm, 00:30:54.039 --> 00:30:54.800 David's meditation 00:30:54.800 --> 00:30:56.160 on the sufficiency of the shepherd 00:30:56.160 --> 00:30:57.779 gives him now 00:30:57.779 --> 00:30:59.080 the confidence to say 00:30:59.080 --> 00:31:00.860 that no matter what happens 00:31:00.860 --> 00:31:01.540 in this life, 00:31:02.160 --> 00:31:03.900 no matter what might make him weary, 00:31:04.300 --> 00:31:05.840 no matter what might make him afraid, 00:31:06.160 --> 00:31:07.400 no matter how many enemies 00:31:07.400 --> 00:31:07.960 may afflict 00:31:07.960 --> 00:31:09.019 and pursue him, 00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:10.300 there's one pursuit 00:31:10.300 --> 00:31:11.420 he is confident now 00:31:11.420 --> 00:31:13.140 that is going to outweigh them all. 00:31:14.420 --> 00:31:15.200 The pursuit 00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:16.160 of the goodness 00:31:16.160 --> 00:31:17.480 and mercy of God 00:31:17.480 --> 00:31:19.120 that will chase after him 00:31:19.120 --> 00:31:20.460 all of his days. 00:31:22.340 --> 00:31:22.900 Surely, 00:31:23.220 --> 00:31:23.900 David says, 00:31:23.900 --> 00:31:25.200 goodness and mercy 00:31:25.200 --> 00:31:26.160 will follow me, 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:27.500 will pursue me, 00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:28.820 will hunt me down 00:31:28.820 --> 00:31:30.640 all the days of my life. 00:31:32.820 --> 00:31:34.100 And that is true 00:31:34.100 --> 00:31:35.400 for us too. 00:31:36.120 --> 00:31:37.060 We can look 00:31:37.060 --> 00:31:39.200 over our life to come 00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:41.380 with the confidence 00:31:41.380 --> 00:31:45.460 that we have everything we need 00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:47.400 in our good shepherd, 00:31:48.120 --> 00:31:48.960 the Lord Jesus. 00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:50.579 restoration 00:31:50.579 --> 00:31:52.059 when we're weary, 00:31:53.160 --> 00:31:54.480 comfort and strength 00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:55.319 when we're fearful, 00:31:56.420 --> 00:31:56.779 honor 00:31:56.779 --> 00:31:58.860 when we're afflicted. 00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:02.680 And 00:32:02.680 --> 00:32:03.960 this morning, 00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:06.559 today, 00:32:06.740 --> 00:32:07.740 we're literally 00:32:07.740 --> 00:32:08.200 going to 00:32:08.200 --> 00:32:09.720 look to the table 00:32:09.720 --> 00:32:10.480 as it were 00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:11.980 and be reminded of this 00:32:11.980 --> 00:32:12.759 by celebrating 00:32:12.759 --> 00:32:13.420 the Lord's Supper. 00:32:14.920 --> 00:32:15.559 Now, 00:32:15.620 --> 00:32:15.900 I know 00:32:15.900 --> 00:32:16.660 that during the pandemic 00:32:16.660 --> 00:32:17.840 we don't actually have a table, 00:32:17.839 --> 00:32:18.839 we've got these little cups, 00:32:18.959 --> 00:32:19.439 so you know, 00:32:19.819 --> 00:32:20.980 we're going to make our best 00:32:20.980 --> 00:32:21.559 of it. 00:32:22.419 --> 00:32:23.539 But the Lord's Supper, 00:32:23.699 --> 00:32:23.859 friends, 00:32:23.899 --> 00:32:24.619 is the table 00:32:24.619 --> 00:32:26.259 where we see 00:32:26.259 --> 00:32:27.159 the sufficiency 00:32:27.159 --> 00:32:28.579 of Jesus for us. 00:32:29.819 --> 00:32:30.799 We get to see 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:31.819 his body broken 00:32:31.819 --> 00:32:33.079 so that we can be made whole 00:32:33.079 --> 00:32:33.619 and we get to see 00:32:33.619 --> 00:32:34.500 his blood shed 00:32:34.500 --> 00:32:36.419 so that we could be made clean. 00:32:37.279 --> 00:32:37.779 And you know, 00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:39.319 as we take these elements 00:32:39.319 --> 00:32:40.599 in our hands, 00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:42.459 we can be reminded 00:32:42.459 --> 00:32:43.720 that just as these things 00:32:43.720 --> 00:32:44.799 are real, 00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:46.720 okay, 00:32:46.779 --> 00:32:47.159 I'm not sure 00:32:47.159 --> 00:32:48.299 this is actually real bread 00:32:48.299 --> 00:32:49.379 on the top of these little cups. 00:32:49.440 --> 00:32:50.339 I'm just going to confess. 00:32:50.659 --> 00:32:51.599 But it's real, right? 00:32:51.619 --> 00:32:52.139 It's a thing. 00:32:52.200 --> 00:32:52.879 You can touch it. 00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:53.720 You can taste it. 00:32:53.779 --> 00:32:54.539 You can drink it. 00:32:54.639 --> 00:32:56.440 Just as this is a real thing, 00:32:56.839 --> 00:32:57.599 the Lord's Supper 00:32:57.599 --> 00:32:58.220 is telling us 00:32:58.220 --> 00:32:59.139 that the promises 00:32:59.139 --> 00:32:59.859 of Jesus 00:32:59.859 --> 00:33:02.079 are even more real. 00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:03.839 To be with us 00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:04.799 always in this life. 00:33:04.799 --> 00:33:05.879 To lead us 00:33:05.879 --> 00:33:07.579 and to bring us home. 00:33:10.279 --> 00:33:11.639 And for those of us 00:33:11.639 --> 00:33:12.579 today 00:33:12.579 --> 00:33:13.879 who are believers in Jesus, 00:33:13.880 --> 00:33:15.940 the table is the time 00:33:15.940 --> 00:33:17.300 when we remember 00:33:17.300 --> 00:33:18.540 and when we celebrate 00:33:18.540 --> 00:33:19.900 all that Jesus 00:33:19.900 --> 00:33:21.140 has done for us. 00:33:22.540 --> 00:33:23.640 And if you're at home 00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:24.680 joining on the live stream, 00:33:25.080 --> 00:33:25.840 grab some bread, 00:33:26.360 --> 00:33:27.240 grab some juice, 00:33:27.340 --> 00:33:28.640 and we'll do this together. 00:33:30.940 --> 00:33:31.960 But if you're here 00:33:31.960 --> 00:33:32.480 this morning 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:33.000 or you're watching 00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:33.500 this morning 00:33:33.500 --> 00:33:34.560 and you haven't 00:33:34.560 --> 00:33:35.880 placed your trust 00:33:35.880 --> 00:33:36.340 in Jesus 00:33:36.340 --> 00:33:37.320 as your good shepherd, 00:33:37.680 --> 00:33:38.860 as your king and savior, 00:33:39.540 --> 00:33:40.600 then this moment 00:33:40.600 --> 00:33:41.180 is the time 00:33:41.180 --> 00:33:42.360 to do just that. 00:33:42.359 --> 00:33:44.339 this is the time 00:33:44.339 --> 00:33:44.959 to admit 00:33:44.959 --> 00:33:46.019 that you can't 00:33:46.019 --> 00:33:46.639 save yourself 00:33:46.639 --> 00:33:47.439 because none of us 00:33:47.439 --> 00:33:48.179 actually can. 00:33:49.139 --> 00:33:50.139 And to believe 00:33:50.139 --> 00:33:50.779 that what Jesus 00:33:50.779 --> 00:33:51.740 has done in your place 00:33:51.740 --> 00:33:52.919 is sufficient for you 00:33:52.919 --> 00:33:54.479 and to commit 00:33:54.479 --> 00:33:55.339 your life to him. 00:33:55.459 --> 00:33:56.959 To step over 00:33:56.959 --> 00:33:58.000 the line, 00:33:58.059 --> 00:33:58.539 as it were, 00:33:58.979 --> 00:34:00.339 and respond 00:34:00.339 --> 00:34:02.179 to the king's invitation 00:34:02.179 --> 00:34:03.819 to join him 00:34:03.819 --> 00:34:04.519 at the table. 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:06.159 Instead of taking bread, 00:34:06.259 --> 00:34:07.199 instead of taking the cup, 00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:08.599 take Christ himself 00:34:08.599 --> 00:34:09.259 in your heart 00:34:09.259 --> 00:34:09.920 through faith 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:10.920 and know 00:34:10.920 --> 00:34:11.940 that Jesus 00:34:11.940 --> 00:34:12.559 is anyone 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:13.420 who comes to me, 00:34:13.599 --> 00:34:14.940 I'll never cast out. 00:34:15.480 --> 00:34:16.139 There's a place 00:34:16.139 --> 00:34:17.119 for you in the family. 00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:18.159 There's a place 00:34:18.159 --> 00:34:18.920 for you in the kingdom. 00:34:19.099 --> 00:34:20.340 Come and receive it. 00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:23.440 So as we prepare 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:24.519 to look to the table then, 00:34:24.680 --> 00:34:25.720 I'm going to pray for us 00:34:25.720 --> 00:34:27.079 and then we'll sing 00:34:27.079 --> 00:34:28.360 a verse of a song together, 00:34:29.099 --> 00:34:29.820 meditating on what 00:34:29.820 --> 00:34:30.460 Jesus has done 00:34:30.460 --> 00:34:30.840 and then we'll 00:34:30.840 --> 00:34:31.619 partake of the Lord's 00:34:31.619 --> 00:34:32.079 supper together. 00:34:32.180 --> 00:34:32.659 Let me pray. 00:34:32.659 --> 00:34:37.039 Lord Jesus, 00:34:37.179 --> 00:34:37.819 our good shepherd, 00:34:38.299 --> 00:34:39.879 we thank you 00:34:39.879 --> 00:34:40.879 for the bread 00:34:40.879 --> 00:34:41.819 and for the cup, 00:34:42.099 --> 00:34:42.920 for this table 00:34:42.920 --> 00:34:43.799 that you have set 00:34:43.799 --> 00:34:45.460 that reminds us 00:34:45.460 --> 00:34:47.799 of your deep 00:34:47.799 --> 00:34:48.679 and abiding love, 00:34:49.259 --> 00:34:49.859 that you have done 00:34:49.859 --> 00:34:50.379 everything 00:34:50.379 --> 00:34:51.960 that is necessary 00:34:51.960 --> 00:34:52.739 for us 00:34:52.739 --> 00:34:53.579 both now 00:34:53.579 --> 00:34:54.819 and for eternity. 00:34:54.980 --> 00:34:55.099 Lord, 00:34:55.219 --> 00:34:56.059 strengthen our hearts 00:34:56.059 --> 00:34:57.599 as we partake together 00:34:57.599 --> 00:34:58.339 and worship you. 00:34:58.339 --> 00:34:59.739 Amen.