WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:11.580 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other 00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:15.280 use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:26.780 --> 00:00:28.140 Good morning, everyone. 00:00:28.140 --> 00:00:37.000 I am Shantanez Yacob, and I'm with the Oakland Community Group and Yellow Oikos Group No. 5. 00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:48.219 I'm going to read to you today from the Old Testament, Psalms 23, 1 through 6, as printed 00:00:48.219 --> 00:00:49.480 in the liturgy. 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:53.880 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:00:54.299 --> 00:00:55.400 I lack nothing. 00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:58.560 He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:01.199 He leads me beside quiet waters. 00:01:01.619 --> 00:01:02.879 He refreshes my soul. 00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:06.719 He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. 00:01:07.299 --> 00:01:12.519 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 00:01:13.099 --> 00:01:15.400 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:19.640 You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:22.599 You anoint my head with oil. 00:01:23.079 --> 00:01:24.500 My cup overflows. 00:01:24.859 --> 00:01:30.500 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:32.340 in the house of the Lord forever. 00:01:33.060 --> 00:01:38.659 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. 00:01:38.659 --> 00:01:38.859 Amen. 00:01:38.859 --> 00:01:39.060 Amen. 00:01:40.340 --> 00:01:49.459 So, as we wrap up this sermon series today, I hope that we have convinced you about the 00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:51.620 central place of the Psalms. 00:01:51.719 --> 00:01:57.939 It's quite literally in the center of our Bibles as the prayer book of the Scriptures, as the 00:01:57.939 --> 00:02:00.099 hymn book of the people of God. 00:02:00.099 --> 00:02:03.280 And it's meant to be central in our lives. 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:09.079 God intends these prayers and these songs of Jesus that have been divinely inspired to 00:02:09.079 --> 00:02:13.079 be on the lips and be in the hearts of his people on a daily basis. 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:16.280 And so, we hope that you'll continue on in the Psalms. 00:02:16.419 --> 00:02:20.919 We've actually created a playlist, hopefully you've seen that, of Psalms that you can listen 00:02:20.919 --> 00:02:21.280 to. 00:02:22.259 --> 00:02:27.859 And as you're spending time alone with God in the morning or on your commute to work or 00:02:27.860 --> 00:02:32.820 washing the dishes or winding down at night, and we want to just give you opportunities 00:02:32.820 --> 00:02:39.280 to immerse yourself in these Psalms because, as the very first Psalm says, the person who 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:46.400 meditates on the word of the Lord, the person who delights themselves in these Psalms is the 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:52.300 person who's blessed, the person who's planted like a tree by streams of water that's flourishing 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:54.040 and fruitful for all time. 00:02:54.040 --> 00:02:56.300 And that's our prayer and our hope for you. 00:02:56.300 --> 00:03:02.340 I can think of no better way to conclude this series that we've called The Holy Habits 00:03:02.340 --> 00:03:08.560 of Grace than with this pearl of a psalm, Psalm 23, which is all about the grace of God. 00:03:08.660 --> 00:03:14.520 It's all about, it's a celebration of the trustworthiness of our good and gracious God. 00:03:14.900 --> 00:03:22.040 And my guess is that with the possible exception of John 3.16, there's perhaps no more familiar 00:03:22.039 --> 00:03:25.159 portion of the Bible than the 23rd Psalm. 00:03:25.159 --> 00:03:29.500 It's very often memorized by children in their earliest years. 00:03:29.799 --> 00:03:36.399 It's been set to music by Bach, Schubert, Williams, countless hymns, one of which we're 00:03:36.399 --> 00:03:38.319 going to sing in just a little bit. 00:03:39.180 --> 00:03:46.340 This is one of the most beloved psalms by billions of people down the centuries and around 00:03:46.340 --> 00:04:16.319 the world today. 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:18.060 shepherds of their kingdoms. 00:04:18.279 --> 00:04:23.459 And so here is David, the shepherd king, and he's writing this poetic song about his 00:04:23.459 --> 00:04:25.899 shepherd king, this greater shepherd king. 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:26.719 And who is that? 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:32.159 Well, notice the opening and closing words of this psalm. 00:04:32.259 --> 00:04:34.319 Verse 1, who is my shepherd? 00:04:35.219 --> 00:04:36.060 It's the Lord. 00:04:36.060 --> 00:04:40.019 And notice in verse 6, it says, where will I dwell forever? 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:42.980 In the house of the Lord. 00:04:43.780 --> 00:04:46.000 This is a psalm about the Lord. 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:47.300 It's a psalm about Yahweh. 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:52.959 It's a psalm about this God who revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush and he said, my 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:54.420 name is I am who I am. 00:04:55.060 --> 00:04:56.500 I will be who I will be. 00:04:57.300 --> 00:04:58.740 I am the Lord. 00:04:58.740 --> 00:05:04.340 And what does it mean to be in a covenant relationship with the Lord? 00:05:04.400 --> 00:05:08.720 What does it mean that he has committed to you through thick and thin? 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:11.819 Well, that's what I want to explore today under three headings. 00:05:12.860 --> 00:05:14.360 The Lord is my good shepherd. 00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:26.379 The Lord is my good shepherd, my resurrection hope, and my generous king. 00:05:27.300 --> 00:05:30.100 First of all, the Lord is my good shepherd. 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:32.740 That's where David begins. 00:05:33.220 --> 00:05:35.480 Verse 1, the Lord is my shepherd. 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:37.780 I lack nothing. 00:05:39.100 --> 00:05:42.040 David says, imagine yourself as a sheep. 00:05:42.620 --> 00:05:42.780 Okay? 00:05:42.779 --> 00:05:50.519 Imagine yourself as a sheep and you're out in the trackless spaces of the mountainous wilderness 00:05:50.519 --> 00:05:53.779 of Palestine where David's writing the psalm. 00:05:55.119 --> 00:05:57.459 And what are you thinking as a sheep? 00:05:57.619 --> 00:06:03.039 You're thinking in that place, you're thinking, I'm going to die out here on my own. 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:09.959 I am threatened by human thieves and by wild predators. 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:13.419 Wolves, lions, bears, snakes, oh my. 00:06:14.819 --> 00:06:18.779 I am threatened by sudden blinding dust storms. 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:21.779 By food and water shortages. 00:06:22.459 --> 00:06:27.620 By loose rocks where I can just fall down suddenly into a ravine. 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:29.519 By furnace-like heat. 00:06:29.740 --> 00:06:31.399 By flash floods. 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:39.620 My goodness, want and hardship and injury and death are never far from me and from my young. 00:06:40.819 --> 00:06:42.259 So what am I going to do? 00:06:42.259 --> 00:06:49.899 I'm not going to last very long out here by myself with my own resources and in my own self-sufficiency. 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:53.620 I desperately need protection and provision. 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:59.019 And then you realize, I have a shepherd. 00:06:59.879 --> 00:07:00.980 What a relief. 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:02.819 I'm not alone. 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:10.040 I don't have to fend for myself with all these external threats and all of these internal needs. 00:07:10.040 --> 00:07:17.580 And if I have a shepherd out here in this fierce wilderness, then I have someone who's looking out for me. 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:19.600 Somebody who's skilled. 00:07:20.439 --> 00:07:22.660 Somebody who's devoted. 00:07:23.540 --> 00:07:24.660 Somebody who's courageous. 00:07:24.860 --> 00:07:26.680 Somebody who is trustworthy. 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:31.459 And if my shepherd is the Lord. 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:37.019 If my shepherd is I am who I am and I will be who I will be. 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:44.500 If my shepherd is this all-sufficient, all-competent, all-abundant God who is without limitation. 00:07:44.939 --> 00:07:47.699 If my shepherd lacks nothing, then guess what? 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:50.079 I lack nothing. 00:07:50.079 --> 00:08:01.159 I can trust and I can be confident that he is personally and lovingly caring for the needs of each individual sheep in his flock. 00:08:01.339 --> 00:08:05.240 And that I have the privilege of being one of those treasured sheep. 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:11.839 And then David begins to list, you know, some of his essential needs. 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:15.060 And he says, you know, without these essential needs being met, I will die. 00:08:15.219 --> 00:08:18.219 If I lack these things, I will not be alive very long. 00:08:18.219 --> 00:08:19.279 And this is what he says. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:21.259 In verse 2. 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:24.259 He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:26.459 He leads me beside quiet waters. 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:27.899 He refreshes my soul. 00:08:28.659 --> 00:08:31.379 He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:40.019 These are the legitimate needs that my shepherd sees to each day so that I lack nothing that I really need. 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:44.799 And Psalm 23, if you notice, it kind of follows a typical day. 00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:47.559 The day in the life of a shepherd with his sheep. 00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:50.719 And what's the first thing we need in the morning? 00:08:51.379 --> 00:08:52.859 We need food. 00:08:53.459 --> 00:08:54.859 Sheep are kind of like human beings. 00:08:54.939 --> 00:08:55.559 We need to eat. 00:08:56.559 --> 00:09:07.079 And so in the morning, the shepherd's first basic task is to lead the sheep to graze on that new, fresh grass that sprouts in the rainy season. 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:16.700 And this image of lying down in green pastures, that's a sign that you not only have the food you need, you have more than enough to feed on. 00:09:16.700 --> 00:09:22.320 And what else does our shepherd supply in addition to these green pastures? 00:09:22.420 --> 00:09:25.080 It says he leads me beside quiet waters. 00:09:25.220 --> 00:09:29.020 He leads me to these pools in these mountain springs. 00:09:29.140 --> 00:09:38.940 He gets me to a place where my thirst that now as the day is going on and the noonday heat, my thirst is almost unbearable and sharp. 00:09:38.940 --> 00:09:48.660 He gets me to a place where I can safely quench that thirst and confidently drink, even though there's all these predators around me that would attack me. 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:49.780 I'm safe. 00:09:49.779 --> 00:10:04.919 And now that he's sated my hunger and he's slaked my thirst, well, I can lie down at midday in a shady resting place because my good shepherd doesn't want me always on the move. 00:10:05.199 --> 00:10:08.899 He doesn't want me hurrying and busy and exhausting myself. 00:10:10.100 --> 00:10:15.620 No, he daily leads me to a quiet place where I can rest in tranquility and freedom. 00:10:15.620 --> 00:10:25.759 And by providing me with rich food and cool drink and quiet rest, my good shepherd revives my spirit. 00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:32.159 He revives my life and my vitality and my strength so that I can continue on the journey. 00:10:33.500 --> 00:10:38.179 And the psalmist says he guides me along right paths for his name's sake. 00:10:38.519 --> 00:10:44.180 And we need to be very careful not to misunderstand this because some of us can read that and we can think, oh, I get it. 00:10:44.179 --> 00:10:51.539 He leads me along right paths so that I can prove myself worthy to be accepted as his sheep. 00:10:53.839 --> 00:10:54.439 No. 00:10:55.779 --> 00:11:00.719 He leads me along right paths because he's already committed to me to be my shepherd. 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:11.179 And the Christian gospel says, the historic Christian faith says, you know, I once was lost while I was straying on wrong paths. 00:11:11.179 --> 00:11:15.759 But my good shepherd searched for me with great effort. 00:11:15.859 --> 00:11:19.219 He came and found me and he rescued me at great cost to himself. 00:11:19.319 --> 00:11:25.519 And he laid down his life for me in order to put me on the right path where he can now lead me. 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:27.319 That's the gospel. 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:30.439 And why does my shepherd do this? 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:32.759 It says he does it for his name's sake. 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:41.960 He does it to let everyone know that he, his reputation and his integrity as a good shepherd is trustworthy. 00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:48.000 And that he's determined not to lose even one of his sheep. 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:49.460 Right? 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:50.559 So he rescues us. 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:52.480 He provides food and drink for us. 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:54.580 He gives us rest and refreshment to us. 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:57.259 He guides and he leads us. 00:11:57.259 --> 00:12:06.620 He reliably provides for everything that we really ultimately need so that we can say, I lack nothing. 00:12:08.860 --> 00:12:13.240 My question for some of you here today is, who is shepherding you? 00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:17.220 Who is your shepherd? 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:29.560 If it's anyone other than the Lord, if it's you shepherding yourself, if it's another person, if it's a group of people or a system of people that's shepherding you, 00:12:29.660 --> 00:12:35.139 this psalm is telling you that ultimately you're going to end up lacking. 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:44.019 You're going to be in a place where you're empty and unsatisfied, where you're hungry and thirsty, where you're weary and exhausted, 00:12:44.019 --> 00:12:49.379 where you are lost, exposed, and endangered on wrong paths. 00:12:51.299 --> 00:12:56.220 And so it's an invitation to come and have the Lord become your shepherd. 00:12:57.539 --> 00:13:03.600 But if the one who's shepherding you is the Lord, the question we've been asking in this sermon series is, 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:13.500 what is your daily habit for feeding on these green pastures that he's so richly and abundantly provided for you in his word? 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:21.860 What's your daily habit of grazing on the spiritual food of divine revelation? 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:29.919 And what is your daily habit for drinking from these quiet waters in these cooling pools of God's Spirit and prayer? 00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:38.399 And what is that weekly habit for you of finding rest and refreshment in the Lord on his Sabbath day, 00:13:38.539 --> 00:13:44.699 of finding that spiritual rest of worshiping in his presence, being renewed by his grace and peace, 00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:49.460 being reminded of the right paths that he wants to lead you in for his name's sake? 00:13:50.740 --> 00:13:59.460 If we ignore or if we neglect the pastures and the pools and the rest that our good shepherd is providing for us, 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:03.259 then it may be difficult for us to affirm with the psalmist, 00:14:03.940 --> 00:14:04.940 I lack nothing. 00:14:05.740 --> 00:14:07.520 I lack nothing that I really need. 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:16.079 But if we are engaging with the scriptures and prayers and Sabbath rest and all the other holy habits of grace 00:14:16.079 --> 00:14:19.639 that the Lord, our good shepherd, is providing for us, 00:14:19.699 --> 00:14:23.379 then we can most likely agree with the psalmist today and say, 00:14:23.379 --> 00:14:25.980 He refreshes my soul. 00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:31.879 Even in the midst of real difficult times, 00:14:32.379 --> 00:14:34.399 He refreshes my soul. 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:39.840 So that's what it means to have the Lord as my good shepherd. 00:14:41.299 --> 00:14:44.000 But the psalm continues on. 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:45.820 It's not just that the Lord is our good shepherd. 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:49.200 The Lord is my resurrection hope. 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:52.100 The Lord is my resurrection hope. 00:14:53.379 --> 00:14:56.399 And we come now to the central verse at the heart of this psalm, 00:14:56.500 --> 00:15:03.399 and it's the reason really that Psalm 23 is often read at someone's deathbed or at someone's funeral, 00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:06.159 because it says this in verse 4. 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:11.679 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:16.419 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:15:16.419 --> 00:15:23.679 The good shepherd, he guides me along right paths, 00:15:24.219 --> 00:15:31.939 and somehow those right paths involve taking me through some deep and dark valleys. 00:15:31.940 --> 00:15:36.440 These hostile places that are filled with dangers, right? 00:15:36.520 --> 00:15:40.220 Where predators lurk and where thieves are hiding. 00:15:42.020 --> 00:15:47.820 My shepherd somehow sees fit to lead me into those dangerous places. 00:15:47.820 --> 00:15:54.620 Into this place where, like, if a thunderstorm hits and a flash flood comes without warning, 00:15:54.760 --> 00:15:56.660 I can be washed away in an instant. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:07.340 He leads me down into these dark ravines that are full of shadows and gloom and distress and sorrow and fear and evil. 00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:12.899 You know, I'm so grateful that the Bible is just honest about these things, 00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:20.440 because I've had to go through at least two significant and deep and dark valleys in my life. 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:22.700 Each of them lasted about four or five years. 00:16:24.040 --> 00:16:29.019 And I'm so glad that the Bible is just honest about these valleys of sickness and suffering, 00:16:29.540 --> 00:16:33.420 these valleys of stress and conflict, these valleys of grief, 00:16:34.019 --> 00:16:37.160 and the greatest of death valley, death itself, right? 00:16:38.100 --> 00:16:42.780 I'm so grateful that there's no denial here about the valleys of deep darkness, 00:16:42.780 --> 00:16:47.580 that there is, in fact, this section of the trail, this section of the journey that cannot be avoided. 00:16:48.820 --> 00:16:50.240 And there's no bypass road. 00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:53.259 There's no magical escape, right? 00:16:53.340 --> 00:16:54.480 Evil and death are real. 00:16:54.639 --> 00:16:56.139 We cannot deny them. 00:16:56.300 --> 00:16:59.100 They're a reality that we must face. 00:17:00.460 --> 00:17:06.440 But our shepherd will not allow us to face the valley alone. 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:07.899 Right? 00:17:07.899 --> 00:17:11.359 He won't allow us to remain stuck in the valley. 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:16.579 He won't allow us to dwell in the valley of darkness forever. 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:18.220 What does the psalm say? 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:18.500 It says, 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:23.240 I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:27.039 For you are with me. 00:17:28.099 --> 00:17:35.700 Now, if you don't know this already, sheep have a very special problem, and that is that they have no defenses. 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:37.279 Right? 00:17:37.380 --> 00:17:39.759 A sheep doesn't really have a real bite. 00:17:40.019 --> 00:17:43.900 I mean, they can nibble on you, but they can't really do much damage to you. 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:45.019 They have no claws. 00:17:45.019 --> 00:17:48.720 They cannot outrun any serious predator. 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:57.460 The only thing a sheep can really do is just butt other sheep, which is not very helpful, by the way. 00:17:57.460 --> 00:18:01.480 And so, the sheep's only security is what? 00:18:02.980 --> 00:18:03.720 It's the shepherd. 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:09.360 His only security is to say, you are with me. 00:18:10.360 --> 00:18:15.720 And I am not afraid, because you walk beside me. 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:20.740 Here I am, down in this dark valley of evil and sin and death. 00:18:21.500 --> 00:18:27.000 But I do not fear, because your protective presence saves me and reassures me. 00:18:27.940 --> 00:18:35.920 Now, we know that Psalm 23 is one of Jesus' favorite psalms, because of the many, many ways that he takes this image, 00:18:36.059 --> 00:18:40.799 and he applies it to his person and his work, to his identity and his mission. 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:45.559 We read in the Gospel of Matthew these words, chapter 9. 00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:46.039 It says, 00:18:46.879 --> 00:18:51.839 When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless. 00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:56.899 They were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 00:18:59.019 --> 00:19:06.619 What that says is that if you try to make your way through this harsh and brutal world of evil and death without a shepherd, 00:19:06.879 --> 00:19:09.079 you are going to be full of anxiety and fear. 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:11.359 You are going to be distressed and dispirited. 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:13.039 You are going to be harassed and helpless. 00:19:14.699 --> 00:19:17.379 But that's why Jesus came from heaven to earth. 00:19:17.539 --> 00:19:27.139 Jesus stepped out of eternity and into time to be God with us in the darkest valley. 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:28.339 Right? 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:34.000 He took on flesh so that he could walk through the shadows of evil and death by our side. 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:36.740 I will not fear, for you are with me. 00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:39.799 For you, Jesus, came to be with me. 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:46.339 But Jesus did not just come to be with us and to comfort us with his divine presence. 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:50.819 He says very explicitly in the Gospel of John, chapter 10, he says, 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:56.240 I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. 00:19:56.539 --> 00:19:57.740 I am the good shepherd. 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:00.799 The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:08.180 When the hired hand sees the wolf coming to attack the flock, he abandons the sheep and runs away. 00:20:08.619 --> 00:20:11.619 Because he's a hired hand and he cares nothing for the sheep. 00:20:12.099 --> 00:20:13.339 But I am the good shepherd. 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:16.519 And I know my sheep and my sheep know me. 00:20:16.599 --> 00:20:19.359 Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. 00:20:19.819 --> 00:20:21.759 And I lay down my life for the sheep. 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:28.019 The reason the Father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again. 00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:32.019 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:37.019 I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. 00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:49.559 Jesus came to deliver us from this dark valley of evil and death by going all the way down to the bottom of the valley for us. 00:20:50.420 --> 00:20:52.700 By laying down his life. 00:20:52.819 --> 00:20:53.799 By going to the cross. 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:56.000 By descending into hell. 00:20:56.139 --> 00:21:02.819 By entering into the depths of death so that there he could dismantle its power. 00:21:02.819 --> 00:21:07.839 And then he could pass through it and come out the other side alive. 00:21:07.939 --> 00:21:12.899 He says, I've not only come to lay down my life, but to authoritatively take it up again. 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:19.179 And so our good shepherd, Jesus, he's conquered over the valley of death. 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:23.379 And he's won the victory for us in his resurrection. 00:21:24.759 --> 00:21:30.859 And because God the Father brought his son Jesus through the valley of death, we don't have to be afraid of it. 00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:31.980 Right? 00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:37.680 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:21:38.920 --> 00:21:46.279 This rod, this short and sturdy stick is used by a shepherd to fight off hostile predators that would attack the sheep. 00:21:46.339 --> 00:21:48.680 And I'm not going to demonstrate how to do that this morning. 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:50.339 But trust me, it works. 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:57.640 This staff, this long and slender stick is used to prod and pull the sheep to keep them on the right path. 00:21:57.640 --> 00:22:11.320 And our resurrected and living Jesus, our resurrected and living shepherd is fully equipped with these instruments of power and authority to save his sheep. 00:22:12.580 --> 00:22:13.100 Right? 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:19.400 The rod of his cross and the staff of his resurrection, they comfort me. 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:21.420 They give me security. 00:22:21.420 --> 00:22:21.460 They give me security. 00:22:22.560 --> 00:22:24.360 The rod of his protection. 00:22:25.400 --> 00:22:28.540 The staff of his guidance, they dispel my fears. 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:30.920 They encourage me and they strengthen me. 00:22:32.040 --> 00:22:43.540 The resurrected and living Jesus gives us hope that he will bring us through the dark valley of evil and death because he has already gone through it for us. 00:22:43.539 --> 00:23:13.519 And he will lead us through the dark valley of evil and he will lead us through the dark valley of evil and death. 00:23:14.099 --> 00:23:14.980 Verse 5. 00:23:16.139 --> 00:23:18.879 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:21.359 You anoint my head with oil. 00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:23.160 My cup overflows. 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:26.039 Now David shifts the metaphor and you have to follow him here. 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:30.440 Otherwise, you're thinking about sheep around a table and that's not quite right. 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:37.079 What David says here is, you know what's better than being a sheep under the care of a good shepherd? 00:23:37.079 --> 00:23:45.939 It's being the friend of a wealthy and generous king and being wined and dined in his royal tent. 00:23:45.940 --> 00:23:46.920 I love the shepherd. 00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:54.480 The Lord is my bountiful host, and I am his honored guest and his treasured friend, 00:23:55.140 --> 00:23:57.680 and I'm wanted and welcomed by the King. 00:23:58.940 --> 00:24:05.740 The King is providing and caring for me through this lavish hospitality of this festive meal. 00:24:06.700 --> 00:24:12.460 This table is set with bowls and with goblets of rich food and fine wine. 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:17.620 There's more here on this table than I could possibly ever take in. 00:24:18.860 --> 00:24:22.380 And notice the context in which this meal is being enjoyed. 00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:25.680 It's in the presence of my enemies. 00:24:27.059 --> 00:24:31.420 Just as a shepherd provides pastures and pools and rest in the midst of predators, 00:24:31.420 --> 00:24:37.700 so mighty is this King that I enjoy a royal banquet right in front of my adversaries 00:24:37.700 --> 00:24:40.380 who look on helplessly and cannot touch me, 00:24:40.380 --> 00:24:49.460 while he pours out his costly love to reassure me that I'm his chosen and beloved friend. 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:57.620 My King, in all of his wealth, in all of his generosity, in all of his care, 00:24:57.620 --> 00:25:01.620 he comes in the middle of this feast and he anoints my head with oil 00:25:01.620 --> 00:25:04.740 because he wants me to have joy. 00:25:05.520 --> 00:25:07.440 He wants me to be renewed. 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:08.580 He wants me to be healed. 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:09.980 He wants me to be refreshed. 00:25:11.340 --> 00:25:15.840 My King, every time I take a sip of his ridiculously expensive wine, 00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:22.340 my goblet is so quickly refilled with wine that it's brimful and just overflowing on the table. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:25.360 And friends, what is this table? 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:31.080 What is this cup that the Lord prepares for us at such great cost to himself? 00:25:31.079 --> 00:25:40.159 You see, this is why Jesus, on the night before his cross, he gathered his disciples around a table 00:25:40.159 --> 00:25:46.619 and he gave them, he gave the church, he gave us this holy habit of grace we call communion. 00:25:48.039 --> 00:25:52.799 So that when we take that little piece of bread and we take that little sip of wine, 00:25:52.899 --> 00:25:58.359 it not only points us backwards to his cross where our good shepherd laid down his life 00:25:58.359 --> 00:26:00.559 and had his body broken and his blood poured out. 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:05.899 But this table also points us forward to the king's banquet table 00:26:05.899 --> 00:26:11.500 and the king's feast is being prepared for us and is waiting for us in the kingdom of God. 00:26:13.059 --> 00:26:18.899 Jesus is telling us at this table that I've prepared this table for you in the presence of your enemies, 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:21.799 in the presence of sin, death, hell, and the devil. 00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:27.720 And I've given you this cup that's full of my shed blood as a sign of my love. 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:31.839 And I've anointed your head with the oil of the Holy Spirit. 00:26:31.960 --> 00:26:40.460 And these, friends, are gifts that are not only necessary, but they are sufficient to sustain you in your life with me. 00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:44.779 They're sufficient to sustain you in your journey home. 00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:51.319 And you see, Psalm 23 is all about finding our way to our true home. 00:26:52.460 --> 00:26:54.119 And that's where it ends in verse 6. 00:26:54.220 --> 00:26:58.259 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 00:26:58.299 --> 00:27:00.980 and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:10.420 The Lord, our shepherd and our king, he's this omnicompetent and trustworthy sovereign 00:27:10.420 --> 00:27:15.160 who can meet our essential needs so that we lack nothing. 00:27:16.519 --> 00:27:22.500 And the end of this psalm affirms that my most basic and my most ultimate needs 00:27:22.500 --> 00:27:28.980 have to do with experiencing the goodness and the love of the Lord. 00:27:28.980 --> 00:27:34.759 My most basic and deepest and ultimate needs have to do with living at home 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:39.820 in the presence and in the house of the Lord without end. 00:27:41.420 --> 00:27:45.340 And you see that word there, love, when it says your goodness and love will follow me, 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:49.800 that word love means your grace that's freely offered to the undeserving. 00:27:51.600 --> 00:27:56.880 That word love means God's sworn loyalty in his covenant faithfulness. 00:27:56.880 --> 00:28:01.840 And what it says there is that your love, it's not just kind of passively following me. 00:28:02.860 --> 00:28:05.680 No, your love is actively pursuing me. 00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:12.539 You're actively pursuing me with both your goodness and your love so that I cannot escape 00:28:12.539 --> 00:28:19.220 the Lord's unfailing desire and commitment to do me ultimate eternal good. 00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:28.480 And this pursuit that the Lord has undertaken, this chase where he's nipping at my heels with his goodness and his love, 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:32.420 it says it's going to last as long as I live. 00:28:32.420 --> 00:28:38.720 That I will be followed all the days of my life all the way to my true home in God. 00:28:39.940 --> 00:28:44.720 And because of this gracious love, this faithful love of the Lord 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:54.380 that's attending me most closely and most unceasingly in all the little details of every endeavor of my life, 00:28:54.380 --> 00:28:57.800 I have everything that I really need and most importantly, 00:28:58.180 --> 00:29:02.160 I have a permanent dwelling place in the house of the Lord forever. 00:29:03.620 --> 00:29:10.960 The God who's come to be with us in Jesus Christ will take us to be with him in the kingdom of God. 00:29:12.060 --> 00:29:18.860 And even now I'm invited into a relationship with this God of loving trust, 00:29:18.859 --> 00:29:28.979 of total dependence, and of absolute confidence in the goodness and grace of my shepherd king who cares for me. 00:29:30.419 --> 00:29:35.439 So as I close, just some questions for us. 00:29:37.139 --> 00:29:46.339 Do you need spiritual nourishment, rest of heart, peace of mind, refreshing of soul? 00:29:46.339 --> 00:29:53.539 Do you need guidance in today's moral maze toward the right paths? 00:29:54.639 --> 00:29:59.939 Do you need companionship in the dark valleys of life? 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:05.299 Do you need protection from evil and from enemies? 00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:10.480 Do you need a feast of love in this cold and cruel world? 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:17.920 Do you need goodness and grace to enable you to live for something and someone beyond yourself? 00:30:19.180 --> 00:30:28.120 Do you need a home and roots and a family and a table where you can dwell securely and peacefully and joyfully? 00:30:29.180 --> 00:30:33.240 Do you need hope for a glorious future in the Lord's house forever? 00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:35.819 All of us need all of these things. 00:30:35.980 --> 00:30:38.480 Every person you meet has all of these needs. 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:43.680 And who is it that can meet these basic and ultimate needs for us? 00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:48.019 It's the sovereign and transcendent Lord. 00:30:49.220 --> 00:30:50.539 I am who I am. 00:30:51.259 --> 00:30:52.799 I will be who I will be. 00:30:53.779 --> 00:30:55.819 Infinite and unlimited in power. 00:30:56.759 --> 00:31:01.720 Who's able and who's willing to meet you in all of these needs as your good shepherd. 00:31:02.660 --> 00:31:04.099 As your resurrection hope. 00:31:05.019 --> 00:31:06.400 And as your generous king. 00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:11.300 So friends I just want to encourage us as we conclude this sermon series. 00:31:12.560 --> 00:31:13.680 Put your trust in him. 00:31:15.360 --> 00:31:16.480 And don't be afraid. 00:31:17.840 --> 00:31:19.200 For he's our only comfort. 00:31:20.580 --> 00:31:23.380 His rod and his staff is our only comfort. 00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:25.240 In life and in death. 00:31:26.360 --> 00:31:28.060 In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 00:31:28.920 --> 00:31:29.140 Amen. 00:31:29.140 --> 00:31:29.280 Amen. 00:31:29.280 --> 00:31:29.340 Amen. 00:31:29.340 --> 00:31:29.360 Amen. 00:31:29.360 --> 00:31:29.380 Amen. 00:31:29.380 --> 00:31:29.400 Amen. 00:31:29.400 --> 00:31:29.440 Amen. 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:29.460 Amen. 00:31:29.460 --> 00:31:29.500 Amen. 00:31:29.500 --> 00:31:29.560 Amen.