WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:04.759 Well, good morning. As you've probably worked out by now, my name's Archie. I'm the pastor 00:00:04.759 --> 00:00:11.359 in training here, and it's my joy to be opening up this wonderful and familiar psalm for us 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:14.700 this morning. It would be really helpful for you to have it open in front of you, even 00:00:14.700 --> 00:00:18.900 though I'm sure many of you probably know it off by heart. It would still be great if 00:00:18.900 --> 00:00:23.859 you had it open in front of you. And as you do that, let me pray for God's help. 00:00:23.859 --> 00:00:32.039 Heavenly Father, we thank you so much that you are with us by your Holy Spirit. 00:00:33.780 --> 00:00:38.679 And we pray that this morning, as we spend time in your word, we would know your presence 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:46.460 with us, that you would help us to understand it rightly, and that each of us would be applying 00:00:46.460 --> 00:00:51.939 it to our hearts this morning. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:00:53.859 --> 00:00:58.320 And if you know me, actually, even if you don't know me, probably just looking at me, 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:04.959 this won't be a surprise to you. I love cake. And I'm really lucky because my wife, Katie, 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:09.760 she loves baking, and she's really good at it. I mean, she really is very good at it. And 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:14.560 I hope that some of you will get to try her lemon drizzle cake one day. It's really good. But 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:21.140 when I'm at home, I know that my wife is baking because I can smell it, right? You might know that 00:01:21.140 --> 00:01:28.819 familiar smell of a baking cake in the oven. You can almost taste it. If you're lucky, you might even 00:01:28.819 --> 00:01:35.620 get to taste it as you lick the spoon before the cake comes out of the oven. But that smell 00:01:35.620 --> 00:01:45.280 and that taste of the cake on the spoon, it's not the cake, is it? Not yet. It's just a flavor of it. 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:51.380 We just can't help ourselves, can we? It's just what we're like. We're so impatient. 00:01:51.379 --> 00:02:00.099 We want to experience the cake now. A cake is a silly example, but it's true in life. It's everywhere. 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:09.579 Buy now, pay later, keep the instant gratification monkey happy. Lots of good things in life, 00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:20.060 and we want to have them now. This Psalm, Psalm 23, is probably one of, if not the most familiar 00:02:20.060 --> 00:02:26.420 and loved passages in all of Scripture. And it's got me thinking over the last couple of weeks, 00:02:26.420 --> 00:02:36.719 in the Christian life, what can we expect from God now? And what are God's promises for the future? 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:44.680 The now and the not yet promises of God. That might sound slightly trivial or even academic, 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:51.180 but this really affects everything for the Christian. Just a couple of weeks ago, I spent 00:02:51.180 --> 00:02:56.000 a weekend down south with some friends, and they go to this church where the emphasis really is 00:02:56.000 --> 00:03:05.879 on what is for now. Chasing after healing and blessing and experience. So much so that sadly, 00:03:06.040 --> 00:03:12.800 they really, I think, struggle to engage with ordinary life. Ordinary life, which is for all of us, 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:22.480 isn't it? Marked by challenges and trials and suffering. These friends of mine, they love Jesus. 00:03:22.820 --> 00:03:29.720 The church that they go to loves Jesus, and they want to make Jesus known. But I worry that as they 00:03:29.720 --> 00:03:37.280 emphasize and chase blessings in this life, they miss out on the reality of eternal blessing. 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:43.020 Because in conversation with them, it's really clear that many of them are actually facing massive 00:03:43.020 --> 00:03:51.080 disappointments. Swept up in this language of heaven come down. But if they're honest, 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:58.860 they are struggling and suffering in life. That tumor that they're praying for continues to grow. 00:03:58.860 --> 00:04:09.300 The family dynamic remains broken. The trauma remains painful. And because of the way that they're taught, 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:14.260 it just doesn't add up for them. Because every Sunday, they're promised this sort of freedom from 00:04:14.260 --> 00:04:21.580 suffering blessing today. Blessings that ultimately aren't actually guaranteed until eternity. 00:04:21.579 --> 00:04:28.639 That's not to say, of course, that the Christian life is one without blessing or healing or experiences of God. 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:33.819 As we walk through this psalm together this morning, we'll see that being a Christian, that knowing Jesus, 00:04:34.199 --> 00:04:41.979 it is really good. But it is not a promise of a suffering-free life. Not yet. 00:04:43.740 --> 00:04:47.139 So we're going to do two things this morning as we approach this psalm. 00:04:47.139 --> 00:04:53.139 Firstly, just a sort of note on how to read these psalms that we've been as David and as Jesus. 00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:56.740 That's sort of a recap of where we've already been in this series. 00:04:56.860 --> 00:04:59.439 And then secondly, we're going to just read this psalm for ourselves. 00:05:00.419 --> 00:05:06.579 And as I mentioned, we're in this series, the King in all his glory, looking at Psalms 20 to 24. 00:05:07.620 --> 00:05:10.560 And we've got to ask the question, how do we actually read these psalms well? 00:05:11.139 --> 00:05:14.579 Instead of just reading ourselves straight into them, with each of these psalms, 00:05:14.579 --> 00:05:18.599 if you have a look at them, and even just spread across that page, 00:05:18.759 --> 00:05:22.479 the italics at the top of each of these psalms has something like a psalm of David, 00:05:23.039 --> 00:05:24.919 or a variation on that theme. 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:29.139 And those subtitles in the psalms, they're there in the original Hebrew, 00:05:29.259 --> 00:05:30.819 so we've got to pay attention to them. 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:34.259 This is his psalm, David's psalm. 00:05:34.620 --> 00:05:35.659 He wrote it. 00:05:36.479 --> 00:05:38.139 David, the King of Israel. 00:05:39.219 --> 00:05:42.620 But of course, Psalm 23 is such a personal psalm, isn't it? 00:05:42.620 --> 00:05:47.680 I mean, just scan your eyes over the text, see how many I's and me's there are in it. 00:05:48.459 --> 00:05:50.220 I think there are 16 in the NIV. 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:53.800 Someone's probably going to tell me after the service that they've counted and I've got that wrong, 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:55.759 but there are lots of I's and me's. 00:05:56.560 --> 00:05:59.120 And I don't know about you, but maybe it's because of that, 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:04.379 the temptation for me has always just to immediately make this psalm all about me. 00:06:04.379 --> 00:06:13.360 But before this can become my psalm, before it can be your psalm, it is first David's. 00:06:14.300 --> 00:06:20.719 And he knew God's leading and his blessing, even in verse 4, through the darkest valley. 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:28.000 And David did face dark valleys, not least for the challenge for the throne of Israel. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:33.540 He was anointed, chosen by God, but then he was hounded and hunted by his enemies. 00:06:34.459 --> 00:06:37.720 And he then experienced God's victory in that battle. 00:06:37.899 --> 00:06:43.319 And so verse 5, verse 5, it reads like the celebration of David becoming king. 00:06:43.420 --> 00:06:44.540 It's like his coronation. 00:06:45.180 --> 00:06:46.579 You prepare a table for me. 00:06:46.620 --> 00:06:50.100 It's a great celebration feast in the presence of my enemies, 00:06:50.100 --> 00:06:55.060 as David has won his throne, defeating those who claimed it in his place. 00:06:55.060 --> 00:06:58.019 And finally, we see you anoint my head with oil. 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:04.019 That is the ritual of kingmaking, the symbolic setting apart and crowning. 00:07:04.300 --> 00:07:07.120 This is David celebrating becoming king. 00:07:08.259 --> 00:07:12.300 It's a personal psalm, but can you read that as yourself? 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:16.060 Right, it definitely doesn't map onto my experience. 00:07:16.220 --> 00:07:17.579 I am not the king of Israel. 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:22.519 But notice how it also isn't David's experience. 00:07:22.519 --> 00:07:29.399 Because in verse 3, he writes that he is guided along the right path. 00:07:30.579 --> 00:07:33.500 But we know that David wasn't always on the right path. 00:07:33.620 --> 00:07:36.159 He wasn't without sin. 00:07:36.659 --> 00:07:39.279 Elsewhere, we read that he was a rapist and a murderer. 00:07:40.740 --> 00:07:45.979 And yet, we read at the end of this psalm that he claims that he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:50.920 For David, he's talking about his desire to be in the temple, really. 00:07:51.080 --> 00:07:53.420 For the ancient Israelite, that's the Lord's house. 00:07:53.500 --> 00:08:01.319 But we still have to ask, how could this rapacious, murderous king possibly dwell with the perfect and just Lord of the universe? 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:05.280 And how on earth does he expect to do that forever? 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:12.579 Well, this is David's psalm, but it is also Jesus' psalm. 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:19.519 And it's only because of Jesus, only because David trusted the promise that a perfect king would follow him, 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:23.199 a perfect king who could really claim this psalm as his own. 00:08:23.779 --> 00:08:28.079 It was only trusting that a perfect king like that would come and deal with his sin. 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:33.720 Only that way could David boldly claim that that's where he'd be forever. 00:08:34.919 --> 00:08:37.220 And so we see this is really Jesus' psalm. 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:40.299 All of these psalms, they're Jesus' psalms. 00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:44.980 And it is my prayer this morning that we would see him in all his glory. 00:08:46.360 --> 00:08:48.659 He is the one who was led by his father. 00:08:49.019 --> 00:08:51.460 He is the one who was given all that he needed. 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:55.220 The one who truly followed along right paths. 00:08:55.220 --> 00:09:02.960 He's the one who went into the darkest valley of all and faced the wrath of the father in David's place. 00:09:04.160 --> 00:09:09.000 He's the one who rose again and who was crowned king of all creation. 00:09:10.100 --> 00:09:14.100 See how he enjoys the eternal feast at the eternal table. 00:09:14.940 --> 00:09:18.879 How he really does dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:20.000 It's all about Jesus. 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:22.240 He's the king. 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:27.519 So this is David's psalm and it's Jesus' psalm. 00:09:28.620 --> 00:09:33.580 And only in Jesus, only in Christ, can it become our psalm too. 00:09:34.820 --> 00:09:38.740 Maybe you're here this morning and you love the poetry of Psalm 23. 00:09:39.539 --> 00:09:43.600 Perhaps you grew up with it or you've heard it at a funeral and it's a motive. 00:09:44.340 --> 00:09:49.799 It's wonderful language and you want to be able to claim the wonderful blessings of it for your own. 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:54.599 But if you're honest, Jesus isn't where you look. 00:09:57.199 --> 00:10:01.259 You're not trusting in him for forgiveness of your sin or for freedom. 00:10:01.259 --> 00:10:07.439 I want you to know this morning that this psalm can be yours too. 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:16.279 If you, like David, trust that God would do something about your sin, that God has done something about your sin in Jesus, 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:22.799 then you would be born again to this living hope of Christ in you, the hope of glory. 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:27.719 That way, in Christ, this psalm can be yours. 00:10:27.720 --> 00:10:34.279 As we walk through it together and see the glory of our king, as we see Jesus. 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:40.420 Because not only does Jesus pray this prayer with us, it is also to him that we pray it. 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:44.920 Because we'll see he is our shepherd king in verses 1 to 4. 00:10:45.540 --> 00:10:49.399 And he is our host king in verses 5 and 6. 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:51.220 We've seen how David might have prayed the psalm. 00:10:51.299 --> 00:10:53.419 We've seen how Jesus might have read it. 00:10:53.860 --> 00:10:56.059 So let's spend the rest of our time this morning. 00:10:56.459 --> 00:10:58.220 Why don't we just reading it for ourselves? 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:00.860 Here's our first image. 00:11:01.179 --> 00:11:03.959 In verse 1, the Lord is my shepherd. 00:11:05.179 --> 00:11:07.159 And just notice the contrast there. 00:11:08.340 --> 00:11:10.340 A shepherd is the lowest of the low. 00:11:10.959 --> 00:11:12.360 That might not be true today. 00:11:12.439 --> 00:11:13.579 I guess it's probably not. 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:17.199 But in ancient Israel, it was a grim and a dangerous job. 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:19.759 It was very often given to the youngest son. 00:11:20.220 --> 00:11:23.340 It's like an unwanted hand-me-down piece of clothing or a toy. 00:11:23.460 --> 00:11:26.379 The job of the shepherd, it's like the hand-me-down job. 00:11:26.460 --> 00:11:27.860 No one wants to do it anymore. 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:30.820 The job of the youngest son. 00:11:31.420 --> 00:11:35.560 The Lord, on the other hand, the king, he sits on the throne. 00:11:35.700 --> 00:11:37.160 He is most exalted. 00:11:38.420 --> 00:11:42.960 And so a shepherd king, it's an image of great contrast, isn't it? 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:46.480 And it's an image that David was uniquely familiar with. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:53.060 David, who had been the youngest son, a shepherd boy, and now king. 00:11:53.780 --> 00:12:00.340 And he understands this picture of almighty God, lord of all, eternal king, 00:12:01.180 --> 00:12:05.280 stooping down as a lowly shepherd to care for his sheep, his people. 00:12:06.160 --> 00:12:10.180 And that's exactly what Christ did for us in coming to dwell among us. 00:12:10.179 --> 00:12:15.899 It's why Jesus could describe himself as the good shepherd in the gospels as he did. 00:12:16.859 --> 00:12:25.219 And that means that we are the sheep, prone to wander aimlessly from the loving God who created us, 00:12:26.319 --> 00:12:28.919 unable to find our way home on our own, 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:33.559 or to provide for ourselves and our greatest needs. 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:37.459 For that is what the shepherd king does for his sheep. 00:12:37.779 --> 00:12:40.619 A shepherd, he provides for his sheep's greatest needs. 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:42.519 See in the rest of verse one, 00:12:43.699 --> 00:12:45.159 I lack nothing. 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:48.579 I've got to ask, what does it really mean to lack nothing? 00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:51.699 Because I guess some of you sitting there, 00:12:51.939 --> 00:12:53.279 maybe this morning thinking, 00:12:53.419 --> 00:12:54.779 well, I am in Christ, 00:12:55.199 --> 00:12:56.779 but I don't lack nothing. 00:12:57.219 --> 00:12:59.279 There's lots of things that I want in life. 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:04.519 And there are those who would give you just the answer maybe that you want. 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:05.339 Take this verse, 00:13:05.459 --> 00:13:06.639 apply it with a broad brush, 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:08.500 claim these things now, 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:10.019 regardless of the not yet. 00:13:10.139 --> 00:13:12.740 If you trust in God as your shepherd king, 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:13.500 they might say, 00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:15.319 well, you have all you want. 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:17.240 This is what the verse says. 00:13:17.339 --> 00:13:18.459 Any blessing that you want, 00:13:18.579 --> 00:13:19.639 material or otherwise, 00:13:20.100 --> 00:13:21.299 you will lack nothing. 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:23.699 Trust this shepherd and it's yours. 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:26.459 But here's the thing. 00:13:26.460 --> 00:13:30.080 Those things that we feel that we are in want of, 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:33.040 we don't actually need Jesus for them, do you? 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:37.940 Even to be incredibly wealthy 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:39.920 or to have the healthiest relationships, 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:41.280 to be the most popular 00:13:41.280 --> 00:13:42.660 or have the healthiest body, 00:13:42.800 --> 00:13:44.580 to be the best looking or the strongest. 00:13:45.220 --> 00:13:46.879 Lots of people successfully pursue 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:48.900 these sorts of worldly goals without Jesus. 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:55.100 So what does it mean to lack nothing now? 00:13:56.460 --> 00:13:58.080 Well, read on in verse two. 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:01.720 He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:04.680 He leads me beside quiet waters. 00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:06.560 Such a lovely image that, isn't it? 00:14:06.560 --> 00:14:09.280 Maybe you picture yourself in a lovely green meadow 00:14:09.280 --> 00:14:11.480 with a peaceful pool to drink from, 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:12.400 a sort of oasis. 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:15.300 The perfect place to restore your soul. 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:16.519 It's a wonderful scene. 00:14:18.040 --> 00:14:19.639 And let's remember the metaphor here. 00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:22.960 It's a shepherd meeting his sheep's greatest needs. 00:14:23.060 --> 00:14:24.620 It's good green grass to eat. 00:14:24.620 --> 00:14:25.539 That's what they need. 00:14:25.620 --> 00:14:27.120 It's clean water to drink. 00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:28.220 It's what they need. 00:14:28.620 --> 00:14:30.399 It's what the sheep desperately need. 00:14:31.580 --> 00:14:34.340 And this is what our shepherd king leads the sheep into. 00:14:34.460 --> 00:14:37.000 They lack nothing of their greatest need. 00:14:38.299 --> 00:14:41.139 And so what is our greatest need now? 00:14:42.580 --> 00:14:44.440 Is it those material things? 00:14:45.720 --> 00:14:47.620 Well, the Bible is pretty clear about this. 00:14:47.620 --> 00:14:53.860 What we really need is to be restored to a relationship with our loving heavenly father, the king. 00:14:55.779 --> 00:14:58.060 That's refreshment for our soul. 00:14:59.240 --> 00:15:01.659 But you see, God, he's perfect. 00:15:01.899 --> 00:15:03.799 He's perfect in every single way. 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:06.799 And because we have walked away from him, we are not. 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:11.819 For our relationship with him to be restored, something had to happen. 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:16.779 Because God is a God of perfect justice, he is perfectly just. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:19.519 He couldn't simply overlook our rebellion. 00:15:19.819 --> 00:15:20.979 And a price had to be paid. 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:24.620 And Jesus paid that price on the cross. 00:15:24.620 --> 00:15:34.860 What that means is that in Christ, we can now truly say in the rest of verse three, he refreshes my soul. 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:37.360 Our greatest need is met. 00:15:37.419 --> 00:15:40.240 If we trust in Jesus, our sins are forgiven. 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:42.120 The price is paid. 00:15:42.220 --> 00:15:43.799 The relationship is restored. 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:46.179 The soul is refreshed. 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:47.860 Will you trust him? 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:51.500 And more than that, as we read on, 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:57.100 because just as Jesus defeated death and rose again and was given new life, 00:15:57.460 --> 00:16:01.399 so we too in Christ can be given new life. 00:16:02.179 --> 00:16:04.820 And as we are still in verse three, 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:05.919 what does he do? 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:08.860 He guides me along right paths. 00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:12.000 That's what the new life looks like. 00:16:12.059 --> 00:16:15.720 It's not that the Christian will always follow down those right paths. 00:16:15.820 --> 00:16:16.960 We know that's not true. 00:16:17.980 --> 00:16:20.500 But in so much as we trust and follow him, 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:22.559 that is where he leads us. 00:16:23.559 --> 00:16:24.820 Will you follow him? 00:16:27.379 --> 00:16:27.820 Why? 00:16:28.059 --> 00:16:29.659 Well, in the rest of verse three, 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:32.080 it's for his name's sake. 00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:39.659 It's so that those around us might see how wonderful and gracious our God is. 00:16:39.879 --> 00:16:41.080 Not for our sake, 00:16:41.179 --> 00:16:45.639 not because we pulled up our socks and worked a bit harder and walked down all the right paths on our own, 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:47.679 but for his name's sake, 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:51.120 that people might be pointed to him who guides us. 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:52.960 Friends, 00:16:53.019 --> 00:16:57.259 this is so much better than any material provision we could possibly ask for. 00:16:57.259 --> 00:17:00.899 I guess maybe you even know that that's true, 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:02.279 but do you believe it? 00:17:03.319 --> 00:17:06.720 As you think of the things that you want for, 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:13.579 whether that's a new car or a new house or a wife or a husband or a perfectly restored body, 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:16.859 let me invite you to dream about those things. 00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:28.559 Do you really believe that this promise is a much more abundant provision for you than any of that could possibly be? 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:33.899 Those things are so precarious in this life. 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:39.000 They can so easily dissolve before us and they cannot refresh our souls. 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:41.599 And so come. 00:17:42.980 --> 00:17:44.500 Come to the shepherd king. 00:17:44.659 --> 00:17:48.500 He is the only one who can provide for our greatest needs. 00:17:49.639 --> 00:17:51.379 These are wonderful verses. 00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:53.399 And it's a wonderful image. 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:59.820 The shepherd and his sheep in the peaceful meadow by the still waters wandering down paths without obstacle. 00:18:00.820 --> 00:18:04.500 It's the sort of image, actually, that you often get on like a Christian calendar. 00:18:05.259 --> 00:18:10.120 I don't know if you've seen that, like a beautiful picture of a meadow or some still waters. 00:18:11.060 --> 00:18:14.320 Maybe the verses from this psalm even quoted at the top. 00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:18.880 Maybe it's on a poster or promoting a summer sermon series in the psalms. 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:24.300 I was very happy to see, actually, this week on Instagram that our post pointing to this Sunday, 00:18:25.080 --> 00:18:30.220 pointing to Psalm 23 here at Brunsfield, the image wasn't all still waters and green meadows. 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:34.260 Because that image ignores the realism of Psalm 23. 00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:37.780 Life simply isn't always like that. 00:18:38.280 --> 00:18:39.540 Well, my life isn't like that. 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:42.540 Is your life like that, all meadows and still waters? 00:18:42.539 --> 00:18:49.720 But see in the psalm, our shepherd king doesn't only provide our greatest need. 00:18:50.259 --> 00:18:53.099 He is also with us in our suffering. 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:56.599 See in verse 4, 00:18:56.740 --> 00:19:05.940 That was true of David. 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:10.859 A life marked by suffering as his enemies chased him by the fear of death. 00:19:10.859 --> 00:19:15.779 Of course, that was supremely true in Jesus, as we saw last week in Psalm 22, 00:19:15.939 --> 00:19:20.199 who suffered terribly, where he hung on the cross, where he cried out, 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:23.459 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:28.579 As he took the sins of the world, my sin, your sin. 00:19:28.639 --> 00:19:33.859 As he took those on his shoulders, he was walking the deepest valley. 00:19:34.599 --> 00:19:38.779 The valley, as some translations have it, and as you have a footnote in the Pew Bibles, 00:19:38.779 --> 00:19:45.720 the valley of the shadow of death, he knew that he need not fear evil. 00:19:47.059 --> 00:19:51.859 For though in that moment he looked most defeated, he was in fact most victorious. 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:59.959 So that you and I might not face death, but only its shadow. 00:20:01.579 --> 00:20:02.719 Billy Barnhouse. 00:20:03.819 --> 00:20:05.740 Billy Barnhouse was an American pastor. 00:20:07.019 --> 00:20:11.599 He and his wife had four children under the age of 12 when she was diagnosed with cancer. 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:17.619 And on the day of her funeral, as they drove to the church, Billy read this psalm. 00:20:18.379 --> 00:20:19.779 He read it to his children. 00:20:20.659 --> 00:20:21.959 He got to verse 4. 00:20:23.139 --> 00:20:28.579 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. 00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:34.039 And his middle son interrupted, Dad, what's the shadow of death? 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:40.940 And just at that moment, a lorry passed by their car, blocking the sun, casting its shadow. 00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:47.619 And so Billy responded, would you rather be hit by a lorry or by its shadow? 00:20:48.899 --> 00:20:52.819 Looking curiously at his father, the son replied, well, the shadow, of course. 00:20:52.819 --> 00:20:59.019 Your mother has not been defeated by death, but only its shadow. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:04.919 Because she trusted in Jesus and he took the full force of the lorry for her. 00:21:05.899 --> 00:21:07.619 You have nothing to fear. 00:21:09.919 --> 00:21:15.059 Friends, in Christ, there is no fear in death. 00:21:16.339 --> 00:21:17.460 Will you trust him? 00:21:17.460 --> 00:21:29.299 And as we face it, will we know in the rest of verse 4, for you are with me. 00:21:30.420 --> 00:21:36.240 For the sheep, it is the presence of the shepherd that reassures them in the valley. 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:43.000 Notice it is here that the psalm becomes increasingly personal, moving from he to you. 00:21:43.380 --> 00:21:45.000 You are with me. 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:48.920 How important that we know that in the valleys. 00:21:49.799 --> 00:21:54.220 Jesus, the good shepherd, by his Holy Spirit, he is with us. 00:21:54.299 --> 00:21:57.160 Whatever suffering it is that you are facing today, 00:21:58.059 --> 00:22:03.839 know that in Christ, our shepherd king is right there with us. 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:07.019 And what does his presence offer us? 00:22:07.099 --> 00:22:08.559 Well, look at the rest of verse 4. 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:12.839 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:22:12.839 --> 00:22:17.839 These are the tools of the shepherd to protect and to correct, 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:22.779 to keep the sheeps on the right path, to ensure that they continue to trust in him. 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:23.980 And what do they do? 00:22:24.039 --> 00:22:27.779 They bring comfort in the valley of suffering. 00:22:29.079 --> 00:22:31.720 Notice it's not that the sheep do not suffer, 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:36.019 but rather that there is comfort in the suffering. 00:22:36.019 --> 00:22:40.980 These blessings are not the cake. 00:22:41.980 --> 00:22:42.839 Not yet. 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:49.180 They're the tantalizing smell of the oven, the lick of the spoon, the foretaste. 00:22:49.180 --> 00:22:54.420 For those Christians who emphasize what God does for me today, 00:22:54.900 --> 00:22:59.019 healing and blessing and experience, especially for them, 00:22:59.100 --> 00:23:03.700 and if that's you here today, an especially important truth for you, 00:23:04.060 --> 00:23:06.400 because I've seen it ruin people's faith. 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:10.860 If you're not careful, this could be you, it could be your friends. 00:23:11.320 --> 00:23:15.360 The disappointment when that is what you expect from God. 00:23:16.780 --> 00:23:22.280 In your earnest prayer, expecting that whatever suffering you are facing might just be removed. 00:23:23.120 --> 00:23:27.140 If that's you, well, it may be only a matter of time before you give up. 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:30.520 Because that is not the promise. 00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:32.500 And don't hear me wrongly. 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:37.160 It is absolutely good to pray for miraculous blessing in the midst of suffering. 00:23:37.600 --> 00:23:39.000 We're commanded to do that. 00:23:39.060 --> 00:23:40.580 We've done that this morning. 00:23:41.280 --> 00:23:45.240 And God does heal and he does bless and we do experience him today. 00:23:46.220 --> 00:23:48.320 But he is not a genie in a bottle. 00:23:49.660 --> 00:23:52.700 He is not a vending machine of worldly blessings. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:55.740 He is the shepherd king. 00:23:55.740 --> 00:24:04.140 And he promises wonderfully to bring comfort with the very greatest blessing in this life, his presence. 00:24:05.900 --> 00:24:10.440 And so ultimately, friends, now would we take refuge in him? 00:24:11.059 --> 00:24:12.680 Would we trust in him? 00:24:13.880 --> 00:24:15.160 He's a shepherd king. 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:18.400 He provides for his sheep's greatest needs. 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:23.620 And he's a shepherd king who is right there present in our suffering. 00:24:23.619 --> 00:24:32.959 And he is also, if you come to verse 5, you'll see that the metaphor here changes as he's pictured as a host king. 00:24:33.079 --> 00:24:34.399 Have a look at verse 5 with me. 00:24:35.619 --> 00:24:40.419 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 00:24:41.319 --> 00:24:45.219 We'll see how the picture becomes of an eternal not yet. 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:52.079 Having walked through that valley, this is where he leads us, to the heavenly banquet where the cake is ready. 00:24:53.220 --> 00:24:57.299 Now, I've often come to this bit of the psalm and actually been forced to sort of ignore it. 00:24:57.420 --> 00:24:59.640 I'm very happy for the Lord to be my shepherd. 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.039 I actually even quite like the idea of him being an epic dinner party host too. 00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:06.700 But I definitely don't want my enemies to be there. 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:08.740 Right? That's awkward, isn't it? 00:25:09.580 --> 00:25:10.720 So what's going on? 00:25:11.819 --> 00:25:13.299 What's the host hosting? 00:25:14.580 --> 00:25:22.059 Well, as we thought about at the beginning, for David, this looks like his coronation feast as he becomes king. 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:25.360 And that was in the presence of his enemies. 00:25:26.220 --> 00:25:26.460 Right? 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:34.640 It's a wonderful picture of the host king blessing David and his cup overflowing as the people too were blessed. 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:38.900 And his enemies were there because they're the ones that he had defeated in his claim to the throne. 00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:45.920 But the final promise was always that God would send a forever king. 00:25:46.800 --> 00:25:50.300 One who would defeat death, the ultimate enemy. 00:25:50.780 --> 00:25:52.700 One who would reign eternally. 00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:57.120 For Jesus, this is a picture of his forever coronation. 00:25:57.640 --> 00:26:00.820 The one who would be crowned the eternal king. 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:11.599 And so for us, as we read these verses, if we are in Christ, then what is true of him is also true of us. 00:26:12.399 --> 00:26:15.059 We've just read that, haven't we, in Ephesians chapter 1. 00:26:15.639 --> 00:26:17.399 That we're adopted into his family. 00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:19.379 What is true of him is true of us. 00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:23.159 If he has died, we have died and we will die. 00:26:23.579 --> 00:26:27.220 If he rose again, then we have risen and we will rise. 00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:32.100 If he sits at the right hand of the father, we sit and will sit at the right hand of the father. 00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:34.740 If he reigns, then we reign and will reign. 00:26:34.940 --> 00:26:38.640 If his cup overflows, our cup overflows and will overflow. 00:26:38.839 --> 00:26:42.839 It's a beautiful picture of the now and the not yet in Christ. 00:26:42.839 --> 00:26:54.899 And the promise here is that as we enter into the eternal, the eternal not yet, we will be able to say, see as we read on into verse 6, 00:26:55.599 --> 00:27:02.899 surely your goodness and love will follow or have followed me all the days of my life. 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:10.439 As the host welcomes us into the eternal not yet and points to his work throughout our lives. 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:16.059 I was listening to a podcast the other day and they were talking about this guy Salman Rushdie. 00:27:16.620 --> 00:27:22.840 Rushdie was a writer and in 1988 he wrote a novel that spoke irreverently of Mohammed. 00:27:23.779 --> 00:27:31.680 And as a result of that, there was a death warrant issued by the Iranian state, which obviously put Rushdie's life at serious risk. 00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:37.180 In fact, the reason that he was being talked about on this podcast is because just recently he was attacked and hospitalized, 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:41.420 probably as a result of that decades old now death warrant. 00:27:41.660 --> 00:27:43.140 It's a pretty horrific story, actually. 00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:52.740 But the point for us, you see, wherever he went after that death threat was issued, Rushdie was escorted by bodyguards. 00:27:52.740 --> 00:28:01.759 You can picture him even going to dinner at a friend's house, these two huge men flanking him on either side. 00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:08.140 And maybe it's a bit twee, but I like to think of these two bodyguards, goodness and love. 00:28:09.220 --> 00:28:14.039 If I'm honest, I barely notice that they're there most of the time, God's goodness and his love. 00:28:14.700 --> 00:28:20.079 But they follow me at my back just like two divine bodyguards. 00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:28.559 Certainly it's my experience that as I look back and see God's goodness and love have touched my life over and over again. 00:28:29.359 --> 00:28:34.919 He has been so gracious and so loving to me in my foolishness. 00:28:35.839 --> 00:28:38.259 And yet rarely did I see it at the time. 00:28:39.139 --> 00:28:44.579 And as I look ahead, it's so easy for me to forget that his goodness and his love are with me. 00:28:44.579 --> 00:28:47.619 But they are right there with me. 00:28:47.619 --> 00:28:52.439 And he promises that they will be in Christ all the days of my life. 00:28:53.839 --> 00:29:02.759 And so in this psalm, this is a picture of David, a picture of Jesus, a picture of the believer entering into the eternal banquets 00:29:02.759 --> 00:29:08.679 and looking back and seeing how their host has always been providing for them. 00:29:08.680 --> 00:29:31.240 Friends, in Christ, this is coming home to the wonderful presence of the host king who welcomes his people at this glorious eternal banquet where the cake is finally ready. 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:38.019 Just as we finish, it was just a couple of days ago, Alistair's prayed about it. 00:29:38.279 --> 00:29:41.259 This psalm was read at Gordon's funeral. 00:29:42.259 --> 00:29:50.299 And the life shaping transformation that this psalm can have in someone's life was just made so clear for all of us that were there. 00:29:50.299 --> 00:29:56.159 We heard stories about a man who knew that this psalm was true for him in Christ. 00:29:57.680 --> 00:30:01.759 Who knew that his greatest need in life had been met. 00:30:02.180 --> 00:30:05.779 Who lived a life led by the shepherd king. 00:30:06.319 --> 00:30:12.500 Who lived a life knowing the comforting presence of his shepherd king, even in his suffering. 00:30:12.500 --> 00:30:17.940 A man who now knows the glory of the not yet. 00:30:18.980 --> 00:30:23.619 Who lives reigning with his host king at the eternal banquets. 00:30:24.319 --> 00:30:28.019 Able to look back on a life marked by goodness and love. 00:30:28.420 --> 00:30:31.980 Now home with the host king forever. 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:36.039 Friends, cake is a wonderful thing. 00:30:36.920 --> 00:30:41.000 And the foretaste of it is a joy, the smell of the oven, the lick of the spoon. 00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:42.480 But it's not yet the real thing. 00:30:43.700 --> 00:30:47.660 For us, in Christ, this is our psalm too. 00:30:48.660 --> 00:30:51.359 Even now, in Christ, we are the sheep. 00:30:51.460 --> 00:30:53.279 Our greatest need is provided for. 00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:55.579 And he is with us in our suffering today. 00:30:57.059 --> 00:30:58.779 That is just a foretaste of heaven. 00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:04.319 So that if we trust in him, we will one day be welcomed by him. 00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:07.019 Into the eternal, not yet. 00:31:07.019 --> 00:31:11.299 Just before we sing, let me pray. 00:31:15.079 --> 00:31:22.420 Lord God, Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this wonderful psalm. 00:31:22.420 --> 00:31:29.840 Lord, we thank you for Jesus, the king in whom it finds its fulfillment. 00:31:32.660 --> 00:31:36.620 Lord, we're sorry for where we have wandered like sheep. 00:31:37.620 --> 00:31:42.480 And we are so grateful that you have done everything to bring us home. 00:31:42.480 --> 00:31:47.539 Lord, would you be with us by your Holy Spirit. 00:31:49.240 --> 00:31:52.000 Comfort us now in our suffering. 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:59.640 And we do ask that we would know your healing and your blessing. 00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:02.839 That we might experience you now. 00:32:03.980 --> 00:32:11.279 But ultimately, Lord, help us to look forward to that eternal, not yet banquet. 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:17.799 Keep us safely trusting in you, we pray. 00:32:18.859 --> 00:32:19.779 In Jesus' name. 00:32:20.639 --> 00:32:20.980 Amen.