WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.040 I'm actually going to be speaking on just one verse, verse 4, which reads, 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:10.200 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. 00:00:10.939 --> 00:00:15.019 For you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:21.059 That's on page 450 out of the Bibles that are at the back there if you need a Bible. 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:29.580 Wow, so last week, if you remember, we were looking at the Lord is my shepherd, 00:00:30.140 --> 00:00:31.300 I shall not want. 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:40.659 This week, we're looking at the reality of life, the valley of the shadow of death. 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:46.600 Is it just me or does that verse stick out to you as well as we read this? 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:53.960 Maybe it's not the words that I would use, but 3,000 years later, 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:59.019 I still think it captures the sense of what life can be like, doesn't it? 00:01:00.899 --> 00:01:07.700 Life is difficult, tragic at times, and life ultimately ends in death. 00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:18.760 The problem with actually landing in a passage like this is that when we look at each other's lives, 00:01:18.760 --> 00:01:24.400 we see the highs, but we kind of screen out the struggles. 00:01:27.520 --> 00:01:28.660 We just don't see them. 00:01:28.740 --> 00:01:34.400 Do we choose not to or that we are actually so good at hiding our own pain that no one else gets to see it? 00:01:34.420 --> 00:01:35.000 I'm not sure. 00:01:36.600 --> 00:01:40.660 But regardless, we expect more from life than we get. 00:01:40.659 --> 00:01:48.060 If we were writing the script, we would not write the script with valleys of shadows, the shadow of death in them. 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:52.899 We expect life to be all the highs stitched together. 00:01:52.900 --> 00:01:55.740 And we wonder why we don't experience that. 00:01:57.560 --> 00:02:01.480 Particularly as people who are actually trusting in the God of the universe, 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:04.200 why is it that we're experiencing these things? 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:10.420 Last week, I went to my SMBC, Bible College, 10-year anniversary, 00:02:11.300 --> 00:02:17.860 and I got together with a whole bunch of people who were also going through similar things to me. 00:02:17.980 --> 00:02:19.699 They'd gone through ministry training. 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:24.460 They'd gone into ministry roles in their churches and various different organizations, mission agencies. 00:02:24.460 --> 00:02:33.439 And every one of them had a story of tragedy, of challenge, of hardship, of difficulty, 00:02:33.659 --> 00:02:35.400 whether it be relational, physical. 00:02:36.180 --> 00:02:41.360 One couple couldn't be there because the wife is actually in the last stages of cancer. 00:02:42.420 --> 00:02:43.360 She won't survive. 00:02:47.780 --> 00:02:50.960 So many different ways that tragedy touches us. 00:02:51.760 --> 00:02:53.020 And there we were at Bible College. 00:02:53.020 --> 00:02:56.520 We didn't set out into Bible College thinking that this was the way that life was going to be. 00:02:57.600 --> 00:03:00.260 Getting this bigger and bigger picture of who God is, 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:05.120 and then suddenly discovering that the greatness of that picture of God 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:09.320 meant that there were things in store for me that I never would have ever hoped for. 00:03:13.939 --> 00:03:17.060 Life has not turned out the way that I expected it to after college. 00:03:18.439 --> 00:03:19.580 How is your life going? 00:03:20.900 --> 00:03:22.500 And how do we make sense of it? 00:03:23.020 --> 00:03:27.380 What I'm going to suggest from this particular verse, verse 4, 00:03:28.100 --> 00:03:31.360 is that David actually gives us a way of making sense of this difficulty. 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:35.420 I mean, he talks about the, you know, he talks about God providing all that we want. 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:38.460 He talks about the green pastures and the still waters. 00:03:38.460 --> 00:03:43.960 And now he's going to talk about how real life bites. 00:03:45.140 --> 00:03:50.719 And he's going to show us in some small way how to actually start to deal with these things. 00:03:50.760 --> 00:03:52.219 And he does it by two ways. 00:03:52.340 --> 00:03:56.960 First, by teaching us to move from truth to trust. 00:03:56.960 --> 00:04:02.099 And by teaching us to meet our fear with faith. 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:05.280 So from truth to trust, let me explain that a little bit. 00:04:05.900 --> 00:04:08.199 See, we need to actually make a little bit of a shift in perspective. 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:09.960 If you read through that psalm again, in fact, do it now. 00:04:10.019 --> 00:04:12.479 Have a read through the psalm again and just scan through it. 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:18.620 And as you do, what I want you to do is imagine who David is speaking to as you scan through it. 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:31.079 Do you notice that David moves from he and me and my, at the beginning, the first three verses, 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:34.339 to you and I? 00:04:34.339 --> 00:04:41.619 The truth is that the Lord is my shepherd. 00:04:42.919 --> 00:04:47.919 The application of this into our lives is to make it personal. 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:50.319 And that's what David is guiding us to do. 00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:56.059 He moves from he is my shepherd to you are with me. 00:04:57.739 --> 00:04:58.419 Have you noticed that? 00:04:58.459 --> 00:05:01.199 That's a difference in perspective. 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:03.539 One is to declare something that's true. 00:05:03.540 --> 00:05:08.740 And the other is to actually apply it to your life by turning to the one that it's actually true about. 00:05:11.840 --> 00:05:16.220 So that's the first thing David encourages us to do in this passage in terms of dealing with the hardships of life. 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:21.360 The second thing that he does is he teaches us to meet our fear with our faith. 00:05:23.480 --> 00:05:25.420 You see, this valley of the shadow of death is real. 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:31.780 For David, as he wrote it, he'd experienced quite a number of different versions of this valley of shadow of death. 00:05:31.779 --> 00:05:34.939 There is evil in the world. 00:05:36.219 --> 00:05:37.539 There is brokenness. 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:38.259 There is hardship. 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:39.159 There is difficulty. 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:40.839 I'm going to encounter it. 00:05:41.679 --> 00:05:43.679 I'm going to be afraid when I do. 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:51.439 My good shepherd leads me in paths of righteousness, though. 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:53.579 He leads me on the right path. 00:05:55.259 --> 00:05:56.259 Will I fear? 00:05:57.460 --> 00:06:00.960 Or will I have faith in his lead, in his goodness? 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:03.340 We go back to these words. 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:05.139 Will I respond like this? 00:06:05.139 --> 00:06:11.159 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 00:06:11.719 --> 00:06:14.159 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:19.740 Do you notice there how David meets hardship and difficulty? 00:06:20.139 --> 00:06:29.819 The fear starts to rise in him, and he challenges it with the truth that his good shepherd has him, even through this difficulty. 00:06:29.819 --> 00:06:40.339 This psalm is a song or a prayer, and it's a journey of faith, whichever it is for you. 00:06:41.500 --> 00:06:47.379 What I'm going to ask you to do is go on this journey of faith together with 3,000 years after David did. 00:06:49.300 --> 00:06:50.800 And let's look at this verse. 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:59.399 It's got several sections to it, so hopefully I can help you to see through this a little bit more about what it looks like to embark on the journey of faith. 00:07:00.540 --> 00:07:02.099 David begins this way at this point. 00:07:02.779 --> 00:07:05.219 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:09.159 I've already said this is a bit of a gear change in the psalm. 00:07:09.219 --> 00:07:12.980 He's gone on from green pastures and still waters to the valley of the shadow of death. 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:14.219 How did we get here? 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:16.659 What is David saying to us? 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:22.199 I'm going to suggest to you that David isn't interested in giving us sweet sentiments. 00:07:22.699 --> 00:07:28.319 You know, the kind of thing we print on fridge magnets, maybe print on T-shirts, calendars, cross-stitch onto pillows. 00:07:29.819 --> 00:07:36.379 This good shepherd is guiding us through a wilderness towards something very good. 00:07:36.439 --> 00:07:39.360 Don't get me wrong, but I don't want to spoil too many spoilers for next week. 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:41.560 He's guiding us towards something very good. 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:46.220 But for now, we find ourselves in the wilderness. 00:07:49.100 --> 00:07:57.199 Even though, even if we find ourselves walking through the valley of the shadow of death. 00:07:57.199 --> 00:08:01.620 The valley of the shadow of death. 00:08:01.699 --> 00:08:05.659 Just so you understand, it is a poetic sort of expression. 00:08:06.159 --> 00:08:10.519 It can actually mean anything from deep distress to extreme danger to death itself. 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:13.620 Or even actually beyond death to the realm of the dead. 00:08:16.180 --> 00:08:22.399 David is preparing us for the fact that life can be and is hard. 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:26.539 We instinctively know what David is talking about here. 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:28.240 Hardship is a part of life. 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:30.240 And hardship comes in a variety of forms. 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:35.100 What is your even if? 00:08:37.019 --> 00:08:41.240 What would you put as the things that you've experienced? 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:46.139 How would you catalogue those valleys of the shadow of death that you've been through so far? 00:08:51.139 --> 00:08:55.480 Even though I find myself in the deepest darkness, David is saying. 00:08:55.480 --> 00:09:01.560 What David is doing here is he's actually leaving it open for us to fill in the blanks. 00:09:01.580 --> 00:09:04.320 He's saying, think of what that darkness is for you. 00:09:05.580 --> 00:09:07.180 What is your even if? 00:09:08.120 --> 00:09:11.340 What makes your life feel like it's gone off the rails, out of control? 00:09:11.659 --> 00:09:13.240 Crushing you like you're losing yourself. 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:19.300 There are so many different ways from large to small that affect us, aren't there? 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:23.240 I can tell you now that I'm afraid to be up here, that is. 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:25.919 I don't like public speaking. 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:27.899 I find it scary. 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:29.080 I always have. 00:09:30.259 --> 00:09:35.279 My preferred position in this room would be, if you can see where Sam is sitting at the desk, 00:09:35.379 --> 00:09:40.539 there's a seat just at the back in there behind him, where you're hidden from half the room at least, 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:42.879 and the other half isn't facing your way. 00:09:45.399 --> 00:09:48.159 My personal choice would be sitting somewhere anonymous. 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:56.039 Not only am I afraid to speak publicly, I am actually afraid to speak truth into your lives. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:01.379 Because sometimes that truth is going to confront you and you're not going to like it. 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:03.919 I don't like to disappoint or upset people. 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:10.139 I'm afraid to challenge the sin in our church. 00:10:10.139 --> 00:10:14.279 If you're here and you're not a Christian, I hope that's not a surprise to you. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:15.980 We aren't perfect here. 00:10:16.059 --> 00:10:22.639 If you've come here and you're expecting us to be perfect, well, we will be when Jesus returns or after we've died. 00:10:23.240 --> 00:10:24.319 But not just yet. 00:10:28.019 --> 00:10:29.639 I'm afraid of the power of gossip. 00:10:29.779 --> 00:10:31.919 I've experienced the sharpness of it. 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:38.819 I'm afraid to approach people in conflict. 00:10:38.979 --> 00:10:42.259 I've seen so much of it in my life and seen how badly it can end. 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:46.659 And how infrequently people reconcile to one another. 00:10:50.419 --> 00:10:53.799 I'm afraid that after all I've experienced in my life to date, 00:10:55.019 --> 00:10:57.919 even in my ministry life, only the past 10 years or so, 00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:03.759 I'm afraid that after what I've experienced, that I'm actually going to break down. 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:09.199 I have this fear in me that at some point, I'm just going to crack and that'll be it. 00:11:13.379 --> 00:11:15.399 The valley of the shadow of death is real. 00:11:18.079 --> 00:11:21.259 It's different for all of us, but it's real. 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:29.639 And there's something else that we need to address about this valley 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:32.019 and the face about this valley before we go on. 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:35.860 You see, it's not just that it's real. 00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:38.600 It's not just that those even ifs are actually out there. 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:41.100 There may actually be things we've already experienced. 00:11:42.899 --> 00:11:46.919 It's that it's our shepherd's path as we go through them. 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:54.839 There is no room in this psalm for thinking that hardship catches my shepherd by surprise. 00:11:56.759 --> 00:11:59.779 The thought that maybe God has taken his eye off me for a moment and, 00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:03.139 oh no, danger was lurking and it's got me. 00:12:04.419 --> 00:12:06.860 And all I have to do, if only I can just believe hard enough, 00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:10.019 if my faith is strong enough, if my prayers are fervent enough, 00:12:10.019 --> 00:12:12.399 he'll hear me and just bring everything back on track, 00:12:12.539 --> 00:12:14.679 smooth everything out and life is wonderful again. 00:12:14.899 --> 00:12:16.860 This is simply not true. 00:12:16.919 --> 00:12:21.620 The path we walk is the path that he leads us on. 00:12:23.199 --> 00:12:25.719 In verses 2 and 3, David says, 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:29.240 he leads, our shepherd leads. 00:12:30.719 --> 00:12:33.159 So when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 00:12:33.219 --> 00:12:35.419 I don't accidentally stumble in there. 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:37.919 He guides me. 00:12:38.699 --> 00:12:39.860 It's his valley. 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:43.059 So we are never victims. 00:12:43.059 --> 00:12:48.919 Maybe I need to put some caveats in here just so you understand this. 00:12:49.639 --> 00:12:50.399 Don't get me wrong. 00:12:51.479 --> 00:12:53.479 Your sin is still your sin. 00:12:54.119 --> 00:12:56.039 You bear responsibility for that. 00:12:56.039 --> 00:13:03.819 But even in our sinful patterns, God has a path through those things toward growth. 00:13:04.019 --> 00:13:06.559 Growth in our ability to glorify him, 00:13:07.219 --> 00:13:09.199 to honor him with how we live. 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:16.660 Even the consequences of sin are not beyond God's ability to use in our lives. 00:13:17.340 --> 00:13:19.620 He is always nurturing us and growing us. 00:13:19.660 --> 00:13:22.720 And you can read Romans 8, 28 for Paul's version of that. 00:13:24.580 --> 00:13:26.980 But for now, at least take this away. 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:29.640 That the shepherd's path is the pilgrim's path. 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:32.600 Have you read Pilgrim's Progress? 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:34.019 If you haven't, I've got a copy. 00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:34.860 I'll loan it to you. 00:13:35.019 --> 00:13:35.759 I'm happy to. 00:13:38.059 --> 00:13:41.600 The reality, my good shepherd leads me through dark places. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:45.259 Your good shepherd leads you through dark places. 00:13:47.819 --> 00:13:49.600 We don't always understand why. 00:13:51.620 --> 00:13:53.080 But we know why. 00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:55.460 Let's understand that there. 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:58.279 We don't always understand why, but we know why. 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:01.019 You see, it's for his name's sake. 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:04.379 That's what he's concerned about. 00:14:04.699 --> 00:14:06.379 The sake of his holy name. 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:15.379 And his name is honored when I learn to apply my faith in him to my fear in life. 00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:22.959 David goes on from surfacing the issue of the valley of the shadow of death. 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:25.179 And he says these words. 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:27.939 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 00:14:28.279 --> 00:14:30.220 I will fear no evil. 00:14:32.939 --> 00:14:33.379 Wow. 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:37.439 In this verse, David tackles a massive issue head on. 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:40.899 He says, even if I'm going through the worst thing I could possibly imagine, 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:45.319 there is an alternative pathway to the pathway of fear. 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:48.000 This is a huge call. 00:14:49.259 --> 00:14:51.500 I mean, if it wasn't back then, it surely must be now. 00:14:51.500 --> 00:14:54.159 Because anxiety is the most common health issue in Australia. 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:58.360 One in four people will suffer from clinical anxiety in their lifetime. 00:14:58.779 --> 00:15:02.639 Over two million people will suffer from clinical anxiety each year. 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:03.240 Anxiety. 00:15:07.799 --> 00:15:08.240 Anxiety. 00:15:08.899 --> 00:15:11.399 Anxiety is fear just gone totally haywire. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:15.500 You know that feeling you get when you experience something stressful? 00:15:16.899 --> 00:15:20.159 You know, like when Joe's on the ladder trying to catch that spider for you? 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:23.719 Or, you know, what are the things that actually concern you? 00:15:23.879 --> 00:15:25.839 There are a whole bunch of different things, aren't there, that freak you out. 00:15:26.139 --> 00:15:26.480 Heights. 00:15:26.699 --> 00:15:27.480 Are you worried about heights? 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:28.539 Does that make your stomach turn? 00:15:30.019 --> 00:15:31.600 That's a natural response, isn't it? 00:15:31.639 --> 00:15:33.919 When you experience something scary, 00:15:34.319 --> 00:15:38.360 it's a natural response for things to start to happen in your own body. 00:15:40.059 --> 00:15:41.959 Anxiety is where that happens. 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:43.399 And there is no spider. 00:15:43.539 --> 00:15:44.360 There are no heights. 00:15:44.439 --> 00:15:45.860 There was no near miss in the car. 00:15:45.860 --> 00:15:49.700 And it can happen at random times. 00:15:51.060 --> 00:15:51.860 Not just... 00:15:53.019 --> 00:15:54.240 Or all the time. 00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:58.220 Not just as simply and easily packaged. 00:15:58.659 --> 00:16:00.980 This kind of fear is just growing in our culture. 00:16:02.779 --> 00:16:05.120 Never before have we been more comfortable in life. 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:09.060 Never before have our rights been more clearly defined and protected. 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:12.500 Never before have we been more capable of dealing with life hardships. 00:16:12.500 --> 00:16:15.919 And yet our fears are not receding. 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:17.840 We feel out of control. 00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:19.700 The world is out of control. 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:23.820 Even normal life can feel like too much for us. 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:31.259 So is it that simple that I just do what David says here and decide, 00:16:31.500 --> 00:16:32.620 well, I will fear no evil? 00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:41.360 I'm going to suggest to you at this point that this is actually... 00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:45.779 What David is suggesting here is to embark on a conversation with God. 00:16:47.299 --> 00:16:49.700 Not just to try and flip a switch in your mind. 00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:55.480 David is saying that even when the worst is happening, 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:58.500 even when I'm out of control scared, 00:16:58.500 --> 00:17:02.340 I'm going to choose not to fear. 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:07.319 I'm going to choose to have faith in my good shepherd. 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:11.279 Does that mean my fear should just disappear? 00:17:11.420 --> 00:17:12.779 That I should ditch my medication? 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:16.119 Or the presence of anxiety means my faith is weak? 00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:18.519 Not at all. 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:23.079 That means I'm going to choose to meet my fear with my faith. 00:17:23.079 --> 00:17:26.379 Even when I don't know why I'm afraid, 00:17:26.659 --> 00:17:29.399 I'm going to fight my fear with my faith. 00:17:30.139 --> 00:17:33.159 My faith that, God, you are with me. 00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:36.819 My faith that you are that good shepherd. 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:43.980 I will fear no evil. 00:17:46.460 --> 00:17:48.639 David then goes on to give some flesh to that, 00:17:48.879 --> 00:17:51.599 to how that actually works out. 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:54.119 Because he goes on and says in the next verse, 00:17:54.859 --> 00:17:56.319 For you are with me. 00:17:58.059 --> 00:18:01.279 I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 00:18:03.559 --> 00:18:08.240 It's the presence of God that helps us to fight our fear. 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:11.379 You are with me. 00:18:11.899 --> 00:18:14.939 There's something profoundly comforting about not being alone, isn't there? 00:18:15.459 --> 00:18:20.319 We know that one of the most severe punishments we can give to someone, 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:23.619 psychologically harmful, permanently at times, 00:18:23.700 --> 00:18:24.740 if you have it for too long, 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:26.139 is solitary confinement. 00:18:27.819 --> 00:18:30.299 Fear grows when we're isolated from one another, 00:18:30.599 --> 00:18:31.859 when we're disconnected. 00:18:31.859 --> 00:18:36.639 And we live in a disconnected world. 00:18:36.699 --> 00:18:39.679 Do you know there are 70 million refugees in the world at the moment? 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:46.759 37,000 people a day are being forced to flee their homes. 00:18:48.399 --> 00:18:51.779 There's now an Olympic team for refugees. 00:18:51.779 --> 00:18:56.839 70 million. 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:00.740 Three times our country's population. 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:04.700 But I'm going to say this, 00:19:04.899 --> 00:19:07.220 you don't actually need to be displaced, 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:10.539 you don't actually need to be out of your own home 00:19:10.539 --> 00:19:13.339 to feel disconnected and to feel alone. 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:17.339 We've never been more socially connected as a culture, 00:19:17.339 --> 00:19:21.259 and never more profoundly lonely at the same time. 00:19:25.659 --> 00:19:29.339 There is something in us that yearns for connection, 00:19:29.859 --> 00:19:33.099 that yearns to be not found to be alone. 00:19:36.220 --> 00:19:38.159 And when someone else is there, 00:19:39.419 --> 00:19:42.579 when someone who we do connect with is there with us, 00:19:42.579 --> 00:19:46.199 that brings us a deep sense of relief. 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:50.659 This issue of the presence of God, 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:53.059 the story of the Bible could be told around the presence of God, 00:19:53.179 --> 00:19:54.480 this you are with me. 00:19:54.539 --> 00:19:58.079 This is like one of the major themes that runs through the Bible. 00:19:58.199 --> 00:19:59.980 We could look at, for example, 00:20:00.059 --> 00:20:03.019 how we were created to live in relationship with God, 00:20:03.460 --> 00:20:05.480 face-to-face relationship with him. 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:08.799 How we chose to be gods of our own lives, 00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:11.679 so God graciously exiled us. 00:20:13.079 --> 00:20:14.799 We broke the relationship, 00:20:14.980 --> 00:20:16.919 so he moved us away from himself. 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:20.179 I say graciously, for him not to do that 00:20:20.179 --> 00:20:22.399 would have been our immediate end. 00:20:25.099 --> 00:20:28.679 But God didn't just graciously move us apart from himself, 00:20:29.099 --> 00:20:32.240 he continued to move toward us throughout history, 00:20:32.679 --> 00:20:35.259 through covenant and nation of Israel, 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:38.059 and then law that he gave them. 00:20:38.059 --> 00:20:39.179 And finally, 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:43.599 finally, when these things demonstrated God's desire to move toward us 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:45.379 and our inability to move toward him, 00:20:46.159 --> 00:20:48.940 God became one of us. 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:53.919 He died to pay the penalty for us rebelling against him. 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:57.759 And by doing this, 00:20:57.779 --> 00:20:59.200 he saved us who believe 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:00.880 from eternal death, 00:21:01.180 --> 00:21:02.800 from eternal separation from God. 00:21:04.940 --> 00:21:07.080 And he saved us for, when he returns, 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:09.140 eternal life with him, 00:21:10.140 --> 00:21:11.920 where we will live together, 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:15.580 where we can say, 00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:16.640 you are with me, 00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:20.400 and it is a reality that we see day by day. 00:21:25.040 --> 00:21:27.600 Hansen writes in the book Lost and Found, 00:21:27.660 --> 00:21:28.440 it's in the first chapter, 00:21:28.560 --> 00:21:29.400 he writes these words, 00:21:29.400 --> 00:21:31.900 I've never found that life, 00:21:32.080 --> 00:21:33.140 this is a Christian man, 00:21:33.940 --> 00:21:36.620 I've never found that life gets easier or better, 00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:41.140 but I have found that God is with me, 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:43.540 that Jesus walks with me 00:21:43.540 --> 00:21:45.220 through the valley of the shadow of death, 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:48.080 that he will leave the 99 in order to find me 00:21:48.080 --> 00:21:49.120 when I call out to him, 00:21:50.060 --> 00:21:52.660 that he promises me nothing in this world 00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:54.540 except that the God of the universe 00:21:54.540 --> 00:21:58.060 sees and knows and loves me. 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:01.240 And that in the next world, 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:03.420 I will see him face to face 00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:06.259 when he lifts the burden of my sin 00:22:06.259 --> 00:22:09.900 and the burden of this evil, broken world. 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:14.240 God is our gospel. 00:22:15.100 --> 00:22:17.140 Our hope is that we get more of him, 00:22:17.620 --> 00:22:18.740 more of his presence. 00:22:19.160 --> 00:22:20.580 This is the truth that's encapsulated 00:22:20.580 --> 00:22:21.840 in David's words here. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:24.400 You are with me. 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:28.620 I get the sense of that. 00:22:28.619 --> 00:22:30.019 How do you, the feeling of that, 00:22:30.779 --> 00:22:32.339 start to think about how that actually works 00:22:32.339 --> 00:22:33.079 in our lives. 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:36.279 I'll tell you a story about our, 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:38.039 where we used to live in England 00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:41.179 and how our kids used to interact 00:22:41.179 --> 00:22:42.299 with a particular aspect 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:43.539 of the architecture of our house. 00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:44.619 You see, we used to live in a, 00:22:46.119 --> 00:22:46.719 what do you call them, 00:22:46.919 --> 00:22:48.779 just a terrace house joined up, 00:22:48.899 --> 00:22:50.079 like a whole street full of houses, 00:22:50.159 --> 00:22:50.879 all joined up. 00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:53.939 But every two, every four houses, 00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:57.120 there was actually a tunnel through the houses 00:22:57.120 --> 00:22:58.380 to get to the back 00:22:58.380 --> 00:22:59.920 because everyone used their back doors. 00:22:59.980 --> 00:23:01.480 Even though these houses were all joined up 00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:02.320 and it was really inconvenient, 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:04.160 we still all used our back doors. 00:23:04.259 --> 00:23:05.200 No one used their front door. 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:07.000 And so we walk through this general 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.019 and then turn to the right 00:23:09.019 --> 00:23:10.039 and go to our back door. 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:12.680 Well, that was fine. 00:23:12.779 --> 00:23:14.180 I mean, it was kind of dark during the day. 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:17.299 But at night time, it was seriously dark. 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:19.980 And so one of the tenants, 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:22.399 one of the people who lived in one of the houses, 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:24.279 had actually installed a sensor light 00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:26.960 on the end of the tunnel. 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:28.839 So as you walked along the tunnel at night time, 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:30.059 it clicked on 00:23:30.059 --> 00:23:31.319 and suddenly there was bright light 00:23:31.319 --> 00:23:32.460 and you could walk up quite happily. 00:23:33.460 --> 00:23:34.879 But as you approached it, 00:23:35.460 --> 00:23:38.319 it was deep darkness, pitch black. 00:23:38.919 --> 00:23:40.299 And so you had to walk with confidence 00:23:40.299 --> 00:23:41.240 that the light would come on. 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:41.960 And our little kids, 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:42.480 they were only tiny, 00:23:42.599 --> 00:23:43.519 four and two at the time, 00:23:43.980 --> 00:23:45.240 so our two oldest kids. 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:46.599 And so they would be like 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:48.980 toddling alongside us in the dark. 00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:49.679 Because in England, 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:50.839 it's dark nearly all the time. 00:23:50.939 --> 00:23:51.579 You know, it goes dark 00:23:51.579 --> 00:23:52.859 at like 4.30 in the afternoon. 00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:55.059 So they're toddling alongside us. 00:23:55.119 --> 00:23:56.119 And as we get to the dark, 00:23:56.199 --> 00:23:57.379 they're just shrinking closer 00:23:57.379 --> 00:23:59.399 and closer and closer to us. 00:23:59.539 --> 00:24:02.639 And sometimes that light wouldn't come on 00:24:02.639 --> 00:24:04.939 because the person whose house 00:24:04.939 --> 00:24:05.759 it was connected to 00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:07.459 would accidentally turn the switch off. 00:24:07.899 --> 00:24:09.279 And so we walk into this darkness 00:24:09.279 --> 00:24:11.579 and the light just wouldn't come on. 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:12.500 And then they were just like 00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:14.379 clinging to our legs like limpets. 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:18.019 They were pressing themselves 00:24:18.019 --> 00:24:19.759 against us 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:21.319 in the darkness. 00:24:26.439 --> 00:24:27.639 It's no accident 00:24:27.639 --> 00:24:29.279 at this point in the psalm 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:31.399 that David turns his focus. 00:24:32.699 --> 00:24:34.679 He turns from talking about God 00:24:34.679 --> 00:24:36.959 to talking to God. 00:24:38.639 --> 00:24:40.059 David is showing us here 00:24:40.059 --> 00:24:41.799 how to fight our fear with our faith. 00:24:42.639 --> 00:24:43.859 We need to turn to him, 00:24:43.859 --> 00:24:45.179 to press closer to him, 00:24:45.219 --> 00:24:46.099 to talk to him, 00:24:46.399 --> 00:24:47.539 and to keep talking. 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:50.979 Joyful, uplifting, heartfelt singing 00:24:50.979 --> 00:24:52.099 like we've already had this morning. 00:24:52.679 --> 00:24:54.799 Or rambling, incoherence, 00:24:56.219 --> 00:24:58.179 sobbing, desperate, tearful prayers. 00:25:00.299 --> 00:25:01.559 Whatever it is, 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:04.279 pressing into the presence 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:07.339 of the God who is here with us. 00:25:07.339 --> 00:25:14.220 David goes on 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:15.119 from saying, 00:25:15.199 --> 00:25:15.799 you are with me 00:25:15.799 --> 00:25:17.720 and describes the ways 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:19.319 in which God is with us. 00:25:21.059 --> 00:25:22.579 In the last part of this verse, 00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:23.139 he says, 00:25:23.220 --> 00:25:23.980 for you are with me, 00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:25.639 your rod 00:25:25.639 --> 00:25:27.240 and your staff, 00:25:27.879 --> 00:25:28.779 they comfort me. 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:31.859 Even as we're pressing 00:25:31.859 --> 00:25:33.059 into God's presence, 00:25:34.199 --> 00:25:35.679 he is engaging 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:37.120 and pressing into ours. 00:25:38.140 --> 00:25:39.180 This shepherding metaphor 00:25:39.180 --> 00:25:40.019 continues here 00:25:40.019 --> 00:25:40.759 where David says, 00:25:41.140 --> 00:25:42.019 God comforts us 00:25:42.019 --> 00:25:43.320 with his rod 00:25:43.320 --> 00:25:44.400 and his staff. 00:25:46.660 --> 00:25:47.340 Perhaps they were 00:25:47.340 --> 00:25:48.160 the same thing. 00:25:48.539 --> 00:25:49.259 I'm not sure if 00:25:49.259 --> 00:25:50.960 shepherds necessarily 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:51.640 had both, 00:25:51.900 --> 00:25:52.740 but it's trying to give us 00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:53.400 a clear picture 00:25:53.400 --> 00:25:54.200 of the kinds of things 00:25:54.200 --> 00:25:54.980 that they would have had. 00:25:55.779 --> 00:25:56.940 A rod was something 00:25:56.940 --> 00:25:57.840 that you use 00:25:57.840 --> 00:25:59.200 for protection or direction. 00:25:59.820 --> 00:26:00.779 It actually has 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:01.720 two meanings though. 00:26:02.100 --> 00:26:02.840 One is a weapon 00:26:02.840 --> 00:26:03.420 of protection, 00:26:03.779 --> 00:26:04.700 so in terms of the translation 00:26:04.700 --> 00:26:05.440 from the Hebrew, 00:26:05.779 --> 00:26:06.559 a weapon of protection, 00:26:06.860 --> 00:26:08.140 something like a stout club, 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:10.519 a brutal but effective 00:26:10.519 --> 00:26:12.580 way of seeing off threats. 00:26:13.380 --> 00:26:14.319 Rod's already explained 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:14.860 to us exactly 00:26:14.860 --> 00:26:15.480 what that might have 00:26:15.480 --> 00:26:15.980 looked like 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:16.880 if a rod was used. 00:26:20.019 --> 00:26:21.140 He's got four boys. 00:26:21.600 --> 00:26:22.299 If you have girls, 00:26:22.360 --> 00:26:22.880 I apologise. 00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:24.059 Yeah, 00:26:24.080 --> 00:26:24.860 on behalf of the church, 00:26:24.980 --> 00:26:26.279 but he's got four boys, 00:26:26.360 --> 00:26:27.120 so he spoke from that 00:26:27.120 --> 00:26:27.580 perspective 00:26:27.580 --> 00:26:29.080 quite effectively. 00:26:30.660 --> 00:26:32.240 But the interesting thing is, 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:33.400 to use a rod, 00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:35.279 the shepherd had to 00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:36.960 physically place themselves 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:38.519 between the sheep 00:26:38.519 --> 00:26:39.779 and the threat. 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:44.299 It's not a distance weapon 00:26:44.299 --> 00:26:45.480 like we have now. 00:26:47.079 --> 00:26:48.220 It wasn't just standing off 00:26:48.220 --> 00:26:50.200 and taking shots at something 00:26:50.200 --> 00:26:50.839 with a spotlight. 00:26:53.319 --> 00:26:54.539 He had to physically 00:26:54.539 --> 00:26:55.599 place himself 00:26:55.599 --> 00:26:56.839 between the sheep 00:26:56.839 --> 00:26:57.460 and the threat. 00:26:57.799 --> 00:26:58.839 That's the kind of image 00:26:58.839 --> 00:26:59.480 we're getting here 00:26:59.480 --> 00:27:00.079 of the God 00:27:00.079 --> 00:27:01.159 who is our shepherd. 00:27:03.299 --> 00:27:04.299 Another translation 00:27:04.299 --> 00:27:05.019 for rod, though, 00:27:05.079 --> 00:27:06.159 is scepter. 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:08.339 It's the same word 00:27:08.339 --> 00:27:08.679 in Hebrew 00:27:08.679 --> 00:27:09.139 and it's where 00:27:09.139 --> 00:27:10.000 the scepter concept 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:10.599 came from. 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:11.859 The thing that a king holds, 00:27:11.919 --> 00:27:12.000 you know, 00:27:12.019 --> 00:27:12.439 the gold thing 00:27:12.439 --> 00:27:13.539 with all the jewels on it. 00:27:14.220 --> 00:27:15.159 The king holds that 00:27:15.159 --> 00:27:16.139 as a sign that he is 00:27:16.139 --> 00:27:17.099 the shepherd of his sheep. 00:27:17.179 --> 00:27:17.720 He is the leader, 00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:18.199 the ruler. 00:27:20.579 --> 00:27:21.899 They've just blinged it up a bit. 00:27:25.720 --> 00:27:26.539 So the thing 00:27:26.539 --> 00:27:27.519 in the hands 00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:28.879 of the king 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:30.480 was modeled 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:32.180 on the shepherd's rod, 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:34.140 symbolic of his rule 00:27:34.140 --> 00:27:35.840 and symbolic 00:27:35.840 --> 00:27:37.080 of how he should rule 00:27:37.080 --> 00:27:38.660 to place himself 00:27:38.660 --> 00:27:39.620 in the way 00:27:39.620 --> 00:27:40.940 of his sheep. 00:27:43.340 --> 00:27:45.820 The exact idea 00:27:45.820 --> 00:27:46.900 that Jesus takes up 00:27:46.900 --> 00:27:47.380 in John 00:27:47.380 --> 00:27:47.900 when he says, 00:27:48.100 --> 00:27:48.980 I am the good shepherd, 00:27:49.320 --> 00:27:50.240 the good shepherd 00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:51.860 lays down his life 00:27:51.860 --> 00:27:52.900 for his sheep. 00:27:52.900 --> 00:27:58.620 The rod 00:27:58.620 --> 00:27:59.580 and the staff. 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:00.780 Now this was something 00:28:00.780 --> 00:28:01.920 to lean on for support. 00:28:03.780 --> 00:28:05.060 It completes the equipment 00:28:05.060 --> 00:28:05.560 that the shepherd 00:28:05.560 --> 00:28:06.080 would have had, 00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:06.680 likely had, 00:28:07.160 --> 00:28:08.920 and it demonstrates 00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:10.940 that our shepherd 00:28:10.940 --> 00:28:12.000 is ready 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:12.920 and equipped 00:28:12.920 --> 00:28:14.620 to be with us 00:28:14.620 --> 00:28:15.519 through anything 00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:16.259 that life 00:28:16.259 --> 00:28:17.380 can throw at us. 00:28:17.380 --> 00:28:21.000 So when we read 00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:21.700 these words, 00:28:22.760 --> 00:28:23.660 we should get a sense 00:28:23.660 --> 00:28:24.660 of the kind of God 00:28:24.660 --> 00:28:25.340 who shepherds us 00:28:25.340 --> 00:28:26.200 and the kind of way 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:27.200 he's going to shepherd us. 00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:28.680 The God who identifies 00:28:28.680 --> 00:28:29.920 as the good shepherd, 00:28:30.180 --> 00:28:30.920 who rules us 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:31.400 by saying, 00:28:31.760 --> 00:28:32.320 follow me. 00:28:33.320 --> 00:28:34.360 Who has been through 00:28:34.360 --> 00:28:35.680 the darkest of valleys 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:36.620 before us. 00:28:38.360 --> 00:28:39.620 So he's with us 00:28:39.620 --> 00:28:41.360 as we go through ours. 00:28:43.300 --> 00:28:44.340 Who has been there 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:45.079 before us 00:28:45.079 --> 00:28:47.779 and before us 00:28:47.779 --> 00:28:50.099 even through death itself. 00:28:54.839 --> 00:28:55.959 So let me conclude 00:28:55.959 --> 00:28:57.319 this verse 00:28:57.319 --> 00:28:58.279 by just sharing 00:28:58.279 --> 00:29:00.159 that the reality 00:29:00.159 --> 00:29:00.720 is that 00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:02.339 throughout life 00:29:02.339 --> 00:29:03.139 we're going to experience 00:29:03.139 --> 00:29:03.819 hard things. 00:29:06.299 --> 00:29:06.819 But 00:29:06.819 --> 00:29:08.119 with the Lord 00:29:08.119 --> 00:29:08.879 as our shepherd 00:29:08.879 --> 00:29:09.539 these things 00:29:09.539 --> 00:29:10.519 are transformed. 00:29:10.659 --> 00:29:11.399 These hard times 00:29:11.399 --> 00:29:12.319 are transformed. 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:14.659 we're no longer 00:29:14.659 --> 00:29:15.159 victims. 00:29:17.359 --> 00:29:18.599 These are experiences 00:29:18.599 --> 00:29:19.839 that God guides us 00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:20.200 into 00:29:20.200 --> 00:29:21.839 and they're experiences 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:22.960 that God grows us 00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:23.240 through 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:23.599 and that he's 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:24.339 with us through. 00:29:26.159 --> 00:29:26.799 They're there 00:29:26.799 --> 00:29:27.419 to teach us 00:29:27.419 --> 00:29:28.439 to press closer 00:29:28.439 --> 00:29:29.119 into him 00:29:29.119 --> 00:29:30.220 to take the truth 00:29:30.220 --> 00:29:30.700 we know 00:29:30.700 --> 00:29:31.179 and to begin 00:29:31.179 --> 00:29:31.859 to trust. 00:29:33.500 --> 00:29:34.740 To face the fear 00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:35.460 that rises up 00:29:35.460 --> 00:29:35.980 in us 00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:37.379 with the faith 00:29:37.379 --> 00:29:37.980 that God 00:29:37.980 --> 00:29:39.019 is with us 00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:40.379 always. 00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:44.259 I don't know 00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:44.639 the struggle 00:29:44.639 --> 00:29:45.200 of each of you 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:45.399 here. 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:46.319 I know 00:29:46.319 --> 00:29:46.759 some of the 00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:47.019 struggles 00:29:47.019 --> 00:29:47.359 that some 00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:47.579 of you 00:29:47.579 --> 00:29:47.839 are going 00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:48.059 through. 00:29:49.460 --> 00:29:50.000 I don't know 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:50.299 the struggle 00:29:50.299 --> 00:29:50.700 of everyone 00:29:50.700 --> 00:29:50.960 though. 00:29:52.099 --> 00:29:52.700 But here's 00:29:52.700 --> 00:29:53.000 one thing 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:53.579 I do know 00:29:53.579 --> 00:29:55.059 that there 00:29:55.059 --> 00:29:55.619 is nothing 00:29:55.619 --> 00:29:56.159 that God 00:29:56.159 --> 00:29:56.960 isn't able 00:29:56.960 --> 00:29:57.339 to shepherd 00:29:57.339 --> 00:29:57.839 us through. 00:29:58.779 --> 00:29:59.159 Nothing 00:29:59.159 --> 00:29:59.720 that he hasn't 00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:00.139 been through 00:30:00.139 --> 00:30:00.980 before us 00:30:00.980 --> 00:30:02.759 even for us. 00:30:02.759 --> 00:30:06.700 I'm going 00:30:06.700 --> 00:30:07.079 to say as 00:30:07.079 --> 00:30:07.460 well that 00:30:07.460 --> 00:30:07.920 this will 00:30:07.920 --> 00:30:08.279 sound like 00:30:08.279 --> 00:30:08.680 absolute 00:30:08.680 --> 00:30:09.180 madness. 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:11.059 Even this 00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:11.579 concept that 00:30:11.579 --> 00:30:11.980 I'm talking 00:30:11.980 --> 00:30:12.420 about that 00:30:12.420 --> 00:30:13.079 God's guiding 00:30:13.079 --> 00:30:13.460 us through 00:30:13.460 --> 00:30:13.900 valleys of 00:30:13.900 --> 00:30:14.220 darkness. 00:30:14.619 --> 00:30:14.879 It will 00:30:14.879 --> 00:30:15.180 sound like 00:30:15.180 --> 00:30:15.539 absolute 00:30:15.539 --> 00:30:16.140 madness if 00:30:16.140 --> 00:30:16.480 we don't 00:30:16.480 --> 00:30:17.099 carry the 00:30:17.099 --> 00:30:17.539 right 00:30:17.539 --> 00:30:18.359 perspective 00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:19.819 with us. 00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:22.420 Our lives 00:30:22.420 --> 00:30:22.720 are to be 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:23.200 lived for 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:23.819 his name's 00:30:23.819 --> 00:30:23.920 sake. 00:30:23.960 --> 00:30:24.279 We learned 00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:24.599 that in 00:30:24.599 --> 00:30:25.180 verse 3 00:30:25.180 --> 00:30:27.180 last week. 00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:29.420 We are not 00:30:29.420 --> 00:30:30.019 the shepherds 00:30:30.019 --> 00:30:30.359 we're the 00:30:30.359 --> 00:30:30.680 sheep. 00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:33.180 And God 00:30:33.180 --> 00:30:34.259 is glorified 00:30:34.259 --> 00:30:35.820 when we 00:30:35.820 --> 00:30:36.519 find our 00:30:36.519 --> 00:30:37.100 life and 00:30:37.100 --> 00:30:37.660 our joy 00:30:37.660 --> 00:30:38.420 in him. 00:30:39.539 --> 00:30:40.220 When we 00:30:40.220 --> 00:30:40.620 choose to 00:30:40.620 --> 00:30:40.960 meet our 00:30:40.960 --> 00:30:41.360 fear with 00:30:41.360 --> 00:30:41.680 faith. 00:30:41.740 --> 00:30:41.980 When we 00:30:41.980 --> 00:30:42.560 turn toward 00:30:42.560 --> 00:30:42.920 him in 00:30:42.920 --> 00:30:43.400 trust. 00:30:44.100 --> 00:30:44.620 Speaking 00:30:44.620 --> 00:30:45.440 directly to 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:45.799 him like 00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:46.060 he's in 00:30:46.060 --> 00:30:46.620 the room. 00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:49.019 Friends, 00:30:49.779 --> 00:30:50.519 because he 00:30:50.519 --> 00:30:50.960 is. 00:30:53.120 --> 00:30:53.640 Let's 00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:53.860 pray. 00:31:00.680 --> 00:31:04.860 God, our 00:31:04.860 --> 00:31:05.799 shepherd, even 00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:07.000 though we 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:07.400 walk through 00:31:07.400 --> 00:31:07.960 the valley of 00:31:07.960 --> 00:31:08.279 the shadow 00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:08.840 of death, 00:31:11.980 --> 00:31:12.480 Lord, we 00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:14.180 will fear no 00:31:14.180 --> 00:31:14.880 evil for you 00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:15.539 are with us. 00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:18.180 Your rod and 00:31:18.180 --> 00:31:19.000 your staff, they 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:19.840 comfort us. 00:31:21.580 --> 00:31:22.299 Even as we 00:31:22.299 --> 00:31:22.840 share Lord's 00:31:22.840 --> 00:31:23.440 supper today, 00:31:24.320 --> 00:31:25.960 we're reminding 00:31:25.960 --> 00:31:26.940 ourselves of the 00:31:26.940 --> 00:31:28.400 truth of what 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:28.960 you've already 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:29.920 done for us. 00:31:31.480 --> 00:31:33.100 And the 00:31:33.100 --> 00:31:33.660 reality of 00:31:33.660 --> 00:31:34.080 the things that 00:31:34.080 --> 00:31:34.880 we can trust 00:31:34.880 --> 00:31:35.680 even through 00:31:35.680 --> 00:31:37.940 all that life 00:31:37.940 --> 00:31:38.620 throws at us, 00:31:38.820 --> 00:31:39.799 even death. 00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:42.539 Lord, we 00:31:42.539 --> 00:31:43.039 thank you 00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:43.900 that you're 00:31:43.900 --> 00:31:44.320 with us. 00:31:45.120 --> 00:31:45.400 Amen.