It's my pleasure today to welcome Reverend Colin Dow to preach to us at both this morning and this evening service. Colin is minister at Crow Road Free Church in Glasgow.
Thank you. Thank you very much, Colin. My legs are kind of sore, has to be said. Wonderful to be here. I always feel like I'm coming home when I'm coming up to Lewis and I never knew why that was until my wife bought me a subscription to an ancestry website for my Christmas present.
And it turns out that I am a direct descendant of Summer Edma Gilbride, the first Lord of the Isles. So that must be why I feel I'm coming home.
Behold, the Lord God comes with might and his arm rules for him. Behold, his reward is with him and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd.
He will gather the lambs in his arms. He will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those with young.
Let us worship God. Let us sing to his praise in Psalm 93. Psalm 93 on page 123.
The Lord is King, his throne endures, majestic in its height.
Let us stand as we sing to God's praise.
Let us sing to God's praise.
The Lord is King, his throne endures, majestic in its height.
The world is found firm and sure,
Rebooteth cannot be, Rebooteth cannot be.
Your throne is strong, Now you are God.
From all eternity, From all eternity,
But these the Lord have lifted up,
They lifted up their voice,
But these the Lord have lifted up their weight,
And made a mighty noise,
And made a mighty noise.
The Lord have grown on high,
Is strong,
For powerful is he,
And thunder of the ocean's waves,
Are breakers of the sea,
Are breakers of the sea.
Your voice is not a true source and firm,
Unchanging is your word,
And holiness adorns your eyes,
For endless days,
Let us pray.
Indeed, O Lord Almighty, had we a thousand tongues,
they would not be enough to sing your praises,
for you are King.
You have always been King, you have always reigned,
since before the sun was set in the sky,
and you flung the stars into space.
You were King, and you are King today.
You are in sovereign control of all things that come to pass,
and you will always be King.
You reign in splendor and glory, and we bow before you,
our Sovereign God.
You are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one true and living God.
God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable,
in his being wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
And yet we have seen you in the face of Jesus Christ.
We thank you for your great love for us.
You demonstrated your love for us in this.
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Surely, O Lord, by nature we were conceived in sin.
We sinned daily in thought, word, and deed,
both by the wrong things we do,
and the right things we fail to do.
How we thank you, O Lord,
that you have laid all our sins
on the shoulders of our Saviour, Jesus Christ,
who bore them on Calvary's tree for us.
How we thank you that if we confess our sins,
you are faithful and just to forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
How we thank you that the blood of Jesus Christ
is enough to forgive all our sins.
But more so,
the blood of Jesus Christ covers us with his righteousness.
So that even as you look upon us,
as we are united in Christ,
you say of us,
you are my beloved son,
you are my beloved daughter,
in you I am well pleased.
What a great message the gospel of Jesus Christ is.
And we pray this morning that you would send your Holy Spirit
that we may focus our minds
on Jesus Christ and him crucified,
the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me,
the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.
We ask all these things
with the forgiveness of all our sin,
in Jesus' name.
Amen.
It is so wonderful to see all you boys and girls here today.
Did any of you run yesterday?
We have two down here.
Anyone else?
Are your legs as sore as mine today?
Yeah?
I want to help you understand
what ministers do for a living.
Okay?
Because lots of people come to me and say,
what do ministers do?
And sometimes I find it quite hard
to explain to someone
who doesn't go to church
what a minister does.
How would you answer that question,
what does a minister do?
Well, I want to help
try and explain to you
what a minister does.
So,
I here
have a pencil case.
And I know that there's a young man
in this connegation
whose father has bought him
this pencil case.
Who's that young man?
Uh-huh.
But because
it couldn't be delivered
here,
it had to be delivered
to my house in Glasgow.
But it wasn't me
who bought the pencil case
for this young man.
It was
his father.
This young man's father
who loves him very much
and wants him to have
the coolest
pencil case
in the whole
of the world.
It's got
Mr. Beast
written in the front.
And it's got a picture
of Callum.
Right in the front of it.
And I wonder
whether
Callum Angi,
would you mind
walking up here
because I certainly
can't walk down there.
Would you come
and get this
from me?
Would you mind?
Tell you what,
I'll meet you halfway.
Well,
there we go.
It's come all the way
from China
without a 254%
cut.
Good boy,
Callum Angi.
So,
I came all the way
up here
to do three things.
I came up here
to run the half marathon.
I came up here
to preach today.
And I came up here
to give a present
from a father
to his son.
because,
well,
Gordon loves
Callum Angi
and Gordon loves
to buy
Callum Angi
lovely things.
So,
what do you think
a minister does?
And what is me
giving that pencil case
to you got to do
with being a minister?
Huh?
Ministers
give
what our loving
heavenly father
has bought
for his children.
So,
our loving
heavenly father,
God,
has bought
salvation
through the blood
of Jesus
for us
if we have
faith in Jesus.
And what the
minister does
is
to tell
God's children,
us,
that God
has bought
a present
for us.
And the minister
stands up
every single Sunday
morning and evening.
this is what
Callum does
every Sunday
morning and evening
to give that gift
to God's children.
To give that gift
to you
and to me.
That's what he does.
So,
as he preaches
from the word,
he is
listening
to God the Father
saying,
tell my children
I have wonderful
gifts for them.
I have forgiveness
for them
from Jesus.
I have peace
for them
from the Holy Spirit.
I have comfort
when they're sad.
I have joy
for them.
I have hope
for them
when they can't
see the way ahead.
I have all
these things
for them.
And through
the preaching
of the word,
the minister
gives these gifts
to God's children.
So,
when next time
someone asks you,
what does a minister
do?
This is a bit
old for you,
but I often
get told that
a minister's job
is six days
to be invisible
and one day
to be incomprehensible.
But don't
use that.
Say,
it's the minister's job
to give
the gift
a father
has bought
to his children.
And then
when they say,
what does that mean?
Explain to them,
God
has bought
salvation
for his children
through the blood
of his son,
Jesus,
and it's
the minister's job
to offer
that salvation
to God's children.
So,
next time
you're playing
with your pencil case,
Calabangi,
and fill it up
and take it to school
and show your teacher,
isn't this cool?
Or next time
you're using
your pencil case
in school,
children,
could you remember
my story
about what a minister
does?
Giving gifts
a loving father
has bought
for his child
to them.
We're now going
to say the Lord's
Prayer together.
Our Father,
Jordan,
heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth
as it is in heaven.
Forgive us
our debts
as we forgive
our debtors.
And lead us
not into temptation,
but deliver us
from evil.
For thine
is the kingdom,
the power,
and the glory
forever and ever.
Amen.
We're going to sing
a song now,
a psalm now,
that talks about
our sin
and how God
forgives our sin.
This is a great gift
the Father gives us.
He blocks out our sin
because of the death
of Jesus.
Psalm 51
from verse 5
to verse 15
in St.
Psalms,
page 68.
8.
Psalm 51,
page 68.
From my birth
I have been sinful.
Such the nature
I received,
sinful from my first
beginning,
in my mother's womb
concede.
Again,
let's stand to sing
as we sing
Psalm 51
to God's praise.
For my heart
I have been sinful,
Such the nature
I receive,
Sent to God
from my first
beginning,
And my mother's
womb concede,
Truth,
you look
for in my heart,
Wisdom to me
you enviars.
And with this
of beautify me,
I'll be whiter
than the snow.
Let the bones
you must be joyful,
May I joy
and gladness know.
From my failure
hide your face,
Lord,
and all my wickedness.
Lord,
create a pure heart
in me,
and a steadfast mind
renew.
Do not take your spirit
from me,
cast me not away
from you.
Give me back
the joy I have,
Keep my will
in spirit blood.
Then I'll teach
your ways to sinners,
Rebels will turn
back to you.
free me from the guilt,
my Savior,
for those merciful
and true.
Then I'll praise
your righteousness,
teach my lips
your name to bless.
Amen.
We're going to read now
from Isaiah chapter 40.
Isaiah chapter 40.
And we're going to read
from verse 1
to verse 17.
This is on page 724
of the Bible I have here.
Isaiah 40.
This is the word of God.
Comfort.
Comfort, my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem
and cry to her
that her warfare has ended.
That her iniquity is pardoned.
That she has received
from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.
A voice cries.
In the wilderness
prepare the way of the Lord.
Make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
Every valley
shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill
be made low.
The uneven ground
shall become level
and the rough places
a plain.
and the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed.
And all flesh
shall see it together
for the mouth
of the Lord
has spoken.
A voice
says,
cry.
And I said,
what shall I cry?
All flesh is grass
and its beauty
is like the flower
of the field.
The grass withers.
The flower fades
when the breath
of the Lord
blows on it.
Surely the people
are grass.
The grass withers.
The flower fades.
But the word of our God
will stand forever.
Get you up
to a high mountain,
O Zion,
herald of good news.
Lift up your voice
with strength,
O Jerusalem,
herald of good news.
Lift it up.
Fear not.
Say to the cities
of Judah,
behold your God.
Behold the Lord God
comes with might
and his arm rules for him.
Behold his reward
is with him
and his recompense
before him.
He will tend his flock
like a shepherd.
He will gather
the lambs in his arms.
He will carry them
in his bosom
and gently lead those
that are with young.
who has measured
the water
in the hollow
of his hand
and marked off
the heavens
with a span,
enclosed the dust
of the earth
in a measure
and weighed
the mountains
in scales
and the hills
in a balance?
Who has measured
the spirit of the Lord
or what man
shows him his counsel?
Whom did he consult
and who made him understand?
Who taught him
the path of justice
and taught him knowledge
and showed him
the way of understanding?
Behold the nations
are like a drop
from a bucket
and are accounted
as the dust
on the scales.
Behold he takes up
the coastlands
like fine dust.
Lebanon would not
suffice for fuel
nor are its beasts
enough for a burnt offering.
All the nations
are as nothing
before him.
They are accounted
by him as less
than nothing
and emptiness.
Amen.
May God bless
this reading
of his word.
Let us pray.
We thank you Lord
for your word.
We thank you
that it is
your living breath.
That just as you
breathed
into the nostrils
of the first man
Adam
and he became
a living being
so you breathe
through your word
into our hearts
and we
spiritually
live.
we thank you
that your word
is living and active
sharper than any
two-edged sword.
We thank you
that your word
is like honey
honey
from the comb
and more precious
than gold.
We pray for
every organization
engaged in
spreading your word
in translating
it into
the languages
of the peoples
of the world.
world.
We thank you
for Wycliffe
Bible Translators
for the work
of the Bible
Societies
for the work
of the Langham
Partnership.
We thank you
for the growing
church
all over
our world.
We thank you
especially
for the growth
of the church
in nations
which previously
had been closed
to the gospel.
We think of
the nation
of Mongolia
a nation
which up
until the fall
of the Iron
Curtain
we knew
little or
nothing about
and yet
now
there is
a growing
church
with 60,000
believers
sending missionaries
all over
that part of
Asia
even into
China.
Lord we thank
you that your
spirit is doing
amazing things
is raising
the spiritual
temperature
of entire
nations.
Lord we pray
that you
would send
revival
on our own
beloved Scotland.
Will you not
O Lord
rend the heavens
in wrath
remember mercy
O Lord
and do the
things you
did at first
here.
We pray
that you
would fill
our churches
to overflowing
with eager
worshippers
and lifelong
disciples.
We pray
Lord that you
would thrust
men into the
harvest field
for the
harvest
is white.
We thank
you for this
church
which has
for so long
been a bastion
of the preaching
of the word
and the praising
of your name.
And we pray
Lord that you
would call
a man of
your own
choosing here.
We thank you
for the thoughts
of Gordon
on Wednesday
evening
and for this
little note
in our orders
of service
which reminds
us of the
things for
which we are
to pray
regarding
this vacancy.
We pray
for unanimity
of spirit
among us.
We pray
that you
would help
us to
be guided
and led
to a man
who is
word focused
in his
ministry.
We pray
that you
would give
us insight.
We thank
you for the
promise that
if any lacks
wisdom
we should
ask it of
you.
We pray
that you
would help
us to trust
in your
timing.
and we
pray
Lord
that you
would help
us to
yield
our
hearts
to
your
choice.
Father
our
great
desire
is
just as
it
is
for
Glasgow.
May
Glasgow
flourish
by the
preaching
of the
word
and the
praising
of your
name
may
Stornoway
flourish
in the
same
way.
Lord
we pray
for our
nation
the
nation
once
known
as
the
land
of the
book.
We
pray
for
the
great
unreached
parts
of our
nation
for
Argyle
and for
Maryshire
for
increasingly
parts of
the inner
and outer
Hebrides.
Lord
we ask
and pray
that you
would send
your spirit
in new
power.
We
pray
Lord
for
our
own
denomination
the
free
church
of
Scotland
we
recognise
that
we
are
a
tiny
little
branch
of
a
worldwide
tree
which
keeps
growing.
We
pray
Lord
that
you
would
bless
however
our
tiny
branch.
I
selfishly
pray
for
our
two
church
plants
from
our
own
connegation
in
Glasgow
for
Hope
Community
Church
in
Helensburgh
and
for
Crossbridge
Church
in
Merced
Den
Will
Guy.
We
give
you
thanks
for
their
growth
over
these
last
months
when
they
have
first
begun
to
worship
you
publicly
and
yet
have
both
doubled
in
size.
Lord
we
pray
for
such
a
growth
and
movement
all
over
Scotland.
We
pray
for
any
who
are
sick
and
struggling
in
our
connegation
here.
We
pray
for
those
who
are
physically
ill.
We
pray
for
those
who
are
mentally
challenged.
We
pray
for
those
who
are
discouraged.
We
also
pray
Lord
for
who
were
born
baptized
and
brought
up
in
our
connegation
but
have
backslidden
have
left
the
faith
behind
them.
We
remember
the
promises
made
at
baptism.
Promises
not
so
much
made
by
parents
to
you
but
made
by
you
to
parents.
Lord
we
pray
that
you
would
remember
the
covenant
promises
you
made
and
bring
our
people
back.
Now
Lord
we
commit
ourselves
to
you
asking
that
you
would
make
war
cease
to
the
ends
of
the
earth
and
that
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
would
reign.
We
ask
these
things
in
his
name.
Amen.
once
more
we're
going
to
sing
in
Psalm
number
119
and
we're
going
to
sing
from
verse
9
to
verse
16
you'll
find
this
on
page
number
400
I
should
say
thank you
very
much
to
Elizabeth
for
her
emails
this
week
and
for
arranging
things
so
well
by
what
means
shall
a
young
man
learn
his
way
to
purify
if
he
according
to
thy
word
there
to
attentive
be
Psalm
119
from
verse
9
to
16
to
God's
praise
groan
this
way
to
purify
if
he
according
to
thy
word
then
do
attentive
me
groan
Let me be, he have I sought, with all my soul and heart.
O let me not from the right path of thy commands depart.
Thy word I in my heart have lived, but I offend not thee.
O Lord, the weather blessed are thy status teach the me.
But judgment so thy mouth each one, my lips decreed how.
For joy thy testimonies plead, the righteous, O only name.
Thy will thy holy present make, my meditation.
And carefully I'll have respect, but to thy ways each one.
Among thy statutes my delight shall constantly be set.
And by thy grace I never will, my holy word forget.
Amen.
It really is a great privilege to preach to you today and to share this time with you.
Some of you may remember that I did a placement as a student here 24 years ago.
Back then I had far more hair, far more energy and far less children.
So it's lovely to bring with me this weekend my wife, who won first prize in the over 50s female half marathon yesterday.
I'm very proud of her.
And then son number two, Aidan.
Son number three, Jonathan.
And his girlfriend, Ailey.
So thank you for your very kind welcome.
It really is lovely, lovely to be here and to see old friends.
We're going to turn in our Bibles now to Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 11.
Isaiah 40 and verse 11.
Where we read of God, he will tend his flock like a shepherd.
He will gather the lambs in his arms.
He will carry them in his bosom.
And gently lead those that are with young.
Heavenly Father, we bow in your presence.
May your word be our rule, your spirit our teacher, and your greater glory our supreme concern.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
There are few more indeeding images that you may have in your minds of God than that of him being our shepherd.
Perhaps the most famous line of any song in any language is the first line of Psalm 23.
The Lord's my shepherd.
One of Jesus' most famous parables is that of the shepherd.
Who having left the 99 sheep in safety, searches for that one lost sheep.
And when he finds it, he lays that one lost sheep across his shoulders.
And joyfully brings it home.
Our Lord said to himself, I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.
There's something about the image of God as our shepherd which comforts us.
And whatever our circumstances makes us feel safe.
This chapter, Isaiah 40, tells the story of how God will rescue his people from their exile in Babylon.
Having spiraled downwards through their unfaithfulness to him,
the Israelites were forcibly relocated all across the vast Babylonian empire.
For 70 years they were exiled from their homeland because of their unfaithfulness to God.
These were terrifying years of exile and pain.
But a time will come when God will lead them back from Babylon and bring them back to Israel.
When their sins shall be forgiven and they shall once again be established in Jerusalem.
The rescue from Babylon is pictured in verse 11 here as that of the Lord.
Like a shepherd.
Tending his flock.
Gathering the lambs in his arms.
Carrying them in his bosom.
And gently leading those who have young.
After all, these returning people of Israel will have hundreds of miles to travel back to their homeland from Babylon.
But the Lord shall be their shepherd.
He shall lead them like a flock of sheep.
He shall provide for them.
He shall protect them every step of the way.
Now, although it may be a bit fanciful,
the homeward journey of the exiles from Babylon was compared by many of the early church fathers
to the lifelong journey of the Christian.
Like Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress,
we leave behind us the city of destruction when we become Christians
and we make our way to the celestial city of heaven.
But we do not travel alone in life.
Unkept.
Unloved.
Unprotected.
Rather, as we make our way through life,
the Lord tends to us,
gathers us,
carries us,
and gently leads us to himself.
We may experience many hardships on the journey.
We may be attacked by all kinds of enemies.
But the Lord will be our shepherd
and he will lead us home.
Picture this.
In all of life's ups and downs,
in all of our pleasures,
in all of our pains,
in all of our joys,
and in all of our sorrows,
our Lord is tender,
loving.
He's our powerful shepherd.
And he will hold us fast,
nearer to his heart.
I want us to explore this image of the Lord as our shepherd
from this verse in Isaiah 40,
under three headings,
our glorious shepherd,
our gracious shepherd,
our gentle shepherd.
For any today who feel as though they're lost and alone,
take comfort.
Take comfort.
The Lord is your shepherd.
He will never leave you.
He will never forsake you.
He will carry you.
He will be with you always.
First of all then,
we have our glorious shepherd.
Our glorious shepherd.
When I was a child,
and I'd get into verbal spat with another boy in my class,
the argument would always end up with him saying to me,
my dad's bigger than your dad.
And then I'd say to him,
no, no, no, no, no, no.
My dad's bigger than your dad.
Truth be told,
both dads were the same size.
In Isaiah 40,
there's no doubt who's the bigger.
One of the reasons that we love Isaiah 40 is
because of the picture that it paints
of the sheer immensity,
glory,
and power of the Lord who is our shepherd.
It all begins in verse 9
with the announcement,
Behold your God.
Behold him indeed.
See him in the limitless sovereignty
of his kingly reign.
There follows from verse 12
a series of rhetorical questions.
Who has measured the waters
in the hollow of his hand?
Who has measured the spirit of the Lord?
The might and power of Babylon
can be counted and measured.
But the immensity of God
is beyond all calculation.
Behold,
Isaiah cries out,
the nations are like drops from a bucket
and are accounted as dust on the scales.
Drops of water.
Dust indeed.
The greatest
of all the human empires
is but dust
in the scales
to God.
On one side
is the weight of God.
On the other
a fleck of dust.
All the nations
there is nothing before him.
Who does this puny
king of Babylon
suppose himself
to be compared
to the immensity
of the glory
of the God
of heaven and earth?
The God
who cannot be likened
to any image?
The limitless
infinity of his essence
and character
going beyond
the limited
finite mind
any of us
can ever imagine?
And then come
the three great questions
of this chapter.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
He sits above
the circle of the earth
and its inhabitants
are like grasshoppers.
He brings princes
to nothing
and makes the rulers
of the earth
as emptiness
or vanity.
Lift up your eyes
on high
and see
who created
all these.
He brings out
their host
by number
and he calls
them all
by name.
Astronomers
will admit
they haven't
even begun
to scratch
the surface
of all
there is to know
about
the stars
we can see.
Never mind
the stars
only the Hubble
can see.
God created
them all
and he gave
each one
a name.
It crescendos
in verse 28
The Lord
is the everlasting
God
the creator
of the ends
of the earth.
He does not
faint or grow weary
his understanding
is unsearchable.
The king of Babylon
he's seated
on a throne
of earthly glory.
He sneers
at the world
around him
but all the
time
his beauty
is like
the flower
of the field.
He is less
than a grain
of dust.
He's a grasshopper.
He's a great
nothing.
My dad's
bigger than
your dad
indeed.
Our great
shepherd king
the Lord
himself
he is the
everlasting
God
the created
of the ends
of the earth.
He alone
stands
gloriously
enthroned
above all
that he has
made.
Our human
minds
cannot imagine
the greatness
of his being.
Our human
calculations
will always
fall short
of measuring
even the
smallest movement
of his power.
There are no
words in any
human language
sufficient to
even begin to
describe his
immensity.
To describe
himself to us
God must use
baby talk
so that we may
understand.
All his
revelations of
himself are like
a toddler
babbling
but that is
what our
God must
do so that
we may
know him.
Who then
is your
shepherd
who tends
you?
Who holds
you close
to his
heart?
Who is
this shepherd
king who
gathers you
like a
lamb in
his arms
and gently
leads you
through life?
He is the
everlasting
God before
whom the
nations are
as drops
in a bucket
and as
grains of
dust.
The God
who will
rescue his
captive people
from Babylon
who will
lead them
through the
wilderness
home to
Israel.
This is
who he
is in
the
immensity
of his
power,
his
supremacy
and his
glory.
What
comfort this
must have
been to
the fearful
people of
Israel.
Nothing
need they
fear if
God be
their
shepherd.
No
hunger,
no thirst,
no army,
no robber,
no mountain
or desert.
As the
famous St.
Julian of
Norwich
once said,
all shall
be well,
all shall
be well.
It shall
be well
because of
the glory
of the
God who
is our
shepherd.
Our
enemies may
be greater
than us,
but there
is drops
from a
bucket to
God.
The
deserts of
our lives
may seem
empty,
but the
God who
created
water
shall fill
them with
refreshing
pools.
He is
the
Lord,
our
shepherd,
who will
lead us
beside the
still waters
and make
us lie
down in
green
pastures,
who will
lead us
in paths
of
righteousness.
The
Lord,
our
shepherd,
who will
be with
us,
comforting
us with
his rod
and staff
as we
walk through
the valleys
of the
shadow
of death.
As the
Israelites
make their
way from
Babylon
to
Canaan,
God
will prepare
them
banqueting
tables in
the
wilderness,
and his
goodness
and mercy
shall follow
them always.
Behold,
our
God,
Isaiah
cries.
He will
tend his
flock like
a shepherd.
He will
gather the
lambs in
his arms.
He will
carry them
in his
bosom and
gently lead
those who
have
young.
him.
If the
church
fathers
were
right,
and
the
return
from
exile
is a
picture
of the
Christian
life,
then
surely
we
too
can
take
comfort
from
the
immensity
and glory
of the
Lord
who is
our
shepherd.
Who are
these
enemies
who stand
against
us,
who seem
so tall
and strong
to us?
They have
not seen
the glory
of God
who stands
tall over
them.
What is
this physical
or mental
illness we
are enduring?
This grief
which gnaws
at our
very bones.
Surely
our God
who sustains
the innumerable
stars in
their heavenly
positions.
Surely
he can
sustain us
and cause
our cup
of joy
yet to
overflow.
Are there
any here
this morning
who are
anxious
any here
this morning
who are
fearful?
In my
Spurgeon's
morning and
evening readings
for the
27th of
March,
I read
some
beautiful
words.
He wrote,
this is
the royal
road to
comfort.
Great
thoughts
of your
sin alone
will drive
you to
despair.
But listen
to this.
Great
thoughts
of Christ
will
pilot you
into the
heaven of
peace.
Great
thoughts
of Christ
will
pilot you
into the
heaven of
peace.
Look not
inwards at
our
weakness
and sin
but upwards
at the
glory and
holiness and
love of
our shepherd.
Then,
surely then,
we shall
be at
peace and
all shall
be well
with us.
The
Lord's
our
glorious
shepherd.
Well,
second,
the Lord is
our gracious
shepherd.
He's our
gracious
shepherd.
You will
know that
the people
of Israel
were in
exile in
Babylon
because of
their
unfaithfulness
to God.
For
hundreds of
years prior
to their
exile,
ever since
the days
of David,
they had
been on
a downward
spiral.
They had
worshipped the
Lord,
but they had
worshipped many
other gods
also,
idols made
of wood
and stone,
and they
sacrificed
to these
idols.
We even
read of
one of the
kings of
Israel who
sacrificed his
children to
one of
these idols.
prior to
their
captivity in
Babylon,
Israel had
become a
morally
disgusting,
socially
corrupted,
and
religiously
depraved
nation.
Well,
God's
judgment upon
them was
severe.
He caused
the Babylonian
army to
march in
and destroy
Jerusalem,
to carry
its best
people away
into exile,
to scatter
them to the
four winds of
the massive
Babylonian
empire.
However,
his judgment
upon them,
to use
technical
terms,
was not
retributive as
much as it
was restorative.
He punished
them to bring
them to their
senses,
as we may
a child.
Because during
those 70
years of
exile,
the people
of Israel
came to
their senses
and realized
why all this
had happened
to them.
They realized
that it was
because of
their sin
that God
had judged
them.
They repented
and once again
began to
seek the
Lord.
And as at
this point we
enter Isaiah
40,
where God
says,
Comfort,
comfort my
people,
says your
God.
Speak tenderly
to Jerusalem
and cry to
her that her
warfare is
ended,
that her
iniquity is
pardoned,
that she
has received
from the
Lord's hand
double for
all her
sins.
The God
who had
judged them
on account
of their
sins,
now forgives
and restores
them to
himself.
His
gracious love
for them
means that
they shall
never cease
to be
his people
and he
shall never
cease to
be their
God.
He announces
his forgiveness,
her warfare
is ended,
her iniquity
is pardoned.
Israel has
paid for
its sin
by being
judged
and exiled
from God,
by being
cast away
from his
holy presence
in Jerusalem.
Now,
having paid
the price
of their
unfaithfulness,
God announces
their forgiveness
and their
restoration.
They have
paid the
price of
their sin,
they have
borne their
punishment,
they have
been exiled
and forsaken
by God,
now God
will bring
them back
and restore
them to
himself once
again.
He shall
be their
God and
they shall
be his
people.
This
chapter
paints a
picture not
just of the
Lord of
glory but
of the
Lord of
grace.
the grace
of God
and the
forgiveness
of his
people and
their
reconciliation
with them
through the
payment of
a debt of
faithfulness
they owed
him.
And then
we hear the
voice of
the Lord
Jesus Christ
crying out,
I am the
good shepherd.
The good
shepherd lays
down his
life for
the sheep.
And then
we hear the
voice of
the apostle
Peter saying,
he himself,
Jesus,
bore our
sins in
his body
upon the
tree that
we might
die to
sin and
live to
righteousness.
By his
wounds you
have been
healed for
you were
straying like
sheep but
have now
returned to
the shepherd
and overseer
of your
souls.
On
account of
our sin
and unfaithfulness,
our straying
from God,
the Lord
Jesus Christ
was exiled
and forsaken
by God on
the cross.
He paid
the price
of our
sin.
He bore
the punishment
of our
unfaithfulness.
The Lord
who was our
shepherd bore
!
The Lord
who was our
shepherd bore
The cost of
our idolatry,
our greed,
our selfishness.
Through faith
in the good
shepherd Jesus
Christ, our
iniquity is
pardoned for
he has
received from
the Lord's
hand double
for all our
sins.
on the
cross
he paid
the price
and reconciled
us to
God.
This is
the grace
of the
shepherd of
whom we
read in
verse 11.
The shepherd
who tends
his flock
because he
gave himself
for his
flock.
The shepherd
who gathered
his flock
in those arms
he stretched
out on the
cross.
The shepherd
who carries
his lambs
near his
heart,
that heart
which stopped
beating for
three days
because he
was laid
in a tomb.
The shepherd
who gently
leads those
who have
young because
he was
harshly led
for them
to Mount
Calvary
where he
was crucified.
In the
old covenant
innocent sheep
were sacrificed
on behalf of
their sinful
shepherds.
In the new
covenant our
innocent shepherd
was sacrificed
on behalf of
his sinful
sheep.
But that
grace of
Christ which
has brought
us close
to God
continues
throughout
our lives
as Christian
believers
to bring
us closer
to him
still.
The story
of the
Christian
life
is the
story of
Christ's
continued
grace
in forgiving
our sin
in strengthening
us with
new dissolve
and giving
us the
inextinguishable
hope of
eternal life.
It is
grace
it is
whole grace
and it's
nothing but
grace.
Have you
failed
your
shepherd?
Have you
strayed from
your shepherd?
When you
return to
him
do not
expect the
harshness
of a
judge
anticipate
the grace
of a
shepherd.
Are you
exhausted in
his service
falling over
under the
burdens you're
carrying?
Go to
him because
he is your
shepherd and
ask him for
more grace
to help you
carry them.
Are you
fearful and
anxious for
your future?
Take your
anxieties to
Jesus and
pray for his
grace that he
may replace
your worry
with his
peace.
We have a
gracious
shepherd.
Therefore all
shall be well
with us.
we have a
glorious
shepherd,
we have a
gracious
shepherd,
then finally
we have
a gentle
shepherd,
a gentle
shepherd.
When I
was a
wee boy,
maybe
oh three
or four
years old
and I
wake up
at night
with fear
in my
heart
thinking there
was a
monster
under my
bed,
I would
creep into
my mum
and dad's
bed.
And my
dad would
put his
arm around
me and
I'd put
my head
on his
chest and
I could
hear the
beating of
his heart.
And as a
tiny wee
boy I was
then able to
go back to
sleep because
no matter if
the sky was
falling down,
no matter if
really there
was a monster
under my
bed and it
wasn't just a
figment of
my imagination,
I couldn't
have been
safer,
more at
peace,
more contented
than when
my wee
heady was
on my
dad's
chest and
I was
listening to
the beat
of his
heart.
Nearly
50 years
later I
can still
remember how
loved and
safe I
felt.
Now we
could talk
about the
gentleness of
our glorious
and gracious
shepherd from
each of the
four clauses
in verse
11 but it's
the third
which appeals
to me
most,
maybe to
you also.
He will
carry them
in his
bosom,
he will
carry them
in his
bosom.
Our
shepherd king
having gathered
us in his
arms draws
us in those
powerful arms
into his
chest so
that we may
hear the
beating of
his heart.
He does
for us what
my father
used to do
for me,
he puts
his arm
around us
and he
draws us
close.
We were
very much
by ourselves
we were
alone and
insecure,
afraid and
worried.
The darkness
was oppressive
to us
and the
loneliness
was complete.
There seemed
to be no
light in
our lives
and no
hope.
But he
gathered us
in his
arms,
those arms
of his
which are
so strong
and so
powerful
and yet
so gentle.
In Sunday
school we
learned the
chorus,
my God
is so
big,
so strong
and so
mighty,
there's
nothing
that he
cannot
do.
As
children we
would all
do the
actions,
came to
the strong,
mighty,
strike the
bodybuilder's
pose,
show off
these
bicep
muscles.
Well it's
true,
our God
is so
strong and
so mighty
but those
strong and
mighty arms
they're so
tender,
they gently
gather us
to himself,
such tender
arms they
hold us
close to
his heart.
The strong
arms of
our king
are the
gentle
arms of
our shepherd.
In John
10,
27,
Jesus
says,
my sheep
hear my
voice,
I know
them and
they follow
me.
I give
them eternal
life and
they will
never perish,
no one will
ever snatch
them from
my hand.
Once the
strong arms
of our
shepherd has
us,
no one,
not even
ourselves and
our doubts
can snatch
us from
his grasp
and he
holds us
so close
that we
may hear
the beat
of his
heart
and every
beat of
his heart
is for
us.
Every beat
of the
heart of
God
echoes
with his
love for
us.
Once we
were far
away from
him,
lost and
fearful,
rather like
a child
waking in
the dark
with a
monster
under its
bed.
But now
he has
gathered us
up in
his arms,
he is
holding us
close to
himself and
he lets us
hear the
beating of
his loving
heart for
us.
When I
was a
wee
balach,
I couldn't
have felt
safer,
more at
peace and
more contented
than when
my dad's
arms were
around me
and my
head was
on his
chest.
The sky
could be
falling down
and I
wouldn't
have cared
he would
keep me
safe.
I knew
he would.
When our
glorious,
gracious and
gentle shepherd
has gathered
us up in
his arms and
is holding
us close to
his heart,
we feel
so safe,
so much
at peace,
so very
contented.
When I
fear my
faith may
fail,
Christ will
hold me
fast.
When the
tempter would
prevail,
he will
hold me
fast.
I could
never keep
my hold
through life's
fearful path.
For my
love is
often cold,
he must
hold me
fast.
Yes,
he holds
us fast,
such beautiful
words,
but where
he holds
us fast
is more
beautiful
still.
He holds
us fast
close to
his heart.
His arms
are strong,
his heart
beats with
love for
us so
powerfully,
so rhythmically,
his grip
upon us is
so gentle,
so tender.
Many of
Glasgow's
professional
rugby team,
the Glasgow
Warriors,
train at my
local gym.
Now,
some of
these rugby
players are
giants.
in every
way,
well over
six feet
tall.
They've
got muscles
in places
I don't
have
places.
But
sometimes
you'll
see one
of them
in the
swimming pool
with his
young child.
Now,
these guys,
I mean,
they might
be muscly
giants,
but they
hold their
little children
in that
swimming pool
with such
strength,
such
tenderness.
Even
though that
child can't
swim,
that young
child is
never as
safe as
when it's
giant of
a father
is holding
it close.
Neither
are we
safer,
neither are
you safer,
than when
you have
your glorious
and gracious
shepherd holding
you close to
his heart.
We might feel
as if we're
drowning in
life's sorrows,
but he's
carrying us.
We might feel
confused and
full of
questions,
but he's
holding us.
We might be
tired and
exhausted,
but he draws
us close.
We might be
mentally and
physically dying,
but he lets
us hear the
beat of his
gentle heart.
Well, to
apply this
great truth
of our
Lord being
our glorious,
gracious,
and gentle
shepherd,
let me suggest
that though
his hold on
us is
ultimate,
we would
do well
to do
everything we
can to
hold on
to him.
We would
do well
to do
everything we
can to
hold on
to him.
We need
to abide
in him,
to walk
closely to
him,
to listen
carefully to
the voice
of our
shepherd through
the reading
of his
word,
and letting
him hear
the bleating
of our
voices as
we pray,
daily being
strengthened by
the grace of
his spirit as
we live in
him.
God's
but there
may be
some here
this morning
for whom
the Lord
is not
your shepherd.
You're still
lost,
well maybe
you don't
think you
are,
but you
are,
and you're
straying in
the desert,
and you're
dying on
the inside.
The good
shepherd Jesus
Christ extended
wide his arms
on the cross
to embrace
a sinful
world,
and he
invites
every one
of us
today to
enter that
embrace.
The shepherd
who died
for his
sheep,
he invites
us to
believe and
to trust
in him,
to let
him tend
us,
and gather
us up in
his gentle
arms,
to let us
crawl into
bed beside
him,
as he puts
his arm
around us,
so that we
may hear
his heart.
So my
last question
for you
today is
this,
will you,
will you
today let
him draw
you close,
so that
you may
hear the
beat of
the loving
heart of
your loving
shepherd.
Amen.
We shall
close now
as we sing
what is
perhaps our
favorite
psalm,
Psalm 23
from the
Scottish
Psalter,
page 229,
the Lord's
my shepherd,
I'll not
want.
He makes
me down
to lie
in pastures
green,
he leadeth me
the quiet
waters
by.
the Lord's
my shepherd,
I'll not
want,
he makes
me down
to lie,
the
and
the
water
and
he
!
he
groan
The quiet waters shine
And so be done, restore again
And be to all the pain
Within the paths of righteousness
In God's own insane
And though I walk in death's dark pale
Yet will I fear the hill
For thou art with me on thy road
And shall be calm for still
My table thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes
My heaven does
With oil and light
And my cup overflow
To death and mercy
Of my life
Shall surely follow me
And in the mountains
Forevermore
My dwelling place shall be
Receive God's blessing
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
The love of God
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
Be with you all
Amen
Thank you
Thank you.