WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.540 Okay, good morning, everybody. Great to have you. And if you are new, my name is Kevin. Great to be with you this morning. 00:00:11.040 --> 00:00:22.160 This Sunday between Christmas and New Year, our Thanksgiving Sunday, one of my favorite Sundays of the year. I always love this Sunday where the sermon will be a bit shorter. 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:36.460 We try and take a bit more time to hear from various people the stories of God at work in our lives and in our church as we reflect on the ways that God has led us and grown us and revealed himself to us in this last year. 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:42.579 I kept on wanting to jump up after everybody shared and just add a little bit more to the story that I know. 00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:49.000 One thing I was going to say, Bernard, just to pick on you, something Bernard said earlier this year, which I thought was really astounding. 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:55.420 He said, I want to learn how do I steward the suffering well. I thought that was an amazing, amazing thought. 00:00:55.539 --> 00:01:04.680 When suffering will come our way and we can either feel sorry for ourselves, we can either play the victim, or we can say, God, this is something that you have brought to me. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:07.620 How do I steward this season? How do I steward the suffering well? 00:01:07.620 --> 00:01:22.880 I thought that was, and Margo, as you've transitioned from working for 45 years in the same firm, somewhere around there, 40 years in one firm, and as you moved into retirement, I remember earlier this year, you prayed saying, God, help me to use this season well. 00:01:23.400 --> 00:01:26.600 And wow, has he answered that prayer as you responded to him. That was so encouraging. 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:29.860 And I know just all the stories. I wanted to just comment on it. 00:01:29.859 --> 00:01:42.359 But, you know, one of the things at Watermark, when people ask me, tell me about your church, tell me about Watermark Church, I always start off saying, well, firstly, it's the very best church in the whole world. 00:01:43.039 --> 00:01:46.159 And that is true. That is true. I really do feel like that. 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:53.739 And one of the reasons why I say that, the thing that I love about our church is the countless stories of God at work in people's lives. 00:01:54.500 --> 00:02:02.079 In various ways, some spectacular ways, some very ordinary ways, the stories of God at work in our lives and in our church. 00:02:02.620 --> 00:02:09.340 You know, as a church, our goal is never to be the biggest church, or the fanciest church, or the most popular church. 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:10.519 That's never been our aim. 00:02:11.060 --> 00:02:13.139 Our aim is we want to be an authentic church. 00:02:13.139 --> 00:02:14.439 We want to be a real church. 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:23.419 We want to be a healthy church where real people are meeting with the real God in their everyday areas of life and meeting God's real grace. 00:02:24.180 --> 00:02:25.400 And so that's our goal. 00:02:25.539 --> 00:02:27.319 That's our hope for us as a church. 00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:31.960 And so this morning, I feel like I've got 10 more reasons to boast in our church. 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:36.060 Thank you for sharing those stories of God being at work in our church. 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:40.800 Now, as we come to the close of 2025, I thought it would take just a few minutes. 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:43.079 I'm going to speak for maybe 20 minutes, a bit shorter than usual. 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:51.720 And look at, just reflect on 2025 through one of the most famous passages or chapters in the entire Bible. 00:02:52.220 --> 00:02:56.680 And so I'm going to ask Esther to come on up and read Psalm 23 to us. 00:02:56.720 --> 00:02:59.380 If you've got a Bible, you can open up to Psalm 23. 00:03:00.040 --> 00:03:01.200 Esther's going to read it for us. 00:03:01.600 --> 00:03:05.980 And then we're going to reflect on this year by looking at this passage briefly. 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:08.280 So Esther, will you come and read God's word to us? 00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:18.500 Just by the way, if you don't know Esther, Esther is Simon and Sherman's daughter, who was a watermarker for many, many years, then moved to London, studied, got married to Gerald. 00:03:18.620 --> 00:03:19.879 They now live in London. 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:23.439 Esther, it's great having you and Gerald back with us. 00:03:23.560 --> 00:03:24.879 Wonderful to have you with us. 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:27.300 So will you read God's word to us, please, this morning? 00:03:27.300 --> 00:03:33.420 Today's scripture reading is taken from Psalm 23, verses 1 to 6. 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:37.380 Feel free to get some Bibles at the front or the back if you don't have one. 00:03:39.180 --> 00:03:42.500 It is on page 4 to 8 of the Church Bibles. 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:47.760 Starting from verse 1. 00:03:47.760 --> 00:03:51.780 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 00:03:52.500 --> 00:03:54.939 He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:03:54.939 --> 00:03:57.800 He leads me beside still waters. 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:00.099 He restores my soul. 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:04.759 He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 00:04:05.819 --> 00:04:12.579 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:15.780 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:20.659 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 00:04:20.660 --> 00:04:23.200 You anoint my head with oil. 00:04:23.820 --> 00:04:25.300 My cup overflows. 00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:34.140 Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:36.160 This is the word of God. 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:37.160 Thank you. 00:04:40.860 --> 00:04:41.600 Okay, thanks. 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:45.120 Let me pray for us, and then let's look at this together. 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:48.320 Father God, we do ask that you speak to us from your word. 00:04:48.400 --> 00:04:50.800 Your word, Lord, infallible, inspired by you. 00:04:51.340 --> 00:04:52.700 My words are certainly not. 00:04:52.699 --> 00:05:03.539 But God, as we think and reflect and meditate on these words, won't you both encourage us and draw us to yourself as we reflect on this past year and prepare for the year ahead. 00:05:04.259 --> 00:05:05.279 Draw us to yourself. 00:05:05.420 --> 00:05:07.039 Help us to trust you. 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:11.339 And speak to us, we pray, in your great and wonderful name. 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:12.139 Amen. 00:05:13.319 --> 00:05:17.099 So, friends, I wonder how has 2025 been for you? 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:19.879 For me, it's been a good year. 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:22.920 Moving into this venue was obviously a wonderful, wonderful thing. 00:05:23.300 --> 00:05:25.300 And so it's been a good year in some ways. 00:05:25.660 --> 00:05:31.840 In other ways, 2025 has been one of the hardest, one of the most stretching years that I think I've probably ever had. 00:05:32.760 --> 00:05:34.320 But how has it been for you? 00:05:35.080 --> 00:05:38.740 For some of us, maybe 2025 has been a fantastic year. 00:05:39.379 --> 00:05:41.120 Maybe you got married this year. 00:05:41.420 --> 00:05:44.220 Maybe you got that dream job that you really wanted. 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:47.060 Maybe you had a life-changing experience. 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:49.260 Discovered something new about God. 00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:50.300 Met some friends. 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:51.260 Built some relationships. 00:05:51.820 --> 00:05:53.860 Met people that you never thought you would meet. 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:58.140 For some of us, 2025 has been a profoundly challenging year. 00:05:58.960 --> 00:06:01.620 A number of people in our church have been diagnosed with cancer. 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:03.060 Some young children. 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:07.760 Others have close relationships have come into strain. 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:09.860 Some of us have lost work. 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:12.439 Some of us have had other medical challenges. 00:06:13.260 --> 00:06:16.820 For some people in our church have had to bury their loved ones and say goodbye. 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:21.280 Others have had to deal with deep trauma from the past that has surfaced. 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:23.099 And a host of other challenges. 00:06:24.159 --> 00:06:30.459 For most of us, if not all of us, 2025 has been something of a mix of both of these. 00:06:30.619 --> 00:06:34.019 A year of great joy mixed with times of sorrow. 00:06:34.659 --> 00:06:37.819 At times of laughter and mixed with times of tears. 00:06:38.539 --> 00:06:39.479 Times of delight. 00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:41.559 And times of longing. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:42.819 Longing for more. 00:06:43.459 --> 00:06:45.879 Times of quiet confidence and trust. 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:48.159 Times of unanswered prayers. 00:06:48.500 --> 00:06:49.500 Unanswered questions. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:50.740 And uncertainty. 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:55.939 And in many ways, if we think about it, this is the journey of life, isn't it? 00:06:56.300 --> 00:06:58.159 Life has many ups and downs. 00:06:58.339 --> 00:06:59.600 Good days and bad days. 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:01.579 I think someone was sharing earlier. 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:03.279 This is the journey of life. 00:07:03.399 --> 00:07:05.600 But it's also the journey of faith. 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:08.060 For those of us that are followers of Jesus, 00:07:08.060 --> 00:07:11.420 from now until the day that we pass away, 00:07:11.699 --> 00:07:14.519 the life that we live will be one of faith. 00:07:14.579 --> 00:07:19.120 Learning to trust in the God who calls us to himself. 00:07:19.939 --> 00:07:25.139 And Psalm 23 reminds us that we need not undertake this journey of life alone. 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:27.660 In fact, for those of us that are followers of Jesus, 00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:32.160 Psalm 23 tells us we do not undertake this journey alone. 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:38.260 Because the Psalm is both a reminder and encouragement to approach this journey of life, 00:07:38.360 --> 00:07:40.460 this journey of faith, from a different perspective. 00:07:41.380 --> 00:07:45.560 Psalm 23 is inviting us to see who it is that sustains us, 00:07:46.180 --> 00:07:50.700 carries us, guides us, and ultimately welcomes us home. 00:07:51.400 --> 00:07:55.080 And so Psalm 23 is a celebration of the God who does all these things. 00:07:55.180 --> 00:07:57.260 And so if you've got your Bible, look at it with me. 00:07:57.340 --> 00:07:58.900 I think we've got it on the screen here. 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:00.600 Maybe you don't need a Bible today. 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:02.360 The whole Psalm on one screen. 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:05.520 And look at how the Psalm starts off. 00:08:05.700 --> 00:08:06.740 David says this, 00:08:06.820 --> 00:08:08.720 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:08:08.840 --> 00:08:11.560 Probably some of the most famous verses in the entire Bible. 00:08:12.420 --> 00:08:14.820 Anybody here got that tattooed on their arm somewhere? 00:08:15.300 --> 00:08:16.939 Wouldn't put it past somebody here. 00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:17.300 Okay. 00:08:17.760 --> 00:08:18.820 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:20.780 Some of the most famous verses in all the Bible. 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:23.900 Now, David Gibson, who wrote an outstanding book, 00:08:23.980 --> 00:08:25.620 probably my favorite book in the whole world, 00:08:25.700 --> 00:08:27.120 called The Lord of Psalm 23, 00:08:27.760 --> 00:08:28.720 starts off saying, 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:31.740 These words are more astounding than we realize. 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:33.139 Why is that? 00:08:33.560 --> 00:08:35.300 Well, in the English Bible, 00:08:35.420 --> 00:08:37.860 when the word Lord is written in capital letters, 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:39.000 like it is here, 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:42.460 it's a translation of the Hebrew word Yahweh. 00:08:43.139 --> 00:08:47.840 And Yahweh is the personal name that God gave to himself 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:49.580 when he revealed himself to Moses. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:52.160 You may remember the story in Exodus 3. 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:55.980 Moses is out in the wilderness, 00:08:56.579 --> 00:08:58.620 and God reveals himself to Moses. 00:08:58.740 --> 00:08:59.659 And he says to Moses, 00:09:00.079 --> 00:09:03.779 I want you to go back to Egypt and to set my people free, 00:09:03.959 --> 00:09:05.000 to deliver them. 00:09:05.139 --> 00:09:09.360 Tell the people that the God of creation has heard their cries, 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:10.539 heard their agony. 00:09:10.819 --> 00:09:13.199 He is going to be their deliverer and set them free. 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:15.079 And there's a bit of back and forth. 00:09:15.179 --> 00:09:16.199 Moses is not so sure. 00:09:16.319 --> 00:09:17.459 But eventually Moses says, 00:09:17.460 --> 00:09:19.340 Well, who are you, God? 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:20.120 What is your name? 00:09:20.400 --> 00:09:23.780 Who should I say is setting his people free? 00:09:24.900 --> 00:09:27.120 And God gives his name. 00:09:27.259 --> 00:09:27.680 He says, 00:09:27.780 --> 00:09:30.620 My name is I am that I am. 00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:34.540 Which in Hebrew is shortened to Yahweh. 00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:36.360 I am that I am. 00:09:36.400 --> 00:09:37.400 It's a very strange name. 00:09:37.460 --> 00:09:38.300 It's a very unusual name. 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:40.440 But that's the name that God gives himself. 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:43.260 It's God's way of saying, 00:09:44.040 --> 00:09:48.280 I am not defined by anyone or anything. 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:50.060 You know, as human beings, 00:09:50.180 --> 00:09:53.020 we find our identity by all sorts of things, 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:54.980 but primarily by our family of origin, 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:56.240 our parents that we came from. 00:09:56.880 --> 00:10:00.220 I, for better or worse, am a Murphy. 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:02.980 Not much I can do about that. 00:10:03.900 --> 00:10:06.440 As much as I try and pretend that I'm a Hong Konger, 00:10:07.040 --> 00:10:08.220 I am a South African. 00:10:08.220 --> 00:10:13.120 Again, who I am cannot be changed. 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:15.360 It's why when we grow up in difficult families, 00:10:15.480 --> 00:10:17.680 so much of our identity is, 00:10:18.160 --> 00:10:19.540 we have identity issues. 00:10:19.920 --> 00:10:22.399 Because we get our identity from our parents. 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:23.820 I am the son of Steve and Jenny. 00:10:24.460 --> 00:10:26.500 So much of my identity in who I am 00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:29.040 is shaped and formed by those around me. 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:31.180 But the God of the Bible, 00:10:31.420 --> 00:10:35.080 his identity is not in relation to anyone or anything. 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:37.560 He is not the God of the Israelites, 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:39.139 or the God of Christianity, 00:10:39.620 --> 00:10:41.100 or the God of ancient Israel, 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:43.120 or the God of these people. 00:10:43.620 --> 00:10:45.360 He is the Lord, 00:10:45.700 --> 00:10:47.259 the uncontained one, 00:10:47.340 --> 00:10:48.860 the unconstrained one. 00:10:49.180 --> 00:10:51.820 He is not defined by anyone or anything. 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:54.620 He does not come from anyone or anything. 00:10:55.300 --> 00:10:59.020 He is not sustained, governed, contained by anything. 00:11:00.040 --> 00:11:03.320 He is not defined by his relationship to anyone. 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:04.560 He is eternal. 00:11:04.960 --> 00:11:06.100 He is uncreated. 00:11:06.420 --> 00:11:08.420 He's existed from eternity past. 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:09.740 He will exist forever. 00:11:10.220 --> 00:11:13.820 He is the creator and the sustainer of everyone and everything. 00:11:14.200 --> 00:11:16.320 He is utterly mysterious and uncontrollable. 00:11:17.440 --> 00:11:21.820 He is the only being in all of existence who simply is. 00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:25.780 He is, I am who I am. 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:27.860 Or in Hebrew, Yahweh. 00:11:28.520 --> 00:11:30.840 Or in English, the Lord. 00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:36.360 You will no doubt know that in Jewish culture, 00:11:36.820 --> 00:11:40.540 many people dare not take the name of Yahweh on their lips. 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:42.300 And when I was at school, 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:43.820 I had a French teacher who was Jewish, 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:44.240 and I said, 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:45.460 how do you write Yahweh? 00:11:45.620 --> 00:11:46.879 What is the Hebrew character? 00:11:47.280 --> 00:11:48.180 She would not write it. 00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:49.379 She refused to write it. 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:54.420 Because to take God's name in vain was such a serious crime. 00:11:54.519 --> 00:11:55.139 In the Old Testament, 00:11:55.139 --> 00:11:56.699 you would be stoned at the city gates. 00:11:57.159 --> 00:11:57.759 Stoned to death. 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:01.039 Nobody takes God's name, Yahweh, in vain. 00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:06.500 But here, David says something that is so almost blasphemous. 00:12:06.580 --> 00:12:06.939 He says, 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:10.039 This God, this uncreated, awesome, 00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:11.980 the one that is, 00:12:12.740 --> 00:12:14.600 this Lord is my shepherd. 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:17.000 The Lord, the Lord, 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:19.399 the one who simply is, 00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:21.100 is my shepherd. 00:12:21.240 --> 00:12:22.259 And David Gibson says, 00:12:22.659 --> 00:12:24.440 Of all the beautiful words in this psalm, 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:26.279 what the psalmist is claiming here 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:27.840 is the most staggering of them all. 00:12:28.620 --> 00:12:31.340 And yet, this is what the whole of Psalm 23 is about, isn't it? 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:34.120 That for those of us who have come to know and trust 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:35.440 in the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:36.640 this being, 00:12:36.980 --> 00:12:38.860 this entity, 00:12:39.060 --> 00:12:39.860 this God, 00:12:40.580 --> 00:12:42.380 is the one who promises to walk with us, 00:12:42.820 --> 00:12:44.100 to sustain us, 00:12:44.160 --> 00:12:44.840 to carry us. 00:12:45.280 --> 00:12:47.220 Friends, in the ups and downs of 2025, 00:12:48.020 --> 00:12:49.220 in the cancer diagnoses, 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:50.800 in the lost jobs, 00:12:51.320 --> 00:12:52.040 in the marriage, 00:12:52.180 --> 00:12:53.120 meeting someone new, 00:12:53.220 --> 00:12:54.540 in all the ups and downs, 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:57.440 this is who's been with us, 00:12:57.780 --> 00:12:58.740 who's carried us home. 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:00.740 But what does that actually mean? 00:13:01.380 --> 00:13:03.300 Well, the rest of Psalm 23 tells us. 00:13:03.300 --> 00:13:04.860 And so here are just a few thoughts. 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:06.080 He says here, 00:13:06.420 --> 00:13:07.940 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:13:08.420 --> 00:13:09.620 I shall not want. 00:13:10.260 --> 00:13:12.000 Now, David's obviously not suggesting 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:14.580 that this God is going to use his sovereign power 00:13:14.580 --> 00:13:15.620 to be Santa Claus 00:13:15.620 --> 00:13:17.420 and give us everything that we want, right? 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:18.400 That's not what he means. 00:13:18.940 --> 00:13:20.260 In modern English, 00:13:20.620 --> 00:13:22.380 to want something and to need something 00:13:22.380 --> 00:13:23.620 are two very different things. 00:13:24.040 --> 00:13:25.160 But in Old English, 00:13:25.280 --> 00:13:26.740 to be in want of something 00:13:26.740 --> 00:13:27.740 is another way of saying, 00:13:27.860 --> 00:13:28.780 I need something. 00:13:29.460 --> 00:13:30.540 David here is writing, 00:13:30.640 --> 00:13:30.800 he says, 00:13:30.880 --> 00:13:32.100 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:33.940 He takes care of all my needs. 00:13:34.020 --> 00:13:35.400 There is nothing that I need 00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:36.740 that he doesn't know about 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:39.259 and he refuses to provide or take care of. 00:13:40.019 --> 00:13:41.860 Or as the Jewish rabbi said, 00:13:42.279 --> 00:13:43.759 If the Lord is my shepherd, 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:45.539 if Yahweh is my shepherd, 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:46.120 what else, 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:47.519 what other need do I have? 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:49.659 He is all I need. 00:13:50.220 --> 00:13:52.199 He will take care of my deepest needs. 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:53.539 Friends, 00:13:53.620 --> 00:13:54.360 isn't it true 00:13:54.360 --> 00:13:56.500 that for most of us, 00:13:56.539 --> 00:13:58.860 our very best moments of 2025 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:00.539 have been those 00:14:00.539 --> 00:14:02.740 when irrespective of our circumstances, 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:05.639 we've had this deep and abiding sense 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:07.300 that the Lord is with us. 00:14:07.379 --> 00:14:08.259 What else do we need? 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:10.440 When you're in the doctor's room, 00:14:11.019 --> 00:14:12.700 when you're in your boss's office, 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:15.240 when your child is sick 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:16.980 and you have a profound sense 00:14:16.980 --> 00:14:18.539 that God is with you, 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:19.320 though you would love 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:20.759 the circumstances to change, 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:22.920 aren't those some of the best moments? 00:14:23.779 --> 00:14:24.740 And conversely, 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:26.339 aren't some of our worst moments, 00:14:26.439 --> 00:14:27.439 our lowest moments, 00:14:27.899 --> 00:14:29.199 those when we've forgotten 00:14:29.199 --> 00:14:30.699 that the Lord is with us? 00:14:31.599 --> 00:14:32.799 And so David says here, 00:14:32.939 --> 00:14:34.120 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:14:34.839 --> 00:14:37.139 He takes care of all my needs. 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:39.559 He is the one who gives me rest. 00:14:40.339 --> 00:14:42.240 He is the one who leads me to stillness. 00:14:42.779 --> 00:14:44.620 He is the one who restores my soul. 00:14:45.839 --> 00:14:46.039 Friends, 00:14:46.079 --> 00:14:47.959 in a world which promises 00:14:47.959 --> 00:14:49.579 and pursues 00:14:49.579 --> 00:14:50.860 rest, 00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:52.299 quietness, 00:14:52.299 --> 00:14:53.799 ease and comfort, 00:14:54.439 --> 00:14:55.779 respite from the difficulties 00:14:55.779 --> 00:14:57.279 and the challenges of life, 00:14:57.379 --> 00:14:59.179 especially through modern technology, 00:14:59.819 --> 00:15:00.219 therapy, 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:01.620 distraction, 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:03.939 and stress management, 00:15:04.620 --> 00:15:05.659 David reminds us 00:15:05.659 --> 00:15:06.679 that what we need 00:15:06.679 --> 00:15:08.559 is not more AI technology, 00:15:09.299 --> 00:15:10.879 not escapist distractions, 00:15:11.539 --> 00:15:13.699 not better stress management tools. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:16.319 What we need is time 00:15:16.319 --> 00:15:17.779 with the sovereign God, 00:15:18.319 --> 00:15:18.899 the Lord, 00:15:18.979 --> 00:15:19.759 the one who is, 00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:21.639 the one who fills our soul, 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:23.720 who leads us to stillness of heart, 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:25.639 who gives us deepest rest 00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:26.939 by bringing us to the place 00:15:26.939 --> 00:15:27.980 where we realize 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:30.240 this Lord is my shepherd. 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:31.899 What else do I need? 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:33.039 Friends, 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:34.259 I wonder if it's worth reflecting 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:35.620 at this time 00:15:35.620 --> 00:15:36.899 on the year that's gone past 00:15:36.899 --> 00:15:37.779 behind us. 00:15:38.199 --> 00:15:39.299 How much of 2025 00:15:39.299 --> 00:15:41.939 has been fueled by self-effort? 00:15:41.940 --> 00:15:43.740 How much of 2025 00:15:43.740 --> 00:15:45.480 have we dug deep 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:47.020 and just got ourselves through? 00:15:47.660 --> 00:15:48.480 How much have we 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:49.400 willed ourselves 00:15:49.400 --> 00:15:50.280 through this year 00:15:50.280 --> 00:15:51.220 and pushed on? 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:53.240 How much have we been driven 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:54.660 by the demands of life 00:15:54.660 --> 00:15:55.880 rather than drawn 00:15:55.880 --> 00:15:56.820 by the voice 00:15:56.820 --> 00:15:58.020 of the shepherd 00:15:58.020 --> 00:16:00.060 who wants to sustain 00:16:00.060 --> 00:16:00.740 and lead 00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:01.640 and carry us? 00:16:02.620 --> 00:16:03.460 But notice, 00:16:03.920 --> 00:16:04.560 David here 00:16:04.560 --> 00:16:05.140 doesn't want us 00:16:05.140 --> 00:16:06.260 to be under any illusions 00:16:06.260 --> 00:16:07.920 that walking with Christ 00:16:07.920 --> 00:16:08.620 means that life 00:16:08.620 --> 00:16:09.360 is going to be easy. 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:10.659 David does not tell us 00:16:10.659 --> 00:16:11.980 that follow Jesus, 00:16:12.340 --> 00:16:13.240 what can go wrong? 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:14.000 No, 00:16:14.100 --> 00:16:15.360 because notice the context. 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:16.860 These great promises 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:17.960 are not given 00:16:17.960 --> 00:16:18.620 in the context 00:16:18.620 --> 00:16:19.740 of life being easy. 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:21.600 What does verse 4 tell us? 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:23.620 This is when God cares for us 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:24.000 when, 00:16:24.580 --> 00:16:25.200 verse 4, 00:16:25.940 --> 00:16:26.539 when we walk 00:16:26.539 --> 00:16:27.259 through the valley 00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:28.899 of the shadow of death. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:30.060 Friends, 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:30.899 how can this be? 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:32.440 How can this be 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:33.920 that one and the same time 00:16:33.920 --> 00:16:35.560 we can have green pastures 00:16:35.560 --> 00:16:36.300 and still waters 00:16:36.300 --> 00:16:37.580 in the midst of the fog 00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:38.420 of disappointment 00:16:38.419 --> 00:16:40.500 and deep fear? 00:16:41.219 --> 00:16:42.519 How can we find rest 00:16:42.519 --> 00:16:43.179 and stillness 00:16:43.179 --> 00:16:43.759 and restoration 00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:44.779 of our souls 00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:46.419 when sadness refuses 00:16:46.419 --> 00:16:46.959 to lift, 00:16:47.639 --> 00:16:48.259 when trapped 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:49.139 in habitual sin, 00:16:49.699 --> 00:16:50.459 when rejected 00:16:50.459 --> 00:16:51.599 by one that we love, 00:16:52.179 --> 00:16:52.979 when overwhelmed 00:16:52.979 --> 00:16:53.939 with a deep sense 00:16:53.939 --> 00:16:54.740 of being a failure 00:16:54.740 --> 00:16:55.799 and a disappointment? 00:16:57.240 --> 00:16:58.559 Verse 4 tells us, 00:16:59.199 --> 00:17:01.599 for you are with me. 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:03.620 You are with us. 00:17:04.379 --> 00:17:05.659 That's how we can have 00:17:05.659 --> 00:17:07.139 the peace we long for. 00:17:07.140 --> 00:17:08.080 Friends, 00:17:08.100 --> 00:17:08.660 for some of us 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:09.140 this year 00:17:09.140 --> 00:17:10.360 has felt like 00:17:10.360 --> 00:17:10.840 walking through 00:17:10.840 --> 00:17:11.220 the valley 00:17:11.220 --> 00:17:12.160 of the shadow of death. 00:17:12.620 --> 00:17:13.540 Whether cancer, 00:17:14.040 --> 00:17:14.320 death, 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:15.100 retrenchment, 00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:16.520 work or family life, 00:17:17.140 --> 00:17:18.000 life is hard. 00:17:18.780 --> 00:17:19.320 And the valley 00:17:19.320 --> 00:17:20.180 of the shadow of death 00:17:20.180 --> 00:17:21.960 looms over all of us. 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:23.800 And yet the promise 00:17:23.800 --> 00:17:24.600 of Psalm 23 00:17:24.600 --> 00:17:25.360 is that even 00:17:25.360 --> 00:17:26.720 in the darkest moments, 00:17:27.100 --> 00:17:28.020 the deepest valley, 00:17:28.140 --> 00:17:29.580 the most debilitating sickness, 00:17:30.100 --> 00:17:31.500 the scariest doctor's report, 00:17:31.600 --> 00:17:32.100 the promise 00:17:32.100 --> 00:17:33.020 that we get to hold on 00:17:33.020 --> 00:17:34.860 is that the sovereign God, 00:17:34.859 --> 00:17:36.439 the one who simply is, 00:17:36.959 --> 00:17:38.099 is the one who sustains 00:17:38.099 --> 00:17:38.979 and carries us. 00:17:39.659 --> 00:17:41.559 The one who is with us. 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:43.759 The one who never leaves us. 00:17:44.679 --> 00:17:46.199 And God's being with us 00:17:46.199 --> 00:17:48.099 is not just some kind of vague, 00:17:48.639 --> 00:17:48.979 you know, 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:50.039 ethereal promise 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:50.799 that we get on to. 00:17:50.859 --> 00:17:51.500 It's not some kind of 00:17:51.500 --> 00:17:53.259 psychological placebo effect. 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:54.519 David knows 00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:55.919 that God being with him, 00:17:56.419 --> 00:17:57.639 he's experienced that 00:17:57.639 --> 00:17:58.919 through his rod and his staff. 00:17:59.000 --> 00:17:59.639 Look at verse 4. 00:17:59.719 --> 00:17:59.879 It says, 00:17:59.880 --> 00:18:08.640 What are the rod and the staff? 00:18:09.040 --> 00:18:09.740 Every shepherd 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:10.420 in the ancient world 00:18:10.420 --> 00:18:11.620 had these two sticks with them, 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:12.920 a rod and a staff. 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:14.500 A rod was about 00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:15.440 two feet long 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:16.340 and had a big 00:18:16.340 --> 00:18:19.020 wooden circle 00:18:19.020 --> 00:18:19.740 in the end 00:18:19.740 --> 00:18:21.600 in which they would 00:18:21.600 --> 00:18:22.860 insert bits of iron 00:18:22.860 --> 00:18:24.840 and it was a mace-like object. 00:18:25.040 --> 00:18:25.960 It was a weapon 00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:27.320 with which you protected 00:18:27.320 --> 00:18:27.840 the sheep. 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:29.220 So when wolves 00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:29.919 or thieves 00:18:29.919 --> 00:18:30.679 or robbers 00:18:30.679 --> 00:18:32.519 or other enemies 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:33.679 came in or nearby, 00:18:34.179 --> 00:18:35.619 you would threaten them, 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:36.799 chase them off 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:37.839 with your rod. 00:18:38.339 --> 00:18:39.679 It was a weapon of war, 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:40.980 a weapon to protect 00:18:40.980 --> 00:18:41.599 the sheep. 00:18:42.299 --> 00:18:43.099 Modern shepherds 00:18:43.099 --> 00:18:43.439 in Israel 00:18:43.439 --> 00:18:44.559 walk around with guns 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:45.659 and AK-47s 00:18:45.659 --> 00:18:46.399 in David's day, 00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:47.480 you had your rod. 00:18:48.859 --> 00:18:50.259 It was to protect 00:18:50.259 --> 00:18:51.199 the sheep 00:18:51.199 --> 00:18:52.559 from outside danger, 00:18:52.879 --> 00:18:53.759 danger that wanted 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:54.319 to invade 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:55.019 from the outside. 00:18:55.779 --> 00:18:56.519 But every shepherd 00:18:56.519 --> 00:18:57.379 had not only a rod, 00:18:57.380 --> 00:18:58.240 but also a staff. 00:18:58.420 --> 00:18:58.760 We all know 00:18:58.760 --> 00:18:59.520 what a staff looks like. 00:18:59.560 --> 00:19:00.200 It has a stick 00:19:00.200 --> 00:19:01.160 and then a round thing 00:19:01.160 --> 00:19:01.680 at the top. 00:19:02.060 --> 00:19:03.100 Every Christmas pageant 00:19:03.100 --> 00:19:03.880 has one, right? 00:19:04.740 --> 00:19:06.740 A staff protected the sheep, 00:19:06.840 --> 00:19:07.980 not from the danger out there, 00:19:08.020 --> 00:19:09.000 but the danger within. 00:19:09.780 --> 00:19:11.200 The staff would bring back 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:11.600 the sheep 00:19:11.600 --> 00:19:12.080 when they were 00:19:12.080 --> 00:19:13.340 too close to the edge, 00:19:13.620 --> 00:19:14.640 when they were wondering, 00:19:14.860 --> 00:19:15.340 when they needed 00:19:15.340 --> 00:19:16.140 to be disciplined, 00:19:16.460 --> 00:19:17.360 when they were fighting. 00:19:17.780 --> 00:19:19.100 The staff would be used 00:19:19.100 --> 00:19:20.340 to separate them 00:19:20.340 --> 00:19:21.180 and to keep them 00:19:21.180 --> 00:19:22.140 the peace 00:19:22.140 --> 00:19:22.900 within the group. 00:19:24.040 --> 00:19:24.880 Every shepherd 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:25.900 had these two things, 00:19:25.900 --> 00:19:26.759 a rod and a staff, 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:27.680 one to protect 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:28.920 from the danger out there, 00:19:29.360 --> 00:19:30.280 the other to protect 00:19:30.280 --> 00:19:31.240 from the danger within. 00:19:32.040 --> 00:19:32.360 Friends, 00:19:32.460 --> 00:19:33.040 Jesus Christ, 00:19:33.120 --> 00:19:33.759 our great shepherd, 00:19:34.280 --> 00:19:35.440 leads and guides us 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:36.300 with both of these, 00:19:36.840 --> 00:19:37.540 keeping us safe 00:19:37.540 --> 00:19:38.680 from the danger out there, 00:19:39.259 --> 00:19:40.360 but also challenging 00:19:40.360 --> 00:19:41.580 the danger that lies 00:19:41.580 --> 00:19:42.200 within the sin 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:42.920 of our hearts, 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:44.259 calling us back 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:44.900 to himself. 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:46.280 And so friends, 00:19:46.380 --> 00:19:47.220 this next year, 00:19:47.300 --> 00:19:47.800 no doubt, 00:19:47.940 --> 00:19:49.180 many of us will at times 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:50.080 feel like we're walking 00:19:50.080 --> 00:19:50.700 through the valley 00:19:50.700 --> 00:19:51.640 of the shadow of death. 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:52.440 Friends, 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:53.180 there will be times 00:19:53.180 --> 00:19:53.880 when life is going 00:19:53.880 --> 00:19:54.960 to be unbearably hard. 00:19:55.880 --> 00:19:56.580 There will be times 00:19:56.580 --> 00:19:57.320 when we will be tempted 00:19:57.320 --> 00:19:59.000 to let fear rule our hearts, 00:19:59.140 --> 00:20:00.120 but as Mark Devers says, 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:01.720 our fears lie to us 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:02.940 about how important they are. 00:20:03.580 --> 00:20:03.860 Friends, 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:04.580 though fears 00:20:04.580 --> 00:20:05.840 and difficulties are real, 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:07.360 what David celebrates 00:20:07.360 --> 00:20:08.039 in the psalm 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:10.279 is that they are not sovereign. 00:20:11.019 --> 00:20:12.299 They are not Lord. 00:20:13.019 --> 00:20:14.220 They are not ultimate. 00:20:14.460 --> 00:20:15.220 In those moments, 00:20:15.380 --> 00:20:16.560 David wants us to remember 00:20:16.560 --> 00:20:17.660 that neither our fears 00:20:17.660 --> 00:20:18.660 nor our circumstances 00:20:18.660 --> 00:20:20.019 nor our surroundings 00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:21.200 have the ultimate voice 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:21.740 in our life. 00:20:21.740 --> 00:20:23.500 the sovereign Lord does. 00:20:24.099 --> 00:20:24.799 He is the one 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:25.880 that will carry us home. 00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:27.279 He will carry us 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:28.039 through the valley 00:20:28.039 --> 00:20:28.900 of the shadow of death 00:20:28.900 --> 00:20:30.420 and out the other side. 00:20:31.220 --> 00:20:31.980 And so look at the final 00:20:31.980 --> 00:20:33.720 two verses of the psalm. 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:34.599 David says that 00:20:34.599 --> 00:20:36.039 the Lord prepares a table, 00:20:36.579 --> 00:20:37.480 a place of feasting 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:37.920 and fellowship 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:39.440 in the midst of our enemies, 00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:41.480 a place of relational warmth 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:42.160 and love 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:43.160 in the midst of turmoil, 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:44.900 a haven of hope 00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:45.559 and honesty 00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:47.160 in the midst of a world 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:48.500 of hatred and deceit, 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:50.240 a foretaste of heaven 00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:50.740 to come, 00:20:50.740 --> 00:20:53.059 that even in the darkest valleys, 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:54.740 he will prepare a table 00:20:54.740 --> 00:20:56.480 where we will be at peace. 00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:57.660 And ultimately, 00:20:57.839 --> 00:20:59.019 Christ will bring us home. 00:20:59.200 --> 00:20:59.940 Verse six says, 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:01.660 surely goodness and mercy 00:21:01.660 --> 00:21:02.339 will follow us 00:21:02.339 --> 00:21:03.299 all the days of our life 00:21:03.299 --> 00:21:04.339 and we will dwell 00:21:04.339 --> 00:21:06.539 in the house of the Lord forever. 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:07.819 Friends, 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:08.839 every one of us 00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:09.839 are going to one day die. 00:21:10.819 --> 00:21:12.599 Even the greatest miracle worker, 00:21:12.900 --> 00:21:13.640 the greatest health, 00:21:13.819 --> 00:21:15.259 wealth and prosperity teacher 00:21:15.259 --> 00:21:16.299 is still going to die. 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:17.660 But friends, 00:21:17.700 --> 00:21:18.859 for those of us in Christ, 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:20.679 death is not the end. 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:22.219 Death is a doorway 00:21:22.219 --> 00:21:24.279 into life with Christ forever. 00:21:24.919 --> 00:21:26.139 He will bring us home 00:21:26.139 --> 00:21:28.519 and we will dwell with him forever. 00:21:29.619 --> 00:21:30.859 And so how should we respond? 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:31.279 Well, 00:21:31.919 --> 00:21:32.939 let me just give us 00:21:32.939 --> 00:21:34.000 two brief thoughts 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:34.759 as we go into 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:36.619 for this day 00:21:36.619 --> 00:21:37.439 and 2026. 00:21:37.699 --> 00:21:38.000 Firstly, 00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:38.699 how should we respond? 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:40.919 Gratitude and thankfulness. 00:21:41.599 --> 00:21:42.679 Gratitude and thankfulness. 00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:43.279 Friends, 00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:44.059 in this last year, 00:21:44.619 --> 00:21:45.359 there have been 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:46.700 10,000 moments. 00:21:46.859 --> 00:21:48.139 I think I did the calculation earlier. 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:50.119 Something like 31 million seconds. 00:21:50.220 --> 00:21:50.680 Is that right? 00:21:50.740 --> 00:21:51.139 In a year. 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:53.519 31 million moments 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:54.579 where the Lord 00:21:54.579 --> 00:21:55.460 has been shepherding, 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:56.279 guiding, 00:21:56.819 --> 00:21:57.240 sustaining, 00:21:57.379 --> 00:21:58.059 carrying us. 00:21:58.420 --> 00:22:00.180 And we have not even known about it. 00:22:01.019 --> 00:22:01.259 Friends, 00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:02.139 there have been times 00:22:02.139 --> 00:22:03.039 the Lord who governs 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:03.859 the atoms 00:22:03.859 --> 00:22:04.859 and the solar systems, 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:06.480 who created the cosmos, 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:07.539 the galaxies, 00:22:08.200 --> 00:22:08.819 nebulae, 00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:11.179 and all other galaxies, 00:22:11.879 --> 00:22:12.879 keeps them in their place, 00:22:13.019 --> 00:22:14.359 is the one who's carried you, 00:22:15.059 --> 00:22:15.879 sustained you, 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:17.359 upheld you 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:19.619 in every second of 2025. 00:22:20.460 --> 00:22:21.639 And most of the time, 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:23.480 we've been completely oblivious to it. 00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:26.259 In the quiet hours of the morning 00:22:26.259 --> 00:22:27.599 when we are fast asleep, 00:22:28.259 --> 00:22:28.799 he is the one 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:30.119 that's sustaining us with breath. 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:30.980 Friends, 00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:32.500 every airplane that you've gotten, 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:34.460 every car ride you've taken, 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:37.079 every time you've crossed the road this year, 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:38.599 the Lord has been there. 00:22:39.059 --> 00:22:39.419 Guiding, 00:22:39.720 --> 00:22:40.139 sustaining, 00:22:40.419 --> 00:22:41.119 protecting you. 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:42.819 Every lightning strike, 00:22:43.339 --> 00:22:44.519 every super typhoon, 00:22:45.099 --> 00:22:46.240 the Lord has protected us 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:46.759 through it all. 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:49.179 Psalm 50 says, 00:22:49.679 --> 00:22:51.200 the one who offers thanksgiving 00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:52.259 as his sacrifice 00:22:52.259 --> 00:22:53.220 glorifies me. 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:55.859 What does God want from us this morning? 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:58.159 Maybe he doesn't want another song. 00:22:58.879 --> 00:22:59.659 Maybe he just wants 00:22:59.659 --> 00:23:00.960 a heart of thankfulness 00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:02.579 for his guiding 00:23:02.579 --> 00:23:03.399 and his sustaining, 00:23:03.579 --> 00:23:04.559 his care of us. 00:23:05.019 --> 00:23:06.259 Maybe the most worshipful 00:23:06.259 --> 00:23:07.079 and God-honoring thing 00:23:07.079 --> 00:23:07.960 we can do this morning 00:23:07.960 --> 00:23:08.779 is to take time 00:23:08.779 --> 00:23:09.399 to remember 00:23:09.399 --> 00:23:10.399 and give thanks 00:23:10.399 --> 00:23:12.119 for his goodness to us. 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:12.779 Friends, 00:23:12.839 --> 00:23:13.740 what can you give thanks 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:14.660 to God for today? 00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:16.920 What is something in your life? 00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:18.559 Where have you seen his goodness? 00:23:19.299 --> 00:23:20.299 Where have you taken 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:21.299 his goodness for granted? 00:23:21.879 --> 00:23:22.899 David says in verse six, 00:23:23.240 --> 00:23:24.420 surely goodness and mercy 00:23:24.420 --> 00:23:25.160 will follow me 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:26.420 all the days of my life. 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:27.599 Where has the Lord 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:28.379 been good to you? 00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:29.960 And how can you thank him? 00:23:30.579 --> 00:23:32.000 And then last thought for today, 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:33.660 how can we respond? 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:35.680 Surrender and trust. 00:23:36.180 --> 00:23:37.040 Surrender and trust. 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:38.140 As we said, 00:23:38.540 --> 00:23:40.060 2026 is around the corner. 00:23:40.420 --> 00:23:41.519 Thursday it starts. 00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:42.960 And in 2026, 00:23:43.220 --> 00:23:45.000 we are all going to face challenges. 00:23:45.700 --> 00:23:46.120 In fact, 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:47.140 all of us are going to face 00:23:47.140 --> 00:23:48.620 two challenges in particular. 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:50.220 The one challenge, 00:23:50.680 --> 00:23:51.740 hardship and difficulty 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:53.040 is going to come our way. 00:23:53.580 --> 00:23:54.519 No doubt about it, 00:23:54.540 --> 00:23:55.160 we are going to have 00:23:55.160 --> 00:23:56.380 difficult days this year. 00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:58.140 But the second challenge 00:23:58.140 --> 00:23:59.340 that all of us are going to face 00:23:59.339 --> 00:24:00.619 is the temptation 00:24:00.619 --> 00:24:01.699 to try and handle 00:24:01.699 --> 00:24:02.619 those difficulties 00:24:02.619 --> 00:24:04.259 and challenges on our own, 00:24:04.659 --> 00:24:05.740 in our own strength, 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:07.159 to knuckle down 00:24:07.159 --> 00:24:08.279 and get ourselves through. 00:24:08.619 --> 00:24:10.199 When life is hard 00:24:10.199 --> 00:24:11.559 and marked with difficulties, 00:24:12.299 --> 00:24:13.919 David wants to remind us, 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:15.480 don't handle it on your own. 00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:16.779 And David, 00:24:16.879 --> 00:24:17.720 whose life was full 00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:18.879 of difficulties and challenges, 00:24:19.359 --> 00:24:21.019 remember David faced Goliath, 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:22.480 that Philistine giant. 00:24:23.159 --> 00:24:24.659 David was pursued 00:24:24.659 --> 00:24:25.919 and chased for 10 years 00:24:25.919 --> 00:24:26.899 by Saul who wanted 00:24:26.899 --> 00:24:28.259 to kill him and destroy him. 00:24:28.259 --> 00:24:29.099 David, 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:30.119 whose own son 00:24:30.119 --> 00:24:31.359 staged a coup 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:32.700 to drive him out of the kingdom 00:24:32.700 --> 00:24:34.119 and take the throne from him. 00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:35.019 David, 00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:35.859 this David, 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:36.799 reminds us 00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:38.279 that self-sufficiency, 00:24:39.259 --> 00:24:40.259 self-dependence 00:24:40.259 --> 00:24:42.579 will not lead to deep soul rest. 00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:44.059 Each, 00:24:44.379 --> 00:24:45.680 certainly not the rest 00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:46.359 that we craze. 00:24:47.460 --> 00:24:48.319 Self-sufficiency 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:49.180 will leave us 00:24:49.180 --> 00:24:50.180 in the valley 00:24:50.180 --> 00:24:51.200 of the shadow of death 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:52.379 all alone. 00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:54.319 For just yesterday, 00:24:54.420 --> 00:24:54.940 our family 00:24:54.940 --> 00:24:56.740 did one of my favorite things 00:24:56.740 --> 00:24:57.539 to do in Hong Kong. 00:24:57.539 --> 00:24:59.159 went to Stanley Market. 00:25:00.159 --> 00:25:01.559 What a great place. 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:03.159 I love Stanley Market. 00:25:03.799 --> 00:25:04.859 And as we're leaving, 00:25:05.180 --> 00:25:05.920 leaving the market, 00:25:06.159 --> 00:25:07.139 on the left-hand side 00:25:07.139 --> 00:25:07.619 we walked past 00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:08.420 a linen shop 00:25:08.420 --> 00:25:09.460 and in the window 00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:10.519 was a tote bag. 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:10.859 Now, 00:25:11.899 --> 00:25:13.819 one lesson, 00:25:14.139 --> 00:25:15.180 never believe anything 00:25:15.180 --> 00:25:15.799 people write 00:25:15.799 --> 00:25:16.700 on tote bags, right? 00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:18.339 It's the kitschest 00:25:18.339 --> 00:25:19.220 rubbish in the world. 00:25:19.299 --> 00:25:19.700 But anyway, 00:25:19.940 --> 00:25:21.159 on this tote bag 00:25:21.159 --> 00:25:22.299 that someone was selling 00:25:22.299 --> 00:25:23.099 said, 00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:24.319 the words were, 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:25.720 above all else, 00:25:26.259 --> 00:25:27.200 believe in yourself. 00:25:27.539 --> 00:25:29.420 Friends, 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:30.799 don't believe the lie. 00:25:31.819 --> 00:25:32.940 Don't believe in yourself 00:25:32.940 --> 00:25:33.680 this next year. 00:25:34.659 --> 00:25:35.000 Friends, 00:25:35.099 --> 00:25:36.920 when this year, 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:38.659 believe and surrender 00:25:38.659 --> 00:25:39.299 and trust 00:25:39.299 --> 00:25:39.740 in the one 00:25:39.740 --> 00:25:40.259 who walked 00:25:40.259 --> 00:25:41.039 through the ultimate 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:42.019 valley of the shadow 00:25:42.019 --> 00:25:42.859 of death for you. 00:25:43.579 --> 00:25:44.559 The one who walked 00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:45.839 in the garden 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:47.000 of Gethsemane alone. 00:25:47.420 --> 00:25:48.399 The one who walked 00:25:48.399 --> 00:25:49.920 up the Mount Calvary alone. 00:25:50.039 --> 00:25:51.039 The one who ascended 00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:51.480 the hill 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:52.440 and did die. 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:53.940 The one who embraced 00:25:53.940 --> 00:25:54.980 death for you and I 00:25:54.980 --> 00:25:55.819 is that we ultimately 00:25:55.819 --> 00:25:57.380 don't have to face death 00:25:57.380 --> 00:25:58.620 but can pass through 00:25:58.620 --> 00:25:59.319 death to life. 00:25:59.880 --> 00:26:00.120 Friends, 00:26:00.160 --> 00:26:00.500 this year, 00:26:00.680 --> 00:26:01.779 trust and surrender 00:26:01.779 --> 00:26:03.460 to the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:26:03.579 --> 00:26:04.220 the God 00:26:04.220 --> 00:26:05.720 who will carry us through. 00:26:06.339 --> 00:26:07.500 Don't trust in yourself, 00:26:08.140 --> 00:26:08.599 trust in Him. 00:26:08.660 --> 00:26:08.860 Friends, 00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:10.099 the maximum of our age 00:26:10.099 --> 00:26:11.420 is in self we trust. 00:26:12.200 --> 00:26:12.839 Christians know 00:26:12.839 --> 00:26:13.799 how utterly stupid 00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:14.299 that is. 00:26:14.860 --> 00:26:16.059 The Lord is our shepherd. 00:26:16.620 --> 00:26:18.220 We will trust in Him. 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:20.240 And these great promises 00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:20.960 and assurances 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:22.039 are only for those 00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:22.559 who have made 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:23.460 the Lord their shepherd. 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:24.940 The Lord 00:26:24.940 --> 00:26:26.620 who have come to trust 00:26:26.620 --> 00:26:27.559 and surrender to Him. 00:26:28.259 --> 00:26:28.579 Friends, 00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:29.500 is that true of you? 00:26:30.620 --> 00:26:31.640 Have you come to know 00:26:31.640 --> 00:26:32.759 and trust in the Lord, 00:26:32.900 --> 00:26:33.680 the sovereign God? 00:26:34.779 --> 00:26:35.819 What would it look like 00:26:35.819 --> 00:26:37.200 for you to live by faith 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:38.039 in this next year? 00:26:38.880 --> 00:26:39.940 What is one area 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:40.460 of your life 00:26:40.460 --> 00:26:41.500 in particular 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:42.640 that you find it hard 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:43.259 to let go? 00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:45.039 Friends, 00:26:45.100 --> 00:26:46.079 can I invite you now 00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:47.200 to bring it before Him? 00:26:48.220 --> 00:26:49.059 Can I invite you now 00:26:49.059 --> 00:26:49.640 to surrender 00:26:49.640 --> 00:26:50.500 to King Jesus? 00:26:51.579 --> 00:26:52.380 Can I invite you now 00:26:52.380 --> 00:26:53.259 to let Christ, 00:26:53.400 --> 00:26:54.720 the Lord of all creation, 00:26:54.880 --> 00:26:55.740 the sovereign God 00:26:55.740 --> 00:26:57.000 who brought galaxies 00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:57.839 and universes 00:26:57.839 --> 00:26:58.460 and the cosmos 00:26:58.460 --> 00:26:59.220 into space, 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:00.779 can I invite you 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:02.039 to let Him be 00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:02.980 Lord of your life? 00:27:03.380 --> 00:27:04.200 And in particular, 00:27:04.339 --> 00:27:05.240 the area of your life 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:06.000 you find hard 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:06.900 to trust Him with. 00:27:07.360 --> 00:27:08.100 Let Him lead you 00:27:08.100 --> 00:27:08.740 off the path 00:27:08.740 --> 00:27:09.680 of self-sufficiency 00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:11.160 onto the path 00:27:11.160 --> 00:27:12.579 of His grace and love. 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:14.120 I was thinking this morning 00:27:14.120 --> 00:27:16.079 of a Christmas carol 00:27:16.079 --> 00:27:16.920 we sometimes sing. 00:27:16.920 --> 00:27:18.360 Let me close with this. 00:27:18.460 --> 00:27:18.640 It says, 00:27:18.759 --> 00:27:19.700 O little child 00:27:19.700 --> 00:27:20.779 of Bethlehem, 00:27:20.820 --> 00:27:21.380 O holy child 00:27:21.380 --> 00:27:22.019 of Bethlehem, 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:23.440 descend on us 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:23.980 we pray. 00:27:24.700 --> 00:27:25.840 Cast out our sin, 00:27:26.300 --> 00:27:27.300 come and enter in, 00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:29.539 be born in us today. 00:27:30.220 --> 00:27:31.200 We hear the Christmas 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:31.940 angels sing, 00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:34.100 great glad tidings tell, 00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:35.279 O come, 00:27:35.820 --> 00:27:36.840 abide in us, 00:27:37.320 --> 00:27:38.880 O Lord Emmanuel. 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:40.220 Let's pray together. 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:41.759 Lord Jesus, 00:27:41.860 --> 00:27:42.640 that is our prayer. 00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:44.259 Child of Bethlehem, 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:45.380 great sovereign God 00:27:45.380 --> 00:27:45.740 of all, 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:46.960 you who humbled 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:48.040 yourself to be born 00:27:48.040 --> 00:27:49.560 in a stable, 00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:50.700 laid in a manger, 00:27:51.240 --> 00:27:52.180 who went to the cross 00:27:52.180 --> 00:27:53.200 to be laid in a tomb, 00:27:53.540 --> 00:27:54.360 who rose again. 00:27:54.780 --> 00:27:55.040 God, 00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:56.200 cast out our sin, 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:58.080 cast out our self-sufficiency 00:27:58.080 --> 00:27:59.260 and come and enter 00:27:59.260 --> 00:28:00.680 and be born in us today. 00:28:00.780 --> 00:28:02.060 Come and make your home in us. 00:28:02.700 --> 00:28:02.940 Jesus, 00:28:03.040 --> 00:28:03.380 we pray, 00:28:03.520 --> 00:28:04.120 come to us, 00:28:04.260 --> 00:28:05.120 abide in us. 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:06.280 O Lord, 00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:07.300 Emmanuel, 00:28:07.900 --> 00:28:08.840 God with us. 00:28:09.160 --> 00:28:09.900 In your great name 00:28:09.900 --> 00:28:10.380 we pray. 00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:11.360 Amen. 00:28:12.220 --> 00:28:12.660 Amen. 00:28:13.160 --> 00:28:13.400 Friends, 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:14.300 let's take a few minutes 00:28:14.300 --> 00:28:15.620 just to reflect 00:28:15.620 --> 00:28:16.640 and to respond. 00:28:17.580 --> 00:28:18.360 Maybe just to 00:28:18.360 --> 00:28:20.180 think about those questions. 00:28:20.440 --> 00:28:21.400 What is one area 00:28:21.400 --> 00:28:21.940 of your life 00:28:21.940 --> 00:28:23.140 that the Lord 00:28:23.140 --> 00:28:23.740 is calling you 00:28:23.740 --> 00:28:24.880 to trust Him with? 00:28:25.840 --> 00:28:26.140 Friends, 00:28:26.220 --> 00:28:26.759 maybe you're not even 00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:27.620 a Christian this morning. 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:28.940 Why don't you come to Christ 00:28:28.940 --> 00:28:29.940 and let Him be your shepherd, 00:28:30.080 --> 00:28:30.460 your king? 00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:32.320 Surrender to Him. 00:28:32.900 --> 00:28:33.519 Follow Him. 00:28:34.660 --> 00:28:35.420 Believe in Him. 00:28:36.300 --> 00:28:37.759 He will turn your life around. 00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:40.700 Holy Spirit, 00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:41.079 come. 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:42.039 Help us. 00:28:42.579 --> 00:28:43.379 Help us, Lord. 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:44.900 We need you. 00:28:47.379 --> 00:28:48.000 Holy Spirit, 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:48.879 help us to surrender 00:28:48.879 --> 00:28:49.559 and trust you, 00:28:49.700 --> 00:28:49.940 we pray. 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:52.079 God, 00:28:52.119 --> 00:28:52.900 in the ups and downs 00:28:52.900 --> 00:28:54.440 and the mountain peaks 00:28:54.440 --> 00:28:55.339 and the valley lows, 00:28:56.240 --> 00:28:57.180 help us to walk with you. 00:28:57.299 --> 00:28:57.599 Jesus, 00:28:58.059 --> 00:28:59.200 we would rather be 00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:00.220 in the valley with you 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:01.339 than on the mountain alone. 00:29:02.339 --> 00:29:03.039 And so help us, 00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:03.500 we pray. 00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:05.339 In your great name. 00:29:06.339 --> 00:29:06.660 Amen. 00:29:06.660 --> 00:29:06.819 Amen. 00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:08.759 Amen.