He Loves Me

Psalm 23
Broadcast Featured Image

In this sermon, Pastor Colin reflects on Psalm 23, emphasising its encouragement and refreshment during difficult times. He reminds listeners that King David, who faced numerous struggles, first found solace in this Psalm. David’s meditation on God as his shepherd reassured him that he would lack nothing, and as a shepherd himself, David knew firsthand the comprehensive care provided to his flock.

Pastor Colin points out that Psalm 23 is an exercise in faith, a call to remember all that belongs to us through Jesus Christ. Reflecting on the provisions and protections from the Lord rejuvenates our spirit and fortifies our faith. In particular, Pastor Colin focuses on the last verse of the Psalm, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” as a promise of God’s persistent love and welcome.

He draws a parallel to shepherds using dogs to guide sheep, likening God’s goodness and mercy to two sheepdogs that keep us close to the Good Shepherd. These attributes, Pastor Colin articulates, are the means by which God leads us to repentance and ensures we never face divine judgement but remain enveloped in His grace.

Addressing the eternal aspect, Pastor Colin emphasises that dwelling in the house of the Lord forever implies a transition from faith to sight, an eternal unity with God through Jesus Christ, who remains our shepherd both now and for eternity. The future in God’s presence will be filled with continuous discovery, joy, and increasing delight as we explore the new creation under Jesus’s guidance.

1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,140 You’re listening to the sermon from Pastor Colin Smith at Open The Bible. 2 00:00:07,140 –> 00:00:14,940 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN365, or visit our website, openthebible.org. 3 00:00:14,940 –> 00:00:17,780 Let’s get to the message. 4 00:00:17,780 –> 00:00:19,420 Here is Pastor Colin. 5 00:00:19,420 –> 00:00:21,520 Well, good morning, everyone. 6 00:00:21,600 –> 00:00:23,639 Please open your Bible for the last time 7 00:00:23,639 –> 00:00:28,120 in this series at Psalm 23. 8 00:00:28,120 –> 00:00:31,459 The first aim of these weeks that we’ve spent 9 00:00:31,459 –> 00:00:35,560 in this wonderful psalm together has been to encourage. 10 00:00:35,560 –> 00:00:38,480 These are difficult days for all of us. 11 00:00:38,480 –> 00:00:43,139 Many of us feel tired and jaded and discouraged and flat. 12 00:00:43,139 –> 00:00:45,619 And some of us are anxious and fearful and 13 00:00:45,619 –> 00:00:50,080 even distressed at what the future might bring. 14 00:00:50,099 –> 00:00:54,540 So we came to Psalm 23 in order to be refreshed. 15 00:00:54,540 –> 00:00:58,040 And I have to tell you, I have loved meditating 16 00:00:58,040 –> 00:01:00,599 on this psalm for these last weeks. 17 00:01:00,599 –> 00:01:04,820 And I have been blessed to hear from a number of you 18 00:01:04,820 –> 00:01:09,300 that you have been helped by this psalm also. 19 00:01:09,300 –> 00:01:13,279 And I think that the first person ever to be helped 20 00:01:13,279 –> 00:01:18,279 by Psalm 23 was the person who wrote it, King David himself. 21 00:01:18,519 –> 00:01:21,580 Picture what it was like for David 22 00:01:21,580 –> 00:01:24,559 to write this psalm under the inspiration 23 00:01:24,559 –> 00:01:26,019 of the Holy Spirit. 24 00:01:27,260 –> 00:01:31,220 This man was a man who knew trouble throughout his life. 25 00:01:31,220 –> 00:01:33,760 We don’t know when he wrote Psalm 23, 26 00:01:33,760 –> 00:01:36,080 but there was not a period of his life 27 00:01:36,080 –> 00:01:38,639 when he was not afflicted by trouble, 28 00:01:38,639 –> 00:01:41,260 aggravation from Saul, opposition 29 00:01:41,260 –> 00:01:45,680 from the Philistines, division in the nation, 30 00:01:45,779 –> 00:01:47,320 and trouble in his own family. 31 00:01:47,320 –> 00:01:48,680 It went on and on. 32 00:01:48,680 –> 00:01:53,540 Not to mention the plagues of sin in his own heart. 33 00:01:53,540 –> 00:01:57,000 And at some point in his life, 34 00:01:57,000 –> 00:01:59,599 no doubt pondering the difficulties 35 00:01:59,599 –> 00:02:01,879 that he was facing at that time, 36 00:02:02,879 –> 00:02:05,500 David’s mind goes back to the early years 37 00:02:05,500 –> 00:02:08,639 where he was a shepherd of the sheep. 38 00:02:09,500 –> 00:02:12,539 And under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, 39 00:02:12,539 –> 00:02:15,300 the very word of God comes to him. 40 00:02:15,919 –> 00:02:20,080 The Lord is my shepherd. 41 00:02:20,080 –> 00:02:24,179 And he begins to think about what that means. 42 00:02:24,179 –> 00:02:26,720 You know, when I was a shepherd to my sheep, 43 00:02:26,720 –> 00:02:28,020 they never lacked anything, 44 00:02:28,020 –> 00:02:31,259 and God is a better shepherd than I ever was. 45 00:02:31,259 –> 00:02:33,020 And so the same will be true of me. 46 00:02:33,020 –> 00:02:34,720 The Lord is my shepherd. 47 00:02:34,720 –> 00:02:36,619 I shall not want. 48 00:02:37,559 –> 00:02:39,619 And as David continues to think about it, 49 00:02:39,619 –> 00:02:42,440 what it means for the Lord to be his shepherd, 50 00:02:42,440 –> 00:02:45,839 the Word of the Lord continues to come to him. 51 00:02:45,839 –> 00:02:48,119 Here’s what it means, he leads me. 52 00:02:48,119 –> 00:02:51,520 He leads me into rest, he leads me into righteousness. 53 00:02:51,520 –> 00:02:53,880 It means he restores me. 54 00:02:53,880 –> 00:02:56,119 I know how much my heart wanders, 55 00:02:56,119 –> 00:02:58,899 how much my spirit falters. 56 00:02:58,899 –> 00:03:00,380 But the Lord brings me back. 57 00:03:00,380 –> 00:03:01,720 The Lord picks me up. 58 00:03:01,720 –> 00:03:03,639 The Lord will never let me go. 59 00:03:04,720 –> 00:03:06,720 And as he continues to think about his life, 60 00:03:06,720 –> 00:03:09,520 he recalls the dark valleys that he’s been through. 61 00:03:09,520 –> 00:03:11,720 And no doubt there are other dark valleys 62 00:03:11,839 –> 00:03:13,320 that lie ahead. 63 00:03:13,320 –> 00:03:15,600 And he’s able to say even when I walk 64 00:03:15,600 –> 00:03:19,679 through the darkest valley, my shepherd will be with me. 65 00:03:19,679 –> 00:03:21,899 And my shepherd sustains me. 66 00:03:21,899 –> 00:03:23,660 While the Philistines hate me, 67 00:03:23,660 –> 00:03:25,619 trusted colleagues may betray me, 68 00:03:25,619 –> 00:03:28,240 members of my own family rise against me, 69 00:03:28,240 –> 00:03:30,240 but the Lord will always stand with me 70 00:03:30,240 –> 00:03:33,039 and he is the one who gives me strength. 71 00:03:33,039 –> 00:03:38,039 He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 72 00:03:38,759 –> 00:03:41,080 Now do you see that the whole of Psalm 23 73 00:03:41,100 –> 00:03:42,759 is really a meditation on what 74 00:03:42,759 –> 00:03:45,880 the Lord does for his people. 75 00:03:45,880 –> 00:03:48,559 And David’s faith is strengthened 76 00:03:48,559 –> 00:03:51,320 in the course of this meditation. 77 00:03:52,339 –> 00:03:54,139 So that the first thing he says 78 00:03:54,139 –> 00:03:58,179 after the Lord is my shepherd is, I shall not want. 79 00:03:58,179 –> 00:03:59,300 And that’s great. 80 00:04:00,279 –> 00:04:02,860 But by the time he gets to the end of bringing to mind 81 00:04:02,860 –> 00:04:05,800 all that is his in and through the Lord, 82 00:04:05,800 –> 00:04:08,679 he’s able to say something even better. 83 00:04:08,679 –> 00:04:10,919 Surely goodness and mercy will follow me 84 00:04:10,919 –> 00:04:12,360 all the days of my life, 85 00:04:12,360 –> 00:04:16,019 and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 86 00:04:16,940 –> 00:04:19,040 So do you see what Psalm 23 is? 87 00:04:19,040 –> 00:04:22,660 It is actually an exercise in faith. 88 00:04:22,660 –> 00:04:25,640 It’s an exercise in drawing to your mind 89 00:04:25,640 –> 00:04:28,720 all that is yours in the Lord Jesus Christ, 90 00:04:28,720 –> 00:04:31,079 all that is yours when you belong to him. 91 00:04:31,079 –> 00:04:33,480 And that is why, for thousands of years, 92 00:04:33,480 –> 00:04:36,220 God’s people have found it so encouraging. 93 00:04:37,179 –> 00:04:40,799 This is what you do when you feel tired 94 00:04:40,799 –> 00:04:43,660 and jaded and drained and flat. 95 00:04:43,660 –> 00:04:46,700 When you’re rundown and you need to be refreshed, 96 00:04:46,700 –> 00:04:47,540 what do you do? 97 00:04:47,540 –> 00:04:50,619 You call to mind all that is yours 98 00:04:50,619 –> 00:04:52,019 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 99 00:04:52,019 –> 00:04:54,700 That’s what David does in Psalm 23, 100 00:04:54,700 –> 00:04:58,260 that is why it is so helpful for all of us today. 101 00:04:58,260 –> 00:05:02,660 Because as you call to mind what is yours in Christ, 102 00:05:02,660 –> 00:05:06,100 what the Shepherd does for you now and always, 103 00:05:06,100 –> 00:05:10,220 your faith will be strengthened. 104 00:05:10,220 –> 00:05:13,600 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. 105 00:05:13,600 –> 00:05:16,619 Bless His holy name, bless the Lord, O my soul, 106 00:05:16,619 –> 00:05:20,899 and do not forget all His benefits. 107 00:05:20,899 –> 00:05:25,220 Now today, we’re looking at the last verse of the Psalm. 108 00:05:25,220 –> 00:05:28,320 “‘Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me 109 00:05:28,339 –> 00:05:31,299 “‘all the days of my life, and I shall dwell 110 00:05:31,299 –> 00:05:35,760 “‘in the house of the Lord forever.” 111 00:05:36,700 –> 00:05:38,720 And what this is telling us, very simply, 112 00:05:38,720 –> 00:05:42,540 is that when the Lord is your shepherd, 113 00:05:43,459 –> 00:05:48,459 His love surrounds you now and always. 114 00:05:49,880 –> 00:05:53,559 And the love of the Good Shepherd is a love that pursues, 115 00:05:53,559 –> 00:05:58,299 that is it follows us, and it is a love that welcomes us 116 00:05:58,299 –> 00:06:00,619 into His own home. 117 00:06:00,619 –> 00:06:04,119 These two things today, then first, a love that pursues, 118 00:06:04,119 –> 00:06:06,640 “‘Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me 119 00:06:06,640 –> 00:06:09,239 “‘all the days of my life.’” 120 00:06:10,540 –> 00:06:15,540 Now, one of the joys of farming life where I come from 121 00:06:15,540 –> 00:06:20,239 are the dogs that chase after the sheep. 122 00:06:21,380 –> 00:06:23,739 Most often border collies. 123 00:06:24,700 –> 00:06:29,079 A shepherd’s dog is always with him, 124 00:06:29,079 –> 00:06:31,500 and typically a shepherd will have a number 125 00:06:31,500 –> 00:06:36,500 of border collies that will chase after the sheep. 126 00:06:36,839 –> 00:06:41,000 When the sheep are being gathered in from the hills 127 00:06:41,000 –> 00:06:45,279 for the winter, you’ll see that the collies 128 00:06:45,279 –> 00:06:49,119 will run in wide arcs over the mountain. 129 00:06:49,119 –> 00:06:51,220 These animals will run for miles, 130 00:06:51,220 –> 00:06:53,140 and as they run these arcs, 131 00:06:53,140 –> 00:06:57,660 they gradually move the sheep in the direction 132 00:06:57,660 –> 00:06:59,600 that the shepherd wants them to go. 133 00:06:59,600 –> 00:07:01,380 They chase the sheep 134 00:07:01,380 –> 00:07:04,579 and move them in a particular direction. 135 00:07:04,579 –> 00:07:08,859 It is a marvelous, marvelous thing to watch. 136 00:07:10,239 –> 00:07:12,940 When the sheep are gathered, 137 00:07:12,940 –> 00:07:15,339 then, as you would see in the picture here, 138 00:07:15,339 –> 00:07:16,899 the shepherd’s gonna be in front 139 00:07:16,899 –> 00:07:20,579 and then the dogs are going to be coming behind the sheep, 140 00:07:20,579 –> 00:07:24,459 kind of chasing up, as it were, the stragglers. 141 00:07:24,459 –> 00:07:29,459 The dogs keep the flock close to the shepherd. 142 00:07:29,579 –> 00:07:31,299 So get that picture in your mind. 143 00:07:31,299 –> 00:07:33,320 The shepherd’s leading the sheep. 144 00:07:33,320 –> 00:07:35,720 The flock are being gathered. 145 00:07:35,720 –> 00:07:37,779 The dogs are arcing around the back, 146 00:07:37,779 –> 00:07:39,820 catching the stragglers and the strays, 147 00:07:39,820 –> 00:07:41,220 keeping them together, 148 00:07:41,220 –> 00:07:46,140 and pushing them on in following after the shepherd. 149 00:07:46,140 –> 00:07:48,019 And I give that picture to you 150 00:07:48,019 –> 00:07:49,839 because I’ve been so helped by it. 151 00:07:49,839 –> 00:07:52,660 Years ago, a Scottish pastor 152 00:07:52,660 –> 00:07:55,299 by the name of Douglas McMillan 153 00:07:55,299 –> 00:07:58,959 quoted an old Scottish shepherd 154 00:07:58,959 –> 00:08:02,299 who had preached on the last verse of Psalm 23, 155 00:08:02,299 –> 00:08:03,660 “‘Surely goodness and mercy 156 00:08:03,660 –> 00:08:06,440 shall follow me all the days of my life.” 157 00:08:06,440 –> 00:08:07,880 And this is what he said. 158 00:08:07,880 –> 00:08:12,440 The good shepherd has two sheep dogs, 159 00:08:13,579 –> 00:08:16,359 and one is called goodness, 160 00:08:17,200 –> 00:08:19,420 and the other is called mercy. 161 00:08:19,420 –> 00:08:20,579 I just love that. 162 00:08:21,459 –> 00:08:23,579 “‘Surely goodness and mercy 163 00:08:23,579 –> 00:08:26,399 will follow me all the days of my life.” 164 00:08:26,399 –> 00:08:27,820 Like two sheep dogs, 165 00:08:27,820 –> 00:08:30,119 God’s goodness, God’s mercy 166 00:08:30,119 –> 00:08:34,359 are always moving me closer to the good shepherd. 167 00:08:34,359 –> 00:08:37,659 It’s always how it is for a Christian. 168 00:08:39,059 –> 00:08:40,419 Now, let’s take a look together 169 00:08:40,419 –> 00:08:41,919 at these two lovely sheep dogs. 170 00:08:41,919 –> 00:08:43,280 The first is called goodness. 171 00:08:43,419 –> 00:08:47,700 Surely goodness will follow me all the days of my life. 172 00:08:47,700 –> 00:08:49,520 Now, there may be someone here this morning who’ll say, 173 00:08:49,520 –> 00:08:52,520 “‘Well, my life’s filled with all kinds 174 00:08:52,520 –> 00:08:54,539 of trouble and difficulty, 175 00:08:54,539 –> 00:08:56,640 and you can list many, many things 176 00:08:56,640 –> 00:08:58,760 that are not as you would want them to be.” 177 00:08:58,760 –> 00:09:01,260 Of course you can list many things 178 00:09:01,260 –> 00:09:03,760 that are not as you would want them to be. 179 00:09:03,760 –> 00:09:07,440 Sin has brought a devastating effect into this world, 180 00:09:08,780 –> 00:09:11,520 and things are not as they should be in this world, 181 00:09:11,520 –> 00:09:12,919 in our country, in our work, 182 00:09:13,559 –> 00:09:14,679 in our churches, in our homes, 183 00:09:14,679 –> 00:09:16,760 or even in our own hearts, 184 00:09:16,760 –> 00:09:18,440 but here’s the thing to take in. 185 00:09:18,440 –> 00:09:20,960 Whatever trouble is in your life 186 00:09:20,960 –> 00:09:23,780 that is good in your life too, 187 00:09:26,599 –> 00:09:29,359 and every good gift, James tells us, 188 00:09:29,359 –> 00:09:31,900 comes from above, every perfect gift, 189 00:09:31,900 –> 00:09:33,520 everything that is good in your life, 190 00:09:33,520 –> 00:09:34,820 where did it come from? 191 00:09:35,859 –> 00:09:39,940 It came from the hand of your loving Heavenly Father, 192 00:09:41,179 –> 00:09:42,679 so thank Him for it. 193 00:09:43,760 –> 00:09:47,059 Here’s the great difference in our world, 194 00:09:48,280 –> 00:09:51,640 sinners blame God for everything 195 00:09:51,640 –> 00:09:53,440 and thank Him for nothing, 196 00:09:55,840 –> 00:09:58,020 believers thank God for everything 197 00:09:58,020 –> 00:09:59,320 and blame Him for nothing, 198 00:10:00,900 –> 00:10:03,940 and goodness is God giving us what we don’t deserve 199 00:10:03,940 –> 00:10:05,679 and if you belong to the Good Shepherd, 200 00:10:05,679 –> 00:10:08,520 God’s goodness will always be chasing after you. 201 00:10:09,280 –> 00:10:14,280 Second, mercy, surely mercy shall follow me 202 00:10:15,239 –> 00:10:17,440 all the days of my life. 203 00:10:17,440 –> 00:10:20,880 Goodness is God giving us what we don’t deserve. 204 00:10:20,880 –> 00:10:23,900 Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. 205 00:10:25,479 –> 00:10:28,599 Think about this friends, don’t you thank God today 206 00:10:28,599 –> 00:10:32,719 that He chases after you in mercy 207 00:10:32,719 –> 00:10:34,539 and not injustice? 208 00:10:35,059 –> 00:10:38,299 I mean if God were to chase after us in justice, 209 00:10:38,299 –> 00:10:40,919 we would all be in big trouble. 210 00:10:43,460 –> 00:10:46,760 You know, we’ve all been I think 211 00:10:48,960 –> 00:10:53,200 moved by the terrifying images 212 00:10:53,200 –> 00:10:56,119 that we’ve seen of wildfires 213 00:10:56,119 –> 00:10:58,580 sweeping across mountains destroying 214 00:10:58,580 –> 00:11:02,780 all that comes in their path out in California 215 00:11:02,799 –> 00:11:06,340 out in California, absolutely terrifying. 216 00:11:07,219 –> 00:11:08,539 Wildfire. 217 00:11:10,200 –> 00:11:11,780 I wonder did you know that the Bible 218 00:11:11,780 –> 00:11:14,500 uses that as a picture to describe 219 00:11:14,500 –> 00:11:16,200 God’s judgment of the wicked? 220 00:11:17,359 –> 00:11:20,700 You’ll find it in Psalm 83 and verse 14. 221 00:11:20,700 –> 00:11:24,780 As fires consume the forest as the flames 222 00:11:24,780 –> 00:11:27,900 sets the mountain ablaze. 223 00:11:28,640 –> 00:11:33,659 That’s how God’s judgment pursues the wicked, 224 00:11:33,659 –> 00:11:36,500 like a wildfire sweeping over the mountain 225 00:11:36,500 –> 00:11:38,679 consuming everything in its path. 226 00:11:38,679 –> 00:11:39,780 That’s what it’s like. 227 00:11:41,159 –> 00:11:45,219 So thank God that he does not chase after you 228 00:11:46,059 –> 00:11:48,780 with the wildfire of his judgment, 229 00:11:48,780 –> 00:11:53,179 but in Christ he chases after you in mercy. 230 00:11:53,179 –> 00:11:56,460 Mercy shall follow me all the days of my life 231 00:11:57,020 –> 00:11:58,380 and this is how the Good Shepherd 232 00:11:58,380 –> 00:12:00,059 keeps us close to himself. 233 00:12:02,020 –> 00:12:03,260 That’s, of course, the teaching 234 00:12:03,260 –> 00:12:05,500 of Romans chapter two and verse four. 235 00:12:05,500 –> 00:12:08,739 God’s kindness, another way of saying 236 00:12:08,739 –> 00:12:10,599 that would be his goodness and mercy, 237 00:12:11,700 –> 00:12:15,260 are meant to lead you to repentance. 238 00:12:15,260 –> 00:12:19,239 This is how God keeps us close to the Good Shepherd. 239 00:12:19,239 –> 00:12:21,580 It’s His goodness and His mercy 240 00:12:21,580 –> 00:12:24,820 that’s bringing us close to the Shepherd 241 00:12:24,859 –> 00:12:27,359 and David’s in no doubt about this. 242 00:12:27,359 –> 00:12:31,140 He says surely, surely goodness and mercy will follow me. 243 00:12:31,140 –> 00:12:32,700 Of this, you can be quite certain 244 00:12:32,700 –> 00:12:34,900 as a Christian believer in Christ, 245 00:12:34,900 –> 00:12:38,219 God is not chasing after you in judgment and condemnation, 246 00:12:38,219 –> 00:12:41,900 He’s coming after you with goodness and with mercy 247 00:12:41,900 –> 00:12:43,659 and if it were the case that God 248 00:12:43,659 –> 00:12:45,299 were chasing you with judgment, 249 00:12:45,299 –> 00:12:47,340 of course you would run away from Him 250 00:12:49,080 –> 00:12:50,700 but why would anyone in their right mind 251 00:12:50,700 –> 00:12:52,820 run away from a God who races after us 252 00:12:52,820 –> 00:12:54,059 in goodness and mercy? 253 00:12:55,820 –> 00:13:00,820 A love that pursues us and David says 254 00:13:01,500 –> 00:13:04,539 goodness and mercy will follow me. 255 00:13:04,539 –> 00:13:06,099 Follow me. 256 00:13:06,099 –> 00:13:09,260 This is fascinating because at the beginning of the psalm, 257 00:13:09,260 –> 00:13:12,260 he’s spoken already about how the good shepherd leads me. 258 00:13:12,260 –> 00:13:15,320 He leads me besides still waters. 259 00:13:15,320 –> 00:13:19,140 He leads me in paths of righteousness for his own sakes. 260 00:13:19,140 –> 00:13:21,700 So clearly the picture is that the shepherd 261 00:13:21,700 –> 00:13:24,039 is out in front of the sheep. 262 00:13:24,039 –> 00:13:25,200 He leads me. 263 00:13:25,200 –> 00:13:27,799 Now he’s saying that the shepherd’s goodness 264 00:13:27,799 –> 00:13:29,580 and mercy also follow me. 265 00:13:29,580 –> 00:13:31,460 So you see the significance of this. 266 00:13:31,460 –> 00:13:36,039 You put these together, in Christ you are encircled 267 00:13:36,039 –> 00:13:37,659 with his everlasting love. 268 00:13:40,599 –> 00:13:42,760 There’s an ancient Celtic hymn. 269 00:13:44,000 –> 00:13:47,679 It goes all the way back to the fifth century. 270 00:13:47,679 –> 00:13:52,020 Must be one of the older hymns that are still around today. 271 00:13:52,919 –> 00:13:56,080 The words are often attributed to Saint Patrick. 272 00:13:57,359 –> 00:13:59,419 And it begins with this line, 273 00:13:59,419 –> 00:14:04,419 I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity. 274 00:14:06,859 –> 00:14:09,340 And then there are these remarkable words 275 00:14:09,340 –> 00:14:11,200 that I remember singing as a boy. 276 00:14:13,119 –> 00:14:14,820 Christ be with me. 277 00:14:15,979 –> 00:14:17,619 Christ within me. 278 00:14:18,539 –> 00:14:20,260 Christ behind me. 279 00:14:21,179 –> 00:14:22,739 Christ before me. 280 00:14:23,460 –> 00:14:25,619 Christ beside me. 281 00:14:25,619 –> 00:14:27,580 Christ to win me. 282 00:14:27,580 –> 00:14:30,020 Christ to comfort and restore me. 283 00:14:30,020 –> 00:14:32,340 Christ beneath me. 284 00:14:32,340 –> 00:14:34,419 Christ above me. 285 00:14:34,419 –> 00:14:36,940 Christ in quiet, Christ in danger. 286 00:14:36,940 –> 00:14:39,659 Christ in hearts of all that love me. 287 00:14:39,659 –> 00:14:43,179 Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. 288 00:14:44,539 –> 00:14:47,219 Now, that captures what David is saying here. 289 00:14:47,219 –> 00:14:49,539 When the Lord is your shepherd, 290 00:14:49,539 –> 00:14:52,940 you are surrounded on all sides 291 00:14:52,940 –> 00:14:55,500 by the love of Christ. 292 00:14:55,500 –> 00:14:59,260 Behind me, before me, beside me, 293 00:14:59,260 –> 00:15:01,219 beneath me, above me, 294 00:15:01,219 –> 00:15:02,460 brothers and sisters, 295 00:15:02,460 –> 00:15:05,419 nothing can ever separate us 296 00:15:05,419 –> 00:15:07,020 from the love of God 297 00:15:07,020 –> 00:15:10,580 that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 298 00:15:11,700 –> 00:15:13,219 And this will be true of you 299 00:15:13,219 –> 00:15:15,380 all the days of your life. 300 00:15:16,179 –> 00:15:18,340 When you belong to the good shepherd, 301 00:15:18,340 –> 00:15:19,859 there will never be a day, 302 00:15:19,859 –> 00:15:21,219 never be a circumstance 303 00:15:21,219 –> 00:15:22,940 where this is not true of you. 304 00:15:22,940 –> 00:15:24,859 Jerry Bridges says this so well. 305 00:15:24,859 –> 00:15:27,419 Your worst days are never so bad 306 00:15:27,419 –> 00:15:30,140 that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. 307 00:15:30,140 –> 00:15:32,460 And your best days are never so good 308 00:15:32,460 –> 00:15:35,340 that you are beyond the need of God’s grace. 309 00:15:35,340 –> 00:15:38,059 All the days of my life. 310 00:15:39,219 –> 00:15:41,460 Now, we need this right now, 311 00:15:41,460 –> 00:15:43,099 because these are days 312 00:15:43,219 –> 00:15:45,780 in which we are anxious. 313 00:15:45,780 –> 00:15:47,700 We are anxious about our world, 314 00:15:47,700 –> 00:15:49,539 we’re anxious about our country, 315 00:15:49,539 –> 00:15:51,020 we’re anxious about our jobs, 316 00:15:51,020 –> 00:15:52,500 we’re anxious about our families, 317 00:15:52,500 –> 00:15:54,619 and we’re anxious about ourselves. 318 00:15:54,619 –> 00:15:57,460 And who knows what the future holds? 319 00:15:59,200 –> 00:16:02,099 Well, actually, you know what the future holds. 320 00:16:03,260 –> 00:16:08,260 You know that every day of your life, 321 00:16:08,900 –> 00:16:12,619 God’s goodness, God’s mercy 322 00:16:12,619 –> 00:16:16,559 will always be chasing after you. 323 00:16:20,500 –> 00:16:23,500 And this love that surrounds you 324 00:16:23,500 –> 00:16:25,179 and will always be with you 325 00:16:26,359 –> 00:16:29,059 is not only a love that pursues, 326 00:16:30,419 –> 00:16:32,179 it is a love that welcomes. 327 00:16:33,200 –> 00:16:34,260 And what a verse this is. 328 00:16:34,260 –> 00:16:37,299 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me 329 00:16:37,299 –> 00:16:39,739 all the days of my life. 330 00:16:39,739 –> 00:16:42,659 And, as if that were not enough, 331 00:16:42,659 –> 00:16:47,659 and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. 332 00:16:54,539 –> 00:16:57,919 Now, these words can be understood in two ways. 333 00:16:58,859 –> 00:17:01,020 If you are using the ESV Bible 334 00:17:01,020 –> 00:17:02,419 that we use here in the church, 335 00:17:02,419 –> 00:17:04,540 you might see that there’s a footnote 336 00:17:04,540 –> 00:17:05,959 right at the end of the psalm. 337 00:17:05,959 –> 00:17:07,800 At the end of verse six, 338 00:17:07,800 –> 00:17:09,420 that says that the last phrase 339 00:17:09,420 –> 00:17:13,180 can be translated for length of days. 340 00:17:13,180 –> 00:17:18,180 I will dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days. 341 00:17:20,020 –> 00:17:22,739 And you may recall that a little later in the psalm, 342 00:17:22,739 –> 00:17:25,520 psalm 27, David says, 343 00:17:25,520 –> 00:17:27,959 one thing I have asked the Lord, 344 00:17:27,959 –> 00:17:29,660 and this I will seek after, 345 00:17:29,719 –> 00:17:32,680 that I may dwell in the house of the Lord 346 00:17:32,680 –> 00:17:36,280 all the days of my life. 347 00:17:36,280 –> 00:17:37,420 What does he mean when he says 348 00:17:37,420 –> 00:17:39,000 that I may dwell in the house of the Lord 349 00:17:39,000 –> 00:17:41,359 all the days of my life? 350 00:17:41,359 –> 00:17:43,280 Well, he means this. 351 00:17:43,280 –> 00:17:45,839 That because of God’s goodness, 352 00:17:45,839 –> 00:17:47,719 because of God’s mercy, 353 00:17:47,719 –> 00:17:49,260 because he is my shepherd, 354 00:17:49,260 –> 00:17:51,760 because he leads me and restores me 355 00:17:51,760 –> 00:17:53,339 and guards me and sustains me, 356 00:17:53,339 –> 00:17:55,459 because of his great love for me, 357 00:17:56,359 –> 00:17:58,060 I will walk with Him, 358 00:17:58,060 –> 00:17:58,959 I will love Him, 359 00:17:58,959 –> 00:18:01,459 I will serve Him, I will worship Him, 360 00:18:02,979 –> 00:18:07,079 I will trust Him every day of my life.” 361 00:18:08,819 –> 00:18:11,180 And that surely is a fitting response 362 00:18:11,180 –> 00:18:14,119 to everything that we have seen in the psalm. 363 00:18:15,939 –> 00:18:17,680 But I think 364 00:18:17,680 –> 00:18:20,020 that David is looking beyond 365 00:18:20,020 –> 00:18:23,579 the future days of his life in this world. 366 00:18:23,579 –> 00:18:24,959 I mean, he has already said, 367 00:18:25,020 –> 00:18:27,140 surely goodness and mercy will follow me 368 00:18:27,140 –> 00:18:29,300 all the days of my life. 369 00:18:29,300 –> 00:18:32,020 And when he looks beyond the days of his life 370 00:18:32,020 –> 00:18:33,660 in this world, what does he see? 371 00:18:33,660 –> 00:18:38,040 He sees the joy of eternity 372 00:18:38,040 –> 00:18:40,579 in the immediate presence of the Lord. 373 00:18:40,579 –> 00:18:44,780 And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord 374 00:18:45,939 –> 00:18:46,959 forever. 375 00:18:49,660 –> 00:18:51,540 Now, what will that be like? 376 00:18:52,359 –> 00:18:55,420 Well, the first thing to say is that it will be 377 00:18:55,420 –> 00:18:57,739 very different from your life in this world. 378 00:18:59,260 –> 00:19:02,780 When you dwell in the house of the Lord, 379 00:19:03,660 –> 00:19:06,680 your faith is going to be turned to sight. 380 00:19:08,060 –> 00:19:11,020 The one you have trusted sometimes with many questions 381 00:19:11,020 –> 00:19:13,400 and sometimes with great difficulty, 382 00:19:13,400 –> 00:19:16,479 you’re going to see him face to face. 383 00:19:17,859 –> 00:19:20,500 Old battles are going to be over for you. 384 00:19:21,020 –> 00:19:24,520 Old wounds are going to be healed for you 385 00:19:25,439 –> 00:19:29,400 and God himself will wipe away every tear from your eyes. 386 00:19:30,760 –> 00:19:34,880 You’re going to see Christ in all of his glory 387 00:19:36,160 –> 00:19:37,859 and his kingdom will come. 388 00:19:39,040 –> 00:19:42,579 And death will be defeated, and evil will be overthrown. 389 00:19:42,579 –> 00:19:45,280 Heaven itself will come to earth 390 00:19:46,040 –> 00:19:51,040 and God will dwell with his people in a world of love 391 00:19:51,619 –> 00:19:54,599 in which he himself will make everything new. 392 00:19:55,979 –> 00:19:57,760 Dwelling in the house of the Lord 393 00:19:57,760 –> 00:20:00,800 will be incomparably better than the greatest joys 394 00:20:00,800 –> 00:20:04,680 any of us have ever known in our lives in this world. 395 00:20:04,680 –> 00:20:07,520 Your experience in heaven will be very different 396 00:20:07,520 –> 00:20:10,880 from your life in this world. 397 00:20:11,880 –> 00:20:16,540 But your relationship with Jesus 398 00:20:17,859 –> 00:20:19,439 will be the same. 399 00:20:21,400 –> 00:20:23,060 And here’s why I say that. 400 00:20:24,119 –> 00:20:25,920 When John, the Apostle John, 401 00:20:25,920 –> 00:20:27,640 in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, 402 00:20:27,640 –> 00:20:31,239 is given a glimpse of what it will be like 403 00:20:31,239 –> 00:20:33,199 when all of God’s redeemed people 404 00:20:33,199 –> 00:20:34,959 are gathered in his presence, 405 00:20:34,959 –> 00:20:38,920 he says they are before the throne of God. 406 00:20:39,459 –> 00:20:42,219 And then what it’s describing, 407 00:20:42,219 –> 00:20:45,239 what it will be like when we are before the throne of God, 408 00:20:45,239 –> 00:20:50,239 he says this, that the Lamb in the midst of the throne 409 00:20:50,260 –> 00:20:53,619 will be their shepherd, 410 00:20:54,979 –> 00:20:59,479 and he will guide them to springs of living water. 411 00:20:59,479 –> 00:21:03,400 Do you see, if he is your shepherd now, 412 00:21:04,339 –> 00:21:06,819 he will be your shepherd then. 413 00:21:06,859 –> 00:21:10,339 The relationship will be exactly the same. 414 00:21:10,339 –> 00:21:12,859 The relationship you have with Jesus Christ 415 00:21:12,859 –> 00:21:16,119 in this world will continue forever. 416 00:21:17,619 –> 00:21:20,400 And notice who the shepherd is. 417 00:21:20,400 –> 00:21:23,020 It’s an extraordinary statement that John has 418 00:21:23,020 –> 00:21:24,400 in the book of Revelation. 419 00:21:24,400 –> 00:21:29,040 He says the Lamb in the midst of the throne 420 00:21:29,040 –> 00:21:30,520 will be their shepherd. 421 00:21:31,739 –> 00:21:34,900 Now, you see, why is it that any of us will be in heaven? 422 00:21:34,900 –> 00:21:36,380 Well, there’s only one reason. 423 00:21:36,380 –> 00:21:39,099 It is that the Good Shepherd came to seek 424 00:21:39,099 –> 00:21:41,800 and to save the lost, and what did that involve? 425 00:21:41,800 –> 00:21:42,819 What did that mean? 426 00:21:42,819 –> 00:21:44,699 Well, it meant that the Good Shepherd 427 00:21:44,699 –> 00:21:47,500 had to become one with His sheep. 428 00:21:48,420 –> 00:21:50,900 He took our flesh. 429 00:21:50,900 –> 00:21:52,540 He came into our world. 430 00:21:52,540 –> 00:21:53,819 He shared our life. 431 00:21:53,819 –> 00:21:55,400 He became the Lamb. 432 00:21:55,400 –> 00:21:57,180 The Shepherd became the Lamb. 433 00:21:58,099 –> 00:22:01,520 He became the Lamb of God who takes away 434 00:22:01,520 –> 00:22:05,660 the sin of the world, and he was led like a lamb 435 00:22:05,660 –> 00:22:09,319 to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers 436 00:22:09,319 –> 00:22:13,099 is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 437 00:22:15,400 –> 00:22:17,040 His life was given 438 00:22:18,119 –> 00:22:21,859 as the sacrifice for our sins, 439 00:22:23,020 –> 00:22:25,619 but God raised Him up and exalted Him 440 00:22:25,619 –> 00:22:28,560 to the highest place, and in the book of Revelation, 441 00:22:28,560 –> 00:22:31,680 John sees that the lame, who was slain, 442 00:22:31,680 –> 00:22:35,239 is also the lion of the tribe of Judah, 443 00:22:35,239 –> 00:22:37,859 and he reigns, and he says, 444 00:22:37,859 –> 00:22:42,859 I give my sheep eternal life, and they will never perish, 445 00:22:43,479 –> 00:22:47,040 and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 446 00:22:48,239 –> 00:22:52,140 The lamb, in the midst of the throne, 447 00:22:52,140 –> 00:22:56,819 will be their shepherd, and he will 448 00:22:56,819 –> 00:23:01,619 guide them to springs of living water. 449 00:23:02,619 –> 00:23:07,599 Now, I wonder, has the thought ever occurred to you, 450 00:23:07,599 –> 00:23:12,599 will eternity end up getting a little dull? 451 00:23:13,020 –> 00:23:15,560 I mean, forever and forever and forever? 452 00:23:15,560 –> 00:23:19,160 I mean, won’t boredom set in at some point? 453 00:23:19,160 –> 00:23:21,880 Let me tell you why you will never be bored 454 00:23:21,880 –> 00:23:24,239 and why heaven will never be dull. 455 00:23:24,239 –> 00:23:25,680 It’s right here in this verse. 456 00:23:26,739 –> 00:23:30,739 The good shepherd will always be leading you 457 00:23:30,739 –> 00:23:32,579 into something new. 458 00:23:34,099 –> 00:23:39,099 Heaven will be a world of fresh discoveries and new delight, 459 00:23:40,979 –> 00:23:44,699 and it will be Jesus himself who leads you into them. 460 00:23:45,979 –> 00:23:49,579 Heaven will not be a world in which you see Jesus 461 00:23:49,579 –> 00:23:51,619 and then kind of go off and do your own thing 462 00:23:51,619 –> 00:23:53,739 in the new creation for the rest of eternity. 463 00:23:53,739 –> 00:23:58,500 No, the whole point is that we are with him 464 00:23:58,500 –> 00:24:02,699 and he constantly leads us into new discoveries, 465 00:24:02,699 –> 00:24:06,339 new delights, life everlasting. 466 00:24:06,339 –> 00:24:09,140 He brings us to the springs of living water. 467 00:24:09,140 –> 00:24:11,459 The word springs conveys something 468 00:24:11,459 –> 00:24:14,180 that’s always bubbling up, something always fresh, 469 00:24:14,180 –> 00:24:16,859 something that is always new. 470 00:24:16,859 –> 00:24:20,219 This is what Jesus himself prayed for in John 17. 471 00:24:20,219 –> 00:24:22,900 He said, Father, I desire that those who you have given 472 00:24:22,900 –> 00:24:24,579 to me will be with me. 473 00:24:25,819 –> 00:24:26,939 And when we are gathered 474 00:24:27,099 –> 00:24:28,619 in the presence of the Lord, 475 00:24:28,619 –> 00:24:30,819 the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ 476 00:24:30,819 –> 00:24:32,739 will be wonderfully answered. 477 00:24:32,739 –> 00:24:33,579 We’ll be with Him. 478 00:24:33,579 –> 00:24:36,579 We’re going to see His glory. 479 00:24:36,579 –> 00:24:38,099 And He will be our Shepherd, 480 00:24:38,099 –> 00:24:42,020 and He will lead us on and on and on 481 00:24:42,020 –> 00:24:46,260 into discoveries of fresh delight. 482 00:24:47,540 –> 00:24:49,260 Let me give you one or two quotations 483 00:24:49,260 –> 00:24:52,380 that have helped me just to try to begin 484 00:24:52,380 –> 00:24:55,060 to think about this. 485 00:24:55,060 –> 00:24:58,099 Thomas Boston speaks of how the glorified, 486 00:24:58,099 –> 00:24:58,979 that’s God’s people, 487 00:24:58,979 –> 00:25:01,880 when we’re made perfect in the presence of Jesus, 488 00:25:01,880 –> 00:25:06,359 we will eternally see more and more of God. 489 00:25:07,479 –> 00:25:09,280 We’ll walk with Him eternally, 490 00:25:10,119 –> 00:25:14,260 seeing more and more of God. 491 00:25:14,260 –> 00:25:16,180 And then he uses this analogy. 492 00:25:17,339 –> 00:25:20,660 They may bring their vessels to this ocean 493 00:25:21,160 –> 00:25:25,420 every moment and fill them with new waters. 494 00:25:27,479 –> 00:25:30,119 See, you think of a little child at the beach 495 00:25:30,119 –> 00:25:32,500 with a bucket and spade, 496 00:25:32,500 –> 00:25:35,619 and the child goes down to the ocean 497 00:25:35,619 –> 00:25:36,920 and fills the bucket, 498 00:25:36,920 –> 00:25:40,680 how many times can that bucket be filled? 499 00:25:40,680 –> 00:25:43,300 And the water in the bucket always be different 500 00:25:43,300 –> 00:25:44,979 from the water that was in the bucket before. 501 00:25:44,979 –> 00:25:49,880 I mean, the vastness of the ocean that is out there, 502 00:25:51,500 –> 00:25:54,780 and you think of the infinity of God Himself, 503 00:25:54,780 –> 00:25:58,780 you can never exhaust the knowledge of God, 504 00:25:58,780 –> 00:26:01,420 always coming into new glimpses of His greatness 505 00:26:01,420 –> 00:26:02,560 and of His glory, 506 00:26:02,560 –> 00:26:06,719 and the Lamb of God Himself leading us into this knowledge. 507 00:26:08,540 –> 00:26:11,239 It’s beyond what we can begin to take in here and now, 508 00:26:11,239 –> 00:26:15,959 but it will be more wonderful than we can ever imagine. 509 00:26:17,500 –> 00:26:19,119 And not only will we have the knowledge 510 00:26:19,420 –> 00:26:24,160 of the Creator into which the Lamb of God leads us, 511 00:26:24,160 –> 00:26:26,319 our Good Shepherd leads us, 512 00:26:26,319 –> 00:26:31,060 but the new creation itself will be full of new delights 513 00:26:31,060 –> 00:26:33,400 and discoveries to be made. 514 00:26:35,160 –> 00:26:38,680 Donald McLeod says this of the Garden of Eden. 515 00:26:38,680 –> 00:26:41,579 It offered scope, he said, 516 00:26:41,579 –> 00:26:44,239 for art, science and technology. 517 00:26:46,359 –> 00:26:47,260 I mean, just think about it. 518 00:26:47,339 –> 00:26:50,060 What Adam and Eve could have enjoyed and developed 519 00:26:50,060 –> 00:26:52,140 if they had remained in the Garden of Eden? 520 00:26:52,140 –> 00:26:54,479 Well, he says it offered scope for art 521 00:26:54,479 –> 00:26:56,300 and science and technology and, 522 00:26:56,300 –> 00:27:00,699 the same will doubtless be true of the world to come. 523 00:27:01,640 –> 00:27:04,660 Not only the Creator but the creation too, 524 00:27:04,660 –> 00:27:06,099 that’s the new creation, 525 00:27:06,099 –> 00:27:10,420 will be an object of wonder to the redeemed. 526 00:27:10,420 –> 00:27:14,500 It will challenge our intellects, fire our imaginations 527 00:27:14,500 –> 00:27:16,900 and stimulate our industry. 528 00:27:16,939 –> 00:27:19,819 The scenario, he says, is a thrilling one, 529 00:27:19,819 –> 00:27:23,500 brilliant minds and powerful bodies 530 00:27:23,500 –> 00:27:25,859 in a transformed universe. 531 00:27:25,859 –> 00:27:28,140 You feel like you could take a bit of that? 532 00:27:28,140 –> 00:27:32,420 I mean for your mind to be sharper than it ever was, 533 00:27:32,420 –> 00:27:35,699 for your body to be stronger than it ever was, 534 00:27:35,699 –> 00:27:38,939 for you to enjoy exploring the wonders 535 00:27:38,939 –> 00:27:43,219 of a redeemed universe in all of the perfection 536 00:27:43,219 –> 00:27:45,459 that God has brought it into 537 00:27:45,479 –> 00:27:48,579 and the Lamb of God himself showing you, 538 00:27:49,619 –> 00:27:53,060 leading you into springs of living water, 539 00:27:53,060 –> 00:27:57,119 always fresh, always new, never tired, never bored. 540 00:27:59,020 –> 00:28:00,160 And then this. 541 00:28:02,260 –> 00:28:04,459 That the joy that you will know in heaven 542 00:28:04,459 –> 00:28:07,500 is a joy that will go on increasing. 543 00:28:09,500 –> 00:28:13,260 I mean by way of analogy, just to try and think about this. 544 00:28:13,260 –> 00:28:15,099 Think about your own life here and now 545 00:28:15,500 –> 00:28:16,619 and your experience. 546 00:28:16,619 –> 00:28:21,099 The joys you experience in your life here in this world 547 00:28:21,099 –> 00:28:22,880 remain with you. 548 00:28:25,959 –> 00:28:28,260 I’ll be at a wedding here this afternoon 549 00:28:29,420 –> 00:28:33,560 and in coming to a wedding I will think about my own 550 00:28:33,560 –> 00:28:35,979 and the joy of it will come back to me. 551 00:28:35,979 –> 00:28:40,520 That’s the nature of our experience in this world. 552 00:28:40,579 –> 00:28:44,939 As you go through life, you have an expanding pool 553 00:28:45,839 –> 00:28:49,160 of joys that you have not only experienced in the past 554 00:28:49,160 –> 00:28:51,959 but they remain with you and they’re still a joy to you. 555 00:28:51,959 –> 00:28:54,040 You go through a photograph album or whatever 556 00:28:54,040 –> 00:28:55,640 and you say oh yes we were there. 557 00:28:55,640 –> 00:28:56,500 Do you remember that? 558 00:28:56,500 –> 00:28:57,880 How wonderful that was? 559 00:28:59,239 –> 00:29:01,140 In some sense it lives with you 560 00:29:02,500 –> 00:29:07,500 and as the years go on this pool of joys expands 561 00:29:07,780 –> 00:29:11,780 and expands and becomes a great reservoir. 562 00:29:11,780 –> 00:29:15,479 Now think about what that will be like in eternity 563 00:29:15,479 –> 00:29:18,680 when nothing ever becomes old but everything remains new. 564 00:29:21,300 –> 00:29:24,880 One joy will be added to another as the good shepherd 565 00:29:24,880 –> 00:29:27,339 leads you into springs of living water 566 00:29:29,260 –> 00:29:32,140 and Jonathan Edwards the great American theologian 567 00:29:32,140 –> 00:29:34,839 points out therefore that the joys of heaven 568 00:29:35,079 –> 00:29:38,760 will accumulate one blessing on top of another. 569 00:29:43,780 –> 00:29:45,359 And he asks this question, 570 00:29:47,400 –> 00:29:50,760 so think about what this will be like 571 00:29:52,119 –> 00:29:57,119 when you have been there for a million, million ages. 572 00:29:57,160 –> 00:29:58,680 For a million ages. 573 00:30:02,920 –> 00:30:06,439 And to put what he then says simply, 574 00:30:07,579 –> 00:30:09,920 the more you know of God, 575 00:30:09,920 –> 00:30:12,520 the more you will see of his beauty. 576 00:30:14,319 –> 00:30:16,140 And the more you see of his beauty, 577 00:30:16,140 –> 00:30:17,839 the more you’re going to love him. 578 00:30:19,760 –> 00:30:21,199 And the more you love him, 579 00:30:21,199 –> 00:30:23,939 the more happiness you will have in him. 580 00:30:24,339 –> 00:30:28,099 We are talking, brothers and sisters, 581 00:30:28,099 –> 00:30:33,099 about a life of exponentially increasing joy 582 00:30:34,939 –> 00:30:37,540 to all eternity. 583 00:30:41,739 –> 00:30:42,579 Now, 584 00:30:43,719 –> 00:30:46,900 we began this series with two aims 585 00:30:47,819 –> 00:30:49,819 and I want to end where we began 586 00:30:49,819 –> 00:30:52,459 with the aims of encouraging and enticing. 587 00:30:54,119 –> 00:30:55,500 First to encourage. 588 00:30:57,680 –> 00:31:00,560 The greatest blessing you can know in life 589 00:31:00,560 –> 00:31:03,560 is to be wholly owned by the Son of God. 590 00:31:05,439 –> 00:31:08,540 When the Lord is your shepherd you will be able to say 591 00:31:08,540 –> 00:31:12,699 he leads me, he restores me, he guards me, he sustains me. 592 00:31:14,459 –> 00:31:17,660 And that means that whatever happens in your work, 593 00:31:18,660 –> 00:31:23,660 in your family, with your health or with your money, 594 00:31:24,920 –> 00:31:29,000 whatever happens in our beloved country, 595 00:31:30,819 –> 00:31:34,380 if the Lord is your shepherd you will always be able 596 00:31:34,380 –> 00:31:39,380 to say goodness and mercy all my life will surely follow me 597 00:31:42,780 –> 00:31:47,780 and in God’s house forever more my dwelling place shall be. 598 00:31:48,319 –> 00:31:53,319 and so through all the length of days 599 00:31:55,260 –> 00:32:00,260 thy goodness faileth never, good shepherd may I sing 600 00:32:01,300 –> 00:32:06,199 your praise within your house forever. 601 00:32:07,459 –> 00:32:10,579 And then to entice simply this question. 602 00:32:11,479 –> 00:32:16,479 What is your position if the Lord is not your shepherd? 603 00:32:19,780 –> 00:32:23,900 See, you live in a world where the culture 604 00:32:23,900 –> 00:32:26,920 is always saying to you that the best way you can live 605 00:32:26,920 –> 00:32:29,339 is to be your own shepherd, that you run your own life 606 00:32:29,339 –> 00:32:30,859 and all of this stuff. 607 00:32:30,859 –> 00:32:32,180 What is your position 608 00:32:32,180 –> 00:32:34,260 if you choose to be your own shepherd? 609 00:32:35,260 –> 00:32:36,979 You choose to be your own God, 610 00:32:36,979 –> 00:32:39,459 you choose to be the Captain of your own ship, 611 00:32:39,619 –> 00:32:41,660 be master of your own soul. 612 00:32:41,660 –> 00:32:46,040 Well, if that’s your choice, then this is your reality. 613 00:32:48,380 –> 00:32:50,380 I am my own shepherd. 614 00:32:51,579 –> 00:32:53,140 And I will always want. 615 00:32:55,020 –> 00:32:57,040 Sin makes me restless. 616 00:32:58,020 –> 00:33:01,540 It keeps me from lying down in green pastures, 617 00:33:01,540 –> 00:33:05,180 it leads me beside troubled waters. 618 00:33:05,180 –> 00:33:07,219 It ruins my soul. 619 00:33:08,219 –> 00:33:12,459 Sin leads me in paths of unrighteousness 620 00:33:12,459 –> 00:33:14,300 which I pursue for my own sake. 621 00:33:16,199 –> 00:33:20,739 And when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death 622 00:33:20,739 –> 00:33:22,420 I will have great fear. 623 00:33:24,199 –> 00:33:26,119 For sin will be with me. 624 00:33:27,359 –> 00:33:30,119 Its guilt and shame will haunt me. 625 00:33:31,540 –> 00:33:33,780 Sin prepares a table before me 626 00:33:33,780 –> 00:33:36,180 in the presence of my friends. 627 00:33:36,219 –> 00:33:39,260 It promises much but always disappoints 628 00:33:39,260 –> 00:33:42,459 and my cup is always empty. 629 00:33:44,300 –> 00:33:46,579 Surely judgment and condemnation 630 00:33:46,579 –> 00:33:49,300 shall follow me all the days of my life. 631 00:33:50,260 –> 00:33:54,880 And I shall dwell in the house of the lost, forever. 632 00:33:58,180 –> 00:34:00,500 Now friends, honestly, who wants to say that? 633 00:34:02,380 –> 00:34:05,219 And if that’s your reality, that coming in here today, 634 00:34:05,219 –> 00:34:08,040 really the truth about you is you’re your own shepherd. 635 00:34:08,040 –> 00:34:09,379 You’re running your own life. 636 00:34:09,379 –> 00:34:11,739 You don’t want to be wholly owned by the Son of God. 637 00:34:11,739 –> 00:34:14,780 I’m saying, why would you stay with that reality 638 00:34:14,780 –> 00:34:18,939 when there is a good shepherd who gave himself for you 639 00:34:20,159 –> 00:34:21,860 and even today through the Scriptures 640 00:34:21,860 –> 00:34:25,340 invites you to follow him? 641 00:34:27,919 –> 00:34:31,020 The greatest blessing you can ever know in life 642 00:34:31,020 –> 00:34:33,639 is to be wholly owned by the Son of God 643 00:34:33,639 –> 00:34:36,719 because when you can say the Lord is my shepherd, 644 00:34:38,120 –> 00:34:41,100 you’ll be able to say surely, goodness and mercy 645 00:34:42,139 –> 00:34:46,399 shall follow me all the days of my life 646 00:34:47,320 –> 00:34:51,979 and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 647 00:34:54,320 –> 00:34:55,320 Let’s pray together. 648 00:34:57,340 –> 00:34:59,060 Our Father, we bow before You 649 00:34:59,060 –> 00:35:01,340 with a sense of awe and worship. 650 00:35:01,340 –> 00:35:04,159 Where would we be without the Good Shepherd 651 00:35:04,159 –> 00:35:08,159 who came and gave Himself for us? 652 00:35:08,159 –> 00:35:12,899 We bless you for your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ the Lord. 653 00:35:14,399 –> 00:35:18,120 Grant that by your grace we may follow Him closely 654 00:35:18,120 –> 00:35:20,060 chased towards the Shepherd 655 00:35:20,060 –> 00:35:23,239 by your goodness and by your mercy 656 00:35:23,239 –> 00:35:25,800 all the days of our lives 657 00:35:25,800 –> 00:35:28,219 until faith is turned to sight 658 00:35:29,159 –> 00:35:32,379 and we enter into your nearest presence 659 00:35:32,379 –> 00:35:36,399 and begin to discover the pleasures 660 00:35:36,399 –> 00:35:38,820 that are at your right hand 661 00:35:39,860 –> 00:35:41,260 for evermore. 662 00:35:41,879 –> 00:35:44,879 Hear our prayers and receive our thanks. 663 00:35:44,879 –> 00:35:46,840 In Jesus’ name. 664 00:35:46,840 –> 00:35:48,199 Amen. 665 00:35:52,300 –> 00:35:53,560 You’ve been listening to a sermon 666 00:35:53,560 –> 00:35:55,739 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 667 00:35:56,020 –> 00:36:00,979 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 668 00:36:01,020 –> 00:36:05,020 or visit our website openthebible.org

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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