1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,760 You are listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:06,760 –> 00:00:14,540 To contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN- 365 or visit our website Open babble.org. 3 00:00:14,540 –> 00:00:17,680 Let us get to the message. 4 00:00:17,680 –> 00:00:19,440 Here is Pastor Colin. 5 00:00:19,440 –> 00:00:22,000 Well good morning everyone. 6 00:00:22,000 –> 00:00:26,320 Please open your bible at Psalm 23. 7 00:00:26,320 –> 00:00:32,259 We have seen in this wonderful psalm the greatest blessing that any of us can know is to be wholly 8 00:00:32,259 –> 00:00:40,259 owned by the Good Shepherd, to belong to his flock, to be bought and to be born into the 9 00:00:40,259 –> 00:00:41,700 flock of God. 10 00:00:41,700 –> 00:00:45,939 That is the greatest blessing that we can know because when you belong to the flock 11 00:00:45,939 –> 00:00:51,200 of God, there are certain things that the Shepherd will always do for you. 12 00:00:51,200 –> 00:00:54,580 You can be sure of them because He is your Shepherd. 13 00:00:54,639 –> 00:01:00,259 We saw the last time, the first of these that the Good Shepherd will lead you. 14 00:01:00,259 –> 00:01:07,459 He will lead you into rest and He will lead you into righteousness, and today we come 15 00:01:07,459 –> 00:01:12,180 to the second great gift that is yours when you belong to the Shepherd, David says, 16 00:01:12,180 –> 00:01:16,739 “‘The Lord is my Shepherd,’ and here’s what flows from that. 17 00:01:16,739 –> 00:01:24,279 Verse three, “‘He restores my soul.’” 18 00:01:24,279 –> 00:01:28,580 Present tense, restores. 19 00:01:28,580 –> 00:01:34,000 So this is not a one-time thing that happened when you became a Christian. 20 00:01:34,000 –> 00:01:41,720 David is testifying that God restored him many times in the past and he anticipates 21 00:01:41,720 –> 00:01:50,320 that God will restore him many times in the future as well, He restores my soul. 22 00:01:50,320 –> 00:01:52,480 Now why is this important, why do we need it? 23 00:01:52,699 –> 00:01:56,160 After all if the shepherd leads the sheep surely that is all that we need. 24 00:01:56,160 –> 00:01:57,699 Why would we ever need restoring? 25 00:01:57,699 –> 00:02:00,720 Well surely the answer to that question is obvious. 26 00:02:00,720 –> 00:02:06,419 Though the shepherd leads us we often go astray. 27 00:02:06,419 –> 00:02:10,520 And when we go astray, we do not know how to find our way back. 28 00:02:10,520 –> 00:02:16,960 Remember back in the Old Testament when God’s people were in the wilderness, God led them. 29 00:02:16,960 –> 00:02:22,279 He made himself visibly present a pillar of cloud during the day. 30 00:02:22,979 –> 00:02:24,580 A pillar a fire during the night. 31 00:02:24,580 –> 00:02:26,500 All they had to do was follow. 32 00:02:26,500 –> 00:02:30,080 They didn’t do a very good job of it. 33 00:02:30,080 –> 00:02:33,199 You remember that they began to grumble, they began to complain. 34 00:02:33,199 –> 00:02:38,279 They wanted to go back to Egypt when they got to the very verge of the promised land 35 00:02:38,279 –> 00:02:41,320 their faith faltered and failed them. 36 00:02:41,320 –> 00:02:45,080 Here’s the problem the Lord leads his people. 37 00:02:45,080 –> 00:02:48,919 We don’t find it so easy to follow. 38 00:02:49,119 –> 00:02:54,720 Now every Christian in the congregation this morning knows this from your own experience. 39 00:02:54,740 –> 00:02:58,199 You know this contradiction in your own life. 40 00:02:58,199 –> 00:03:00,139 You love the Lord. 41 00:03:00,139 –> 00:03:02,259 You really do. 42 00:03:02,259 –> 00:03:07,080 But your heart wonders and your obedience falters. 43 00:03:07,080 –> 00:03:13,860 You are a believer and yet sometimes your faith burns low. 44 00:03:13,860 –> 00:03:18,839 And if your final salvation depended on the consistency of your following the 45 00:03:18,899 –> 00:03:23,440 good shepherd, then you would never arrive safely home. 46 00:03:23,440 –> 00:03:27,279 So thank God for this wonderful truth that we’re looking at today, 47 00:03:27,279 –> 00:03:32,320 He Restores My Soul. 48 00:03:32,320 –> 00:03:35,979 Now the Good Shepherd restores us in two ways. 49 00:03:35,979 –> 00:03:42,820 First, by retrieving us when we wander, and then by reviving us when we falter. 50 00:03:43,059 –> 00:03:48,880 First He retrieves us when we wander, He restores my soul. 51 00:03:48,880 –> 00:03:57,279 Now always remember that God uses the image of sheep to describe His own people. 52 00:03:57,279 –> 00:04:03,759 Believers wander, all we like sheep, Isaiah says, speaking to God’s people, 53 00:04:03,759 –> 00:04:09,100 all we, like sheep, have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, 54 00:04:09,100 –> 00:04:13,660 and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 55 00:04:13,660 –> 00:04:21,359 Believers wander, sheep bought and birthed into the flock of God, 56 00:04:21,359 –> 00:04:26,119 wander away, and then need to be brought back. 57 00:04:26,220 –> 00:04:30,959 There’s an old line from an old hymn that some of us might remember, singing. 58 00:04:30,959 –> 00:04:36,959 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, 59 00:04:36,959 –> 00:04:41,980 prone to leave the God I love. 60 00:04:41,980 –> 00:04:45,739 Now why in the world would we be prone to leave the God we love? 61 00:04:45,739 –> 00:04:47,140 Well, here’s why. 62 00:04:47,140 –> 00:04:51,880 While the Spirit has given us new life, 63 00:04:51,880 –> 00:04:55,679 the new life we have been given is lived in the flesh. 64 00:04:55,679 –> 00:05:00,260 And that’s Galatians in chapter 2, and verse 20 that many of you know well. 65 00:05:00,260 –> 00:05:02,760 I have been crucified with Christ, 66 00:05:02,760 –> 00:05:06,260 I no longer live but Christ lives in me. 67 00:05:06,260 –> 00:05:12,540 And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and 68 00:05:12,540 –> 00:05:14,220 gave himself for me. 69 00:05:14,220 –> 00:05:18,559 Right there in that one verse you have the twin realities of the Christian life. 70 00:05:18,559 –> 00:05:25,500 We live by faith in the son of God, yes, but we live this life of faith in the flesh. 71 00:05:25,500 –> 00:05:29,619 And God’s saving work in you has begun, but it is not yet complete. 72 00:05:29,619 –> 00:05:33,420 None of us is yet what we one day will be. 73 00:05:33,619 –> 00:05:39,079 Only when we see Christ will we be fully like Him. 74 00:05:39,079 –> 00:05:45,019 Until then, we have this dual experience, living by faith, living in the flesh. 75 00:05:45,019 –> 00:05:46,500 And David knew what that was like. 76 00:05:46,500 –> 00:05:48,859 He had a heart after God. 77 00:05:48,859 –> 00:05:54,260 He loved God, loved His law. 78 00:05:54,279 –> 00:06:03,859 And yet there arose in David’s heart desires that pulled him away into self-destructive 79 00:06:03,859 –> 00:06:07,779 sins. 80 00:06:07,779 –> 00:06:13,100 And if it were not for the truth that we are looking at today, he restores my soul, 81 00:06:13,100 –> 00:06:19,200 David’s self-destructive sins would have been the end of him. 82 00:06:19,200 –> 00:06:23,339 And if it wasn’t for the wonderful truth that we’re looking at today, your self-destructive 83 00:06:23,359 –> 00:06:31,200 sins in your Christian life would be the end of you as well. 84 00:06:31,200 –> 00:06:37,079 But here we have good news, here’s what the Good Shepherd always does for his own. 85 00:06:37,079 –> 00:06:41,220 He restores my soul. 86 00:06:41,220 –> 00:06:43,720 Now what does it look like? 87 00:06:43,720 –> 00:06:50,480 What is it like for the shepherd to retrieve us when we wander? 88 00:06:50,500 –> 00:06:54,600 Well, one example of this in the New Testament is in the Book of Revelation. 89 00:06:54,600 –> 00:06:59,760 You remember that the Risen Lord Jesus Christ there speaks to seven churches, and the first 90 00:06:59,760 –> 00:07:03,859 of them is a congregation in a place called Ephesus. 91 00:07:03,859 –> 00:07:10,399 Let me describe these people because I think among us here this morning, there are many 92 00:07:10,399 –> 00:07:14,940 of the virtues that were there among them. 93 00:07:15,100 –> 00:07:21,320 These people were hard-working, and we’re a gathering of hard-working people beyond 94 00:07:21,320 –> 00:07:23,399 any question. 95 00:07:23,399 –> 00:07:32,160 Christ says to them, I know your works, your toil, and your patient endurance. 96 00:07:32,160 –> 00:07:34,820 Not only were they hard-working, they were upright. 97 00:07:34,820 –> 00:07:36,959 They were people of integrity. 98 00:07:36,959 –> 00:07:41,160 Christ says to them, you cannot bear those who are evil. 99 00:07:41,160 –> 00:07:42,420 That’s a good description of us. 100 00:07:42,420 –> 00:07:43,420 Can’t bear evil. 101 00:07:44,260 –> 00:07:48,739 They were discerning thirdly. 102 00:07:48,739 –> 00:07:54,000 You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and you have found them 103 00:07:54,000 –> 00:07:55,000 to be false. 104 00:07:55,000 –> 00:07:59,100 This is a very thoughtful and discerning congregation. 105 00:07:59,100 –> 00:08:01,679 Thank God for that. 106 00:08:01,679 –> 00:08:03,799 And they were loyal. 107 00:08:03,799 –> 00:08:11,880 I know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name sake and you have not 108 00:08:11,880 –> 00:08:13,760 grown weary. 109 00:08:13,760 –> 00:08:22,679 So, here are people, very much like the marvelous congregation that is gathered here today. 110 00:08:22,679 –> 00:08:31,559 Believers who are hard working, upright, discerning and loyal. 111 00:08:31,660 –> 00:08:39,219 But Christ says to these believers, I have this against you that you have abandoned the 112 00:08:39,219 –> 00:08:42,780 love that you had at first. 113 00:08:42,780 –> 00:08:45,239 Now, do you see the significance of this? 114 00:08:45,239 –> 00:08:56,880 It is possible, it is possible to be a hard working, upright, discerning, loyal believer 115 00:08:56,919 –> 00:09:04,080 to lose the love that you at first had for Lord Jesus Christ. 116 00:09:04,080 –> 00:09:09,299 And here’s what so alarming you see when the sheep wanders away it doesn’t know how to 117 00:09:09,299 –> 00:09:12,340 get back. 118 00:09:12,340 –> 00:09:15,799 And when you lose your first love for the Lord Jesus Christ you don’t know how to get 119 00:09:15,799 –> 00:09:19,159 it back either. 120 00:09:19,159 –> 00:09:24,359 And David tells us this Good News, the Good Shepherd restores my soul. 121 00:09:24,359 –> 00:09:25,820 How does he do it? 122 00:09:25,900 –> 00:09:32,799 Well the Good Shepherd restores us when we wander by reminding us of what we have lost. 123 00:09:32,799 –> 00:09:36,239 That’s what you see in the message of Revelation and chapter 2, 124 00:09:36,239 –> 00:09:42,140 Remember therefore from where you have fallen. 125 00:09:42,140 –> 00:09:48,659 Restoration begins here with an honest recognition of what has been lost. 126 00:09:48,659 –> 00:09:53,119 That although you may be a hardworking and upright and discerning and loyal believer 127 00:09:53,380 –> 00:09:57,400 your heart has become cold, you’re not where you once were. 128 00:09:57,400 –> 00:10:00,140 You weren’t always like this. 129 00:10:00,140 –> 00:10:03,299 You’ve lost ground. 130 00:10:03,299 –> 00:10:05,500 You’ve gone backwards. 131 00:10:05,500 –> 00:10:10,419 Better things were once true of you than are true of you today, 132 00:10:10,419 –> 00:10:13,179 and better things can be true of you again. 133 00:10:13,179 –> 00:10:17,679 Remember the height from which you have fallen. 134 00:10:18,380 –> 00:10:24,880 Now I’m praying that, in God’s kindness, 135 00:10:24,880 –> 00:10:28,700 this will happen for some of us today, 136 00:10:28,700 –> 00:10:32,260 that as you look at the wonderful words of scripture 137 00:10:32,260 –> 00:10:34,979 that are before us, he restores my soul, 138 00:10:34,979 –> 00:10:39,219 you will say, that is exactly what I need, 139 00:10:39,219 –> 00:10:41,739 because I’m plowing on here dutifully, 140 00:10:41,739 –> 00:10:46,359 but I’ve lost something in my walk with the Lord. 141 00:10:46,359 –> 00:10:50,940 I’ve lost my peace, I’ve lost my joy. 142 00:10:52,559 –> 00:10:55,280 Oh yes, I’m hard working, upright, discerning and loyal, 143 00:10:55,280 –> 00:10:58,739 but I’ve lost my first love for the Lord, Jesus Christ 144 00:11:00,640 –> 00:11:02,239 and I don’t know how to get that back, 145 00:11:02,239 –> 00:11:05,659 so I need him to restore my soul. 146 00:11:07,159 –> 00:11:09,880 And I’m saying that that is what the good shepherd does 147 00:11:09,880 –> 00:11:13,219 and therefore you can ask him to do that for you. 148 00:11:14,619 –> 00:11:16,020 And you see, that’s what David did, 149 00:11:16,700 –> 00:11:21,359 he remembered the joy that he had once known. 150 00:11:22,500 –> 00:11:25,299 I’m not there now, he says in effect 151 00:11:25,299 –> 00:11:27,820 and so he comes to God and he says, 152 00:11:27,820 –> 00:11:32,820 restore to me the joy of my salvation. 153 00:11:36,880 –> 00:11:39,580 Now, that’s what the good shepherd does. 154 00:11:39,580 –> 00:11:42,979 He restores us and he restores us 155 00:11:42,979 –> 00:11:45,659 by retrieving us when we wander 156 00:11:48,059 –> 00:11:50,500 but there’s more to restoration than that. 157 00:11:51,659 –> 00:11:53,739 Not only does the good shepherd restore us 158 00:11:53,739 –> 00:11:55,820 by retrieving us when we wander, 159 00:11:55,820 –> 00:12:00,820 he revives us when we falter. 160 00:12:01,940 –> 00:12:06,940 You see, sometimes in our lives we wander away 161 00:12:07,780 –> 00:12:10,299 and the root cause of our problem 162 00:12:10,340 –> 00:12:13,780 is just our own sin and folly and we know it 163 00:12:15,739 –> 00:12:17,479 but it’s not always like that. 164 00:12:19,219 –> 00:12:22,679 Sometimes the circumstances of our own lives 165 00:12:22,679 –> 00:12:27,099 take their toll and we find ourselves 166 00:12:27,099 –> 00:12:29,099 in need of restoration. 167 00:12:31,179 –> 00:12:33,500 Now there’s a very remarkable book 168 00:12:33,500 –> 00:12:35,280 that was written a number of years ago 169 00:12:35,280 –> 00:12:37,840 by a man called Philip Keller. 170 00:12:37,840 –> 00:12:41,520 He worked for many years as a shepherd 171 00:12:41,520 –> 00:12:43,960 and out of his experience looking after sheep 172 00:12:43,960 –> 00:12:47,219 for many years, he wrote a book called 173 00:12:47,219 –> 00:12:51,520 A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, 174 00:12:51,520 –> 00:12:54,640 still available, some of you might enjoy reading it, 175 00:12:54,640 –> 00:12:59,640 Philip Keller A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. 176 00:12:59,780 –> 00:13:03,919 And in that book, he describes a condition 177 00:13:03,919 –> 00:13:08,000 in which a sheep becomes what he calls cast, 178 00:13:08,000 –> 00:13:11,119 that’s C-A-S-T. 179 00:13:11,119 –> 00:13:14,039 And here’s what that is, it happens 180 00:13:14,039 –> 00:13:17,559 when a sheep’s fleece becomes long 181 00:13:17,559 –> 00:13:22,559 and therefore heavy or when a sheep is carrying lambs 182 00:13:22,760 –> 00:13:25,599 especially in the advanced stage of pregnancy 183 00:13:25,599 –> 00:13:28,179 if it is carrying multiple lambs. 184 00:13:28,179 –> 00:13:31,099 Now you see what’s in common between these two things. 185 00:13:31,140 –> 00:13:34,479 Both of them involve carrying a great deal of weight. 186 00:13:34,479 –> 00:13:39,479 The extended wool, the pregnancy with multiple lambs. 187 00:13:39,880 –> 00:13:43,880 And here’s the problem that leads to a sheep being cast. 188 00:13:45,280 –> 00:13:49,179 The heavy sheep lies down on its side 189 00:13:50,460 –> 00:13:52,219 and that’s just fine. 190 00:13:53,380 –> 00:13:56,780 But if it just tips itself over a little bit further 191 00:13:56,780 –> 00:13:59,380 it can flip onto its back 192 00:13:59,419 –> 00:14:00,979 and once it’s on its back 193 00:14:00,979 –> 00:14:03,979 there is no way that a sheep can right itself again. 194 00:14:03,979 –> 00:14:06,840 It simply lies there with four feet kicking in the air. 195 00:14:07,859 –> 00:14:11,940 And Phillip Keller describes how gases then build 196 00:14:11,940 –> 00:14:14,940 in the rumen, the first stomach of the sheep 197 00:14:14,940 –> 00:14:17,380 and circulation gets cut off to the limbs, 198 00:14:17,380 –> 00:14:20,820 numbness begins to set in and it struggles 199 00:14:20,820 –> 00:14:21,659 and it struggles. 200 00:14:21,659 –> 00:14:24,119 It has no hope of righting itself whatsoever. 201 00:14:26,340 –> 00:14:28,260 And so the shepherd goes out into the field 202 00:14:28,859 –> 00:14:33,039 and he sees all of these sheep and here are some standing 203 00:14:33,039 –> 00:14:34,119 and here are some lying down 204 00:14:34,119 –> 00:14:35,960 and here’s one over on its back. 205 00:14:37,000 –> 00:14:39,000 And that’s the sheep that needs to be restored, 206 00:14:39,000 –> 00:14:41,080 the sheep that is cast. 207 00:14:41,080 –> 00:14:44,119 Let me read his description of how he does this. 208 00:14:44,119 –> 00:14:48,520 He says, I would have to lift her onto her feet 209 00:14:48,520 –> 00:14:52,520 and then straddle the sheep with my legs. 210 00:14:53,479 –> 00:14:55,020 I would hold her erect, 211 00:14:55,020 –> 00:14:57,979 so he’s holding the sheep up between his legs 212 00:14:57,979 –> 00:15:00,659 and then rub her limbs to restore 213 00:15:00,659 –> 00:15:02,659 the circulation to her legs. 214 00:15:02,659 –> 00:15:05,700 This, he said, often took quite a time. 215 00:15:08,299 –> 00:15:10,599 When the sheep started to walk again, 216 00:15:10,599 –> 00:15:14,940 it often just stumbled and staggered 217 00:15:14,940 –> 00:15:17,460 and collapsed in a heap once more. 218 00:15:17,460 –> 00:15:19,599 But little by little, 219 00:15:19,599 –> 00:15:23,880 the sheep would regain its equilibrium. 220 00:15:24,979 –> 00:15:26,599 Now, do you see the image? 221 00:15:27,260 –> 00:15:29,159 The shepherd comes, 222 00:15:29,159 –> 00:15:30,299 the sheep’s between his legs. 223 00:15:30,299 –> 00:15:32,280 Gotta start rubbing these limbs, 224 00:15:32,280 –> 00:15:34,320 restoring the circulation. 225 00:15:35,260 –> 00:15:38,520 The sheep is stumbling until eventually 226 00:15:38,520 –> 00:15:40,640 it begins to regain its strength 227 00:15:40,640 –> 00:15:45,640 as it is restored by this ministry of the shepherd. 228 00:15:45,880 –> 00:15:47,640 That’s what’s being described here. 229 00:15:49,799 –> 00:15:53,200 Now, there are many examples of faith faltering 230 00:15:53,299 –> 00:15:58,219 in Scripture and of the Lord Himself wonderfully restoring. 231 00:15:59,640 –> 00:16:01,780 I want to give you just five. 232 00:16:02,700 –> 00:16:04,659 Here’s the first. 233 00:16:04,659 –> 00:16:05,919 You will find, I’m sure, 234 00:16:05,919 –> 00:16:08,859 that there’s at least one of these that you relate to. 235 00:16:10,380 –> 00:16:15,380 Our faith can falter when we are disoriented by injustice. 236 00:16:18,260 –> 00:16:21,059 Now, that, I believe, was Asaph’s story. 237 00:16:22,039 –> 00:16:24,460 Asaph was the worship leader of God’s people 238 00:16:24,460 –> 00:16:25,739 in the time of King David. 239 00:16:25,739 –> 00:16:27,219 He wrote several of the Psalms, 240 00:16:27,219 –> 00:16:29,780 and in one of them he tells us very honestly 241 00:16:29,780 –> 00:16:32,200 about a time when he, as the worship leader, 242 00:16:32,200 –> 00:16:33,919 almost lost his own faith. 243 00:16:35,039 –> 00:16:36,479 Psalm 73, in verse two, 244 00:16:36,479 –> 00:16:38,419 My feet had almost stumbled 245 00:16:38,419 –> 00:16:40,599 My steps had nearly slipped. 246 00:16:41,960 –> 00:16:42,900 And take this in. 247 00:16:44,020 –> 00:16:47,380 This is a man in vocational ministry. 248 00:16:47,780 –> 00:16:51,559 He’s leading the people of God in worship. 249 00:16:52,719 –> 00:16:55,239 But his own faith at one point faltered 250 00:16:55,239 –> 00:16:57,159 and the reason for this was that 251 00:16:57,159 –> 00:17:00,099 he was disoriented by injustice. 252 00:17:00,099 –> 00:17:02,479 He tells us, verse three of that Psalm, 253 00:17:02,479 –> 00:17:06,560 I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 254 00:17:06,560 –> 00:17:08,859 See, he’s looking out at the world 255 00:17:08,859 –> 00:17:11,839 and he’s seeing that evil men prosper 256 00:17:11,839 –> 00:17:14,079 and God seems to let them get away with it. 257 00:17:15,660 –> 00:17:17,040 But he says, that’s not right. 258 00:17:17,040 –> 00:17:19,180 There’s too much injustice in the world. 259 00:17:20,859 –> 00:17:24,520 And when he looked at that, his own faith began to falter. 260 00:17:24,520 –> 00:17:27,099 Now maybe you know what this is like. 261 00:17:29,420 –> 00:17:31,819 You’re a loyal, hard working believer 262 00:17:33,420 –> 00:17:35,380 and you’re faithfully serving the Lord 263 00:17:35,380 –> 00:17:38,260 but you are disoriented by injustice. 264 00:17:38,260 –> 00:17:40,660 You say, this world is so far from what it should be. 265 00:17:40,660 –> 00:17:42,300 What in the world is God doing? 266 00:17:44,939 –> 00:17:46,579 And your faith begins to falter. 267 00:17:47,640 –> 00:17:50,880 Second example. 268 00:17:51,939 –> 00:17:56,079 Our faith can falter when we are drained by conflict. 269 00:17:57,119 –> 00:17:58,760 This was Elijah’s story. 270 00:18:00,140 –> 00:18:03,160 Remember he had engaged over many years 271 00:18:04,040 –> 00:18:07,180 in a sustained struggle and conflict 272 00:18:07,180 –> 00:18:09,219 that exhausted his strength. 273 00:18:09,219 –> 00:18:11,780 At one point it seemed that the whole world was against him. 274 00:18:11,780 –> 00:18:14,040 The king, the queen, the prophets of Baal, 275 00:18:14,040 –> 00:18:15,959 the people of God who had given themselves 276 00:18:15,959 –> 00:18:19,959 over to idols, only God himself stood with Elijah, 277 00:18:19,959 –> 00:18:24,000 and you remember fire fell from heaven on Mount Carmel, 278 00:18:24,000 –> 00:18:26,660 and then everyone knew that the Lord is God. 279 00:18:26,660 –> 00:18:30,719 But after this, after this long period of conflict 280 00:18:30,719 –> 00:18:33,000 that culminated on Mount Carmel, 281 00:18:33,000 –> 00:18:35,920 Elijah was utterly exhausted 282 00:18:35,920 –> 00:18:38,319 and we find him alone in the desert 283 00:18:38,319 –> 00:18:39,900 and he’s under a broom tree, 284 00:18:39,900 –> 00:18:42,359 and here’s a godly man, 285 00:18:43,339 –> 00:18:45,959 and he is utterly convinced 286 00:18:45,959 –> 00:18:48,359 that he has no future usefulness. 287 00:18:48,359 –> 00:18:49,359 You ever been there? 288 00:18:50,619 –> 00:18:51,880 I don’t think there’s anything more 289 00:18:51,880 –> 00:18:53,219 that God could do with me. 290 00:18:57,920 –> 00:19:00,260 And he’s quite convinced in his own heart 291 00:19:00,260 –> 00:19:03,479 that the cause of truth has actually been lost 292 00:19:03,479 –> 00:19:04,500 in the nation. 293 00:19:06,060 –> 00:19:09,040 I, even I only, am left. 294 00:19:09,619 –> 00:19:13,979 He was drained by years of conflict 295 00:19:15,680 –> 00:19:17,300 and his faith began to falter. 296 00:19:17,300 –> 00:19:19,400 And some of you may know what that is like. 297 00:19:19,400 –> 00:19:21,020 You say yeah, tell me about it. 298 00:19:22,319 –> 00:19:25,579 Being struggling on in this conflicted situation 299 00:19:25,579 –> 00:19:28,540 for a long time and it’s sapped my strength. 300 00:19:31,760 –> 00:19:32,959 Third example. 301 00:19:34,560 –> 00:19:37,699 Faith can falter when we are disappointed 302 00:19:37,979 –> 00:19:38,900 by outcomes. 303 00:19:42,300 –> 00:19:43,760 Now this I think was the story 304 00:19:43,760 –> 00:19:46,180 of the believers in Galatia. 305 00:19:46,180 –> 00:19:48,040 Paul writes to them and says 306 00:19:48,040 –> 00:19:51,479 let us not grow weary of doing good. 307 00:19:51,479 –> 00:19:53,280 Now why would he say that to them? 308 00:19:53,280 –> 00:19:55,520 Well it appears that these people 309 00:19:55,520 –> 00:19:58,020 had been working very hard indeed. 310 00:19:58,959 –> 00:20:01,839 But they had been disappointed by the outcome. 311 00:20:02,699 –> 00:20:04,719 They had given themselves to a work 312 00:20:04,719 –> 00:20:06,260 that God had called them to do 313 00:20:06,339 –> 00:20:09,199 and they had not seen the outcome 314 00:20:09,199 –> 00:20:11,239 that they had hoped for. 315 00:20:11,239 –> 00:20:13,880 They’re disappointed by the fruit. 316 00:20:13,880 –> 00:20:16,040 All their effort for this 317 00:20:17,619 –> 00:20:19,959 and it drained their energy. 318 00:20:19,959 –> 00:20:22,239 And they grew weary 319 00:20:22,239 –> 00:20:25,680 and their faith began to falter. 320 00:20:27,239 –> 00:20:28,300 Fourth example, 321 00:20:29,319 –> 00:20:34,000 faith can falter when we are disheartened by suffering. 322 00:20:34,900 –> 00:20:35,859 This was the story 323 00:20:35,859 –> 00:20:38,619 of those who were addressed in the book of Hebrews. 324 00:20:39,520 –> 00:20:41,099 We read of these believers 325 00:20:41,099 –> 00:20:42,920 that after they were enlightened, 326 00:20:42,920 –> 00:20:44,459 that means after they were converted, 327 00:20:44,459 –> 00:20:46,699 they came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, 328 00:20:46,699 –> 00:20:51,239 they endured a hard struggle with sufferings. 329 00:20:52,520 –> 00:20:53,920 I mean, their experience 330 00:20:53,920 –> 00:20:55,760 was just one difficulty after another 331 00:20:55,760 –> 00:20:57,739 and it was the sustained nature of it 332 00:20:57,739 –> 00:20:59,040 that really got to them. 333 00:20:59,040 –> 00:21:00,439 They’d been publicly shamed, 334 00:21:00,439 –> 00:21:03,599 they’d had their property plunged, 335 00:21:03,920 –> 00:21:05,119 I should say. 336 00:21:05,119 –> 00:21:09,420 Their lives had become a hard struggle with suffering. 337 00:21:09,420 –> 00:21:11,800 Now some of you will be able to latch on 338 00:21:11,800 –> 00:21:12,920 to that description, you’ll say, 339 00:21:12,920 –> 00:21:15,640 That’s me, my life is a hard struggle 340 00:21:15,640 –> 00:21:16,900 with sufferings. 341 00:21:18,880 –> 00:21:21,839 And it’s actually been like this for a very long time. 342 00:21:23,520 –> 00:21:26,800 And that begins to have its effect. 343 00:21:26,800 –> 00:21:28,959 You see the Hebrew believers 344 00:21:28,959 –> 00:21:30,979 were able at first to embrace 345 00:21:31,000 –> 00:21:34,119 what came to them with great joy and with great faith. 346 00:21:34,939 –> 00:21:38,060 Most of us are able to endure a fair bit of difficulty 347 00:21:38,060 –> 00:21:40,300 at least for a reasonable period of time. 348 00:21:40,300 –> 00:21:43,500 The problem is that over time it takes its toll. 349 00:21:44,660 –> 00:21:47,560 Pain saps your strength. 350 00:21:49,079 –> 00:21:53,160 Losing someone you love drains your energy. 351 00:21:55,180 –> 00:21:58,579 And maybe this is your situation, you say. 352 00:21:59,420 –> 00:22:04,119 It’s just the ongoing difficulties of life 353 00:22:05,540 –> 00:22:08,699 that are disheartening to me. 354 00:22:08,699 –> 00:22:10,060 I lose heart. 355 00:22:12,800 –> 00:22:14,339 And faith begins to falter. 356 00:22:16,599 –> 00:22:20,099 Fifth example, faith can begin to falter 357 00:22:20,099 –> 00:22:23,560 when we are depleted by demands. 358 00:22:24,780 –> 00:22:27,719 This, I think, was the Apostle Paul’s story. 359 00:22:27,760 –> 00:22:29,920 Remember, as an Apostle, 360 00:22:29,920 –> 00:22:33,800 he carried an enormous weight of responsibility 361 00:22:33,800 –> 00:22:35,060 not simply for one church, 362 00:22:35,060 –> 00:22:36,640 but for all the churches. 363 00:22:37,800 –> 00:22:42,400 And he says, who is sufficient for these things. 364 00:22:44,719 –> 00:22:47,380 And there will be some in this congregation this morning 365 00:22:47,380 –> 00:22:51,140 and there is a great weight of responsibility on you. 366 00:22:52,359 –> 00:22:54,500 And you know what it is to say. 367 00:22:55,459 –> 00:22:56,579 Whew. 368 00:22:56,579 –> 00:22:58,579 Who’s got what it takes for this? 369 00:23:02,599 –> 00:23:05,760 Now, here’s the reality of Christian experience 370 00:23:05,760 –> 00:23:07,339 in it’s different forms. 371 00:23:07,339 –> 00:23:12,339 Asaph, Elijah, Galatians, Hebrews, the Apostle Paul, 372 00:23:13,819 –> 00:23:15,579 they all faltered. 373 00:23:17,020 –> 00:23:21,040 Here’s the good news, they were all wonderfully restored. 374 00:23:21,819 –> 00:23:25,719 And here’s the question that has just fascinated me. 375 00:23:27,199 –> 00:23:31,300 Is there then any pattern to the way 376 00:23:31,300 –> 00:23:33,660 in which God restored them? 377 00:23:34,719 –> 00:23:37,400 And I think the answer is this, 378 00:23:37,400 –> 00:23:39,959 all of them clearly were restored 379 00:23:39,959 –> 00:23:42,500 by a fresh encounter with God, 380 00:23:42,500 –> 00:23:45,239 but what is very striking is that God dealt 381 00:23:45,239 –> 00:23:48,859 with each of them in a uniquely and individual way. 382 00:23:49,819 –> 00:23:54,060 God’s restoration is never one size fits all, 383 00:23:54,060 –> 00:23:55,760 think about it. 384 00:23:55,760 –> 00:24:00,760 God restored Asaph in the normal course of his work. 385 00:24:02,479 –> 00:24:04,479 He says in Psalm 73, 386 00:24:04,479 –> 00:24:06,160 when I thought about this, 387 00:24:06,160 –> 00:24:08,959 that’s the problem of injustice, 388 00:24:08,959 –> 00:24:11,839 it seemed to me a wearisome task 389 00:24:11,839 –> 00:24:16,839 until I went into the sanctuary of God 390 00:24:16,939 –> 00:24:19,500 and then I discerned their end. 391 00:24:19,500 –> 00:24:21,959 Now, what’s the significance of that, the sanctuary? 392 00:24:21,959 –> 00:24:24,459 Well, the sanctuary was the place where he worked. 393 00:24:25,560 –> 00:24:28,079 He was the worship leader of the people of God. 394 00:24:28,079 –> 00:24:30,160 He worked in the sanctuary. 395 00:24:30,160 –> 00:24:33,060 So what he’s telling us very clearly here 396 00:24:33,060 –> 00:24:35,079 is that he pressed on in the work 397 00:24:35,079 –> 00:24:36,640 that God had called him to do 398 00:24:36,640 –> 00:24:39,459 and as he pressed on in what God had called him to do, 399 00:24:39,459 –> 00:24:42,479 he found very wonderfully that God came alongside him 400 00:24:42,479 –> 00:24:46,839 in the course of doing it and helped him, 401 00:24:46,839 –> 00:24:48,640 and restored him. 402 00:24:48,640 –> 00:24:50,640 I’ve known that in my own experience 403 00:24:50,640 –> 00:24:52,479 as I’m sure many of you have too. 404 00:24:53,479 –> 00:24:56,280 Pressing on in the face of difficulty 405 00:24:56,280 –> 00:24:59,439 and yet, finding that God comes alongside 406 00:24:59,439 –> 00:25:02,260 and helps in the very course of persevering. 407 00:25:04,839 –> 00:25:06,560 But it was different with Elijah. 408 00:25:07,439 –> 00:25:10,199 God restored Elijah 409 00:25:10,199 –> 00:25:11,880 after a time of rest. 410 00:25:12,800 –> 00:25:15,239 Here was a case where a man needed to step back 411 00:25:15,239 –> 00:25:16,479 from what he was doing. 412 00:25:17,880 –> 00:25:20,719 He laid down and slept under a broom tree 413 00:25:20,719 –> 00:25:22,719 and behold, an angel touched him 414 00:25:22,719 –> 00:25:25,359 and said to him, arise and eat. 415 00:25:25,359 –> 00:25:28,599 Restoration for Elijah began 416 00:25:28,599 –> 00:25:31,060 with him taking a step back 417 00:25:31,060 –> 00:25:33,819 with him having a period of recuperation. 418 00:25:33,939 –> 00:25:36,439 God knows how to restore in every situation, 419 00:25:36,439 –> 00:25:38,319 it’s not one size fits all. 420 00:25:39,400 –> 00:25:41,239 He’s the good shepherd of the sheep. 421 00:25:42,160 –> 00:25:43,459 He knows what you need. 422 00:25:45,680 –> 00:25:47,459 God restored the Galatians 423 00:25:47,459 –> 00:25:49,900 through a wonderful, wonderful promise. 424 00:25:51,020 –> 00:25:52,920 Do not be deceived. 425 00:25:52,920 –> 00:25:55,300 God is not mocked, 426 00:25:55,300 –> 00:25:58,780 whatever one sows, that he will also reap. 427 00:25:58,780 –> 00:26:01,280 The one who sows to the spirit 428 00:26:01,439 –> 00:26:03,199 the one who sows to the spirit, 429 00:26:03,199 –> 00:26:07,060 from the spirit, will reap eternal life. 430 00:26:08,260 –> 00:26:11,339 That’s the word to the discouraged Galatians. 431 00:26:12,439 –> 00:26:14,219 They’re disappointed by the outcome, 432 00:26:14,219 –> 00:26:17,500 but God says to them right there, 433 00:26:18,319 –> 00:26:21,400 you’re only looking part of the picture. 434 00:26:21,400 –> 00:26:22,979 You’re disappointed by the outcome, 435 00:26:22,979 –> 00:26:24,500 you haven’t seen the full outcome yet, 436 00:26:24,500 –> 00:26:25,819 here’s the full outcome, 437 00:26:25,819 –> 00:26:29,219 you are going to reap eternal life! 438 00:26:29,920 –> 00:26:32,780 So, in the light of that, 439 00:26:32,780 –> 00:26:34,599 don’t grow weary in doing good, 440 00:26:34,599 –> 00:26:36,719 for in due season you will reap 441 00:26:36,719 –> 00:26:39,099 if you do not give up. 442 00:26:39,099 –> 00:26:40,739 That’s the most wonderful encouragement 443 00:26:40,739 –> 00:26:43,020 and I’ve known in my own experiences, 444 00:26:43,020 –> 00:26:44,500 you will have known in yours, 445 00:26:44,500 –> 00:26:46,260 at times, when God comes alongside 446 00:26:46,260 –> 00:26:48,479 with a promise of scripture 447 00:26:48,479 –> 00:26:49,819 and it just lifts you 448 00:26:49,819 –> 00:26:51,060 and it strengthens you 449 00:26:51,060 –> 00:26:52,540 and it encourages you. 450 00:26:52,540 –> 00:26:54,540 But again, it’s not always like that. 451 00:26:55,020 –> 00:26:58,859 It was very different for the Hebrews. 452 00:26:58,859 –> 00:27:00,780 God restored the Hebrews, 453 00:27:00,780 –> 00:27:02,219 not through a wonderful promise 454 00:27:02,219 –> 00:27:05,300 but through a robust challenge 455 00:27:05,300 –> 00:27:08,819 and I’ve known this in my own life as well. 456 00:27:08,819 –> 00:27:12,420 Here were people who had endured many difficulties 457 00:27:12,420 –> 00:27:16,380 that are described at the end of Hebrews chapter 10. 458 00:27:16,380 –> 00:27:18,319 Now, what comes after that? 459 00:27:18,319 –> 00:27:23,319 Well, Hebrews chapter 11 is the honor role of faith, 460 00:27:24,000 –> 00:27:26,979 in which God is saying to them 461 00:27:26,979 –> 00:27:30,020 here’s what heroes of faith do. 462 00:27:31,579 –> 00:27:34,880 Here is what a journey of real faith looks like. 463 00:27:36,199 –> 00:27:39,300 And after recording the exploits of the heroes of faith 464 00:27:39,300 –> 00:27:41,400 through the Old Testament in chapter 11, 465 00:27:41,400 –> 00:27:43,400 it goes on into chapter 12 466 00:27:43,400 –> 00:27:45,619 where we have the supreme example 467 00:27:45,619 –> 00:27:48,180 of the Lord Jesus Christ himself 468 00:27:48,180 –> 00:27:50,359 who for the joy that was set before him 469 00:27:50,359 –> 00:27:53,099 endured the cross, despising the shame 470 00:27:53,459 –> 00:27:57,280 and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 471 00:27:57,280 –> 00:27:59,180 And then the writer to Hebrews says 472 00:27:59,180 –> 00:28:04,099 consider him and what he endured from sinners 473 00:28:04,660 –> 00:28:08,260 so that you may not grow weary and faint-hearted 474 00:28:08,260 –> 00:28:11,819 and therefore lift your drooping hands 475 00:28:11,819 –> 00:28:15,380 and strengthen your weak knees. 476 00:28:16,760 –> 00:28:20,099 Now, I would describe that as a pretty robust challenge. 477 00:28:20,939 –> 00:28:23,680 It’s like where is your faith? 478 00:28:25,500 –> 00:28:28,560 You look at what these heroes of faith had to put up with. 479 00:28:29,579 –> 00:28:32,540 You look at what the Lord Jesus endured on the cross. 480 00:28:32,540 –> 00:28:35,819 This is the path you’re called to follow. 481 00:28:35,819 –> 00:28:37,739 Get up, man, press forward. 482 00:28:37,739 –> 00:28:39,160 What are you doing? 483 00:28:40,219 –> 00:28:41,780 I’ve known times in my own life 484 00:28:41,780 –> 00:28:43,739 where I’ve needed that kind of rebuke. 485 00:28:44,900 –> 00:28:48,260 And it has been God’s means of restoration 486 00:28:49,260 –> 00:28:51,239 and of bringing strength. 487 00:28:52,880 –> 00:28:55,339 And then what about the Apostle Paul? 488 00:28:55,339 –> 00:28:58,459 The Lord restored the Apostle Paul 489 00:28:58,459 –> 00:29:02,040 through the gift of a faithful friend. 490 00:29:03,339 –> 00:29:05,800 He says in 2 Corinthians chapter seven and verse five 491 00:29:05,800 –> 00:29:08,280 when we came to Macedonia, 492 00:29:08,280 –> 00:29:11,520 our bodies had no rest. 493 00:29:11,520 –> 00:29:12,819 It was the apostle and he said 494 00:29:12,819 –> 00:29:14,359 I can’t rest. 495 00:29:15,479 –> 00:29:17,180 Why couldn’t he rest? 496 00:29:17,180 –> 00:29:19,719 Well he says we were afflicted at every turn. 497 00:29:19,719 –> 00:29:23,280 There was fighting without and fear within. 498 00:29:23,280 –> 00:29:24,500 You recognize that? 499 00:29:24,500 –> 00:29:27,300 You look out the world, it’s all fighting. 500 00:29:27,300 –> 00:29:29,780 You look inside and you see way too many fears. 501 00:29:30,819 –> 00:29:32,699 Well that’s where the Apostle Paul was. 502 00:29:32,699 –> 00:29:34,599 Now how did God restore him then? 503 00:29:34,599 –> 00:29:36,500 Well the very next verse says this. 504 00:29:36,500 –> 00:29:39,180 But God who comforts the downcast 505 00:29:39,180 –> 00:29:44,180 comforted us by the coming of Titus. 506 00:29:45,520 –> 00:29:46,660 The coming of Titus. 507 00:29:47,380 –> 00:29:51,920 And Paul says the report that Titus brought 508 00:29:51,920 –> 00:29:55,520 that the Apostle was dearly loved 509 00:29:55,520 –> 00:29:56,680 by the people of God. 510 00:29:58,020 –> 00:29:58,859 That lifted him. 511 00:29:58,859 –> 00:30:00,599 That was the means that God used. 512 00:30:00,599 –> 00:30:03,859 Now do you see the big picture here? 513 00:30:05,260 –> 00:30:09,160 The good Shepherd knows how to revive you 514 00:30:09,160 –> 00:30:11,920 when you falter and it may be different 515 00:30:11,920 –> 00:30:13,319 from the way in which he operates 516 00:30:13,319 –> 00:30:14,699 in the life of someone else 517 00:30:14,719 –> 00:30:16,819 because each situation is unique. 518 00:30:17,880 –> 00:30:21,780 He can revive you as you persevere 519 00:30:21,780 –> 00:30:24,699 in the course of your own work 520 00:30:24,699 –> 00:30:26,939 and he will come alongside you in it 521 00:30:26,939 –> 00:30:28,939 and sustain you and help you through. 522 00:30:30,079 –> 00:30:33,800 He can revive you through a time of rest. 523 00:30:33,800 –> 00:30:36,540 He can revive you through a fresh glimpse 524 00:30:36,540 –> 00:30:39,680 of his gracious promise and he can revive you 525 00:30:39,680 –> 00:30:42,699 by a bracing challenge or even a rebuke. 526 00:30:43,660 –> 00:30:46,640 He can revive you through the ministry of a friend 527 00:30:47,760 –> 00:30:50,800 and through a new discovery of just how much you are loved. 528 00:30:52,000 –> 00:30:56,760 God knows how to restore you when you falter. 529 00:30:56,760 –> 00:31:01,760 He can do it and he will. 530 00:31:04,500 –> 00:31:06,219 And then there’s one more thing here 531 00:31:06,219 –> 00:31:08,339 in these last minutes and it’s this. 532 00:31:08,339 –> 00:31:10,699 Have you seen the good shepherd retrieves us when we wander? 533 00:31:10,699 –> 00:31:12,560 He revives us when we falter. 534 00:31:12,560 –> 00:31:14,979 I want us to see lastly that the good shepherd 535 00:31:14,979 –> 00:31:16,939 restores us himself. 536 00:31:18,020 –> 00:31:21,439 He restores my soul. 537 00:31:22,719 –> 00:31:24,599 We read from Luke 15 this morning 538 00:31:24,599 –> 00:31:27,800 that it is the good shepherd himself 539 00:31:27,800 –> 00:31:30,359 who goes out to restore the wandering 540 00:31:30,359 –> 00:31:32,520 and the faltering sheep and to bring it home. 541 00:31:32,520 –> 00:31:36,599 It’s that personal, that image of Philip Keller, 542 00:31:36,599 –> 00:31:39,160 the shepherd rubbing the limbs of the sheep 543 00:31:39,160 –> 00:31:41,780 that’s become numb and needs to be restored. 544 00:31:41,780 –> 00:31:43,479 It’s that intimate, it’s that personal. 545 00:31:43,479 –> 00:31:45,479 God himself will restore you. 546 00:31:45,479 –> 00:31:48,479 Oh yes, he has all kinds of different means of doing it. 547 00:31:49,699 –> 00:31:51,880 But what is always in common 548 00:31:51,880 –> 00:31:54,119 is that God’s restoration of his people 549 00:31:54,119 –> 00:31:56,500 involves God himself coming alongside 550 00:31:56,500 –> 00:31:58,140 in a fresh and a wonderful way. 551 00:31:59,459 –> 00:32:03,599 For Asaph, in the sanctuary, in the course of his work, 552 00:32:03,599 –> 00:32:07,020 God came alongside and gave him an assurance 553 00:32:07,060 –> 00:32:10,280 that there will be ultimate justice. 554 00:32:12,199 –> 00:32:15,819 For Elijah, after a time of rest, 555 00:32:15,819 –> 00:32:19,359 God came alongside him and showed to him 556 00:32:19,359 –> 00:32:21,420 that the truth was not lost in the nation. 557 00:32:21,420 –> 00:32:24,439 There were thousands who had not bowed the knee to Baal, 558 00:32:24,439 –> 00:32:26,859 that there was a new generation of leaders rising 559 00:32:26,859 –> 00:32:29,859 and that his job was to prepare his successor. 560 00:32:32,099 –> 00:32:35,920 For the Galatians, God came alongside in his Word 561 00:32:35,939 –> 00:32:37,819 with a glorious promise. 562 00:32:37,819 –> 00:32:41,300 For the Hebrews, it was God who, through his Word, 563 00:32:41,300 –> 00:32:46,020 came alongside in a Word of rebuke and of bracing challenge. 564 00:32:48,119 –> 00:32:50,540 For the apostle Paul, 565 00:32:50,540 –> 00:32:55,000 it is God himself who comes alongside in a friend 566 00:32:55,000 –> 00:32:57,739 who is an expression of the very love 567 00:32:57,739 –> 00:32:59,420 of the Father to him 568 00:32:59,420 –> 00:33:02,839 and a rediscovery of the love of God’s people 569 00:33:02,839 –> 00:33:07,000 and leads him to a fresh realization of the love of God. 570 00:33:08,099 –> 00:33:09,560 The Lord is my shepherd. 571 00:33:09,560 –> 00:33:11,239 He restores my soul. 572 00:33:14,459 –> 00:33:18,079 Friends, we can’t restore ourselves, 573 00:33:18,079 –> 00:33:22,520 we could no longer, no more restore ourselves 574 00:33:22,520 –> 00:33:26,739 than we could have saved ourselves in the first place. 575 00:33:26,739 –> 00:33:28,579 It’s God who restores. 576 00:33:30,000 –> 00:33:31,579 He does it himself. 577 00:33:33,260 –> 00:33:37,020 He does it through a great variety of means. 578 00:33:37,920 –> 00:33:41,760 But he always does it by drawing near himself. 579 00:33:43,900 –> 00:33:46,000 And you know what? 580 00:33:46,000 –> 00:33:47,640 When you’re in need of restoration, 581 00:33:47,640 –> 00:33:50,339 you will never really quite know how it will be 582 00:33:50,339 –> 00:33:54,160 that God will come alongside you and help you. 583 00:33:55,099 –> 00:33:58,839 A man by the name of William Cowper 584 00:33:58,900 –> 00:34:02,319 suffered long periods of depression 585 00:34:02,319 –> 00:34:05,000 for extended stretches in his life. 586 00:34:05,920 –> 00:34:08,479 It was a great affliction to him. 587 00:34:08,479 –> 00:34:12,439 He was a poet, and he wrote some remarkable hymns 588 00:34:12,439 –> 00:34:14,679 out of his experience, and in one of them, 589 00:34:14,679 –> 00:34:17,340 he has these two lines that are very striking. 590 00:34:19,840 –> 00:34:24,840 Sometimes, a light surprises the Christian 591 00:34:25,760 –> 00:34:30,760 while he sings, it is the Lord who rises 592 00:34:32,300 –> 00:34:35,300 with healing in his wings. 593 00:34:36,800 –> 00:34:40,439 I’m saying to you today that God may surprise you 594 00:34:41,800 –> 00:34:45,360 by how he comes alongside you and lifts you. 595 00:34:45,360 –> 00:34:46,879 You look back on your own experience, 596 00:34:46,879 –> 00:34:48,439 you will find that this is true. 597 00:34:48,439 –> 00:34:50,919 You were not able to predict how it was 598 00:34:50,919 –> 00:34:52,280 that he would help you. 599 00:34:52,439 –> 00:34:55,679 He has an infinite variety of means of doing so. 600 00:34:55,679 –> 00:34:58,360 What you can count on is this, 601 00:34:58,360 –> 00:35:01,959 when the Lord is your shepherd, he will restore your soul. 602 00:35:01,959 –> 00:35:06,239 It may not be instantaneous, it may take a while, 603 00:35:08,959 –> 00:35:11,199 but what you can be confident of is this, 604 00:35:11,199 –> 00:35:12,840 he will do it. 605 00:35:13,800 –> 00:35:16,879 The Lord restores my soul, he can do it. 606 00:35:19,120 –> 00:35:21,360 You may say, oh, I don’t know how I could ever get 607 00:35:21,360 –> 00:35:25,080 back to a place of spiritual strength again. 608 00:35:25,080 –> 00:35:28,520 Listen, it was God who gave new life to your soul 609 00:35:28,520 –> 00:35:30,600 and the God who gave new life to your soul 610 00:35:30,600 –> 00:35:33,399 is certainly able to restore that life in your soul. 611 00:35:35,080 –> 00:35:36,919 And he’ll do it with great joy. 612 00:35:38,479 –> 00:35:41,439 It’s the shepherd himself, as we saw, 613 00:35:41,439 –> 00:35:43,560 who goes after the sheep that’s wandered away, 614 00:35:43,560 –> 00:35:45,439 brings it back, puts it on its shoulders, 615 00:35:45,439 –> 00:35:46,620 and what does Jesus say? 616 00:35:46,639 –> 00:35:51,639 He brings the lost sheep home rejoicing, rejoicing. 617 00:35:55,260 –> 00:35:58,100 So you see, when the shepherd finds you, 618 00:35:58,100 –> 00:36:00,300 he doesn’t rebuke you. 619 00:36:01,780 –> 00:36:02,939 He’s come looking for you. 620 00:36:02,939 –> 00:36:04,080 He’s come to restore you. 621 00:36:04,080 –> 00:36:04,919 He’s reaching out to you, 622 00:36:04,919 –> 00:36:07,080 even now in the proclamation of his word. 623 00:36:09,419 –> 00:36:10,979 And it is God’s joy 624 00:36:11,340 –> 00:36:13,479 to restore the wandering 625 00:36:14,760 –> 00:36:17,419 and the faltering sheep. 626 00:36:17,419 –> 00:36:20,040 Think about this in this last moment, this morning. 627 00:36:20,939 –> 00:36:23,000 How is it, dear brother or sister, 628 00:36:24,000 –> 00:36:26,300 that after all that you have endured in your life 629 00:36:26,300 –> 00:36:28,399 you are still a Christian today? 630 00:36:28,399 –> 00:36:29,239 How come? 631 00:36:30,320 –> 00:36:31,879 I mean, seriously. 632 00:36:31,879 –> 00:36:35,939 With all the injustice that is around you, 633 00:36:35,939 –> 00:36:39,459 with all the conflict that you have endured, 634 00:36:39,459 –> 00:36:42,620 with all the disappointments that you have encountered, 635 00:36:42,620 –> 00:36:45,540 all the pain that you have suffered, 636 00:36:45,540 –> 00:36:49,340 all the demands that weigh constantly upon you, 637 00:36:49,340 –> 00:36:53,699 how in the world is it that you are still a believer today? 638 00:36:53,699 –> 00:36:57,580 I say there’s only one explanation, and it’s this, 639 00:36:57,580 –> 00:37:00,560 He restores your soul. 640 00:37:02,780 –> 00:37:07,780 God’s restoration explains your continuing in the faith. 641 00:37:10,199 –> 00:37:15,199 And God’s restoration guarantees your arrival in glory. 642 00:37:17,459 –> 00:37:21,560 Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed, 643 00:37:23,120 –> 00:37:27,179 and yet, in love, He sought me 644 00:37:28,239 –> 00:37:32,540 and on his shoulders gently laid 645 00:37:32,540 –> 00:37:37,540 and home, rejoicing, brought me. 646 00:37:38,439 –> 00:37:42,419 Father, we are so grateful for this wonderful truth 647 00:37:43,300 –> 00:37:45,520 that you retrieve us when we wander, 648 00:37:46,540 –> 00:37:49,040 that you revive us when we falter. 649 00:37:50,479 –> 00:37:53,040 Gracious Father, loving Shepherd, 650 00:37:54,459 –> 00:37:58,159 do your great work of restoration among us, we pray, 651 00:37:59,500 –> 00:38:02,020 through Jesus Christ our Lord. 652 00:38:03,419 –> 00:38:04,260 Amen. 653 00:38:04,679 –> 00:38:05,879 Amen. 654 00:38:10,040 –> 00:38:11,379 You’ve been listening to a sermon 655 00:38:11,379 –> 00:38:13,860 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 656 00:38:13,860 –> 00:38:18,860 To contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 657 00:38:19,139 –> 00:38:20,879 or visit our website, openthebible.org. 658 00:38:20,879 –> 00:38:25,040 Open the Bible, 365 Mateo.