He Restores Me

Psalm 23

In his sermon, Pastor Colin focuses on the profound realisation that being under the care of the Good Shepherd is the greatest blessing we can receive. As members of His flock, we are continually guided and nurtured. Pastor Colin underscores how the Good Shepherd not only leads us towards paths of rest and righteousness, but also provides the enduring gift of restoration – a blessing that is repeatedly given throughout our lives as believers.

Drawing on the biblical narrative of God leading His people through the wilderness, he reminds us that following can be challenging, even when guidance is clear. He then delves into how the Good Shepherd lovingly retrieves us when we wander and revives us when we falter. Through the rich metaphor of the shepherd with his sheep, he communicates the personalised care God offers each of us in the journey of restoration, despite our propensity to deviate from the path of righteousness.

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.

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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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