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Jesus, my Lord.
From the day he arrived at all when the light is lying for his soul.
Gonna go back and re read the 23rd Psalm. I'm gonna ask if Austin will read it for us. Please read the whole Psalm.
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest the table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
Just mentioned in connection with this Psalm that there are two very distinct parts to it. In the 1St 3 verses of this Psalm, David is talking about the shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. He does this, he does that. But we you notice in the three verses that fall over 4-5 and six, he's not talking about the shepherd any longer. He's talking to the shepherd. And so it's wonderful to be able to talk about the Lord and to know a lot of things about the Lord.
But now we find that David enjoys a personal conversation, personal fellowship with the shepherd. And that's even greater than knowing just about him or being able to list off some facts about the, uh, his, the, the, the Lord about it's one, it's more, it's wonderful to talk, to talk about somebody, maybe a friend you have, somebody you love, but isn't it more wonderful to be able to talk to them? Well, David was able to do both. He talks about the shepherd.
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And then he turns and talks to the shepherd for the whole rest of the song.
Just say 2 about this valley of the shadow of death. Now I realize we often read this, it's often read at a funeral or at a deathbed in connection with one passing from this life through the article of death into the presence of the Lord. And that's fine. That's that's a very good application and a great comfort.
But I do not believe that's what the valley of the shadow of Death in its meaning is referring to here. The valley of the shadow of death is not just one passing from this life to the next, that is from this world to the presence of the Lord. But the valley of the shadow of death is this world through which we walk. You know, this world is stamped with death, where pilgrims in the wilderness are dwelling as a camp created things so pleasant.
Now bear to us death stamp. And so there's death. Everything is stamped with the mark of death in this world. And it's a shadow. It's a valley. And David recognized that he was passing through the valley of the shadow of death.
But he didn't have to be afraid in the circumstances of life. And it's interesting that as soon as he talks about the valley of the shadow of death, he starts talking to the shepherd. That's what it took. And so, you know, we're going to leave this place. We've had a wonderful weekend fellowship, been isolated from the world to a great degree, but we're going to go back walking through this world that is the valley of the shadow of death. But we don't have to fear because we have one that's with us.
And we have one that we don't just know about, but one who is a personal friend and guide, and then one that we can talk to constantly, any hour of every any day, through every circumstance, to the valley of the shadow of death.
When we're, when we're in the valley of the shadow of death or in a, a place of pressure, I think we can say the same thing that uh, David said. Umm.
Several times later, umm, in pressure I enlarged would be Darby's translation of it. And a lot of times when the going is easy, it's easy to, uh, to talk about the Lord and to enjoy the things of the Lord. But that personal relationship is made much closer when we're placed in a place of pressure and there's conflict in our life and it brings us to that dependence on the Lord. And, uh, I think that's why it's here.
So when there's that, that pressure around about, I think that he just doesn't, doesn't bother with whoever his audience may be, but speaks directly to the Lord, the one who, uh, is providing in this time that uh, would not be so easy as the still waters or the green, green pastures.
It's amazing here and my staff, they comfort me.
When I think of a ride and the staff, I don't think of comfort, but.
It's, it's amazing. He can kind of.
You know, kind of correct us or.
Keep us safe with.
His You might call it judgment, but it's like if you're in the right state of mind, it can be comfort to you.
Sorry to think, yes, When I was growing up, my parents had what they called the rotter correction and the radar correction. As Austin said, I didn't, as a boy, find to be much comfort. In fact, it stung quite a bit when it was used. But you know, as I look back, I'm thankful that my parents had the wisdom to use it. Now, the problem is, sometimes as earthly parents, we use it too little or too much.
We use it too softly or too hard, but our father has a rod of correction as well.
And he chastens us, it says in Hebrews according He chastens us for our.
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Profit that we might be partakers of His Holiness when when he corrects us, when he uses the rod, when there's training or chastening, it's always for our profit. As earthly fathers, we can't always say we corrected or chastened our children for their profit. Sometimes it was just for myself. If my children were noisy and I wanted them to be quiet or go out of the room, I said go out of the room. I want to read. I like it wasn't. That wasn't for their good necessarily. That was just for my profit.
God our Father, he's the Father of lights and as the Father of lights, he perfectly discerns what is necessary for each one of us in our Christian life. So that's the rod the staff in Scripture speaks of support anybody that does any hiking. You go on a hike, a rough trail up a mountain, you take a, a, a stick with you, a good stout stick, a staff. And that staff is for support.
And a stop in Scripture too speaks of dependence. It's like Jacob.
You know, Jacob was a man who thought he had it all together and he tried to get the blessing by his own scheming and devices. And he was a guy, I think that was always felt like he was on top of things and he could handle it. But at the end of his life, he finally learned the lesson of dependence. And it says he worshipped leaning on his staff. Leaning on his staff would speak of dependence. Well, would the God that it didn't take us 100 and some years to learn it like Jacob did.
He wants us to learn it more quickly, and the sooner we learn these two things, as Austin said about the rod and the staff, the more comfort and blessing there's gonna be. If I could have learned as a child that obedience to my parents was the best way, and that the right of correction was for my good, I would have had a happier childhood. Sad to say, we often don't learn those things till we're older. But would the God that we would learn it as the children of God or as the sheep of the shepherd?
In his school and his flock.
And here I mentioned mentioning about if you're hiking user staff, umm, for support. And I was, uh, just thinking that song that we gave up. I think the, for the last Bible study about UH-75 is sheep in mind. And at the end of the course, it says rough the way on the mountain, step by step, step by step by Lord. And I, so a staff, when I think of a staff, you use it each step of the way, every step. And I've just enjoyed that with the Lord, umm, no matter where we are in our life, you know, you have.
Quite a few different ages here represented and we go through different periods of our life as the Lord deals with us and comforts us and helps us along and He knows just how to do it and each individual step that we take.
One thing that was always was a comfort to me when we speak of the shadow, the valley of the shadow of death.
Umm, every one of us no doubt are are impacted with death. We will face it. Umm.
But umm, there's a verse in.
In First Corinthians chapter 3.
Three verse 22 it says.
Whether Paul or a Paulus or Cephas or the world, or life or death or things present or things to come, all are yours.
Here it says death. Death is really a servant. It's a vehicle that the Lord uses just as he uses people, he uses death also. It's a vehicle. It's something that the Lord is is in control of. We, we don't have to. So as we have the shepherd first before we have going through the valley of the shadow of death, death itself.
You know, it says, oh, death, where is thy sting? And you know, in the Old Testament, they did not have that assurance when they died what was going to happen. And Satan used that to, I believe, torment the Saints. But we don't have to.
It's it's not something that we need to fear.
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The the whole summation of the matter really is sour with me and that that really if we can get a hold of that, it's going to cause every fear and anxiety to to flee If we realize that the Lord Jesus is with us every step of the way. He doesn't just provide the tools that are needed to get through this life, but he goes with us.
We might.
We, we might send someone out on a journey or to do a job for us and we provide all the tools that are needed for the job or the journey, but we don't necessarily go with the person. But David was on a journey. He was going through the valley of the shadow of death. And he said, but thou art with me. And you know, we really don't have to get up in the morning and pray and ask the Lord to be with us. What we need to do is get up in the morning and pray.
That we would be walking in the sense of the Lord's company with us. Because remember, as we said earlier, He'll never leave us nor forsake us. Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. And sometimes I hear people pray and ask the Lord to be with us. Now I'm not being critical and, and I understand that, but I think it's more intelligent to pray. Lord, give us a sense of your presence with us.
Because when we have a sense of the Lord's presence with us, then we're going to be able to talk to Him.
And turn to him in any situation. Just go over to the 76 some I, I know we read this earlier in some other context, but just again to get actually Psalm 73. I'm sorry.
Psalm 73 This was in some private conversation with one of the young brothers, but we were talking, he, uh, another brother and I were talking about in this Psalm. The psalmist had all kinds of problems and difficulties and he felt discouraged because he saw the, the wicked going on.
And they weren't living for the Lord, and they had prosperity and nothing seemed to happen, and they were getting along well. And he said, I have all kinds of problems and I'm trying to please the Lord. But notice what he says near the end of the Psalms, Psalm 23, Psalm 73, verse 23. Nevertheless, I am continually with Thee. Thou is holding me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but they?
And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. So in spite of all the ups and downs of his life.
And all the problems he had and all that he saw the wicked were having, even though they weren't pleasing the Lord and they were living for themselves, He said, But I've got something far, far greater than any circumstance and far greater than anything that the wicked might enjoy for the moment. I've got the presence of the Lord. Lord, you're with me. And that's what really matters, and that's what really counts. So if we can leave this camp with a fresh sense of the Lord's presence with us.
I believe that that's going to clear up many doubts and fears in our lives. Maybe there's someone here and you say it's been a great weekend, but I'm just afraid to go back, back to work. Maybe a family situation. Sometimes in the local assembly. There's real problems that distress us all, but we don't have to be afraid. Now I haven't arrived. I I'm often afraid, but we don't have to be be afraid.
I sometimes told about two, two sisters who were talking and one of them said I found a wonderful verse that's in the 56th Psalm. And she said it's that verse, what time I am afraid I will trust in Thee. O the other sister said, I found an even better verse that's in Isaiah 12. Oh, she said, what better verse can you have than the one I just quoted? The verse she quoted is I will trust and not be afraid. You see the difference now? It's good when we're afraid to turn to the Lord.
And that's me more than the other. But this sister, she learned to trust and not be afraid. And So what a good lesson that is. Fear not. I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. Nothing can change that.
It might be important to give some context to this thyroid and I staff, they come from me. You know, there was a point in, uh, David's life where he said, take not thy spirit from me. We're not in that position, are we? We are in a position where we're in dwelt by the Holy Spirit. So that's not really something that we should fear. Umm, whereas David, I believe that when he was there that Rob that, that staff, you know, that staff to lean on that rod of correction. That was his comfort, knowing that the Lord was with him.
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And we can have that also. We can, we can experience that, uh, in a similar manner, but we don't have to be afraid that that spirit is going to leave us. So it's beautiful to know that.
Yes, and in Christianity we have full assurance of faith, as you say. And as Dave said earlier, they didn't have full assurance of faith in the Old Testament.
Well, a table speaks of a number of things in Scripture and there's many applications that could be made. Of course, we think of a table, we think of food provision for, for our, uh, for us, we've had some good food provided, uh, by the ladies here while we've been at camp and it sustained our physical, our natural body, but we need spiritual food as well. And, uh.
There's a question raised later on in the Psalms. Can God provide a table in the wilderness? Yes, a wilderness is a place where there's nothing to sustain life. But God provides in a spirit our spirit, the spiritual wilderness we're in to sustain the spiritual life. Just another quick thought about a table is a table has the thought of authority. This morning we sat down by the grace of God at the Lord's table. It wasn't the table of Jesus.
It wasn't the table of Christ because the Lord denotes authority.
Who has authority at his table? It's the Lord himself. I have no authority there. If you're invited to my table in my home, who has authority at that table? I have the authority. It's my table. I invite who I will. I can ask a person to leave if they're acting in a way that's not according to conduct I feel is suitable for my table. So a table has the thought of authority, and we need to recognize the authority of the lordship of the Lord in our lives, His Lordship.
He ought to be Lord of our life. We used to sing to him when I was growing up. Lord of my life, I crown me now thine shall the glory be. And there's other thoughts in the in a table as well, The thought of fellowship. We sit down at a table and we eat together. Eating in Scripture and fellowship are synonymous. And so there's the thought of having fellowship with the Lord and having fellowship with one another.
And make no mistake about it, we're never going to be rid of the enemy this side of heaven. It's in the presence of mine enemies. David wasn't looking for to be delivered from the presence of his enemies. He knew he had one who could preserve him in the presence of his enemies. But you and I aren't going to be done with Satan and his hosts seeking to harass and to discourage us. It says your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour.
And we're never going to be delivered from the presence of the enemy until we get home to glory.
Well, he anoints our head with oil, and oil invariably in Scripture is a type of the Spirit of God.
And I believe what we have here in connection with the head being anointed with oil corresponds to what we have in 2nd Corinthians 10. Let me just read it here. Second Corinthians chapter 10. He's speaking in this chapter about our warfare and the enemy and so on. And then in verse five he says casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.
And then notice this and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. The mind, the head has to do with the mind, with our thoughts and we want to have our thoughts governed by the Spirit of God. And so we need to read the word of God. We need to have the Spirit of God take it so that when I was growing up there was a brother used to say read the word of God to you. Think in the language of Scripture.
Again, it sets your mind on things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.
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And whatsoever things are are lovely, whatsoever things are pure, a good report and so on, think on those things. What are we filling our minds with? Are we filling our minds with that which the Spirit of God can bring before us concerning Christ and the Word I I know we have to study and we have to get along at work and we have to survive in the work a day environment we find ourselves. And it just takes about all your mental capacity today to do that.
But I believe when we have opportunity, then what we need to do is occupy our minds with those things that are pure and lovely, those things that are of Christ that's having our head anointed with oil.
And the result is my cup run is over so.
The pessimist says my cup runs over. What a mess. But for us, our cup runs over. That's a joy.
Yeah, that's really what it speaks of. It's it's the joy of walking with the shepherd in the presence of the Shepherd, communing with the shepherd and utilizing the resources that the shepherd has given us as we pass through the valley of the shadow of death and through the enemy.
Well then just very quickly before we close the comment on the last verse, there's two things that follow us. We're to follow the shepherd, He leaves, but there's two things that follow us, goodness and mercy. I remember one time when we were in the country of Wales and they have vast blocks of sheep there, and I remember the road was blocked as a flock of sheep passed from 1 pasture to the other.
And there was a shepherd who led the sheep across that busy road and into the next pasture. And as the flock of sheep passed by and, uh, got over to the other side of the road, we noticed something coming behind two sheepdogs. I said to Faye, there's goodness and mercy. And what were those sheepdogs doing? They were keeping the stray sheep and the sheep that wanted to wander from following the shepherd. They were keeping them rounded up and on the right track. And if one of those sheep lagged behind or went off in another direction.
Those sheepdogs were dogs were perfectly trained to bring them back around and focus them on what was ahead and who was leading them. That's what goodness and mercy do. And so God has given us goodness and mercy to follow us, to keep us on track so that we will walk in the paths of righteousness to keep us focused on the shepherd. And then I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. Now, as Dave said and and and maybe Mike too, there was always a little uncertainty in the Old Testament, but.
David is a very unique individual. You know, earlier he said, and I know it's prophetic, but he said I will be satisfied when I awaken my likeness here. He says I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
Doesn't really sound like uncertainty. You know, there were those who had little flashes of light and revelation that were beyond the normal revelation of the day. And I believe David was one of those.
He had an understanding of things that was not the general understanding of things amongst the people of God. And yet there I'll give you another example. Moses esteemed the reproaches of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt. What did Moses know of Christ? But God gave him, I believe, a little flash of something beyond the normal revelation of the day, because of the circumstances in which he found himself. And so David ends here on a note of certainty and triumph, a note of assurance. I will dwell in the House of the Lord.
Forever, but I want to leave you with this. Go over to the 27th Psalm and you have a similar statement, but just slightly different.
Psalm 27 and again it's a Psalm of David verse four. One thing of I desire to the Lord that will I seek after. Now notice this, that I may dwell in the House of the Lord, not forever here, but all the days of my life. This is something present you and I are going on to the Father's house. We know it in a little more intimate way than David did. We're going on to the Father's house. That's future.
But we can enjoy the House of the Lord now. In other words, David said, I know there's something future. I'm going to be with the Lord in the future, but I want to dwell with the Lord every day of my life. I don't want to have to wait till the future to walk in company and communion with the Lord. I want the House of the Lord all the days of my life. And this when David uses the expression the House of the Lord, very interesting because.
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When we think of the House of the Lord in the Old Testament, we usually think of the temple that was built later on under the direction of Solomon. But that can't be what David was referring to. It hadn't been built yet. When David uses the expression the House of the Lord, it denotes a sense of the Lord's presence with him. He wanted to walk in such a way that he could enjoy every day of his life the company and fellowship of the Lord.
Knowing that there was a future day when he would enjoy it unhindered. And again, you and I can leave here with that one desire. This is not multitasking. This is focused. One thing of I desire to dwell in the House of the Lord, to enjoy the company of the Lord every day of my life, and then to know where it ends. In the House of the Lord, yes, but for us in the Father's house with the Lord Jesus. So we've taken up this little Psalm very quickly. There's a lot here.
But it's one of those little portions of Scripture that is very, very encouraging.
And the Psalms largely speak to our hearts. And that's what we really need, isn't it? We need something that speaks to our hearts concerning the person of Christ. And here is particularly the Shepherd.
146 OK 146.
Save the world every day.
And the world can make it.
Last, let me do it something mom.
And grand life might be a great joy. I will give me all the money.