1983. He was fighting on a stretch of land for days on end. 0000002293 00000 n I want candy, I want my cookie, I want my toy. Jesus, as the ruler, who will come out of the people and shepherd the people. Rev. I will touch on that in a few minutes. It is, rather, proof that the light is also here. You feel like right now you are walking through a valley of darkness. Having trouble logging into your account? There is no valley here. Out of visioning time together, I am asking all of us to be in prayer. Thank you. If you knew her, you are blessed for having that opportunity. Isaiah 53:6 says: All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. /Linearized 1 That doesnt help anyone. Jesus, my shepherd, and the sheepdogs who care for me on Jesus team will lead me towards all I want. This is what Ive been looking for. He said that he had traveled the world, gone to churches, searched in exotic and far away places, prayed in monasteries, had some wild times, and hung out with Buddhists seeking this matrix. God protected Sarah, and spoke to Pharaoh, who was about to make her his wife. In the words of the poet Mary Oliver, he was a bride married to amazement and a bridegroom taking the world into [his] arms (When Death Comes, New and Selected Poems, vol 1, p. 10). So I have to thank Judy and John for their open hearts and open pastures, as well as Keith Schneider who filmed and produced the segments. Scripture: Psalm 23. God is frequently described in the Bible as being like a shepherd who cares for and tends to a flock of sheep. Sunday: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1. When the beggar approached and asked if the man could spare a few shillings, the businessman realized he had found his long lost son, crying " A few shillings? A short time elapsed and then, following what seemed to the family to be the death struggle he spoke again: This is my triumph; this my coronation day! Psalm 23 says: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. If we are serving alongside God as sheepdog, do we know andlove the sheep? He restores my soul. Bob Ingle. - Psalms 23:4. The Psalms are filled with affirmations of God's love for us: Psalm 13:5, 31:7, 86:5, 136 - 25 times. b. For many months he sought to bring peace to them and their neighboring tribe. And the darker the shadow, the brighter the light. We who work with God, also need to know one another. >> c. = Confess that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. I know you do Kay. Third, David's faith replaced his fear of his enemies, and even of death. He makes us lie down in green pastures. One of the jobs of a shepherd is to lead his sheep. Help them understand how you want them to respond to the gospel. God is our host He guides us through our eternal life. Death was defeated by the Lamb who was slain, and who rose again. Pastors will find that adding personal notes about the deceased is easy to do. Man's fear of death is well-rounded. A Funeral Sermon: Bishop Dehon. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. Try. He has journeyed the pathway many times before. He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. From the Gospel of Matthew, we get a glimpse of the scripture lesson we hear most around Epiphany. This will continue forever and ever. Verse 6 summarizes really well the life of those who follow the Good Shepherd. Isaiah spoke of it as the Sprit of the Lord God bringing good news, binding up the brokenhearted, and comforting those who mourn (Isaiah 61:1-3). John Piper Jan 10, 1988. If you know the shepherd, renewal will come but dont rush to try and find it. Sin marred everything. He does not just say that the Lord is a shepherd. The wise seek Jesus. Through Christ we pray. One of the specific prayers, I am asking you to prayer about is: May God give us specific hearts for our community. Herod did not know the prophecies of the Messiahs birth. Even today, prophets point us back to God. If you travel through the mountains passes of Tibet you need a guide. Hear us today, Father, and grant these requests of Your people. Psalm 23 is the most popular and probably the most read Psalm of all. The valley of the shadow is all about you. trailer He couldnt physically contain the joy, life, and vitality of the matrix within him. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. The Lord is my shepherd is a reminder of how well God knows us, how intimately and intuitively. By making this journey with the Shepherd. The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. She had a feeling of wanting. He knows the way and He will personally lead you home if you are His sheep. The putter is the essential club for golfers. Every time this happened I would try to slow him down as best as anyone could and remind him, Ashley, I havent created anything. I love the connection you make with the Prologue of John. He took our sickness and placed it upon himself so that we might live. I do not remember ever taking a funeral where I did not use the 23rd Psalm. Others might speak of it as the Divine, the Holy, the Mystery. God is loving, and present, fiercely and tenderly holding all of us whom God lovingly created. - Order of Christian Funerals, General Introduction, nos. Both are essential. /Info 41 0 R How can a lost sheep be restored to the fold? She replied, Well, theres Billy and Harry and Martha and. 2 http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=1498. Death is a mystery we cannot fully comprehend. I am completely satisfied with Gods providence and care of my life. In the still, comforting waters of Holy Baptism, our Good Shepherd, the prince of Peace, who laid down His life for ours, provides rest, safety, and health. Psalm 23 is not the only passage in the Bible that compares the Lord to a shepherd. Funeral Messages for Believers. This is not my doing. They are mine. But as a preacher of the gospel, it is also my obligation to remind you that our eternal destiny is not determined by the ratio of our good deeds to our faults and failures, which the Bible more frankly calls sin. Its trustworthy. He took on human flesh and lived among men. Jesus way leads to life. This is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, thanks be to God, Amen. Will you take the Shepherds hand and let him lead you through this valley of darkness so that you can say at the end of the psalm-, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Today the familiarity, poetry, and beauty of the 23rd psalm have a different tone. We want hope. Amen. + Funeral Homilies The words of David in Psalm 23 no longer are his expression of faith, but yours as well. The pastor should take time to talk with the family of the deceased before the funeral and learn something about him/her. And Jesus wanted to just spend some time alone, praying and thinking. There can be no shadow without light. = Admit that you are a sinner and can't save yourself. I have always heard sheep described as stupid. Ask God to show you where you can walk to know abundant life. 0000004004 00000 n The value of the words and their expression at the end of life is well established. . 0000004086 00000 n To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. xref BUT TODAY I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S MESSAGE IS NOT FOR DEAD PEOPLE OR PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR LOVED Whether it is Psalm 23, John 14, the last verse of Psalm 17, or a thousand other Bible passages, God's Word is powerful and will do its work. If a father gave his own son to his enemy, his sacrificial deed showed that he could be trusted! I am so sorry about your fathers death. Let me illustrate from the life of Abraham, how the fear of death imprisons us as slaves, and how faith in Jesus Christ frees us. She was a real Christian for many years. Let the shepherd guide you there and grieve in the meantime. 0000017003 00000 n What Is The Songline Of Your Life? By following the Jesus, the Good Shepherd. INTRODUCTION: We are in the middle of a three week series on this Psalm, and we are looking at what it means to have the Lord as your shepherd. The staff with its large crook at the end serves to support the sheeps body when it crosses a dangerous chasm. It is among the most familiar, so much so that even people who are not religious or very knowledgable about Scripture recognize these words. 23 (READ). Psalm 121: A Funeral Sermon Ministry Today 42: March 2008 By Paul Beasley-Murray Chair of Ministry Today and Senior Minister of Central Baptist Church, Chelmsford I cant remember when Alan and Alison first began to attend our church - it must have been toward the end of the last millennium. Its a matrix in which God and everything and everyone are connected. They tell stories about its comfort and familiarity. 76 0 obj For the non-believer for the one who does not believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the phrase "You return mankind to the dust" continues as a judgment for sin. For centuries the Twenty-third Psalm has been one of the most treasured passages in all of Holy Scripture. Are we loving and knowing our community? 1013. 23:4 ). for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 1. Last Sunday my wife and I were in South Carolina on the way to church when we received the news that Ashley had died. xc```b``y l@3 w;`p3BVl%856Z| Md@#GMJ}l$@-'O Those who have personally trusted in Jesus Christ can also give thanks for the failures and the faults of those who have touched their lives, and have passed on. Psalm 23:1-3, 4, 5, 6. Even though I walk through the . We have many wants dont we? The Shepherd fed David in peaceful green pastures. Not having learned the wisdom of Psalm 23 yet, when she could not get what she wanted, she would declare I want (and then whatever it was). Death is the penalty for sin, and we are all sinners, worthy of death. He goes with us every step of the way. He's the one who has made the way. Verse 1 - "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" - is really the theme of . Pittendreigh@aol.com. We can persevere as long as we can see light at the end of the tunnel. One image comes from the verse, Yea, 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. But it is His resurrection that enables us to walk in the paths of righteousness. From where is my help to come? (Psalm 121) are no longer the psalmists words. He is our Shepherd. Sin, our sin separated from God and in that caused what God had made, fallen. Twenty years ago, I could have used the name of Joshua in passing, but not so today. I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. As we come to honor the life and memory of Mary Smith, we come also to face the reality of death. From this you may be tempted to think about Psalm 23 as a funeral Psalm. 0000031987 00000 n He can't restore us if we don't listen to His voice. So help our spirits to find peace and comfort in Your eternal strength. Has your soul been restored? I dont think I knew that. My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Throughout this series, we will hear from Judy on living with sheep and sheepdogs. It so happened that the battle continued into Christmas Day. Sheep have many needs. And you wont be surprised when I tell you this. The writer to the Hebrews gives us two vitally important truths, which explain the faith of David in Psalm 23. No, said Mr. Moody, I am not dreaming: I have been within the gates: I have seen the childrens faces. A second image in the Twenty-third Psalm to which I would call your attention is this: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. A good shepherd who lay down his life for the sheep. The Christian can be thankful for the failures of those whose lives have touched their own because of the assurance that "God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). In Psalm 23, David is saying, "The Lord is to me what I've been to my sheep. /E 36556 There must be something we need. Do you have this hope? 0 If its ok for Jesus to grieve for the loss of those closest to him, it is ok for you to do the same. God is there to comfort us and sustain us. 0000001248 00000 n >> Theres been a mistake. Required fields are marked *. Spend time in the Bible today, so you know Gods will and way. The text which I have just read from the Book of Hebrews expands on David's words in Psalm 23, explaining how David's faith in God can free him from the fear of death.
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