The Good Shepherd in a World of Bad Leaders

• Worship and Community [00:05:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces the service by defining the church as a family bound to glorify God and enjoy one another through sharing the gospel.
• Confession and Repentance [00:14:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The congregation confesses hypocrisy (cleaning the outside while neglecting the inside) and prays for internal cleansing and reform by the Holy Spirit.
• Catechism and Social Order [00:20:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the Westminster Larger Catechism's teaching on the Fifth Commandment, defining the duties of superiors (leaders/parents) to love, instruct, and protect their inferiors.
• Baptism and Covenant [00:26:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains baptism as the New Testament equivalent of circumcision, an outward token of God's promise, and leads the parents and congregation in vows to nurture the child in the faith.
• Intercessory Prayer [00:33:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor leads prayers for the baptized child, her parents, missionaries, underground churches, and members of the congregation facing health issues or surgeries.
• Ezekiel and the Exile [00:50:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor provides historical background on Ezekiel, the Babylonian exile, the destruction of the temple in 586 BC, and the turbulent 20-year period of invasion.
• Modern Turbulence and Hope [00:52:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor draws parallels between Ezekiel's time and modern chaos (politics, AI, war), asking who people look to for help, and asserts that God's response to such despair is a grand message of hope.
• Leadership and Shepherding [00:55:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the biblical metaphor of 'shepherds' as rulers/leaders, contrasting the ideal selfless shepherd with the corrupt leaders in Ezekiel who exploited the people.
• Illustration of a Real Shepherd [00:57:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares an anecdote about archaeologist John Davis meeting an Israeli shepherd named Muhammad Yasin, who described the hard, vigilant, and caring nature of true shepherding.
• Corrupt Leadership [01:00:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor analyzes Ezekiel's description of bad shepherds who exploit the flock (eating fat, wearing wool) without caring for them, comparing them to oppressive regimes like Pharaoh's Egypt and Mao Zedong's China.
• Human Sinfulness and Selfishness [01:05:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the Ring of Gyges analogy, the pastor argues that all humans are capable of tyranny if given power, and illustrates how chaos (like the pandemic) exposes selfishness through panic buying.
• Divine Judgment and Redemption [01:12:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that God judges both the bad shepherds and the bad sheep, but ultimately provides a solution by removing the corrupt leaders and personally shepherding His people.
• Divine Judgment and Protection [01:13:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that God removes 'bullies' and corrupt shepherds to protect His sheep, citing Revelation and Ezekiel.
• The Identity of the True Shepherd [01:14:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The sermon argues that no human is a good enough shepherd; only God Himself, and ultimately Jesus Christ as both man and God, fulfills this role.
• The Atonement [01:18:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the shepherd imagery to Christ's death on the cross, explaining that He lays down His life to redeem the sheep from their sins.
• Trust in Chaos [01:20:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The application calls the congregation to trust the Good Shepherd even when facing 'chaos' or the 'shadow of the valley of death,' relying on His rod and staff.
• Communion and Spiritual Nourishment [01:21:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor transitions to the Lord's Supper, describing it as a time where believers are spiritually fed upon Christ, mirroring the care of an owner feeding helpless animals.

• Sermon Illustration [00:28:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the biblical analogy of circumcision in the Old Testament versus baptism in the New Testament (Colossians 2) to explain that baptism is an outward, authenticating token of God's promise, not a guarantee of salvation in itself, just as physical circumcision did not automatically save.
• Sermon Illustration [00:57:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a story where archaeologist John Davis met an Israeli shepherd named Muhammad Yasin. Yasin invited Davis to live with him for a week to understand the job, revealing that shepherding is a rugged, 24-7 job requiring vigilance against predators and constant care for the sheep's physical needs.
• Sermon Illustration [01:00:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor mentions the saying 'never meet your heroes,' explaining that getting to know heroes often leads to disappointment as they fix one thing but ruin others, using this to transition into the critique of Ezekiel's corrupt leaders.
• Sermon Illustration [01:00:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the 'never meet your heroes' saying to explain how leaders disappoint, then details the historical example of Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward causing 40 million deaths, and a modern corporate example of employees being forced to take on extra work without compensation.
• Sermon Illustration [01:03:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > A story about a pastor in a poor church who repeatedly collected offering plates to make his own rent, leaving the congregation with nothing.
• Sermon Illustration [01:05:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The story of Gyges from Plato's Republic, who found a ring of invisibility and used it to commit crimes without consequence, illustrating the test of power.
• Sermon Illustration [01:08:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor compares the behavior of selfish sheep in Ezekiel to children jostling for birthday cake, and then to panic buying toilet paper and other goods during the pandemic.
• Sermon Illustration [01:10:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > A personal anecdote about the pastor's sensitivity to coffee being taken, illustrating how people judge others for selfishness while being guilty of the same behavior themselves.
• Sermon Illustration [01:22:06 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of pet owners feeding dogs, chickens, or pigs daily to illustrate how God constantly cares for and feeds His helpless people through the spiritual nourishment of Communion.
• Sermon Illustration [01:15:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the cultural longing for better politicians, bosses, parents, and pastors to highlight that no human authority is sufficient, pointing instead to Christ as the only true rest for the soul.

• Pastoral Charge [00:31:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The congregation is asked to verbally affirm their commitment to assist in the spiritual upbringing of the baptized child.
• Pastoral Charge [00:30:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The parents are asked to affirm multiple specific vows regarding the child's spiritual needs, salvation, and their own duty to teach and pray for the child.
• Pastoral Charge [01:20:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > Run to Christ in prayer and ask Him to be their shepherd.
• Pastoral Charge [01:26:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > Place trust in Christ.

[00:00:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:00:01] And the music. Yeah, I guess the music is mine, but it's got to work with it. If it's good enough, the musical order for the songs, you've got to just write a music.

[00:00:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:00:13] I just heard you noodling over there. I just wondered if you put time into stringing chord progressions and or words together.
[00:00:30] I've tried it before and I just, my brain, I'm just not that guy. There's so many good songs. I mean, seriously, I'm not getting this.
[00:00:39] So let's just stay with the good times.

[00:00:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:00:41] Yeah.
[00:00:42] Well, and also, is there going to...

[00:00:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:00:45] Unless you're going to do a Matt Boswell, right?
[00:00:49] And write songs like that on Mission God on the...
[00:00:52] Oh, you mean the quality?

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:00:55] Yeah, and, like, why write the sound congregational works

[00:00:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:00:59] when you can just sing Matt Boswell?
[00:01:01] Exactly. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:01:11] Hey, buddy.
[00:02:07] Huh?
[00:02:10] Uh, I'm looking at someone.
[00:02:33] So you can do that before.
[00:02:36] You can do that after the opening.
[00:02:39] After the opening.
[00:02:40] him that's that's your prayer oh we need to be beginning right now okay okay i might quote it i might quote it then just

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:03:01] no i mean i i may just

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:03:10] if you're okay with it

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:03:21] Dude! Boss is right there.

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:03:59] Good morning, Harbor.

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:05:25] I love hearing the buzz as we get ready to worship.
[00:05:30] We are a family of God bound together to glorify and enjoy Him forever.
[00:05:37] and we really enjoy each other here.
[00:05:41] I'm very pleased to say that.
[00:05:43] We do this by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, strengthening each other in Him, showing Him to our community and to the world.
[00:05:54] You've got the announcements in your bulletin, but I'm going to highlight just a few of them that are important.
[00:06:02] We've got family ministry this Wednesday at 545.
[00:06:06] there'll be an email that'll be going out with sign up right it's out uh next saturday all strong backs weak minds we need you here it's church work day so there are a lot of things
[00:06:22] that need to be done here at the church men's bible study is tuesday the 24th not this tuesday but the next Tuesday at 7 p.m. here at the church.
[00:06:35] Questions are out front.
[00:06:38] Women's Bible study, that's every Wednesday.
[00:06:43] But women's Bible study has a request.
[00:06:46] They need some daycare help.
[00:06:49] Is daycare the right word?
[00:06:52] Childcare, excuse me, childcare help.
[00:06:56] And adults.
[00:06:57] So if you have a willingness to serve, speak with Tracy.
[00:07:03] She'll be glad to talk to you.
[00:07:06] Dinners of Eight, very important, coming up.
[00:07:10] Gives you a chance to commune with some of your brothers and sisters here.
[00:07:16] So I highly recommend that you sign up.
[00:07:19] Talk to Lindsay if you have any questions, and she can give you the information.
[00:07:26] There's a bridal shower two weeks from yesterday for Brianna.
[00:07:35] So that'll be on Saturday the 28th.
[00:07:40] Save the date.
[00:07:41] There are a couple of save the dates in here.
[00:07:44] The women's prayer retreat and also Vacation Bible School.
[00:07:50] With that, I'm going to turn it over to Tyler.

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:07:52] We gather together this morning to worship the Lord.
[00:08:07] And we don't gather as perfect people.
[00:08:11] We don't gather together as people who can look down on others because of how good we are.
[00:08:18] We gather together as this kind of people.
[00:08:20] This is the kind of people that Isaiah 61 describes.
[00:08:23] We gather this morning as those who need to hear good news because we are poor.
[00:08:30] We gather this morning as those who need to be bound up because we are brokenhearted.
[00:08:37] we gather this morning as those who receive liberty because we were once captives, the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Isn't that good news for you and I this morning? This is the kind of people who gather together to worship the Lord. And it is
[00:08:58] that Lord who calls us to worship Him this very morning. Would you stand with me as the Lord calls us to worship from Psalm 23. I'll read the regular text if you'll respond by reading the bold and
[00:09:13] underlined. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
[00:09:24] He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
[00:09:39] evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and
[00:09:56] mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
[00:10:04] Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Oh, Father, we just confess to you this morning that there is nothing greater that we look forward to than to dwell in your house forever.
[00:10:20] And Lord, for the areas of our hearts that don't desire that, that desire to dwell in faraway pastors, Lord, I pray that this morning you would draw us back to yourself, that this morning you
[00:10:35] would reorient our hearts, that we would desire to dwell with you, that our greatest hope is that one day we will dwell with you in your house forever. Lord, we ask for your help in these
[00:10:51] things. And Father, we pray now all together the prayer that you taught us to pray so long ago.
[00:10:58] Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:11:03] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:11:08] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
[00:11:15] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[00:11:19] For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
[00:11:24] Amen.
[00:11:25] Would you stay standing as we continue and sing together?

[00:11:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:11:28] psalm one opens with a blessing psalms close with the command command is let everything that has breath praise the lord praise the lord so we get to do that this morning we'll start it off in song
[00:11:51] by singing oh worship the king

[00:11:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:11:53] Lift the King, O glorious above, O gratefully sing His power and His love.
[00:12:10] Our shield and defender, the ancient of days, pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.
[00:12:28] O tell of His might, O sing of His grace, whose robe is the light, whose canopy space, His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form And dark is His path on the wings of the storm
[00:12:47] Bountiful care what tongue can recite It breathes in the air, it shines in the light It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain I don't know if you've ever eaten those old TV dinners, right?

[00:13:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:13:58] Little things you microwave.
[00:14:00] A lot of times that's the way that we go through life.
[00:14:04] We have different little elements here and there of something that we like, and we just add on to our lives, and everything's kind of kept separate.
[00:14:12] And a lot of times people have a relationship with Christ that way, that I've got my work, I've got my life, I've got my entertainment, and then I've got Jesus over on the side, you know, for Sundays or maybe a Wednesday.
[00:14:23] But the Lord God doesn't just want part of us.
[00:14:25] He wants all of us.
[00:14:26] And so we are called as Christians to recognize the ways in which we have only given Christ part of us, but not all of us.
[00:14:39] If that describes you, because it certainly describes me, would you confess your sins to the Lord as we say this out loud together as one body?
[00:14:49] Our Father, we confess to you and we often cleanse the outside of our lives.
[00:14:54] Yet we do nothing about the inside of our hearts. Outside we look moral and upright, yet inside we are filled with greed and selfishness. We think we follow your law, yet we neglect justice and your love. We think we deserve positions of honor. We love it when
[00:15:14] others pay special attention to us. We load people down with impossible demands, and we will not lift one finger to help them. Have mercy on us for being like the Pharisees. May you cleanse us,
[00:15:28] all of us and all of who we are from the inside out. If something pricked your heart, something the Lord is laying upon you this morning, would you go to him silently in prayer asking for his
[00:15:40] forgiveness? Lord God, you know how there are parts of my heart that I do not want to put to death. Lord, I want to keep going. Lord, I want to live separately from you. Lord God, I'm sorry for
[00:16:09] the ways in which I do not let my faith touch every part of my life. Please reform and change me by your spirit. And Lord God, I pray that you would please hear all of our prayers. Lord, the
[00:16:23] things that we've confessed to you silently and out loud. Lord, I pray that you would help us to continue to confess and repent throughout our lives, Lord, so that we might have a closer walk
[00:16:33] with you. We might enjoy you more. And Lord, that we would see sin is not our friend, but our enemy that would want to send us to hell if it could. But it cannot because of Christ's blood. Lord God,
[00:16:46] we rejoice in the salvation that we have. And Holy Spirit, we pray that you would please change us from the inside out.
[00:16:53] And we ask these things in Christ's name, amen.
[00:16:56] If you know Christ, and if you have asked the Lord God for forgiveness, you need to know that you are truly forgiven.
[00:17:04] Hear these words from God from Psalm 51.
[00:17:07] Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.
[00:17:12] Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me and those who know Christ, this is true.
[00:17:20] Because this is true, Let's stand together and let's sing.

[00:17:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:17:23] The righteous branch from Jesse's root, please come and bring your quiet peace and life and peace.
[00:18:25] O son of David, come soon beside your spirit, and store your hearts to fast at last.
[00:20:01] This morning we're going to confess our faith together from Westminster Larger Catechism.

[00:21:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:21:29] We need a second or two to explain this.
[00:21:33] The question is about superiors and inferiors.
[00:21:36] Here's what this is getting at.
[00:21:38] This is a part of the Larger Catechism that's explaining the Ten Commandments.
[00:21:44] And when you get to the Fifth Commandment, on your mother and father, Westminster's trying to do is to try to show how, and I think this bears itself out biblically, that the basis for how we interact within society,
[00:21:57] how we interact with somebody who's in charge of me or somebody who's below me, is impacted by this one basic command, mutual honor and love and respect and leadership and care.
[00:22:10] And so this question is about if you are in the place of superiority, you're a boss, you're a parent, or you're in leadership of some variety, what's your duty?
[00:22:20] What should you do?
[00:22:21] and how should you honor Christ in that particular place?
[00:22:25] So I ask you, Christian, what is required of superiors toward their inferiors?
[00:22:31] It is required of superiors, according to that power they receive from God and that relation wherein they stand, to love, pray for, and bless their inferiors, to instruct, counsel, and admonish them, countenancing and commending and rewarding such as do well and discountenancing reproving
[00:22:54] chastising such as do ill protecting and providing for them all things necessary for soul and body and my grave wise holy and exemplary carriage to procure glory to God honor to themselves and so to preserve that authority which God hath put upon them.
[00:23:17] We have a memory verse for this month.
[00:23:22] Session has tried to put together 12 really good, solid verses to memorize for the Christian.
[00:23:28] And here's from 1 Corinthians 15, verses 3-4.
[00:23:32] Let's say this all together.
[00:23:35] For I delivered to you as first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.
[00:23:51] Let's sing together.

[00:23:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:23:51] God over all, giver of life and health and breath, I want to sing of your love.
[00:24:17] Came as a man, humble you died the sinner's death, I want to sing of your love, sing, sing, I want to sing, never forget, if you're gonna sing, I do, my name, sing, I want to sing that day, when you come back to claim, yes we will sing, then we'll bow down, praise you forever,
[00:26:35] So as they make their way up, we're going to be baptizing little Lettie this morning.

[00:27:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:27:47] This is a God-ordained ceremony of recognizing that Lettie is part of the visible church.
[00:27:55] In the same way in the Old Testament, circumcision set apart the people of the promise.
[00:28:02] Now, circumcision didn't automatically save anybody in the Old Testament.
[00:28:06] Jeremiah makes that point very clear.
[00:28:09] Jeremiah says, don't just be circumcised in the flesh, be circumcised in the heart.
[00:28:13] And so in the New Testament, when Paul talks in Colossians chapter 2 about how baptism is now the circumcision made without hands, that baptism works in the same way.
[00:28:25] It's an outward, authenticating token proclaiming God's promise to all those who see it and those who it's applied to.
[00:28:34] and that we hope and wait and will work tirelessly night and day as we just confessed about superiority and inferiority to love and to pray, to care for and to preach the gospel of Lettie
[00:28:46] until we see the Holy Spirit's work to give her the gift of faith.
[00:28:51] And so this also is not just for Lettie and for her family, but it's also for us too to encourage you.
[00:28:59] You, Harbor, Christian, you've been set apart.
[00:29:04] You're not like the world anymore.
[00:29:05] You are different, and that's a beautiful and terrifying thing.
[00:29:12] So today, as we look at the application of God's promises to little Lettie, that you approach God the same way, just like little children.
[00:29:23] You were confused. You didn't know what was going on.
[00:29:26] You were not looking for God, but I assure you, God was looking for you and pursuing you until the very end.
[00:29:34] So, for to you is the promise, and to your children and to all who are far off.
[00:29:40] Even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.
[00:29:43] And here's the promise.
[00:29:44] I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be God unto you and your seed after you.
[00:29:53] Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved, you and your house.
[00:30:00] So we're going to have three questions for you.
[00:30:03] And then congregation, I'm going to have a question for you.
[00:30:05] So I ask you a question, I'll say, do you?
[00:30:07] That's when you know to say I do.
[00:30:09] And make sure everybody can hear in the back when you say it too.
[00:30:12] Do you acknowledge your child's need of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ and the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit?
[00:30:20] Do you?
[00:30:22] And do you claim God's covenant promises on her behalf?
[00:30:25] And do you look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for her salvation as you do for your own?
[00:30:31] Do you?
[00:30:32] And do you now unreservedly dedicate your child to God and promise in humble lines upon divine grace that you will endeavor, work hard to set before her a godly example, that you will pray with and for her
[00:30:46] and that you will teach her the doctrines of her holy religion and that you will strive by all the means of God's appointment to bring her up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
[00:30:56] Do you?
[00:30:58] A wonderful thing about body, the church, is we're a family.
[00:31:04] So this is not just their responsibility.
[00:31:05] It's our responsibility, too.
[00:31:08] You want to know why nursery matters?
[00:31:10] Sunday school matters?
[00:31:11] Why it matters that when the children are running around after the service and you're concerned they're going to bump into the amps and things like that?
[00:31:17] It's because this responsibility is shared by every single one of us in the church family.
[00:31:23] So I ask you, Harbor Church, do you, as a congregation, undertake the responsibility of assisting the parents in the Christian nurture of this child?
[00:31:33] Do you?
[00:31:34] We've got a live one.
[00:31:40] All right, Letty Weir, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
[00:32:01] Let's pray.
[00:32:03] Father God, please, as you promised, set aside this child dedicated to you.
[00:32:08] Lord, we pray that by your Spirit that one day, soon, Lord, you would empower her to make a public profession of faith.
[00:32:17] That it would be true faith.
[00:32:18] That it would be persevering faith to the end.
[00:32:21] By your power and by your spirit.
[00:32:23] Lord God, we pray that you would please, maybe even miraculously, never let her know a day when she does not know you.
[00:32:31] That she would always walk with you.
[00:32:33] Lord God, we pray, resting in your promises to the end.
[00:32:37] In Christ's name we pray.
[00:32:40] All right, so we have a little bit of tradition here.
[00:32:42] We get to sing a song afterwards.
[00:32:44] So if you know, Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells us.
[00:32:47] But we're going to sing it to Lettie.
[00:32:49] So, change the pronouns around.
[00:33:27] At this time, I'd like to welcome one of our ruling elders, Jack Edwards, to come up and lead us in prayer.

[00:33:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:33:56] This morning, I'm going to read from Psalms to you, the doxology of the Psalms.
[00:34:03] Psalm 150, the very last Psalm.
[00:34:07] Very appropriate today, because it's telling us where to praise, why to praise, how to praise, and who to praise.
[00:34:17] Psalm 150, praise the Lord.
[00:34:21] Praise God in his sanctuary.
[00:34:23] Praise him in his mighty heavens.
[00:34:26] Praise him for his acts of power.
[00:34:29] Praise him for his surprising greatness, surpassing greatness, excuse me.
[00:34:35] Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet.
[00:34:38] Praise him with the harp and lyre.
[00:34:40] Praise him with the tambourine and dancing.
[00:34:43] Praise him with strings and flute.
[00:34:45] Praise him with the clash of cymbals.
[00:34:48] Praise him.
[00:34:50] Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
[00:34:56] Praise the Lord.
[00:34:59] As we go to God today, we have a lot to be thankful for.
[00:35:07] And it's all from Him.
[00:35:09] And I ask that you take a few moments as we go in, settle your hearts.
[00:35:15] Think about what we can praise God for.
[00:35:17] So let us pray.
[00:35:29] Heavenly Father, we lift up Lettie to you.
[00:35:32] a covenant child. Father, I ask that you protect her, keep her safe, help her to grow. Father, I pray for Rachel and Zach. Father, give them the wisdom, knowledge, compassion, and patience that you can provide. I ask that you bless the Weir family, draw them near, keep them close.
[00:36:02] Father, I lift up our underground churches throughout the world.
[00:36:07] Father, many things are going on.
[00:36:10] I lift up our missionaries, our ministers and believers in our divided world.
[00:36:17] Father, please give them strength to endure.
[00:36:22] Let Your light shine through them.
[00:36:26] Father, we pray for peace in this world.
[00:36:30] And that peace can only come from You, through Jesus.
[00:36:36] Father, we lift up our missionaries, especially Tennant and Candy.
[00:36:41] Father, as those students are going on spring break, both in the United States and internationally, protect them.
[00:36:52] Let them be your witnesses.
[00:36:55] Let them draw people to you.
[00:37:00] Father, I pray for the staff of Campus Outreach.
[00:37:05] Let there be unity.
[00:37:06] let there be trust within and Father I lift up tenant and candy to you as it's been a difficult start to the year Father give them peace bless the family give them both encouragement Father we pray for those
[00:37:27] who are expecting a child Father bless these parents give them wisdom give them peace draw them near, keep that child safe Father, we lift up those who are battling health issues, those who are recovering from surgeries and treatments,
[00:37:57] from cancer, Kent, Greg, Barbara, Crystal's father, and Janice's uncle.
[00:38:05] Father, let them feel your presence.
[00:38:08] Let them feel your healing strength.
[00:38:12] Father, we have surgeries coming up within our family.
[00:38:17] Father, I lift up Pam to you.
[00:38:20] Father, I ask that you give the doctors wisdom and knowledge and everyone that is going to be coming in contact with her, compassion.
[00:38:32] Father, I lift up Timothy to you.
[00:38:35] Father, I ask that you give Michael and Lindsay peace.
[00:38:41] Give them wisdom.
[00:38:45] I ask that you be with the surgeons.
[00:38:46] I ask that you please give them compassion.
[00:38:54] and give Tim healing.
[00:38:59] Father, we lift up family members who are recovering from an accident.
[00:39:04] Marty's family member who was in an accident is starting to wean her off some of the equipment.
[00:39:13] Father, be with her.
[00:39:15] Father, guide and direct Elle as she seeks your direction after the MRI for Addie.
[00:39:24] Make it clear, Father.
[00:39:28] Father, we pray for Bennett.
[00:39:31] Father, I just ask that you place your healing hands on him.
[00:39:37] I ask that you give Emily and Ryan the strength and wisdom they need.
[00:39:46] Father, let us gather around and help lift them up.
[00:39:51] Father, we lift up Karen, Seth's mother, as she is dealing with a difficult work situation.
[00:39:58] Father, give her peace and wisdom as she navigates this.
[00:40:04] We lift up our sister church, North Cross.
[00:40:07] May the worship today be pleasing, their outreach faithful and fruitful to Cornelius.
[00:40:15] Please guide them to the correct minister for this flock.
[00:40:21] We especially lift up the women's Bible study.
[00:40:25] Father, I ask that you bless the ladies who are leading this, Tracy and Jennifer.
[00:40:33] Father, give them your words to teach the women of the church.
[00:40:40] Father be with the women's care team as they take care of the ladies of the church Father also give them direction and wisdom Father I ask that we reach out to the people that you've placed around us
[00:41:00] help us witness in your name help us also to discern your will in planning a church we need your direction we can't do it on our own, Father, because it will fail.
[00:41:16] We need You.
[00:41:19] Father, I ask that You be with Michael this morning as he brings Your message to us.
[00:41:24] I ask that You make him bold.
[00:41:26] Give him strength and be without fear.
[00:41:30] Bless the message he brings.
[00:41:34] Father, open our ears to hear, our minds to understand, and our hearts to accept Your message.
[00:41:45] For it's in the precious name of Jesus, I pray.
[00:41:48] Amen.

[00:42:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:42:00] As the deacons prepare for taking up tithes and offerings, I want to bring to your attention one way that you can give.
[00:42:10] Most of the Christian life is giving, and most of it is not financial giving.
[00:42:17] That's a portion, a tiny portion of the Christian life.
[00:42:22] But by and large, more of your life as a Christian is giving of your life, giving of your time, giving of your attention, giving of your efforts.
[00:42:30] And so in your bulletin, I want to draw your attention to a little handout that you'll have there. One is, on one side, you've got VBS. That is one way that you here at Harbor can give.
[00:42:43] You can give of your time and your attention, and if you've ever served at VBS, of your energy, because there's something magical about VBS that by the end of VBS week, you're exhausted.
[00:42:56] And so you get to give of your energy.
[00:42:59] So that's one way I want to draw your attention that you can give here.
[00:43:04] On the back is another way that you can give.
[00:43:07] And this one might be less obvious to you.
[00:43:10] This is a little flyer for a Palm Sunday brunch that we're having here in just a couple of weeks.
[00:43:16] And then after that brunch, so instead of regular Sunday school, we'll have brunch in the fellowship hall.
[00:43:24] And after that, there'll be an Easter egg hunt for the kids.
[00:43:27] And you say, how can I give for that?
[00:43:29] Well, I'm so glad that you asked.
[00:43:31] You can give for that in this.
[00:43:33] God has called you to be a giver of joy to your brethren.
[00:43:40] And one of the ways that you can do that is by coming and eating brunch and smiling and talking to your brothers and sisters in Christ and staying and watching the kids squeal as they find another Easter egg.
[00:43:54] You get to be a bringer of gospel joy.
[00:43:58] Now, if vacation Bible school is something you can't pull off, maybe your work doesn't allow it.
[00:44:04] Maybe your time and your energy doesn't allow it.
[00:44:07] Here's a way that you can give.
[00:44:08] You can give gospel joy by sticking around and eating brunch and watching kids get Easter eggs.
[00:44:15] And I think that that's a pretty feasible way to give.
[00:44:18] So just wanted to encourage you with those this morning.
[00:44:23] But another way that we give is we do give by giving our tithes and our offerings.
[00:44:29] The Lord has blessed us with an abundance of more than we would ever deserve.
[00:44:33] And he calls us to give to him for the sake of his kingdom.
[00:44:39] So if you're a visitor here with us this morning, we just want you to know we're really, really glad that you're here.
[00:44:43] And we don't expect anything from you.
[00:44:46] But if you do choose to give, we ask that you would give today with a cheerful and a grateful heart.

[00:45:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:45:30] Let's pray.

[00:47:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:47:56] We're thankful for all those who have given this morning.
[00:48:06] And Lord, I'm thankful for all those who have given faithfully in years past.
[00:48:12] Thank you, Lord, for all those faithful gospel givers who have given of themselves and given of their finances so that this very morning little Lettie Weir could be baptized here who may have not had any idea what you were going to accomplish through their giving.
[00:48:31] And so, Lord, we pray that the things and the gifts that have been given this morning would be used for a greater gospel witness on into the next generations.
[00:48:42] I pray, Lord, that the things that have been given would be used by you so that perhaps in 20 years, my grandkids could be baptized right here.
[00:48:52] I pray, Lord, that you would accomplish this work for your great kingdom through these sacrifices.
[00:48:58] We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
[00:49:02] Would you stand with me as we praise God by singing the doxology together?

[00:49:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:49:06] Praise God from the scenes.
[00:49:15] Praise Him, all creatures.
[00:49:21] Here we praise Him above.
[00:49:27] So in this lead up to Easter, we're going to be taking a break from 2 Corinthians and we're going

[00:49:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:49:56] to be starting a mini-series on just four small but very important chapters of the Bible in the book of Ezekiel. So chapters 34 through 37. Now maybe you don't know much about Ezekiel, so let
[00:50:09] me give you a little bit of background. Ezekiel is the fourth longest book of the Bible. It's a lot of content. Ezekiel lived an incredibly turbulent time. He overlapped with Jeremiah, watching his country fall to the Babylonians, and then most of the people exiled. We know that Ezekiel was married
[00:50:31] in chapter 24. Most likely, he was probably a priest, and he lived during this exile moment where Jews were taken out of Israel and placed in certain areas of Babylon.
[00:50:44] Now, when I was in seminary, I was supposed to remember 586, destruction of the temple, that's when the exile took place.
[00:50:51] That's not exactly accurate because the process of this exile took over 20 years.
[00:50:59] The first invasion of Babylon was in 605, then there was a second invasion in 597, that's actually when Ezekiel is exiled.
[00:51:08] And then the third is when King Zedekiah rebels against Babylon and Jerusalem.
[00:51:13] And more importantly, the temple is destroyed in 586.
[00:51:17] Now, unlike Daniel, you remember Daniel, he was in the civil service of Babylon.
[00:51:24] Ezekiel went to the Nippur Valley, which is south of the Babylonian city, perhaps for farming purposes.
[00:51:30] I just want you to imagine, he lived during a time in which there was 20 years of invasion.
[00:51:37] 20 years of upheaval.
[00:51:39] If you have lived all your life in America, you have no idea what this would have been like.
[00:51:46] And he's called to speak God's word to God's people who are overwhelmed by the events of the last two decades.
[00:51:55] What is God doing?
[00:51:57] And what is going to happen to us?
[00:51:59] And is God even still with us, though we're in a foreign land?
[00:52:04] Ezekiel tries to answer some of those questions.
[00:52:06] but then you get to Ezekiel chapter 33, and he learns the nightmare. This is the thing that would have brought every Jew to their knees in sorrow. The temple is destroyed.
[00:52:22] It's destroyed. What does that mean about our relationship with God? This was our one means of interacting with God is the temple. We live in some turbulent times, I think, maybe not as much as Ezekiel, but a little bit, probably. If you've been paying attention to
[00:52:39] politics at all, it's kind of chaotic out there. If you're paying attention to the world of technology, you know that AI is revolutionizing all sorts of things, everywhere from what kids are doing in school, to what pastors are doing, to engineers. And we're in the second week of
[00:53:00] fighting in the Middle East. Who are we going to look to to get us through this? Are we going to look to our leaders? Which ones? What about to ourselves? What will we do? The response to the
[00:53:14] worst news that Ezekiel could hear, God responds with a message of hope. And not just hope for Judah and exile, but hope on a grand scale. And that's what we're going to begin to talk about
[00:53:27] today. But before we get there, God is going to diagnose two very important problems among the exile Jews. Problems with the shepherds and problems with the sheep. Now, I'm going to be talking about, as you see on the screen there, Ezekiel chapter 34, verses 1 through 24. So I
[00:53:47] invite you to get your Bibles open or on your devices, because I'm not going to read all 24 verses today just for time, but I'm going to give you a sampling. So here's a sample. I'm just going
[00:53:59] to read verses 1 through 6, but just know we're going to touch on all of it. Here is God's holy and inspired word. The word of the Lord came to me. Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds
[00:54:11] of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, even to the shepherds. Thus says the Lord God, ah, shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding yourselves. Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourself with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the
[00:54:30] sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force
[00:54:42] and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there were no shepherd and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered. They wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth with none to search
[00:54:59] or seek for them. Let's pray. Lord God, we thank you for your word and just ask, Lord, you would help us to recall to our minds or the places right now where we are worried, concerned, and help us
[00:55:17] to take those things to you and help us to hear from your word plainly, Lord God, what is our hope or more importantly, who is our hope? Lord, we ask please that you would bless the preaching of your
[00:55:29] word and change us by your spirit. In Christ's name we pray. So first I want to talk about the shepherd problem they had and then the sheep problem and then some sort of solution. So here's
[00:55:42] the shepherd problem. It's in verses 1 through 2. Ezekiel prophesizes against the shepherds of Israel. Now these are not literal sheep herders. This is a term used throughout the ancient Near East to describe rulers or leaders. Just a good example of this, 2 Samuel chapter 5, God says
[00:56:02] that David as king will be a shepherd to my people. So shepherds here are like, they're people shepherds. They're people shepherds. Now, what does this have to do with Jews in exile? Because remember, in Ezekiel's time, there's no more king anymore, and all that's gone. So who's shepherding
[00:56:21] them exactly? Well, Babylon, when they exiled different people groups, they gave them or allowed them semi-governmental structures. So like, yeah, you can have your elders, you can have some leaders, right? As long as you give us your tax money. And it was a way of, it was a shrewd way
[00:56:42] of managing all these different people groups. So all these different people groups, they had different gods, they had different customs and cultures. And so what better way to manage than say, y'all have your little rulers to figure out all that stuff. And so it kind of managed their
[00:56:56] peculiarities, gave them a sense of control, and therefore less rebellion. This happened a little bit in American history. In the early 20th century, part of my family, this is some of my story, but a
[00:57:09] lot of Italians and Irish immigrants came over, and oftentimes you would see the formation of little local leaders who would orient new immigrants to help find work or jobs or things like that. And so these shepherds here are Jewish leaders over the Jews in exile. And leaders like
[00:57:34] this are supposed to act a certain way. They're supposed to be herders of the people. John Davis, who's an archaeologist, he met, while he was on a dig, he met an Israeli shepherd by the name of
[00:57:47] Muhammad Yasin. And he asked, how do you do your job? Because he just wanted some tips. It'd be kind of interesting to know how he could encourage his understanding of biblical literature. And to his amazement, Yasin actually says, well, why don't you come live with me for a week? Just see what I
[00:58:04] do. And he actually wrote a book on this. It's a neat book. And I'll summarize. Here's a cliff nose version. Basically, shepherds have a really hard job because they're out in the elements, They are traveling. They're finding lost sheep. They got to deal with flies and bugs and ticks
[00:58:22] and cuts and scrapes and bruises. They've got to be rugged. Shepherds are constantly vigilant.
[00:58:28] They got to watch out for wild animals and predators and weather and robbers. And then they have to have constant care, right? Because the sheep are always getting hurt or getting lost.
[00:58:40] So you got to make sure you give them good grass, clean water, mend their wounds. It's a 24-7 job.
[00:58:47] So a good leader is supposed to be like a shepherd, taking total good care of the people.
[00:58:54] In fact, this was the original design for a king of Israel.
[00:58:59] In Deuteronomy 17, the Israelite king is supposed to actually make a personal copy of the law.
[00:59:06] The law exists, but I want you to make a personal copy of it so that they would better know how to rule with God's heart in mind.
[00:59:15] And we all kind of want leaders like this in whatever sphere of life, right?
[00:59:20] Today, we want political candidates who are, what, trustworthy.
[00:59:24] They're going to fight for us.
[00:59:26] They're going to serve us before themselves.
[00:59:29] We want bosses who actually care about their employees.
[00:59:33] Hey, even in the church, we want pastors who are faithful, firm on the truth, but yet kind and gentle.
[00:59:39] In fact, the word pastor literally means shepherd.
[00:59:44] That's Latin form.
[00:59:46] And Ezekiel knows this, knows how to do this well, because he, in fact, perhaps a priest, is in the business of caring for people.
[00:59:55] So what kind of leader or what specific leaders are you looking for to bring normalcy to the chaos?
[01:00:05] And are they really helping?
[01:00:07] There's a saying, and I found this to be true, never meet your heroes.
[01:00:12] You ever heard that?
[01:00:13] Never meet your heroes.
[01:00:15] The idea behind that is if you get to know your heroes long enough, they're probably going to disappoint you in some way, shape, or form.
[01:00:24] Oftentimes, our heroes will fix one thing, but if you dig down deep, they kind of ruin 12 other things.
[01:00:31] So too the shepherds here.
[01:00:34] So let's talk about Ezekiel's shepherds here, these leaders of the people.
[01:00:39] They, in verse 3, they eat the fat.
[01:00:43] Eat the fat.
[01:00:44] Well, according to Leviticus, fat's supposed to be given to God and not to be eaten.
[01:00:49] You clothe yourself with wool.
[01:00:52] Fine, you clothe yourself with wool and eat the cheese and things like that.
[01:00:57] But, in fact, you slaughter the fat ones, which could be okay, but then you don't feed them.
[01:01:03] So you're using all their stuff, but you don't actually care for them at all.
[01:01:07] Shepherds typically would use the wool and the milk, but often they wouldn't eat sheep except for special occasions.
[01:01:13] Why? Because if the sheep are providing you wool and cheese and stuff, and then you eat them, they can no longer provide the cheese and wool.
[01:01:23] So what these leaders are doing is indulging themselves, and they don't care about the consequences for the sheep.
[01:01:32] They don't even feed them.
[01:01:35] Verse 4, Ezekiel writes that the weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the stray that you have not brought back.
[01:01:46] So you're supposed to be doing all this.
[01:01:49] You're supposed to be caring for the sheep, and you're doing none of it.
[01:01:51] And in conclusion, it says, with force and harshness, you have ruled them.
[01:01:58] The word harsh there is the same word that's used to describe in Exodus chapter 1 of how the Egyptians oppressed the people.
[01:02:05] You are indistinguishable by Pharaoh's government when Israel was living in Egypt.
[01:02:17] And it's kind of a craziness, right?
[01:02:20] Because how can the leaders hope to have any people left if they don't do anything for them?
[01:02:27] But this has happened throughout history.
[01:02:29] In the 1950s, Mao Zedong, leader of communist China, he tried to convert China into collective farming and industry, oftentimes without any regard for the people at all.
[01:02:43] This is called the dystopian Great Leap Forward.
[01:02:49] This Great Leap Forward led to the deaths of 40 million people.
[01:02:53] That's four times the Holocaust.
[01:02:56] Now, on a smaller scale, you can see this happening sort of all the time.
[01:03:00] How many of you work in corporate America, and either you have seen this or this has happened to you.
[01:03:08] Well, two people are working two different jobs and one person gets let go or fired or leaves.
[01:03:13] And so they ask you, can you please just take on their responsibilities?
[01:03:18] And eventually that short-term extra responsibilities just becomes permanent, right?
[01:03:24] Because at the end of the day, they just want to see if you can handle the extra stuff regardless of how much you're burning out and it helps their bottom line.
[01:03:34] I knew a church once where most of the people who were part of the church were below the poverty line, but the pastor would send the offering plates back around because he had to make rent.
[01:03:47] And he couldn't make rent with what was in the plate the first time around.
[01:03:51] See, shepherds are supposed to keep the flock fed and together.
[01:03:57] And if you don't know anything about sheep, you would miss this point, right?
[01:04:01] Like, verse 5, the flock is scattered, and sheep are communal animals.
[01:04:05] In fact, biologically speaking, they get so stressed at being by themselves, they just up and die.
[01:04:12] It's just what they do.
[01:04:14] And to a certain extent, people are kind of the same way.
[01:04:17] These Jews are in exile.
[01:04:20] They're not in the homeland.
[01:04:22] So if they are scattered, they could starve.
[01:04:28] They could be subject to all sorts of oppression.
[01:04:31] but even more importantly, they might even lose interest in God altogether.
[01:04:36] And perhaps they'll just pick up whatever foreign deities are around them.
[01:04:40] They just dissolve into the vast Babylonian empire.
[01:04:47] God makes his intentions known in verse 10.
[01:04:51] Behold, I am against the shepherds.
[01:04:55] The word against there is used in such a way of moving towards in order to oppose them.
[01:05:01] This is what an army does.
[01:05:02] An army is against some other army.
[01:05:06] This is judgment language.
[01:05:09] After all, isn't this what we want?
[01:05:11] When we hear about tyrants or dictators or false teachers or bad bosses, we want somebody to come and clean house.
[01:05:23] We want the bully, metaphorically speaking, punched in the nose.
[01:05:29] So what does this have to do with me?
[01:05:31] Or most of you?
[01:05:31] I don't know about, I don't think there's any government officials here.
[01:05:36] Probably not.
[01:05:37] There's a few pastors here.
[01:05:38] Maybe there's a few bosses here.
[01:05:40] But on the whole, that's not us.
[01:05:44] You know, if you're familiar with the Lord of the Rings, there's, of course, the one ring, right?
[01:05:48] Most people don't know that J.R.R. Tolkien based that off of a story in Plato's Republic.
[01:05:56] The story of this guy named Gyges.
[01:05:58] Gyges had a ring that made him invisible.
[01:06:01] and and so what this allowed him to do was have the power and opportunity to commit any crime he wanted amass whatever wealth he wanted have whatever pow power he wanted fulfill any lusts he desired and just get away with it and not only that because it was all done invisibly he could
[01:06:20] make himself look pure to everybody else and so it's a it's a test of if you had before you ultimate power, what would you do? You'd be tempted to take the ring. If all the niceties
[01:06:37] were stripped away from you, all the influence of society and Christ himself, what would you do if ultimate power was in front of you? If you could get away with it and know that people would still think of you as good, your wife would look at you honorably,
[01:06:58] and your kids would look up to you and your church would think you were a great guy or gal.
[01:07:03] Every single one of us would be a tyrant, just like these shepherds.
[01:07:09] These shepherds are not a unique kind of human being.
[01:07:11] They're human beings, plain and simple.
[01:07:14] And here's what I would say.
[01:07:17] You need to remember this, church, because given the right circumstances, stressors, and opportunities, we are all capable of great evil.
[01:07:27] the moment that you think you're not that's the moment you're in danger now you may again think to yourself okay but i still don't have any power michael well there's a second problem in this text
[01:07:39] and that's a sheep problem it's a shepherd problem now a sheep problem how are the jews going to respond to living in a foreign land exposed and vulnerable you would hope that what they would do is bind themselves together with help and encouragement keep the faith alive right
[01:07:58] Not exactly.
[01:07:59] If you turn to verse 17, you get a picture of what this looks like.
[01:08:04] Verse 17, as for you, my flock, so now we're not talking about the shepherds anymore, we're talking about the sheep.
[01:08:10] Thus says the Lord God, behold, I will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats, then skipping to verse 19.
[01:08:19] Must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet?
[01:08:23] In other words, like good grass.
[01:08:26] Some of the other sheep just trampled on it, right?
[01:08:29] In the mud and the dirt.
[01:08:31] And drink, must they drink what you muddied with your feet?
[01:08:36] In other words, there's a stream going and then somebody is just like splashing around in it.
[01:08:40] It's like all muddy.
[01:08:41] Who wants to drink that, right?
[01:08:42] Then verse 21, he says that you push with side and shoulder and thrust at all the weak with your horns to scatter them abroad.
[01:08:51] Have you ever seen kids descend upon a birthday cake?
[01:08:56] Jostling.
[01:08:57] That's the picture.
[01:09:00] See, here's the point.
[01:09:02] You don't need oppressive leaders in order to suffer.
[01:09:06] People do enough damage in and of themselves.
[01:09:10] The people might not even be looking to hurt others.
[01:09:13] They're just insensitive, right?
[01:09:15] They're just singly focused on themselves, and it's ruining everything for everyone else.
[01:09:22] We experience this.
[01:09:23] If you remember and were alive during the pandemic, right? You might remember trying to go get toilet paper and none existing, or bottled water, gas, or weird stuff like peanut butter. Like, it's just always sort of random, right?
[01:09:43] And I read an article describing why this is the case. Because oftentimes, it wasn't necessarily because there was an absolute shortage. What happens is people do what's called panic buying.
[01:09:54] Every time that there's an ice storm or a snowstorm and you can't find bread and milk at the grocery store, that's panic buying.
[01:10:02] And the idea, the belief is that a dramatic event warrants dramatic response.
[01:10:10] In actuality, it would have been better if everybody just acted normally and just got one roll of toilet paper and we'd be fine.
[01:10:17] But in the chaos, what often happens is people become more selfish in order to get more security.
[01:10:26] Now, let's have an honest moment, shall we?
[01:10:30] You who are angry that you could not buy toilet paper in 2020, are you also guilty of buying too much?
[01:10:40] In other words, there are oftentimes, I find this, I love coffee.
[01:10:44] I'm a little sensitive to this.
[01:10:46] I can often be angry when somebody has taken the last cup. You know, you thought there was more in the pump, but there's no more anymore. And also, I'm really thankful when I get to get the last
[01:11:00] one too, right? Are we guilty of Romans chapter 2? In passing judgment on one another, you condemn yourself because you, the judge, practice the very same things. Now, maybe you could say, okay, so this is just a lesson in sharing, Michael. No, this is no small matter. God doesn't
[01:11:21] take it that way too, because just like the ring with ultimate power, right? Also, when there is chaos, this also exposes our hearts too, in terms of what we really care about, what really matters
[01:11:34] to us, right? If I have power, what really matters is myself. If I have no power, you know what also matters? Myself. And God takes this personally because we are made in His image, and He cares
[01:11:48] about how His image is treated. That's why He says in verse 17, I judge between sheep and sheep.
[01:11:58] Just like He judges the shepherds, so He judges the sheep. So much of our lives concerns ourselves with what we will get or what new thing we will add if we just had enough money and time.
[01:12:14] And very little attention is given to how we can give, how we can share, how we can find someone else's needs and fulfill that.
[01:12:22] Proverbs 21, all day long, he craves and craves.
[01:12:27] That is American culture, craving and craving, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
[01:12:34] What would it look like to have a heart like that?
[01:12:35] So, the leaders are corrupt. The people are callous. What is God's answer? Well, it's a good shepherd. So, let me explain how that comes out in this text. The first thing is that God makes room
[01:12:55] for this good shepherd by removing the current shepherds. Verse 10, no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
[01:13:08] God does not tolerate bullies.
[01:13:11] We've been, the Wednesday night, we've been doing a Wednesday night Bible study on the book of Revelation.
[01:13:16] We're only through the churches right now.
[01:13:18] And we just talked about the church of Philadelphia.
[01:13:21] And this is where Jesus tells the church in Revelation 3.9.
[01:13:24] He says, I will make the persecutors, like those who are oppressing you.
[01:13:30] He says, I'm going to make those come and bow down beneath your feet.
[01:13:34] and they will learn that I have loved you.
[01:13:40] See, the beauty of God's love is that it is not just mercy, but it is also judgment on his and our enemies.
[01:13:51] But who's going to replace them, God?
[01:13:54] Who's going to replace the shepherds?
[01:13:56] Like, who is going to be good enough?
[01:13:58] Because if you look around the room, there's nobody who's going to fulfill that perfectly.
[01:14:04] And that's where we come to number two.
[01:14:05] Verse 15, I myself, God says, will be shepherd of my sheep.
[01:14:14] I myself will make them lie down.
[01:14:17] There is no one more loving, no one more willing, no one more powerful, no one more capable than God himself to shepherd the sheep.
[01:14:28] That's what Psalm 23 is all about.
[01:14:31] The Lord is my shepherd and he will undo all the abuses of the bad shepherds.
[01:14:37] they scatter he gathers they break he heals they eat flock he feeds flock the storms of a chaotic news cycle for ezekiel even perhaps in the shadow of the valley of death what comforts him is the
[01:14:56] shepherd's rod and staff that beats away the predators that brings comfort to the sheep that leads them beside still waters and good grass.
[01:15:08] You ever long for better politicians?
[01:15:11] I have.
[01:15:12] You ever long for a better boss or better parents or even, it won't hurt my feelings, a better pastor?
[01:15:19] While those are all perhaps legitimate authorities, they will not measure up because sheep are not at rest until they rest in their true shepherd.
[01:15:32] And I'm not him, and neither are you.
[01:15:35] So why are some of us trying to live as though we don't need God as our shepherd?
[01:15:44] Do you know that if you're living on your own outside of God as your shepherd and king, that just like a sheep dies on its own, so do your soul die on its own.
[01:15:57] You are not an exception to the rule.
[01:16:00] Now that's the shepherds.
[01:16:01] But what about the sheep?
[01:16:03] Sheep had problems too.
[01:16:04] right god is our shepherd means he judges the sheep who trample on others he says verse 16 the fat and strong sheep i will destroy i will feed them in justice see the turn of phrase there
[01:16:18] i will feed them but with justice okay so if god judges the shepherds and god judges the sheep michael who's left because if you removed all the selfish pastors in the world and all the
[01:16:34] selfish congregation members in the world, guess what? You don't have a church. And so this is a bit of a hanging question in the air that doesn't get immediately answered. But there's a clue in
[01:16:48] verses 23 through 24. Verse 23, I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them, and he shall feed them and be their shepherd, and I, the Lord, will be their God,
[01:17:03] and my servant David shall be prince among them.
[01:17:09] King one of the line of David is going to be close to them.
[01:17:13] He's going to be like them.
[01:17:14] So somehow God is going to be their shepherd because no shepherd is good enough like God.
[01:17:20] And yet at the same time, also someone from the line of King David who shares the nature of the sheep is also going to be their shepherd too.
[01:17:28] So do we have two shepherds or one?
[01:17:30] What does it look like?
[01:17:31] What is this?
[01:17:32] That's where we get the beauty of the New Testament, the beauty of Christ.
[01:17:37] Jesus is the good shepherd.
[01:17:39] John chapter 10, I am, Jesus says, the good shepherd.
[01:17:45] It is a claim of profound importance.
[01:17:48] The human king in line of David, yet God, the only one worthy of having the title of shepherd.
[01:17:56] It is the mystery of the Christian faith that Jesus is both man and God, yet one person.
[01:18:05] Now, how does that solve the sheep problem?
[01:18:08] Jesus is not just a shepherd just to come and rule, but he came to redeem.
[01:18:13] John chapter 10, the passage goes on.
[01:18:16] I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father.
[01:18:22] and I lay down my life for the sheep.
[01:18:30] And so John Davis writes as he was talking with this Israeli sheep herder, he said that the thing that shepherds have to do, they have to be so committed to the sheep that they must be willing to give up their life in protection of them.
[01:18:44] And that's Christ.
[01:18:46] Jesus owns a flock.
[01:18:49] And this flock is harassed by their own sins.
[01:18:52] They are helpless.
[01:18:53] they're trampling all over themselves, and he will not stop until every single one of his sheep is washed and healed and redeemed and safe forever in his pen. And to do that, it will require his
[01:19:10] death, to die for the sins of his sheep because of his great love. First Peter 2 says this, He, that is Christ, himself, bore our sins in his body on the tree.
[01:19:27] That's Good Friday.
[01:19:29] That we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
[01:19:32] By his wounds we have been healed, for you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.
[01:19:44] Christ died for us to wash us and redeem us and transform us.
[01:19:49] So what's the point, very briefly?
[01:19:54] Do you know this shepherd?
[01:19:56] Do you know your shepherd?
[01:19:58] If you don't, you should not wait.
[01:20:01] You should not wait to run to Christ in prayer and ask him, Lord, would you be my shepherd?
[01:20:10] But if you do know your shepherd, do you see his great love for you and how he does everything for you?
[01:20:18] And will you trust him in the middle of the chaos?
[01:20:21] I love how Psalm 23 puts it, right?
[01:20:24] Even in the shadow of the valley of death, I will not fear.
[01:20:27] Well, how did you get into the shadow of the valley of death?
[01:20:31] God is a shepherd.
[01:20:33] He leads you through it.
[01:20:34] He will lead you through the shadow of death, but he will not let death consume you completely because he is the good shepherd and he has a rod and staff.
[01:20:46] Will you trust him in the chaos when things do not make sense?
[01:20:51] And if you do have this shepherd, will you look to share with others?
[01:20:55] not to insist on your own way but learn to both lead like Christ leads with faithfulness and learn to follow and to love your fellow sheep because of how he has loved you let's pray together
[01:21:13] Lord God we pray please as we're about to partake of this meal Lord that you would feed us feed us upon you Lord that you would take an ordinary meal and transform it Lord so that our faith is strengthened
[01:21:30] that we would follow you with more diligence and more thankfulness Lord challenge our cold hearts and Lord help us Lord God to look to you as the author and perfecter of our faith we ask these things in Christ's name
[01:21:46] as the elders make their way forward every week we celebrate the Lord's Supper together and I love the image that in the same way that every day, if you have a dog, you probably, hopefully, you feed the dog every day. You water
[01:22:06] the dog every day. If you have, some of you have invested in chickens. You're probably feeding water them every day. Some of you have even invested in pigs. I bet you feed and water them
[01:22:20] too. Because what does a good, what does a good owner do? You constantly care for those that are helpless. I'm helpless, and I need Christ. I need Christ this morning. I need to be fed.
[01:22:34] This is what this meal does, is as we eat just bread, just wine and juice, nothing special about these things, but what is incredibly special and important is that when I eat through faith, my soul is spiritually fed upon Christ in a way that nothing else can. And so as often as we eat,
[01:22:55] As we drink, proclaim the Lord's death and what he has done on the cross for us and how he was raised for us until he comes again to make all things new.
[01:23:02] It was on a night when Jesus was betrayed.
[01:23:04] He took the bread, he broke it, and he said, This is my body given for you.
[01:23:07] Eat of it, all of you, in remembrance of me.
[01:23:10] Out here at Harper, we like to serve family style.
[01:23:12] So hold on to your bread until everybody's been served.
[01:23:15] Then we'll eat together.
[01:23:16] And typically don't do songs or singing during communion.
[01:23:21] Mostly just to give us a break.
[01:23:23] So enjoy the silence.
[01:23:25] Open up your Bible, meditate, pray, connect to the meaning of this meal and what Christ has done for you.
[01:25:51] The body of Christ was given for you.
[01:25:53] Let's eat in remembrance of him.
[01:25:59] In the same manner, after the supper, Jesus took the cup, he blessed and he said, this is my blood in the new covenant, shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.
[01:26:07] We are forgiven because Christ went to the cross for us and Christ was raised for us.
[01:26:11] That's how we know we are truly forgiven in Christ.
[01:26:14] Our faith is in him.
[01:26:16] Would you trust him?
[01:26:19] And then here at Harper, we have both wine and grape juice.
[01:26:22] Wine is on the outermost ring.
[01:26:24] All the inner rings are juice.
[01:26:25] And just like the bread, if you want to hold on to your cup until everybody's been served, then we'll drink together.
[01:29:12] The blood of Christ was shed for you.
[01:29:13] Let's drink in remembrance of him.
[01:29:17] Let's pray.
[01:29:19] Lord God, our good and faithful high priest and shepherd, please shepherd our hearts.
[01:29:24] Lord, move us in the right direction.
[01:29:26] direct us, that we may be nourished, grow, become strong.
[01:29:31] And Lord, bring us all the way to the end.
[01:29:35] Lord, we ask all these things in Christ's name we pray.
[01:29:37] Amen.
[01:29:38] Would you please stand as we sing our closing song together?

[01:29:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[01:29:41] We need to close singing about a shepherd.
[01:29:57] It's almost like we picked these songs to go with the sermon.

[01:30:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[01:30:01] Lord, as my shepherd I shall Make me lie down and reap Which made besides you all He restores my soul My shepherd I shall Which made besides you all He restores my soul In the shelter of the Lord's house
[01:31:44] Each of you From the tent there's a shepherd's cow The shepherd answered It was the night The sheep that was lost Out in the desert he heard its cry Sick and blistered, ready to die
[01:33:27] Sick and helpless, ready to die He steeds upon my sheep His own, his own Rejoice for the Lord brings back his own Maybe sight still won't We got snacks and coffee in the room to the right.

[01:35:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:35:20] The kids are still doing their little devotion before Sunday school, so that's going to be in the classroom to the left.
[01:35:27] And we had an infant baptism, which just so happened we talked about baptism during Sunday school.
[01:35:32] So I'd love for you all to stick around for that.
[01:35:34] That's a quarter after the hour.
[01:35:36] Receive the Lord's blessing over you as you go out into the world from Hebrews chapter 13.
[01:35:40] Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good, that you may do His will,
[01:35:52] working in us that which is pleasing in His sight.
[01:35:56] Through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever.