Behold our Shepherd

It's my pleasure today to welcome Reverend Colin Dow to preach to us at both this morning and this evening service. Colin is minister at Crow Road Free Church in Glasgow.

Thank you. Thank you very much, Colin. My legs are kind of sore, has to be said. Wonderful to be here. I always feel like I'm coming home when I'm coming up to Lewis and I never knew why that was until my wife bought me a subscription to an ancestry website for my Christmas present.

And it turns out that I am a direct descendant of Summer Edma Gilbride, the first Lord of the Isles. So that must be why I feel I'm coming home.

Behold, the Lord God comes with might and his arm rules for him. Behold, his reward is with him and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd.

He will gather the lambs in his arms. He will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those with young.

Let us worship God. Let us sing to his praise in Psalm 93. Psalm 93 on page 123.

The Lord is King, his throne endures, majestic in its height.

Let us stand as we sing to God's praise.

Let us sing to God's praise.

The Lord is King, his throne endures, majestic in its height.

The world is found firm and sure,

Rebooteth cannot be, Rebooteth cannot be.

Your throne is strong, Now you are God.

From all eternity, From all eternity,

But these the Lord have lifted up,

They lifted up their voice,

They lifted up their voice,

But these the Lord have lifted up their weight,

And made a mighty noise,

And made a mighty noise,

And made a mighty noise.

The Lord have grown on high,

Is strong,

For powerful is he,

For powerful is he,

And thunder of the ocean's waves,

Are breakers of the sea,

Are breakers of the sea,

Are breakers of the sea,

Are breakers of the sea,

Are breakers of the sea.

Your voice is not a true source and firm,

Unchanging is your word,

Unchanging is your word,

Unchanging is your word,

And holiness adorns your eyes,

For endless days,

For endless days,

For endless days,

For endless days,

For endless days,

For endless days,

Let us pray.

Indeed, O Lord Almighty, had we a thousand tongues,

they would not be enough to sing your praises,

for you are King.

You have always been King, you have always reigned,

since before the sun was set in the sky,

and you flung the stars into space.

You were King, and you are King today.

You are in sovereign control of all things that come to pass,

and you will always be King.

You reign in splendor and glory, and we bow before you,

our Sovereign God.

You are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one true and living God.

God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable,

in his being wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

And yet we have seen you in the face of Jesus Christ.

We thank you for your great love for us.

You demonstrated your love for us in this.

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Surely, O Lord, by nature we were conceived in sin.

We sinned daily in thought, word, and deed,

both by the wrong things we do,

and the right things we fail to do.

How we thank you, O Lord,

that you have laid all our sins

on the shoulders of our Saviour, Jesus Christ,

who bore them on Calvary's tree for us.

How we thank you that if we confess our sins,

you are faithful and just to forgive our sins

and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

How we thank you that the blood of Jesus Christ

is enough to forgive all our sins.

But more so,

the blood of Jesus Christ covers us with his righteousness.

So that even as you look upon us,

as we are united in Christ,

you say of us,

you are my beloved son,

you are my beloved daughter,

in you I am well pleased.

What a great message the gospel of Jesus Christ is.

And we pray this morning that you would send your Holy Spirit

that we may focus our minds

on Jesus Christ and him crucified,

the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me,

the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.

We ask all these things

with the forgiveness of all our sin,

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

It is so wonderful to see all you boys and girls here today.

Did any of you run yesterday?

We have two down here.

Anyone else?

Are your legs as sore as mine today?

Yeah?

I want to help you understand

what ministers do for a living.

Okay?

Because lots of people come to me and say,

what do ministers do?

And sometimes I find it quite hard

to explain to someone

who doesn't go to church

what a minister does.

How would you answer that question,

what does a minister do?

Well, I want to help

try and explain to you

what a minister does.

So,

I here

have a pencil case.

And I know that there's a young man

in this connegation

whose father has bought him

this pencil case.

Who's that young man?

Uh-huh.

But because

it couldn't be delivered

here,

it had to be delivered

to my house in Glasgow.

But it wasn't me

who bought the pencil case

for this young man.

It was

his father.

This young man's father

who loves him very much

and wants him to have

the coolest

pencil case

in the whole

of the world.

It's got

Mr. Beast

written in the front.

And it's got a picture

of Callum.

Right in the front of it.

And I wonder

whether

Callum Angi,

would you mind

walking up here

because I certainly

can't walk down there.

Would you come

and get this

from me?

Would you mind?

Tell you what,

I'll meet you halfway.

Well,

there we go.

It's come all the way

from China

without a 254%

cut.

Good boy,

Callum Angi.

So,

I came all the way

up here

to do three things.

I came up here

to run the half marathon.

I came up here

to preach today.

And I came up here

to give a present

from a father

to his son.

because,

well,

Gordon loves

Callum Angi

and Gordon loves

to buy

Callum Angi

lovely things.

So,

what do you think

a minister does?

And what is me

giving that pencil case

to you got to do

with being a minister?

Huh?

Ministers

give

what our loving

heavenly father

has bought

for his children.

So,

our loving

heavenly father,

God,

has bought

salvation

through the blood

of Jesus

for us

if we have

faith in Jesus.

And what the

minister does

is

to tell

God's children,

us,

that God

has bought

a present

for us.

And the minister

stands up

every single Sunday

morning and evening.

this is what

Callum does

every Sunday

morning and evening

to give that gift

to God's children.

To give that gift

to you

and to me.

That's what he does.

So,

as he preaches

from the word,

he is

listening

to God the Father

saying,

tell my children

I have wonderful

gifts for them.

I have forgiveness

for them

from Jesus.

I have peace

for them

from the Holy Spirit.

I have comfort

when they're sad.

I have joy

for them.

I have hope

for them

when they can't

see the way ahead.

I have all

these things

for them.

And through

the preaching

of the word,

the minister

gives these gifts

to God's children.

So,

when next time

someone asks you,

what does a minister

do?

This is a bit

old for you,

but I often

get told that

a minister's job

is six days

to be invisible

and one day

to be incomprehensible.

But don't

use that.

Say,

it's the minister's job

to give

the gift

a father

has bought

to his children.

And then

when they say,

what does that mean?

Explain to them,

God

has bought

salvation

for his children

through the blood

of his son,

Jesus,

and it's

the minister's job

to offer

that salvation

to God's children.

So,

next time

you're playing

with your pencil case,

Calabangi,

and fill it up

and take it to school

and show your teacher,

isn't this cool?

Or next time

you're using

your pencil case

in school,

children,

could you remember

my story

about what a minister

does?

Giving gifts

a loving father

has bought

for his child

to them.

We're now going

to say the Lord's

Prayer together.

Our Father,

Jordan,

heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done

on earth

as it is in heaven.

Forgive us

our debts

as we forgive

our debtors.

And lead us

not into temptation,

but deliver us

from evil.

For thine

is the kingdom,

the power,

and the glory

forever and ever.

Amen.

We're going to sing

a song now,

a psalm now,

that talks about

our sin

and how God

forgives our sin.

This is a great gift

the Father gives us.

He blocks out our sin

because of the death

of Jesus.

Psalm 51

from verse 5

to verse 15

in St.

Psalms,

page 68.

8.

Psalm 51,

page 68.

From my birth

I have been sinful.

Such the nature

I received,

sinful from my first

beginning,

in my mother's womb

concede.

Again,

let's stand to sing

as we sing

Psalm 51

to God's praise.

For my heart

I have been sinful,

Such the nature

I receive,

Sent to God

from my first

beginning,

And my mother's

womb concede,

Truth,

you look

for in my heart,

Wisdom to me

you enviars.

And with this

of beautify me,

I'll be whiter

than the snow.

Let the bones

you must be joyful,

May I joy

and gladness know.

From my failure

hide your face,

Lord,

and all my wickedness.

Lord,

create a pure heart

in me,

and a steadfast mind

renew.

Do not take your spirit

from me,

cast me not away

from you.

Give me back

the joy I have,

Keep my will

in spirit blood.

Then I'll teach

your ways to sinners,

Rebels will turn

back to you.

free me from the guilt,

my Savior,

for those merciful

and true.

Then I'll praise

your righteousness,

teach my lips

your name to bless.

Amen.

We're going to read now

from Isaiah chapter 40.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

Isaiah chapter 40.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

And we're going to read

from verse 1

to verse 17.

This is on page 724

of the Bible I have here.

Isaiah 40.

This is the word of God.

Comfort.

Comfort, my people,

says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem

and cry to her

that her warfare has ended.

That her iniquity is pardoned.

That she has received

from the Lord's hand

double for all her sins.

A voice cries.

In the wilderness

prepare the way of the Lord.

Make straight in the desert

a highway for our God.

Every valley

shall be lifted up

and every mountain and hill

be made low.

The uneven ground

shall become level

and the rough places

a plain.

and the glory of the Lord

shall be revealed.

And all flesh

shall see it together

for the mouth

of the Lord

has spoken.

A voice

says,

cry.

And I said,

what shall I cry?

All flesh is grass

and its beauty

is like the flower

of the field.

The grass withers.

The flower fades

when the breath

of the Lord

blows on it.

Surely the people

are grass.

The grass withers.

The flower fades.

But the word of our God

will stand forever.

Get you up

to a high mountain,

O Zion,

herald of good news.

Lift up your voice

with strength,

O Jerusalem,

herald of good news.

Lift it up.

Fear not.

Say to the cities

of Judah,

behold your God.

Behold the Lord God

comes with might

and his arm rules for him.

Behold his reward

is with him

and his recompense

before him.

He will tend his flock

like a shepherd.

He will gather

the lambs in his arms.

He will carry them

in his bosom

and gently lead those

that are with young.

who has measured

the water

in the hollow

of his hand

and marked off

the heavens

with a span,

enclosed the dust

of the earth

in a measure

and weighed

the mountains

in scales

and the hills

in a balance?

Who has measured

the spirit of the Lord

or what man

shows him his counsel?

Whom did he consult

and who made him understand?

Who taught him

the path of justice

and taught him knowledge

and showed him

the way of understanding?

Behold the nations

are like a drop

from a bucket

and are accounted

as the dust

on the scales.

Behold he takes up

the coastlands

like fine dust.

Lebanon would not

suffice for fuel

nor are its beasts

enough for a burnt offering.

All the nations

are as nothing

before him.

They are accounted

by him as less

than nothing

and emptiness.

Amen.

May God bless

this reading

of his word.

Let us pray.

We thank you Lord

for your word.

We thank you

that it is

your living breath.

That just as you

breathed

into the nostrils

of the first man

Adam

and he became

a living being

so you breathe

through your word

into our hearts

and we

spiritually

live.

we thank you

that your word

is living and active

sharper than any

two-edged sword.

We thank you

that your word

is like honey

honey

from the comb

and more precious

than gold.

We pray for

every organization

engaged in

spreading your word

in translating

it into

the languages

of the peoples

of the world.

world.

We thank you

for Wycliffe

Bible Translators

for the work

of the Bible

Societies

for the work

of the Langham

Partnership.

We thank you

for the growing

church

all over

our world.

We thank you

especially

for the growth

of the church

in nations

which previously

had been closed

to the gospel.

We think of

the nation

of Mongolia

a nation

which up

until the fall

of the Iron

Curtain

we knew

little or

nothing about

and yet

now

there is

a growing

church

with 60,000

believers

sending missionaries

all over

that part of

Asia

even into

China.

Lord we thank

you that your

spirit is doing

amazing things

is raising

the spiritual

temperature

of entire

nations.

Lord we pray

that you

would send

revival

on our own

beloved Scotland.

Will you not

O Lord

rend the heavens

in wrath

remember mercy

O Lord

and do the

things you

did at first

here.

We pray

that you

would fill

our churches

to overflowing

with eager

worshippers

and lifelong

disciples.

We pray

Lord that you

would thrust

men into the

harvest field

for the

harvest

is white.

We thank

you for this

church

which has

for so long

been a bastion

of the preaching

of the word

and the praising

of your name.

And we pray

Lord that you

would call

a man of

your own

choosing here.

We thank you

for the thoughts

of Gordon

on Wednesday

evening

and for this

little note

in our orders

of service

which reminds

us of the

things for

which we are

to pray

regarding

this vacancy.

We pray

for unanimity

of spirit

among us.

We pray

that you

would help

us to

be guided

and led

to a man

who is

word focused

in his

ministry.

We pray

that you

would give

us insight.

We thank

you for the

promise that

if any lacks

wisdom

we should

ask it of

you.

We pray

that you

would help

us to trust

in your

timing.

and we

pray

Lord

that you

would help

us to

yield

our

hearts

to

your

choice.

Father

our

great

desire

is

just as

it

is

for

Glasgow.

May

Glasgow

flourish

by the

preaching

of the

word

and the

praising

of your

name

may

Stornoway

flourish

in the

same

way.

Lord

we pray

for our

nation

the

nation

once

known

as

the

land

of the

book.

We

pray

for

the

great

unreached

parts

of our

nation

for

Argyle

and for

Maryshire

for

increasingly

parts of

the inner

and outer

Hebrides.

Lord

we ask

and pray

that you

would send

your spirit

in new

power.

We

pray

Lord

for

our

own

denomination

the

free

church

of

Scotland

we

recognise

that

we

are

a

tiny

little

branch

of

a

worldwide

tree

which

keeps

growing.

We

pray

Lord

that

you

would

bless

however

our

tiny

branch.

I

selfishly

pray

for

our

two

church

plants

from

our

own

connegation

in

Glasgow

for

Hope

Community

Church

in

Helensburgh

and

for

Crossbridge

Church

in

Merced

Den

Will

Guy.

We

give

you

thanks

for

their

growth

over

these

last

months

when

they

have

first

begun

to

worship

you

publicly

and

yet

have

both

doubled

in

size.

Lord

we

pray

for

such

a

growth

and

movement

all

over

Scotland.

We

pray

for

any

who

are

sick

and

struggling

in

our

connegation

here.

We

pray

for

those

who

are

physically

ill.

We

pray

for

those

who

are

mentally

challenged.

We

pray

for

those

who

are

discouraged.

We

also

pray

Lord

for

who

were

born

baptized

and

brought

up

in

our

connegation

but

have

backslidden

have

left

the

faith

behind

them.

We

remember

the

promises

made

at

baptism.

Promises

not

so

much

made

by

parents

to

you

but

made

by

you

to

parents.

Lord

we

pray

that

you

would

remember

the

covenant

promises

you

made

and

bring

our

people

back.

Now

Lord

we

commit

ourselves

to

you

asking

that

you

would

make

war

cease

to

the

ends

of

the

earth

and

that

the

gospel

of

Jesus

Christ

would

reign.

We

ask

these

things

in

his

name.

Amen.

once

more

we're

going

to

sing

in

Psalm

number

119

and

we're

going

to

sing

from

verse

9

to

verse

16

you'll

find

this

on

page

number

400

I

should

say

thank you

very

much

to

Elizabeth

for

her

emails

this

week

and

for

arranging

things

so

well

by

what

means

shall

a

young

man

learn

his

way

to

purify

if

he

according

to

thy

word

there

to

attentive

be

Psalm

119

from

verse

9

to

16

to

God's

praise

groan

this

way

to

purify

if

he

according

to

thy

word

then

do

attentive

me

groan

Let me be, he have I sought, with all my soul and heart.

O let me not from the right path of thy commands depart.

Thy word I in my heart have lived, but I offend not thee.

O Lord, the weather blessed are thy status teach the me.

But judgment so thy mouth each one, my lips decreed how.

For joy thy testimonies plead, the righteous, O only name.

Thy will thy holy present make, my meditation.

And carefully I'll have respect, but to thy ways each one.

Among thy statutes my delight shall constantly be set.

And by thy grace I never will, my holy word forget.

Amen.

It really is a great privilege to preach to you today and to share this time with you.

Some of you may remember that I did a placement as a student here 24 years ago.

Back then I had far more hair, far more energy and far less children.

So it's lovely to bring with me this weekend my wife, who won first prize in the over 50s female half marathon yesterday.

I'm very proud of her.

And then son number two, Aidan.

Son number three, Jonathan.

And his girlfriend, Ailey.

So thank you for your very kind welcome.

It really is lovely, lovely to be here and to see old friends.

We're going to turn in our Bibles now to Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 11.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

Isaiah 40 and verse 11.

Where we read of God, he will tend his flock like a shepherd.

He will gather the lambs in his arms.

He will carry them in his bosom.

And gently lead those that are with young.

Heavenly Father, we bow in your presence.

May your word be our rule, your spirit our teacher, and your greater glory our supreme concern.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

There are few more indeeding images that you may have in your minds of God than that of him being our shepherd.

Perhaps the most famous line of any song in any language is the first line of Psalm 23.

The Lord's my shepherd.

One of Jesus' most famous parables is that of the shepherd.

Who having left the 99 sheep in safety, searches for that one lost sheep.

And when he finds it, he lays that one lost sheep across his shoulders.

And joyfully brings it home.

Our Lord said to himself, I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.

There's something about the image of God as our shepherd which comforts us.

And whatever our circumstances makes us feel safe.

This chapter, Isaiah 40, tells the story of how God will rescue his people from their exile in Babylon.

Having spiraled downwards through their unfaithfulness to him,

the Israelites were forcibly relocated all across the vast Babylonian empire.

For 70 years they were exiled from their homeland because of their unfaithfulness to God.

These were terrifying years of exile and pain.

But a time will come when God will lead them back from Babylon and bring them back to Israel.

When their sins shall be forgiven and they shall once again be established in Jerusalem.

The rescue from Babylon is pictured in verse 11 here as that of the Lord.

Like a shepherd.

Tending his flock.

Gathering the lambs in his arms.

Carrying them in his bosom.

And gently leading those who have young.

After all, these returning people of Israel will have hundreds of miles to travel back to their homeland from Babylon.

But the Lord shall be their shepherd.

He shall lead them like a flock of sheep.

He shall provide for them.

He shall protect them every step of the way.

Now, although it may be a bit fanciful,

the homeward journey of the exiles from Babylon was compared by many of the early church fathers

to the lifelong journey of the Christian.

Like Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress,

we leave behind us the city of destruction when we become Christians

and we make our way to the celestial city of heaven.

But we do not travel alone in life.

Unkept.

Unloved.

Unprotected.

Rather, as we make our way through life,

the Lord tends to us,

gathers us,

carries us,

and gently leads us to himself.

We may experience many hardships on the journey.

We may be attacked by all kinds of enemies.

But the Lord will be our shepherd

and he will lead us home.

Picture this.

In all of life's ups and downs,

in all of our pleasures,

in all of our pains,

in all of our joys,

and in all of our sorrows,

our Lord is tender,

loving.

He's our powerful shepherd.

And he will hold us fast,

nearer to his heart.

I want us to explore this image of the Lord as our shepherd

from this verse in Isaiah 40,

under three headings,

our glorious shepherd,

our gracious shepherd,

our gentle shepherd.

For any today who feel as though they're lost and alone,

take comfort.

Take comfort.

The Lord is your shepherd.

He will never leave you.

He will never forsake you.

He will carry you.

He will be with you always.

First of all then,

we have our glorious shepherd.

Our glorious shepherd.

When I was a child,

and I'd get into verbal spat with another boy in my class,

the argument would always end up with him saying to me,

my dad's bigger than your dad.

And then I'd say to him,

no, no, no, no, no, no.

My dad's bigger than your dad.

Truth be told,

both dads were the same size.

In Isaiah 40,

there's no doubt who's the bigger.

One of the reasons that we love Isaiah 40 is

because of the picture that it paints

of the sheer immensity,

glory,

and power of the Lord who is our shepherd.

It all begins in verse 9

with the announcement,

Behold your God.

Behold your God.

Behold him indeed.

See him in the limitless sovereignty

of his kingly reign.

There follows from verse 12

a series of rhetorical questions.

Who has measured the waters

in the hollow of his hand?

Who has measured the spirit of the Lord?

The might and power of Babylon

can be counted and measured.

But the immensity of God

is beyond all calculation.

Behold,

Isaiah cries out,

the nations are like drops from a bucket

and are accounted as dust on the scales.

Drops of water.

Dust indeed.

The greatest

of all the human empires

is but dust

in the scales

to God.

On one side

is the weight of God.

On the other

a fleck of dust.

All the nations

there is nothing before him.

Who does this puny

king of Babylon

suppose himself

to be compared

to the immensity

of the glory

of the God

of heaven and earth?

The God

who cannot be likened

to any image?

The limitless

infinity of his essence

and character

going beyond

the limited

finite mind

any of us

can ever imagine?

And then come

the three great questions

of this chapter.

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

He sits above

the circle of the earth

and its inhabitants

are like grasshoppers.

He brings princes

to nothing

and makes the rulers

of the earth

as emptiness

or vanity.

Lift up your eyes

on high

and see

who created

all these.

He brings out

their host

by number

and he calls

them all

by name.

Astronomers

will admit

they haven't

even begun

to scratch

the surface

of all

there is to know

about

the stars

we can see.

Never mind

the stars

only the Hubble

can see.

God created

them all

and he gave

each one

a name.

It crescendos

in verse 28

The Lord

is the everlasting

God

the creator

of the ends

of the earth.

He does not

faint or grow weary

his understanding

is unsearchable.

The king of Babylon

he's seated

on a throne

of earthly glory.

He sneers

at the world

around him

but all the

time

his beauty

is like

the flower

of the field.

He is less

than a grain

of dust.

He's a grasshopper.

He's a great

nothing.

My dad's

bigger than

your dad

indeed.

Our great

shepherd king

the Lord

himself

he is the

everlasting

God

the created

of the ends

of the earth.

He alone

stands

gloriously

enthroned

above all

that he has

made.

Our human

minds

cannot imagine

the greatness

of his being.

Our human

calculations

will always

fall short

of measuring

even the

smallest movement

of his power.

There are no

words in any

human language

sufficient to

even begin to

describe his

immensity.

To describe

himself to us

God must use

baby talk

so that we may

understand.

All his

revelations of

himself are like

a toddler

babbling

but that is

what our

God must

do so that

we may

know him.

Who then

is your

shepherd

who tends

you?

Who holds

you close

to his

heart?

Who is

this shepherd

king who

gathers you

like a

lamb in

his arms

and gently

leads you

through life?

He is the

everlasting

God before

whom the

nations are

as drops

in a bucket

and as

grains of

dust.

The God

who will

rescue his

captive people

from Babylon

who will

lead them

through the

wilderness

home to

Israel.

This is

who he

is in

the

immensity

of his

power,

his

supremacy

and his

glory.

What

comfort this

must have

been to

the fearful

people of

Israel.

Nothing

need they

fear if

God be

their

shepherd.

No

hunger,

no thirst,

no army,

no robber,

no mountain

or desert.

As the

famous St.

Julian of

Norwich

once said,

all shall

be well,

all shall

be well.

It shall

be well

because of

the glory

of the

God who

is our

shepherd.

Our

enemies may

be greater

than us,

but there

is drops

from a

bucket to

God.

The

deserts of

our lives

may seem

empty,

but the

God who

created

water

shall fill

them with

refreshing

pools.

He is

the

Lord,

our

shepherd,

who will

lead us

beside the

still waters

and make

us lie

down in

green

pastures,

who will

lead us

in paths

of

righteousness.

The

Lord,

our

shepherd,

who will

be with

us,

comforting

us with

his rod

and staff

as we

walk through

the valleys

of the

shadow

of death.

As the

Israelites

make their

way from

Babylon

to

Canaan,

God

will prepare

them

banqueting

tables in

the

wilderness,

and his

goodness

and mercy

shall follow

them always.

Behold,

our

God,

Isaiah

cries.

He will

tend his

flock like

a shepherd.

He will

gather the

lambs in

his arms.

He will

carry them

in his

bosom and

gently lead

those who

have

young.

him.

If the

church

fathers

were

right,

and

the

return

from

exile

is a

picture

of the

Christian

life,

then

surely

we

too

can

take

comfort

from

the

immensity

and glory

of the

Lord

who is

our

shepherd.

Who are

these

enemies

who stand

against

us,

who seem

so tall

and strong

to us?

They have

not seen

the glory

of God

who stands

tall over

them.

What is

this physical

or mental

illness we

are enduring?

This grief

which gnaws

at our

very bones.

Surely

our God

who sustains

the innumerable

stars in

their heavenly

positions.

Surely

he can

sustain us

and cause

our cup

of joy

yet to

overflow.

Are there

any here

this morning

who are

anxious

any here

this morning

who are

fearful?

In my

Spurgeon's

morning and

evening readings

for the

27th of

March,

I read

some

beautiful

words.

He wrote,

this is

the royal

road to

comfort.

Great

thoughts

of your

sin alone

will drive

you to

despair.

But listen

to this.

Great

thoughts

of Christ

will

pilot you

into the

heaven of

peace.

Great

thoughts

of Christ

will

pilot you

into the

heaven of

peace.

Look not

inwards at

our

weakness

and sin

but upwards

at the

glory and

holiness and

love of

our shepherd.

Then,

surely then,

we shall

be at

peace and

all shall

be well

with us.

The

Lord's

our

glorious

shepherd.

Well,

second,

the Lord is

our gracious

shepherd.

He's our

gracious

shepherd.

You will

know that

the people

of Israel

were in

exile in

Babylon

because of

their

unfaithfulness

to God.

For

hundreds of

years prior

to their

exile,

ever since

the days

of David,

they had

been on

a downward

spiral.

They had

worshipped the

Lord,

but they had

worshipped many

other gods

also,

idols made

of wood

and stone,

and they

sacrificed

to these

idols.

We even

read of

one of the

kings of

Israel who

sacrificed his

children to

one of

these idols.

prior to

their

captivity in

Babylon,

Israel had

become a

morally

disgusting,

socially

corrupted,

and

religiously

depraved

nation.

Well,

God's

judgment upon

them was

severe.

He caused

the Babylonian

army to

march in

and destroy

Jerusalem,

to carry

its best

people away

into exile,

to scatter

them to the

four winds of

the massive

Babylonian

empire.

However,

his judgment

upon them,

to use

technical

terms,

was not

retributive as

much as it

was restorative.

He punished

them to bring

them to their

senses,

as we may

a child.

Because during

those 70

years of

exile,

the people

of Israel

came to

their senses

and realized

why all this

had happened

to them.

They realized

that it was

because of

their sin

that God

had judged

them.

They repented

and once again

began to

seek the

Lord.

And as at

this point we

enter Isaiah

40,

where God

says,

Comfort,

comfort my

people,

says your

God.

Speak tenderly

to Jerusalem

and cry to

her that her

warfare is

ended,

that her

iniquity is

pardoned,

that she

has received

from the

Lord's hand

double for

all her

sins.

The God

who had

judged them

on account