Title: Shadow of Death (Lent Day 29 Sermon)
The Shadow of Death
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I will not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters. 3 He revives my soul and leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me. 5 You have set a table for me in the sight of my enemies; you have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever. (NKJV)
The great psalm we read today vividly portrays the goodness and mercy of God in his constant care for his people. That is why there are many books and stories about the great truth contained in this Shepherd's Song.
It is said that a contest to recite Psalm 23 was held in a city. Many people participated, and it is said that some of them were voice actors and some were announcers. The contestants all recite Psalm 23 with all their emotions. There was a gentle wave of emotion among the attendees. Then a man came up to the stage. The atmosphere was a bit distracting, as neither his appearance nor his attire were worthy of attention. However, this man didn't care and read Psalm 23 down. All of a sudden, the people became quiet. When that person finished reading and went down the stage, a different emotion arose from the others.
The judges came out and gave their opinions. “The people who participated today really moved us a lot. However, one of them seemed to know and know the Shepherd, Jehovah God.”
Sheep cannot travel alone. The sheep need a shepherd to lead them into the green pastures. Sheep should be led by calm waters. Because if the current of a stream or river is strong, the sheep cannot drink the water. Because it can even be washed away by strong currents and lose your life. The sheep must be led to a safe place. When the sheep meet great danger, when the shadow of death falls upon them, they must be protected with the shepherd's staff and staff.
The story of the sheep and the shepherd reveals what our relationship with God is like. Just as sheep are protected by a shepherd, so children of God are protected by their Heavenly Father. We never walk into the valley of death. They only walk through the valley of the shadow of death. “As believers, we never walk through the valley of death. We walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”
I still remember the story told by the great preacher Donald Gray Banhouse. When Van Howe's wife died, his daughter was only six years old. It was difficult for him to overcome the grief of losing his beloved wife, but even more difficult was to explain his mother's death to his young daughter.
One day, he and his daughter were standing at the corner of a busy city intersection, waiting for the traffic lights to change. Then, suddenly, a large truck passed by, blocking the sunlight for a moment, and the daughter was startled. Vanhaus lifted her surprised daughter and hugged her to her chest. In that moment, the wisdom of God flashed through my head. He was able to explain the mother's death to her daughter. “Hey, were you scared when the truck passed by? But Daddy has a question for you. Would you like to be hit by a truck? Or would you like to be hit by the shadow of a truck?” “It’s the shadow of the truck,” replied the little daughter. “Well then, yes. When the mother dies, the mother is struck by the shadow of death. Because the truck hit Jesus.”
Gentlemen, chapter 10 of the Gospel of John is the 23rd Psalm in the New Testament. Here the Lord speaks of Himself as the Good Shepherd. “I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, but the wager is no shepherd, and the sheep are not his sheep. When they see a wolf coming, they leave the sheep and run away, and the wolves plunder and stray. He flees because he is a wager, and he does not tend the sheep, but I am the good shepherd I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, so I lay down my life for the sheep.” (Verses 11-15) The phrase “I lay down my life for the sheep” appears several times in this verse. Jesus lay down his life for the sheep because he is the good shepherd. He is not a laborer who leaves the sheep in danger and runs away. The laborer does not take care of the sheep. However, the good shepherd does not abandon the sheep. He lays down his life for the sheep in crisis. That's right. Thanks to that Good Shepherd, we fear no harm even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Because the Lord is with me.
Keep reading, folks, more of this great psalm. God said, “He leads us in the way of righteousness for the sake of his name.” “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” “Because of his name,” he said. Because of the name he said, “I am the good shepherd,” God is responsible for that word. The God, the Good Shepherd, whom David discovered in Psalm 23, was Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for us.
Death is swallowed up in victory. Death was swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory? Death, where is your triumph?
O death, where is your sting?” Death, where is your sting?
But thank God! But, thank God.
He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. God gives us the victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Don't be shaken and stand strong. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, work hard for the Lord.
for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."
God, the Good Shepherd, is protecting us from death, while we live, He watches over us, cares for us, feeds us, and binds up our wounds. His goodness and mercy will follow us throughout our lives. And one day he will lead us to his eternal home. God will do so for us “for the sake of his name” when he said he was the Good Shepherd.
Psalm 23 ends like this.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life. God's goodness and mercy will surely follow me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. And again, I will live forever in the house of the Lord.