First Baptist Church
February 15, 2026
  • Jesus What A Friend For Sinners (Hyfrydol)
  • Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

      • Psalm 23:1–6ESV

  • Jesus The Shepherd Of My Soul (Psalm 23)
  • Introduction:
    We are going to start this morning’s message with quick review question to see if you were paying attention last week.
    A Pastor is a what..… watchmen..… and his home is a.… tower.
    We saw the overwhelming evidence in scripture for God’s leader’s, his shepherds, that they be watchmen for the flock of God. Both Old Testament and New Testament reflect this critical task.
    We spent our time in one primary text of scripture that shared this pastoral responsibility. Acts 20:28-35, was our text. Reviewing it, we saw how important of a task this was to Paul as he shared it to the elders/Pastors at the church or churches of Ephesus.
    Acts 20:28 ESV
    Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
    We talked much about what it means to watch or to be alert (like a watchmen in the night.… sober, vigilant, using all their senses, knowing his enemy). We also looked at who the shepherds should be concerned with watching... (firstly themselves- or be disqualified) and the flock of God… we saw in scripture the reasons for the command.… we looked at where the danger comes from, the wolves outside and inside the flock… and some of their tactics...
    It is true that shepherds of sheep “keep watch” from their towers of dangers that are on the horizon, but that is not all that shepherds do to protect the sheep.
    Returning to our text in Acts 20:28, we read in various translations of this passage...
    Acts 20:28 NASB95
    “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
    Acts 20:28 NLT
    “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.
    Guard yourselves. Our greek προσέχω (prosechō)- combination of two words (pros) & (echo) which basically means “to hold”… figuratively meaning to hold in one’s mind, be attentive to… .like our word watch… but it can also mean to hold as in to guard/defend/protect/preserve something…
    And that’s what we want to discuss today.
    Shepherds do more than merely watch, they take an active stance in guarding/shielding the flock from harm… But how do the do this? Our text last week, didn’t necessary say how shepherds are to guard the flock. It warned primarily against what you would be guarding against. But should happen if wolves came into the flock, what happens if they shepherds didn’t see them coming and now they are in the midst of the sheep. More than that, can shepherds do other things to protect & prevent dangers to the flock besides merely watching.
    I would like to submit to you a list of 4 things pastors can do to shield their congregations from evil as using the analogy of the shepherd.

    1. Build Walls (Doctrine)-

    2 Timothy 1:13-14, 4:16, Titus 1:9, 2:1
    One of the best ways shepherds can keep their flocks from danger (both from sheep wandering off and from keeping out predators is by building walls, or creating clear boundaries
    One of the clearest defenses against false teaching and false practice is to mark off...... “build a wall”..... around what is true… what is right doctrine.
    Why is it important to have good doctrine, good theology… how is that a defense… a most important defense...
    A helpful blog I read from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary… as this very subject… listed as 3 necessary reasons to know theology.
    Doctrine is necessary to know God.
    Doctrine is necessary to Grow in Grace.
    Doctrine is necessary to Give the Gospel.
    Here’s how the blog became…
    The author states… that he was in a restaurant one day and a Bible study group was meeting at a table nearby. The leader had a voice that carried, so he could hear a good portion of the study, but the first thing he heard this leader say captured his attention. This leader said, “I love non-denominational churches because doctrine is not life-giving.”
    The author of this blog, who’s listening in to the conversation, set aside the comment about non-denominational churches not having doctrine. What he did have to say was on the second half of the sentence... “Doctrine is not life-giving”. This is the complete opposite of what is actually true.
    The word “doctrine” is a biblical word and the Apostle Paul shows us that sound doctrine (something talked about very frequently in scripture) is a most excellent thing we should embrace and seek out. Doctrine refers to teaching and “sound” means something is healthy. Sound doctrine is a shorthand way of saying that teaching is healthy and good for us. This means it corresponds to what is true about God, life, and the world.

    -Doctrine is necessary to know God.

    Every relationship is based on knowing and understanding each other.
    Since God knows and understands us perfectly, it is imperative for us to continue learning about who he is. Thankfully, God has revealed everything we need to know about him in the Scriptures.
    Valentines was yesterday as I hope many of your gentlemen were aware of… and treated your spouses to something special (something you should do regularly). But to please your spouse or you significant other.… you need to know what they like. I was in meijer just the other day picking out something for the misses, and their was a pretty decent sized group of other people all gathered around the valentine’s section doing the same. Some quickly grabbed stuff and went. Other’s spent a long time figuring out what to get. How would you know what to grab. You spend time learning who they are and what they like. What pleases them. That’s infinitely more true of God and that’s what good doctrine does for us.
    In fact, we could say confidently that what you believe about God will impact every facet of your life.

    -Doctrine is necessary to Grow in Grace.

    Too often, Christians put theological teaching against “practical” teaching. They think that this “theological jargon” has nothing to do with how we live our lives. People know the problems they face in life and think that theology has little to do with solving those real problems.
    We don’t need some deep theological nonsense to live right. Many people today do not believe doctrine is necessary at all. It’s very common to hear from “popular” christianity that we can “just love people” and never make doctrine an issue. That’s very typical even amongst supposed christian musicians on the radio or supposed christian actors.
    Every generation of Christians is faced with this idea. People return to thinking that the church should set theology aside and just love people or perform acts of kindness. Talking about theology forces Christians to draw clear lines, so some choose to stop talking about it altogether.
    However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth and actually reflects a immature line of thinking.
    There is no way that even the most sincere believer can conduct a life pleasing to God without knowing what God Himself is like and what sort of life God demands of His people.
    On top of that, the difficulty we run into with this approach of “just loving people and ignoring doctrine” is that most of the solutions to our “practical” problems are rooted in theological truths. How do you know how to love difficult people? The Bible tells us that we learn this by walking in love “as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.”(Ephesians 5:2) Interestingly, Paul roots something as practical as love in something as deeply theological as Jesus’ substitutionary death for us. Understanding the “substitutionary” part informs us the extent of Christ’s love for us. Think how different husbands would love their wives if this weren’t true. We’d say I’d love my wife up to this point but no further. But if we are to love our wives as Christ loved the church. Is the any limited to our love then. A place to where we draw the line. Thank God, Christ didn’t do that for the church. I’ll only love her to this extent. Further look at other examples. To show Christians why they should put sin to death, Paul reminds Christians of their union with Christ. (Romans 6:1-14) When he encourages Christians to forgive, he roots that in the atonement of Christ - debts forgiven (Ephesians 4:32).
    Those who set biblical theology aside also set aside sound Christian living.
    We don’t get the living right part correct until we get the thinking right part correct.

    -Doctrine is necessary to Give the Gospel.

    There was a popular “Christian” song in the late 1990’s titled, “Jesus Saves.” (Kim Wilcox) The gist of the song was that we don’t need to confuse people with weighty theology. We just need to tell them that “Jesus saves.” Sounds simple enough, but what if they ask “Who is Jesus?” or “What does Jesus save me from?” Now you find yourself in a theological conversation and you need good answers to those questions.
    Many conversations about the gospel with people who don’t believe will involve dealing with objections to the gospel message first. You can answer these questions superficially or you can do the hard work of helping people to get to the root of their doubts. Every objection to the gospel involves some aspect of theology. If they object that hell is cruel, you’ll need to talk about the holiness and justice of God. If someone wants to know why he can’t just be a good person, you’ll have to explain the righteousness of Christ and salvation is by faith alone. If they want to know what faith is, you’ll need to explain that believe isn’t really just knowing facts.… it’s about placing your truth, hope, allegiance, and life in submission to Christ. These are theological discussions, but they make a deep impact.
    Having said all that, let me also be clear, there is a point in which scripture can be used as purely an intellectual tool for the scholastics. Where data is king and it doesn’t move beyond that. But that doesn’t measure up to faithfulness or Christlikeness. Spiritual maturity isn’t sums of spiritual knowledge. Maturity is spiritual knowledge followed by Biblical obedience and true fruitfulness.
    And that’s why Paul was so adamant that Timothy guard the truth.
    2 Timothy 1:13–14 ESV
    Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
    1 Timothy 4:16 ESV
    Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
    He told Titus the same thing.
    Titus 1:9 ESV
    He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
    Titus 2:1 ESV
    But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
    Building doctrinal walls around the sheep is therefore a most important task of the pastor of a church.
    In fact, that means that pastors aren’t required necessarily to know and warn against every form of false doctrine out there. That would be a really time consuming task. Rather pastors and flocks just need to know what is true, so they can identify what is false on their own.
    Money- know it’s features, trust it’s real.
    Acts 20:27 ESV
    for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

    2. Teach Basic Instructions (Exhortation)

    John 10:1-5, 1 Thessalonians 3:2, 2 Timothy 1:4-8, 4:2, Hebrews 3:13, Acts 20:32
    Another way shepherds can defend and guard their sheep is to teach the sheep basic commands to guide and control the movement of the sheep. Some common examples of commands real shepherds use:
    “Come” or “Here”: This command is used to call the sheep towards the shepherd. Often taught with positive reinforcement, such as offering food or treats, eventually the sheep learn to respond to the call.
    “Walk” or “Move”: This command is used to direct the sheep to move in a specific direction. Shepherds often use their body language, such as pointing or gesturing, to indicate the desired direction.
    “Stop” or “Stand”: This command is used to instruct the sheep to stop moving and remain in place. Shepherds often use a firm and authoritative tone to convey this command.
    “Back”: This command is used to make the sheep move backward. Shepherds may use physical cues, such as stepping towards the sheep or waving their arms, to encourage them to move backwards.
    Eventually, the sheep learn these commands and the shepherd is then better able to keep them from harm. Imagine the shepherd leading them to green pastures but sheep don’t respond to the cry to stop as they approach a ravine. The results would be catastrophic and the shepherd can’t forcefully stop a herd of sheep all by himself. So this learning to respond to exhortation is critical to guarding them.
    How does a sheep get to this place of obedience to the shepherd’s commands.
    This is from an actual article about how to raise sheep....
    “To train sheep effectively, it’s important to build a bond of trust and familiarity with them. Spending time with the sheep regularly and providing them with food and water can help establish this bond. Shepherds often spend time in the sheep’s presence, talking to them in a calm and reassuring manner. Sheep were often given individual names which reflects the amount of time shepherds spent with their sheep. They could identify the differences and personalities of sheep even in herd well over a hundred. Through this time, the sheep would become more accustomed to the shepherd’s presence and voice.
    Furthermore, it is observed that sheep are social animals that naturally follow a leader. To train them then effectively, shepherds would need to establish themselves as the leader or “alpha” of the flock. This can be done through consistent and confident behavior. Shepherds would use body language and vocal cues to assert their authority and guide the sheep. By consistently exhibiting leadership qualities, shepherds can gain the trust and respect of the sheep.
    Positive reinforcement was an effective training technique for sheep. Shepherds often reward desired behaviors, such as following commands or approaching the shepherd, with treats or praise. This helps reinforce the behavior and encourages the sheep to repeat it in the future.
    One more fascinating fact about sheep training. Sheep only listen to their own shepherds.
    Sometimes when sheep gather with other groups of sheep… often done at the sheepgate… for protection… they will mix with other herds of sheep. But when it comes time to depart and the shepherd calls for them to go… they will leave the other groups of sheep and follow the voice of there shepherd.
    John 10:1–5 ESV
    “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
    Pastors, can learn much from this. We are told in multiple places to give exhortations or instructions to the flock of God so as to keep them from danger.
    1 Thessalonians 3:2 ESV
    and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith,
    2 Timothy 4:2 ESV
    preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
    The term "exhortation" is derived from the Greek word "paraklesis," which encompasses meanings such as encouragement, comfort, and urging. In the context of the Bible, exhortation is both a spiritual gift and a responsibility shared among believers to promote holiness, perseverance, and unity within the body of Christ.
    Exhortation is practiced through various methods, including preaching, teaching, personal counsel, conversation, and worship.
    Hebrews 3:13 ESV
    But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
    To strongly encourage or urge someone toward faithfulness or right action. Examples in scripture.../
    Acts 20:32 ESV
    And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
    With command with encouragement…
    2 Timothy 1:4–8 ESV
    As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

    3. Employ the Rod/Staff (Discipline)

    The shepherds had two tools to use for correcting sheep.
    The rod and the staff.
    Both of these tools were frequently used by shepherds to protect their flocks:
    a rod served as a short club for correcting the sheep in the right direction (not used to abuse the sheep/or inflict needless damage) but to correct. It was a defense weapon for warding off predators.
    -the staff, with it’s long crook on the end, was used to wrap around a sheep’s upper body to yank them out of harm’s way and reroute them to the right path.

    - Ward Off Invaders

    Matthew 16:18-19, Titus 1:9-14, 2 Timothy 2:24-26
    First thing pastors can do is to affirm the entrance of true sheep into the flock and deny the pretenders.
    This is seen in the use of binding...
    Matthew 16:18–19 ESV
    And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
    We don’t have power to save anyone, but we certainly have the ability and authority of Christ to preserve the flock by affirming those who are actually saved. That’s why membership is important. We go thru the process of ensuring that those who are part of use and have the ability to influence the church are indeed those who are of Christ.
    Another way shepherds ward of invaders is found in Paul’s instruction to Titus in Titus chapter 1… turn there if you wish as we will spend some time there.
    Titus 1:9–14 ESV
    He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.
    Two actions were required of Titus the shepherd of the island of Crete when wolves intended to creep into the fold...
    Paul says that...
    2 Actions
    “They must be silenced”
    Now don’t think that Paul just gave Titus the green light to hire the local assassin’s to take care of the job.
    The verb epistomizō means “to muzzle, to stop the mouth.” It evokes the image of putting a bridle on a dangerous animal (cf. Psalm 32:9, LXX). It is not a call to physical force but to decisive, preventive restraint—cutting off the platform, not the person’s dignity or life. Paul uses that same root in 1 Corinthians 9:9: muzzling an ox; it is a vivid metaphor, but not an endorsement to physically muzzle them.
    This word came to mean “to silence by reason.” That reason or logic that must be used is clearly God’s explained Word. When Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, he always responded with God’s Word and so should we. When challenging false teachers and those caught in false teaching, we must point out errors in their doctrine and practice by properly interpreting and applying God’s Word.
    One positive thing about encountering and ministering to those caught in false doctrine is that it should draw us to study God’s Word more deeply, both to confirm what we believe is true and to learn how to share it with others.
    False teaching is so dangerous that it requires action. Not advocating legal action, or a witch hunt. Corrective action… and that’s the right word because the goal of that action is “so that they may be sound in the faith” (1:13).
    “Healthy” in faith which goes well with the next action...
    “Rebuke them sharply”
    “Sharply” comes from a Greek word that means “to cut,” as with a knife. Somewhat ironic that Paul tells Titus the shepherd of the church on the island of Crete to cut away the circumcision party. Play on words, I’m not sure but it is ironic. Since the doctrine these false teachers accepted and taught was particularly unhealthy, they needed to be challenged sharply. We are not to condemn them, as though there is no hope for them. Our sharp challenge is so that they can be spiritually healthy—right with God. As it has been said, “The surgeon of the soul only cuts to achieve a cure.” This applies to us as spiritual surgeons.
    Certainly, we must understand that no person is so far gone that God cannot reach them. Paul himself was caught in Jewish legalism and had even persecuted Christians, and yet, God miraculously saved him. Therefore, we must minister to false teachers and those caught in false doctrine in hope—trusting in God’s sovereign ability to save and deliver even the hardest hearts.
    2 Timothy 2:24–26 ESV
    And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
    So how did this often play out in the NT.… what did it look like...
    1. Withdrawal of the church’s endorsement (2 Thessalonians 3:6).
    2 Thessalonians 3:6 ESV
    Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
    2. Cutting off teaching privileges (1 Timothy 1:3).
    1 Timothy 1:3 ESV
    As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine,
    3. Public refutation followed then by avoidance all-together (Titus 3:10-11).
    Titus 3:10–11 ESV
    As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

    - Correct Insiders

    Hebrews 12:6,11, Galatians 6:1-2, Proverbs 12:1, 15:32
    The short rod/club was used on the sheep, but it wasn’t the sole device used. Both tools were used, but they were used primarily for correction.
    Scriptures calls this discipline.
    Hebrews 12:6 ESV
    For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
    And it’s something pastors are called to take part in when their is unruly sheep.
    Galatians 6:1–2 ESV
    Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
    Is a call for all believers to take part in this responsibility of correcting… but much more is it the pastor’s responsibility to model gentle-but concerned discipline because he loves the flock that God has given him oversight of.
    Discipline is a very uneasy task. But it’s a very necessary task, one that shepherd’s shouldn’t shy away from. It requires boldness and trust in God. Done well, it is a incredibly helpful tool in guarding God’s sheep...
    Hebrews 12:11 ESV
    For AT the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
    The sheep’s response to discipline should be as follows...
    Proverbs 12:1 ESV
    Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
    Proverbs 15:32 ESV
    Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
    We all need reproof at times because we all are sheep that are prone to wander away. So each of us to daily shallow our no ego pills and honor the Lord by receiving correction.

    4. Receive Help from Others

    - Sheepdogs (Recruiting Co-Laborers)

    Titus 1:5-9
    We’ve talked about the certainty of false teachers on the island of Crete who are “upsetting whole families” and “for shameful gain and teaching what they ought not to teach”. Paul gave Titus the tasks and actions to perform in order to ward of the danger, but it would be a much too difficult task to manage on his own. That is why we read in the verses just primary.…
    Titus 1:9 ESV
    He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
    Who is the he in this passage.… the “qualified” elders that Titus was assigned to appoint to the work… (see Titus 1:5)
    Protecting works better when you do it on a team.
    When I looked up what the best defense shepherds have to protect their sheep from danger. The most prioritized answer was the sheepdogs. Marvelous at sensing danger and guarding the sheep. Shepherds who don’t get themselves good sheepdogs often can’t keep up with the work. I believe today’s leaders of God’s flocks need the same. They need sheep dogs who have the authority of the head shepherd to help guide and guard the flock of God.
    Looking at scriptures, the principle of many is a thoroughly Biblical principle. 2 are better than one… why.… because they have good return on their labor. Simplely put, they can accomplish far more together. Even considering spiritual-giftedness wise… two are better because no person is spiritually gifted with all the gifts…there is a beauty in reliance on others who are more gifted in certain places. Unity is diversity as we have said before. So shepherds can do their tasks better when they receive help from others.
    That’s part of the reason Paul enlisted so many people to accompany him on his missionary journey’s. He recognized this truth and used it. We will talk about that alot more next week as we look at another one of the shepherd’s task but understand that shepherds should enlist help in guarding the flock.

    - The Chief Shepherd (Prayer)

    Luke 3:21-22, 4:32, 6:12, 9:18,28, 11:1, 18:1, 22:39-44, Acts 1:14, 6:1-4
    This is best seen in the pastor’s pray life.
    Christ the chief shepherd modeled a life of consistent prayer. So much so that the disciplines begged to be able to prayer like him… teacher, teach us to pray like you do...
    Shepherds are pulled toward prayer by Christ’s model of prayer, but it is also pushed forward by the demanding nature of shepherding. Pastoral ministry will bring you to your knees, one way or another.
    Pastoral work itself is a never-ending job in this life because when is the work ever accomplished?
    “until we all attain to the unity of the faith”
    I really enjoy check lists, feeling like at the end of the day i accomplished something… looking back and seeing a project finished… even something so small as bible reading...
    But they are many days, many weeks, many months, can even be years that you go on laboring without seeing fruits for your labor.
    Pastor’s aim is toward maturing church members in Christ, yet we have no power to make anyone else progress spiritually. We can teach the Bible, but cannot make people obey it from the heart. An elder can exhort fighting members to be reconciled, but cannot make either party forgive. God has given pastors a goal that only He himself can bring to pass.”
    That’s not all either... quote from a book on elders I’m reading …
    “If the demanding scope and humanly impossible success criteria of an elder’s (Pastor’s) job description are not enough to send him pleading to heaven for help, one glance at the honest mirror should do it. Any elder with an ounce of self-awareness knows that his own proclivities to sin can scuttle his ministry.
    He opens the Bible and sees his heart reflected in Abraham’s deception, David’s lust, Elijah’s despair, Hezekiah’s pride, and Peter’s betrayal. And if that weren’t bad enough, he reads that there is a lion who prowls about with a hankering for lamb (1 Peter 5:8).
    “When an elder realizes he is a thirsty, wounded, wandering, hunted sheep himself, he will bleat for the Good Shepherd’s aid.”
    Pastor’s are shepherd’s who are themselves sheep in need of shepherding. They need to spend much time calling upon the chief shepherd for aid in the impossible “humanly-speaking” that God has given them to accomplish.
    As we conclude, I want to once again give praise to our good shepherd. The shepherds task of guarding the flock finds its joy in knowing that our chief shepherd perfectly defends his sheep. He once again never fails in this category.
    Psalm 121:5–8 ESV
    The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
    The Lord has already done so. We might think… that’s not right... bad things are still happening to me,....... wicked people are still doing me much harm,....... evil is all around me.… but if we truly understand what Jesus has done, what He has accomplished, we can appreciate and rejoice in the truth that He truly has saved us from all evil… the true evil.
    Like what Hebrews 13:5-6 says
    Hebrews 13:5–6 ESV
    Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
    By giving us His Holy Word, the Holy Spirit, the Church, and every spiritual blessing in high places,… by giving us new life, new purpose, new future, new understanding, new eternal home… all accomplished when He sent his Son to Calvary… this was the moment He conquered evil… this was the moment that our hope for rescue changed… this was the moment that our confidence was able to be restored.… this is the moment that we know without a doubt that God saves...
    So what can we say to the evils that are all around us....
    Romans 8:38–39 ESV
    For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    Romans 8:31–32 ESV
    What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
    So the Lord indeed is our perfect keeper, our sole defender, our never-failing guardian. Will you trust Him today? Will you trust in His plan, His provisions, in His Pastors, and even if they fail you, He never will.

        • Acts 20:28ESV

        • Acts 20:28ESV

        • Acts 20:28ESV

        • 2 Timothy 1:13–14ESV

        • 1 Timothy 4:16ESV

        • Titus 1:9ESV

        • Titus 2:1ESV

        • Acts 20:27ESV

        • John 10:1–5ESV

        • 1 Thessalonians 3:2ESV

        • 2 Timothy 4:2ESV

        • Hebrews 3:13ESV

        • Acts 20:32ESV

        • 2 Timothy 1:4–8ESV

        • Matthew 16:18–19ESV

        • Titus 1:9–14ESV

        • 2 Timothy 2:24–26ESV

        • 2 Thessalonians 3:6ESV

        • 1 Timothy 1:3ESV

        • Titus 3:10–11ESV

        • Hebrews 12:6ESV

        • Galatians 6:1–2ESV

        • Hebrews 12:11ESV

        • Proverbs 12:1ESV

        • Proverbs 15:32ESV

        • Titus 1:9ESV

        • Psalm 121:5–8ESV

        • Hebrews 13:5–6ESV

        • Romans 8:38–39ESV

        • Romans 8:31–32ESV

        • He Will Hold Me Fast
        First Baptist Church
        howardcitybaptist@gmail.com
        2319374809
        https://fbcohc-howard-city.faithlifesites.com
        48 members • 7 followers