His Goodness and Mercy Follow Me. Introduction: Father s Day can be bitter, sweet or bitter sweet.

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Shannon Rodgers
5 years ago
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1 His Goodness and Mercy Follow Me Introduction: Father s Day can be bitter, sweet or bitter sweet. Share my story of teaching my kids driving skills just like my dad taught me. - Adjust your seat and mirrors before moving. - Seatbelt is to be worn at all times. - When you pull up behind a car make sure you can see their tires touching pavement. - When you are following a car keep a distance of one car length per 10 miles per hour. - When changing lanes look at rear view, side mirrors and a take a quick peek over your shoulder before turning on your signal and getting over. - Be aware of the drivers around you. Keep scanning your mirrors and anticipate what they are going to do. - When you are waiting for a break to turn across traffic keep your wheels forward so if someone hits you from behind they don t send you into oncoming traffic. When people hear the word father, many different images, memories and feelings immediately come to mind. For some, thoughts of a father bring about feelings of love, affirmation, encouragement, guidance and provision. There are those here today who have or had fathers that are (were) engaged in your live, supportive, encouraging and great examples for you. For others, feelings of rejection, criticism and abandonment may come to the surface. Others had or have fathers who are present physically but emotionally they are disconnected and unengaged in your life. Some have lost fathers too early in life due to death, divorce or abandonment and today may bring back memories of things they said to you or taught you and remind you of how much you miss them.

2 Still others have had absentee fathers or fathers who have drifted in and out of your life. Some had (or may have) a father who was supposed to protect you but crossed lines physically, verbally or emotionally that they never should have and because of that you have a deep wound when you hear the word father. I recently had a conversation with a guy in his late 20 s whose dad doesn t want anything to do with him anymore. This guy just became a father for the first time and once he told his dad about his situation suddenly his dad won t answer or return his calls. He is crushed and hurting and asking the question that many of you may be thinking today: Why? Psalm 23:1 5 (ESV) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. In the middle of a very difficult situation; when David s enemies are seeking after him to kill him and take his throne, he makes this strong statement: This is a bold, brazen statement. Many may even say it is somewhat of a boast. Psalm 23: 6a Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. David is proclaiming confidence in God as his shepherd; in God as his loving Father. In the middle of a dark situation, with enemies chasing after him, he is proclaiming his confidence in the One who controls his future. God s goodness and mercy are constant gifts to His children. Surely: persuaded, convinced or completely bought in. David didn t say: - Maybe or possibly or I have a hunch or I hope goodness and mercy will follow me.

3 - He could have used any of those phrases. But he didn t. He believed in a sure God, who makes sure promises and provides a sure foundation. If we claim to be a follower of Christ, if He is our Shepherd, if God is our Father do we have that same confidence? Do we have confidence that God s goodness and mercy are constant gifts to His children? There will be situations and seasons that chip away at our confidence in the goodness and mercy, the steadfast love of our shepherd, our loving Father. David was right there, front and center. Father s Day card from Absalom. Yet even in this dark time David was confident that God his shepherd, that God his loving Father was still pursuing him and reaching out to him with gifts of goodness and mercy. Our moods may shift, but God doesn t. Our minds may change, but God doesn t. Our devotion to Him may wane, but God s never does. Even we you and I are faithless, God is faithful b/c scripture tells us that he cannot betray himself (2 Tim. 2:13). And because we have a sure God, we have a sure shepherd; we can state confidently Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Not a few, not some, not most but all. When I doubt? When I drift away from the flock? When I depend on myself and not on Him? Yes, yes and yes. Wait a minute, that can t be right. I don t deserve that. Right again. Why does God constantly give gifts of goodness and mercy to me? Why does he pursue me, follow me with goodness and mercy? He follows us, He pursues us out of His great heart of love, care and concern for me, for you as one of his sheep; as one of His children. John 10:11 (ESV) I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

4 All the care, all the work, all the alert watchfulness, all the concern, all the self sacrifice of our Shepherd are born out of his love the love of One who loves His sheep, loves His work and loves His role as a Shepherd. In this verse David is stating that my confidence, my assurance is in the character of my shepherd, my heavenly Father who constantly gives his children the gifts of goodness and mercy and steadfast love. What a difference that made in his life and can make in ours! When we begin to get it, to understand and comprehend that God s goodness and mercy are constantly flowing into our lives, overflowing out of His heart of love for us, His sheep, His children it changes us! But doesn t it stop there? For some it may. Some choose to hold on to those gifts. Others look to give those gifts away. Goodness and mercy are gifts given to us and gifts given through us. Share about sheep being destructive versus beneficial. - Mismanaged sheep can destroy and ravage land. - If managed properly they can be the most beneficial of all livestock. - Their manure is the best balanced of any domestic stock. - They eat in the lower pasture land but bed in the less productive highlands making it more fertile. - They eat weeds and undesirable plants. - They were referred to in ancient days as those of Golden hooves b/c they were so beneficial to the land. In a way goodness and mercy followed a well managed flock. They left a blessing behind them wherever they went. Can that be said of you and me? Do we hold on to God s gifts of goodness, mercy and steadfast love or do we give them away? Do we leave a blessing behind us?

5 1 John 3:16 (MSG) This is how we ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. The only real, practical measure of my gratefulness for the goodness and mercy of God is the extent to which I show goodness and mercy to others. Pass the gift on. What would it look like in your life to pass on the gifts that God has given to you? To forgive b/c he has forgiven you? To give goodness, mercy and love to others b/c He has poured it out on you?

New clothes eventually fade and grow old. Faces and bodies eventually lose the beauty and strength of youth, and get wrinkled, worn, and grey.

New clothes eventually fade and grow old. Faces and bodies eventually lose the beauty and strength of youth, and get wrinkled, worn, and grey. 1 Hot coffee eventually becomes lukewarm coffee if we don't drink it. Clean rooms become messy if we don't tidy them each day. Gardens get over-ridden with weeds if we don't take time to weed the garden.