The Isaiah Project: Salvation, 7/19/15

Sermon 7-19-15  The Isaiah Project- salvation  Isaiah 2:1-5

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established     as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,    to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways,    so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion,    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations    and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares    and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation,    nor will they train for war anymore. 5 Come, descendants of Jacob,    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Also helpful but not to be listed in the bulletin – Is 1:18 , Is 59:2

Isaiah series

He saw a time when lots of people would be streaming in……

Salvation nuts and bolts

What I learned as a kid

I am a C
I am a Christian
I am a child
My parents tell me that I am a Christian
Gods love is only received by me, not delivered by me
Everything is measured by how it effects me

I am in the church
I was confirmed
I am in church and Sunday school
I belong here
I recognize this as part of my identity
I defend the church
I love the church. The church loves me
God loves me.
I love god but I am not sure how to live that out

Later in my youth, I am personally choosing
Good and bad
Understanding for myself
I Sense the forgiveness of my sin
The teaching of my youth has come alive
Joy. Understanding.  Arrival.
Bad part of this
I am Punching a ticket
Arrogance sets in
I hope you never had an arrogant streak as a Christian.  They just not very attractive.

Salvation is the story of the human condition

We all understand The pain of being lost

Story of man lost in oregon wilderness froze to death – james Kim

The joy of being found……..

Salvation nuts and bolts……We are saved…..

Doctrine of the catholic spirit……Wesley essentials

·        God has worked.  there is a remedy

·        Through Christ

o   Our Sins are disposed of satisfactorily

o   We are Fully reconciled

o   The Way is opened for us to return again into conscious communion w God

o   We are  able to Live again in his Presence

Essentials of faith.  That’s a Pretty good short list

Immediately We tend to think that we have a corner on the market

Christians can get arrogant really quick

Note- jesus was not arrogant, only the Pharisees were…..

But for many, fear entered the picture

I found it campaign

I found it – I lost it. I never lost it . I found jesus, he is in the trunk…

Have I found jesus, don’t tell me that he is lost again

Salvation is not a punitive thing

It is not we are cool and you are out…………

Ghosts and medals

A mother could not get her little son to come home from his games before dark. So she frightened him: she told him that the path leading to their house was haunted by ghosts who came out as soon as the sun went down. After that, She had no more trouble making him come home before dark each evening. But when the boy grew up he was so afraid of the dark and of the ghosts that he refused to go out of the house at night. Occasionally she would need something from the store and would want him to go get it.  So she gave him a medal to wear and convinced him that as he wore his medal the ghosts would have no power to harm him. So now he ventures forth into the dark clutching his medal.

Bad religion gives us medals. Good religion helps us to see that there are no ghosts.

A nineteenth-century Shaker by the name of Thomas Brown questioned the infallibility of "Mother Ann" and the ministry that followed her. He complained to the elders that "Your gospel seems like a tunnel: the farther I travel in, the narrower it grows." A true community of faith provides the light at the end of the tunnel.

Healthy churches exude, joy grace and hope

Gk Chesterton went over to the catholic church

Check the slide from course of study

Billy graham has said that There is wideness to gods mercy

Isaiah saw a time when the turn styles of heaven would be spinning

I don’t want to make lists about who doesn’t get in,

I want to think about who does get in

The joke about the Lutherans who think that they are the only ones here.

Many Examples of those who don’t fit our box

Bob tuttle, saved on an airplane at 30,000 ft w finger in ear

Old testament jews seem to get in

The good Samaritan seems to get in

The we three kings seem to get in

Cornelius in acts 10

In the story of the centurion and his servant, many shall come from the east and the west

The thief on the cross

In Romans 2 –  gentiles show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts

Lots of people are getting in

Who gets in???

God decides who gets in………….

Let me say a few words about What I believe about heaven and hell

You don’t have to agree with me

What I believe about heaven

          Not up or down – three tiered universe

What I believe about hell

          A creation of God’s grace not his judgment

I have noted that we are big on Saved from sin.  Saved from hell. 

Saved from our fears?

Too many Christians live their lives in theory, saved and joyful, but filled with fears about 10,000 things

Filled with worry

Consumed by circumstances

Stuck.  Saved but not changed

We get fixated
Many sit on the beach and watch. Few enter the surf.
Many sit by the pool and watch. Few enter the water

It takes a brave person to be willing to be challenged.
Most settle for safety

A mouse was in constant fear of the cat. God took pity on the mouse and turned it into a cat. Then it became consumed with fear of the dog. So God made it into a dog. The dog lived in constant fear of the local bobcat. God made the dog into a bobcat. The bobcat lived in fear of the hunter. Exasperated, God gave up and turned it back into a mouse again. “nothing I do for u is going to be of any help because yo have the heart of a mouse.”

The life of salvation is a life fully lived

Alive to god

Alive to self

Alive to others

You are not just saved from your sins, in Jesus you are saved from your fears.

Imagine a life where we trusted god and everything was ok.  no fear

Perfect love casts out fear.

Saved not just from, but saved to… something.   Saved to life!

How would I describe my life today?
I am one who has received God’s grace
Trying to live it out
We show god’s love by serving
I no longer want to see people as either in or out- I want to love them. god can decide who is in and who is out

In salvation, there is the work of the cross for us.
It’s personal, its finished
There is also the work of the cross in us
In our hearts, our souls, our minds
That involves everyone that we see
If it is not good news for everyone, then it is not good news.

Salvation at its worst is a self centered spirituality

Salvation asks me more than what I believe about God
It asks me what I believe about others
It asks me what I believe a bout possessions

What does it say about me and God if I have strong belief in him, but treat others poorly
What does is say about me and God if I have strong belief in him but continue to worship stuff.

Ultimately, the Christian faith is not about an attachment to a church, a doctrine, or a way of being religious. It is an attachment to a person, Jesus Christ  and a commitment to follow him.

Where are you in this continuum?
Maybe you are here today and it is time to make a personal decision
Maybe you are here and it is time to move past personal decision to become a servant of Christ

To leave a life of fear, and begin a life of joy and fulfillment.

I am thankful for salvation
I am thankful for the journey away from fear and toward life

I am thankful for the journey of so many streaming in
Lets pray

The Pursuit of God - Part 1 Psalm 63:1-8

Sermon 6-16-13 AW Tozer…the pursuit of God xk

Chpt 1 Following Hard After God

Scripture:  Psalm 63:1-8

 ¹ You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. ² I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. ³ Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. ⁴ I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. ⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.   ⁶ On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. ⁷ Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. ⁸ I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

introduction

New series based on tozers book

Who he was

Aiden Wilson Tozer (April 21, 1897 - May 12, 1963) was an American Christian pastor [Christian and Missionary Alliance], preacher, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor.^[1] For his work, he received two honorary doctorate degrees [Wheaton College & Houghton College but had no college degree].

The sense that the book title sounds hard…pursuit of God

Book is avail in the bookstore

But it is not about making spirituality heavy, but  making spirituality relevant

Why this series is here

He felt that the church was going the wrong way, and it was 1946!!

pursuing God

Chapter one- following hard after God

Fathers day thought -1991 Hook – happy thought.  I’m a dad!

What should a person/a Christian father pursue?

Do the right thing –

Build Character, discover a relevant spirituality

Men’s Ministry/Father’s Day (really all of us)
The goal of Men’s Ministry is to come alongside men as they seek to become better husbands, fathers, grandfathers, role models, mentors and friends.  This looks like learning, experiencing and living out the Great Commandment to Love God and Love Neighbor.  Not an end, but a way of life.

I love baseball, we had a wonderful ball game in the circle a few years ago.

but just teaching kids baseball isn’t enough

All of our lives need another side, a deeper

The pursuit of God begins w God - Methodists teach prevenient grace

We love him because he first loved us 1 jn 4:19       SLIDE

The impulse to pursue god originates with him

So we are pursuing God, but we are not taking the credit

Yet, We all have a spiritual side

Our deepest Spiritual connections come from God

Psalm  42

As the deer pants for streams of water,  so my soul pants for you, my God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God… …..7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;

We all have a spiritual side but we have missed the boat

Yet we Christians have gotten it wrong- what it isn’t…….

Yet the church has made it so shallow…. And this is 1946

Christianity has become transactional, mechanical and spiritless”

Christ may be "received" without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the receiver. The man is "saved," but he is not hungry nor thirsty after God. In fact he is specifically taught to be satisfied and encouraged to be content with little.

Transactional Christianity looks like this

Hello Jesus yes I choose you

Shake hands with someone in the congregation

Walk away

Do I know that person?

“How tragic......everything is made to center in on the initial act of accepting God and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls...

·        a logic which insists that if we have found Him, we need no more seek him.”

·        Spirituality may begin here, but it is much more than a cursory handshake w Jesus

The church has engaged in trivial pursuit
Thinking of the game where you are rewarded for knowing lots of trivia

Many of us have “majored in the minors.” 

We settle for trivial pursuits (i.e. fame, fortune, power)

In the end anything less than pursuing God results in a life that is a fraction of the life God offers us.

We know much of the bible, but little of God

We know much of doctrine, but little of God

Tozer said,  “it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth....the Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring man to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter  into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.”

The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word. (14)

In his 1786 “Thoughts upon Methodism,” Wesley wrote:
“I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.”

We get stuck in the humanness of the moment.  The mechanics of a thing.

Stuck in churchiness

We sing a song and are caught up in the mechanics; should I sing? That person sings loudly – that drums are too loud – the words are off

And we never actually sang, never lifted our hearts to God never told him that we love him, never entered in.

A savoring is needed- a leaning into Christ.  A savoring of God

John 17:3 ³ Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Transition-Salvation is not an ending but a beginning

The moment the Spirit has quickened us to life in regeneration our whole being senses its kinship to God and leaps up in joyous recognition…It is, however, not an end but an inception, for now begins the glorious pursuit, the heart's happy exploration of the infinite riches of the God

The infinite riches  of god, his joy.  His love.  His peace.

So there is more than this choice……ok, say more

Jn 3- ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[b] gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[c] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^[d]

here is an invitation to spend time in the deeper part of your life.

When we begin to allow god to speak to us….

When we listen in prayer

Our life begins to be submitted to him in a greater way

This is not heavy but joyful

It is not difficult, but it is simple.  simplistic

Simplicity…come as a child

Strip down to essentials

Wesley focus on essentials

Strip down our theology

I don’t want to know about God, I want to know God

          Who are you God

          Who am I god?

          How can I be about your work today?

Paul said, "That I may know Him" (Philippians 3:10)

When we start to get on God’s wave length, we recognize that We know him; yet long for him more

holy people have a desire for God

Jacob wrestles with the angel.  Genesis

Being made in His image we have within us the capacity to know Him. (15)

Although the concept of a personal relationship is not specifically scriptural,

it is our experience that god is known personally.  Not via the pastor, not via your grandmother, but personally.

Describe how this happens for you  Pastor Gerald Fry, after work on Wed night

Moses prayed "O God, show me thy glory." (Exodus 33:18) People that seek God want to taste, to touch with their hearts, to see with their inner eyes the wonder that is God. 

“The continuous and unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the redeemed man in the throbbing heart of New Testament religion.”

Conclusion –

God waits to be wanted.

seeking God, spiritual discovery does not narrow one's life, but brings it, rather, to the level of highest possible fulfillment.

My hope is that your heart will burn for God. Yes for his church. Yes for his book, mostly for him

Lets pray together
O Father, at times I have so felt your presence, and your goodness.  
It was good and I wanted more!  
At other times I have been aware of my lack of desire and lack of thirst for you. 
I am painfully aware of my  need for grace.  
O Father, Son, and Holy  Spirit, I want to want you, not "sometimes",  but at all times, I want to thirst for you always.
Begin in mercy, a new work within me!
Say to my soul, “Rise up, my friend, and come away with me.” 
Then give me grace to rise and follow you up from "the misty lowland in which I have wandered for so long.
Raise me up.  Set my feet on a rock and give me a firm place to stand" not “sometimes”, but at all times. In Jesus' name, AMEN

Sermon 4-28-13 inquiring minds week 3

The spiritual nature of the Nicaragua mission

Someone wrote- I cant support this if we are making a material impact only.  How will this have a spiritual impact?  There was no spiritual content on Sunday.  Why be in this line of work if not to proclaim the truth of Christ?

I guess the person wants us to go to Nicaragua and preach to them.

These people are already Christians.  They have churches.

Catholic and Assemblies of God. And random protestant

The y have pictures of Jesus on their walls.

They pledge to pay back their loans before god and everyone.

They talk about God.

They are conscious of their faith in ways that we are not.

Will we preach to them?  we will probably do a vbs.  We will discuss faith.  We will have a relationship as with other Christian people.s

We probably have spiritual things to learn from them

John Wesley- preach the gospel, when necessary, use words

Good Samaritan- does not preach to him, he binds his wounds.  Those that wanted to preach passed by on the other side.  In fact, the person that helps is of an off breed denomination.

1 jn 3:17 if you have the world’s goods and see your brother in need, and hold back your heart of mercy, how doe sthe love of God dwell in you?

Mt 25- I was hungry and you fed me.

Salvation

asked " So how does a person know they are saved? I prayed and asked Jesus to be Lord of my life---but why don't I feel different" Why do some people celebrate and cling to a "date they were saved" vs " a process of growing in your Christianity as a slow and steady process always ongoing" ? How do you know you are saved??

John 3:16 God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

It’s a good beginning, but we need to continue the process

We feel this way because we made a transaction, then we sit

Bible

Dinosaurs mentioned?  Why not

Prayer

I was also interested in how intercessory prayer works?  What does the Bible say about it, is there research that backs it up?  

James 4:4 What causes fights and quarrels^(A) among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle^(B) within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill.^(C) You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive,^(D) because you ask with wrong motives,^(E) that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

We should pray for others, but there is no formula.

It doesn’t work.  It is not a way to get something from God.

It is about being in relationship

If I pray out loud, can the devil hear that and use it against me?
Some Christians have created a theology that actually glorifies Satan. They assume that Satan is the opposite of God. He is not, nor is he the opposite of Jesus. He is the spiritual counterpart of Michael and Gabriel. If you have a theology that the devil is at your house, tempting you daily, then you should also have a theology that Michael and Gabriel are personally protecting you every day. Stop living a life of fear. In Philippians Paul  says that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Will your life be dominated by the fear of evil or by the Holy Spirit that lives within you?

New new cannon.  Article in KC Star recently

The Secret Revelation of John (c. 110-175 A.D.)

Texts included in “A New New Testament” are the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Acts of Paul and Thecla and others, along with pieces of poetry and prayers. 

Defending the faith

In our world of political correctness, morals and ethics are rarely upheld or discussed.  We ask the question what would Jesus do, but may not stand for the behaviors He seeks--- How can we be better spokespeople and stand for His word as His church?  I understand we mustn't judge but rather teach.  I'd appreciate your input.

-      The Christian faith does not need to be defended.  It needs to be lived

-      Earn the right to talk to people

-      Show his love by how you live

Evidence for God

EVIDENCE…   It is spring and there is evidence all around us in creation!      And… there was evidence in the tomb! (the linens left behind!).      And in a recent Bible study, (Soup and Scripture) it was mentioned several times of  how he gives evidence in/of the mundane  ordinary things of our lives…even today!  

What about the platapus?

Fish on the discovery channel………..

Pharisees

All these years I had tried to live by the old testament rules and the new testament rules, but if one accepts Christ and loves, there is no need to try and follow those older rules.   In fact, those that don't realize this often quote those old rules to put others in their place, when what we should be doing is loving one another and allowing God to judge as he sees fit

Pharisees

I run into a lot of people that are very "my way or the highway" Christains and I don't know how to converse about my faith with these people who think I am going hell.  Why do so many Christians sound like pharisees

It is easier to follow a list of rules than to live a life of love.

Everyone wants to feel like they are ok.  find your okness via love

Evil

As I sit here watching the tragedy unfold in Boston, I wonder if this evil that seems to happen in every part of our world daily is a sign from God of some sort. What is your opinion and is there any place in the Bible which would comfort those of us who want and pray for peace for our world?

Psalm 23

The Harbinger book:  How do you feel about Jonathan Cain's interpretation of the 9 harbingers? Not being a Bible student I'm not sure how I feel about the idea that God is sending America a prophetic message of America's future.

The Harbinger is a 2012 best-selling Christian novel by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic Jew. It suggests that the 9/11 terrorism attack was a divine warning to the United States.^[1][2][3] Cahn ties the 9/11 attacks to Isaiah 9:10, which reads: "The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars" (King James Version).
This strikes at the notion that America is God’s chosen land.
Ps 47 ⁸ God reigns^(O) over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.^(P)
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings^[c] of the earth belong to God;^(Q)
he is greatly exalted.^(R)

I have been hurt by others in Bible studies who do not respect my opinion. When reading and interpreting the Bible, do I accept what the majority believe or do I trust my own opinion?

There is a blessing in the wisdom of others...

tradition holds the opinion of my parents, Wesley and Luther. Consider their thoughts.

the problem is that others hurt you.

Why do I find revelation so terrifying?
Because people have used it to scare you - isn't that sad?

Revelations

What does the scripture say about Christians and the Great Tribulation?  Will Christians be raptured out or have to endure?  Do the scriptures follow a pre-millennial, Amillennial, or post-millennial teaching?

How do we understand it today?

I do not personally agree with the dominant view of the 2^nd coming taught by some, believed by others in America.

The magical notion of lining up a few scriptures and taking the book of revelation for our own interest is a relatively new phenomenon

How do we understand it today?
it is first of all A letter to the people in 90AD
Primarily a reminder to them and to all that would follow him, that Jesus will be victorious.

There is not secret code to be deciphered in Revelation or in the Bible. This gospel message is simple and clear.

1Corinthians 2
1When I cam to you, brother, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ was crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

jesus will come back one day.  Of that day or hour knows no man.

So live your life about how you treat others today.

Live out your faith today, don't worry about tomorrow.

Evil World – but still a beautiful place

My question has to do with reconciling a loving personal God with what I see in God's creation. Nature is "red in tooth and claw" -- violence is everywhere, essential to survival for many species (most?) who prey, pursue, and kill other animals to survive. I have not figured out a rational way to reconcile to a creation that depends on violence and killing for survival with a loving God active in the world. I can see it if God is a "clockmaker" who started everything running and then nature just developed this way. Or I can see if nature reflects some aspect of God that doesn't fit my definition of loving.

Demello story

Nature is both beautiful and painful

Wake to the wonder of God

Mystery of God

I struggle with this from time to time................I don't think I'm the only one that does, either.  My historic sense of self says there was a man named Jesus who claimed to be the son of God, performed miracles, was crucified and rose from the dead.  It's documented and I believe it; however, my scientific sense asks about God.  We are but small insignificant specks on a very small planet in a huge universe. 

At any given time thousands of people pray to God and He hears -- How? 

Through the years various Bible studies have expressed that when we pray the Holy Spirit groans for us and God hears.  If that's so, how does He make sense of all the groaning?  I think part of my problem is that I envision God as a giant of a man (way out in space somewhere).  I read a book once that said we are like the fibers of God's tunic, all interwoven and connected to Him.  That was a pretty good picture for me to focus on.  Truthfully when I try to make sense of it, I have to admit I don't understand it all and then soothe myself by stating that I am a mortal and I'm not supposed to understand it all.  Sometimes I feel very "in tune" while other times I feel very adrift.  Just because I think I'm following God's will for me, doesn't always mean I am.  I've misread so many signs and nudges throughout my lifetime, and it makes me sad. 

How can some people have such strong convictions about God all the time?

   I wish I could quit questioning and just go with it, but I can't. 

Should I have myself committed? :-)

JOB 39 “Do you know when the mountain goats^(A) give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?^(B)
5 “Who let the wild donkey^(D) go free?
Who untied its ropes?
⁶ I gave it the wasteland^(E) as its home,
the salt flats^(F) as its habitat.^(G)
7 It laughs^(H) at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.^(I)
9 “Will the wild ox^(K) consent to serve you?^(L)Will it stay by your manger^(M) at night?
¹⁹ “Do you give the horse its strength^(U)or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
²⁰ Do you make it leap like a locust,^(V)striking terror^(W) with its proud snorting?^(X)
26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdomand spread its wings toward the south?^(AG)
27 Does the eagle soar at your commandand build its nest on high?^(AH)

The joyful mystery of trusting in God

Miracles today

Why are there no, "modern", examples of miracles?  Think of the miracles throughout the bible, but nothing like them in recent history.  Burning bushes that don't burn, parting seas, rivers turned to blood, etc.  Certainly we can reference space travel, disease treatment and many other technological advances.  But they don't carry the same sense of a miracle as are documented in the Bible.  Wouldn't it be easier for some to believe, if someone was raised from the dead or immediately healed from a horrible disease?

Miracles identified Jesus.  Miracles identified the apostles.

I still believe that they happen, but we don’t control them

what is my purpose

Hi Jeff - Here is another one for you to ponder. Rick Warren wrote the book "The purpose driven life"  Psalm 138:8 says "The lord will fulfill his purpose for me", Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of God's plans for us.  I survived a life threatening accident 30 years ago and from that moment on I asked myself why did God spare me and what is his purpose for me?  How do we know what is God's purpose for us???

Love the lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength, love your neighbor as yourself.

Favorite Passages

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth 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 thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth 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 for ever.