September 6, 2026 Service - "Come With Me

Sep 06, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Shepherd Knows the Hidden Pathways

The image of Jesus standing on an unseen road, saying “Come with me this way,” anchors this truth: Christ knows every twist of the journey even when we see only fog. Unlike uncertain guides with mixed motives, the Good Shepherd walks paths He’s already mapped—paths aligned with God’s righteousness. His guidance isn’t a guess but a certainty rooted in divine wisdom. When life feels like uncharted wilderness, His direction remains trustworthy. Sheep need not know the terrain when their Shepherd’s voice cuts through the confusion. [36:31]

“He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”
(Psalm 23:3b, NLT)

Reflection: Where do you feel lost or uncertain today? How might Jesus’ knowledge of the “right paths” shift your posture from anxiety to trust?

Day 2: More Than a Map—A Presence to Follow

Jesus doesn’t shout directions from a distance; He walks ahead, staff in hand. Like a grocery clerk leading a customer to cocoa powder, He both tells and takes. This is the difference between static instructions and living companionship. The Shepherd’s nearness transforms confusion into confidence. His presence, not just His plan, becomes the anchor when the road feels unstable. Following isn’t about memorizing turns but fixing eyes on His back. [42:00]

“After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.”
(John 10:4, NLT)

Reflection: Are you leaning into Jesus’ presence or straining to see around the next bend? What practical step helps you focus on His nearness today?

Day 3: Formation Happens in the Fog

God cares about where He’s taking you—and who you’re becoming along the way. The pastor’s five-year journey through his father’s illness reveals how struggle shapes compassion, helplessness deepens dependence, and valleys carve Christlike character. Righteous paths aren’t shortcuts to comfort but crucibles for transformation. Maturity grows in the soil of unanswered “whys,” not just mountaintop clarity. [53:50]

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character.”
(Romans 5:3-4a, NLT)

Reflection: What current challenge might God be using to form perseverance or compassion in you? How can you partner with Him in the process?

Day 4: Faithful in Green Valleys and Dark Valleys

The Shepherd’s character doesn’t shift with the scenery. Peaceful streams and shadowed canyons alike become spaces where His nearness is proved. Difficulty doesn’t mean He’s lost; comfort doesn’t mean He’s earned. Psalm 23’s radical claim isn’t immunity from pain but intimacy within it. His rod and staff—tools for correction and rescue—are always within reach. [58:03]

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”
(Psalm 23:4a, NLT)

Reflection: When has God’s faithfulness surprised you in a difficult season? How does His track record strengthen you for today’s uncertainties?

Day 5: “Come With Me This Way”—The Daily Invitation

The week’s recurring image—Jesus on the road, hand extended—culminates in a choice: will we step toward His “this way” even when it’s unmarked? His call might lead to forgiveness, surrender, or obedience that feels costly. But the alternative—wandering alone—leaves us more vulnerable. Every morning resets the invitation to walk not just toward a destination, but with a Person. [01:00:07]

“Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’”
(Matthew 4:19, NLT)

Reflection: What specific “this way” is Jesus inviting you into today? What makes saying “yes” feel thrilling or terrifying—and how will you respond?

Sermon Summary

Psalm 23 gives a promise deeper than a full roadmap. The Shepherd knows the pathway, and the Shepherd personally leads his sheep along it. The image that stays in view is Jesus standing ahead on a road that cannot fully be seen, saying, “Come with me this way.” Christ does not say, “Go figure it out,” nor does he lay out every twist, turn, diagnosis, decision, or hard conversation before the first step is taken.

The psalmist says, “He guides me,” and that little phrase is personal. Jesus is not guessing his way forward, going rogue, or trying unfamiliar paths and hoping they work out. The paths of righteousness are right because they are consistent with God’s goodness, character, purposes, and name. The sheep may not recognize every part of the road, but the Shepherd is certain in the middle of all that uncertainty.

The Shepherd does more than point in a direction like an over glorified GPS. Jesus tells and takes. The contrast between a map and a shepherd makes the difference clear: a map gives information, but the Shepherd gives his presence. Christ goes ahead of his sheep, and his sheep learn to stay close, listen for his voice, abide in him, and follow him. The deeper question is not only, “Jesus, where are you taking me?” but also, “Am I staying close enough to follow?”

The paths of righteousness also become places where Christ forms his people. God cares about the destination, but God also cares deeply about what he is shaping in a soul along the journey. Suffering, grief, helplessness, and long seasons without a polished resolution can become places where compassion, perseverance, dependence, and a deeper knowledge of God’s love are formed. God does not cause suffering merely to teach a lesson, but Jesus does not abandon his people in suffering either.

Psalm 23 changes the scenery from green pastures and peaceful streams to the valley of the shadow of death. The Shepherd does not change when the terrain does. A difficult road does not mean the Shepherd has left, and a dark valley does not cancel his faithfulness. God’s name means that God’s character is on display in his leading: he who promised is faithful. Christ still stands ahead, even on the road that does not make sense, saying, “Come with me this way.”

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus knows the right way. Psalm 23 does not offer a Shepherd who makes educated guesses. Jesus knows the way forward, including the parts hidden from human sight. Uncertainty in the sheep does not mean uncertainty in the Shepherd. Trust begins by recognizing that limited vision does not mean Christ has lost the road. [38:23]
2. The Shepherd gives presence, not merely directions. Jesus does not stand at life’s hardest intersections and simply shout which way to go. He tells and takes, going ahead of his sheep and calling them to follow. A map may provide information, but the Shepherd gives himself. Staying close to Christ matters more than possessing every detail of the plan. [45:01]
3. Christ forms souls in hard places. The long road may not arrive at the destination someone planned, but Christ can still do deep work along the way. Grief and suffering can expose helplessness while also forming compassion, perseverance, and dependence upon God. God does not treat pain as a lesson plan, yet Jesus faithfully meets his people within pain. [51:26]
4. Changing terrain does not change God. Paths of righteousness sometimes run beside peaceful streams, and sometimes through dark valleys. The difficult road is not proof of the Shepherd’s absence. God’s faithfulness rests in his character, not in circumstances becoming easy or understandable. [58:24]
5. Jesus still says, “Come with me.” The invitation of Christ may lead toward forgiveness, surrender, confession, obedience, grief, or a difficult decision. Jesus does not always explain the whole path before calling someone onto it. His invitation is personal, present, and strong enough for the next faithful step.

## [60:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[26:41] - Psalm 23 and a Lasting Image
[28:42] - “Come With Me This Way”
[31:35] - Reading Psalm 23
[33:42] - The Shepherd Knows the Path
[34:41] - Jesus Knows the Way
[36:02] - Gollum, Mordor, and Trustworthy Guidance
[40:26] - Jesus Leads Personally
[40:57] - Tell and Take, Not Just Point
[43:08] - A Shepherd, Not a GPS
[46:53] - Jesus Forms Us Along the Way
[49:03] - Grief, Suffering, and God’s Formation
[56:29] - Jesus Is Faithful All the Way
[57:30] - Green Pastures and Dark Valleys
[60:07] - The Invitation to Follow Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 23:3
“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” [28:48]

John 10:4
“After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.” [44:07]

Hebrews 10:23
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” [58:53]

Observation questions

In Psalm 23:3, what two things does the Shepherd do for the sheep before and while guiding them: “He renews my strength” and “He guides me”? How do these actions belong together?
What does Psalm 23 say the Shepherd’s guidance is connected to—“right paths” and “bringing honor to his name”? What does that reveal about the kind of paths he leads people on? [38:23]
In John 10:4, what does the Shepherd do first, and what do the sheep do in response? What reason does the verse give for their following him?
Psalm 23 moves from green meadows and peaceful streams to the darkest valley. What stays the same even when the setting changes? [57:30]

Interpretation questions

Psalm 23 does not promise that a believer will see every twist and turn ahead. How does the Shepherd’s knowledge of the path change what trust can look like in an uncertain decision, diagnosis, or family situation? [39:37]
Jesus leads like a shepherd rather than a GPS: he gives his presence, not just information. What might it mean for a believer to seek closeness with Christ when the full plan is still unclear? [45:04]
John 10:4 says that sheep follow because they know the Shepherd’s voice. What practices might help a believer recognize and respond to Jesus’ voice among the many competing voices and pressures in life?
Hebrews 10:23 says hope rests on God’s faithfulness. How does this keep a believer from treating an easy circumstance as proof that God is near, or a difficult circumstance as proof that God has left? [58:24]

Application questions

Is there an area of life where you have been asking Jesus mainly for a detailed map—every answer, timing, and outcome? What might it look like to take one faithful next step while the rest of the road remains unseen? [45:19]
Jesus says, “Come with me this way.” Is he inviting you toward forgiveness, confession, surrender, obedience, grief, or a difficult conversation? What is one specific response you could make this week? [01:00:28]
What helps you stay close enough to Jesus to follow him—Scripture, prayer, worship, trusted Christian community, quiet, or something else? Which of these needs more room in your week? [46:41]
Think of a struggle, loss, or long season that has not turned out as you hoped. Without calling the pain good, what compassion, perseverance, dependence, or deeper understanding of God might Christ be forming in you? [51:26]
When life becomes difficult, what are you most tempted to believe about God: that he has forgotten you, that you took a wrong turn, or that you must solve everything alone? How does Psalm 23 speak to that particular fear? [58:36]
Who in your life is walking through a dark valley right now? How could you offer them more than quick answers—perhaps steady presence, prayer, practical care, or a reminder that the Shepherd has not left them?

Sermon Clips

42s

#ShepherdSeesTheWay

“You see, our inability to see or to not see what lies before us does not mean that Jesus has lost his way. It may simply be an invitation for us to follow him a little more closely. You see, Psalm 23 does not promise that we'll understand the entire road. Does not mean that we will understand everything that is thrown before us and every experience in life that comes our way, but it assures us that our shepherd sees it, he knows it, and he knows the way forward, and we can trust him.”

37s

#FormedInTheStorm

“So maybe the question is not Jesus, when will I arrive? But I'm gonna ask the question. Maybe we should also be asking the question, what are you forming in me right now, Lord? In this storm, what are you forming? In this struggle, what are you forming in me? In this moment that seems completely outrageous and unfair and difficult and gross, whatever description words you wanna throw in, What are you forming in me? Maybe that's the question we should be asking.”

26s

#TrustAndFollow

“Maybe the invitation for us as we consider the twenty third Psalm this morning, and particularly verse three b, is to trust the shepherd enough to follow him even when we cannot see the road that is before us. You see, because we don't have to see the whole way when we are walking with the one who knows the whole way.”

48s

#HeKnowsTheWay

“I believe that there's some of us facing big decisions in our lives. And in the midst of big decisions, let me remind us that Jesus is the way, and he knows the way. There are some of you facing, diagnoses and illnesses and uncertainties of what is next. Rest assured that Jesus knows the way. There are some entering new and exciting seasons. There are some that are living in family concerns. There are some that are just traversing whatever is before. Rest assured that Jesus, indeed, he knows the way.”

49s

#FaithfulAllTheWay

“God is faithful along the way. Our hope does not rest upon our ability to see the pathway or our ability to change our circumstances, but our hope rests squarely in the one who is faithful. And friends, that is Jesus. He's faithful, and he is faithful all of the way with us. As the worship team comes forward to close us in a song and we respond this morning by way of communion, we confess together that Jesus knows the way, that Jesus leads us along the way, that Jesus forms us along the way, and that Jesus is also faithful to us all of the way.”

48s

#ShepherdThroughValleys

“You see, sometimes the paths of righteousness leads us beside quiet waters. Thank you, God. Sometimes the paths of righteousness lead us through peaceful shrimps. Thank you, Lord, for Sweet Creek Falls and just the beautiful waterfall and the flowing water, and it's so serene and beautiful. Thank you, Lord, for those places. But sometimes, the path leads to dark and frightening valleys. And though the scenery changes, Psalm chapter 23 reminds us that the shepherd does not change. That a difficult road does not indicate the absence of the shepherd.”

54s

#FaithInTheStruggle

“We want the final destination, and we want the resolved situation and solution. We want a polished product. We want a bow on top. We want wisdom without waiting, maturity without struggle, and results without, like, discipline and hard work. But that's not the way of Jesus. I think any number of us who have followed Jesus for any amount of time will begin to see like, whew, it was in the battle that I learned more about Jesus than I ever did on a sunny day. It's in the struggle that I saw the faithfulness of God. It is when I was at my wits end that I learned that the joy of the Lord is my strength, and not my own strength, and not sunshine circumstances.”

57s

#TrustHisWay

“But what we find in the twenty third Psalm is that it gives us something infinitely better. What we find is that we have a shepherd who not only knows the way, but he knows the right way. And we find that his character is completely trustworthy. You see, there's lots of ways in life, and there's lots of voices in our world that are saying, well, this is the way. This is what you ought to do. This should be your next ABC one, two, three steps, and all of it's according to the way of the world, to the wisdom of the world. And what we find in this text, Psalm 23, is that there is a shepherd who knows not only the way but the right way, and that we can trust him.”

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