1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,880 Welcome to the River City Church podcast and a message by our 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,960 lead pastor, Jason Powers. Our prayer is that this message 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:12,240 would inspire and encourage you, build your faith and point you 4 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,840 to the life changing love of Jesus. 5 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,680 May you enjoy the goodness of God as you follow Him today. 6 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:23,920 Good morning. It's good to see everybody this 7 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,200 morning. You heard my name out there. 8 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:30,560 Thanks Chris. It is good to be with you this 9 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,080 morning. I mentioned this in first 10 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:35,720 service and I'll say it again here. 11 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:39,800 Man, that worship was just what my soul needed this morning. 12 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:47,680 Just taking time to stop and remember who is in control. 13 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,480 There's a lot going on right now in our world. 14 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:56,600 It's been a heavy, heavy few weeks and I know my spirit has 15 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:03,240 been so heavy, but to come in here this morning and to just be 16 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:08,160 reminded of the God that we serve, that He is on the throne 17 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:10,960 and He's good and He's worthy of our praise. 18 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:14,960 It was good for me this morning. I hope it was for you as well. 19 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:20,600 Well, my name is Jennifer Adams. My husband Chris and I, we help 20 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,520 lead the greeting team. So you'll often see us out there 21 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,840 greeting. If you are new today, if this is 22 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,240 your first time here with us at River City, we want to welcome 23 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,640 you. You are our guest and we are 24 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:35,840 truly honored that you would spend a little bit of your 25 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,920 Sunday with us. And so I hope that you felt 26 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,920 welcomed when you came in. I encourage you to go stop at 27 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,320 the connection tent, get some information. 28 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:49,880 We'd love to just meet you and hear your story, but today we 29 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:53,360 are going to. Well, first before I do that, if 30 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:55,880 every week we start off with a confession together. 31 00:01:55,960 --> 00:02:01,880 We do this every week to remind us of who we are, but more 32 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,680 importantly, who he is. And so together we say that we 33 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,720 are badly broken, but we are deeply loved. 34 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:11,760 Amen. You are deeply loved. 35 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,520 And we're going to be talking about that a little bit today in 36 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,000 the message. So I'm going to start off the 37 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,560 message today and I want to encourage you to use your 38 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:25,040 imagination. I'm going to paint 2 pictures 39 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,480 for you this morning. And so the first picture I'm 40 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,920 going to use this prompt. And if you know what this is, 41 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,760 I'm going to reassure you that my family removed the batteries 42 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,160 because this is a cattle cried. And so when I told them I was 43 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,080 using this for an illustration, they were like, you are not 44 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,920 going up on the stage mom with a live cattle prod. 45 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:48,760 And I said, I don't even think I can prod like I can do anything. 46 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,880 Oh, you could. So it is harmless today, but 47 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:56,000 imagine that it's working. So I want you to imagine with me 48 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,560 a scene. Imagine a dust choked cattle 49 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,680 drive and you've got a cowboy riding behind the herd. 50 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,840 He is yelling, shouting at these animals. 51 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,240 These animals are exhausted. He's trying to get them to move, 52 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:14,800 go where he wants. He's cracking the whip. 53 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,680 He's using this when necessary. Apparently it works really well 54 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:25,280 is what I've been told. And he the, the whole vibe of 55 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:32,040 this scene is one of fear. It's the idea of move or else, 56 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:34,040 right? And the, and listen, the cowboy, 57 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,200 he does not have all of these cows named. 58 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,200 These are not 4H or FFA projects, right? 59 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:42,120 They don't have nice cute killing names. 60 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,880 They are just cattle and he just wants them to move. 61 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:47,640 OK, so this is that's the first scene. 62 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:51,080 So imagine that scene with me. Second scene, we're going to 63 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,440 totally change gears. And I want you to imagine a 64 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:59,000 Middle Eastern shepherd, OK? He is walking through some 65 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:03,000 green, beautiful green hills. He is walking in front of his 66 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,040 flock of sheep. All right. 67 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:09,880 And this shepherd, he does know his sheep intimately. 68 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,600 He might, they might even have names, right? 69 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,440 He knows them. Not only does he know them, but 70 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:22,640 they know him because he's a Good Shepherd and they recognize 71 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:26,320 his voice and he they follow him wherever he leads. 72 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:30,600 And the whole picture, this whole picture is one of trust, 73 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:36,880 the shepherd saying, come, follow me, I know where we're 74 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:38,600 going. All right, so you got those two 75 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:43,760 pictures in your head, right? The cattle prod, the fear, and 76 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,000 the shepherd's staff, the trust. All right. 77 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:52,040 And so my question for you this morning is, when you think of 78 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:58,760 God, which of these two tools do you instinctively imagine in his 79 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:04,400 hand? Do you kind of think of God as a 80 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:10,400 taskmaster, the one with a list of things that you need to do 81 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:14,000 and maybe even a longer list of things that you should not do, 82 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,600 that he is watching and waiting, ready to get you if you do the 83 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,200 wrong thing, ready to punish you? 84 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:25,400 Or do you just kind of instinctively think of God more 85 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:29,240 as the shepherd, the one that's leading you, the one that's 86 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:32,680 leading you from a place of love that knows what's best for you? 87 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:36,240 His job is all about providing for you and protecting you, 88 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:41,040 keeping you safe. Which one do you tend to think 89 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,600 of when you think of God? And there can be a lot of things 90 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:47,360 in our life that shapes that view of God. 91 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:54,560 But here's the thing, when the the way that we view God, it 92 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:59,960 will shape how we respond to the highs and the lows of life. 93 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:06,200 And so we are in the middle of a series on King David, thus the 94 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:08,920 shepherd's staff, because we are going to be looking at David as 95 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:12,560 a shepherd today. And in this series, I think 96 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,040 we're on week two of the series. We're not going to be starting 97 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:17,440 at the beginning of David's life and working our way through. 98 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:19,000 This is not a chronological study. 99 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,840 We are just pulling little bits and pieces out of his life and 100 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,720 looking at him and how we can apply it today. 101 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:29,880 But David, when we talk about our view of God shaping how we 102 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:34,320 respond to life and highs and lows, listen, David had his fair 103 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:38,080 share of highs. I mean, like, hey, this is the, 104 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,840 this is the young teenage kid that killed a giant, right? 105 00:06:40,840 --> 00:06:43,120 Goliath, when nobody else was willing to go out there. 106 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:46,000 He goes out there with a slingshot and some stones. 107 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,560 He kills the giant. He and later in life, he becomes 108 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:52,720 this amazing warrior. He is celebrated everywhere he 109 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:54,320 goes. He becomes one of the greatest 110 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:58,480 kings that Israel ever had. He had some amazing high 111 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,840 mountain top experiences. David also had some very, very 112 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:06,440 low experiences. We know the story. 113 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:08,160 We heard a little bit about it a couple weeks ago. 114 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:10,280 I think we're going to hear more about it maybe next week. 115 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:14,320 But when David commits adultery with a woman, she ends up 116 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,840 getting pregnant and trying to cover it up. 117 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:19,200 He kills the husband, then the baby dies. 118 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:25,520 I mean, this is low, right? We have later in his life when 119 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:30,080 one of his sons tries to raise up at a rebellion to take his 120 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,480 throne. David knew lots of hard times, 121 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:37,560 lots of highs and lows and his life. 122 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:40,480 And listen, David's life was not perfect. 123 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:42,600 You're going to hear this throughout the series. 124 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,680 The hero of the story is not David. 125 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,800 Because when we look at the life of David, yes, there's some 126 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,320 amazing things, but there's also some really messy things. 127 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:57,160 The hero of the story is God, the one that he was following. 128 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,360 But what made John read that passage? 129 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,240 As we started before I came up here, and it talks about how God 130 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,640 said that David was a man after his own heart. 131 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,920 What made David a man after God's own heart? 132 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,600 I've often whenever I would read that passage and that you see 133 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:19,000 that in the Old Testament and the New Testament, I thought, 134 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,560 man, what made David get that description? 135 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:25,600 Because, yeah, I would like to be known as not a man, but the 136 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:27,720 woman after God's own heart, Right. 137 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:29,440 Like, who doesn't want to be known that way? 138 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:31,520 What made David fit that description? 139 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:34,039 Well, I think there's a number of things, but I think one of 140 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:38,080 the big ones is that he had a healthy and proper view of God. 141 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:40,600 Now, David was this mighty warrior. 142 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,080 He was at this amazing king, but he was also a musician and a 143 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,120 poet. I mean, this was quite the man. 144 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:48,520 And he wrote a lot of the Psalms. 145 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:53,280 And one of the most familiar Psalms probably to most of us, 146 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,400 is a Psalm that David wrote. They believe he wrote this 147 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:01,000 towards the end of his life when he has had a chance to reflect 148 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:06,240 on his life, on those highs, on those lows, and who God has been 149 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:08,960 to him. And at this point in his life, 150 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:12,160 he wrote Psalms 23. I'm going to read it to you this 151 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:14,760 morning. All of my passages this morning 152 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:16,920 are coming out of the CSB version. 153 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:19,400 But if you are like me, and so I'm going to be reading out of 154 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:22,040 the CSB, if you're like me, I learned Psalms 23 when I was a 155 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:24,440 little kid and Sunday school. So I kind of know it in King 156 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:25,840 James. So I might kind of mix it up a 157 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,280 little bit, but this is Psalms 23. 158 00:09:28,560 --> 00:09:32,560 The Lord is my shepherd. I have what I need. 159 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:35,360 He lets me lie down in green pastures. 160 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:40,080 He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life. 161 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,480 He leads me along the right path for his name's sake. 162 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:47,720 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no 163 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:52,840 danger, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they 164 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,760 comfort me. You prepare a table before me in 165 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,880 the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. 166 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:04,360 My cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love 167 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:09,040 will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the 168 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:12,120 House of the Lord as long as I live. 169 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,640 You know I love this Psalm. It has brought me comfort in so 170 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:21,960 many different seasons of life. And so you have David here 171 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:26,760 towards the end of his life, looking back and when he is 172 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,880 trying to think, you know who God has been to him. 173 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:32,840 This was the best way that he knew to describe it as the 174 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:36,280 Lord's been my shepherd. And you have to understand David 175 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:39,400 as a child, that was his job and he was a young boy. 176 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:44,320 He was a shepherd. So he intimately understood what 177 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:48,680 it meant to be a shepherd and and what it meant to be a Good 178 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,000 Shepherd. OK, because you can have bad 179 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,680 shepherds, but he knew what it meant to be a Good Shepherd. 180 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:57,320 So in the Psalm, we've got some beautiful truths about what it 181 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:01,680 looks like if we can view God that way as a shepherd. 182 00:11:01,680 --> 00:11:03,040 And so we're going to break the Psalm down. 183 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:05,880 It's like 4 different sections. We're going to pull out four 184 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:10,280 truths about what it looks like when we live from a place where 185 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:14,360 we view God as our shepherd. So let's start in verse one. 186 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:18,320 The Lord is my shepherd. I'm going to stop right there 5 187 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:20,920 words in the Lord is my shepherd. 188 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:24,760 You notice he says is it's present tense, like right now, 189 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:28,120 right here, not just was, not just will be, which are also 190 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:34,040 true, but is right now right here today God is my and he says 191 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:37,360 my shepherd. He's very personal, right? 192 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:41,400 It's not just the shepherd. He says God is my shepherd 193 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:45,760 because David understood that God, he, he had this 194 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:48,320 relationship with God and he knew that God knew him 195 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:52,120 personally, that there was this personal intimate relationship 196 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:56,040 and that God was in very intentionally involved in his 197 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:57,920 life and always taking care of him. 198 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:01,240 So then it goes on to say the Lord is my shepherd. 199 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:05,560 I have what I need. And then that's just it. 200 00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:08,560 Like that's all he's that's all he has said is the Lord is my 201 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:10,520 shepherd. I have what I need. 202 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:18,760 He understood that contentment came from who he belonged to, 203 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:24,600 not what he had. Now anybody else challenge a 204 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:27,120 little bit with that? The Lord is my shepherd. 205 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:29,080 I have what I need. What else? 206 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:32,560 How could David live from this kind of place? 207 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:34,800 Like how could he live from this place by just simply saying the 208 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:36,440 Lord is my shepherd, I have what I need. 209 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:40,640 If you look at the life of David just as a whole, you can kind of 210 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,320 see this theme of contentment woven throughout. 211 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:46,240 I find it interesting that, you know, I said he was a shepherd 212 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:49,360 as a young boy. He was, we don't know the exact 213 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:53,640 age when he, when Samuel came, Samuel was the prophet at this 214 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:55,440 time. Saul was the king. 215 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:57,480 He had was the first king of Israel. 216 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:01,640 He started out OK, but then we had some issues with Saul and 217 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:05,400 Saul began to disobey God and God said, OK, you are no longer 218 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:08,440 my anointed. He goes, God goes to Samuel the 219 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:10,800 prophet and says, hey, you're going to go anoint the next 220 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,840 king. So Samuel shows up at Jesse's 221 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:17,000 house. Jesse has eight boys, 8 boys. 222 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,920 I have three. I cannot even imagine 8 eight 223 00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:23,200 boys. David is the baby of the family 224 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:24,960 out in the field because what is he? 225 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:27,880 He is a shepherd. And so Samuel comes, he goes 226 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:29,680 through all the brothers, finally gets to David. 227 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:31,240 He goes, oh, that's the one that God wants. 228 00:13:31,680 --> 00:13:34,680 He anoints him as the next king of Israel. 229 00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:38,240 But listen, nothing changed. Like not in that moment, like he 230 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:41,000 didn't immediately go to the palace and become the king. 231 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:47,000 We see a whole season of 10 plus years before this comes to 232 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,400 fulfillment and David actually becomes king. 233 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:53,080 And there's some really low, low times during this 10 year 234 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:55,200 period, 10 plus period year period. 235 00:13:55,680 --> 00:14:00,080 And so David is, but what I find interesting is that when he gets 236 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,600 anointed as king, he just, what does he do? 237 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:05,120 He just goes back to shepherding. 238 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,520 There's also a season in there where Saul, the current king is, 239 00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:10,480 is being tormented by evil spirit. 240 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:13,840 He is not getting any rest. They call in a musician and they 241 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:16,640 go to David because he is, remember, an accomplished 242 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,000 musician. So he would go back and forth. 243 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,720 There's a verse in First Samuel 1715. 244 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:26,440 It says David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his 245 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:29,880 father's flock in Bethlehem. And we see from a young age and 246 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:36,120 David, this just ability to be patient and trust God and trust 247 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:40,200 that he's going to do what he's promised in his time. 248 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:42,480 Anybody else have a hard time with that sometimes? 249 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:44,240 Yeah. Because I feel like God's time 250 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:46,040 is never my time. Never. 251 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:49,640 And, and I again, David wasn't perfect at this because there's 252 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,400 definitely some seasons in his life where we do not see him 253 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:56,360 walking out from a place of contentment, But overall, you 254 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:58,520 can see this idea of contentment. 255 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:01,880 And, but I think if you just stop right there, like, OK, the 256 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:04,600 Lord is my shepherd. I have what I need. 257 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:08,000 I feel like I need a little more context, like, OK, how do you 258 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,680 find contentment? Just if we just full stop right 259 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,040 there. Well, as we read into the song, 260 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:17,680 we get a little bit more insight into why he can say that, why 261 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:20,880 David can say the Lord is my shepherd. 262 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,240 I have what I need. So we're going to look at that. 263 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:27,000 So let's go to the next verse. The next verse is verse 2 in 264 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,120 Psalms 23. It says he lets me lie down in 265 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:35,280 green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. 266 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:42,520 David lived and he led from this place of security and rest. 267 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:45,600 Now we're going to talk a little bit here about sheep and 268 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,280 shepherds so you can understand this. 269 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,200 I did a deep dive into this chapter a number of years ago, 270 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:55,080 read a whole lot about sheep. I learned a lot of sheep facts. 271 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:57,320 I bored my family to death with them. 272 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:03,520 And so one thing that a shepherd's primary role is to 273 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:08,080 feed and protect his flock. And so he is responsible to make 274 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:10,680 sure they have good, healthy pastures. 275 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:13,720 So a lot of times that means that he's moving them from 276 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,080 pasture to pasture so the land doesn't get over grace and so 277 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:19,960 that the sheep stay healthy because that keeps the sheep 278 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,000 healthy and free from parasite and disease. 279 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,920 If they're in good, healthy pastures are my parents live out 280 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:29,400 in Kerrville and kind of out. They have a ranch out there. 281 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,560 And when you're driving there, you can see the land that has 282 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:34,400 been over grazed. It's like all rock, right? 283 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:38,080 And a Good Shepherd is constantly moving those sheep. 284 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:40,920 So they have good pasture and good food. 285 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:47,120 But also after a sheep has been fed, they will often go and 286 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:48,920 rest, lay down. OK. 287 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,680 And here's what is fascinating. This whole idea, this phrase 288 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:55,280 that says he makes me lie down in green pastures. 289 00:16:55,760 --> 00:17:01,080 What I learned about sheep is a sheep will not lie down unless 4 290 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:07,000 requirements are met. A sheep has to be free of fear. 291 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:10,880 And sheep are very skittish animals, like a loud noise, 292 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:12,920 anything sudden they're bolting, right? 293 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:17,160 So they're not going to lay down unless they feel free from fear. 294 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,359 They have to be free from friction. 295 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:24,280 The sheep are very social animals, so there needs to be no 296 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:27,839 friction in the flock for them to rest truly lie down. 297 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:32,040 They need to be free of pests, flies, parasites, disease, 298 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:34,920 whatever in order to rest. And finally, they need to be 299 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:40,720 free from hunger. So the shepherd's job is to make 300 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:45,640 sure all four of those are met in order for the sheep to lay 301 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:52,000 down and rest, because sheep must feel safe and satisfied 302 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:57,560 before they will rest. I don't know what keeps you from 303 00:17:57,560 --> 00:17:58,920 rest. I think we all have the 304 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,840 different things in our lives that can keep us from rest. 305 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:05,640 For me, it's usually fear, a fear of the future. 306 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,760 The what if start going crazy in my mind and I get caught up in 307 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,920 it and I cannot rest. And I'll be honest, sometimes 308 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:13,480 it's honestly just a need to control. 309 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:16,480 Like I just want to fix it. There's a problem and I just 310 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:20,040 need to get in there and control it and fix it and I can't rest. 311 00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:24,480 This passage has always challenged me because it just 312 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:29,040 points to the fact that my ability to rest is truly a 313 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:33,040 reflection of my ability to trust the Shepherd. 314 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:36,520 Because if a sheep is not going to lie down unless all these 315 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:39,280 things are met, he has to trust the shepherd, that the 316 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:42,360 shepherd's taking care of all those needs or he can't rest. 317 00:18:43,120 --> 00:18:46,560 Psalms 4610 says this be still and know that I am God. 318 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:49,920 That verse has always challenged me because I'm not a still 319 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:51,440 person. First of all, just in the 320 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:54,840 practical, but go go, go. But that when you study that 321 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:59,920 verse, that phrase be still means to let go, to take your 322 00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:05,000 hands off be still and know that I am God. 323 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:07,960 There's a story of another story from David. 324 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:12,160 This is in first Daniel 30. And this is during that that 325 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:16,120 period of time where he has been anointed, but he is not yet 326 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:18,840 king, right. So he is on the run from Saul. 327 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:22,320 Saul is trying to kill him. David has at this point he's 328 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:26,040 kind of gathered this little ragtag army, got about 600 men. 329 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:28,600 They are living in a town called Ziglag. 330 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:30,680 That's a fun town name, right? Ziglag. 331 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:33,280 They're living there with their families. 332 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:36,480 The David and all of his men leave to go to this battle. 333 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:42,080 While they're gone, the enemy comes into the town, burns the 334 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:46,040 town down to the ground and kidnaps all of the wives and the 335 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:49,280 children. And I want to read to you in 336 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:52,040 first Daniel, what happens after this First Samuel 30? 337 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,640 I'm going to jump up to verse four first and then we're going 338 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:57,960 to jump down to six. So David and his troops, 339 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,040 they've, they've arrived back in the city to find this. 340 00:20:01,360 --> 00:20:02,440 Carnage. OK. 341 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:07,240 And it says David and his troops with him, that he wept loudly 342 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:09,560 until they had no strength left to weep. 343 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,280 Then going to verse 6, it says David was in an extremely 344 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:17,800 difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him. 345 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,760 They were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and 346 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:27,640 daughters, but David found strength in the Lord his God. 347 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:30,960 And David said to the priest, bring me the Ephon. 348 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,720 So the priest brings it to him and David says, asks, asks God, 349 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:38,800 should I pursue these Raiders? Will I overtake them? 350 00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:42,920 And the Lord says to him, pursue them, for you will certainly 351 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,000 overtake them and rescue the people. 352 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:48,800 Now you read on in that chapter. And they do indeed. 353 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:53,320 David and his men go after the enemy and they recover all of 354 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,680 their family. They're all OK. 355 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:59,920 They get them all back and it has somewhat of a happy ending. 356 00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:03,400 But what I want to point out here to you is David's response 357 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:08,960 in this situation. David is obviously distraught. 358 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:12,720 Who would not be distraught? You get back to the town, 359 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:15,400 everything's gone and your family is missing. 360 00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:22,000 But I want you to notice that he's not overcome with panic 361 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:27,160 like instead I love it. It says that he found strength 362 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:32,000 in the Lord has God. It's almost like David like 363 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:39,360 consciously like grabs hold of who he knows God to be like OK 364 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:42,840 God. I don't like all the men want to 365 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:46,080 stone me. We are beside ourselves and he 366 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,240 just goes to OK God. I know you're faithful. 367 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,680 I know who you have proven yourself to me before in the 368 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,200 past. And he holds on to that. 369 00:21:55,200 --> 00:22:01,560 It's, it's like he finds this place of rest, soul rest, the 370 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:07,040 green pasture in the midst of the chaos by going back to who 371 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,160 God is. And then what does he do after 372 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:11,120 he has found strength in the Lord? 373 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,720 Then he goes and he inquires of God, OK, what do I do now? 374 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:19,000 Like tell me, what do I do now? Listen, frantic people who are 375 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:20,960 frantic don't usually stop and pray. 376 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:26,640 It's the rested people that do, the people that are able to rest 377 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:30,640 in God and who he is and who they know him to be that can 378 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,360 stop like that and pray and seek him. 379 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:37,280 So he was able to live from this place of security and rest 380 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:39,760 because he knew God as his Good Shepherd. 381 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:42,920 So let's move on now we have, we're going to look at 2 verses, 382 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:48,160 verses 3 and 4 of Psalms 23 and it says he renews my life. 383 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:52,640 He leads me along the right path for his name's sake. 384 00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:57,440 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger 385 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:00,440 for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they 386 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,560 comfort me. And what we see in here, two 387 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:07,280 things we see is that David, he just lived and LED from this 388 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:12,600 place of first of all, submission, but also trust. 389 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:17,600 And there is a, I'm just going to be honest, there is a lot in 390 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:19,920 these two verses. Like I could seriously a whole 391 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,880 sermon just right here, maybe 2, which I'm not going to do, don't 392 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:26,000 worry. But there's a couple key things 393 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,520 I want to point out to you in these two verses. 394 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:32,240 The first one is at the very beginning, it says that he leads 395 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:35,280 me along the right paths. Listen, a shepherd's jaw we 396 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,440 talked about earlier, one of his primary roles is to provide and 397 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:40,960 protect. But another primary role of the 398 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:44,480 shepherd is to lead. The shepherd is in front of the 399 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:48,320 flock, leading the flock, which means what the sheep have to 400 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:49,600 follow. Obviously, the sheep are not 401 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:51,520 following. He's not leading anybody, but 402 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:56,600 the sheep have to follow him. Now following is one of the 403 00:23:56,680 --> 00:24:01,080 primary traits of sheep. They will follow their leader 404 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:02,800 anywhere. I have a story I want to read 405 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:06,200 you. This happened in Turkey in 2005. 406 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,000 You may have heard the story this is reading from the news 407 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:11,920 article. It says first one sheep jumped 408 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:16,760 to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds 409 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:22,080 who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast watched 410 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:28,080 as nearly 1500 others followed, each leaping off the same Cliff, 411 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:34,640 the Turkish media reported. In the end, 450 dead animals lay 412 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:37,400 on top of one another in a billowy white pile. 413 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:41,400 Those who jumped later were saved as the pile got higher and 414 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,000 the fall more cushioned. I, I'm not even sure what to do 415 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:52,280 with that story. Like, OK, yay for 451. 416 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:57,320 Like, I, I, I don't know. And I have to be honest, when I 417 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:00,720 did this like really deep studying to sheep, I wasn't 418 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:04,520 super excited about the fact that Jesus often refers to us as 419 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:05,760 sheep. I'm just going to be honest. 420 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:10,560 OK, 'cause I'm like, really. And this particular trait of 421 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:14,640 just following their leader right off a Cliff, I thought, 422 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,240 gosh, OK, really. Like, really, are we like, 423 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:20,480 really like that? And then I was like, yeah, COVID 424 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:23,880 and toilet paper. I mean, come on. 425 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:25,560 I remember when that first happened. 426 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:27,600 I was like, what is wrong with people? 427 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:29,480 Toilet paper? But what was the first thought 428 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:33,280 in my head, oh, I need to go to HEB just to see if they have 429 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,720 toilet paper. And, and I have three boys. 430 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:40,480 So I am frequent Costco often. And I at Costco, I have my 431 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,280 certain route that I take. I know exactly what I need. 432 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:45,360 And I always start in one spot and work my way through. 433 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,200 Not during COVID, because I would walk in that Costco and go 434 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,600 straight to that back corner where the toilet paper was just 435 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:54,960 to see if there was any. We, we have this like a mob, a 436 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:58,080 mentality of just like following the mob when it doesn't even 437 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:01,720 make sense, right? And so this idea of a Good 438 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:06,040 Shepherd has to lead the sheep and the sheep have to follow. 439 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,920 The sheep have to be willing listen, the sheep have to be 440 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:14,520 willing to be led. And that's where this idea of 441 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,760 submission comes in. If the shepherd is leading, the 442 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:19,560 sheep have to be willing to follow him. 443 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:23,520 They also have to be able to recognize his voice, which is a 444 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:27,480 key part of shepherds and sheep. Like when you have a really Good 445 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:30,680 Shepherd, the sheep know his voice. 446 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:32,960 Like they actually recognize his voice. 447 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:36,520 There's some amazing videos of this I was watching actually 448 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,160 this week as I was preparing for this of, you know, different 449 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:41,840 people calling out to sheep using the same call that the 450 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:44,080 shepherd does. And the sheep do not even like 451 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:45,960 look up. They don't even respond. 452 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:48,680 But as soon as the shepherd stands up and says the exact 453 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:53,040 same call, they all look up and they all come running like they 454 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:57,560 know his voice. I want to encourage you when 455 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,680 throughout the Bible we see this idea of God as a Good Shepherd. 456 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,920 God is a relational God. He wants to have relationship 457 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:08,400 with you. He is also a God that wants to 458 00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:10,840 speak to you. There's lots of ways that God 459 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:13,600 can speak to you. It can be through his word, it 460 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,200 can be through music, it can be out in nature, it can be through 461 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,280 someone else confirming something that you've kind of 462 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:23,440 been sensing. But God speaks to us and listen, 463 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:27,960 you have to stay close and practice listening so you can 464 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:29,520 learn what his voice sounds like. 465 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:33,120 And here's the thing. And again, that's the whole 466 00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:37,440 really another sermon. But learning to recognize the 467 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,680 voice of God, it takes time. This is a journey. 468 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,640 It takes time learning what he sounds like to you, which means 469 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:47,320 you have to practice. And I want to encourage you. 470 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:50,360 Hey, relax. Because I, I talked to so many 471 00:27:50,360 --> 00:27:52,440 people who are like, I'm so afraid I'm going to mess it up, 472 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:53,640 Like I'm not going to hear right. 473 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:55,920 Yeah, you're, you're probably going to, you're going to mess 474 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:56,960 it up. I'm just going to say it. 475 00:27:57,040 --> 00:28:00,640 But there's going to be, there's been times when I'm like certain 476 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:02,960 that God said this to me and then I go do it. 477 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:07,560 And then later I'm like, I'm not sure I heard that exactly right. 478 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:13,960 But the more I listen, the more I respond, the more I do it and 479 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,840 the quicker I do it, the easier it is for me to recognize the 480 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:19,720 next time he calls. And I'm like, oh, yeah, that's 481 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:21,240 God. Oh, yeah, OK. 482 00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:22,960 That's I need to obey that. I need to obey that. 483 00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:25,920 That's God. Listen, just just practice it 484 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,200 and relax because our shepherd is a Good Shepherd. 485 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,280 If you're trying to stay close to him and follow him, and maybe 486 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:35,000 sometime you think he's saying something and you start going 487 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:37,160 and then you're like, yeah, you think the shepherd's just going 488 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:38,520 to sit, stand there and just watch you. 489 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,640 No, he's going to come after you. 490 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,280 He's going to come get you. Like you're going to be OK. 491 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:47,560 So learning to recognize the voice of the shepherd is key to 492 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:49,840 being sheep that are submitted to him. 493 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:53,640 Now let's talk about the trust factor because it talks about, 494 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:55,320 you know, he leads us along right path. 495 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:58,000 And then we have the verse, when I go through the valley of the 496 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,240 shadow of death, I will fear no evil. 497 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,640 You notice it says when not if, because following Jesus does not 498 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:06,640 mean that you will never have hard times. 499 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,280 So this is not if you go through the valley. 500 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,680 This is when you go through the valley. 501 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:16,240 And David understood this just like anybody else because he had 502 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:19,640 had his fair share. But he, David, understood that 503 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:22,280 when I go through the valley, I fear no evil. 504 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,280 Why? Because you're with me. 505 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:29,120 It was the presence of the shepherd that removed fear. 506 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:33,160 And there's over 100 verses in the Bible telling us, do not 507 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,680 fear, Fear not because God knows this is a big deal for us. 508 00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:40,560 And there's a, a verse, it's to again towards the end of David's 509 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:43,200 life. It's in First Chronicles 2820. 510 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:45,440 David is coming to the end of his reign. 511 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:49,400 He has been the greatest king that Israel has ever known and 512 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,080 will ever know. His son Solomon is getting ready 513 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:55,040 to become king. And so Solomon, God has told 514 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,160 Solomon that he's going to build God's temple. 515 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,520 And so David is starting to gather things, get ready, and he 516 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:02,880 gives this like word of exhortation to his son. 517 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:05,360 And I love it. It's in First Chronicles 2820. 518 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,200 And he says this. Then David said to his son 519 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,640 Solomon, be strong and courageous and do the work. 520 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:17,240 Don't be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is 521 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:20,800 with you. He won't leave you or abandoned 522 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:24,920 you until all the work for the service of the Lord's house is 523 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:28,480 finished. Listen, this is again is towards 524 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,760 the end of David's life and his reign. 525 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:37,720 And David had seen the goodness of God in his life despite the 526 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:41,000 UPS and the downs. He had seen his faithfulness and 527 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:48,400 he could say with confidence to his son, Hey son, be strong, be 528 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:52,840 courageous, do the work that God has set out for you to do. 529 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:56,640 Don't be afraid because what does he say for the Lord God, My 530 00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:59,880 God, Again, that personal David is so personal about this, like 531 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:03,720 he's my God. He is with you and he will not 532 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:06,720 leave you. Now when we go back to this, 533 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:08,400 first it talks about going to the valley. 534 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,040 We don't need to be afraid because he's with us. 535 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:13,640 And then it says my, your rod and your, your rod and staff, 536 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:15,520 they comfort me. Well, what does that mean? 537 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:17,520 Well, OK, we know what the staff is. 538 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,520 We've seen the staff. The staff is very unique to the 539 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:23,160 shepherd. It's the only, really the only 540 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:27,240 profession that uses that. It's brings comfort to the sheep 541 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:31,080 because the shepherd uses the staff to pull the sheep in 542 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:32,560 clothes. Like if they start to wander 543 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:34,520 away, you can grab that hook and pull them in. 544 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:37,000 He also brings them in to examine them. 545 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:40,480 There's lots of things the shepherd uses the staff for that 546 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:45,160 is very comforting to the sheep. Now the rod was this short kind 547 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:50,160 of club like item and he would carry it in his right hand or in 548 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:55,000 one of his hands and he would a Good Shepherd could hurl that 549 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,280 club like with amazing speed and accuracy. 550 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:03,240 And so he would use the rod for protection like it would help to 551 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:06,240 protect the shepherd and the flock from predators and things 552 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:08,280 like that. But he also would use it for 553 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:11,880 discipline and probably use it more for this than anything 554 00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:14,320 else. You know, a sheep is a wandering 555 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:16,240 off, not going where he needs to be. 556 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:19,360 And that shepherd can hurl that rod, get that sheep and make 557 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:24,320 that sheep come running back. And so that's why the the idea 558 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:26,680 of the rod and the staff bring comfort. 559 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:32,200 Cuz are these pictures of protection, comfort, even 560 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:34,840 discipline when necessary because it's coming from a Good 561 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:37,880 Shepherd that loves you and knows what's best for you. 562 00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:43,680 And so those the last point here is the last two verses of Psalms 563 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:48,360 23 says you prepare a table before me in the presence of my 564 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:50,520 enemies. You anoint my head with oil. 565 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:54,840 My cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love 566 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:59,240 will pursue me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the 567 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:01,280 House of the Lord as long as I live. 568 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:06,360 David. He was able to look back over 569 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:11,240 his life and just he lived and he LED from this place of hope 570 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:18,120 because he knew who God was. David had experienced the 571 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:20,160 faithfulness of God throughout his life. 572 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:24,280 There's a verse of one of my favorite verses in Lamentations. 573 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:29,000 It's in Lamentations 322 to 23. This is this because of the 574 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:34,760 Lord's faithful love, we do not perish, for his mercies never 575 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:36,960 end. They're new every morning. 576 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:42,680 Great is your faithfulness and this phrase at the very end of 577 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:47,640 Psalms 23, when he says only goodness and faithful love will 578 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,160 pursue me all the days of my life. 579 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:57,360 It gives us this beautiful picture of a God who is 580 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:02,640 relentlessly pursuing us and chasing us down. 581 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:09,159 Not as the taskmaster with the cattle prod ready to ZAP you for 582 00:34:09,159 --> 00:34:14,400 not doing what you're supposed to do No, no, He is relentlessly 583 00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:18,480 chasing you as the shepherd with the staff because he wants to 584 00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:23,159 pour out his goodness and his faithful love on you. 585 00:34:24,159 --> 00:34:28,000 And listen, David didn't deserve it. 586 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:33,159 We don't deserve that. And yet David recognize that he 587 00:34:33,159 --> 00:34:36,880 could not escape it, and we can't escape it either. 588 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:41,000 The the pursuing of God, that love, a faithful love, and that 589 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:42,679 goodness that he wants to pour out. 590 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:47,080 And again, I've said this already, but David wasn't 591 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:49,400 perfect. He it wasn't. 592 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:54,480 I'm not saying that he lived out these characteristics perfectly 593 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:57,440 100% of the time. Just go read the story of David. 594 00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:00,040 In fact, if you're not really familiar with the story of King 595 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:01,760 David, I would encourage you because we're going to be 596 00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:03,840 continuing this series for like 6 weeks. 597 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:08,560 Go spend some time in first and second Samuel, read about David. 598 00:35:08,720 --> 00:35:14,320 He definitely wasn't perfect, but because he had this proper 599 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:20,720 view of God as a Good Shepherd, he was able to handle the 600 00:35:20,720 --> 00:35:26,960 triumphs and the tragedies with without losing his faith in God. 601 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:30,720 So what does God look like for you today? 602 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:39,280 Is He the taskmaster ready to get you because you're not doing 603 00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:44,640 what you're supposed to do? Or is he the shepherd who's 604 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:48,120 leading you from a place of love and knowing what's best for you 605 00:35:48,120 --> 00:35:51,720 and you know that you can trust him even when you don't 606 00:35:51,720 --> 00:35:54,760 understand what he's doing or where he's taking you? 607 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:57,440 And remember how I talked about how the shepherd is constantly 608 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,760 moving the sheep from pasture to pasture because he knows what's 609 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,840 best for the sheep? And how often does God doing 610 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:05,680 something in our lives that we're like, this doesn't make 611 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:07,640 any sense. I don't what are you doing? 612 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:12,720 And he's like, trust me, trust me, I know what's best for you. 613 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:17,440 You know, I grew up in church, I've known Jesus since I was a 614 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:19,560 little girl. But because of some of the 615 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:22,520 things I was raised in and some of the things I experienced, I 616 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:26,320 definitely leaned more towards this when I was younger. 617 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:30,760 And it has been a journey for me to get to the point where I see 618 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:34,440 God like this. Because here's the thing, when I 619 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:40,360 view GOT, when times I view Got as a taskmaster, it becomes more 620 00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:43,400 about what I can do. And it's all about doing. 621 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,120 Where is this picture of Jesus and God? 622 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:50,920 It's our shepherd. It's about being like just being 623 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:53,920 with him, being close to him, learning his voice, following 624 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:57,960 him. And also when you end up 625 00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:02,480 focusing on works and be doing, it becomes really about you, 626 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:05,480 right? The triumphs and the tragedies. 627 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:07,600 It's about you, what you did or didn't do. 628 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:12,000 Whereas as the Shepherd, when we can just trust him, it's about 629 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:14,880 him. It's all about him and what he's 630 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:16,800 doing. So I don't know where you are 631 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:19,160 today. I don't know if you're in a 632 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:22,080 place or maybe you're experiencing that dark valley 633 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:25,560 and you need to be reminded that you are not alone. 634 00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:29,200 Or maybe you're in a place where you're just not able to rest 635 00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:30,960 right now. You're just, there's fears, 636 00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:35,600 you're trying to fix and control things, and you just need to be 637 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,160 reminded that you can trust your shepherd. 638 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:45,200 Or maybe you are somebody that has never actually taken that 639 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:50,000 first step for relationship for this God who is relentlessly 640 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:53,040 pursuing you. He wants nothing more than to 641 00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:56,480 have relationship with you. And maybe you're ready to take 642 00:37:56,480 --> 00:38:00,240 that first step today, no matter where you are. 643 00:38:00,240 --> 00:38:04,240 I just hope that you are encouraged today that it is in 644 00:38:04,240 --> 00:38:08,360 our Shepherd that we can find contentment, that we can find 645 00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:12,040 security, we can find rest and we can find hope. 646 00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:16,080 So what does God look like for you today? 647 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:19,160 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you, 648 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:26,520 Lord, that you are the Good Shepherd, that we can trust you 649 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:34,600 even when things just seem to be burning all around us and life 650 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:41,360 is hard and messy and there's lots of grief and worry and all 651 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:45,320 the things. Lord, I just thank you for the 652 00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:51,720 reminder today that you are the Good Shepherd, that you see us, 653 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:56,640 that you know as a you desire relationship with us and that 654 00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:59,640 you have good things in store for us. 655 00:39:00,720 --> 00:39:04,200 What I pray that we would be able to walk out of here today 656 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:10,480 remembering who you are, that you are not the taskmaster, you 657 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:14,120 are the Good Shepherd. I'm so grateful for that. 658 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:19,960 And the precious and beautiful, powerful name of Jesus we pray. 659 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:22,320 Amen. Thank you for joining us today. 660 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:25,560 River City Church is all about experiencing and expressing 661 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:28,240 God's love in our lives and community, and we hope that 662 00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:30,280 you've been able to experience that today. 663 00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:33,480 As grateful as I am that you've spent this time listening in 664 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:36,520 this morning, this podcast is no substitute for full 665 00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:40,440 participation in a local church. I love it when River City people 666 00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:43,760 listen to other pastors, but it is those who show up week after 667 00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:46,680 week, faithfully giving their support and time and resources 668 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:50,080 that make all of this possible. If we can help you get connected 669 00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:54,080 to a local church, pray for you, or support you in any way, click 670 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:55,680 the link in the description and let us know. 671 00:39:56,280 --> 00:39:58,360 If you'd like to financially support the ministry of River 672 00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:01,280 City, click the give link on our website in the description. 673 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:04,480 Don't forget to subscribe and don't forget to share this with 674 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:06,400 your friends. Thanks so much for listening. 675 00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:09,640 May the Lord bless and keep you in all grace and peace.