WEBVTT

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 Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast.

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 This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons.

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 We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear

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 the latest message.

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 Thanks for listening.

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 Well, good morning.

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 Glad that you guys are here with us.

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 Before we get into this, I want to remind everybody, hopefully you saw it as you came in, we will

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 be taking part in the Lord's Supper today, and so if you didn't grab one of the communion

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 cups on your way in, they're right back here, Pastor Dave and Patrick, I believe y'all got

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 those back there.

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 If you can head back there, if you don't want to get up and move, they'll bring them to you.

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 Just throw your hand up.

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 They'll think you're just still in worship, and we'll bring them to you and have them there.

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 But we will do the Lord's Supper together at the end of the service.

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 I want to echo what Moses said, and if you're a first-time guest, thank you so much for being

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 here.

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 At the end of the service, I will be back here with my wife, Erin, at the welcome station

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 back here.

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 We'd love to meet you.

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 We'd love to shake your hand.

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 We'd love to thank you for being here and worshiping with us.

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 And if you have any questions about who we are as a church, we'd love to get those answered

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 for you.

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 So again, I want to echo what Moses said.

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 Thank you so much for being here for our first-time guest and worshiping with us today.

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 Also, on November the 21st, we've been talking about this for a couple weeks, we're going

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 to have a night of missions and prayer.

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 And so on that evening, that Sunday evening at 4 o'clock, I want to invite you to join us.

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 It's going to be a wonderful time.

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 I have a missionary who's going to be here with us and share what it's like for life on

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 the mission field.

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 We'll go ahead and share that night.

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 We will not be live streaming anything as the place and the context where this missionary

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 has served and looks to serve again.

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 It's not something that we can make public through things like the internet, but he will

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 be here along with his wife to share about all that God has done there.

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 And then it'll be a time also for us that night as we pray for our different missions

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 partners.

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 And so I want to encourage everyone to be there.

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 One of the things we've been doing as a church for a long time now is teaching all

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 through the generations of the importance and the value of missions.

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 And so this is going to be a night where we're going to have our nursery open, but then everyone

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 else is going to be in here together for our kids to be able to hear, our middle school

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 students, our high school students, and our adults.

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 And so I'm excited about that night and all that the Lord is going to do.

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 And then I got a prayer request for you for this week.

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 After church is over today, there will be a group of men.

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 I'm going to be a part of this team that we are headed up to Black Mountain, North Carolina,

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 the Black Mountain Children's Home to serve for the better part of this week.

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 And so I just ask for your prayers as we are there doing construction and helping out the

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 Black Mountain Children's Home so they can continue to serve the many children that God has brought

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 to them and allow us the privilege to do that.

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 I'm really excited about this team that's going.

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 In my experience of doing mission trips, this is the first time that I've been on a men's only mission trip.

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 And so that'll be a little bit different.

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 But I want to be honest with you, what excites me the most about this trip is more than half of the men

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 who were going on the mission trip, this will be their very first mission trip.

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 And if you've ever been on a mission trip, you know how God uses those times to not only,

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 as we look to serve others, and we all do this, I do this as well, we all think of a mission trip

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 and what kind of a blessing that we can be and how God is going to use us.

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 But the truth of the matter is, time and time again, God reveals himself to us.

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 And we, as the ones who were going, are even more blessed.

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 And so we're just excited about that opportunity to be able to go and be a part of this trip together.

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 Well, we're going to continue on in our series in the Psalms.

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 So if you've got your Bibles, open them up to the 23rd Psalm is where we're going to be this morning.

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 So as Berger and I have worked together on this sermon series, he sent me a list of different Psalms

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 that kind of fit with some Psalms, the songs that he and the band could begin working on.

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 And I said, man, like, it doesn't matter to me as you feel like the Lord's leading all of it's God's Word,

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 and I'll be excited to preach from it.

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 And I'll be honest with you, over the last several weeks, I would sit down on Monday

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 and begin to read through the Psalm and go, whew, God, you're going to stretch me this week, right?

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 This isn't one that I would necessarily found myself going toward.

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 This isn't one of those that's easy.

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 There's got to be a little bit more work that I've got to do.

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 And so God in his goodness and God in his faithfulness has stretched me in a very difficult way over these last several weeks.

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 And then when I got to this one and I saw it on Planning Center, which is what we use to schedule and to coordinate,

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 I was like the 23rd Psalm, whew, finally, right?

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 Like the 23rd Psalm, I know this one.

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 I've taught this one.

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 Every funeral, this is the Psalm.

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 This is the passage that you're going to hear.

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 And then God said, well, watch this.

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 Watch this.

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 And over the course of the last week, and this is just a beautiful picture of what God does

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 and as God grants us humility, as we think we know, and then God says, well, watch this is what he does.

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 Because the truth is for you, you might even be sitting there today and you're like, man, man, Psalm 23, like I've heard this a thousand times.

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 In fact, I'd be willing to bet whether you're a believer or not, if you've attended a Christian funeral, right?

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 Like everyone has heard this passage.

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 Everyone has a reference and a context of the 23rd Psalm because of funerals.

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 But what is ironic and what is powerful, and as we look at this, is that this passage is not about death at all.

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 And this passage is about life.

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 This passage is about the understanding of this is what the life looks like when it lives in the connection of community,

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 and the power of relationship with God, and what this can be in ours.

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 You know, the 23rd Psalm is written by David.

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 It's not written by David the shepherd.

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 It's not written by young King David.

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 In fact, the 23rd Psalm, even though it's earlier on in how the Psalms are listed,

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 most believe that the 23rd Psalm is actually written by David at the end of his life.

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 And as he looks back on his life and thinks through his highs and his lows,

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 his victories and his defeats, his sinful failings and his righteous moments,

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 all balled up into this one experience of life.

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 And he, through the leading of the Spirit of God, imparts this.

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 If you've ever been with someone who knows that death is approaching,

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 and you have those moments of God giving you the grace to be able to communicate those things,

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 you hear the perspective of a life lived.

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 I remember close to the end of my grandfather's life,

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 before he lost the ability to speak.

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 And it was at his, the assisted living place where he was, where he was living at the time.

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 And I went up there and just sat there and had a conversation with him.

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 And he talked about life.

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 He talked about a service in the military.

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 He talked about marriage.

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 He talked about God's faithfulness.

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 And as we read the 23rd Psalm this morning,

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 I want you to kind of take that moment if God's graced you with one of those opportunities

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 and allow that to be the heaviness of the context.

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 It's not some young pastor who thinks they've got it figured out.

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 It's a seasoned man who's gone through life,

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 who's experienced the highs and the lows,

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 who's gone through the battle,

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 has seen his failings and understands God's grace,

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 who's lived through the goodness of God and seen all of this.

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 And he looks back and he says,

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 as life brings the seasons.

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 And you guys know this, right?

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 In South Carolina, we experience all four in the same day, right?

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 And sometimes that's the way it feels like in the emotional,

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 the physical, and the spiritual seasons of life as well.

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 The seasons change.

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 But God's faithfulness doesn't, right?

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 In spite of what we're feeling,

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 in spite of what we're experiencing, God is faithful.

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 And that's what David writes about.

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 And the beauty of this, the hope of this,

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 the reminder of this,

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 is God's faithfulness isn't just reserved for people like King David, right?

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 God's faithfulness is also for me and for you and for all of his children.

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 So as David writes about this,

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 may it soak into us the faithfulness of the Lord.

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 So let's start reading in chapter 23, verse 1.

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 David writes, he says,

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 the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

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 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

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 He leads me beside still waters.

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 He restores my soul.

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 He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

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 In the first three verses, David describes the season of life.

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 A season of life that he had experienced and a season of life that you and I will experience.

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 And we're going to draw from the wordplay that he's given us here and call this the season of the pasture.

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 And what we see about God in this is in the season of the pasture,

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 we will find out and understand the everyday provider of who God is.

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 God with us in the day in and day out.

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 And David uses a beautiful illustration that continues to flow through all of Psalm 23, but starts it off here.

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 David here says that God is the shepherd and we are the sheep.

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 And this is going to be an illustration that's used all throughout Scripture and especially in the teachings of Christ.

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 And David draws this for us.

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 So I want to talk a little bit about the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd this morning

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 and understand what it means that every single day that God is our provider.

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 Well, sheep, number one, sheep are always dependent on the shepherd.

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 There's not a moment in time in their life if they are going to live that they are not dependent on the shepherd.

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 You know, it's not good in normal days to be considered a sheep.

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 Sheep really can't do things for themselves.

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 Sheep are careless.

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 Sheep are defenseless.

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 Sheep are prone to getting lost.

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 Sheep need constant care.

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 They cannot find food on their own or water by themselves.

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 But what sheep know that you and I often forget is that in every moment of every day of who we are,

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 that sheep know that their lives are in the hand of the shepherd and that he will provide.

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 And so when David in his goodness says,

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 the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

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 Why?

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 Because in every single day, he knows of the provision.

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 And so he can be dependent on the shepherd.

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 The next thing I want us to understand about the sheep,

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 and I think this is important, is that the sheep are obedient to the shepherd.

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 This is interesting.

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 I didn't know this and study in a little bit this week about what it means to be a shepherd

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 and the dynamic of sheep is that, did you know that sheep cannot be driven?

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 Right?

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 I don't have much context for what it means to drive animals, right?

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 I don't live in that world.

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 I don't do those things.

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 But I remember all the way back to, I believe, 1989 in the movie City Slickers, right?

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 Do you remember that movie?

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 Right?

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 If you don't, you're younger and go watch it, right?

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 Wonderful movie.

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 Billy Crystal is in the movie.

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 But you get the picture of them, and they're moving the cattle, and they're driving them.

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 And they're behind them, and they're pushing them, and they're pressing them,

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 and they're guiding them on this path.

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 But it's in this mixture of beside them, behind them, beside them, behind them.

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 And if they get out in front, the cows aren't going to follow.

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 So they've got to drive them.

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 They've got to push them.

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 But that's not what sheep do.

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 Sheep don't do that at all.

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 In fact, if you're the shepherd, and you're leading the sheep,

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 the sheep obey because they follow behind, right?

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 So it's a different role.

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 It's a different responsibility.

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 It's a different relationship.

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 In fact, the shepherd will move from the front to the side.

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 Because if a sheep comes to wonder what the shepherd would do

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 when the sheep begins to get out of line,

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 when a sheep, remember, they're careless, they're prone to getting lost,

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 the shepherd would continue to glance behind as he would leave,

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 and he would kind of drift back and get alongside and bump into them

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 and bump into them and rub up against them to remind them

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 of where they needed to be.

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 so that they could go.

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 But we begin to get the picture and understand

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 that if we are the sheep and what it means to be led by the shepherd,

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 not are we only dependent on the shepherd,

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 but we're obedient to the shepherd.

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 Right?

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 The dynamic of the truth of life.

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 But then also, sheep are known by the shepherd.

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 In John chapter 10, Jesus says that he is the good shepherd

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 and that his sheep know his voice and he calls them by name.

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 Now, for years, I thought that this was just a spiritual implication of what Jesus was given,

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 but through reading and doing some research this week,

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 I found that that's not the case at all.

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 That ancient eastern shepherds, I didn't know this, makes me feel better about what we do with our pets, right?

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 They named their sheep.

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 So when Jesus says that, he's speaking to a practicality of life, of what they would have known.

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 You know how shepherds name their sheep?

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 I know my sheep's name, and they know my voice, and they respond when I call them.

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 And I thought this was interesting that here's why they named their sheep.

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 So that they can call them, so that they can listen to them,

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 because of the great value that the shepherd has for the sheep.

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 Because you see, they weren't used for food, but they were used for milk and for wool.

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 And so the beauty of that is they knew them, just as God knows us and desires for us to know him.

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 No, it's the beauty of this.

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 So why are these sheep this committed to the shepherd?

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 Why is it?

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 Because they know he will provide.

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 And it's what we continually see in Scripture.

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 Genesis 22, verse 14, it says,

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 So Abraham called the name of that place the Lord will provide.

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 As it is said to this day, on the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.

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 The context of Genesis 22, 14 is found in the story of Abraham and Isaac.

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 Abraham, the man chosen by God through the great nation would come from, of God's people.

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 And it only is going to happen, and it is only going to come through his lineage,

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 in the way that God said it would happen and take place.

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 And there's a lot of back story.

00:16:54.020 --> 00:16:55.320
 If you don't know it, stop afterwards.

00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:56.900
 We'll have the conversation.

00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:01.460
 But after many, many years, God grants to Abraham and his wife,

00:17:01.580 --> 00:17:04.120
 finally a son, a son that they had longed for,

00:17:04.320 --> 00:17:07.700
 a son that they knew that was the fulfillment of God's promise with them

00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:09.360
 for God to continue to do.

00:17:09.540 --> 00:17:11.800
 But then God does something that is crazy.

00:17:12.060 --> 00:17:13.280
 God does something that is out there.

00:17:13.520 --> 00:17:15.120
 God looks at Abraham, and he says,

00:17:15.220 --> 00:17:17.080
 You take your son, whom you love.

00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:19.200
 You take your son, whom I've promised,

00:17:19.360 --> 00:17:21.220
 and you go and you sacrifice him.

00:17:24.060 --> 00:17:25.260
 And Abraham says, Okay.

00:17:27.160 --> 00:17:28.440
 Because he's led by God.

00:17:29.480 --> 00:17:30.980
 Because he's obedient to God.

00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:34.180
 But because he's dependent on God.

00:17:35.220 --> 00:17:39.360
 And because Abraham realizes and knows that God's the provider.

00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:44.160
 And so in Genesis 22, verse 5,

00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:50.980
 they're on their journey to where he will take and he will sacrifice his son.

00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:51.700
 He'll kill him.

00:17:53.580 --> 00:17:54.760
 And they stop.

00:17:55.860 --> 00:17:59.800
 And there's a group of men, of workers that are there,

00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:02.360
 workers for Abraham, servants of Abraham.

00:18:02.900 --> 00:18:04.840
 And it's a beautiful verse.

00:18:07.040 --> 00:18:08.620
 Abraham looks at them.

00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:13.860
 And as they're getting ready to go with Abraham and Isaac,

00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:16.860
 Abraham looks at them and says,

00:18:16.860 --> 00:18:18.900
 No, no, no, y'all stay here.

00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:23.560
 We are going to provide and offer the sacrifice.

00:18:23.580 --> 00:18:26.600
 And we will return.

00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:30.240
 You see what Abraham's doing.

00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:33.260
 In full obedience to the Lord,

00:18:33.360 --> 00:18:36.140
 but in knowing in the character of who God is,

00:18:36.320 --> 00:18:39.580
 of what God will do and his promises that God will provide.

00:18:40.420 --> 00:18:44.140
 And they go up onto the mount, scripture tells us.

00:18:45.340 --> 00:18:50.260
 And he lays his son down to sacrifice him.

00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:54.680
 And at that time, the angel of the Lord said,

00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:55.920
 Do not touch him.

00:18:56.920 --> 00:18:59.740
 And he looked over and God provided a ram.

00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:02.340
 And so we see verse 14.

00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:05.780
 So Abraham called the name of that place.

00:19:06.280 --> 00:19:09.400
 The Lord will provide, as it is said to this day,

00:19:09.840 --> 00:19:12.900
 on the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.

00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:18.820
 I call it the season of the pasture because it's just every day.

00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:22.400
 Every day, in spite of what was going on,

00:19:22.460 --> 00:19:24.680
 the shepherd would take the sheep to the pasture.

00:19:25.900 --> 00:19:27.540
 Some days in the pasture were easy.

00:19:27.660 --> 00:19:29.800
 Some days in the pasture were difficult.

00:19:30.060 --> 00:19:32.180
 Some days in the pasture were common.

00:19:32.360 --> 00:19:34.600
 Some days in the pasture were unexpected.

00:19:37.260 --> 00:19:38.940
 But when we walk in obedience,

00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:40.920
 trusting God and depending on him,

00:19:41.040 --> 00:19:43.360
 as Abraham did, as David did,

00:19:43.400 --> 00:19:46.340
 we can look on it and know that he knows us

00:19:46.340 --> 00:19:48.440
 and we can know that he will be our provider

00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:50.780
 of every single day.

00:19:51.980 --> 00:19:54.400
 The Lord is my shepherd.

00:19:54.940 --> 00:19:56.300
 I shall not want.

00:19:57.420 --> 00:19:58.240
 Look at verse 4.

00:19:59.880 --> 00:20:01.840
 Begins to see a different season.

00:20:03.600 --> 00:20:04.040
 David says,

00:20:04.040 --> 00:20:05.800
 Even though I walk through the valley

00:20:05.800 --> 00:20:07.760
 of the shadow of death,

00:20:08.260 --> 00:20:09.740
 I will fear no evil.

00:20:10.540 --> 00:20:11.820
 For you are with me.

00:20:12.560 --> 00:20:14.760
 Your rod and your staff,

00:20:15.060 --> 00:20:15.800
 they comfort me.

00:20:16.600 --> 00:20:19.040
 I want to call this season of what David talks about

00:20:19.040 --> 00:20:20.480
 as the season of the valley.

00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:25.100
 To remind us that God is with us in the darkness.

00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:28.720
 That in the pasture, there's also the valley.

00:20:29.060 --> 00:20:30.060
 And in the valley,

00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:32.520
 there become some dark and difficult days

00:20:32.520 --> 00:20:33.680
 that we face.

00:20:34.380 --> 00:20:36.080
 Life is filled with difficulties.

00:20:36.520 --> 00:20:38.280
 Life is filled with dark moments.

00:20:38.280 --> 00:20:40.040
 This is common to us all.

00:20:40.320 --> 00:20:41.540
 We walk through these.

00:20:41.820 --> 00:20:43.420
 We experience through these.

00:20:43.660 --> 00:20:44.940
 There are seasons in time

00:20:44.940 --> 00:20:47.340
 where we feel like we're never going to get

00:20:47.340 --> 00:20:48.760
 out of the valley.

00:20:49.120 --> 00:20:49.740
 And in this,

00:20:49.860 --> 00:20:50.900
 what you and I,

00:20:50.980 --> 00:20:52.560
 I know this about myself,

00:20:52.820 --> 00:20:55.000
 we have the tendency

00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:56.620
 from time to time

00:20:56.620 --> 00:20:59.220
 to not listen to

00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:01.560
 and understand that God is with us

00:21:01.560 --> 00:21:02.140
 in the valley,

00:21:02.140 --> 00:21:03.700
 but to listen to Satan

00:21:03.700 --> 00:21:05.980
 as he speaks lies in the valley.

00:21:07.360 --> 00:21:08.740
 Lies that I've experienced.

00:21:08.940 --> 00:21:10.880
 Lies that I've seen.

00:21:11.040 --> 00:21:12.200
 Lies that I've heard myself

00:21:12.200 --> 00:21:14.920
 as I walk through the dark days.

00:21:15.860 --> 00:21:16.600
 Number one

00:21:16.600 --> 00:21:18.680
 is that God doesn't care.

00:21:20.140 --> 00:21:20.800
 You ever heard that?

00:21:20.860 --> 00:21:21.680
 You ever felt that

00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:22.640
 when you're walking through?

00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:24.620
 Well, if God loved me,

00:21:24.660 --> 00:21:25.900
 then this wouldn't happen.

00:21:27.540 --> 00:21:28.780
 And so he must not care.

00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:31.240
 And then the second lie

00:21:31.240 --> 00:21:33.360
 that Satan uses in these moments.

00:21:34.660 --> 00:21:35.480
 Well, you're alone.

00:21:36.580 --> 00:21:37.680
 You're by yourself.

00:21:38.820 --> 00:21:39.800
 No one is there

00:21:39.800 --> 00:21:43.060
 and God has abandoned you.

00:21:43.820 --> 00:21:44.720
 There's been these seasons

00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:45.340
 of my life

00:21:45.340 --> 00:21:46.480
 where I've walked through this.

00:21:47.820 --> 00:21:48.900
 There'll be seasons of life

00:21:48.900 --> 00:21:50.300
 where as I'm facing the difficulties,

00:21:50.540 --> 00:21:51.640
 as I begin to feel

00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:53.000
 that it's too much to bear,

00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:54.400
 as I continue to battle

00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:55.100
 with the flesh

00:21:55.100 --> 00:21:56.400
 that exists within me,

00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:57.580
 and what I begin to hear,

00:21:57.680 --> 00:21:58.540
 what I begin to feel,

00:21:58.740 --> 00:21:59.860
 and what I begin to experience

00:21:59.860 --> 00:22:00.060
 is,

00:22:00.140 --> 00:22:00.220
 Bo,

00:22:00.320 --> 00:22:01.920
 God doesn't really care about you.

00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:03.520
 And Bo,

00:22:03.560 --> 00:22:04.200
 you're facing this

00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:04.880
 all on your own.

00:22:05.940 --> 00:22:07.260
 And the truth is,

00:22:07.380 --> 00:22:08.740
 while I hear those things,

00:22:08.740 --> 00:22:09.480
 the truth is,

00:22:09.560 --> 00:22:10.820
 while I feel those things,

00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:11.820
 and you do as well,

00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:12.940
 those aren't from the Lord.

00:22:13.080 --> 00:22:14.020
 That's not God.

00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:15.440
 It's Satan attacking

00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:16.060
 when we're weak

00:22:16.060 --> 00:22:16.840
 and when we're vulnerable.

00:22:18.100 --> 00:22:19.100
 When the difficulty

00:22:19.100 --> 00:22:20.500
 of the darkness of the valley

00:22:20.500 --> 00:22:22.400
 begins to consume us.

00:22:23.600 --> 00:22:25.240
 And so David reminds us

00:22:25.240 --> 00:22:27.640
 that we will walk through these.

00:22:29.020 --> 00:22:29.600
 We will.

00:22:30.460 --> 00:22:32.260
 You're going to go through the valley.

00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:34.140
 You might be in the valley.

00:22:34.340 --> 00:22:35.300
 You might look back

00:22:35.300 --> 00:22:36.720
 and remember the valley.

00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:38.760
 It is going to happen.

00:22:39.280 --> 00:22:40.160
 But when it does,

00:22:41.360 --> 00:22:42.540
 we can face it without fear.

00:22:43.900 --> 00:22:44.420
 And David says,

00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:45.580
 the reason for that,

00:22:46.020 --> 00:22:47.340
 the reason why we have this

00:22:47.340 --> 00:22:47.620
 is because,

00:22:47.940 --> 00:22:48.160
 God,

00:22:48.260 --> 00:22:49.240
 you are with me,

00:22:49.800 --> 00:22:51.180
 but you give me something.

00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:52.800
 You give me something

00:22:52.800 --> 00:22:53.640
 in this moment.

00:22:54.080 --> 00:22:55.180
 You give me your rod

00:22:55.180 --> 00:22:57.060
 and you give me your staff.

00:22:57.580 --> 00:22:59.120
 And from both of these,

00:22:59.600 --> 00:23:00.860
 they bring me great comfort.

00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:01.520
 Right?

00:23:01.940 --> 00:23:03.460
 So what is the shepherd's rod?

00:23:03.840 --> 00:23:05.060
 What is the shepherd's staff?

00:23:05.120 --> 00:23:07.280
 It's two different instruments.

00:23:08.080 --> 00:23:09.040
 We're thinking of the rod.

00:23:09.320 --> 00:23:11.520
 The rod is like a large club.

00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:14.300
 It's tall so that it can be swung,

00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:15.260
 but at the end,

00:23:15.360 --> 00:23:16.820
 it's heavier than it is at the bottom.

00:23:17.520 --> 00:23:18.580
 And that if something comes

00:23:18.580 --> 00:23:20.060
 to attack the sheep,

00:23:20.260 --> 00:23:22.660
 if a wolf begins to seek out,

00:23:22.800 --> 00:23:24.020
 what the shepherd can do

00:23:24.020 --> 00:23:26.400
 is the shepherd can grab the rod

00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:27.920
 and grab it from the bottom

00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:29.420
 and use the force

00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:31.380
 that he can generate through that

00:23:31.380 --> 00:23:32.920
 to swing at the wolf

00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:35.980
 and to attack the wolf

00:23:35.980 --> 00:23:39.560
 so that the sheep would be safe.

00:23:40.300 --> 00:23:42.620
 So that standing in between

00:23:42.620 --> 00:23:45.020
 what brings comfort to the sheep

00:23:45.020 --> 00:23:47.120
 is knowing that the shepherd

00:23:47.120 --> 00:23:48.580
 is fighting for them.

00:23:49.660 --> 00:23:51.520
 And the beauty of that for us

00:23:51.520 --> 00:23:54.220
 is we know that not only

00:23:54.220 --> 00:23:55.860
 is God fighting for us now,

00:23:56.200 --> 00:23:58.280
 spiritual warfare is real

00:23:58.280 --> 00:23:59.620
 of what we experience

00:23:59.620 --> 00:24:00.860
 and what we go through.

00:24:01.100 --> 00:24:03.120
 And not only is God fighting for us,

00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:04.320
 but most importantly

00:24:04.320 --> 00:24:05.820
 of what we're going to recognize

00:24:05.820 --> 00:24:06.940
 with this today

00:24:06.940 --> 00:24:08.380
 of what we just sang

00:24:08.380 --> 00:24:10.640
 is that God has fought already for us

00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:11.440
 and won the victory.

00:24:15.220 --> 00:24:18.100
 And the rod of the cross of Calvary

00:24:18.100 --> 00:24:22.400
 when the world thought it was defeated,

00:24:23.800 --> 00:24:25.420
 but God said, watch this.

00:24:26.620 --> 00:24:29.200
 But the shepherd also uses the staff.

00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:31.320
 And the staff is what you and I

00:24:31.320 --> 00:24:33.040
 most commonly think of.

00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:35.020
 We're getting into the season, right,

00:24:35.100 --> 00:24:36.180
 where we're putting out

00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:37.300
 our nativity scenes

00:24:37.300 --> 00:24:38.500
 and we'll have our shepherd

00:24:38.500 --> 00:24:39.200
 that's there

00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:40.580
 and you'll see the shepherd

00:24:40.580 --> 00:24:41.860
 in most nativity scenes

00:24:41.860 --> 00:24:44.120
 that will hold the long staff

00:24:44.120 --> 00:24:45.860
 then with a hook on the end.

00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:49.280
 And the beauty of that was this.

00:24:50.080 --> 00:24:52.380
 When a sheep began to wander off,

00:24:53.040 --> 00:24:54.320
 when a sheep began to say,

00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:55.340
 now this is too much,

00:24:55.800 --> 00:24:57.100
 when the sheep began to feel

00:24:57.100 --> 00:24:57.740
 in the darkness

00:24:57.740 --> 00:24:59.140
 that I've lost my path

00:24:59.140 --> 00:25:00.200
 and I've lost my way,

00:25:00.320 --> 00:25:01.760
 what the shepherd would do

00:25:01.760 --> 00:25:03.420
 is would use its staff

00:25:03.420 --> 00:25:05.960
 to reach out around the neck

00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:06.700
 of the sheep

00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:07.920
 and just pull it on back.

00:25:09.200 --> 00:25:10.100
 Pull it on back

00:25:10.100 --> 00:25:10.900
 where it needed to be.

00:25:11.900 --> 00:25:13.760
 Maybe a little rough sometimes, right?

00:25:13.880 --> 00:25:14.800
 We've had to feel that.

00:25:16.280 --> 00:25:16.840
 Maybe sometimes

00:25:16.840 --> 00:25:18.000
 it jerks you a little bit.

00:25:19.380 --> 00:25:21.980
 But you feel the drawing back

00:25:21.980 --> 00:25:23.760
 of the Spirit of God

00:25:23.760 --> 00:25:24.460
 in our lives.

00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:26.840
 When the valley's so dark

00:25:26.840 --> 00:25:28.220
 that we can't see in front of us.

00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:30.360
 When the valley's so dark

00:25:30.360 --> 00:25:32.240
 that depression and anxiety

00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:33.140
 begin to weigh in.

00:25:34.060 --> 00:25:35.640
 When the valley's so dark

00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:38.360
 that non-realistic things

00:25:38.360 --> 00:25:40.060
 begin to be spoken into us.

00:25:40.420 --> 00:25:41.520
 And we begin to agree

00:25:41.520 --> 00:25:43.280
 that God doesn't love us.

00:25:43.360 --> 00:25:44.620
 We begin to agree

00:25:44.620 --> 00:25:45.520
 with Satan

00:25:45.520 --> 00:25:47.980
 that God has abandoned us

00:25:47.980 --> 00:25:49.040
 and the shepherd

00:25:49.040 --> 00:25:50.100
 just pulls us back in.

00:25:51.160 --> 00:25:51.840
 Now I'm here.

00:25:52.300 --> 00:25:52.960
 I'm here.

00:25:53.360 --> 00:25:53.800
 I'm here.

00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:56.140
 And what I love about this

00:25:56.140 --> 00:25:57.680
 is can the shepherd

00:25:57.680 --> 00:25:58.580
 do that from a distance?

00:25:59.940 --> 00:26:01.000
 Can the shepherd do that

00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:01.880
 at the top of the mountain

00:26:01.880 --> 00:26:02.400
 while the sheep

00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:03.000
 are in the valley?

00:26:03.900 --> 00:26:04.300
 No.

00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:07.060
 In order for the shepherd

00:26:07.060 --> 00:26:07.540
 to do that

00:26:07.540 --> 00:26:08.500
 for the sheep in the valley,

00:26:08.660 --> 00:26:09.440
 where does the shepherd

00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:10.100
 have to be?

00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:11.140
 In the valley.

00:26:12.840 --> 00:26:14.180
 with us.

00:26:15.180 --> 00:26:15.660
 You know,

00:26:15.700 --> 00:26:16.300
 we're about to go into

00:26:16.300 --> 00:26:17.220
 a season

00:26:17.220 --> 00:26:19.180
 where we celebrate that.

00:26:22.660 --> 00:26:24.460
 Matthew 1.23 says,

00:26:25.620 --> 00:26:26.040
 Behold,

00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:27.400
 the virgin shall conceive

00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:28.280
 and bear a son

00:26:28.280 --> 00:26:29.200
 and they shall call

00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:30.980
 his name Emmanuel.

00:26:32.260 --> 00:26:32.860
 Emmanuel,

00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:33.600
 God

00:26:33.600 --> 00:26:34.620
 with

00:26:34.620 --> 00:26:35.540
 us.

00:26:36.500 --> 00:26:37.420
 Can we think about

00:26:37.420 --> 00:26:38.260
 Christmas differently?

00:26:40.060 --> 00:26:41.160
 Celebrating Christmas

00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:42.940
 isn't just about

00:26:42.940 --> 00:26:44.020
 celebrating the birth

00:26:44.020 --> 00:26:44.460
 of Jesus.

00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:45.080
 You're like,

00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:45.740
 whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,

00:26:45.740 --> 00:26:46.520
 what are you doing?

00:26:46.840 --> 00:26:46.960
 Right?

00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:48.420
 It is.

00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:50.060
 It is.

00:26:51.120 --> 00:26:52.720
 But it's not just about

00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:53.700
 celebrating

00:26:53.700 --> 00:26:55.240
 a historical event

00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:55.820
 in time.

00:26:56.880 --> 00:26:58.080
 It's not just about

00:26:58.080 --> 00:26:59.460
 celebrating one night.

00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:02.000
 It's about celebrating

00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:03.740
 the very presence

00:27:03.740 --> 00:27:04.820
 of God

00:27:04.820 --> 00:27:05.540
 with us

00:27:05.540 --> 00:27:06.380
 every day.

00:27:07.080 --> 00:27:08.360
 In every moment

00:27:08.360 --> 00:27:10.080
 of the reminder

00:27:10.080 --> 00:27:11.180
 that he is

00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:12.000
 Emmanuel,

00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:13.200
 God

00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:14.620
 with us.

00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:15.220
 So when you're

00:27:15.220 --> 00:27:16.480
 walking through that valley,

00:27:16.800 --> 00:27:17.520
 praise the Lord

00:27:17.520 --> 00:27:18.300
 that he's Emmanuel,

00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:19.220
 God with us.

00:27:19.580 --> 00:27:20.720
 When you feel

00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:21.640
 that staff

00:27:21.640 --> 00:27:22.920
 pulling you back in,

00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:24.120
 praise the Lord,

00:27:24.380 --> 00:27:24.960
 Emmanuel,

00:27:25.520 --> 00:27:25.920
 God

00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:27.240
 with us.

00:27:27.300 --> 00:27:28.200
 But always remember

00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:28.640
 this.

00:27:29.360 --> 00:27:30.460
 As we look back

00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:30.980
 and we begin

00:27:30.980 --> 00:27:32.080
 to understand

00:27:32.080 --> 00:27:33.140
 our obedience,

00:27:33.420 --> 00:27:34.360
 our dependence,

00:27:34.580 --> 00:27:35.540
 all of these things,

00:27:35.820 --> 00:27:36.860
 the closer the sheep

00:27:36.860 --> 00:27:37.920
 are to the shepherd,

00:27:39.100 --> 00:27:39.920
 the more effective

00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:40.600
 the staff

00:27:40.600 --> 00:27:41.980
 and the more

00:27:41.980 --> 00:27:42.860
 effective the rod.

00:27:43.940 --> 00:27:45.520
 So as he draws

00:27:45.520 --> 00:27:46.500
 us to himself

00:27:46.500 --> 00:27:47.300
 and as we

00:27:47.300 --> 00:27:48.860
 press into him,

00:27:49.340 --> 00:27:50.840
 we begin to experience

00:27:50.840 --> 00:27:51.380
 the depth

00:27:51.380 --> 00:27:52.240
 of this relationship.

00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:53.780
 Verse 5

00:27:53.780 --> 00:27:54.680
 of Psalm 23,

00:27:54.780 --> 00:27:55.280
 David says,

00:27:55.960 --> 00:27:56.820
 You prepare a table

00:27:56.820 --> 00:27:57.440
 before me

00:27:57.440 --> 00:27:58.120
 in the presence

00:27:58.120 --> 00:27:59.380
 of my enemies.

00:28:00.260 --> 00:28:01.020
 You anoint

00:28:01.020 --> 00:28:02.220
 my head

00:28:02.220 --> 00:28:02.940
 with oil

00:28:02.940 --> 00:28:04.660
 my cup overflows.

00:28:05.700 --> 00:28:06.280
 We'll talk about

00:28:06.280 --> 00:28:07.160
 the season of the battle.

00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:07.900
 All right?

00:28:08.380 --> 00:28:09.480
 The season of the battle

00:28:09.480 --> 00:28:10.660
 where God gives us rest.

00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:12.320
 The season of the battle

00:28:12.320 --> 00:28:13.960
 where God gives us rest.

00:28:14.040 --> 00:28:14.180
 Now,

00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:15.300
 when we read

00:28:15.300 --> 00:28:16.200
 verse 5,

00:28:16.300 --> 00:28:16.520
 right,

00:28:16.600 --> 00:28:17.600
 because we love

00:28:17.600 --> 00:28:18.640
 the word table,

00:28:18.920 --> 00:28:19.180
 right,

00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:20.340
 and we associate table

00:28:20.340 --> 00:28:21.000
 with what?

00:28:21.100 --> 00:28:21.740
 With food,

00:28:21.880 --> 00:28:22.160
 you know?

00:28:22.380 --> 00:28:23.020
 Like that's it.

00:28:23.720 --> 00:28:24.420
 Dinner table.

00:28:25.260 --> 00:28:25.720
 But here,

00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:26.680
 the context

00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:28.020
 is with the shepherd

00:28:28.020 --> 00:28:29.040
 and his sheep

00:28:29.040 --> 00:28:30.060
 and not with our home.

00:28:30.560 --> 00:28:31.140
 And so what I want you

00:28:31.140 --> 00:28:32.120
 to think of the table,

00:28:32.320 --> 00:28:33.440
 the table would be

00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:34.760
 the flat place

00:28:34.760 --> 00:28:35.580
 in the mountains

00:28:35.580 --> 00:28:37.460
 where the shepherd

00:28:37.460 --> 00:28:38.960
 would lead the sheep

00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:39.720
 at night

00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:41.260
 so that they could rest.

00:28:42.120 --> 00:28:43.140
 And even though

00:28:43.140 --> 00:28:44.980
 what surrounded them

00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:46.480
 were their enemies,

00:28:47.120 --> 00:28:48.660
 the shepherd made a way

00:28:48.660 --> 00:28:49.980
 on the table

00:28:49.980 --> 00:28:52.480
 to provide for them

00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:53.820
 to give them rest.

00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:55.060
 because out there

00:28:55.060 --> 00:28:55.740
 it would still

00:28:55.740 --> 00:28:56.680
 be vulnerable.

00:28:57.740 --> 00:28:58.400
 So the shepherd

00:28:58.400 --> 00:28:59.380
 needs to protect.

00:28:59.940 --> 00:29:00.740
 So what the shepherd

00:29:00.740 --> 00:29:01.280
 would do

00:29:01.280 --> 00:29:02.160
 is he would prepare

00:29:02.160 --> 00:29:03.040
 the table

00:29:03.040 --> 00:29:04.500
 for the sheep.

00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:06.960
 And how he would prepare

00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:07.620
 was he would get

00:29:07.620 --> 00:29:08.880
 large stones

00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:09.860
 and he would build

00:29:09.860 --> 00:29:11.260
 a circular wall

00:29:11.260 --> 00:29:12.800
 with an opening,

00:29:12.940 --> 00:29:13.680
 with one little

00:29:13.680 --> 00:29:14.860
 small opening

00:29:14.860 --> 00:29:16.160
 so that at night

00:29:16.160 --> 00:29:16.940
 when the sheep

00:29:16.940 --> 00:29:17.680
 couldn't see,

00:29:18.060 --> 00:29:19.120
 at night when the sheep

00:29:19.120 --> 00:29:20.140
 needed to rest,

00:29:20.320 --> 00:29:20.840
 at night

00:29:20.840 --> 00:29:21.260
 when they were

00:29:21.260 --> 00:29:22.420
 the most vulnerable,

00:29:22.760 --> 00:29:23.620
 the shepherd

00:29:23.620 --> 00:29:24.820
 would get there

00:29:24.820 --> 00:29:25.860
 by what he had

00:29:25.860 --> 00:29:26.800
 prepared for them

00:29:26.800 --> 00:29:27.880
 on the table

00:29:27.880 --> 00:29:28.880
 and he'd call

00:29:28.880 --> 00:29:29.940
 their names

00:29:29.940 --> 00:29:30.380
 and they would

00:29:30.380 --> 00:29:31.580
 come to him

00:29:31.580 --> 00:29:32.320
 and they would go

00:29:32.320 --> 00:29:33.800
 right inside this wall

00:29:33.800 --> 00:29:34.500
 and as they would

00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:35.280
 go on the wall

00:29:35.280 --> 00:29:36.500
 he would inspect

00:29:36.500 --> 00:29:37.940
 them for briars,

00:29:38.060 --> 00:29:38.880
 he'd inspect them

00:29:38.880 --> 00:29:39.600
 for cuts

00:29:39.600 --> 00:29:40.440
 and when he found

00:29:40.440 --> 00:29:40.820
 them there

00:29:40.820 --> 00:29:41.700
 he'd get the oil,

00:29:41.800 --> 00:29:42.620
 he'd get the ointment

00:29:42.620 --> 00:29:44.020
 and he'd clean them

00:29:44.020 --> 00:29:44.600
 and he'd make them,

00:29:44.660 --> 00:29:45.720
 he'd make them right

00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:46.540
 and he'd restore

00:29:46.540 --> 00:29:46.980
 them to where

00:29:46.980 --> 00:29:48.440
 they needed to be

00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:49.780
 so that they

00:29:49.780 --> 00:29:50.460
 would be healed

00:29:50.460 --> 00:29:52.760
 and then he would

00:29:52.760 --> 00:29:53.620
 allow them

00:29:53.620 --> 00:29:54.940
 to rest

00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:56.280
 within the wall

00:29:56.280 --> 00:29:57.860
 and once they

00:29:57.860 --> 00:29:58.420
 were there

00:29:58.420 --> 00:29:59.000
 this is where

00:29:59.000 --> 00:29:59.420
 they could

00:29:59.420 --> 00:30:00.600
 find rest

00:30:00.600 --> 00:30:01.940
 for their souls

00:30:01.940 --> 00:30:03.900
 was inside

00:30:03.900 --> 00:30:04.560
 of what was

00:30:04.560 --> 00:30:05.040
 done

00:30:05.040 --> 00:30:06.320
 by the shepherd

00:30:06.320 --> 00:30:08.140
 but remember

00:30:08.140 --> 00:30:09.240
 there's an opening

00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:11.120
 an opening

00:30:11.120 --> 00:30:11.640
 where they would

00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:12.200
 come in

00:30:12.200 --> 00:30:13.860
 so what would

00:30:13.860 --> 00:30:14.800
 happen there

00:30:14.800 --> 00:30:17.240
 if the opening

00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:18.440
 isn't closed

00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:20.120
 then the wolves

00:30:20.120 --> 00:30:20.640
 could enter

00:30:20.640 --> 00:30:22.580
 if the opening

00:30:22.580 --> 00:30:23.700
 isn't closed

00:30:23.700 --> 00:30:24.760
 then the sheep

00:30:24.760 --> 00:30:25.880
 could wander away

00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:27.680
 so what does God

00:30:27.680 --> 00:30:28.520
 do to close

00:30:28.520 --> 00:30:29.200
 the opening

00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:30.620
 check out the screen

00:30:30.620 --> 00:30:31.320
 in John 10

00:30:31.320 --> 00:30:32.040
 verse 7

00:30:32.040 --> 00:30:33.020
 Jesus says this

00:30:33.020 --> 00:30:35.040
 so Jesus again

00:30:35.040 --> 00:30:35.760
 said to them

00:30:35.760 --> 00:30:37.200
 truly truly

00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:38.140
 I say to you

00:30:38.140 --> 00:30:39.660
 I am the door

00:30:39.660 --> 00:30:40.160
 of the sheep

00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:41.820
 all who came

00:30:41.820 --> 00:30:42.400
 before me

00:30:42.400 --> 00:30:42.960
 are thieves

00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:43.560
 and robbers

00:30:43.560 --> 00:30:44.120
 but the sheep

00:30:44.120 --> 00:30:44.760
 did not listen

00:30:44.760 --> 00:30:45.160
 to them

00:30:45.160 --> 00:30:45.900
 Jesus says

00:30:45.900 --> 00:30:46.580
 again I am

00:30:46.580 --> 00:30:47.100
 the door

00:30:47.100 --> 00:30:48.580
 if anyone

00:30:48.580 --> 00:30:49.500
 enters by me

00:30:49.500 --> 00:30:50.060
 he will be

00:30:50.060 --> 00:30:50.760
 saved

00:30:50.760 --> 00:30:51.680
 and will go

00:30:51.680 --> 00:30:52.800
 in and out

00:30:52.800 --> 00:30:53.520
 and find

00:30:53.520 --> 00:30:54.320
 pasture

00:30:54.320 --> 00:30:55.480
 so go back

00:30:55.480 --> 00:30:55.980
 to you're the

00:30:55.980 --> 00:30:56.460
 shepherd now

00:30:56.460 --> 00:30:57.020
 with your sheep

00:30:57.020 --> 00:30:57.540
 in the wall

00:30:57.540 --> 00:30:58.700
 where does the

00:30:58.700 --> 00:30:59.420
 door come from

00:30:59.420 --> 00:30:59.900
 the shepherd

00:30:59.900 --> 00:31:00.560
 is the door

00:31:00.560 --> 00:31:02.140
 and so what

00:31:02.140 --> 00:31:02.540
 the shepherd

00:31:02.540 --> 00:31:03.160
 would do

00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:03.820
 at night

00:31:03.820 --> 00:31:04.380
 so the sheep

00:31:04.380 --> 00:31:05.180
 could not leave

00:31:05.180 --> 00:31:06.180
 is the shepherd

00:31:06.180 --> 00:31:06.860
 would lay

00:31:06.860 --> 00:31:08.260
 himself down

00:31:08.260 --> 00:31:09.080
 in the doorway

00:31:09.080 --> 00:31:10.500
 the shepherd

00:31:10.500 --> 00:31:11.100
 would prop

00:31:11.100 --> 00:31:12.060
 himself up

00:31:12.060 --> 00:31:12.780
 in a position

00:31:12.780 --> 00:31:13.580
 that nothing

00:31:13.580 --> 00:31:14.120
 could go

00:31:14.120 --> 00:31:14.540
 in

00:31:14.540 --> 00:31:15.760
 and nothing

00:31:15.760 --> 00:31:16.420
 could go

00:31:16.420 --> 00:31:17.020
 out

00:31:17.020 --> 00:31:18.580
 unless it

00:31:18.580 --> 00:31:19.440
 went through

00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:20.360
 the shepherd

00:31:20.360 --> 00:31:22.340
 I don't know

00:31:22.340 --> 00:31:22.820
 about you

00:31:22.820 --> 00:31:24.820
 but so many

00:31:24.820 --> 00:31:25.820
 times I find

00:31:25.820 --> 00:31:26.500
 in my life

00:31:26.500 --> 00:31:27.180
 that the battle

00:31:27.180 --> 00:31:27.820
 is there

00:31:27.820 --> 00:31:28.560
 and that I need

00:31:28.560 --> 00:31:29.100
 rest

00:31:29.100 --> 00:31:31.400
 I need rest

00:31:31.400 --> 00:31:33.540
 and I search

00:31:33.540 --> 00:31:34.180
 for it from

00:31:34.180 --> 00:31:34.840
 so many

00:31:34.840 --> 00:31:36.220
 different places

00:31:36.220 --> 00:31:38.080
 and Jesus

00:31:38.080 --> 00:31:39.020
 reminds me

00:31:39.020 --> 00:31:40.460
 that not only

00:31:40.460 --> 00:31:40.920
 is where he