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[0:00] A preacher was telling the story to a friend who came to see him one day and the friend was really nervous and tense and worried sick literally.

[0:10] And so he wrote it down on the piece of paper.

[0:33] He says, this is what I'm going to give to you. And I want you to take this prescription exactly as I write it. Five times a day for seven days. I want you to read prayerfully and carefully the 23rd Psalm.

[0:47] When you awaken before each meal and at bedtime, read the Psalm. And a week later, the friend came back to the preacher and said that he felt literally like a different person.

[1:03] The power of the shepherd's psalm. The power of the shepherd's psalm. It's like a prescription that we can take for the problems and pressures of our day. Psalm 23, such a classic of God's goodness to us.

[1:18] And we see the shepherd's guidance. It's really one of the most beloved and comforting passages in the word of God. And it shows us our God, our Lord, as a shepherd, guiding, protecting, providing.

[1:30] And we see ourselves in context to the shepherd as sheep. And really, sheep are defenseless, dependent creatures. And so too are we as we depend upon our shepherd.

[1:42] So we go there to Psalm 23, a psalm of David. And look at his abundance, his provision here in verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd.

[1:56] I shall not want. Think of his provision, the provision of the shepherd. And look at these words. There's so much we could unpack, really, that our God is a personal shepherd.

[2:07] You can say, my shepherd. He cares. He knows for every one of his sheep. And it's a personal care that he gives. There's so much just right there in that one verse.

[2:19] And you can know this to be true. And you can say, he cares for me, for me. And when you think, really, for even the solitary wanderer from the fold, as it talks in John 10 of the good shepherd, and as our Lord recounts of how the shepherd goes and leaves the 99 to go searching for that one stray sheep that might be on the hilltop or in the valley.

[2:46] A solitary wanderer that's got away from the fold. And he searches out that one. And maybe it's you. And he finds you. Now you can say, he's mine.

[2:57] He's my shepherd. I am his, and he is mine. And we think, my shepherd, he cares for us. Individually, he cares. And you can be personally close to him. He is my shepherd, my sustainer.

[3:10] And David himself is a shepherd king. He was anointed to be king in 1 Samuel 16, 13. And like sheep's wear in ancient times, he received an anointing to be the king of the nation.

[3:25] But then he had to flee for his life from Saul. And I was interested to see, I just read this today, that it was for 10 years. He had this season of running around and keeping out of trouble for Saul who sought to slaughter him for 10 years.

[3:43] It's a long time to be on the run. And yet David could say, the Lord is my shepherd. And that's enough. There was a school child that was talking about the verse, and I think it was a Christian kind of school.

[3:59] And they really couldn't remember the rest of it. They said, the Lord is my shepherd. That's enough. And really, it is enough, isn't it? That's all that we need. He's all that I need.

[4:10] He's all that I want. All that I have want of is in him. What provision is in him? We can trust his provision for us. And if I have the shepherd, that's all I need.

[4:22] That's actually all that I need. And we can know a true contentment in that. God's sheep never lack anything that the shepherd thinks they have need of. Think of that.

[4:34] He's given you everything truly that you have actual need of. When we read in the word, it tells us that God is able. 2 Corinthians 9 verse 8. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you.

[4:48] That ye always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. God is able to make every grace abound. That you can have all sufficiency in all things.

[5:04] Here's how someone's described the psalm. As some of the features that jump out as it tells us of who he is. The Lord is my shepherd. That's relationship. I shall not want.

[5:15] The supply there. He makes me lie down in green pastures. That's rest. He leads me beside the still waters. That's refreshment. He restores my soul. That's healing.

[5:27] He leads me in the paths of righteousness. That's guidance. For his namesake. That's purpose. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. That's testing. I will fear no evil.

[5:38] That's protection. It's just full of all of these truths, isn't it? Of all of these characteristics of our Lord. For thou art with me. That's faithfulness. For thy rod and thy stuff, they comfort me.

[5:49] That's discipline. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. That's hope. Thou anointest my head with oil. That's consecration. My cup runneth over.

[6:00] That's abundance. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. That's blessing. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord. That's security forever. That's eternity.

[6:11] All of those truths we could think. Now look at that list. Relationships. Supply. Rest. Refreshment. Healing. Guidance. Purpose. Testing. Protection. Faithfulness.

[6:21] Discipline. Hope. Consecration. Abundance. Blessing. Security. Eternity. Think of that. The Lord is my shepherd. And in the psalm some have reckoned that you could see each of the Old Testament names for God.

[6:37] In the psalm 23. Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. Jehovah Rapha. The Lord will heal or restore. Jehovah Shalom. The Lord our peace.

[6:48] Jehovah Sidkenu. The Lord our righteousness. Jehovah Shammah. The Lord is there. Jehovah Nissi. The Lord our banner. Jehovah Ra. The Lord my shepherd.

[7:00] Glory. Yahweh. In all of those meaningful ways is right there in the psalm. He'll provide. He'll heal. He's our peace.

[7:11] Our righteousness. He's there. He's with us. He's our banner. Our shepherd. Verse 2. Says he makes me to lie down in green pastures.

[7:22] He leadeth me beside the still waters. Sometimes God has to make us to lie down. He makes the sheep lie down because he knows sheep can't properly digest the food that they've eaten unless they lie down.

[7:36] It's important that they lie down so that they can digest their food. And for sheep to lie down they must feel safe to lie down. And they must be fed such that they can have both safety and sufficiency.

[7:52] And this is the picture here of our Lord. He gives us safety, security. He gives us sufficiency. He supplies. As we say sheep are dependent creatures.

[8:04] They must be guided to food and water. Be protected from wild animals. And sheep cannot survive alone in the wild but must always be in the company of the shepherd.

[8:15] And the sheep belongs to the shepherd. Of course there's a price he paid to have that sheep in his fold. To have that sheep.

[8:26] The sheep was bought with a price. And it's the same for you isn't it? That we're under his ownership. We're a purchased possession. We're in his care. We're under his watch.

[8:37] We belong to him. He is my shepherd. And you are his sheep. He is a shepherd to me. He cares for me.

[8:49] He watches over me. He preserves me. The words you could actually read right through Psalm 23. They're actually present tense. So in other words.

[9:00] He is making me to lie down. He is leading me beside the still waters. And all of the other various references. It's all present tense. So it's in the present. It's in the moment.

[9:11] It's moment by moment. It's in the present. He's current. He's relevant. He's in the now of your life. And so let's acknowledge that. He's our sovereign.

[9:22] He's our owner. We belong to him. We're in his ownership. And he knows the paths that are best for us. Understanding the role of a shepherd in ancient culture. We see the shepherd is leading.

[9:34] He's feeding. Guarding. Protecting. As a shepherd. So is God. He's watching over with his tender care. He's providing. He's ever abundant.

[9:45] Ever vigilant. He's our provider. He meets our emotional. Physical. Spiritual needs. And he's faithful. God is faithful. He's for you. He's faithful.

[9:57] Think of his faithfulness through history. Through your life. That you've even come to know him. Or whether you're almost so close to knowing him. That you can trust him. You can simply trust him.

[10:08] That through all of life's personal experiences. Even the worst of times. He's been with you there. And he's guided you still through that. He takes us further. He takes us forward.

[10:18] Where does he take us? To green pastures. To green pastures. To the still waters. And we can drink our fill. We will not thirst. He doesn't give you rest.

[10:31] He is rest. Think of that. He is rest. He's the rest. Unto our soul. And he doesn't give you the bread of life. He is the bread of life. It's him.

[10:41] It's all about him. Our shepherd. He doesn't give you the water of life. He is the water of life. It's the more of him that we have. The closer to him that we are. That we can know a deeper walk with him.

[10:54] And a deeper fellowship with him. The Lord is my shepherd. Verse 3 it reads on. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.

[11:05] For his name's sake. He restoreth my soul. Isn't that a good thing? That God brings such renewal and refreshing. His presence.

[11:16] That nourishment. That rest. That revival. He's the restorer. He gives us that restoration. That we need. It's like we think of David.

[11:28] In Psalm 51. He cries out. Lord restore unto me. Restore unto me. The joy. The joy of my salvation. And God did that. Amen. He got a fresh start.

[11:39] And so can we. We can get a refresh. Hit the refresh button. The reset button. The restoration of God. He restores us. He restores. He does not abandon us.

[11:50] He restores us. He does not leave us. He does not forsake us. He restores us. He restores our soul. There's a restoration that happens. A restoring of peace.

[12:02] Of joy. Of life. And see what he gives. His resources. All that we need. All that we need. Our resources. Our rest.

[12:12] He makes us lie down. In green pastures. Our refreshment. He takes us to the still waters. He is our righteousness. Himself.

[12:25] He leads us in his pathway. And so may we stay close to the shepherd. All that we need. Truly. Is in him. If we would allow him.

[12:35] To heal the wounds. Of our hearts. To bring peace. To our searching souls. To learn. God's guidance. Through life. That we can be mindful.

[12:47] Of watching. Where he points us to be. To live. In his will. In righteousness. And purpose. He. Leadeth me.

[12:58] He leadeth me. Can you say that? He leadeth me. Do you know that? You can. You can know that.

[13:09] Sometimes we need. Well we need his direction. All the time. Don't we? Truly. Really. It's all the time. And sheep. Apparently they've got poor vision. They can't see very far ahead.

[13:21] They reckon to be pretty dumb. Creatures. Pretty. Lacking. In. Some ways. Sheep are not the. The brightest spark.

[13:32] They're. They're a little bit. Vulnerable. Even just their vision. They can't see very far ahead. So they need a shepherd. To guide them. To take them where the green pastures are.

[13:44] To lead them in the paths. Apparently even. When a path is well trodden. The sheep can still go astray. Even when it's a very clear sheep track. All we. Like sheep.

[13:54] Have gone astray. As we talked about earlier. Today. They need a shepherd. To guide them. He leadeth me. He leadeth me. And the word has the sense of leading with loving care.

[14:05] His leading is such that he loves you so. That he wants to lead you in the ways that are right for you. The right ways. He leadeth me. Is he your guide? Is he your authority?

[14:17] Your shepherd? He wants to be. He wants to guide you. He guides us where? In righteousness. The Lord our shepherd is the Lord our righteousness. It's his character.

[14:28] To be our righteousness. And he guides us with the closeness. And comfort of his own very presence. He leadeth me. And we trust his guidance.

[14:39] Sometimes we don't. Maybe stop and think. What is the Lord leading me? To do? He wants to be our guide. Sometimes we.

[14:51] Missing that. By not tuning into his voice. He wants to lead you in the path of righteousness. And the good shepherd leads his sheep. In the right paths.

[15:02] And so. So too for you. Believer. That you can be led by him. By led by his hand. It's been said. The paths that are right. May not always be.

[15:14] The paths. That seem easiest. That's true isn't it? Sometimes those paths of righteousness. Might be steep. Or narrow.

[15:25] They might be. Testing paths. But if he leads you. He'll guide you. He'll carry you through. He'll take you through. Even those paths that are not easy.

[15:37] As we surrender to his will and guidance. Even when it seems uncertain. Or difficult. Verse 4 it reads on. Yea though I walk through the valley. Of the shadow of death.

[15:48] I will fear no evil. For thou art with me. Thy rod. And thy staff. They comfort me. God provides comfort.

[15:59] Even in the darkest of valleys. God is with us there. In the dark valley. We'll all face times of trial. And hardship. And uncertainty.

[16:10] And pressure. And concern. Hardship. We can find courage and strength. How?

[16:23] For thou art with me. For thou art with me. That can be our certain surety. That my shepherd is with me. My shepherd is with me.

[16:36] And our Lord will always carry it through. He'll carry it through. Take heart. Pilgrim. Take heart. Believer. Thou art with me.

[16:49] That's what makes all the difference. Isn't it? And we can walk through the valley. Notice the word through. While the shepherd is near. We know that there is no evil. That we need to fear.

[17:01] I will fear. No. Zero. Evil. Evil. I'm not going to fear anything. Because thou art with me.

[17:12] Thou art with me. And it's alike to Isaiah 43 too. Where there's a promise here. When thou passest through the waters. I will be with thee.

[17:23] And through the rivers. They shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire. Thou shalt not be burnt. Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

[17:35] I will be with thee. In the fire. In the flame. In the waters. We will go through. Again notice that. I will be with thee. And through the rivers.

[17:46] Through the rivers. When thou passest through the waters. We will go through. You will go through. Believer you might be in a time. That's testing right now. You're going to get through.

[17:57] There will be a place. Of getting through. And may we trust. Meantime in God's presence. His protection. In the midst of it. In the most darkest place.

[18:08] In the place where. Humanly we feel fear. I will fear no evil. When there's a shadow. There must be light somewhere. Notice that. It talks about.

[18:20] Through the valleys. Through the fire. And back to our text. Through the valley of the shadow of death. When there's a shadow. There must be light somewhere. Amen.

[18:30] And so there is. He is the light. Death stands by the side of the highway. In which we have to travel. But we have the light of heaven.

[18:41] We have the one who is the light. Of the world. Shining upon us. Throws a shadow sometimes. On our path. But we can rejoice. There's light yet ahead.

[18:52] And that's why we can sing. It's one of the songs we like to sing. There's light in the valley. Of death. Now for me. Amen. There's light there. Nobody's afraid of a shadow.

[19:03] Unless you're maybe a little child. That might be easily scared. Because a shadow. We know a shadow can't hurt us. You know. Maybe if we're a bit of a. Easily scared child.

[19:15] We might think. Oh there's a shadow. And it looks like somebody. But it's just a shadow. And a shadow can't hurt us. And a shadow. It's not going to.

[19:28] Harm us. The shadow of a dog. Cannot bite you. The shadow of a sword. Cannot kill you. The shadow of death. Cannot destroy you. It's just a shadow.

[19:39] Yea though I walk through the valley. Of the shadow of death. Even death. I will fear no evil. The shadow of death. Cannot harm the child of God. So let us not be afraid.

[19:50] Shadows can be. Terrifying. For little ones. That. They are fearful. Shadows can play tricks on you.

[20:01] Frightening valleys. But realize it. Saying. It's a shadow. It's a shadow. And even death. It can cast a shadow. As we lose loved ones. We know.

[20:12] The time of loss. Of grief. Parting. Yet. Our good shepherd. Will walk you through those valleys too. And he'll. Enable you. To know his presence.

[20:25] To dispel those. Anxious thoughts. The shadows of fear. Because he is the light. He is our light. Death is real.

[20:36] And. It's a reality. We will all face. And. It's a telling thought. For those outside of Christ. There was an English atheist. Called Thomas Hobbes. And.

[20:47] You see. There's reckonings. Of different. Folks. Last words. And. There's. Lots of resources. You can see. The last words. Of. Famous people.

[20:58] And. It's quite telling. When they're not. A believer. And the English atheist. Thomas Hobbes. Cried out. One of the last things. He cried. I'm taking a fearful leap.

[21:09] Into the dark. The French infidel. Voltaire. Cried out. I'm abandoned. By God. And man. I shall go. To hell. Sir Francis Newport.

[21:21] Another. Unbeliever. Wailed in anguish. Oh. Eternity. Eternity. Forever. And forever. Oh. The unsufferable. Pangs. Of hell. You wouldn't want to be in their shoes.

[21:36] The ones who know not the saviour. Because death is. Scary for them. But what a sobering contrast. To the words of a believer. On their deathbed.

[21:47] To hear the last words. Of people who have trusted the saviour. Who know Jesus as their lord and saviour. Dwight Moody said. This is glorious. Earth recedes.

[21:57] Heaven is opening. God is calling me. Another believer. David Brewster declared. I will see Jesus. See him. As he is. I've had the light for many years.

[22:08] Oh how bright. It is. I feel so safe. So satisfied. And here's the words of a man. As he was burnt at the stake.

[22:19] For his faith. Blessed be the time. That ever I was born. For this day. We shall not lose our lives. In this fire. But only change them. For something better.

[22:31] These folk had an assurance. Beyond the grave. Beyond the shadow of death. Beyond death. Life everlasting. That's the comfort you can know. If you know that.

[22:42] Thou art with me. Thou art with me. That's the great comfort. And for thou art with me. The psalmist knows that the shepherd is with his own. He's faithful. He will not flee when he sees the wolf coming.

[22:53] David is not just talking about the shepherd now. He's talking to the shepherd. And we read further comfort and support. And protection. When the shepherd guides our way.

[23:05] There's a closeness. A calmness. A comfort. God's presence. Thou art with me. He's talking to the shepherd now. Talking to the shepherd. Thou art with me.

[23:15] He's talking of the presence of God. It's our great comfort. And assurance. Our security. And he tells of the rod and the star. His rod, it says.

[23:28] His staff. God told Moses about his rod. Moses, this man of God.

[23:42] The one who took the children of Israel through the wilderness. And God commissioned him. He said, what's that in thine hand?

[23:52] And Moses said, it's just a rod. It's just a stick. A staff. And God told Moses, thou shalt take this rod in thine hand. Wherewith thou shalt do signs. So the rod.

[24:04] We see of Moses. His authority. The rod. And then we see another reference to the staff. Elisha told Gehazi. Take my staff in thine hand.

[24:15] And go thy way. He says, lay my staff upon the face of the child. And so the staff is there. Pictured as Gehazi took it from his master, Elisha.

[24:29] And he laid the staff on the face of the child. And God worked wonders. See the rod and the staff there. The rod and the staff. Really, they both speak of the word of God. The shepherd's rod was like a club.

[24:41] He would use it against the enemy of the sheep. And the sheep need have no fear of the enemy. While the shepherd had his rod in his hand. So the rod was a defensive weapon.

[24:53] And then we see the staff. The shepherd used his staff to help gently ease the lambs that may be caught under the thorn bushes. So I would picture it like a crook. Like a, with a curved point on the end to hook the little lambs from under the bush.

[25:08] And to draw them out. And the staff was used for such a purpose. So the rod was for discipline. But the staff was for correction. And David felt that he needed them both.

[25:21] God disciplined him. And he comforted him. So he had the discipline of the rod. The comfort of the staff. And really that's the word of God, isn't it?

[25:31] The word of God. It convicts us. It tells us the truth. It's very strong to us. It's the rod. And it's also a comfort that draws us to the saviour.

[25:42] The rod and the staff. They comfort me, says David. And then it reads on the next couple of verses. Really tell of the generosity of a host as one comes to a table.

[26:00] And it pictures a guest in a home of a generous host. You could almost see it as a different picture. But still you could see it of the sheep. As much as sheep don't sit around a table so much.

[26:12] So there's a kind of little bit of a different metaphor. A different picture of sorts. And yet of course the sheep still get fed. So when we think of the sheep here it says, Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

[26:26] Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over. So the shepherd, he doesn't eliminate our enemies or our trials. But he's with us there. And even when we're in the midst of our enemies, he's blessing us.

[26:39] He's anointing us. He's touching us with his love and compassion. He's filling our cup to overflowing. And there's anointing, there's blessing there because he is with you.

[26:50] My shepherd. My cup. My head. He's prepared a table for me. And surely he fills your cup, doesn't he?

[27:01] Doesn't he? He fills, he overflows our need with his supply. And he doesn't give begrudgingly. Think of it believer. Your cup. Your cup it says. Your cup it says runneth over.

[27:14] God has filled your cup, hasn't he? He's given you so much. Sometimes we don't stop and think what God has given. And he's given so lavishly. So keep your cup where it is, you know.

[27:26] Keep your cup under that outpouring. Keep your cup there. And Lord, keep pouring it. Keep pouring it on. Keep pouring it in. Keep your cup there where the filling is.

[27:38] Where the spring pours into it. At the fountain of grace. And call your friends too. Come and drink. Come and experience this. Come and know the Saviour. Taste and see that the Lord is good.

[27:49] Blessed is the man that trusted in him. We can know the overflow. The abounding. Of God's love. Of his salvation. And he prepares a table before me.

[28:01] It's like a victory banquet you could say too. That there's a table spread. The enemies are there. And they're saying, well, look what your God has done for you. Your enemies are there. And they think, wow, God's blessed you.

[28:13] There's a table spread. The shepherds care and supply. Do we receive it? My cup runneth over. My cup runneth over. Friends, our sufficiency is of God.

[28:25] 2 Corinthians 3 verse 5. Our sufficiency is of God. He's the one who's going to supply my need. The shepherd examines the sheep. As we see pictured here.

[28:35] Of a sheep being anointed. And he finds these thorns. And bruises. And scabs. And maybe raw places. And the shepherd comes tenderly. And pours that anointing oil.

[28:47] Over the wounds. The wounded spots. We think of the oil in the word of God. It's a picture of the Holy Spirit. The Lord gives us so much. He feeds his sheep.

[28:59] There's a banqueting table spread. And he feeds our soul. And what's more, he applies the healing oil. The very precious love. That he wants to care for you so.

[29:11] The shepherd watches over the health of the sheep. Now sheep can be, again, a little foolhardy. They can get their head caught in briars. And they can get tangled up.

[29:23] They get these horrid flies that can torment. And lay in their nostrils. Worms and such. It's gross to think of it. That sheep have some awful afflictions. And sometimes they get so frustrated and afflicted.

[29:36] That they beat their head against a rock. Even to their death. They get so tormented. With insects and such things. So the shepherd comes. And he sees such things.

[29:47] And he deals with that. He comes and he takes that away. That irksome stuff of life. And he says, come to me, my sheep.

[29:59] And I'll anoint your head with oil. I'll wipe away those insects. I'll deal with those parasites. I'll bring healing to you. That's the love of God, isn't it?

[30:10] That he would love you so. And anointing was a custom of honour and of blessing. As we say, kings and priests were anointed. It speaks of favour, of authority, of power. And it's really just, again, the outpouring of God on our life, isn't it?

[30:25] Such that we know his touch. His blessing. He spares none of it. And he gives so, in so abounding a measure. In good measure.

[30:36] Pressed down. Shaken together. Running out all over. That's the love of God for you. We've got complete provision and satisfaction in the Saviour. And he gives an overflow of blessing.

[30:49] Such that my cup runneth over. It's like you can't contain what God wants to bestow to you, to your life. And so, verse 6, it reads, Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

[31:07] And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Surely, surely, goodness and mercy is our portion. This word, surely, is really underlining, in other words, with full certainty.

[31:25] Surely, surely. This is yay and amen. This is certain, this is a surety for you that believe. Surely, yes. He promises goodness and mercy.

[31:38] It's going to follow you. It's going to be like this shadow behind you, where you walk. It's going to be goodness and mercy that you're leaving behind, where you walk, where you go. And surely, we have his constant fellowship, don't we?

[31:51] We know the constant presence of our Saviour. His mercy, his kindness. It's a sure thing for you that believe. This is not some uncertain thing.

[32:02] You know, some would have this kind of hesitancy, this doubt, a constant doubting, a nagging doubt. You can say, surely, surely, goodness and mercy.

[32:15] You can say, not flippantly or arrogantly or in some fleshly way. But you can say, the word of God says it, so I can say it. Surely, surely.

[32:28] He's with me. I know his goodness. I know his supply. I know his mercy. His forgiveness. All the days of my life, it says. God's goodness and mercy.

[32:39] They're so rich, aren't they? We hear of the riches of his goodness in Romans 2.4. It tells us in Ephesians 2.4, God is rich in mercy. He's a gazillionaire in mercy.

[32:54] He's got the bank of mercy. And he wants to give it to you. You can get a deposit from him.

[33:04] You can withdraw, as it were. I'm not meaning to sound flippant here. But the sense that he's got the riches of his mercy. He's got the fullness of grace, of the riches of his goodness.

[33:15] And he wants to give it to you. And you simply have to receive it. To receive it. And God's riches. And David has a confidence in his shepherd.

[33:26] Such that he knows the rest and refreshment. The restoration. He knows the comfort. The protection. The security. The overflow. And we can know that too.

[33:38] Brothers and sisters, these words are for you. And you can say, the Lord is my shepherd. You can confess it. You can take these words. And maybe take the prescription.

[33:49] And take a look at it more than once. That you can take these words and recite them to yourself. Such that you recite them so much that you don't need to look them on paper anymore. That you'll know those words of God.

[34:01] You'll know his blessings. Even in the presence of adversity. There's an assurance of God's victory. And it tells us how we can dwell in his house forever. Ever. There's an eternal fellowship here.

[34:14] Ahead. Heaven. It's just around the corner. An eternity. With God. And we've got the joy of knowing this one.

[34:24] The maker of heaven and earth. We've got the joy of knowing his promise to be mine. Mine. My shepherd. As we journey through life's valleys. We can know even the worst of times.

[34:35] Even the darkest of times. Whether it be the lost valleys or whether it be the mountaintops. Thou art with me. Thou art with me. My shepherd.

[34:47] My Lord. My shepherd. Is with me. You can know that. You can say that. Constantly. With you. The dimension of his supply is forever. It's overflowing in the meantime.

[35:00] But it's overflowing for eternity. Truly. Isn't it? And to think that the home is just the waiting. That he's building. The mansion. As it were. The finishing touches are just being applied.

[35:14] You could picture it. Maybe that's your next forever home. Isn't it? Your next home could be that one. It could be glory. You won't need to do any renovations. You won't need to do any patch up jobs.

[35:26] It's got to be. Everything's done. Everything's paid for. Settled. Purposefully. For you. There's no rent to pay. No mortgage. No payments.

[35:37] It's paid in full. Amen. And it's yours. Your name's on the title deed already. Amen. Glory. A mansion prepared. In this life. Beyond this life.

[35:51] Where we shall ever be. With the Lord. We shall ever be. With the Lord. And you can believe. His promise. You that believe. You can surely say. I will dwell.

[36:03] Yeah. It's there. It's coming. It's coming. I will dwell. I will dwell. In the house of the Lord. Forever. We shall ever be.

[36:14] With the Lord. With the assurance of faith. You can know it. And we started off by saying. How dumb sheep. Can be. People are actually.

[36:25] Sometimes. Not as smart as sheep. That's the truth. Isn't it? We can think. Yeah. Sheep are pretty dumb. But actually. Some people are dumber. Truly. I was such a dumb.

[36:36] A dumb sheep. But he comes. And he loves you so. Doesn't he? And he takes the time. To go looking for you. And he finds you.

[36:48] Glory. Glory. Glory. And John 10. 27. It says. My sheep hear my voice. And I know them. And they follow me. Now we don't go hearing his voice.

[36:59] In some. Extra biblical revelation. We hear his voice. In the pages. Of our Bible. In between the covers. Of this book. That's his voice. But hear his voice.

[37:11] Can't you just hear it? He's speaking to you. Hear his voice. It's in the pages of the word. It's in the pages of his book. That's his voice. My sheep hear. My voice. He says.

[37:22] Who is your shepherd? Is the Lord. Your shepherd? Can you say that? Believe that? Psalm 23. It begins and ends with. The Lord is.

[37:35] My shepherd. It begins with that. And then it ends with. I will dwell in the house of the Lord. Forever. So it begins and ends with the shepherd. He's there at the beginning.

[37:45] The Lord is my shepherd. The house of the Lord. Forever. Forever. He's with us. Right through. His company. Is eternal.

[37:56] He says. I will never leave you. Nor forsake you. Question is. Will you follow the shepherd? Will you follow the shepherd? He wants to supply. He wants to lead.

[38:07] To guide. To feed. Will you hear his voice? Or will you say. Oh. I'd rather listen to somebody else. I'm going to close my ears.

[38:17] To the voice of God. The beckonings of his spirit. I'm going to close my ears. To the word of God. I'm going to close my ears. To his invitation. Come unto me. Oh yeah. That labour. And I have you laden. And I will give you rest.

[38:29] Rest unto your souls. You can choose to. Close off your ears. To the voice of God. Or you can say. No. I want to hear it. Speak Lord.

[38:40] Speak Lord. Thy servant. It's listening. Tell me what. You want me to do. And he will. It's in here. My sheep. Hear my voice.

[38:51] His sheep. Can you truly say. That the Lord is my. My shepherd. My shepherd. I've been speaking really tonight. To believers. You might say.

[39:02] Preacher. I don't know that I'm a believer yet. I want. I'm hearing. This. And I. I want to be like that. Sheep. That's hearing your voice. I want to be your sheep. Trust him. Say.

[39:13] Lord Jesus. You died for me. You died in my place. You paid for my sin. I want you to be my shepherd. I want. To say. You're my shepherd. I want that to be true.

[39:23] For me. And he can save you. In simple faith. You call on his name. You should trust him. You know. His saving love. And you can be like that.

[39:34] Sheep. That. Is in his care. The sheep. That's in his fold. That's in his arms. That's on his shoulder. That he goes and searches. And he takes you. Unto himself.

[39:44] He holds you in his bosom. And he loves you so. The Lord is my shepherd. Lord. We thank you for your word. That it's truly. So. Encouraging.

[39:55] Surely. It's so sure. It's mine. It's mine. For each one that claims it. Lord. We can know my shepherd. You Lord.

[40:05] As mine. And us. As yours. Lord. Help us to see it. To hear your voice. And to say. Yes Lord. I want to be a sheep. That follows you. I want to be your sheep.

[40:17] As I trust you. For your saving power. The one who laid down his life for us. The shepherd. Who is the good shepherd. That laid down his life for us.

[40:28] Lord. That you are that shepherd. You want to be our shepherd. Lord. Help us to hear your word. And act upon it. And to be encouraged. Lord. For every heart. We pray. Each one. Would be encouraged.

[40:39]  In Jesus name. Amen.