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The speaker expresses gratitude for the opportunity to speak and reminisces about childhood memories of visiting the Modesto and Oakdale congregations. They acknowledge the work of the brethren and the impact it has across the country. They then discuss their hesitations about teaching on Psalm 23, but express the importance and depth of the passage. The speaker hopes to provide a fresh perspective on the psalm and emphasizes the significance of God's provision and rest in our lives. Good afternoon to everyone. It is wonderful to be with you all here today. There's a few places across this country that hold a special place in my own heart because of my memories, especially as a child, and I know throughout my adult life, my married life, I have not been able to make it out to California nearly as often as I would like, but my childhood is filled with memories of every year or every other year or so we would come out to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Modesto. Back then the Modesto congregation, of course, was still meeting, and so usually we would go to Modesto, at least one service, but then we always seemed to go to either Turlock or Oakdale on one of the other services while we were here, and so I have memories going very far back of being able to come and visit the Oakdale congregation, and that means so much to me, and I've had family that have been members here, and so this place, even though I haven't got to be here a whole lot of times, is a very special place to me, and so I want to say thank you to the brethren for the work that you do, the things that you do, and the fruits of your efforts are known across this country. This past Sunday, R.C. was actually in Lawrenceburg going to a wedding, and we had him speak for us, and so he's a wonderful young man. We enjoyed that, and so my memories, the work that you're doing that is well known, I want to say thank you, and thank you for an opportunity to speak for you this afternoon. I appreciate that invitation, and I hope that what we have to study together will help all of us in some way. If you want to turn over to Psalm 23, we're going to spend some time in that beloved chapter. Before we read it and make any comments, I'll just have a few things to say about this psalm. I have not taught on Psalm 23 a lot, and there's a few reasons for that, but one of them is I've always been intimidated by the psalm, because in some ways it's very easy, but it's so well known. Everybody knows Psalm 23. If I were to just ask you on the spot, quote to me something from the psalms, I would imagine most everybody in this room, or most people in this room, would probably quote something from Psalm 23. If you were to just go out and ask somebody on the street to tell you some part of the Bible, there's only a few parts you are likely to hear, maybe John 3, 16, maybe Genesis 1, or very likely something from Psalm 23, and that's a little bit intimidating to teach on a passage like that. You've probably read it. You've probably had times in your life where you've gone to this very passage. You've probably sat in a funeral, maybe of someone who is very dear to you, and had this psalm read, and so you know this psalm. There's not much, if anything, that I'm probably going to talk about in this psalm this afternoon that is new or groundbreaking, and yet this past January, I listened to a book, and I've been trying to teach through the psalms at home every once in a while, and it made me realize I need to get over some of that hesitation and spend some time in this psalm, and I've benefited from it. I think my congregation at home is probably tired of hearing about this psalm at this point. It's become a five- or six-part series, and I'm not going to do that today, but what I have found in this psalm is it is one of the simplest passages in the Bible. It is easy. Some of the youngest children here can understand and appreciate this psalm, and yet in some way, David, inspired by the Spirit, wrote something that was so simple, and yet something that is profound beyond measure. You can linger in this psalm, in verses, in words, in sentences of this psalm, continually, and continue to find things that help, that comfort, that admonish, even though we don't typically associate Psalm 23 with admonishment. There's so much depth in this psalm, and I've appreciated getting to study it a bit more, and what I want to do this afternoon is just provide a few outline-type items of this psalm. We're not going to get too in-depth on any one thing, and really my goal this afternoon is if it's been a while since you've gone through this psalm or studied this psalm, I hope that what we study and discuss will maybe allow you to revisit this psalm and look at it with fresh eyes, and I hope that it helps you, because this psalm portrays one of the most beautiful things that any child of God has ever been able to say, and that is, the Lord is my shepherd, and I hope that as we leave here today, that you're able to say, the Lord is your shepherd, and appreciate that, and love that, and if he's not your shepherd, I hope you will make him your shepherd, and I hope that you'll consider this passage throughout your life when it is appropriate to revel in the fact that you are a sheep, and something so much more. But let's begin by just reading this psalm together, Psalm 23, a psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul, he leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. So I said I just want to go through a few things this afternoon, fairly briefly, and the first of those is I want to just consider for a few moments all of the things David says the Lord does. This is a short psalm, it's only six verses in our translations, and yet in just those six brief verses, this very short poem, short psalm, David packs this psalm with information about what God does. Now this is not an extensive theology, this is not a complete comprehensive course on everything God does and all of who God is. This is a poem, this is a song, this is a few sentences of praise, and yet still David does so masterfully. And if we just were to sit and meditate on the things God does for us that are portrayed in this psalm, we would have much to think about and be thankful for. He first of all says that the Lord is my shepherd, and that's kind of the imagery that's going to play throughout the rest of this psalm, and as we'll see in a little bit, he builds a couple of layers upon this metaphor. But as a shepherd, David describes what it is that the Lord does. And one of the first things is as a shepherd, the Lord provides for his people. This is part of the shepherd's job. Now I'm not a shepherd, I don't know sheep very well, but from what I do know, what I read, and what you're aware of, we know that sheep aren't very smart. We know that sheep also aren't very capable. There are very few animals in this entire planet that are less capable of taking care of and providing for themselves than sheep. Now yes, they can eat some grass, but they probably won't find a safe place to do so. If another animal attacks, they have no ability to defend themselves. They can't even run fast enough to get away. They can't find water most of the time. They need a shepherd to guide them. They need the shepherd to provide for them. If they don't have a shepherd, they will either starve, or they will be killed somewhere that is too dangerous for them to be eating, and you know, the same is true of us. Now that takes a little bit of humility, because we like to think of ourselves as very capable people. We like to think of ourselves as being the captains of our own destiny, and being able to be hard-working people that take care of ourselves, and it's good to be hard-working people. It's good to use our abilities, but at the end of the day, if we don't have God, and if we are not following Him, we are lost, and we are in danger, and we have no ability to defend or save ourselves from the enemy. It is only through the Lord's guidance and His provision that we are going to be truly fed. You know, this is an incredible time of human history when you think about it, just the knowledge that we have access to. We learn more by partway through elementary school than much of human history ever got to learn. We have more access to information than has ever existed, and with all of that learning, with all of that knowledge, we still depend upon God for the only knowledge that really matters. None of that knowledge can save your soul, can wash away your sins, can bring you eternal life, but God's provision can. The food and water that He provides, the living water, the living food, and you might think of some of the things Jesus says, there's so many ways that Psalm 23 looks forward to Jesus. We won't get to talk about all those, but I encourage you to think about those as you study the psalm on your own sometime, but think of Jesus, He is the living water. He is the bread of life. He is the sustenance and the provision. Of course, God also provides for us physically. Again, we work and we labor and we do much, but all of that is thanks to God, His grace and His provision, and so as our shepherd, God provides for us. But the way in which He provides for us is an amazing thing also, because David really seems to focus in a subtle way, yet also quite a focused way, on rest. In fact, that phrase, He leads me beside still waters, that can actually be translated as He leads me beside waters of rest. He speaks about soul being restored. I think one of the reasons that Psalm 23 is so beloved, of course there's verse 4 that brings comfort, but I really think deep down it is a psalm that calls us to slow down. It's a psalm that calls us back to the gentle yoke and the peace and the rest that comes in following Jesus. Our world is so busy, there are a lot of things that threaten the church. We hear about those, preachers tell us about the dangers, and there are, immorality, false doctrine. So many things threaten our youth, threaten the church, but you know one of the things that I think threatens us more than any of these things, is busyness. I'm not saying we should be lazy people by any means, but we get so busy with work, with school, with sports, with hobbies, we are go, go, go, go, and we never find rest in the Lord. I'm not talking about just taking a vacation, but I'm talking about resting in the instruction of the Lord. Resting in His presence. The Sabbath day was a gift to God's people to force them in a way, but to more allow them to cease from their labors. And that wasn't just a day off work, that was a day that they focused on the Lord. And in focusing on the Lord, they found rest. And Psalm 23 calls us to that. Now when we are so busy, and so stressed, and so anxious, one of the things that should tell us, or warn us, is we may be further away from the shepherd than we realize, and then it's safe to be. Because when we are following the shepherd, notice this is an active thing, the shepherd makes the sheep lie down in green pastures. The shepherd leads the sheep to waters of rest. When we regularly and continually return to the Lord, we can find a rest for our souls. Amidst the busyness and the struggles of life, we can find a peace that the world just does not have. And that peace is important because it's that rest that the Lord provides that further leads to restoration. Now this kind of starts to break the metaphor a little bit, but this is why God is a shepherd unlike any other. He doesn't just provide, He doesn't just rest the sheep, but He actually restores them, and He restores their life and their very soul. He leads us. One of the things that's very clear, in fact it's stated twice in verses 2 and 3, is the Lord leads. This is a very simple point, it may seem too simple to even stop on. And yet, humanity, in our arrogance and our stubbornness, the truth is we don't like to follow. Think of some of the motivational posters you've probably seen at schools, some of the things that we teach kids. We really don't teach children from a young age to be very good followers. We teach children to be trailblazers, we teach them to think outside the box, and those things can all be well and good, but we don't like to follow in this country, in Western society, and maybe that's why we don't really like to be sheep. That's become a bad term for people to be sheep, but spiritually speaking that's exactly what we should be, and we should be following the Lord. It's when we see a pasture that we think has greener grass, and we cease following the Lord that what happens, that we are endangered. When do sheep get injured and hurt? When do they get taken away by wolves and lions and bears? It's when they are not following the path that the shepherd is walking. Now that's not always an easy path, as you find out in verse 4, but it would be better to be in the valley of the shadow of death, following where the Lord leads, than to be in a green pasture somewhere where the Lord is not. We must follow the Lord, but how thankful we should be for that. Life is a difficult thing. Just again, look around, look at your co-workers, look at your classmates, and if you spend a little bit of time digging deep, what you will see is people who are lost and trying to find their way. They're trying to find meaning, they're trying to find purpose, they're trying to find fulfillment. All of us are. And that's part of why there's so much stress, there's so much anxiety, there's so many problems. Because our world rejects the shepherd, but is looking for this meaning, and they would have everything they need and more. As David would put it, my cup overflows if they would follow. If they would listen to the Lord, if they would obey, and if they would follow. And as I say they, we have to realize that also. We must bow the knee in obedience to the Lord and let Him lead. And I don't mean in some mystical, let Him make every decision for you, and what job and what city to live. I mean obeying His Word. When we obey His Word, there will still be tough choices to make. But we will also have a peace in knowing that whatever choices we make through life, as long as we're obedient and faithful, we will be walking the path behind the shepherd. We see that the Lord comforts us. This is one of the people's favorite verses, is verse 4, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. What a blessing it is in a life that is filled with valleys of deep darkness, with ravines of danger and evil, that there is one who can comfort us. But before we linger too long on the idea of comfort, we need to look at the fuller picture of what David paints. How does he comfort? As the shepherd, David draws our attention to two of the shepherd's tools, the rod and the staff. Now again, I'm not a shepherd, so I had to read about some of these things, but in ancient Palestinian culture, the rod would have been essentially a weapon. It would have been a wooden club, probably embedded at the end or encased in iron if possible, and it would be wielded by a shepherd who knew what he was doing. And while we think of shepherds, at least this is how I've always pictured shepherds, I've always pictured this gentlemanly old man with a nice flowing white beard who looked like he wouldn't hurt hardly anything and just is a grandfatherly figure for the sheep. And that's not what a shepherd was. Remember what David said when he was going to go fight Goliath. And Saul said, this man is a trained warrior. And sometimes I've always thought of that as, you know, David didn't know what he was doing and Saul's worried because Goliath is a great warrior. Now David was placing his faith in God, but David was a warrior too. In fact, David was able to say, when I watched my father's sheep and a bear came and took one of these lambs or a lion came, I went and I struck it down. He was probably using that shepherd's rod. I don't know about you, but if I'm a shepherd and a bear takes one of my sheep, I hope it enjoys the meal. I'm not going to go fight a bear or a lion for one sheep that probably wandered too far away. But a real shepherd is a warrior who goes and fights for his sheep. What an incredible picture that is. And maybe this is part of the psalm that you haven't thought of before. I know when I read more about that, it was, it was a bit newer to me and something I've enjoyed thinking about the fact that all the things that Jesus is for us. He is a warrior who fights on our behalf. He is a warrior who has gone toe-to-toe with an enemy we cannot even fathom to fight for us. And I don't know all of the ways that God's providence works, but I believe he continues to work for his people. And that is a great comfort. But you know, that's not the only tool that the shepherd carries. He also carries the staff. And whereas the rod is a weapon of protection, the staff is an implement of correction. It is the staff that has leaned out and grabs the sheep and redirects it when it starts going a little too far off. It is the staff that he can use to train and guide his sheep. And the truth is, while if you're like me, you kind of like thinking about the Lord with the rod of protection and beating down the enemies before us, but it's not, we don't really like the staff of correction quite so much, do we? Think of it in terms of eldership. We probably like it, I know you have some good elders here. We like it in our congregations when church elders defend the flock, when they're the ones that go rebuke that erring brother, when they're the ones that stand up and refute false doctrine. It's nice to have men that do that for us, but when they pick up the phone and call us and say, we've missed you, where have you been? We've noticed some things that are alarming, we don't like that as much, do we? And the Lord brings us comfort, not only through protection, but also through correction. And if we want the comfort of the Lord, we must accept both. He prepares a table before us, he anoints the head with oil, the cup overflows, he is a gracious host. We're going to spend a bit more time on that in just a moment. He sends goodness and mercy after us. Yes, we could spend more time on these, but how much has the Lord done for us? We would do well to just think sometimes about all it is that the Lord has done, is doing, and promises to do for us. But something else, as we move on from that, another interesting feature about Psalm 23 is while David really focuses on what the Lord does, that's the vast majority of what's in the psalm, there are three confessions, you might call them confessions, or statements of hope that David makes about himself. And so as he contemplates and thinks about and praises God for what he does, those things have an impact on what David can hope in, and how David will live his life. And so we find at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of this psalm, three statements of David about his part in all of this. So at the very beginning, as he says, the Lord is my shepherd, he says, I shall not want. That is one of the most challenging statements in this psalm. And one thing that I've learned about this psalm, at least from my perspective, is I've known it so well, I've heard it so many times, that too often I've not stopped and looked at some of these individual parts, and I've not allowed this psalm to challenge me. But how many times this past week alone have you said, I want, fill in the blank, I want a bigger house, I want a bigger paycheck, I want a different job, I want a different this, I want some peace and quiet, I want, I want, I want, I want. We say it quite a bit, and yet David says, because the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Now, we can soften that up a little bit, because that word want, coming from the old King James tradition, back in the 1600s, that word meant lack. You think of, you have been weighed and found wanting, that is, you have been found lacking. So literally what David is saying is, the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. But what is it when we say constantly, I want this, I want this, what are we saying? I have a lack. And yet David is saying that when we truly understand the Lord is our shepherd, and we have placed our trust in His guidance, and we are obediently following Him, then we should be able to realize, whatever our station in life, whatever our health situation, however much money is in the bank account, any of those things, we will be able to say, you know what, at the end of the day, because the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. Much like what Paul would say, with food and clothing, let us be content, or as he would tell the Philippian brethren, that he had learned in all things to be content. Whether there were times of plenty and abundance, or whether there were times that he would go hungry for a little while and have not very much, he was content. Why? Because I think Paul could say just as easily as David, the Lord is my shepherd. Psalm 23 is a psalm we come to for comfort, but much like we need to learn the lesson of correction, we also need to learn to be comforted by the Lord, the lesson of contentment. He also says in verse 4, is the next confession of David, he says, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. That is another very challenging statement. Are you ever afraid? I am. When a loved one gets sick, a child gets sick, we get sick, when a job is lost, when the economy crashes, there's a lot of reasons to be afraid. And one thing about this psalm that I don't have time to go into, but when David speaks here of this valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, it's not because there is no evil in the valley, there is evil in the valley, there are predators, there are dangers, there is a lot to be afraid of in the valley. So why is David able to say I will fear no evil? Is it because he's so brave? Is it because he's courageous? Is it because he's a mighty warrior like we know David to be? No. David says, I will fear no evil for you are with me. One of the greatest lessons that society right now needs is that all of the affirmation culture that is telling you again and again and again, you are enough, is a toxic lie. Because I am not enough, and you are not enough, without Jesus. Without the shepherd, the lamb is going to be torn apart and shredded in the valley of deep darkness and has no reason to have confidence. But when the Lord is with us, the danger is still out there, but it does not pose the same threat as long as he is by our side. It's interesting, you go back and look through other examples, look at Jacob when he is on the run, why is he told to be courageous? Because God said he would be with him. When Moses was sent to Pharaoh and Moses would say, well who am I to go? That's an excellent question. What qualifications does Moses have to go toe-to-toe with Pharaoh? He doesn't have any. God said, I will be with you. When Joshua is placed in charge of the entire nation of Israel and Moses has passed away and Moses had his hands full all the time with these people, what made Joshua qualified to be the leader of those people? Not his abilities, God said there in Joshua 1, in that opening chapter, multiple times, do not be afraid, be courageous, for I am with you. Your courage, your hope, it is founded on one thing and that is whether or not the Lord is with you. If he is, if you're following the shepherd, you don't have to fear all those things that are so frightening. Cancer is frightening, sickness is frightening, loss is frightening, but we don't have to fear it overcoming us when we trust in the Lord and he is with us. David's last confession is, I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. We'll say a few more things about that here in just a moment so we won't delve too deeply into it just now. One other thing that I found interesting about this psalm beyond these confessions, beyond what David says of the Lord, is a very small thing so we'll get over it very quickly, but there's a perspective change that happens in Psalm 23. You might notice in the first few verses, David is speaking about the Lord, he's speaking in the third person, he says, the Lord is my shepherd, he makes me lie down, he leads me, he restores, he leads. It's about the Lord. But when David enters the valley of the shadow of death in verse 4, his perspective changes and he stops speaking about the Lord and he begins speaking to the Lord. Notice that, it's the Lord, he, he, he, I will fear no evil for you are with me. There's a couple of things to think about with this. First of all, a point that I read that I thought was well made. When we think about all that the Lord does for us, the natural movement that should take place is to adoration and praise. And as David tells us again and again what the Lord does, he can't help but turn to the Lord in praise and adoration and spends quite a bit of the rest of the psalm speaking to the Lord. This is one of the reasons it's so important for us to come to the assemblies, why it's so important for us to read the word of God, why it's so important for us to be reminded again and again about the shepherd and who he is and what he does because like sheep we are prone to wonder but as we are reminded of all the Lord is and all the Lord does, it should naturally move us in the direction of adoration and praise and obedience to the shepherd. But also, I think that there is something beautiful here, I don't think it's a mistake that it's in the valley of the shadow of death that David begins speaking to the Lord. Now, I don't want to make more of this than there is in the psalm, but I think sometimes the best time, you know, we live at times where we're in the green pastures, we're by the still waters, and those are fantastic times to be sharing the gospel as far and wide as we can, to be telling others about the Lord. But then there are times in life that become very dark, very dangerous, and it's not that we shouldn't share the gospel, then we should. There are times that we do well to not only speak about the Lord, but to go in earnest prayer and to lift up our voice in psalm and speak to him. It is a wonderful thing to speak about the Lord, but it is a blessed privilege of his sheep to get to speak to him and with him. And I encourage us to do both, but I encourage us to especially think about how blessed that is to get to speak with the shepherd. Lastly, there's obviously one metaphor. We'll wrap up talking about some of the metaphors. One of the things that I found that I think is so incredible, obviously it's the Holy Spirit, but also David's mastery in the psalm, is there is a metaphor that runs throughout, and that is the sheep-shepherd imagery. But especially if you're a teacher and you've tried to come up with your own metaphor or illustration, you've learned the hard lesson that metaphors always break down. Metaphors are never perfect. There comes this point that they just kind of fall apart and it gets frustrating. And that's true of sheep-shepherd. And yet instead of just giving up on that imagery, David does this masterful thing where he keeps that imagery all the way through, but he starts layering on, sometimes in subtle ways, a couple of extra metaphors that help us know who the Lord is. We've already talked quite a bit about the shepherd imagery, and in verse 4 we see that shepherd imagery is continued because he's speaking about the rod and the staff of the shepherd, but it deepens in verse 4. It's not just a shepherd, because with this perspective change, what we have in this road that leads through this ravine of deep darkness, and David says to the Lord, you are with me. We have a companion. We have someone who is not so far ahead of us that we can't ever hope to catch up, and that we don't feel his presence and we don't feel his comfort. We have someone that's with us. You know, one of the biggest dangers in life is loneliness. I've read that there are studies that have concluded that loneliness is so powerful it can literally kill people. By the way, the first thing in God's creation that he said was not good, you remember what it was? That man should be alone. We need companions. We need friends, and the Lord is the greatest companion we will ever have. He's there with us, and I may be speaking to some people today who are lonely, and I encourage you to reach out to your brothers and sisters in this congregation. You have companions here who will be with you, and if you see people that you can tell are lonely, reach out to them and be a companion. But if you are lonely, I know that this is difficult, but we have to trust it. You do have a companion. You have someone who is with you. You have someone who has been there before you and has chosen to go with you through this life, and that is the shepherd. He is your companion. But then in verse 5, the metaphor really builds, because if you were to really watch a shepherd, a good shepherd will provide for his sheep, will take them to green pastures, a good shepherd will lead them along still waters, a good shepherd when it's time to go through the ravine will protect his sheep. All of that is natural to the sheep-shepherd metaphor, but then in real life, when the shepherd finally gets home, what does he do? He takes the sheep, and he puts them in their pen, and he locks the gate, and he goes inside, and he enjoys home, and the fire, and a warm meal, but that's not what happens in Psalm 23. In Psalm 23, instead of being relegated to the pen outside, the sheep themselves are invited into the shepherd's home, and they are no longer sheep, but now David is using imagery of a lavish host graciously caring for and providing for his guest. This is why Jesus is the good shepherd, because he doesn't just provide, he doesn't just care for, he doesn't just protect, he is a shepherd that transforms. We are not just sheep in the Lord's sight. We are sheep that he is guiding, and he is protecting, and he is leading, so that one day we can be something much more than just sheep, so that one day we can sit at his table, where he will welcome us in, and he will lovingly and meticulously and abundantly provide for us. What a beautiful picture that is, and it's not over. Now most commentaries will break Psalm 23 up into two metaphors at least, sheep, shepherd, and guest host. Some will throw in that companion, but I think, and take this for what it is, since there's not a lot of commentaries that I can think of that read this, but I really think there's a fourth idea here that comes out in verse 6, because with that final confession, David says, I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Now as David has shifted and layered on this guest host imagery, I think we all understand hospitality to a degree. Me and my family were privileged to get to go over to Greg and Rachel's house. They learned just last night that we were going to be here, and they invited us over, provided a wonderful meal, and the hospitality was fantastic. I'm sure that there's many people in this congregation that are very hospitable, and as much as I love that hospitality, I know, and this is not a reflection on Greg and Rachel, but I know that I'm not welcome there forever. They don't want me there forever. They would like me to come in, and they would probably be gracious beyond reason, but there comes a time when the guest needs to get out, but who is invited there forever, especially for those of you who are parents and grandparents? Who can come into your house any time of the day, whenever they want, without calling ahead, and stay as long as they want, your children. David has not just gone from sheep to companion to guest, he has gone from sheep to son, because the Lord is not just a shepherd, but is probably the other metaphor that is the most greatly used throughout the Bible. He is our Father. Because of our rebellion, because of our lostness, he has had to come like a shepherd, finding the lost sheep to bring them home, but he does that so that we can be the children we were created to be. Some commentaries, some translators will even note, some Bibles even have a footnote, when it says, I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever, that could be rendered, I shall return to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. You and I belong somewhere, and it's not here. It's with the Father, and he has done so very much to come and find his wayward, not just sheep, but sons and daughters, to bring us home, to be with him forever. There is nothing in this life that makes you that promise. You can have a full and gratifying career, and I don't want to burst your bubble, but one day you will retire from that career, and that job will just keep on going. That company will not miss a step. This is depressing, but one day, not very long from now, our own family won't remember our names. I could not tell you the names of all of my great-great-grandparents. Probably I can't tell you the name of all of my great-grandparents. They don't last forever, but Jesus, the shepherd, he leads us not into temporary fulfilling, he doesn't just lead us into green pastures for a while. He's leading us home, where we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. There is nothing in this life worth giving that up for. You know, if you're here this afternoon, many of you here I know, or at least I've known, met since I was a kid. Some of you here I don't know, I've never met. There's a lot that I'd like to get to know about you, but there's really only one thing I would need to know about you, and that is whether or not you can say, the Lord is my shepherd. If you today can confidently say that you belong to the Lord's flock, that he is your shepherd, I don't need to know how much money you have, I don't need to know how healthy or unhealthy you are, I don't need to know if you think you have decades ahead of you or only a matter of days. If the Lord is your shepherd, I know this, you are most blessed. Your cup overflows, and you're heading home. Now, if the Lord is not your shepherd, the same is true. I don't need to know everything else. Whether you are rich or poor, whether you are healthy or sick, whether you have a long life ahead of you or you're staring death in the face, if the Lord is not your shepherd, you are most to be pitied. Because you're still going to go through, if you aren't already, you're going to go through those same valleys. Those dangers will be there, and they will be very real. And without the Lord as your shepherd, you will not make it through them, because the good shepherd is calling you home even now, and he has given you at least until this day to hear his voice, to turn to him, obey him, and become a part of his flock. And so if you cannot say that the Lord is my shepherd, I hope by the time you leave here today you can. If you believe in Jesus as the Son of God, if you're ready to repent of your worldly way of living, of the sin that's in your life, if you're ready to confess him as the Son of God and as your Lord, then it's time for you to be baptized for the remission of your sins. There are so many metaphors wrapped up in that very act, death and new birth, crucifixion of the old man and resurrection with Christ, also being added to his flock. You can become a sheep in the shepherd's fold today if you'll obey that gospel. Or if you are a Christian, you've wandered away, you're like the sheep that has left the flock for greener pastures, and you know you're further from the shepherd than you ought to be, come back. He is seeking you, he's looking for you, he's calling you. Come back to the flock today, and if you need to come forward and confess something that we can pray with you and for you about, it would be our honor and our privilege to do that very thing. So if there's someone in need, we'd invite you to come today while we stand and while we sing.