The Good Shepherd - Part 6

This is a continuation of a series on Psalm 23. David reflects on his journey from being a shepherd to becoming king and looks forward to dwelling with God forever. Steve emphasizes the importance of remembering God's care and finding encouragement in it. He describes how the shepherd provides for and comforts the sheep, and likens it to how God takes care of us. The anointing of the sheep with oil and the overflowing cup symbolize the abundance of God's blessings. The shepherd's actions represent God's comfort and reassurance to us. The sheep are refreshed and encouraged at the end of the day. The anointing with oil symbolizes the receiving of the Holy Spirit, which brings joy, peace, and an abundant life. David looks forward to living forever in the presence of God. Well, good morning, everyone, and welcome to GoToMeeting 2. This is our Sabbath morning in the Eastern Time Zone GoToMeeting, an opportunity to get together and to enjoy one another's company and to hear a message. Today we're going to finish up Psalm 23. This is an amazing psalm inspired by God, written by David, and we've been going through it now. This is the sixth series of that psalm, where at the end of the journey, David has, all the way through, he's been meditating and he's writing his thoughts and his desires that he's had. He looks back to where he started as a shepherd, as a young boy, and when he's writing this, he's king of Israel, and he's also looking forward to the future, about dwelling in the house of the Lord eternally, forever, with God, and being in the presence of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, forever, eternally, and that's the same thing that we look forward to. That is our goal. He contemplates his life, the same as we do, and the good care that God has shown him, and it's very important that we remember those and we identify the things that God does for us. It really helps us through life and gives us encouragement and gives us that faith and the encouragement to continue on. Now, David says that he doesn't want anything, looking back, doesn't have anything as long as he's with the Good Shepherd, and he wants—the shepherd helps him to lie down in green pastures, he's led beside still, refreshing water, his soul and mind and spirit is being restored on a regular basis, and he's getting back on track every day, being renewed, being led in the paths of righteousness and God's laws and His ways. Even though he walked through a lot of trouble and difficulty, God was right beside him and always got him through it, and he remembers that, and always brings him to the other end and continues on. So these are things that we can look to in our lives. He was comforted by the knowledge that God's rod and His staff was there for him and would protect him and care for him, keep the predators away, and then he stops and he talks about a table that was prepared, physically, on the tablelands of the hillsides where the pastures were for the summer grazing, and also the custom—he talks about the custom in the land, about being a guest in the host's house, so it has a dual purpose. He was preparing the table for David in the presence of his enemies. He had been anointed and given special care and a special future as sheep in God's pasture, and also we would have that same—we have that same opportunity. So in retrospect, he's saying that his cup really overflows with the kindness and the goodness and the mercy that God gives him as a good shepherd. He's lovingly looking forward to his hope of living forever in the presence of God, the Father and Jesus Christ, in His kingdom, eternally. So now that's verse 6, we're getting ready to start verse 6, but I have to go back to verse 5 because last time I didn't finish that, and I want to finish that up. So what we're going to do is talk about verse 5, he anoints my head with oil and my cup runs over, and then we'll move on into verse 6. So again, this is twofold. It's a custom, it's talking about a custom in the Middle East, and it's also something that the shepherd did to the sheep physically at the end of the day. Now let's talk about the custom. The guest comes to the host's house, and the custom was always they would greet them, and they would anoint their head with oil and kind of cool and calm, refreshing, and then he would show that was showing courtesy and respect to the guest in giving hospitality, loving their neighbor as God shows us in Matthew 22, loving God and our neighbor. Another thing they would do is that they would give them, immediately give them a cup of water, fresh, clean, cool water, and also they would wash their feet. So those are customs that David's talking about and liking it to showing respect and courtesy to the guest, and we went through that last time. So he sees himself at the table of an honored guest and the generous host in his house, and he's been invited to dinner as a special guest. Same thing that happens in our lives. This Psalm 23 reflects on us as well, and David's writing as much for us as he did for his time in talking about the sheep. So he invites him to dinner, he anoints him, he pours out abundance, beautiful food, table set with lavish abundance, and David says that his cup is filled to overflowing, looking back on his life and looking at the situation. Now as far as anointing the sheep, this is something that would happen at the end of the day. It was a very compassionate event that the shepherd would do. They spent their entire day wandering and feeding and out in the pasture, and the shepherd brings the sheep back, and he cares for all of the needs of the sheep from the day's journey. And this is a last scene of the day. It's called the rotting of the sheep. And remember that in John 10.10 that Christ is the shepherd, he's the door. It says the shepherd stands turning his body and lets the sheep pass, and he is the door. I am the door, he says. If anyone enters through me, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and shall find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and destroy. So we need to know the shepherd. He says, I have come so that they may have life and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. So what he does at the end of the day is the door. He brings the sheep up to him, and one by one, he turns his body and lets one sheep in, turns back, and with his rod he holds back the sheep while he inspects them one by one, and then he passes into the pole. But what he does is he has a horn filled with olive oil and a container of cedar tar beside him, and he anoints the head to cool down the sheep. He puts the cedar tar on like a knee bruise or on if the rocks, if it ended on the rocks or they scratched their legs by thorns that they were walking through, so he checks them over. He talks to them, and he caresses them and rubs their nose and pats their head and talks to them for reassurance. So it's a time of one-on-one with the sheep from the shepherd, and it just gives them encouragement and reassurance at the end of the day. It reminds us of 2 Corinthians 1-3 where our shepherd is a God of comfort, and God says this in verse 3 in 2 Corinthians, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in our tribulation, in order that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trial. So as we learn that and are comforted, we are to give that back to others, that they may be comforted by God. But to the degree that the sufferings of Christ abounded us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. So here's our Good Shepherd. He's a God of comfort and reassurance and encouragement, and at the end of the day, this riding of the sheep is a personal event. It's a very beautiful event that the shepherd does for the sheep. And God does that for us, too. He gives us peace and joy when we trust in him. We trust, we hear his voice, we react to that voice of the shepherd. We remember that he loved us first, and we love him in our hearts, and our lives are in Christ. When it is that way, our lives overflow with love and acceptance. In Romans 15, verse 13, God tells us, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is for us today as well, anointed with oil. That's symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The Good Shepherd anoints our head with oil by giving us the Holy Spirit. Remember Acts 2.38? We repent, God draws us, we realize we need to repent, we need God, we commit, and we are baptized, and then laying all the pins, and then we receive the Holy Spirit. So that anointing of our heads is symbolic. It's done symbolically, but then we receive the Holy Spirit. It also gives us the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, and long-suffering. All those help us grow in grace and in knowledge and enjoy an abundant life now in this physical life and in the future. He says, remember, he says, I've come so that they may have life and have it more abundantly. That's now, and that's eternal life. And David was stopping at the end of the day, and verse 6, there he was looking forward to that time, that hope that he had. And with the Holy Spirit, that power that comes from God, he could stay the course and fight the good fight, like Paul says. And in Jude 1, in verse 20, Jude tells us in verse 1, he says, but you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love. That's how we do that. As you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life, the end of the journey, and forever. Life can make us sometimes weary, and the sheep were weary, too. They'd been out there. Some of them were not cut. Some did not need that car, but they were weary. They were just worn out. And that happens to us, too. And when it does, he bathes our face and our head with that refreshing olive oil. He takes the large two-handed cup, dips it in the water, and gets it brimming full and overflowing from the water, the fresh, clear water. And that's provided for the purpose of helping us relax and be calm. And when we're weary, we need that. We need that attention. We need that drink of water. Again, that water represents Holy Spirit, as he told the woman at the well. He touches them, he caresses them to encourage comfort and reassure them that everything is okay. If you know the Good Shepherd, and you hear his voice, and you follow him, he comes to you and takes care of you. And that's really what the Psalm 23 is all about. It's our journey through life, and it's an excellent psalm to give us the plan of God for mankind, really. Again, when we're weary, Christ tells us that in Matthew 11, 28, he talks about himself. He says, come to me, all who labor. We do that, don't we? I mean, life is a labor, and are heavily laden and burdened. And I will give you rest. And that's another subject in itself. Hebrews 4, 9, there remains a rest, a sabbatismos, for the people of God. There is a millennial rest, there is a future rest, which the Sabbath pictures. In Galatians 6, 9, he says, Galatians 6, 9, now we should not lose heart in doing well. And sometimes we do, don't we? We keep plugging away, we keep plugging away, we just get tired, we get weary, we get worn out. He says, don't lose heart in doing well, because we who do not faint will reap in due time. There's that hope, that future. In Matthew 11, 28, he says, come to me, all you who labor and are overly burdened, and Christ recognizes that, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. He says, now, my yoke is easy, my burden is light. And then in Isaiah 40, Isaiah 40, verse 31, but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint, patiently enduring till Christ comes or we are put in the grave, awaiting his return and our change. The next moment we will be with God, living in the house of God forever. And that's what David is reflecting on. Matthew 24, 13, you have to endure to the end. If you do, you'll be saved. You have to hang in there. David was weary at times, and he always looked to the shepherd in his present trouble and in the future looked to the shepherd, looking for that place of rest in God's house. So as we walk through our journey, and this journey called life, our pre-score in 10, more or less, we look to the shepherd as well to have that comfort. Psalm 73, 25, 73, 25, David wrote a lot of these psalms, and you can go through the psalms and get the mind and the heart of David. He was focused on Christ, focused on the future, and walking in the way of righteousness, the path of righteousness, always, not deviating from it. Psalm 73, 25, he says, Nevertheless, I am always with you. You have held me by my right hand. Now there's a good mental picture for you. You shall guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. There's the hope of the future. Whom have I in heaven but you? Who do I have but you? And besides you, I desire none on the earth. This focus was on God. Our focus needs to be on God 100%. My flesh and my heart fail. We're going to wear out. We're going to, you know, Hebrews 9, 9, 27, But God is the rock of my heart, and my portion forever. It says that David's heart was steadfast, and he was after God's own heart. And me, it is good for me to draw near to God. I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may declare all your works. And that's what he's doing in Psalm 23 for us. And then when the sheep, when the day is done, and the sheep are snug and within the fold, look at the contentment and the rest that they have under the starry sky that night. They can sleep well. We meditate on this, the thought of deep rest and comfort comes to us as well. Sometimes when we can't sleep, we're weary, we're thinking about things. Have you ever just tried to ask God for him to give his beloved sleep to us? And he will. David says, my cup runs over, my cup runs over. And reflecting all this, he's just so content and happy and full of joy and peace. He had a close personal relationship with God. He was lacking nothing. David loved God, and he wanted to have that godly relation increase daily, that closeness with him. David lives his life in awe and reverence of God and his laws. And he shows us that throughout the Psalms. And the same can be for us. We make reading the Psalms a daily routine. We will have that heart as well. David wants to spend the rest of his time on earth in the future kingdom of God with his God and his shepherd. He's focused on that. He's looking forward. God supplies his every need as he does us. Looking out for his welfare constantly as God does for us. David had a very special relationship with God. Same with us. We have a special calling. We are the first groups. And so David will be king over Israel, he wrote this, and he will be in the future. We will be kings and priests to reign alongside Christ too, won't we? David was a begotten son of God. He said, don't take your spirit from me. He had to have God's spirit for him to say that. In Psalm 51, he says, hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Created me a clean heart. Oh God, we have to ask this sometimes, don't we? And renew a steadfast spirit within me that's restoring my soul. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. To me, the joy of your salvation and let your free spirit uphold me. God has called us and chosen us to be his guests in a family relationship, which we saw last time, to sit at the table, where? In his house. Where is that table? You know, it's in his house. We're invited to be at his table, an honored guest. He's the provider, the sustainer, the creator. He's comforting. He's merciful. Psalm 23, Christ attends to David's every need, airing and showering him with personal attention and care. He doesn't want any to perish. And once he's done a good work, he's going to complete it. We're the only thing that can get in the way. And we have to focus on God daily and read the Psalms and think about Psalm 23. It really helps. So in the light of these great kindnesses and the goodness of God toward David, he realizes his cup runs over. And sometimes we need to stop and think about that as well, what God does for us. And the little things that he does, sometimes that we don't pay attention to or we just take for granted. Matthew 10, 42 says, Matthew 10, verse 42. The one who has found his life shall lose it physically. And the one who has lost his life for my sake shall find it. The one who receives you receives me. And the one who receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive the reward of a prophet. Now he's trying to talk about rewards. And the one who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive the reward of a righteous man. If anyone shall in the name of a disciple give to one of these little ones to drink a cup of cold water. Look at the symbolism there. Only truly I say to you, he shall in no way lose his reward. So it's a principle. It's a way of giving back. What does that water represent? The hope that lies within us. And God gives us that as a shepherd, we give that back. And it's cyclical, it goes round and round. We want everyone in the kingdom of God. Eventually, we'll have part in that and helping everyone to come to God and come to that family. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. All the days of this life, the mercies of God are new every morning. I read that last time in Lamentations 3. It's a beautiful scripture. I'll read it again here. I recall this to my mind. It is by the Lord's mercies that we are not destroyed, because his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore, I will hope in him. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. To the soul that seeks him and seeking him daily. You know, once God draws us and begins, we seek him. That's from God. He draws us. Once we come to him and start to know him, we seek him daily. God wants to see what we're doing, how we're coming along. He wants to see where our attention is. It is good that one should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. So, verse 6 now. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Goodness and mercy are depicted as attendance in the Lord's household. Think about that. They're personified, who accompany David for the rest of his life and then into the future. And in another place I read, they referred to them as sheep dogs following the herd. So, follow me all the days of my life. One border collie, who knew how to, you know, move the sheep around, get them to where they needed to go. And the other, a large dog that could handle predators. So, it's kind of interesting. I mean, of course, we're personifying and we're making them something that goodness and mercy, of course, are traits and things from God. But it's interesting to think about it that way. The word for goodness in the original language means that which is pleasing or valuable or useful. And there's the whole section on goodness. That's another study you can do of God's goodness. James 3.17, James 3.17 says, The wisdom, but the wisdom from above is first pure. That word is hagios, holy, pure, then peaceful and gentle, reasonable. Have you ever talked to somebody that wasn't reasonable? Full of mercy and good fruit. Impartial, not a respecter of persons, and without hypocrisy. Now, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. Blessed are the peacemakers, right? Or the term for mercy is sometimes translated as loyal love, steadfast love, or unfailing love. Exodus 34.6 talks about mercy. Exodus 34.6, the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth. So he's merciful, he has goodness, truth, gracious, long-suffering. Keeping mercy to the thousands, generations, thousands of generations, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Okay, so the same word goodness is used of God's love as it relates to the faithfulness of his covenant with us. Goodness is used as God's love as he relates to his commitment and his covenant with us. He loves us first. He gives us the good things that we need, the tools that we need to make it, to continue, to walk that path of righteousness and to make it into the house. That's what he wants. That's his whole point. The verb translated as follow shall follow me all of my life. Here it means to accompany or to go with. Not to, it's not to wildly run after something. Although David says that his heart was fixed, his mind was fixed and he pursued that. But they walk with you, beside you. Remember going through the valley of the shadow of death? God is beside you all the way through. And through the other side. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And he was giving human-like qualities, an abstract blessing of the Lord. You might say it this way. It's possible you could say it this way. Because you, Lord, are good and valuable. And because you love me so faithfully, I am certain that you will be with me all of my life, physically and eternally. What a wonderful thought that is. And to keep that in our minds. The goodness of God, abundant living, now in this life and in the future, eternal. 2 Corinthians 9 verse 8 says, and God is able to bless you abundantly. So that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, remember I shall not want. You will abound in every good work. That's the point. Every good work with this Holy Spirit in you, leading and guiding you. As believers, we can trust that God's overflowing blessings are going to remain with us. No matter what difficulties or the trials are, they're always there. Psalm 2713, I would have fainted unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall make your heart strong. Yea, wait, I say, wait on the Lord. That's just hang in there, endure. Psalm 3119 says, oh, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, respect and honor, which you have prepared for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men. You are my hiding place. 6916 says, again, David wrote a lot of these. Answer me, oh Lord, for your steadfast love is good. Turn unto me according to the multitude of your tender mercies, goodness and mercy. God is the perfect shepherd. He's the perfect host, as he uses those two analogies. As our shepherds, the Lord provides personal care, guidance, companionship, protection, and security. But God's ultimate blessing in this life, abundant life, is eternal life, isn't it? That's his ultimate blessing that he pours out. Motor Cup really runs over. Matthew 19.29 says, Matthew 19.29, we're talking about living in the future, in God's house, verse 6. 19.29, and everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or fathers, or mothers, or wife, or children, now think about that. We walk away, you know, we don't physically walk away, or emotionally, or whatever, but our attention goes to God the Father and Jesus Christ first. And we love less, by comparison, our houses, our brothers, our sisters, father, our family. For land, for my name's sake, this is what you get, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life, eternal blessing. Again, verse 6, to dwell in his house. We have to do what God gives to us, and we have to love God, we have to love the truth, we have to follow him, and then he gives us the gift of eternal life at the end. 1 John 2.25, this is the theme throughout, this is the whole purpose of it. Christ coming, and our calling, and why we were created in the image of God, to be part of that theme. Verse 25, and this is the promise that he promised us, eternal life. And David knew that, and David knew his reward, and he wrote about it several times. Psalm 17.2, as for me, I will behold your face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied when I awake with your likeness. And I already had the likeness of God when he awoke with your likeness. He knew that. 1 Peter 5.4, tells us what that reward is. And when the chief shepherd is manifested, when the chief shepherd comes, you shall receive an unfading, eternal crown of glory. He had to hang in there and endure, didn't he? A crown of life, James 1.12. Crown of life, blessed is the man who endures trials. David sure went through them, and we do too. Because after he has been proved, he shall receive a crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. Having God as our shepherd makes life worthwhile and blessed. And when our journey ends on this earth, we look forward to that hope. We'll live in his house with the shepherd forever, and our father. So he ends the psalm with that thought, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In John 14.3, Christ says, in my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were otherwise, I would have told you, I'm going to prepare a place for you. The good shepherd at his father's house is preparing a place in that house for us. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself. So that where I am, you may be also. And that's that wedding feast, coming back to his bride, going back to the table, the banquet after the wedding, and sitting at that banquet on the Sea of Wax, at that table. Not only then, but for the rest of our life in that relationship. David knew this, and he wrote about it. He was thinking about it, and he gave it to us. Dwelling in the house not made with hands. Eternal. It's heaven. I'll be here on the earth in New Jerusalem. Christ, in the father's house, in which we are, there are many mansions, sure dwelling places, quiet resting places for his people. For all eternity, I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And as a shepherd, David spent many nights to think about this, lying on his back, looking up at the stars, or sitting on a rock, looking at the stars, and recalling this future. And when he laid there looking up at the starry night, he must have thought, that's going to be my dwelling place forever with God at his house. Psalm 8. Sometimes we go camping, and we go out, and we have an opportunity to look at the clear sky, if we ever get that out in the country, away from the city lights, and we look at the stars. And David said in Psalm 8, verse 3, When I consider your heavens, and the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have purveyed. What is man? What's the purpose for man? That you are mindful of him, and the Son of Man, that you care for him. The church is shepherds, that we are the sheep of his pasture. For you have made him a little lower than God, and have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have dominion over the works of your hands. You put all things under his feet, the sheep, the oxen, beasts of the field, birds of heaven, fish of the sea, everything. The Lord, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth. David loved God, he loved his law. He knew man's purpose was to live with God and his family forever, and he was right about this. He knew that living with God forever in his house was that reward of the righteous, and he was waiting for that city. He's listed in Hebrews 11 with the other patriarchs who were waiting for that city. God's given us that Holy Spirit and a close relationship with him to help us be there. Hebrews 11, he says, By faith, he, Abraham, and he talks about David in 32, sojourned in the land of promise like a foreigner, dwelling in tabernacles like the Feast of Tabernacles, moving around with Isaac and Jacob and joint heirs of the same promise. All of these, verse 13, died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and having been persuaded of them, and having embraced them, and having confessed that they were strangers and soldiers on the earth, for those who say such things make it manifest that they seek their own country as promised by God. You know, we are not, we are citizens of this country or whatever country you're in, but ultimately we are citizens of the kingdom of God. That's where our citizenship is. That's where our focus is. Verse 39, But these all, though they had received a good report through faith, did not obtain the promise, not yet. Verse 10, he says, For he was waiting for the city with the foundation of which God is the architect and builder. In that city are houses, the house of God, the temple. They aren't the temple. They are, we go there and we live in their houses. So the reward, David knew, having the Lord as our shepherd makes life worthwhile and blessed. When our journey on this earth ends, we will be in his house to live with our shepherd forever. That's the next thought. That's the next conscious thought when we're changed. Boom, there we are. He knew living a righteous life was necessary. Keeping God's law and loving God are necessary in order to be in God's house forever. Psalm 2121, Precious treasure and oil are in the home of a wife, but a foolish man devours it. He who follows after righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness and honor. Psalm 15, David wrote this. I'm sure he was thinking about this in this relationship of what he needed to do and what he needed to do to get there. Psalm 15, Lord, who shall dwell in your tavern? Who shall dwell upon your holy hill? And here's what he needed to do. He's telling us, he who walks uprightly and works righteousness and speaks the truth in his heart, that's the love of the truth. And it's in the inward man, it's circumcised heart, the truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, does not do evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor, loving his neighbor. God with all of his heart, mind and soul, your neighbor is yourself. Verse four, and whose eyes a vile person is despised, that he honors those who fear the Lord. He who swears to his own hurt and does not change. That's beginning to develop the character of God because God does not change. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Are we? Is our work rock solid like God? Are we thinking and operating and speaking and living and walking with the word of God? He who has not put out money to usury nor has taken a bribe, yes, he is. He who does these things shall never be moved. That house or city is called New Jerusalem, and it has many mansions. David helped to establish the city, it's the sky of the Sinai. Remember when they conquered the Jebusites? He helped establish Jerusalem, so I'm sure it had a special place for him. It's interesting that he'll live there. Live there. Revelation 21, 2. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from heaven say, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. He shall dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. That's what David was looking for. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or sorrow or crying, neither shall there be any more pain, because the former things have passed away. And what a wonderful time. And he who sits on the throne said, behold, I make all things new. That's the restitution of all things, and we have that ministry of restitution, restoring all things. Then he said to me, write, for these words are true and faithful. And he said to me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who thirsts that water, that cup of water, the still waters, I will give freely of the fountain of the water of life. The one who overcomes shall inherit all things. Romans 8, 14, 15, 16, we're inheritors. And I will be his God, and he shall be my son forever in the house of God. And that was his desire, to sit at the table with God and to live in his house, in the house of God forever. Now, Christ told the disciples that too, didn't he? So that's for us today as well as the disciples, as well as David. Luke 22, 30. And I appointed to you as my father has appointed a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on the bench judging the 12 tribes of Israel. And David will be there as well. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Then this is for us in Revelation 3, 12. Revelation 3, 12 says, behold, I am coming quickly. I am coming quickly. And you go through, read all about the churches of God. Hold fast that which you have so that no one can take your crown. The one who overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. He shall not go out anymore. I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God. They're going to have those names on us somehow, which will come down out of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new name. Look what we're going to have. He owns us. He bought us. He's going to take care of us. And we are going to, we are his eternally. Having the Lord as our shepherd makes this life worthwhile and blessed. And when our journey on this earth ends, we will enter into that permanent relationship in heaven and inherit this earth to live with our shepherd forever. Revelation 7, 16-17, for the lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. And he will guide them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. So this continues that relationship. That's why Psalm 23 is so valued. The greatest blessing in Revelation 3, 5, the greatest blessing again. He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments and will not erase his name. From the book of life, I will confess his name before my father and before his angels. Life, eternal life. David knew that that was that reward waiting for him. He pressed hard after it. He said in Psalm 6, 8, my soul follows hard after you. Your right hand upholds me. He's there to take care of us. So nothing can separate us from his love. We can use trials to make us more aware of God's love. And we can grow rather than become bitter. That's a choice. David anticipated that at the end of his life, he would be resurrected in his time, at appointed time and enter the house of the Lord and live there forever. David expressed his conviction in his thoughts and remembered in Psalm 23, all these things, that God's goodness will be with him throughout his life. Whether it's green pastures, still waters, or David was required to walk through a valley, a dark valley, and God was with him. God's goodness would accompany him as long as he walked with God in a righteous crown of life and was waiting for him and living in the house of God forever awaited him. Over those years, David found always that God was good. He was the same. He never failed. His love was always there. It was present with him on every step of the journey. We need to understand that as well and recognize that and call on that. And Paul encouraged in Romans 8, 38 to 39. I read this last night. I love this section. 35 says, why shall separate us from the love of God? That's a question. Child, tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sore. According, and it is written, for your sake, we are killed all the day long. We are reckoned as sheep for the slaughter. He says, but in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us in Christ. In Christ. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present or things to come. He covers everything, nor height or depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And we can be assured of that. We know that to be true. Hebrews 13, 5, he says, and no way will I ever leave you. I'm never going to forsake you in any way. And God keeps his word, peace, faith and truth. He upholds that word. Psalm 23 and the rest of the Bible, God's word is a source of our hope, our peace and our comfort. We can draw great comfort from Psalm 23. And I hope you've followed through these series, these different, these six different messages. I thought I was going to do Psalm 23 in one city. It's not possible. Well, I guess it is possible. Be encouraged in tough times ahead, knowing that the Lord is our shepherd and that we will live with him eternally in his house forever.