Address—Jim Hyland
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Our shepherd is the Lord. The living Lord who died with all His fullness can afford. We are supplied 238 if someone will please start it.
And what?
Did they are so proud of joy from an order from day-to-day.
Uh, create your life.
Let's ask God's help and blessing our blessed God and Father.
How thankful we are this afternoon for the Lord Jesus. We thank Thee. We have come to know that one not only as our Savior, but as our shepherd, our guide, our friend. We thank Thee for that full resource we have in him for every step of the journey here. We thank Thee too, to know where it's all going to end. When we're safe home in the Father's house with and like that blessed one, to sing His praises for all eternity. But now we thank Thee for this time together.
We thank thee for thy living word that thou hast given us as light and instruction, refreshment and encouragement, even for these dark, difficult days. And as we take up some portions this afternoon, our God, we pray that Thou open our ears, speak to our conscience, touch our hearts, that there might be that which would be from myself to spur us on in the path of faith and service. So we ask Thy help. We ask for thy blessing. We ask it with confidence.
With Thanksgiving and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his glory. Amen.
Before we turn to the portion that is particularly before my soul this afternoon, I'd like to, by way of introduction, read a couple of portions. First of all, in First Samuel Chapter 16.
First Samuel, Chapter 16.
And verse 11.
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest. And behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down, till he come, hit her. And he sent, and brought him in. And he was Ruddy, and with all of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he.
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And then a verse in the 100th Psalm.
Psalm 100.
And verse 3.
Know ye that the Lord He is God. It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. And now to the portion that's particularly before my soul suggested by our Him, the 23rd Psalm.
Psalm 23. You'll notice it's a Psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yeah, Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
Well, we're going to speak very simply and I trust for our hearts from this 23rd Psalm. But I thought before we did that by way of introduction, we would look at these two further scriptures that we read because first of all, we have David introduced to us in First Samuel 16 as a keeper of sheep. You know, it's very interesting that.
The two most beautiful and complete types of the Lord Jesus in the Old Testament.
Are perhaps Joseph and David, and they are both introduced to us as keepers of sheep, bringing before us immediately that aspect of the person and work of the Lord Jesus, so beautifully portrayed in the New Testament as the shepherd. As has been often pointed out, we know the Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd in John 10. There the Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep. We find that the Lord Jesus too.
As the great shepherd in the end of Hebrews, the one who cares for the sheep.
And in a future day of glory, he's presented to us in First Peter as the chief shepherd. But both Joseph and David are introduced to us as those who are keeping sheep in their in their youth. And we find that when Samuel went to anoint the future king over Israel, King Saul, who had been the People's Choice, was now rejected by the Lord, and there was God's man going to sit on the throne eventually.
And David is eventually brought before Samuel, and he's anointed. And David was the one who was Ruddy goodly to look upon. He had a beautiful countenance speaking to us in type of the Lord Jesus, the one who was the beloved of the Father, the one of whom from whom he could declare from heaven. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And it's very remarkable, as we go on in the Psalms to notice.
How often the sheep are brought before us, the thought of the shepherd, and particularly in the 23rd Psalm. And what better person to write of the shepherd and the sheep than one who knew the care of sheep in a practical way?
And I would just say at the beginning of this meeting that, practically speaking, I know nothing of the care of sheep. I'm a city boy. I'm not a farmer in any sense of the word. But I do understand one thing, the care of my shepherd for me as his sheep. And so we read in the 100th Psalm that we are the sheep of his pasture, because every one of us here who know the Lord Jesus is our Savior.
We are one of the sheep of the good, the great, and the chief shepherd. Now again it's often been pointed out, but in the 23rd Psalm, if we were to back up to the 22nd Psalm, we find there brought before us in very precious and real language, the sufferings of Christ connected with those sufferings of the cross, because he begins with that which denotes the atoning sufferings of Christ.
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That which he suffered in those hours of darkness, and at the end of it he cried, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But when you read on in that 22nd Psalm, you find he covers just every aspect.
Of the circumstances and the work concerning the cross, the physical sufferings that which he suffered from the dogs, that no doubt denotes the Gentiles, because it was actual Gentile Roman soldiers that eventually laid hands on the Lord Jesus, took him outside the walls of Jerusalem and had him nailed to a Roman cross. There are the bulls of Asian. I think it's in Amos. Perhaps we find that there.
It speaks to us of the Jewish leaders, those who cried away with him crucify him, those who said we have no king but Caesar. We find that there's the lion, that which no doubt speaks of the power of Satan arrayed against him. There's the sword that would speak of death, and so on, and at the end of the Psalm, lest there be any doubt in our minds as to who the psalmist is Speaking of, he says.
He hath done this, Who completed the work? Who fulfilled the work that his Father gave him to do.
Oh, it was none other than the Lord Jesus if we were to jump ahead to the 24th Psalm. So if I can just sum up again in the 22nd Psalm, it's the Good Shepherd giving his life for the sheep. In the 24th Psalm, it's the chief shepherd, because there we find he speaks of a future day of glory when the King of glory is going to come in and for Israel there's going to be the shout of a king amongst them. And then two, he's not only going to reign as the king of the Jews.
But King of Kings and Lord of Lords, he's going to have his rightful place here on planet Earth, where they spit in his face and rejected him and cast him out. But in between that which is passed and that which is future, we have something for the present, and that is the great shepherd who cares for the sheep. Now these psalms, of course, are taken up in different ways, as we've already alluded to.
We find that many of these Psalms, like the 22nd Psalm and the 40th Psalm, the 69th Psalm, the 102nd Psalm, they speak to us prophetically of the feelings of Christ as he passed through the circumstances of life as a man and as he took up the work of the cross. You have the facts in the Gospels, but in the Psalms you have the feelings and expressions that you don't have.
In the Gospels. And there's nothing we'll tug at our heartstrings like going back and reading those Psalms.
In that regard, I suppose that's why so often on Lordsteel Morning, when we're together to remember the Lord Jesus in the breaking of bread, we read many of those precious psalms and expressions. We find, too, that the Psalms, being prophetic and Jewish in their character, are the expressions of God's earthly people in a coming day when they are finally brought into blessing, and there's been such a work of grace with them that they recognize.
That it is only the Lord Jesus who can put down their enemies.
And bring them into blessing and establish them in their earthly inheritance. And I have no doubt this Psalm itself will be the very expression of the godly remnant in a future day. But they're also the expressions can be applied at least as the expressions of the Saints of God in every age. As I say, these psalms particularly tug at our heartstrings, and I've been impressed in going in to visit sometimes those who are sick, sometimes those who are elderly and shut in.
Those who are on chronic beds of illness, and I will often ask them what portion of the word of God they would like us to share together. I would say that more often than not, they want you to read a Psalm.
Because these psalms take us through the ups and downs of the believer's life.
And that's the way, for a few moments, I'd like to look at this little Psalm, because you'll notice it's titled as the Psalm of David.
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Now I want to repeat something that I've often said in taking up these Psalms and that is that many of these Psalms have titles and 74 of these Psalms were written by David. You know, when we think of the Psalms, we think of David as the author, but David did not write all of the Psalms. There are 74 that are attributed to David. There are 12 That are attributed to Asaph, 12 to the sons of Korah.
Two to Solomon.
One to uh Moses, one to human and one to Ethan. And you'll notice that from the titles of the Psalms. And then there are 34 Psalms that do not have a title. And these titles are not added by the translators. They are part of the ancient manuscripts and as such they are part of the inspired word of God. And as David's son Solomon said in Proverbs, every word of God is is pure.
And so we need to take heed when there is a title to the Psalm, because it has something to say. Now, these psalms were written as individual psalms. They are some of them are given a title.
And if there is a title, it is important to note the title. It has something to say to us.
Some of the titles are a little longer than others, but there are a number of Psalms that are the Psalm of David. In other words, if we can think of it in this way for our practical purposes today, they are the the experiences of David going through the ups and downs of life as a man. And when you go back and read the life of David, you find that David did not have an easy life.
Just like you and me in the Christian pathway, there's all kinds of ups and downs and twists and turns. There's joys as well as sorrows. And as David went through the circumstances of life, you find.
That he developed a real confidence and a joy in his God. Think of David being called by UH Jesse to be anointed the future king of Israel. From that point on he had one all kinds of problems and difficulties. He was misunderstood by his own brothers when he came down to the camp of Israel, when they were facing the Philistines and their champion Goliath. Why his oldest brother Eliab even questioned the motive of his heart for coming down.
He spoke unkindly to him. The next thing you read, David goes down into the valley with just some stones in his shepherds bag and a sling in his hand to meet the champion of the Philistine. And from that point on he runs from his for his life. He fears from King Saul. He has problems in his own family, He has when he gets his Kingdom, he has domestic problems, He has wars from his enemies around.
His wives didn't always appreciate him. His own son Absalom turned against him and he had to flee for his life. He knew what it was to lose a young child in death. All those things. But when you read the Psalms of David.
You'll find that no matter how discouraged he becomes, no matter how down he gets.
He always seems like the cork. He bobs back to the top and finds his joy and his resource in his God. And that's the way I want to encourage our hearts this afternoon. I know I look into the faces of those who don't find life easy. I know there are those here who are experiencing trials, difficulties in your personal life, in the family, maybe even in the local assembly that I've never been called on to pass through.
In the path of faith and service, but I want to encourage you that no matter what happens.
The resources that we have in our Shepherd are the same, and the Psalm opens with the Lord is my shepherd.
How personal this is? Have you developed a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus? I'm not asking you this afternoon. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior? I'm asking you more than that.
Do you know him as your shepherd, The one who is your guide, the one who provides for you? You know the Apostle Paul as Saul of Tarsus. He came to know the Lord Jesus as his savior on the Damascus Rd.
But later on, when he wrote to the Philippians, he summed up his whole exercise in life by these words.
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That I may know him, you say? Didn't he get to know the Lord on the Damascus Rd. Yes, but his whole life was exercised by a better acquaintance with the one that had become his savior on the Damascus Rd. I covet that for my own soul, brethren, to get to know Him in a better acquaintance. And you'll never be, never know Him better if you don't walk close to him, if you don't follow him.
You know, in the book of Hosea it says that we might follow on to know the Lord.
You never know someone if you don't follow on with them. And I suppose that's why so often too, the Lord Jesus is brought before us as the shepherd and we the sheep, because sheep are one of the few animals that follow. I have seen them drive cattle when we are in the Caribbean, goats are raised and you see the little goat herder come down the street in the morning in the villages.
And the goats go out, and they're taken out to the hillside for pasture, and they're brought back at night. But, you know, you don't see goat herders leading goats. No. You see the little goat herder behind the goats, and he's got a little switch, and he's talking to them, and he's driving them up the road and up the side of the mountain. But you don't see the shepherd doing that. No. The shepherd goes before it says he goes before, and he calleth his own sheep by name.
And the other great truth we learned from this is that the shepherd deals with each sheep.
As an individual, my father kept sheep in his younger day, and he told us that he used to impress upon us how that when you had sheep you had to treat them as individuals. Yes, together they were a flock, but individually they were sheep with specific needs. And so David says here the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Now, brethren, that doesn't mean in this dispensation in the Christian era, that there aren't sheep of the Lord Jesus who don't suffer physical privation and hunger.
There are many of our brethren in many parts of the world who go to bed hungry at night.
There are many who have to lie down on a cold, damp prison floor because of their testimony. There are many who are facing martyrdom this very day and who are physically tortured because of their testimony for Christ.
But what we what we find is that spiritually, the shepherd is able to meet every need.
It doesn't mean that we won't suffer physically in some way, but, you know, I have been with those who have very little of this world's goods, but they're rich in faith, and it really does your heart good when you visit countries. And I've come along dirt roads and visited a little clot board, Hut square. The sister swept her dirt floor before you got there, arranged a few crates so they'd be somewhere for you to sit.
And you sat down and enjoyed the person of Christ. I'm not saying we despise the mercies we have in a country like this. We're glad for the comforts we have this weekend provided by the Lord through our brethren. We don't want to despise that. But they're not The bottom line, brethren. If we're going to have our souls satisfied, it's not going to be with things. It's going to be with Christ our soul satisfaction depends on.
What Christ means to our souls, our occupation with Him.
And he makes us to lie down in green pastures. I think this is very significant because, you know, we're gonna find he leads us in various ways. And again, that's one of the characteristics of a shepherd. He leads the sheep, but he makes us to lie down in green pastures. I thought of this in connection with the busyness of society in which we find ourselves today, you know, to enjoy the green pastures, which I believe in Scripture.
Fields or pastures often speak of personal communion, but to enjoy that sometimes the Lord has to put his hand upon us and make us to lie down. We like to be LED, but to be made, to stop, to lie down in those green pastures. I remember a brother one time had had some hip surgery, and this was a brother who liked to be very active. Active in a natural sense, but thank the Lord, active in the work of God.
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Two. And I called him one day and I could just hear the frustration in his voice as he had been laid aside and was not able to be as active for some weeks as he once had been. And I quoted him this verse. I said, sometimes the Lord has to make us through circumstances to lie down in green pastures so that we enjoy those quiet times. And so it says I will go in and out and find pastures.
And I say, you'll often find pastures or fields speak of personal quiet and communion with the Lord. The reason I say that is because you remember with Isaac. It says in the 24th of Genesis he went out into the field at Eventide to meditate. There we get the thrust of what a field or pasture really brings before us. Do we take those times? And, brethren, I have to speak to my own soul.
Do we really take that time? I like to be busy. I like to multitask. But we need those times set aside when he we lie down in the green pastures and then he leads us beside the still waters. The pastures would speak of food for our souls in application. The water would speak of refreshment. There's nothing to refresh our souls in this world. Naturally speaking, you know? Just come back from my 10th visit to the Sinai Peninsula.
And when Scripture calls it a wilderness, that is exactly what it is. Maybe 1/10 of an inch of rain a year, a little well in spring and Oasis here and there. But I've driven for two or three hours sometimes on the Sinai Peninsula before you see something green or a spring of of water. And so you realize how valuable the water from the rock, for instance, was as they traveled through the wilderness, those little Oasis and those springs.
And so it speaks of refreshment. We're in a spiritual wilderness where there's nothing to refresh the new man. Oh, there's plenty to feed our lusts. There's plenty to seek to satisfy the, uh, the flesh, but nothing to feed and refresh the old man, the new man. We need to have the green pastures and the still waters. Then it says in verse three, he restoreth my soul. You know we don't have time this afternoon.
But I would just encourage you to go through this little Psalm, take up each expression and go back and in conjunction with it, read The life of David. Because you can usually find something in the life of David that corresponds with these expressions. And we can see very quickly that this expression he restoreth my soul, corresponds with David's experience when there was sin in his life.
A sin was allowed in his life, a moral evil. It was a grievous sin.
But you know, when Nathan the Prophet brought it before him, he got into the presence of God, Read the 1St, 51St Psalm, his confession, his prayer at that time, and the joy of salvation was restored to him.
At that time, when there was confession and real repentance, and when David penned these words, he restoreth my soul. He knew exactly what he was talking about. Because, again, the restoring grace of God is as limitless as the saving and preserving grace of God. And maybe there's someone here and you come to these meetings and you say, well, I haven't followed the shepherd like I should. I've got away. I've been like Peter who followed afar off. Peter followed the Lord.
But it says he followed afar off and we know the detriment and the problem it led to.
In his life, he denied the Lord three times with oaths and curses. Maybe there's been someone, there's someone here like that. But David was restored, Peter was restored. And you know, sometimes meetings like this can be a real turn around in our lives. I remember as a young man coming to meetings, not very different from this and hearing something that the spirit of God took and turned my life around. It was sitting in chairs just like this in the back row, albeit, but thank God I was brought there.
By the Lord, by the shepherd. I knew the Lord as my savior, but I got away.
And as I sat in the back row at a Montreal conference, the spirit of God got a hold of me and there was restoration all. There's been many times I've needed it since, and there's many times we need it in our lives. But conferences like this, maybe there's a young person here, or someone not so young and you've got away. You're cold in your soul. This can be a real time of turning around for you. And remember, he does restore souls.
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And he delights to do it. And it's a blessed and happy thing, not only in our lives personally, but for those that, that, uh, we're close to. I have no doubt there's parents and grandparents here who are praying for you. For someone who's gotten away and they're praying for restoration, wouldn't it be a joy if they went from these meetings knowing that their prayers had been answered by the grace of God? And when he restores our soul, what does he do? He leads us in the paths of righteousness.
For his name's sake. That's why it says in first John, in connection with sin in our lives as believers, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us ours sins. And then I want you to notice this next expression and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, that is to keep us from going any further in that path and to turn us back to the right way, because he wants to lead us in the paths of righteousness.
That is, he wants to lead us in the right way. There is a way that seems right unto a man.
But the end thereof are the ways of death, and I know we often apply that in the gospel, and it's certainly true.
But you know, there's a way sometimes that seems right in our eyes as believers, but there's a detriment at the end not to end up in a lost eternity. No, thank God the sheep are secure in the hand of the Lord Jesus and the hand of the Father, but it can lead to much sorrow and reaping. But he wants to put us back in the right way to restore our soul and then to lead us in the paths of righteousness, not just for our blessing.
But for his joy, for his testimony, for his name's sake. And then we come to the fourth verse and he says, yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Now this expression is going to change the whole tone of the Psalm. Now I realize that often we read this Psalm and quote this expression at a funeral and in connection with someone passing.
From this life to the next, and certainly it has its application, but in its context here, I don't believe that's really what we have here. The valley of the shadow of death is this world that you and I are passing through, following the shepherd as his sheep. This world is stamped with death on every hand. Someone has said, and I rather enjoyed it, The valley of the shadow of Death.
Is this world with the shadow of the cross hanging over it. And we sometimes think we're pilgrims in a wilderness. Our dwelling is a camp created. Things so pleasant now bear to us. Death Stamp and I don't have to tell you about this. We're passing every day through the valley of the shadow of death. But we can safely pass through the valley of the shadow of death, this world and its woes and sorrows.
If we're following close to the sheep and I want to notice how it changes the whole tone of the Psalm.
Because up until The Valley of the Shadow of Death, the Psalmist David has been talking about the Shepherd.
He does this and he does that, and he leads us and so on for the whole rest of the Psalm. He's not gonna talk about the Shepherd anymore. He's gonna talk to the Shepherd. And it seems to take the Valley of the shadow of death to do it.
And I believe God allows us to pass through those dark experiences in our lives to draw us closer to himself. So we not just talk about him, but we talk to him. This is personal communion that David is enjoying now as he goes through the valley of the shadow of death. And brethren, that's what he wants from you and for me. He's going to have our fellowship and communion in the Father's house for all eternity, but he wants to us to enjoy it, to draw closer to him now.
That we might speak to him and enjoy that fellowship. And so he says, I will fear.
No evil for thou art with me. How can he walk through the valley of the shadow of death without fear? Thou art with me. Notice he's now talking to the shepherd, because if we're afraid this afternoon, we don't get that from the Lord. We get that somewhere else because it tells us in Timothy he's not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.
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And so often as we go through Scripture, we have that little expression. Fear not, or be not afraid.
I think of the Lord Jesus as he walked on the water in Matthew 14. And as the disciples looked out over the stormy water, they saw what they thought was a spirit. They didn't realize who it was and what was the result. They were afraid. They cried out for fear. But I love what the Lord Jesus said. What was it that drove away their fear? It is I. Thou art with me. It is I, brethren, is anything complicated about that?
Is this hard to understand or get a hold of in our souls? It is I.
I'm with you. I'm go walking with you through the valley of the shadow of death.
I'm here on the waves. I'm above the storm, no matter what the circumstances. And if you feel afraid this afternoon in some circumstance, just stop and hear the Lord say it is I. Thou art with me. He'll never leave us nor forsake us. It doesn't matter how dark the night. It doesn't matter how contrary the wind. It doesn't matter how deep the waves or how high they are.
It doesn't matter how deep the valley or the gorge of life that we're passing through. He's there. Do you walk in the conscious sense of the Lord's presence with you? Well, he says, Thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. There was that given for support. The rod in scripture often speaks of correction and whom the Lord loves. He chastens. The staff would speak of support. We go out for a hike, go mountain climbing. You take a stout stick, a staff in your hand to help you over those difficult spots. We have his rod and his staff.
And they both comfort us. Even in his chastening, it says he chastens us for our profit, that we might be partakers of His Holiness. Jacob tried to get the blessing all his life by scheming in his own strength and devices, but thank God, at the end of his life he worshiped. Leaning on his staff, he learned to trust, and he learned that there was only one that he could look to for support.
And so they were a comfort to the Psalmist. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. A table would speak to us of several things in scripture. It would speak to us again of his provision of sustenance. How often we're invited to someone's table. And they say, don't bring a thing, just bring your appetite. We can come to the table of the Lord. In that way He's provided food for our souls. Later on in the 78th Psalm, when they He sums up Israel's history in the wilderness.
They raised the question, can God re can God provide a table in the wilderness? Oh yes, He did provide a table. He fed them with the manna, food convenient for them every step of of the journey. A table would also speak of authority. When we sit down at someone's table, when we're invited to a home, we don't have authority at that table. It's the authority of the the host who invited us, and we need to realize.
That were under His authority at all times. It's a little different, but that's why it's referred to in the New Testament. When we come to remember the Lord partake of the Lord's Supper, it's at the Lord's table. It's not the table of Jesus or the table of Christ. It's the Lord's table. It's where His authority is to be owned and maintained at at all, at all times. It speaks of fellowship as well. We sit down at someone's table, we enjoy fellowship, communion with them. And this again.
Is what he desires, and it's in the presence of his enemies. Because David realized he was never going to be rid of the enemies this side of heaven, and will never be rid of the enemy Satan and his hosts this side of heaven. But we can be fed and encouraged and enjoy sweet communion with our shepherd, even in an enemy's land. And then he says, Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over. We alluded to this this morning in connection.
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With our thoughts, it's every thought being brought into captivity under the obedience of Christ. Oil speaks invariably in Scripture of the Spirit of God, and it's having our thoughts governed by the word of God in the power of the of the Spirit. It's setting our mind on things above, as we were reminded this morning. It's the helmet of salvation that we speak so often about. And what's the result? Oh, our cup runs over. There's joy.
As a result, this world offers its fun and its so-called pleasure. But it's only for a season. There's nothing lasting in it. And then he says, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
We spoke of the shepherd going before, but now we have something that follows. I remember one time my wife and I were traveling through the country of Wales and as you you travel through Wales you find it's dotted with sheep farms just as far as the eye could see. Very unique and very beautiful. But one day we came over a hill and we had to slam on the brakes because there was a large flock of sheep crossing the road.
From one pasture to the other, and out in front of that large flock of sheep, my wife and I could see the shepherd.
And there was nothing that we could do but to sit there until that flock had passed over that road. And as the end of that flock passed over the road, we saw two sheepdogs bringing up the rear. And there they were, keeping the stragglers together. So well trained. I said to my wife, there's goodness and mercy, there's that which brings up the rear. And so our shepherd goes before, but goodness and mercy follows us to keep the stragglers, to keep all of us so that we don't follow afar off.
Remember what it says when Israel went out to fight with Amalek? It says Amalek smoked behind her, most of them, those that were out on the fringes, those that were farthest from the captain. And uh, we're go. The enemy is going to get an advantage in our lives too, if we seek to follow afar off. But he has goodness and mercy to follow us all the days of our life. It's sufficient, brethren. I know there's brethren here this afternoon who've been in following the shepherd far longer than I have.
But I'm sure if you talk to the oldest Saints of God here this afternoon, they would attest that goodness and mercy follow all the days of our life. And then the psalmist says, And I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. Brethren, that's what's at the end. We know it in a far more intimate way than just the House of the Lord. We know it as the Father's house. That's where we're on our way to, brethren, and it can't be long. Another few moments, perhaps.
Another few steps, another day to follow the Shepherd, and we're going to be safe home.
With all his sheep gathered In what a day it's going to be. But until that time, as the sheep of his pasture brethren, may we take courage from this little Psalm to follow him. Knowing that He's provided everything that's needed all the days of our life. Let's pray our God and Father again we thank thee for that shepherd, that great shepherd of the sheep. Lord Jesus, we're thankful that you have provided everything that's needed for us for our walk through this world. May we seek by grace to follow a little closer to the.
So we ask blessing on my word, in the name of thy name, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.