### Quotes for Outreach

1. "See, the church isn't the hope of the world. Jesus is the hope of the world. And Jesus' chosen mechanism to reach the world is the church. And somebody prayed and said, we need a church here. And so because of that, because of their generosity and their sacrifice, we get to sit here." [33:08] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "I can trust God no matter what. I can trust no matter, no matter what, no matter the circumstance, no matter what we're facing. It was not a surprise that this, that in July of 2024, Calvary Christian Assembly in Seattle, Washington, would be going through a transition. God was fully aware it was coming, and He's got a plan." [36:33] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "Who is Jesus to you today? Not that Jesus is, is, is, is different, but how we experience Him is different, right? There's times when Jesus to us is, is our forgiveness. There's times when Jesus is our giver, right, where we become really aware, right, as we reflect and look at our sin." [37:53] (15 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "We can trust God no matter what. And you think, really? No matter what? Yes, no matter what. We can trust God in all circumstances. And that's a big statement. That's a huge statement when we consider what this life can do for us. We can trust God in all circumstances." [42:03] (15 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Some of us and probably all of us in your bibles if you brought your bible this morning you need to underline that word surely you need to underline that word surely because sometimes we wonder and sometimes we can doubt sometimes we can be tempted to go is it going to happen for you and for me." [01:10:07] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




### Quotes for Members

1. "See, the shepherd walked out ahead of the sheep. Well, that does make sense, right? Because if the shepherd was following behind the sheep, is it safe to say it's going to be a little messy? Back there, especially if you've got a herd of a few hundred sheep. We need to be reminded that this is a time when fences were less of a thing. This was more nomadic, where the shepherds themselves were the fences that guided and kept the sheep in." [49:06] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "See, the shepherd looks ahead. The shepherd is looking and says, I know where the next green place is. I know exactly what your soul needs next, and you can follow me to that location. See, our dependence is beyond physical, though we trust for that too. We need lead to those environments that grow us spiritually, and we grow by following." [55:11] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "We can trust, as a believer, we can trust that He's going to lead us down the right paths. Notice in that passage, it says that He'll lead us down the right paths, not the easy ones. Boy, don't you wish you could change. I often remind people of Thomas Jefferson, who had the Thomas Jefferson Bible, where he cut out all the miracles of the Bible, all the evidence of supernatural, because in his mind, he couldn't rationalize it." [58:07] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "The one thing that we are assured of as his sheep is his presence. God never, is never, not aware of what we face, and he's never not absent. He's always present. You grasp that? God is always aware, but he's also always present. In those moments when it seems like he's distant, in those moments when it seems like he's far away, we can begin to think, okay, then he's not here." [01:02:16] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "We can trust God no matter what when it looks dark we can trust God no matter when we don't know the next right step we can trust God no matter when that wayward son or daughter are struggling for years maybe even decades we can trust God no matter what when that friend that that's hurt us and his severed relationship and it's strained and it's hard we can trust God no matter what when that friend that's hurt us and his severed relationship." [01:13:28] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

So much, thank you.Well, good morning.It is so good to be with you this morningand just to worship the Lord.It's just a sweet scent of presenceof the Holy Spirit here this morning,even as we just were worshipingand I'm just sitting here.I'm reminded that the seats that we're sitting onare a result of somebody else's prayer.There was a grandparent or a neighbor or a friendor a mom and dad or just an acquaintancethat was praying that you would come to Jesus.But more than that,there was somebody,at some time,that was praying and believingand said,God, we need a church in Seattle.We need a church that will declare the hopethat is in Jesus.See, the church isn't the hope of the world.Jesus is the hope of the world.And Jesus' chosen mechanism to reach the worldis the church.And somebody prayed and said,we need a church here.And so because of that,because of their generosity and their sacrifice,we get to sit here.We get to sit here this morning.And it's just never lost on meas I get to travel across our networkthat in every seat I ever sit in,it's because somebody else prayed, gave, sacrificed sweatand believed that the gospel must move forward.And this morning, I just sensed that in my heartand my presence.Most of us haven't met.I got to meet about 15 of you.I'm hoping to meet some moreat the pop-up picnic afterwards.And I'd love to hear your story, your journey.It's always exciting to hear.When people are like, how you ended up here?What was your faith journey?But also just your life journey.There's so many stories that intertwineand those aren't there.But my name is Zach.Like I said, I serve as the multiplication directorin our network.For five years, I served as the network youth director.Old school would have been like the DYDor even old school or before that would have been the DCAP.Those of you remember, and the Assemblies of God.And it's a joy.Prior to that, I've been on staff.At Mount Rainier Christian Centerin Enumclaw, Washington,which is just about a 45 minute, 50 minute drivewhen there's no traffic.Can I tell you, on Sunday morning, it is nice.And it's a little longer than that normally,but just south of here.Our son serves as a youth pastor there now.We're proud of him.I do think there's a picture of my family.I think I got that to them in the notes,but if not, it's okay.It's just a picture to show youthat I'm blessed way beyond what I deserve.You know, followed a long tradition of cash menand married way out of my league to my wife, Jessica.We've been married for 28 years.We've got four great kids and a daughter-in-law.And I'm soon to have in the next,in four months to have a new son-in-law.And so I'm excited for that.One of our twins, we have twins that are both school teachersand they, one of them is engaged.And then our youngest, God gave us our youngestto make sure I would never write a parenting book.and she is a junior.She's a junior at University of Idaho.She's actually a joy.God knew that we needed Ava.So, but it is privileged to be with you this morning.This morning, we're going to continue on in our series,The Trust Factor.What a, what a, what a great, a great title for a series.But then the tagline, right, is depending, right, on God.And that, in that tagline, that depending wordis a word that we don't like very much, do we?We don't like to be dependenton anything.Man, we, we, we thrive in self-sufficiency.We thrive in, in making it work on our own strengthand our own power.I mean, that is like the American model, right?Pick up yourself by the bootstraps and keep moving.So our trust sometimes can be just, can be limitedby what we're willing to trust God with.This morning, we're going to continue in that series.We're going to look at a passage that's going to challenge usin our trusting God.And, and really,there's, there's a one, right, very simple way of sayingthe main idea for this morning.And that's this.I can trust God no matter what.I can trust no matter, no matter what, no matter the circumstance,no matter what we're facing.It was not a surprise that this, that in July of 2024,Calvary Christian Assembly in Seattle, Washington,would be going through a transition.God was fully aware it was coming, and He's got a plan.And I, and I just felt, even as I talked to some of the staff,even this morning, just something in my spirit that God just has laid on my heart.God is not concerned at all about the organizationof Calvary Christian Assembly, right?Churches' names have changed.Your church's, this church's name has changed a few times.The organization, the church is the bodies, the believers.We are the church.And so Jesus' concern is you.His heart is for you.And so as we grasp this, this series, this, this trust factor,the more and more we trust Him, the more and more we are,we are the church.Doing what God has designed us to do.But it's tough to depend, isn't it?A question I often ask students, and when I was a youth pastor in our local church,and it's really any person that's walking in their faith is,I would ask them the question, who is Jesus to you today?Who is Jesus to you today?Not that Jesus is, is, is, is different, but how we experience Him is different, right?There's times when Jesus to us is, is our forgiveness.There's times when Jesus is our giver, right, where we become really aware, right,as we reflect and look at our sin.There's times where, where Jesus is our strength, right,where we need His strength to, to endure, to get through something.There are times when Jesus is our peace, right?Things are rocky around us, and, and yet we're holding on to Him,and, and we experience Him as this peace.This, what the Bible says, peace that passes all understanding, right?It doesn't make sense.People look at you because you, you're kind of goofy because things are happening,and, and you're like, yeah, but God has got this.And really, God has got this.And really, every time we say that, what we say is God has got me.And, and we can go on, and on, and on, right?There's times where Jesus is our leader, where we recognize that He's calling us to, like,we've got to follow.We've got to get in step and follow Him.There's times when Jesus is our rock, right, that we are building on a strong foundation.There's times when we, we experience Him as our provider, when, right, we, you don't knowwhere, where the next rent payment's going to come.Maybe the car, like, the washing machine went out.The car needs breaks, right?It seems like things always happen in, in just, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in,in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in,in one pile just gets dropped on your lap, doesn't it?And in all these things, Jesus is always those things.But our experiences allow us to know him more.Our experiences reveal more and more about his character and what he's doing, and whatmore than anything, what he's doing in us and the way that he's growing us.Our text this morning is going to be a text that, that a lot of us are going to be very,very familiar with.A lot of us are going to have it memorized, even.A lot of us.are going to have it memorized in the King James. And I was going to go there. I really was,because I do love that language at times. But I tell you what, when you get into the leadethand noddeth, it's like, I'm going to start this talkingeth like thateth. And it would throw youall, and I didn't want to do that. But I just want to challenge you this morning that in yourfamiliarity with the text, would you allow Jesus to hear, for you to hear his heart in it? Wouldyou allow God to speak to you and invite you to maybe to experience something new in a text that'svery, very familiar to many of us? We're reading from Psalm 23 this morning, and this is what itsays. The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads mebeside quiet waters.He restores my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his namesake. Even though I walkthrough the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod andyour staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anointmy head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days ofmy life.And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Would you pray with me this morning? Father, theseare your words. And so even as we read them, as we step into them in the next few moments, God, wepray that we don't hear words. We pray you hear your heart. We pray that as we hear your spiritspeaking, that we quiet our minds, we still our own soul, to allow your word to do what only itcan do inside of us.And we pray that in Jesus' amazing name. And everyone said, amen. Amen. If you're followingalong with notes this morning, very simply, your first one is going to be, we can trust God nomatter what. We can trust God no matter what. And you think, really? No matter what? Yes, no matterwhat. We can trust God in all circumstances. And that's a big statement. That's a huge statementwhen we consider what this life can do for us. We can trust God in all circumstances.And I'm not an expert. I'm an expert in hard situations and having adifferent perspective. I know that, but with us, it's easier to come up with answers we don'ttrust God. I've always thought you know that God gets your story back when youknow he has inzę beat among himself when you're poor, when you have no dealings. You're not guyslet alone that one time where the Lord's coming in and is at the attention of us. You know let's becarry on. I am a lover of Christmas. Any lovers of Christmas in the house? All right. I have anaffinity for lighting, especially. If it can hold still, we can light it. And that was passedto me from my mom. So while I have an affinity for her, my faith wasn't rattled. My questionwho God is wasn't rattled. Why? Because I can trust him no matter what. Years ago in middleschool, they have this segment of PE, and I don't know who thought of it. I don't know whose ideaor brainchild it was. But in the middle school season, when hormones are raging, right? Wheninsecurity is at its height, right? Your feet are too big. Your voices are changing. All thisawkwardness is in the midst, and it's thrown in a bucket. And in the middle of a PE segment,they decide they're going to do a ballroom dancing segment.I don't know.Who chose that? It's not a recipe for success, right? It's as awkward as it gets. And of course,then it's even more awkward because then you have to get paired up, and it's like worse than beingchosen on a playground last for, you know, for who's going to play dodgeball or kickball, right?It's because now you're talking about the opposite gender who just like maybe a fewmonths ago had cooties, and now you kind of like them. And so in the midst of that, right, they putthis ballroom dancing, and I can remember them sticking me in this class.And I'm competitive as they come. And so I'm looking around, and I'm not looking for like whoI think is like, like I like. I'm looking for someone that wants to win because we're goingto own this ballroom session. And just, you know, again, I, I mean, I'm, I'm grown now,and I look like the guy that ate that guy in middle school because, I mean, I wrestled 90pounds in eighth grade. So I was not big. And, and I, but I chose for my partner, a young lady namedStacy.It's not her name. And Stacy was built like a linebacker. And it wasn't that Stacy was necessarilyso big. It's just that I was a runt. But I looked at her, and I could just tell. I could lock eyeswith her. I'm like, we've got this. We are going to own this, right? And so we, you know, they putyou in the stance, and they start going through the songs. They start going through the moves.And I'm telling you, we both, for everything that we had inside of us, we were going for it.And it was a disaster. And I mean, we were just, I mean, it was a, it looked like two robots trying,I don't know what, it was just horrible. And finally, finally, the PE teacher walks up and says,hey, you know, this is going to work better if one of you chooses to lead. You can only have oneperson leading. See, the problem was we were both so determined and so locked in that we both thoughtwe could lead this dance. Well, that's kind of the challenge for us, and our faith is in it.Often we can come to God and say, we've got you, we've got saved. We're not, we're, we know thatour eternity is, we're heading to heaven. So we got the fire insurance,but what he's inviting us to do is discover that it's not fire insurance,that he's inviting us to follow him as he leads. And we both can't lead, can we? We can't go God'sway and our way. We can't say, God, I'm going this way. Why don't you join me? He's saying, no,I need to lead. And so David writes this, when David writes this, David writes thisfrom a personal experience. He uses the metaphor that the Lord is my shepherd. He uses it as a wayto give us handles to understand who God is. See, who he had experienced God to be in relation towhat he experienced being a shepherd. I'm not a shepherd. I don't own any sheep. Anything thatI've ever read about sheep herding or being a shepherd, I've had to study. Nothing I could,I've got no experience. I've got four kids. Seems like, seems like herding at times, but it's notthe same. But David knew exactly.Some of you here today would be, would, if you're in, if you work with, on automobiles, you wouldsay, the Lord could, is my mechanic, right? He keeps the fluids changed, right? He knows when thecheck engine light's coming on. Some of us today, if you're in academics, you could say, like, theLord is the superintendent, right? I, it's how you would relate because that's how you experiencedthe leadership in your life. And that's what David was saying. What David was trying to communicateis a spiritual,and practical reality. And our image can be, can often be skewed, especially now when we're moreand more separated from an agricultural society. You know, when we hear the stories, we see thepictures and the paintings that the shepherd, he's got about, usually they have about six sheeparound them. Well, that would not be very hard, right? There's just a few. But instead, we needto think in our minds, we need to visualize Ellensburg, right? We need to visualize Ellensburg,which is more of an agricultural center where they're growing hay, but instead of hay, it's wheat.You know, specifically for where David would have been in Bethlehem, Bethlehem literally means thatthe town of bread and the town of blood or meat. That's the literal meaning. It was the agriculturalcenter of that area. That's where they grew it all. So David knew what he was talking about whenhe was talking about God as a shepherd. So often, what we view in agriculture is what we see today,especially with our western ways of ranching and with popularity of western TV shows,and movies out there. And so our visual picture is of cowboys on horses that are driving the cattle.But the picture that both the Bible and history teaches us of how shepherds, especially in theeastern context, led sheep was very different. See, the shepherd walked out ahead of the sheep.Well, that does make sense, right? Because if the shepherd was following behind the sheep,is it safe to say it's going to be a little messy?Back there, especially if you've got a herd of a few hundred sheep. We need to be reminded thatthis is a time when fences were less of a thing. This was more nomadic, where the shepherdsthemselves were the fences that guided and kept the sheep in. It gives new meaning to John chapter10 verse 27, where it says, my sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. They followme. See, David knew this because the sheep would have known David's voice.They followed him. There's a story of a professor leading a bunch of doctoral students to Israelon a trip to just a ministry exposure trip to go stand in those places where Jesus taught and allthe biblical history and how it brings to life what they were studying. And as the professorwas there, he was in the bus and had all these students, was so excited to tell them this exactstory, that in the Middle East, especially Israeli shepherds, they walk out in front ofthe sheep, right? That the sheep would follow them, that they would know them from the timethey were born, and they would trust the voice so well that they would just follow, that they neverwalked behind the sheep. Well, not even minutes after she gets done telling this and is so excitedto tell her students this, the bus comes to a stop and all of a sudden you see this herd ofabout 50 or 60 sheep coming across the road, and there seems to be a shepherd that's walkingbehind him. And of course all the doctoral students are standing there going, whoa, whoa, whoa, you justtold us this. And the professor was just distraught because she had just told this fact.So she stops the bus, jumps off the bus, and runs up and says, hey, I've always been taught, we'vealways been teaching this historically that the shepherd walks out in front of the sheep. And theman says, yes, that's true. And she goes, well, you're walking behind the sheep. He goes, yes,I'm the town butcher. And as goofy as that story is and the antidote is, there's atruth there that there's a difference between following and being driven. If what we're experiencingdoesn't sound like what we read in Psalm 23, we have to ask that question in our own hearts, don'twe? Are we following a voice or are we being driven? Because if he's the good shepherd, he's going tospeak and we're going to follow, and we're not going to feel like we're being driven into theground. See, there's a big difference betweenbeing led and being driven. And David would know this from intimate life experience, how a true andgood shepherd would care for the sheep, how he would love them and call on them and care aboutthem. See, there was this deep, deep intertwining. The shepherd was totally dependent on the sheep,and the sheep were totally dependent on the shepherd. The shepherd was dependent on thesheep to provide livelihood, was dependent on the sheep to reproduce and be healthy so thattheir families could survive.And of course, the sheep needed the shepherd because all left on their own, we've heard it time and againhow sheep really aren't that bright. They need to be led to good water, to good food. This ruggedand demanding work of being a shepherd comes into full focus when we realize the depth ofresponsibility that a shepherd would have for the sheep. They would lay down their life for the sheep.1 Samuel 17, when David's talking about going afterafter, you know, putting on the armor and going after Goliath, when in his, in his appeal to Saul,he says, what? He says, he says, listen, any time a bear or a lion would come and take a sheep,carry a sheep away in its mouth, I would chase it down, take the animal, and I would strike thatanimal dead, the bear or the lion. Now, how many of us, like you'd have maybe a different response?Like, well, I guess the bear's having lamb chops tonight. But no, the shepherd was willing to evenrisk his life for the sheep. And so, he said, well, I would chase it down, take the animal, and I wouldhis own life for the sheep. He would chase them down and strike them. So, when David says,the Lord is my shepherd, he knows exactly what he's doing. He knows exactly the depth and theaffection that the shepherd would have for sheep, and how deeply the sheep depended on the shepherd.See, this is how he knew them. These are the things, he says, these are the things thatmy shepherd does. These are, the Lord is my shepherd. He says, these are the things thatis my shepherd. It was personal to him. This was a sheep infomercial. He says, listen, over here atYahweh Farms, let me tell you about the shepherd. Over here at Yahweh Farms, let me tell you thekinds of places he leads, the kind of care that the good shepherd provides for his sheep. He hasthis confidence, and it says that he lacks nothing, that he had learned to be content with where heleads, what he feeds, and how fast he goes.Every aspect of the sheep's life, even if he's led into different places and experiencesthan the others around him. The word of contentment is the only word that captures this well.See, when our gaze is focused on the good shepherd, and when our gaze is focusedon Jesus and Jesus alone, it frees us from the comparison, because we're not consumed with whatother sheep have at a different farm. We simply know how good it is over,in Yahweh Farms, following God. Verse two says that he makes me lie down in green pastures,and he leads me besides quiet waters. He restores my soul, and he guides me alongthe right paths for his namesake. See, the shepherd had this very vested interest incaring well for the sheep. The purpose of the feeding, right, the purpose of taking the sheepto be healthy would be what? Well, eventually the sheep would be sold.Right? To be used in, maybe in sacrifice in Jerusalem. They would be used, you know, just as a,as a, just for food. But there was a super invested care for the sheep. Said that he would lead thembeside green pastures. Where do you need to have green pastures? Well, you need to have water,right? Right now that we've had about, what, a week and a half of summer here in Washington,we're already complaining about the heat. We know something about what turns Washington the evergreenhuh? It's all the rain. But you need water, but also what do you need? You need fertilizer.Those two things are going to create green pastures. See, shepherds in this era would haveknown where those are, because they would graze from place to place throughout the seasons. Theycan't just keep them in one place, can they? Because eventually the food would run out, sothey'd have to move them on, give it time, right, and those resources, water and fertilizer, to what?To regrow.So the shepherd looks ahead. The shepherd is looking and says, I know where the next greenplace is. I know exactly what your soul needs next, and you can follow me to that location.See, our dependence is beyond physical, though we trust for that too.We need lead to those environments that grow us spiritually, and we grow by following. When heleads us to those green pastures, oh boy, this is going to get personal. Even if we like the one we're in,even if we like the way it is, and God says, I'm going to take you to a place that's going to growyour soul differently. I'm going to challenge you to lead a small group. I'm going to challenge youto step into kids ministries. I'm going to challenge you to step into a green pasturethat's going to be so good for you, but it's going to be different. The question for us, you and I,will be, will we just follow these led beside still waters, where there you find a cleansingand this peace? We trust,of uncertainty, in the midst of all the things around us, we trust in the direction and theguiding of the voice. So often, especially in ministry to young people, they're fearfulthat they're going to take the wrong step. You know, you get the job opportunity.You know, you have this thing in front of you, or what college you go to. I just am amazed,instead of young people, in the stress, the anxiousness, the pressure that they feel,because they feel if they don't get the right school, at the right time, at the right place,that they're going to totally mess up their life. And I remind them of Psalm 23,that if you're trusting God, if you're following Him, you can go to any school, because you'refollowing the shepherd. You're not following economics. You're not following what thepercentages say for graduation rates. You're following a good shepherd, and your heart canbe at peace. See, we can...We can trust, as a believer, we can trust that He's going to lead us down the right paths.Notice in that passage, it says that He'll lead us down the right paths,not the easy ones. Boy, don't you wish you could change. I often remind people of Thomas Jefferson,who had the Thomas Jefferson Bible, where he cut out all the miracles of the Bible,all the evidence of supernatural, because in his mind, he couldn't rationalize it. And so he justsaid, you know, I'm going to... I'm going to make this...I'm going to make this a little easier for me, and I'm going to change it, so that I don't have to wrestlewith the fact that it says that that person was born blind, and now they can see. I don't... He waslike, I can... You know, he believed in who God was. He goes, but that, I don't... I can't do. I can't do.Boy, it's tempting, isn't it? Especially when we read a passage that says, He'll lead us down theright paths. Boy, we like the easier ones sometimes. And sheep, if you... If you study sheep, I mean,sheep are known notoriously dumb. I'm oftentimes... I kind of chuckle when I'm going,I'll read, you know, when we talk to our... And refer to ourselves, and how even Jesus refers to usas sheep of His pasture. I'm like, sheep aren't very bright. And then I look at my life, and I go,yep, that's about right. But sheep, sometimes, they're known to, like, if they're grazing, andlet's say the... Where they're grazing is a cliff, that they'll be grazing, and they'll just take thatone step too much, right? Because they're not... They won't even look up and see the danger,because they're just so focused on what they're doing in the moment. Well, that sounds more andmore like us, doesn't it? And...And that's what God calls us, His sheep. He says, He'll lead us down the right paths. He says,even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil. Verse 4, for you arewith me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. See, this is where the rubber hits the road,right? This is where a life fact for all of us. We are either facing a challenge,just heading into a challenge, or just coming out of a challenge. It's true for every single one ofus.We don't get the exception. We like the exception. It feels good when we're just coming out of it,and we feel like, okay, that's behind us. It doesn't feel good to be in the middle of it,right? In the midst of those uncertain things, those challenges, that diagnosis,what's coming, anything that's coming your way, but we all have to experience that. But David says,even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. This is profound truth thatfor the follower of the Good Shepherd, that regardless of something, I'll fear no evil.Regardless of circumstance, regardless of the diagnosis, the woundedness from somebody wetrusted, regardless of the unexpected pregnancy, the unwanted job change, the learning challengethat makes school hard, or work hard, or even just in tragic loss, that regardless of circumstance,we can have confidence because he's with us. The one thing that we are assured of as his sheepis his presence. God never, is never,not aware of what we face, and he's never not absent. He's always present. You grasp that?God is always aware, but he's also always present. In those moments when it seems like he's distant,in those moments when it seems like he's far away, we can begin to think, okay, then he's not here.But David says, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.Isaiah 54 10 says that though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,yet my unfailing love for you will never be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed,says the Lord who has compassion on you. Such an amazing truth, isn't it? To know that Godsees us, his presence, but it also moves him on our behalf. It used the exact same language. Itsaid the mountains would be shaken and the hills would be removed, but his unfailing love wouldnever be shaken. You know, Mount Rainier could,could go tomorrow. I live in Enumclaw, so I'm not hoping so, but it could go tomorrow. That wouldnot change God's love at all. That majestic giant mountain, which seems immovable, is movable,but God's love is not. And David says, because of that, because of who God is, because of what Ihave with him, I will fear no evil. He doesn't say that he won't fear evil because it isn't real.It's not a metaphor. It's not a metaphor. It's not a metaphor. It's not a metaphor. It's not a metaphor.metaphorical boogeyman. He was talking about real evil. He doesn't say, I will fear no evil becauseI'm smart, strong, experienced, fast, and trained. He doesn't say, I will fear no evil because, becauseit's really not going to be that bad. It doesn't say that he will fear no evil because it's, it's ametaphor. He says he'll fear no evil because God is with me, right? We can't ever, we never stepinto a moment, we never face a challenge or a circumstance where God's presence isn't with us.It's a huge confidence for you and I. It's this picture that we see in Matthew chapter 8,where Jesus is, is asleep on the boat, and yet the boat is, is getting swamped, and there areseasoned fishermen that have been on the seas for a long time present, and they're all freaking out,and Jesus is asleep. See, where their response should have been, well, if he's asleep,well, I might as well just curl up next to him because he's got this. I can trust him. He's theLord over everything, in every circumstance, and so I can draw near to him, but he says, I don't haveto fear evil because he's with me. It's Jesus saying in John chapter 16, verse 33, I've toldyou these things so that in me you may have peace. This world, in this world, you will have trouble,but take heart.I have overcome the world. It's you, Jesus speaking to you and I, saying, listen, there's nothingthat you have to fear because I'm with you. Notice in that passage that he was, when he talked aboutgoing through the valley of the shadow of death, that he's aware of how bad it really is, but he'salso aware that the final word is in the good shepherd. You're, the final word to you and Iis in Jesus and his conquering the worst thing that, that this world can throw at us,but we're assured that each time that we enter those dark valley moments, those sudden events,those tragedies, notice David's words though. He says, even though I walk through the valley ofthe shadow of death, the word through is a powerful word right there, right? It insinuates that you'renot staying there. Notice he wasn't camping there, but he also wasn't sprinting out of fear. Why?Because he knew who was with him. He knew who was alongside him as he traveled.Through passage says that it was his, it's the rod and the staff that comforts sheep. Whenyou become an ordained minister in the assemblies of God, one of the things they give you is ashepherd's, a shepherd's staff, and I was going to bring it with me just as a, just as a, as a prop,and then as I got just north of Federal Way, my wife sent a picture of it sitting by the frontdoor. She goes, I thought you were taking this. She wasn't wrong.But it's one of the things they, that they give you because it's a reminder that God has called usas ministers to shepherd God's flock, as under shepherds, right? That we say we're going tofollow Jesus, and we're going to follow that example. They don't give you is, is the rod,and I think that would be really cool. See, the staff is for the sheep. It's the shepherd's toolto guide and to lead the sheep, but the rod was for the wolves. The rod was for things that kept,to keep away from the sheep. It was about, it's about a three-year,or a four-foot long stick. Oftentimes, it would be like a, it would be like a branch, and they carveit out of the tree, and so it's got like that knot, like a heavy knot on the end of it, you know, andso you can imagine kind of swinging that thing. That could be quite, quite aggressive. I thinkthat would be cool if we got that too, but we don't. And, but there's these two tools in thehands of the good shepherd. One, the leadership of the sheep, but two, the confidence that he's going toprotect. See, Jesus overcame death in the grave. We have confidence that anything that this worldcan throw at us is completely defeated. At this moment, David's language shifts from that of ashepherd to that of a host. In verse five, he says,you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil,and my cup overflows. When I first read this passage,and he talked about the, at the table, and preparing this meal in the presence of my enemies,I thought it was going to be like, when I, when I jumped into the commentaries and the text to study,I thought it was going to be this, a neener-neener meal, right? Like, look what I get, right? Neener-neener.I've got this good shepherd. I get this good food, and this is, and this is what you're missing out on.You know, kind of like if, you know, maybe if you had a sibling, and, and you got the popsicle, lastpopsicle, right? The neener-neener, but it isn't.What it is, it's a reminder that even in the presence of enemies,God will feed you, and sustain you, and that you sit at his table, and really, it's a testament,even to your enemies, about the goodness of God. God's invitation for them, even, to, to experience,and know his character. So often, we would, we would assume that an enemy would be excluded,an enemy would be outcast, and be unaware, and that they just get to miss out, and that's notGod's heart at all. God's heart is that they would see,oh, it is good to have him as our good shepherd. It's not, but notice also that it's not me,he's, that David said, like, the sheep aren't being pulled out of, right? There's evidence of theadversary. They're in the midst of it, and again, it comes back to us learning, and grasping that,that the secret is to his presence, not into this isolation, total safe place, that you can enjoyin the midst of great turmoil, and even in the midst of your enemies, you can enjoy,enjoy the presence of God as we turn to wrap up this morning he says then surely your goodnessand love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord foreversome of us and probably all of us in your bibles if you brought your bible this morningyou need to underline that word surely you need to underline that word surely because sometimeswe wonder and sometimes we can doubt sometimes we can be tempted to go is it going to happen foryou and for me and David is saying to us through in the through the Holy Spirit he's saying righthere he says surely your goodness and your love will follow me all the days of my lifeand someone needs to be reminded that here this morning that God's love and his goodness arepursuing you there's never a time when that's not true God's love and his goodness are pursuing youand me inviting you and me to discover him and they're going to do that all the wayall the way all the way all the way all the way all the way all the way all the way all the wayall the time every day of our life we're going to turn us like here's God's love and it's justit's kind of guiding us pointing us back to his voice nope keep following the shepherdhere's God's goodness you know just keep following the shepherd okay well I'm going to go over herenope here's God's love just keep following the shepherd there are these two hands of the shepherdguiding and leading us saying they're pursuing us as we follow him and while we follow him welook back and we see his goodness we see his mercy we see his lovethey're not back there doing it just out of obligation as you're doing it becausehe's pursuing him and wants us to know how good it is to trust him to fully be dependent on himto lead us to the places he knows that we need to guide us to the right waters to restore thosethings in our soul that maybe we've carried for years and he's inviting us to say I'mgoing to restore that completely and not only that but you are going to dwell in my house foreveryou're going to be with me forever there will never be a time when I when he's not providingfor you and I in all eternity we will dwell with him forever and sandwiched between thisdeclaration of God as our shepherd and the place that we're going to dwell for eternal life usingthe image of a shepherd and a gracious host David sang out the extraordinary peace that comes to youand I when we just follow Jesus when we just trust himwith every area of our lives God's persistent loving protection would restore him to fullcommunion see we can trust God no matter what when it looks dark we can trust God no matterwhen we don't know the next right step we can trust God no matter when that wayward son ordaughter are struggling for years maybe even decades we can trust God no matter what whenthat friend that that's hurt us and his severed relationship and it's strained and it's hard wecan trust God no matter what when that friend that's hurt us and his severed relationshipand it's hard we can trust God no matter what when that friend that's hurt us and his severed relationshipthe assurance is for you and I the sheep of the very good shepherd as we think back to thatpassage of or that story of the butcher and the shepherd and the contrast God is saying to youand I this morning if you feel driven come experience him as a shepherd come and find whatwhat Matthew 11 promises right that if you're weary and burdened come to him and you'll findrest for your soulpeace that's what full and complete trust as the good shepherd looks like to you and meso what are the practical next steps first who's leading your life who is leading your lifeJesus is inviting you into his flock have you let him lead have you let him leadwe're gonna have a moment got a few more next stepsbut we're gonna have a moment today you're gonna have the opportunity if you wantto come and pray the invite the board the leadership of this church those that God thatthe deacons the elders of the church that that serve you that care deeply for you I'm gonnainvite them if they would come up front even at this time because you're gonna have the opportunityif you want to to come down and pray with someone and so this morning if it's for the first timethat you're gonna say Jesus I'm gonna pray for you I'm gonna pray for you I'm gonna pray for you I'm gonna pray for youthis is really three the first part of this prayer that you do if you are discerning to hold on towhat God has said and to step up you can hurt yourself and do something to help God I'm goingto cry over you how many times have I done that and I ran off I lost the faith on the Lord Godlet a man come come come to me and I took him from death and I handed him over to him and hetook him and pierced broke his bones where he would have died sinned to kill andalso died for his Father God I raised him from the dead communion I've never surrendered my life tothat the Son of God, that God sent His one and only Sonto die on a cross to pay the penalty for your sin,and that He was raised to life, conquering death in the grave.So it was both the forgiveness of your sin and the leadership of your life.One of the board members would be up here to pray with you.Second, is to make it personal.Read this psalm.Read Psalm 23 two times a day this week.Make it personal.So as you recite it as your own prayer,just like David, you can say,the Lord is my shepherd.I shall not want.The Lord is my shepherd.It's His voice that's leading and guiding me.Third, is to search and surrender.Maybe you have trusted Jesus with your life.Maybe you've received the forgiveness of your sins.But maybe there's a specific area,even as I was speaking,that the Holy Spirit was talking to you and saying,would you trust me with that?I want you to experience how good I am with that thing.And so surrender it.I think that'll be one of the great things that could happenwhen the board comes up to pray with you,that if there's that one thing that you say,I know this is what God's calling me to surrender.Maybe it's your anxiousness.Maybe it's depression.Maybe it's in finances.You're so busy watching the stock marketthat you can't watch anything else.Maybe the political,the political season we're in has you rattle.And you say, you know what?I'm going to trust and I'm going to surrender.When they're up here to pray with you,they're not, there's not like a magic wandthat they're going to wave or anything like that.They're simply agreeing in prayerthat it's something that you're going to lay downand give to Jesus and follow Him.And then fourth, it's draw near.Draw near.See, you're assured of His presence.Say, God, I'm, there is so many things going on around me,but I want to be present with you.I want to find you in the midst of the chaosbecause when I do that, I can trust and follow.Would you pray with me this morning?As I pray, I'm going to invite the board to come forward.He's going to lead us in one more song.So let's create a space for you to reflectand respond to what the Holy Spirit's doing in your life.But Father, we so easily want to go our own way.But Father, this morning, we're saying,we want to follow the good shepherd.We're going to trust you to lead us.We're going to trust you in the right timing,the right way, because you're good.Because of your goodness and your presence,we can have confidence and nothing can rattle us.We can trust you no matter what we face.God, I pray this morning that we would surrender fully,that our hearts would be, would yield,boy, it is to just follow you.Pray it in Jesus' name.Amen.