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David is Chosen | Jerry Harris

Crossing Church with Clayton Hentzel

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  1. Well, good morning, Crossing Church.

  2. So good to see you today. How are you doing?

  3. Great. Hey.

  4. I want to welcome all of. You that are joining from all of

  5. our locations all across these three.

  6. States, If you're inside or online, we are so absolutely

  7. thankful for you as well. And we're in a new series called

  8. Handle with Care, But before we. Get into that new series.

  9. I just really want to encourage you if you.

  10. Didn't have a chance to hear last week.

  11. 'S sermon. You need to hear that sermon,

  12. and I don't want you to, like, get online, put in your earbuds

  13. and listen to it right now. OK?

  14. I'd like for. You to listen to me, but I would

  15. really like. It was.

  16. It was just a brilliant sermon that Clayton delivered last week

  17. to to wrap. Up truth intention.

  18. It was amazing to me and I think that it'd really be a.

  19. Blessing to you as well and we're coming off of RISE

  20. Conference. Anybody go to RISE conference?

  21. I heard that was. Incredible.

  22. And all the men that were at Uncommon conference remember

  23. that. Anybody, any men in here?

  24. You see this stuff that wears off?

  25. Doesn't it? It kind of wears off last two

  26. weeks. I've been at 2 uncommon

  27. conferences. You know, this was an idea that

  28. Clayton had nine years ago, actually 10 years ago, and the

  29. first one was nine years ago. And it's been a.

  30. Blessing to the men of our church for all of those years a

  31. couple of years ago, Clayton. Really wanted to see other

  32. churches to be able to. Experience what we experienced.

  33. And last year, there was one other.

  34. Church in South Carolina. That said, we're going to do it

  35. this year. There's been 11 churches all.

  36. Across the country that have been doing that and I had the

  37. privilege of. Preaching at a couple of those

  38. in Washington IN last weekend and the weekend before that, I

  39. was suffering for Jesus in Myrtle Beach, SC.

  40. But other than that, you know, it's just just just great.

  41. And it was so amazing to watch these men really connect with

  42. their. Lord in a new way.

  43. And that's that's really. What I want for you today I.

  44. Really want you to connect with the Lord in a new way.

  45. I want you to have a heart. For the Lord, I want to have a

  46. heart for the Lord. And that's what this series is

  47. about. It's about David.

  48. It's about King David and it's about your heart and how he was

  49. the man after God's heart and what is.

  50. There that we can capture there. That we can make our own and and

  51. I'm really privileged to be able to kick it off both this.

  52. Weekend and next week. Have you ever noticed that God

  53. tends to choose the? Last and the least.

  54. To be the ones that become some of the greatest spiritual.

  55. Change agents in history. He just does that.

  56. I mean, he doesn't always pick the.

  57. Prom king. He doesn't, you know, always

  58. pick the homecoming queen. He picks people that.

  59. Frankly, you and I wouldn't like Abraham when he was in his 70s

  60. when God first called. Him To be the father of a great

  61. nation. I mean, that's kind of a silly

  62. time to call a guy to be the father.

  63. Of a great nation when he's in his 70s and he doesn't have his

  64. first child. Till he's in his 90s, he only

  65. has two sons, one of them questionable lineage.

  66. Yet God chose him. He also chose Jacob.

  67. Abraham's son Isaac had twins Esau and Jacob Esau.

  68. Came out first, was delivered 1st, and so he was.

  69. Technically the older brother, but they were so.

  70. Different and and Jacob was definitely the weaker of the two

  71. twin brothers. But God called him to be the

  72. Father of 12. Sons who ended up becoming the

  73. patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel.

  74. Of those sons, Joseph was the younger and weaker of those

  75. brothers, but God chose Joseph to become the change.

  76. Agent to save his family and the entire known world at that time

  77. from starvation. And he did that in this

  78. convoluted way where he ends up being sold into the slavery of.

  79. Egypt and becomes second in command.

  80. Incredible story of what God? Did with someone that would have

  81. been marginalized. Moses was 80 years old.

  82. When God called him out of Midian, he was a.

  83. Forgotten Exile, and God chose him to be the Deliverer.

  84. Of the nation of Israel. Deborah was the.

  85. Woman in a man's world when God chose her to be the judge over

  86. Israel so that he could deliver his people.

  87. From an army of oppressors. And he used the courage of

  88. another woman named Jail to actually take out the.

  89. Captain of the army. Of this invading army, Gideon

  90. was the least and the weakest of his family, and God chose him to

  91. deliver the nation of. Israel out of the hands of an

  92. overwhelming force, with only three hundred men who had no

  93. weapons. Pretty amazing.

  94. It's this continual theme that goes through both the.

  95. Old and the New Testament. And I believe that God does this

  96. because. He wants to leave no doubt that

  97. it was God. And only God, who was actually

  98. doing all of the supernatural work.

  99. And maybe God can do that with us, but biblically I don't.

  100. Think there's any greater example of this than David?

  101. David is the 8th. And youngest son of his father,

  102. Jesse, a Hebrew. Who lived in Bethlehem between

  103. 1000 and 1100, years before Jesus was born in the same

  104. place. So we're talking.

  105. About something that happened 3100 years ago now.

  106. David was just a boy. At the time, he's maybe 12 to 15

  107. years old. When he was anointed to become

  108. the next king of Israel by. Samuel.

  109. Samuel was this great prophet. He was a priest.

  110. And he was the final judge, the 10th judge of the Judges of

  111. Israel. He was considered the spiritual

  112. leader of. Israel at that time and even

  113. though that was secretively. Done.

  114. David becomes a personal aide to King Saul.

  115. It plays the harp. For King Saul, because Saul has.

  116. These bouts of madness, I mean not anger, but like craziness.

  117. And when David plays the harp, it calms him down.

  118. He also serves as Saul's. Armor bearer, the King's armor

  119. bearer. And he goes on to become the

  120. this great. Hero of the Nation when he faces

  121. down Goliath. The Philistine.

  122. This. Giant This.

  123. Incredible Giant in the valley of Elah.

  124. Then he becomes the target. Of Saul's madness and jealousy,

  125. because people are really flocking to David this young.

  126. Man who's done this incredible thing, and so he has to run from

  127. Saul's anger. And then Saul later on dies at

  128. the hands of an enemy. Then David does.

  129. Become king, and he's this mighty warrior throughout his

  130. life. And he he builds the nation of

  131. Israel. It was really tribal until

  132. David. And then it becomes a nation

  133. under his kingship, and he uses the spoil of both war and wealth

  134. to. Fund the building of the First

  135. Temple, one of the Ancient Wonders of the World.

  136. David is also. A man of incredible contrasts.

  137. His highs are very, very high and his lows.

  138. Are just as extreme, and he serves as a prophet as well as

  139. the. King and his songs because he

  140. was a. Musician.

  141. They're preserved in the Book of Psalms.

  142. Now he wrote or composed half. Of those psalms, there's 150

  143. psalms and we know that David did about. 75 of those psalms do

  144. you know that David has more chapters about?

  145. Him in the Bible than anyone else, with the exception of

  146. Jesus. 15 chapters in First Samuel all 20, 4 chapters of

  147. 2nd. Samuel, the 1st chapter of

  148. first. Kings and 75 psalms for 115

  149. chapters. You know, I stand up here,

  150. Clayton stands up here and we'll deliver sermons.

  151. Based on a person in the Bible had maybe one or two verses.

  152. David had 115 chapters. Now if God chose to put David.

  153. In that prominently in his Bible, don't you?

  154. Think that we need to spend some time looking over David.

  155. And what he can teach us now the most defining verse about David.

  156. Isn't even in those 115 chapters.

  157. It's in a different chapter because.

  158. He's not actually named in it, even though it is referring to

  159. him, and that is First Samuel. Chapter 13, verse 14 And this is

    1 Samuel 13:14

  160. Samuel speaking and he's talking to.

  161. Saul the king at the time after Saul has discredited God and he

  162. says. But now your Kingdom will not

  163. endure. The Lord has.

  164. Sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of

  165. his people. Because you.

  166. Have not kept the Lord's command.

  167. The Apostle Paul reaffirmed that passage.

  168. In the book of Acts chapter 13 verse 22, when he was writing he

    Acts 13:22

  169. said after removing Saul. He made David their king.

  170. God testified concerning him. I have found David's son of

  171. Jesse, a man after my own heart, and he will do everything I want

  172. him to do. Wow.

  173. So what does that mean? What does it mean to be someone

  174. after God's own heart? You know what?

  175. I think everyone I'm talking to right now that's listening to

  176. me. I think you want that I do I.

  177. Really. Do.

  178. I think in your heart you want that?

  179. I would want to be a person who was considered someone after

  180. God's own heart, a man after God's own heart, a woman after

  181. God's own heart. That I would raise my children

  182. that they would be after God's own heart.

  183. I think we want that. So I don't think you're leaning

  184. away right now. I think you're you're leaning in

  185. and So what is it that we? Can discover from David's desire

  186. for God. That can help us to have a

  187. better relationship with. Him.

  188. Is it possible that we could actually?

  189. Become people after God's own heart as well.

  190. Well, maybe we need to learn a little bit more about David.

  191. See David. Was known by God before he was

  192. ever chosen. He was known, and I want you to

  193. know that God knows you. There's not a person I'm talking

  194. to that God hasn't chosen. Some of you are thinking, well,

  195. maybe you know, God didn't ever choose me.

  196. He chose. He has chosen every one of us

  197. for specific things he wants. Us to do.

  198. How do I know that? The Apostle Paul said.

  199. That in Ephesians 210 he said, For you and I, we are God's

  200. workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works that God is.

  201. Prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

  202. That means you're chosen, all right.

  203. All of us are chosen to do things to.

  204. Accomplish things for God. And you are known to God.

  205. David was known to God. He was known to God before he

  206. was chosen. We know that from those

  207. scriptures. And then he was chosen by God.

  208. Now I want us to do a. Deep dive to get a better.

  209. Understanding into David and there are clues that we can

  210. follow biblically. And they're like bread crumbs to

  211. get a better understanding of who he actually is.

  212. And I have to tell you, I was studying for this.

  213. And like a whole new world. Opened up for me like I actually

  214. from last week to this week I. Have a completely different

  215. understanding of David than I did from last week, and I want

  216. to be able to impart some of that to you.

  217. Some of you may think, well, you know, I I've read a lot about

  218. David. I, I, I know something about

  219. David. Some of you don't know anything

  220. about him. But I want you to to listen what

  221. I have to say, because I think it's really.

  222. Going to have an impact on your understanding of David, many of

  223. David's. Psalms are actually reflections

  224. of his personal experiences that are.

  225. Set to rhyme and music, but there's none of them that are

  226. more revealing than the 23rd Psalm.

  227. And the 23rd Psalm is where David is.

  228. Reflecting on being a shepherd, Right.

  229. So Jesse, his father. Gave him the responsibility of

  230. taking care of the sheep out in the fields.

  231. And that's important to understand because shepherding

  232. at the time of David was viewed as the lowest of positions.

  233. But when David writes Psalm 23, he elevates it.

  234. He gives. You a completely different

  235. understanding of shepherding than what his culture believed.

  236. He even refers to God as a shepherd, the Lord.

  237. Is my shepherd. It's interesting because.

  238. When P if people would have heard that. 3100 years ago, 3000

  239. years ago, they would have what? I mean, that's.

  240. I mean, it's almost like a curse to be a shepherd.

  241. And you're saying the Lord, the Lord is the shepherd, the Lord?

  242. Is my shepherd. These were the responsibilities

  243. that he had as a boy to lead the sheep, to feed the sheep.

  244. To find water for the sheep, to protect them, to keep them

  245. healthy and to keep them strong. And it's actually a perfect

  246. picture. Of what?

  247. An intimate. Personal relationship with Jesus

  248. Christ looks like. Now, where I'm standing about

  249. right, about right. Here, where I'm standing,

  250. underneath my feet, there is the.

  251. Concrete underneath my feet I. Wrote the 23rd song.

  252. It's still down there. As a matter of fact, on every

  253. stage at the. Crossing If you go under that

  254. stage on the concrete, it's written 23rd Psalm.

  255. We stand on the 23rd Psalm. Do you know why?

  256. Because it is a perfect description.

  257. Of what it means to have an intimate, personal relationship

  258. with Jesus Christ. And that's our mission

  259. statement. Isn't it interesting that even

  260. though we're a New Testament church?

  261. The mission statement comes out of the Old Testament, the 23rd.

  262. Psalm. And when David wrote the 23rd

  263. Psalm, he wrote it. In the middle of three psalms,

  264. the 22nd, the 23rd and the 24th. And actually, what David was

  265. writing when he wrote that was. Prophetic in nature.

  266. It's part of this amazing trilogy showing our past, our

  267. present and our future. And I would encourage you to go.

  268. Back and read. It won't take long to read 2223

  269. and 24, and it's not about David's past.

  270. Present and future. Because everything he's writing

  271. about was in his future. That's why it's prophetic.

  272. But if you place. Yourself in 2223 and 20 4 you

  273. are the. Meat in the middle of the

  274. sandwich? You're like, right?

  275. In the middle of it if you. Go to Psalm 22.

  276. You know how it begins. My God, my God, why have you

  277. forsaken me? Why are you so far from me?

  278. The actual words that Jesus used 1000 years.

  279. Later when he was dying on the cross, if you read.

  280. Further, in Psalm 22, what you'll find out is A is a

  281. perfect. Detailed description of

  282. crucifixion they've pierced. My hands and my feet.

  283. I can count all my bones. They divide my garment and cast

  284. lots for my clothing. It's all in Psalm 22, written

  285. 1000 years before Jesus was even born in David's future.

  286. He's saying this prophetically. It even it even describes the

  287. resurrection. But you will not leave me in the

  288. dust of death. It says later on, but I was but

  289. but I will see the light of life.

  290. Psalm 22, The Gospel Message you Get.

  291. To Psalm 20, three and it's talking about what life is like

  292. being. Part of the Kingdom of God in

  293. this present day, in this age today.

  294. Lord's my shepherd, I I I shall not want.

  295. He makes me lie. Down in green pastures and

  296. leaves me beside still waters, he he restores.

  297. My soul leaves me in paths of righteousness for his name's

  298. sake, and even though I walk through the valley of the shadow

  299. of death, I'll fear no evil. Because you're with me, your

  300. rod, and your staff. They comfort me.

  301. You prepare a table. For me, in the presence of my

  302. enemies, you anoint my head with oil.

  303. My cup runs over, surely. Goodness and mercy will follow

  304. me all the days of my life, and I'll dwell in the House of the

  305. Lord forever. That's our present reality.

  306. You get to Psalm 24. The earth is the Lord.

  307. 'S and everything in it, the people, all who dwell.

  308. In it is talking about the coming Kingdom when Jesus

  309. reigns. This is David.

  310. Man, I would love to spend more time on that, but that's for a

  311. different sermon. Sorry.

  312. Back to the story. David's still just a boy.

  313. He's working out in his father's field and.

  314. Samuel comes to Bethlehem. This this ancient warrior

  315. prophet priest guy because God. Told him that he would find the

  316. next king there in the household of Jesse.

  317. But Samuel couldn't let that be known because the present King

  318. Saul would see that as a threat. And probably have him killed.

  319. The Bible says that, so he. Comes under the reason of a

  320. sacrifice. And I want us to read First

  321. Samuel 16, five to 11, OK, Samuel replied yes, and because

  322. they asked him if he came in peace.

  323. He is a warrior. I have come to sacrifice to the

  324. Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come

  325. to the sacrifice with me. Then he consecrated Jesse and

  326. his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

  327. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, surely the

  328. Lord's anointed stands. Here before the I guess.

  329. I guess Eliab was was a good looking dude.

  330. I guess he just. Kind of had that you know,

  331. captain of the football team look and and Samuel's like that.

  332. OK, God, I get to you, but the Lord?

  333. Said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height.

  334. For I've rejected him. The Lord does not look at the

  335. things people look at. People look at the outward

  336. appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

  337. OK, All right. All right.

  338. And Jesse called Abinadab. Had him pass in front of Samuel.

  339. He's not a liar, but you know he's a Benedad.

  340. Come on. But Samuel said the Lord has not

  341. chosen this one either. Then Jesse then had Shama passed

  342. by, but Samuel said, nor has the Lord.

  343. Chosen this one, and Jesse had seven of his sons passed before

  344. Samuel. But Samuel said to him, the Lord

  345. has not chosen these, So he asked Jesse.

  346. Are these all the sons you have? There is still the youngest,

  347. Jesse answered. He's tending the sheep.

  348. Samuel said. Sin for him.

  349. We will not sit down until he arrives.

  350. Verse 7 reminds us that David. Is already known by God for his

  351. heart, but David isn't even. There, you know, they go through

  352. this consecration and sacrifice with the seven sons.

  353. Dave is not even part of it. He's not even invited to it.

  354. You notice that he's like a complete outcast, like.

  355. Why is that? You know, I told you before that

  356. shepherding is a disgrace at the.

  357. Time. And it was also an extremely

  358. dangerous profession. I know that it was extremely.

  359. Dangerous profession because later on.

  360. When David wants to fight Goliath and he's.

  361. Talking to King Saul, Saul says he's just a.

  362. Boy. And he can't.

  363. There's no way that he could defeat this giant.

  364. And you what? David says he had already killed

  365. a. Lion and a bear.

  366. Wow. Killed a lion and a bear while.

  367. Tending sheep. Here's my question.

  368. Why would Jesse allow that danger to be inflicted?

  369. On his youngest son, if it was that.

  370. Dangerous to 10 sheep, Why would Jesse pick?

  371. A boy named David to do that a. Young teenager, rather than one

  372. or two or three of his. Other sons or son and some hired

  373. hands. Why would he do that?

  374. Did he want his son to die? There are actually indications

  375. that he did. Want his son to die?

  376. Now? Here's where.

  377. I was learning this last week. How do I Why would I say a thing

  378. like that? Well, shepherding.

  379. Itself Sheep or predator magnets.

  380. And you can see that David has already fought.

  381. Two wild animals at the time that would that should have been

  382. able to. Kill him.

  383. Why had Jesse put his? Son in harm's way.

  384. Well, that brings me to the second point.

  385. And that would be a questionable lineage in Psalm 51, David.

  386. Is writing that Psalm, and it's about his repentance from being

  387. in this sinful relationship with Bathsheba.

  388. Covering it up by having Uriah killed.

  389. In the battle and then being found out and in Psalm 51 he

  390. said that this. Is some of those bread crumbs

  391. right? He declares.

  392. These words, surely? I was sinful at birth.

  393. Sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

  394. Now, some of us might think, well, that's just hyperbole he

  395. feels real bad about. Himself and he's saying that,

  396. but I want you to consider that it might be a more literal

  397. interpretation, because other translations actually.

  398. Say in sin my mother conceived me that could be a.

  399. Reference to Jesse. Having an extra miracle marital

  400. affair that produced David. That he might have been 1/2

  401. brother to those other brothers, they're actually.

  402. Ancient rabbinical writings that give that same interpretation

  403. that I was reading. In Psalm 2710, David writes

  404. these words. Though my mother and father

  405. forsake me, the Lord will receive.

  406. Me. Why would he say that?

  407. Why would he make reference to his father and his mother

  408. forsaking him? You know his brothers.

  409. Rejected him too. They mocked him in First Samuel

  410. 1728. When he's going to fight

  411. Goliath. It says when Eliab.

  412. Remember Eliab? You know, the captain of the

  413. football team, David's oldest. Brother heard him speaking with

  414. the men. He burned with anger at him and

  415. asked why have. You come down here and with whom

  416. did you leave those? Few sheep in the wilderness.

  417. I know how conceited you are. Look what he says and how wicked

  418. your heart is. He defined his heart as wicked.

  419. But how did God? Define David's heart.

  420. A man after my own heart, right? Obviously, Eliab.

  421. Doesn't have a good handle on his brother.

  422. You came down only to watch the battle.

  423. Later on, after Saul decides he's trying to kill David

  424. because he's jealous. Of him, the brothers actually

  425. sided with Saul. In trying to kill David now, I

  426. want you to look closer at this story.

  427. In First Samuel, 16, 11B. To 13.

  428. Let's read that again. There is still the youngest,

  429. Jesse answered. We read this already.

  430. He is tending the. Sheep, And Samuel said, send for

  431. him, we will not sit. Down until he arrives.

  432. So he sent for him and had him brought in.

  433. He was glowing with the health and had a fine appearance and

  434. handsome features then, the Lord said.

  435. Rise and anoint him. This is the one.

  436. So Samuel took the Horn of Oil. And anointed him in the presence

  437. of his. Brothers and from that day on

  438. the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David, and

  439. Samuel then went to Rhema. So Samuel is.

  440. Like the mega guy in ancient Israel.

  441. I mean, Samuel comes to your house a big deal.

  442. And so you know that you know that, Jesse.

  443. Would have made this big feast feast.

  444. For him, right. So here's this big feast.

  445. But everybody's not there. David has been left out in the

  446. field and Samuel says nobody's eaten anything until David comes

  447. in. Here, how do you think it would

  448. have felt to be those seven? Brothers.

  449. You kidding me? We got this whole.

  450. Meal ready? Everything's set up,

  451. everything's ready to go. I'm hungry and and I got to

  452. wait. For my pipsqueak brother to get

  453. here. And somebody has to go and find

  454. him. You know it It wasn't.

  455. Like, you know, they could call him up on the phone and he'd get

  456. on his four Wheeler and come back.

  457. It would have taken a while. It would have taken a while to.

  458. Send somebody to go find David out in some field somewhere.

  459. They couldn't GPS the guy. And get him back.

  460. Then once he comes back, you know he's going to, he's been

  461. with sheep, you know what I'm saying?

  462. So he's going to have to clean up so they're.

  463. Just sitting there, waiting. Everybody's waiting until.

  464. He gets found, he gets brought back, he cleans up.

  465. He. Walks in and then what happens

  466. before anybody sits? Down Samuel comes up to David

  467. pulls out this. Horn of Oil and by the way.

  468. There are only three occupations where there's anointing done,

  469. and that's prophets, priests and kings.

  470. It's a very selective process, not anybody gets to.

  471. Be anointed. It's not something that you do,

  472. just, hey, glad you're here. It doesn't happen like that.

  473. It's a very, very big deal, especially.

  474. When you're being anointed by the spiritual leader of the.

  475. Whole country. And this is what happens.

  476. David comes in, he's gotten cleaned up, he's ready for a

  477. banquet, and they and Samuel anoints him.

  478. And then they can eat read Psalm 23/5.

  479. You prepare a table before. Me in the presence of my

  480. enemies, you anoint my head with oil.

  481. My cup overflows every. Time I have read Psalm 23,

  482. probably the Most Precious Scripture.

  483. In my heart I have always thought of all of David's.

  484. Enemies out there? Never thought about his

  485. brothers. Never thought about his father?

  486. Never. Thought about his mother.

  487. I think some of you might connect to that.

  488. I think some of you might be looking back on your life and

  489. you're like, you know. I never got a break.

  490. Now I've had, I've had, I've had a difficult life.

  491. Up to this point, it's been hard for me.

  492. Maybe there's some bitterness in your heart over that because it

  493. wasn't your fault like it was. Something that was imposed upon

  494. you. I wonder if this passage of

  495. Scripture will have a. Deeper, deeper impact on you and

  496. the idea that you can be a. Person after God's own heart,

  497. regardless of what's. Happened in your past.

  498. How about that? You see, David had.

  499. Plenty of reason for bitterness, but instead he chose.

  500. Blessings. This is who he was.

  501. Even when he was a boy. Even when he was invisible to

  502. his family. Even when he was rejected by the

  503. people that he should have been able to trust in.

  504. And you know why? Because a heart for God, a heart

  505. after God's heart, is a heart that.

  506. Dwells in gratitude, and that is where David chose to reside in a

  507. heart filled with gratitude. In a heart that was firmly

  508. focused on the upper story, regardless of the harshness of

  509. the lower story. His lower story was pretty bad.

  510. But he didn't choose to live there.

  511. He kept his eyes lifted up. Matter of fact that is that A.

  512. Psalm. I will lift up my eyes to the

  513. hills from whence cometh my help.

  514. My help comes from the Lord. Who made heaven and earth kept

  515. his eyes up? It's a heart that refuses to let

  516. go of the truth at the. End of Psalm 2323 6 Surely your

  517. goodness. And love will follow me all the

  518. days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord

  519. forever. Here's what David.

  520. Is going to teach you and me today.

  521. First thing he's going to do, he's going to take away all your

  522. excuses. And he's going to take away all

  523. mine because some of you today. Were dealt a bad hand when it

  524. came to your family. Some of you have been abused or?

  525. You've been mistreated, and maybe there are times when you

  526. felt like God. Had abandoned you.

  527. You've let your heart get. Lost in that lower story, but

  528. God is greater. Than the circumstances of your

  529. past, and he is greater. Than the circumstances of your

  530. present. And God, and only God is.

  531. Able to remove the bitterness from your heart if you will

  532. choose. The blessing instead and Jesus

  533. is a constant reminder that you have not been abandoned because.

  534. He knew your name when he was bleeding and dying alone on that

  535. cross. You know that some people go,

  536. well, Jesus died for the whole world.

  537. He died for the world. He had the world on his mind.

  538. No, he had you on his mind. Your name, your life, You're

  539. just like. He knew everything about David.

  540. He knew his. Heart before he chose him.

  541. He knows yours and he's chosen you.

  542. And even though right now, at this particular moment of your

  543. life, you might feel lost in that lower story, let me tell

  544. you. Something.

  545. There is not a Good Shepherd, but a great Shepherd.

  546. There is a great shepherd who goes out searching for that one

  547. lost. Sheep and brings that sheep back

  548. home, and he can do that for you today.

  549. We're moving to a time of decision.

  550. You know, when I read 23, Psalm 23, I wish I could, I wish I

  551. could identify with the Shepherd, You know, pastor of a

  552. church, big church. Yeah, a lot of people.

  553. You know, 11 locations. God.

  554. I'm not impressing him. Sorry.

  555. I wish I. Could identify with a shepherd,

  556. but the truth is I. Identify with the sheep.

  557. Sheep are dumb. I mean, have you ever looked at

  558. sheep? Like you ever watched them, do

  559. you? Do you think that?

  560. Sheep are like in the field and they're going, I mean, birds do

  561. that, not sheep. You know what sheep do?

  562. And that, you know, if there's grass, they eat it, and then if

  563. there's some more grass, they eat.

  564. It they don't look around here where all the rest.

  565. Of the sheep, grass, grass, grass.

  566. Right. No, no, no.

  567. That's how they get lost. They didn't mean to get lost.

  568. They didn't wake up that. Day go, I'm going to get lost

  569. today, but they do. And then the shepherd has to go

  570. out. And find them because they're

  571. dumb and they smell bad. You see that picture of Jesus?

  572. That they? That they.

  573. Paint. You know it's a it's a white

  574. Jesus, which is totally. Wrong.

  575. You know, with the strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes like.

  576. An Aryan Jesus, so dumb and he's holding the sheep.

  577. Have you? Seen that?

  578. Nobody in their right mind would want to hold the sheep.

  579. Why? Well, you know, as a field trip,

  580. go out. And smell one Sometime they

  581. stink. They don't clean up well.

  582. I don't want to identify as a sheep.

  583. But that's what I am. I'm a person who gets lost

  584. easily. I don't mean to, but it ends up

  585. happening. I get you know the the this the

  586. next. Tuft to grasp and the next tuft

  587. to Gras. And he has to keep and just

  588. because I'm saved, just because I.

  589. Accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was 8 years old.

  590. Doesn't mean I don't get lost. All the time?

  591. Oh, the Good Shepherd. Loves his dumb, smelly sheep,

  592. and he loves you. And you may be here, and you've

  593. never ever. Come into an intimate, personal

  594. relationship with Jesus Christ and the Great Shepherd is.

  595. Walking the aisles, He knows you.

  596. He knew you before he called you.

  597. And he loves you, knew your name on the cross and died for you.

  598. And he's there. For you right now, and I want to

  599. invite you, not because I have the right, but because he told

  600. me to. Invite you into an intimate,

  601. personal relationship with Jesus.

  602. Christ, so that Psalm 23 can be descriptive of your life because

  603. that's what he can do. If you've never made a decision

  604. for Jesus, there's going to be somebody right over there by

  605. that baptistry, and your eternity will change in a

  606. moment. Many of you are here today and

  607. you're a lot like me. You'd you'd.

  608. Rather have a higher view of yourself than sheep, but.

  609. Sometimes you have to understand how lost you can get before

  610. you're found and have a moment of clarity or recognition.

  611. And I don't know what your. Circumstance is right now.

  612. I don't know what you're fighting with right now.

  613. I don't know what you're battling with right now.

  614. God does. And he loves you through it.

  615. And he won't leave you or forsake you.

  616. And I invite you to come up here on these steps, get down on your

  617. knees, just pour your heart out to the.

  618. Lord, you're not going to tell him anything he doesn't already

  619. know, but in coming down on in that humble position, you're

  620. starting to recognize who he is. You're kind of encapsulating

  621. that first verse of 23. The Lord is my shepherd, so you

  622. know you're the sheep. I'm the sheep.

  623. Lord, you're the shepherd. And to know how much you love me

  624. in spite of the fact of who I am.

  625. It's pretty amazing. Why don't you?

  626. Do some business with God. I want you to have some time

  627. with him and feel the wonder and the joy of his presence.

  628. Why don't you let him remove the burden?

  629. Would you stand with me in Jesus name, heavenly?

  630. Father, I pray. That in this moment we come to

  631. you, we'd let down our guard all.

  632. Of the defense mechanisms everything that we build up to

  633. make other people think that we're.

  634. More than we actually are. Just be who we.

  635. Are and although, father, we are so flawed, we are also your

  636. children. And that is enough.

  637. So I pray that we would. Just come to our Father under

  638. the blood of our Savior. And be changed and renewed in

  639. Jesus name. Amen.