Take Your Rightful Place 3 – Psalm 23

about, can we go live stream now?

Yeah.

We've been talking about take your rightful place

and we'll take part three now.

Take your rightful place, part three.

And the reason I'm so stuck with Psalm 23 today

is because David knew his rightful place.

He knew how to locate himself in the right place

regardless of what was happening around him

and that's the intent of this series we're doing

in the beginning of the year,

which is take your rightful place.

How do you occupy that place with God

in the midst of everything that is happening?

And David knew how to quickly locate his rightful place.

It doesn't matter whether he was in a war,

whether he was in defeat, whether he was in sin,

whether he was in victory, whether he was being blessed,

whether he was being chased by Saul or by Absalom.

This man had the ability to quickly come

into his rightful place.

And from that rightful place, he would once again rise.

And so take your rightful place.

Today we wanna look at some aspects of David.

I don't think we'll get through more than one verse

because Diana wants to go home early.

So.

Okay.

So Psalm 23, and look at the places he was in.

Psalm 23, when you read it, you realize he was in a place

where he probably had need.

And so he talks about taking his rightful place.

And what's that rightful place?

A place where he lacks nothing.

He must have been pretty weary.

So he takes a rightful place.

What's a rightful place?

A place of rest.

He knows he's going through the valley

of the shadow of death, which he did multiple times

when he was running from Absalom and from Saul.

Now what does he do?

He knows how to find his rightful place

where he's defiant of his enemies

with a six-course banquet that God provides

for him in their face.

He knows how to be protected from harm,

be the lion, the bear, a pagan king, or Goliath.

He knew how, in the midst of everything,

to have this amazing anointing, where his cup ran over.

His head was anointed with oil.

I mean, when you read 150 Psalms out of which

he must have written at least 80 or 90,

you realize that this man always had the ability

in all kinds of situations to find his rightful place.

There is no other man in the Bible

who went through things that he went through.

Every psalm is a response to a situation or a circumstance.

And out of it, he always, at the end of the psalm,

finds himself in the rightful place.

And from that rightful place, he begins to go forward.

You can see why God would call him a man

after his own heart.

Because if there is one rightful place

that one should occupy throughout the day,

it's in Psalm 91.

He that finds, he that dwells in the secret place

of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

David knew how to do that.

Psalm 91, by the way, was not written by David.

It was written by Moses.

But he knew how to be at home.

I love the last line.

If you read the Good News Bible, it says,

and your home, your house will be my home as long as I live.

David knew how.

Your house will be my home.

Your goodness and your mercy follow me all the days

of my life, and your house will be my home as long as I live.

He knew his rightful place.

And so all we'll do is perhaps take the first verse today.

The Lord is my shepherd.

And depending on the version you read,

you have different options.

The Lord is my shepherd.

The Lord is my shepherd.

Then it can say, I lack nothing, or I have everything I need.

I have everything I need.

Or in some versions, I shall not be in want.

Any of these could be used by us.

But they all mean the same thing.

One of the more accurate ways of saying it is, I lack nothing.

The Lord is my shepherd.

I lack nothing.

And so want to know, as a church, as individuals,

how do we take this rightful place where you can say,

I lack nothing?

That's perhaps as far as we'll get.

I don't think we'll get to, he leads me.

He gives me rest.

I don't think we'll get there.

Unless you want to stay late.

No.

So first look at the shepherd.

This shepherd is outstanding in his daily care.

This is Jesus Christ.

This is God himself.

He is outstanding in his daily care because of one reason.

Because of his fondness for his sheep.

He has a fondness for Mike and Karen.

He has a fondness for Nick.

It's out of that fondness that he is so brilliant, so

outstanding in his care.

And this is every day, every hour, every minute.

These are inviolable truths.

There's no bending this.

There is no but.

These are inviolable truths that are hard for us to wrestle

with and embrace and embed in our hearts as a lifestyle.

But these are inviolable.

That he is outstanding in his daily care because of his

fondness for the sheep.

Outstanding or brilliant in his daily care, in his daily

care, because of his fondness for me.

His sheep, you.

In taking care of his sheep, he takes personal

delight and pleasure.

Personal delight and pleasure.

Personal delight and pleasure.

That's the word pleasure.

Personal delight and pleasure.

How often?

24-7.

Doing what?

Providing.

Providing what?

Every detail.

These are inviolable truths.

Now you see why Matthew 6, 26, Jesus, talking about his

father, and in a sense about himself, says, look at the

birds of the field.

They neither sow nor reap.

But there's nothing about them that I don't take care of.

Not a single detail is left out.

Multiply that by thousands and thousands and millions and

millions and billions of birds.

And not a single detail is left out.

If that is the way I take care of birds, surely, Jacob, can

you begin to embed in your heart and embrace with your

whole being the fact that I am your shepherd?

And can you say, I lack nothing?

Very difficult.

But these are inviolable truths.

He provides a good shepherd.

Jesus compared himself to a good shepherd.

But if you take a good shepherd in general, a good

shepherd provides the richest pasture.

You know, when I was writing down the word

richest pasture, I actually wrote down rich pasture.

The reason I wrote down rich pasture is because while I'm

writing, I'm unsure that God actually

provides the richest pasture.

I went for rich pasture.

Because to say richest means he's giving me the best every

day, every minute, every second.

And I find that I don't always see it, and therefore I don't

always believe it.

And so I changed the word richest

pasture to rich pasture.

That is our condition.

We don't believe that he gives you the best.

So even to go from rich to richest is a problem.

A good shepherd goes out of his way to provide his sheep

the richest pasture.

He provides them winter feed, meaning he looks into the

future and provides them winter feed.

He provides them clean water.

He provides them shelter from the storm, and he sees the

storm coming before the sheep can even sense it.

He provides them protection from predators.

This is something he does 24-7.

And he does it not because he's hired.

He does it not because this is his business.

He does it not because he wants to shear the sheep and

sell the wool.

He does it not because he wants to slaughter them for

meat.

He does them because of his amazing fondness for you.

Taking care of every detail, every detail.

Some of you are students.

Every detail.

Some of us are messed up.

Every detail.

Some of us don't know how.

Every detail.

These are inviolable truths.

They cannot have an if for a but added to them because they

are inviolable.

You can add a but to it because you are finding it

difficult, and I'm finding it difficult.

But these are inviolable truths.

You can add but before gravity.

But these are inviolable truths.

He is jealous for his name.

He is jealous for his name.

He is jealous about his title as the Good Shepherd.

He called himself that.

He's jealous.

It's not someone else who gave him that name.

He is jealous of his name and his high reputation as the

Good Shepherd.

He's jealous about it.

Moses knew this.

Numbers 14, when God is really upset with Israel being so

stubborn that he's saying, let me remove these guys, Moses.

I'll start afresh with you.

And Moses, in Numbers 14, verse 15 or thereabouts, says, oh,

Numbers 14:15

God, the lands around, the nations around know that you

are the one who brought them out of Egypt.

And if you don't take them through to the promised land,

they will say that the God who brought them out of Egypt was

not able to take them through.

Moses knew how highly God thinks of his reputation.

Why?

Because his reputation, again, is inviolable.

He doesn't mind giving away his temple.

He doesn't mind having it desecrated.

He doesn't mind the vessels being taken.

He doesn't mind an idol being set up in the temple.

He doesn't mind all that.

But the one thing that he says about himself is, I am jealous.

He doesn't even say, I am a jealous God.

Jealous is not an attribute of God.

Jealousy is not an attribute of God.

It is who he is.

I am jealous.

As in, there are certain things about me that are inviolable,

and I will not give them up.

His name is jealous.

And so his reputation as a good shepherd matters to him.

That's another reason why he has no greater reward.

Surprising.

The good shepherd has no greater reward.

I mean, I've seen guys who grow six foot carrots and 10 feet

turnips, stand over their turnips proud, like look at this,

how massive it is.

You're talking about a blooming turnip.

This shepherd, there's no greater reward he has than seeing his sheep,

than seeing his sheep.

Content?

Well fed?

Content?

Well fed?

When he looks at me, he feels quite happy.

Safe, flourishing under his care, and leading.

He loves it.

He loves doing this.

There's no greater reward he has than seeing his sheep content,

well fed, safe, flourishing under his care and leading.

It gives him great pleasure.

That's why I like that picture that we saw of a shepherd who's happy,

who enjoys his sheep.

Any questions?

Any questions?

This is his nature.

He likes it.

Go ahead.

We'll talk about that.

Any questions?

You really have to wrestle with this for it to embed.

These are not words from our lips.

These are not occasional ons and offs.

This is embedded.

I have everything I need and we have to figure out what does that mean?

I lack nothing.

What does that mean?

What does that mean?

I'll answer it just like his question.

We'll come to that because it has to be answered.

We can't say I have everything I need, I lack nothing,

and then not deal with the nitty-gritty physical part of it.

We'll talk about that.

Let's define lack nothing.

What does lack nothing mean?

Lack nothing.

Lack nothing is to be not deficient.

Not deficient.

Not deficient.

In care, provision, management.

When I say I lack nothing, it means I am not deficient in the care given me,

in the provision I have.

In the provision I have and in how God is managing my life.

I have no deficiency.

If I have no deficiency, then it means that I'm utterly content.

If I'm utterly content, it means that consequently I have no craving or desires.

I'm not craving or desiring more.

So to lack nothing is to say that I'm not deficient in the care given me,

in the provision that has been given me, in the management of God in my life.

And then it goes on to say if that is the case,

then I'm completely content and you will never see discontent.

And consequently, there will not be times where I'm not content.

I'm not content.

I'm not content.

And consequently, there will not be times where I'm desiring more

or where I'm wanting more because everything is provided for.

The more we talk about this, the more we realize this is not the rightful place that we occupy.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack.

I shall not lack what?

I shall not lack what?

Do God's shepherds, do God's sheep ever lack anything?

The answer is yes.

Take your rightful places to say this is the condition of the world.

Yes, there is lack.

Look at Psalm 23 itself.

In the valley of the shadow of death, there is no light.

There is lack.

He takes me to green grass and lets me rest.

Why?

Because there is a lack of rest.

Jesus, in Matthew 17, 27, Peter comes to him and he says,

Jesus, we need to pay the temple tax.

I don't have any money.

What does Jesus say?

I want you to pay for both you and I.

But they didn't have the money.

Jesus, in his instructions to Peter, when he tells Peter,

go fish, cast the first fish, open its mouth and there'll be a coin in it.

What are we presupposing?

That the taxes need to be paid but Jesus did not have.

There was a lack.

So it's not that the children or the sheep of the shepherd do not have lack.

The intent of Take Your Rightful Places,

how do we in the face of lack get to a place

where we still have the ability to say,

I lack nothing and then see the reality of it?

It can't be a faith statement with empty pockets.

It can't be a faith statement with no food on the table.

But the fact remains that there is lack.

And sometimes, we'll come to that, there is lack.

There was no light in the valley.

They needed green grass.

Sheep needed quiet water.

Jesus didn't have what it took to pay taxes.

So there was lack.

So before we go any further, one of the first things we have to establish

is that when we say the Lord is my shepherd,

I lack nothing,

we have to start with the premise that it is not

about having.

It is not about having but it is about being utterly confident

of God in providing according to your daily needs

and be supplying more than enough.

More than enough.

This is not a contradiction.

When we say the Lord is my shepherd and I lack nothing,

it is not necessarily about having,

as in I have all that is required for this.

No, it is about being utterly confident that whether I have it or not have it,

I am utterly confident and I'll keep using this word confident

because that's the one thing we lack.

I'm utterly confident of God doing two things,

providing according to my daily needs,

and supplying more than enough.

Beautifully, on one hand, providing according to my daily needs

and on the other hand, supplying more than enough.

It's both.

It's not one or the other.

There's a reason Jesus taught Matthew 11.

Givens this day are daily bread.

He actually used to live like that.

Yes, he is the one who said that the ant works diligently to store up for the winter.

He's the one who said that.

But when he comes down to the earth,

what he presents to the earth is the way he lived.

Why?

He even tells you why.

He says that you have a father.

Because you have a father,

ask according to your daily needs.

Such a bad idea to live like Jesus said.

Why don't you say so actually?

It's not necessarily having but being utterly confident of God

and providing according to your daily needs and wants.

Oh, by the way, please don't separate these.

No father does.

No father does.

No father.

Matt doesn't turn to Shiloh and say,

listen son, all your life I'll provide your needs,

but your wants, whims and fancies don't come within six feet of that.

That ain't how father does.

That's how fathers work.

That's how we have constructed theology to get away with it.

When theology is constructed to distort the nature of the father, spit it out.

It is being certain.

It is, when I say I lack nothing, it is being certain.

These words are so important.

Confident, utterly confident.

It is being certain that

it is being certain that you will never,

that you will never lack anything,

anything that the shepherd thinks

is good for you.

You will never lack anything that the shepherd thinks is good for you.

And the shepherd is a good shepherd,

so don't immediately go to the thought,

ah, well, that's a catch.

He has to think it's good for me and maybe he doesn't think I deserve this.

Maybe he doesn't think.

We go immediately there, eh?

That, we always diminish his goodness.

We always diminish his goodness.

He's the, he's the goodest person in the universe.

The word good applies only to one.

And even that he shirked off when the rich man came and spoke to him.

Why do you call me good?

He's the only good one.

But you can be absolutely confident and it'll take time to embed this.

I mean, you have to first hear it as in hear it.

You have to embrace it as in hold it tightly.

And then it has to become flesh where it embeds in your heart.

Once it embeds in your heart, it becomes flesh.

And it does not happen overnight and it doesn't happen through repeating scripture.

It happens to scripture wrestling you.

It's like when you make bread, never made it, but I've seen it.

They take the flour and then they start doing that thing.

They knead it.

Strangely enough, it is being certain that you will never, I will never,

I will never lack anything that the shepherd thinks is good for me for the rest of my days here on earth.

I will never lack.

Strangely enough, what is good?

What he's a good God to begin with, but what is good for me?

When you read Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd.

I lack nothing.

He, the Lord is my shepherd, I have everything.

He lets me rest in fields of green grass.

He leads me to quiet pools of fresh water.

He takes me down paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

So, strangely enough, the good things, what is good for me, what is good for me,

lies on the paths of righteousness.

What is good for me lies on the paths of righteousness that wind through dangerous valleys sometimes,

that winds through dangerous valleys sometimes, that he leads me through so that he can,

so that he can get me to a better place with richer pasture.

There is nothing in my life that I will lack in terms of what the shepherd thinks is good for me.

But what is good for me will be found on the paths of righteousness.

With the world, you do not have to be godly to make money.

But the moment you become a citizen of the kingdom, righteousness matters.

As long as you are a citizen of Babylon, it's okay.

But the moment you become a citizen of the kingdom, righteousness matters.

And so everything good, I will be provided for, I'll never have any lack of it,

but everything good is found on the paths of righteousness.

What do you mean found on the paths of righteousness?

It's just happily following this God, stumbling around, making mistakes, getting up and following him again.

Please understand, paths of righteousness, not paths of perfection.

Paths of righteousness, not paths of perfection.

Paths of righteousness, not paths that are super clean and there's no poo anywhere.

Sheep poo.

It's paths of righteousness meaning you will make mistakes, you will go off the path,

you will poo, you will make things messy, you will not be perfect,

you will get buttered occasionally, you will butt occasionally.

But at the end of the day, there is that happy shepherd and you follow him.

And these paths of righteousness will sometimes wind through the valley of the shadow of death.

But this is not because you are straying, this is because he is leading.

Now where is he leading?

Why does a shepherd take his sheep through dangerous valleys?

Not because he wants to prove how good he is with his staff and rod.

Not because he wants to feed a poor hungry cougar.

He's leading people through, he's leading his sheep through dangerous valleys for one reason alone,

because there is a pasture across the valley and that pasture has grass you have never eaten.

And in that pasture, you will give birth.

That's why animals migrate.

Animals migrate because they know that in this area, everything has turned brown and there is no more life.

And so they begin to migrate and they migrate and they get to another place.

But to get to that place, sometimes, sometimes, not always, sometimes,

you have to go through the valley of the shadow of death and it is not you who are going, you're being led.

Who did this? Jesus did this.

Where? In the wilderness.

He was led by the spirit.

He was led by the spirit and he goes into the wilderness and he comes out into a rich valley of souls

and people get saved by minutes.

People get delivered by minutes.

And he was provided everything he needed.

There was never a day when Jesus could say,

in the 33 years he lived,

doesn't matter if it was through the wise men,

doesn't matter if it was through a woman called Susanna,

doesn't matter whether it was Levi's banquet, doesn't matter whether it was a fish.

Every day that he lived on the earth, he could say without any hesitation,

the Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing.

This is who he is.

But embrace it and then embed it

because then it becomes flesh and the world will see that your God is different.

So,

I may lack things as I follow the shepherd, but I will never lack anything that the shepherd thinks is good for me.

I may lack things as I follow the shepherd.

There will be darkness in the valley.

There will be

turbulence in my soul sometimes when I don't find rest.

There will be nasal flies that try to go up my nose and ticks that bite me as I go through some of the brambles.

But while that happens and the restlessness begins to take over, there is one called the shepherd.

And so I may lack while I am following the shepherd, but I will never lack anything that the shepherd thinks is good for me.

Psalm 84 verse 11,

Psalms 84:11

the Lord God is my son.

The Lord God is my shield. Listen to the next words.

No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly

the paths of righteousness.

This is why to answer your question and your question, it's very simple.

Rejoice for the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God when I begin to walk like that. I don't even need to hear God.

I'm shouting because I've won this so badly in my life.

And then I'm shouting because I'm shouting.

Any questions?

To have the hand of the shepherd lead you like this is so critical because there was a rich man in Mach Mark 10.

Verse 21 that comes to him.

And he had everything that we would say should allow him to say I lack nothing. And look at the dialogue that follows.

He comes to Jesus and Jesus says you lack one thing.

Go sell everything you have.

You lack one thing. He was a man who should say I am not in want. And Jesus says to him you lack nothing.

You lack one thing. There was another church in Revelation 3.

Where they come and they say

they did this and they did that and Jesus says I want you to know that you think you have no lack.

But I want you to know that you need to come to me and buy gold from me.

Because you're naked, pitiful and wretched. You think you are rich. You think you've got garments.

You think you have this and you think you have that. But I want you to know that you do not. Why?

Because the hand of the shepherd upon your head is what makes providence work for you.

What is providence? The guardianship of God.

The guardianship of God.

For us who work at jobs and are scared of what may happen tomorrow. For us who think what is my future?

What is my career? I want to say to you.

Begin to recognize the guardianship of God over your life.

We have no trouble saying yeah, yeah, God blesses my work. God protects my work. I'm doing well at

because God is taking care of my work. I don't have a problem if I don't have a job God would provide.

All that is true and is worthy of praise.

But I'm talking about acknowledging the guardianship of God.

As in when I don't have work, when I am fired, when I'm this and when I'm that. The guardianship of God just takes care of me.

Just as a child is taken care of.

Just as a child is taken care of.

The fondness that he has come from his pleasure over his children.

As the onslaught of your circumstance comes in like a dark cloud, hold your hands up and begin to push it back.

Do not allow it to settle because it kills you.

Not kills you, it chokes the God life in you.

Guys, this isn't even standing in faith.

This is resting in love.

This is not standing in faith.

This is resting.

A child is not...

When a father carries a child, the child is not holding on in faith.

The father is holding on in faith because the child is constantly wriggling but the child is resting.

Any questions?

Any questions?

Like an a injured...

omutable

You made a wrong decision when you heard God.

As long as you walk the path of righteousness,

know that He is leading you.

And it doesn't matter which valley He is leading you through,

there will be plenty in the valley.

And as you walk through it, you will change the valley of Baka

into pools of refreshing.

And you come out on the other side.

Today is the day that gram-stained sons were burnt alive,

January 22nd,

burnt alive in a city in India.

That was persecution.

And out of that has come hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of souls.

Today is the day.

The cool thing is,

we don't even know what persecution is.

When it comes, you'll be surprised at how well we'll do.

I mean that in all honesty.

We don't know what it is, but when it comes,

you'll be surprised at how you will take a stance.

But we don't know what it is.

Someone rebuking you for talking about Christ,

ain't persecution.

It's trying to silence you, yes, but that ain't persecution.

It still stings,

and it's still rejection.

So does that simplify it?

Okay.

Recognize that why we struggle with this

is because of something called the spirit of lack.

Now I don't know whether it's a spirit as in a foul spirit

or a spirit as in...

Like when you say spirit,

just like when you say spirit of poverty or a spirit of lack,

sometimes I don't even know whether there's a real spirit

like that or it's just a condition.

Regardless,

lack drives most everybody.

Lack drives most everybody.

And so when it comes to lack,

recognize that the spirit of lack drives you,

controls and affects decisions you make,

affects your choices,

sometimes has you manipulate situations and people

because you want to meet the lack.

Sometimes it fires up ambition

because you want to overcome and get rid of the lack

you had growing up sometimes.

Sometimes it makes you seek and love riches.

Sometimes it consumes your time

where you have very little time for Malachi chapter two.

The Malachi chapter one, consider your ways,

go up the mountains, cut wood and bring it back

so that my house may be built.

Instead of first building your own paneled houses.

What is he saying there?

He's saying that, listen,

can you now find time to begin to build my house,

as in build the kingdom?

Can you find time to build my house

instead of building your own paneled houses?

And if you continue doing this,

here's what's gonna happen.

Everything you bring will be struck with blight and mildew

and your pockets will have holes.

What you put in your pockets, it'll drain through.

And then he goes on to say in Malachi chapter three,

from this day forth, is it Malachi or Haggai?

Haggai, could be Haggai.

It's Haggai I think.

And then he goes on to say in Haggai chapter two,

from this day forth, I will bless you.

Why?

Because people began to turn around.

Sometimes it consumes time

where your time is devoted to...

Remember, if Kronos doesn't get you,

Mammon tries to get you.

Mammon doesn't get you.

Hubris tries to get you.

If Hubris doesn't get you,

there are two more, but we'll just stop with that.

Sometimes it colors the soul, lack colors the soul,

as in colors the soul.

I sound like a stuck record when I say it,

but I remember going up to the Burger King window

30 years ago, and I'd come to a place where I had no money.

I go up to the Burger King window

and I asked for a Junior Whopper, which was 99 cents.

And I forgot that there's tax on top of it.

And it was $1.07, and I didn't have seven cents.

And I pretended that I forgot my wallet at home

and I drove away.

And I drove away, I realized there's no fuel in the car.

I had to borrow $3 to fill my car.

And after filling my car, somehow get home

and not drive the car again

because I couldn't afford the insurance.

And I know how lack colored my soul,

and it distorted the face of God.

Lack colors the soul.

And please don't think you have to go to Burger King

before it hits you.

That is the, for me that was,

whatever, what's it called?

Rock bottom, yeah.

For me that was rock bottom.

But before that itself, there was this coloring of soul.

And why am I sharing this with you?

Because in this room,

there is a coloring of soul in areas.

There is a distorting of the face of God.

Because we so struggle with this idea of Him being,

the Lord is my shepherd,

and that He is fond of taking care,

of providing and of managing my life,

because He thinks of me as His own.

Very hard.

Because every day we face a barrage of situations

that are otherwise, right?

And I constantly have to secure the future.

It distorts.

It distorts.

Lack is like this, eh?

It disadvantages others sometimes

because you want to get out of your lack.

It disadvantages others.

It cripples giving.

Because how can you give when you have lack?

You can, but it cripples giving

because you can't think of doing it.

It deepens unbelief.

Philippians 4.19 is good, O God.

You supply riches according to,

you supply all our needs according to your riches

and glory in Christ Jesus,

but there's a gap between what you say and what you believe.

Sometimes it forces you to secure the future.

You begin to hoard or keep away for the future

because you think that is a wise way to live,

and there is wisdom in it,

but it is coming out of a place of lack.

I would suggest to you also that the prosperity gospel

is fueled by the spiritual lack.

The prosperity gospel is fueled

by the spiritual lack

and the condition of orphanhood.

Any questions?

The prosperity gospel would not succeed

if it wasn't for the fact that it is so lack driven,

that it can be used to seduce you

into giving and doing things so that you may prosper.

Any questions?

Okay.

Okay.

Let's conclude.

I shall not want

or I shall not be in want

doesn't mean an absence of, does not,

does not mean an absence of

of expectations.

An absence of expectations or resigned

kaisara, sara, whatever will be,

will be kind of a contentment,

resigned kaisara contentment.

Because that's one way this scripture has been interpreted.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

And so people say, because the Lord is your shepherd,

don't have any desires.

Don't have, it's almost like Buddhism.

Nirvana, just let go of everything.

Have no desires, have no expectations.

That's terrible.

A child who does not have expectations of his parents,

does not have a relationship with his parent.

Never forget that he's a father.

Have expectations, take them to him,

ask him to shape them, give it back to you,

and then ask again.

James chapter four talks about this.

Why do you have fights?

Why do you have quarrels?

Why do you have inner turmoil?

Because you ask, but you ask amiss.

Learn how not to ask amiss, Jacob.

Take your expectations to him.

After you take your expectations to him,

tell him to shape them and give it back to you.

Chip away a little here, say it's too less,

add a little here, and now he gives it back to you.

You take it, you look at it, and you ask again.

Dad, could I have a flying saucer,

like take a saucer and fly it?

No, I got a better idea, son.

There are things called drones now.

Mom won't be very happy if you throw saucers

around the place.

And so God then shapes it, gives it to you,

and then you give it back to him,

and then see what happens.

Remember, with God, it is always, always about relationship.

And therefore, anything you ask,

he would like to engage you in conversation,

because relationships happen through conversations.

Sometimes things are held back for a little while,

just so my dad and I can have a conversation.

It's not punishment, it's not delay, it's not the devil,

it's yes, you asked for something, but can we talk?

Engage in conversation.

All relationship is built on time and conversation.

So have expectations, do not go into resigned contentment

and say, I don't want to talk about this,

I don't want to talk about this.

Do not go into resigned contentment.

Resigned contentment is spiting your father.

The actual sense of I shall not want,

really, that's why I lack nothing is a better translation.

I shall not want should actually read,

I shall not be in want.

It's not I shall not want as in, I shall not want.

It is I shall not be in want.

That's why the actual sense of the Lord is my shepherd

is I lack nothing.

Or the other version say, I have everything I need.

It's not I shall not want as in, I don't want.

Yeah, so on one hand, if you know you have everything in God,

because he's planet and because he's father,

then you have your expectations,

take those expectations and say,

father, here's what I've been dreaming of.

Can you shape these dreams and give it back to me

so that I may ask you?

And he'll engage you in conversation.

He'll engage you in conversation.

He'll engage you in conversation.

He'll engage you in conversation.

And he'll engage you in it.

To begin with, even the germ of the dream that you have

was planted there by him.

How come some of you wanna do business?

How come some of you wanna sing?

How come some of you want to do things that,

I mean, May wants to hike and bike.

Where does that come from?

Divinely appointed.

Divinely appointed, not to me, praise the Lord.

So God puts the germ of the dream

and then we may add our imagination

and sometimes covetousness comes in.

Sometimes a desire to be great comes in.

Sometimes wanting to number what you have comes in.

Sometimes comparing comes in where you want to be.

And now when all that comes in,

it begins to kinda distort the dream

and take it back to him and say,

can you shape it and give it back to me?

He's a father.

He crafts dreams.

So what is our attitude?

One, I shall not want, does not mean

an absence of expectation or a resigned contentment.

Please don't go there, eh?

It's a terrible place to live.

It's an affront to the father.

It's a terrible place to live.

It's an affront to the father.

It offends the father,

as it would offend any dad or mom.

Second, I must be like,

this is not a word children would use,

but I must be like a proactive child.

I must be like a proactive child.

I must be proact, sorry.

I must engage in proactive childlike surrender,

proactive childlike surrender to a loving father

who will give me my daily bread.

Let me add one more sentence and then we'll talk about it.

Third one, I must know the bread I need for tomorrow

and have the confidence

that it will be on the table

when tomorrow becomes this day.

Just think of that.

I'm sorry, I'm gonna go off camera

because I'm coming down.

I must engage in a proactive childlike surrender,

like proactive as in, this is not passive.

This is everyday surrender.

What kind of surrender?

Childlike surrender.

Childlike surrender to what?

Not to what, to whom?

To the father.

And what's the intent here?

That Jesus, his son, taught me a prayer

which says, give us this day our daily bread.

He taught that prayer in response to a question

that the disciples asked, teach us how to pray.

He taught a prayer that would be answered

because every prayer that Jesus prayed was answered.

He taught a prayer that was supposed to be answered

and his prayer is, Emmanuel,

and you can choose which Emmanuel I'm talking to.

Emmanuel, will you pray every day

that give us this day our daily bread?

I must engage in proactive childlike surrender

to a loving father who will give me my daily bread.

And then I must also know the bread I need for tomorrow

because tomorrow maybe Betty is coming to my place

and Nick is coming to my place.

Tomorrow maybe I need to go to Kelowna to do something.

Tomorrow I may need to pay a debt that I have

because tomorrow is the day that the debt is paid.

I must know, I must know the bread I need for tomorrow.

And having known it, I must have the confidence

that when I wake up tomorrow,

because he said give us this day our daily bread,

I must have the confidence that tomorrow will become

this day, give us this day.

But I must know what I need for tomorrow.

I must present it before the Lord.

Not as in please, I hope you do it tomorrow.

Now it becomes a conversation.

Father, I know that you know.

And I'm looking forward to it.

One of the guys who practiced this was George Muller.

I've seen his orphanage in Bristol.

He has a massive building that's now being used

by different organizations.

He built it without a single cent.

Why?

Because he absolutely firmly believed

that it is give us this day our daily bread.

And he would promise the orphans around the table,

it will come.

And day after day after day after day,

he proved again and again that daily bread

is the provision of a father to his children.

And it wasn't soup and more water in the soup.

That song, those two lines in that song must become

something we wanna display.

Because sons display the nature of their father.

I can feel the love of God in this place.

I receive his mercy, receive his grace.

I delight myself at your table of God.

You have done all things well.

Just look at my life.

Any questions on this before we go to the last two points?

Proverbs, what does it say?

Yeah, so many promises like that, man.

Again, look at the word that he's throws in there.

The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry.

There is this thing called the paths of righteousness.

That he will keep us on because look at the,

look at what's at the end of the path of righteousness.

He will lead me in paths of righteousness, why?

For his name sake, he has a vested interest in God.

For his name sake, he has a vested interest in this.

I have placed you here to glorify myself.

Can you walk in the paths of righteousness?

Because if you do, then Diana, where are you going?

Okay, I just saw 6.30 and I wanted to ask.

So, paths of righteousness for his name sake.

Okay, last two points, which has eight points in each.

Not eight, four.

It is the factual grasp.

You know, I have this odd habit, eh?

I keep shortening words so that it fits within a page.

Because when I'm preparing notes,

I feel like if it fits within a page, it's short.

So, THRU, THROUGH becomes THRU.

THOUGH becomes THO.

And I feel like now I'm doing you justice

because it's just one page.

That took another minute.

Okay, it is a factual grasp.

See, it's a factual grasp, meaning it's a fact.

I must factually grasp that he's extravagantly generous

in nature.

That he supplies seed and increases it.

That he supplies food.

Is this from scripture?

Yep, second verse.

Okay, so, THROUGH becomes THROUGH.

THROUGH becomes THROUGH.

THROUGH becomes THROUGH.

Is this from scripture?

Yep, second Corinthians six.

Second Corinthians six.

Second Corinthians nine, six to 10.

You'll see it there.

For those who have been here for a while,

you know this line very well.

Extravagantly generous God.

Doesn't compute.

We can go as far as generous God.

Extravagantly generous God?

Nah.

Extravagantly generous God, that's his nature.

Second Corinthians nine, six to 10 talks about it.

He supplies seed, as in, he supplies toony away.

He supplies me away.

To take seed and multiply and increase it

because seed produces bread.

And he also supplies bread.

So that while you have things to eat,

you're also learning how to increase.

He supplies seed and bread.

This applies to every student here,

every retired person here,

every working person here,

every person who's looking for a job

and doesn't like their job,

and those who like their job.

Any questions on that?

Hear it, embrace it, embed it.

It is being immediately and happily obedient.

It is being immediately,

immediately and happily obedient.

Immediately and happily obedient

to his command.

So what does that mean?

He says, you give them something to eat.

Philip goes and says, there's a boy here

who has some fish and some bread.

Then he says to Peter, go fish

and you'll find taxes there.

So he goes and does that.

He says to the disciples in John 21,

cast your net on the other side.

They do.

He says to Peter early in Luke,

throw your nets in again.

Peter says, I have fished all day,

but because you say so, I'll do it.

There's this need to immediately

and happily respond to his command.

And when we begin to do that,

a strange thing happens.

All grace abounds to you.

All grace abounds to you

so that you will have an all sufficiency

in all things.

So that you may abound in all good works.

I know that you desire to do good works

and good works is not evangelizing.

Could be evangelizing.

Good works is not bringing people into the church.

It could be that.

Good works is wherever you are

to be able to do three things.

Make the Father known.

Draw people into being disciples.

Multiply churches.

That was Jesus' way of functioning.

And in the process, you let them know the good news.

You show them, it doesn't matter who you are.

It could be mowing a neighbor's lawn.

It could be driving someone home.

It could be calling someone for a meal.

It could be creating a community

that you want to at work.

Getting students to meet together.

Remi buying a bus so that he can bring people from TWU.

Any of these things.

Good works.

But it says that when we follow these rules,

a strange thing happens.

All grace, as in God opening his life and saying,

all grace.

Because he's full of truth and grace.

So when he says all grace, he's not saying,

let me give you a grace called cookie.

No, a cookie called grace.

He's saying all grace as in he opens himself

and he says, all grace shall abound to you.

Danny, all grace shall abound to you.

So that in all things, at all times,

having all sufficiency, you will abound in every good work.

What a promise.

All grace abound to you.

At all times.

So that you have all sufficiency in every good work.

Nick, we'll do communion next time.

Unless you've prepared it.

You have prepared it.

If you have prepared it, we'll do it now.

Okay, if you have prepared it, we'll do it now.

Remember this line, please say it with me.

I hardly make you say things after me.

Please say this with me.

A son lacks nothing.

A son lacks nothing.

A servant owns nothing.

Just remember that.

We won't talk about it today,

but there's this thing called son-servant duality

where once we begin to live like that,

a strange thing happens.

A son should never lack anything.

And a servant never owns anything.

Jesus lived in this sweet spot.

A son lacks nothing.

A servant owns nothing.

So it comes easily and it goes easily.

Can you put the shepherd thing back on the thingy?

I'll disconnect.

How this guy in the Old Testament knew all this, huh?

David?

Let's just pray.

Let's just pray.

Jesus, the reason I was trying to skip communion

was because it's one of those things

that shouldn't be rushed.

So now that we've decided to go ahead with it,

don't wanna rush it.

So Holy Spirit, could you show us

how you want us to go about it?

Let's just pray.

What from today do you want us to take

and use in our partaking of communion?

Father, we'll go to exodus

and the Red Sea crossing and the Passover.

that you will provide escape, you will provide protection, that you will provide us a meal,

that you will lead us through deep waters.

So we're going to read that about and then partake.

As we see you with fresh eyes, Jesus, I don't know who this Pakistani shepherd is.

I believe it's from the Swat Valley in Pakistan.

But one of the things we as a church do right now is really a claim to his life.

You know him, you know his name, you made him.

We ask for his salvation.

As a church father with great joy, we thank you that even though it's just a picture,

it just represents something, we ask for his salvation.

And we ask for the salvation of his family, that this man will get to know Jesus Christ

as his Lord and Savior.

That he and his household be saved in a valley far away because someone took a picture and

the church prayed according to the will of God.

So we thank you that we will meet this man about.

Let me read from Exodus.

Thanks.

Thank you.

If you haven't received it, just let folks know.

Exodus 12.

I'm reading from the NIV.

I read from the NIV.

I read from the NIV.

I read from the NIV.

I am the Lord.

Can you all go to Psalm 91?

Psalm 91.

Let's read it together.

Psalm 91.

I'm reading from the NIV.

You can choose your version.

Psalm 91.

Claim this as a promise as we eat and drink.

This is God's desire and pleasure for the sheep of his flock.

It's amazing how in this Psalm, both in Psalm 23 and Psalm 91,

you'll see the tense change from you to I.

But we'll look at that another time.

Psalm 91, starting at verse 1.

Everybody together.

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, the Lord is my refuge, and you make the most high your dwelling,

no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra.

You will trample the great lion and the serpent.

Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him.

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him.

I will be with him in trouble.

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Let's eat.

On the day he was betrayed, Jesus took bread.

He broke it, and he said, this is my body which is broken for you.

Eat this in remembrance of me.

In the same manner after supper, he took the cup, and he said,

this is the blood, this is my blood, with which I sign with you a new agreement.

We thank you, great shepherd.

We thank you, good shepherd.

We bless you now as we drink in Jesus' name. Amen.

May Psalm 91 be with you as you leave.

Bless you guys. I'll see you when I see you.

Monday is pursuit. Tuesday is quest.

Thursday is Revive 24. Friday is Wally. Sunday is church.

Yeah, if you need prayer, Sue and whoever she has with her will be praying.

So feel free to come up and they'll pray for you.

Otherwise, thank you.