Shepard's After His Heart (Guest Speaker)

Thank you, man. The Bible says he's able to do

exceeding abundant above all that we could ask

or think of him. That if we will give, he will

give back to us a good measure, pressed down,

shaken together, and running over. That before

we call out, he will answer, and while we are

yet speaking, he will hear. He can do anything

but fail. He goes before us in our tomorrows.

He has been all in our yesterdays, and he is

a very present help in time of need. How many

could stand and say, I would not have made it

if it had not been for the goodness of the Lord.

It was He that woke me up this morning. He put

my feet on the solid ground. He's put soundness

in my mind, breath in my lungs, a heart that

beats, a soul that is saved, a heaven that is

before me. How many could raise their hands and

testify and say, the Lord has been good to me

today. Amen. How good it is to be in the house

of the Lord today. And hope well it is good to

be back with you. I think it's been about four

or five years ago that I was here to preach.

And it is an honor to be back with you on this

Pastor Appreciation Sunday. And I know I don't

have to say it. I know you know it. You are blessed

with some of the finest and greatest pastors

there is anywhere in the world. Amen. And so

it is an honor to be here today. to celebrate

Pastor Cliff and Sister Kathy. And again, they

are the choicest, and as Brian said just a moment

ago, they are the very, very best among us. I

do have some nicknames for him. I won't run through

all of those today, but he's got more nicknames

than any other preacher I know. He obviously

leads our covenant group, and we take every chance

we get to express to him just how much we love

him, and sometimes that feels like a dagger in

the kidney. But we do appreciate and love him.

He has to put up with us on a weekly basis. But

he's the very best friend that I have. When I

first met him, I couldn't stand him. I had some

thoughts about him. I didn't like him. I saw

him only from a distance. And I had a conversation

with him. Still didn't know if I liked him. But

I got to know him a little bit more, but he has

become over the last, what, 12, 13 years that

we've been friends. I don't have a better friend

anywhere else in the world. If I'm going through

something, he's the first one I call. Rarely

do I make a weighty pastoral decision. That I

don't seek his counsel and his advice. We have

caught more crappie than I can care to count.

We've killed turkeys. We've chased ducks. We've

done about everything together. We've traveled

all over the country. And what you see is what

you get. He is a pastor's pastor. He is a friend's

friend. And Sister Kathy has been right by his

side. I don't know of a better couple. And they

are worthy of all of the honor and respect that

you all could pay to them today. Amen. Amen.

I love you, my friend. Appreciate you. So we're

going to go into the Word this morning. I know

him well enough that he's had enough attention

today, and he wants it. on the Lord and he wants

the Lord to bless you all today. I had a conversation

with him. He feels like I do. As a pastor, this

is one of the most awkward days that you will

have. You don't serve, you don't preach, you

don't give of yourself for attention. You do

it to see your people be edified and strengthened

and to grow in relationship with the Lord. And

so that's what we're going to do today. We're

going to preach the word. If you have your Bibles,

turn with me to the book of Ezekiel chapter 34.

Ezekiel 34 · chapter mention

We're going to begin in verse 1 and we're going

to go to verse 5. A message I've entitled, Shepherds

After His Heart. Shepherds After His Heart. You

may recognize that verse. It's found in the book

of Jeremiah. But as we read these verses that

are before us, we see a sad state. We see a sad

situation. The people are perishing. They're

being taken advantage of. They're being robbed

simply because there are no shepherds. Read with

me, if you will, at verse 1 of chapter 34. The

Bible says, The word came to me, the word of

the Lord, Son of Man. Prophesy against the shepherds

of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, even to

the shepherds, thus says the Lord God, O you

shepherds of Israel, you who have been feeding

yourselves, should not the shepherds feed the

sheep? You eat of the fat and you clothe yourselves

with the wool. You slaughter the fat ones, but

you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have

not strengthened, the sick you have not healed,

the injured you have not bound up. The strayed

you have not brought back. The lost you have

not sought. And with force and harshness you

have ruled them. And so in verse 5, the Bible

says, So they were scattered because there was

no shepherd. Father, I pray that you would add

blessing to your word. Lord, I know that there

is honor upon this house because there is an

honorable shepherd. There is one who seeks to

strengthen and feed and clothe and to seek after

the sheep of your pasture. That, Lord, he serves

as a shepherd of this congregation. And, Lord,

I pray that the most fruitful and most prosperous

years of this church and the ministry are before

them and not behind them. I pray over Sister

Kathy and Brother Cliff today that your hand,

your guiding light, anointing of the living God

would be upon them as they lead this church.

Father, as I stand behind this pulpit, I pray

that same anointing would be upon me, that the

unction of the Holy Ghost would guide my words.

May it go to enlarge your people and to spread

your glory. In Jesus' name we pray. And the church

said, amen and amen. You may be seated. A pastor

is called to be many things. A pastor is a...

He's a prophet. He's a guiding light. He comes

to lead and to guide the people of God. He's

a preacher who would lift up his voice and declare

the mysteries and the oracles and the deep things

of God. That just as deep calleth unto deep,

the preacher stands behind the pulpit and speaks

the unfathomable mysteries and wisdom of God.

He's a caretaker of souls. He is a counselor

to those who are troubled and in hard and difficult

times. But a pastor is only a pastor because

of the sheep that are before him. A pastor without

a sheep, a pastor without a congregation, a pastor

with no people is no pastor at all. You can take

the title if you would like, and you can call

yourself by any name if you so choose. But if

there are no people underneath your ministry,

or if there are none that are being strengthened

and edified by the work and the effort that you

are accomplishing, then you are no pastor. But

I say before you this morning that you are gifted

with true and genuine pastors. That as I look

out and I see this congregation on this beautiful

fall Sunday morning that the Lord has made. As

I have stood with you in this sanctuary and we

have worshipped the true and living God together.

As I have seen you lift holy hands to a holy

God. As I have felt the presence and known the

atmosphere of worship. here I can say with all

assurance and confidence that you are a people

of God because you have a pastor that has been

called and anointed of God amen I believe with

all of my heart that God has called and anointed

and equipped Kathy and Cliff to lead this church

and this congregation. In fact, I remember, I

told you this a few years ago when I came to

you. I remember the initial conversation that

I had with him pertaining this church. We were

in a duck blind out in Arkansas and he said,

I just cannot get the Hopewell church off of

my mind. He said, I drive by it occasionally.

You know where he was pastoring, one of the largest

churches in the state and one of the largest

churches in the denomination. You just don't

take the move that he made to leave what he left

to come here unless you are seeking the will

of God and not your own will. And I remember

that conversation. He said, I just feel as though

the Lord wants to do something there. I just

feel a burden in my heart that I can't escape.

I can't get away from. I believe the Lord is

calling me here. And so we stand here this morning,

hard to believe, seven years later. And I look

out at this beautiful congregation. And I know

all that the Lord has done these last years.

last seven years. And I say truthfully and assuredly,

it was the will of the Lord to bring them here

as your pastors, as your shepherds, and as your

leaders. Amen. In my conversations with them,

I know the love and the devotion that they have

for you. The concern that they have. The prayers

that they have prayed. And so I stand before

you this morning and I say they are worthy of

all honor and respect and devotion that you can

give to them. It is because they are not seeking

their own wheels. It is because they are not

seeking their own fame. It is because they are

not looking to be lifted. lifted up in the eyes

of man, that they are worthy of honor and devotion

and respect. If you believe that, shout amen

this morning. And so I want to talk about what

it means to be a shepherd. When we open up the

Bible and we find a man by the name of David,

David, that great colossal figure in the Old

Testament, they tell us that David had a mind

as brilliant as a kiss of sunlight upon clear

water. David, who was so gifted with words and

eloquence, who could write half of the book of

Psalms, and yet he was such a warrior that they

sang the songs of him. that Saul had killed his

thousands, but David his tens of thousands. But

yet if you wanted to know the true heart, essence

of who David was, he was a shepherd. That when

we first find David, he's on the backside of

his father's property, tending to the sheep.

David would say that the Lord had delivered the

lion and the bear into his hand, and therefore

when he stood in front of David, that bellowing

giant. He was unafraid and undeterred and unmoved.

And he said, you uncircumcised Philistine, you

shall be as one of them. Why was David so confident?

Why was he so assured that David the shepherd

knew ultimately that there was a shepherd that

was over him? Perhaps the most famous chapter

in all of the Bible. Certainly one of the most

famous chapters in the book of Psalms. Pinned

by the hand of David himself. David would say

those wonderful words. The Lord is my shepherd

and I shall not want. If a pastor is to succeed.

If a pastor is to do well. He must understand

and recognize first and foremost. as an under

-shepherd of the great shepherd himself, that

there is one above us and one that goes before

us and one that leads us. Amen? The word pastor

comes from the Latin translated from shepherd.

That's the true meaning of a pastor. It means

a shepherd, one who would take care of the flock

and tend to the sheep. But we live in a day and

age. We live in a time in which pastors want

to be referred to by many different titles. Some

pastors want to be known as leaders. Others view

themselves as CEOs of the ecclesiastical world.

Others view themselves as visionaries or directors

or encouragers or inspirational or merely motivational

speakers. Can I tell you this morning? of God's

pastor, the members of a congregation, the ecclesiastical

body and mystical body of Jesus Christ. We don't

need CEOs. We don't need motivational speakers.

We don't need some little one, two, three inspirational

talk. We need men who will stand behind the pulpit

of God and preach the word. We need shepherds.

who will lead us into the truth and blessing

and promise of Almighty God. And I can't help

but wonder in this day and age with all of our

descriptions and all of our expectations, if

we have not missed the role of a shepherd in

all of the titles that are laid down at the church's

feet, I wonder how many truly like being called

a pastor or a shepherd. We want to have... some

other title ascribed to us because we want to

be higher than we really are. Can I tell you,

a pastor is the lowest office in the church.

We're servants. We are not here to be served

but rather to serve. And if I can tell you something

about this couple right here, again, they're

not here for their own sake. They are here for

the sake of the body of Christ. They are here

to serve you and to minister to you and to lead

you. To make sure that you lie down in pastures

of green and you sit beside still waters. To

make sure that your heads are anointed with oil

and your cup is running over. That even in the

midst of your enemies, the Lord might bless you

and prosper you and keep you. I know this couple

and they love me. love the title of pastor. They

love the title of shepherd. They are servants

to the people and the body of God. Amen? And

so that was the promise of Scripture. The Lord

said, I'll raise up shepherds after my own heart.

That's the role of a pastor. That's the role

of a preacher, to be a shepherd and his congregation,

the flock. Again, I say sheep don't need CEOs.

They don't need directors. They don't need encouragers.

They need shepherds who will preach the truth

of God's Word. That this Word is sharper than

a two -edged sword. The Bible says that it's

able to separate even soul from spirit and bone

from marrow. It's able to separate and to divide

us. That it's able to see and penetrate even

into the deep recesses of our heart. We need

preachers who will stand behind the pulpit and

say that there is a hell to shun and that there

is a heaven to gain. That there is such a thing

called... And there is needed repentance in the

body of Christ. There is a call to holiness.

That without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

That there is a righteous standard for the people

of God. Sometimes the preacher might come after

you with a rod. And sometimes it might be a staff.

He might come to you in love and encouragement

and uplifting. Words may cut to the very core

of who you are, but can I tell you this world

is not our home. We started out with that song

this morning. Do we not still believe that Jesus

is coming? One glorious day in the clouds that

is lightning flashes, even from the east unto

the west, that at the trump of God, the voice

of the archangel, the Lord himself shall descend

with a shout. we which are alive and remain shall

be called up to meet the Lord, that we who are

alive in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,

that this corruption shall put on incorruption,

and this mortal shall put on immortality, that

death shall be swallowed up in victory forever.

Do we not believe that there is a foundation,

a building not made with hands, eternal in the

heavens? Jesus said you believe. Believe in God.

Believe also in me. I go to prepare a place for

you that where I am, there you may be also. Can

I tell you, you won't get to heaven by your good

works. You won't get to heaven by righteous deeds.

You will only get to heaven by the shed blood

of Jesus Christ. By grace are you saved and not

of yourselves. It is a gift of Christ. God, you

need a preacher who will still tell you that

hell is hot and heaven is sweet. Repent for the

kingdom of God is at hand. Thank God for a preacher

who will stand with a backbone and shoulders

squared and declare the infallible, inerrant,

eternal word of God. Amen. Heaven and earth shall

pass away. But the word of the Lord shall endure

forever. To preach his word. To be entrusted

with his word. What a calling that is. That's

what it means to be a pastor. To be called. You

didn't call yourself Cliff. The Lord called you.

You didn't choose to go anywhere. The Lord ordered

and directed your steps. He's here because He

has put His ear to the lips of Almighty God and

said, Here I am, Lord. Send me. Oh, to have preachers

and pastors such as that. Why do we need them?

Because it is the law of average. That I don't

know your stories here this morning, but I could

say unequivocally, And without a doubt that there

are here this morning marriages that are crumbling.

There's some of you here today that have wayward

children. Some of you have or know people who

are being destroyed by addictive substances,

whether it's alcohol or cigarettes or drugs.

Some of you here today are weighed down with

the burdens and cares of life, stress that is

overwhelming. financial woes that are collapsing,

depression that is defeating. Some of you here

today, it was all you could do to get dressed,

to brush your teeth, and to walk out the door,

and to walk in these doors. You're here simply

running on fumes. You've given everything you

know to give. You're hanging on by a thread.

Not much more to give. Ready to collapse and

give up. The signs of the Christian life are

all but void. You feel like anything but a conqueror

and an overcomer. You hear those words of Paul

in Romans chapter 8 that you're more than conquerors.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

And yet you feel conquered today. You feel overwhelmed.

We have sheep here today who are in danger of

being lost. And so you need a shepherd who would

come along. A shepherd who cares enough to correct

you. A shepherd who cares enough to feed you.

A shepherd who cares enough to encourage you

and to tell you the truth. Because when we look

out at our world, I see no shepherds in politics.

But I expect that. As I turn on the 5 o 'clock

or the 6 o 'clock or the 10 o 'clock news. There's

no shepherds there. They're just talking heads.

When we go into our schools and we look at our

elementaries and our middle school and high schools

and our schools of higher learning, we don't

see shepherds there either. We see the innocence

of our children, of our young people being taken

every single day. And my wife's a teacher, by

the way. I'm not knocking at teachers, but we

live in a day that they're no longer institutions

of learning, but we see the indoctrination and

we see the turning of their little hearts and

minds. There are no shepherds there, but I expect

that. As we go into the courthouses and we see

the judge, your honor, and we all rise for him.

He's a judge, but he's not a shepherd. In no

other avenue, in no other place, no other institution

or congregation or building are there shepherds

except for in the church. It is in the church

that we are called to have a shepherd and a pastor.

And how sad it is that many have abdicated that

responsibility and that calling. But how blessed

you are that you have a shepherd this morning

who understands that there are people or sheep

who need to be fed. And minister to and clothe

with the good news and the words and the grace

and the mercy and the love and the compassion

and the eternalness of God himself. That inside

of this house and this building there is something

that is deposited in your soul that nothing else

in the world can give to you. Amen. The Bible

says. We, like sheep, have gone astray, and therefore

we need shepherds to bring us back in. We live

in a day and age in which sin is no longer called

sin, and because we no longer have a word to

define it, we no longer have a solution to provide.

We live in a day and age in which sheep no longer

think themselves broken, and because they no

longer see themselves broken, they no longer

think that they need to be fixed. We live in

a day and age that we will allow any prescription,

any feel -good to soothe our ills and to calm

our minds, and yet we will now never allow the

peace and the presence that passes all understanding

to give us comfort. You know, I marvel at those

words of Paul. Paul said, be anxious for nothing

in everything. Give thanks unto the Lord. Rejoice

always. And again, I say rejoice. I look back

over the saints of God. I'm a third generation

church of God preacher. My grandfather was a

preacher. My uncle is a preacher. I've grown

up in the church all of my life. I can remember

those saints of old. I remember those services

of yesterday. I remember my grandfather grew

up in a house with a dirt floor. It was a one

-room shack. He grew up working the coal mines

of Marion County. They didn't have much. They

weren't afforded all of the luxuries and the

affluence of life. They were not wealthy by any

means, not in the terms of this world, but there

was a blessing that they had. There was a richness

of soul that could not be taken away. There was

something deposited down deep on the inside of

them. They understood that there was a God that

watched over and kept to make sure that they

were taken care of. In fact, one of the stories

I remember most in that little church on Orm

Mountain was an old sister by the name of Sister

Maggie Nunley. was getting ready to close its

doors. They didn't have a lot in terms of finances.

And so my grandfather told me the story. She

gave her last dime that would have been a lot

of money back in the late 30s and the early 40s.

She gave a dime into the offering plate. It was

the last dime that she had. And my grandfather

told me the story that when she went home that

afternoon and she was working in the garden,

We often wonder, how is the Lord going to do

it? I heard that as Brian declared that... promise

and that prayer over you as you gave this morning,

that as you give, the Lord would provide resources,

that he'd open up the windows of heaven, that

money would chase you down, that blessings of

God would be upon you. I don't know how it works.

I don't have an explanation for it. There's no

mathematical formula. I guess it's like Malachi

said, he'll open up the windows of heaven and

pour you down a blessing. that you cannot contain.

He's able to do it all. He owns the cattle on

a thousand hills, and He owns the hills thereof.

You need to be told that this world is not our

home, but there is a God that watches over us

and guides us every single day. We live in this

old wilderness. We call earth, that there is

a hope and a promise that it... to come. Amen.

Hallelujah. We live in a day and age in which

there are ravenous wolves. There's wayward goats.

There's lions and bears that would do us harm.

And so we need a shepherd to protect us. The

Bible tells us in the last days there would be

such a growth of evil and hostility to the true

faith. that eventually would permeate even into

the church, that there would be a departing from

the faith, a turning unto man -made philosophies,

and that if it were even possible that it might

deceive the elect, that sheep themselves would

turn away. That's why you need a shepherd. And

the only kind of answer to this problem is that

your shepherd, of which you have a good one,

That he might understand and know which he does.

That there is another shepherd that he is pointing

unto. What was it that Paul said to the church

at Thessalonica? What was it that he declared

to them? He said, you are my hope and my joy,

my promise before the Lord. He said, he that

hath the bride is the bridegroom, John declared.

John the Baptist said, I'm not him. I just came

to point to him. I just came to show you who

he is. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom,

but the friend of the bridegroom standeth and

waiteth and rejoiceth greatly at the sound of

his voice. I'm thankful that you have a pastor

this morning that puts his ear to heaven and

says, Lord, where are you leading us today? song

a moment ago. He understands that that cloud

that covers by day, it leads him. And that fire

that burns at night, it's a guiding light. He

understands that the words that he declares and

speaks are not his own. That there is an anointing

of God that blesses and touches and gives life

to his words. Amen. I don't know what it is about

being a preacher, but I've had enough conversations

with him, and I've had them myself, that on the

Sundays you feel like you've preached the worst

sermon in your life, you'll have people come

up and say, Pastor, that was the greatest thing

that I've ever heard. You're trying to drag yourself

out of here and say, Lord, if you could just

turn back the clock and the hand of time and

let me redo that. I stumbled all over myself.

It didn't make sense to me. I don't know how

it made sense to them. And yet they'll come up

to you and say, that was the greatest message.

That blessed me. I got more out of that than

I've gotten in the last six months. And we're

scratching our head trying to figure it out.

But yet on those Sundays where we feel like we

hit all. points that we had and we quoted every

facet of scripture and we're dripping sweat and

we feel like we've left a lung on the altar.

Nobody will say anything. Can I tell you there's

a reason that happens? It's the foolishness of

preaching. It's not in the efforts of man. It's

in the efforts of God. There is an anointing

on the preacher. There is an anointing on the

pulpit. There is an anointing. on the pastor,

that he takes dead words from a dead man, but

he touches the lips and gives life and ability

to penetrate into the darkest soul and darkest

heart and cause life to spring out of it. There

is a great mystery, and that mystery is God himself.

Amen. Paul said, without controversy, great is

the mystery of godliness. Apart from him, your

pastor can do nothing. Apart from him, the church

can do nothing. We recognize that he is the chief

shepherd. He's the bishop of our souls. He's

the captain of our salvation. Of all of the accolades,

I don't know how much time I've got left. 1152.

If I was at home, I'd have eight minutes left

this morning. I know your preacher's a little

longer winded than I am. He's probably just getting

wound up right now. I always get on to him. Let

your people go. Be like Moses. Stand before him.

I'm going to let you go today. I know you're

trying to beat the Baptist. Well, actually, you've

got food back here. But most Sundays you're trying

to beat the Baptist down the road or the Presbyterians

or somewhere. And he just keeps trying to force

things. you and give you more and more and more.

You're saying, Pastor, land the plane already.

We get the point. We know what you're trying

to say. He goes past that 45 minute mark and

it's knocking on an hour every Sunday. I'm trying

to get done in about 25 or 30 minutes. I'm not

your pastor this morning, but I'm speaking to

his heart. Cliff, let him go a little earlier

every Sunday. My grandfather used to say, go

ahead, yeah. this morning. My grandfather used

to say, he said, I'd rather them say, man, I

wish he'd given us a little bit more than to

hear them say, I wish he'd shut up already. I

don't know what y 'all say to him this morning,

but he goes about 10 or 15 minutes just telling

me what he preached to you on Sunday. And that's

just the cliff notes. He does. I'm trying to

be good. Oh, you need a pastor. And you have

a pastor that points to the true shepherd. He

understands that Jesus is the one. They're not

here for their own fame. They're here for the

fame of Jesus. That your life, that you might

be a living epistle read about by men. That everywhere

you go, he might be proud for you to say, I'm

a member of the Hopewell Church of God. I don't

know if y 'all have tags on your cars or bumper

stickers. I won't let my people have them, but

maybe you have them this morning. I hope that

he would be proud of you everywhere that you

went, that he would say, those are my people,

those are my members, that you would carry yourself

because you have a shepherd who has carried you

to the feet of Jesus and laid you at the cross

of Christ, that he understands that he's not

smart enough, he's not strong enough. He's not

good enough, but glory to God, there's one who

is. That by his stripes we are healed. He's able

to do all things. He's the same yesterday, today,

and forevermore. Amen. Would you stand with me

this morning? I'm not going to read all of this,

but I want to close with these remarks. For some

of you, this is not new material. That back in

the 40s and the 50s, there was a man by the name

of Oral Roberts, and you might have your opinions

of him. But he preached a sermon, and the end

of the sermon, he talked about the fourth man.

You sang about it a moment ago. And when he got

to the fourth man in the fiery furnace, he would

ask that question, who is that fourth man? If

I could change that question just a little bit,

and I won't go through all of it, I would like

to ask the question, who ultimately is your shepherd?

If we were to open up in the book of Genesis,

we would find that he is the seed of the woman.

If we go into Exodus, he's the Passover lamb.

If we go into Leviticus, he's the high priest.

In Numbers, he's the pillar of cloud by day and

the pillar of fire by night. In Deuteronomy,

he's the prophet like unto Moses. In Joshua,

he's the captain of our salvation. In Judges,

he's the judge and lawgiver. In Ruth, he's our

kinsman redeemer. If I could go a little bit

further into the book of Psalms, he's that tower

and refuge. He's the one in whose shadow we hide.

In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, he's our wisdom.

In Song of Solomon, he's the lover of our soul,

our bridegroom. In Isaiah, he's the prince of

peace, the wonderful counselor, the mighty God.

Everlasting Father. In Jeremiah, he's the righteous

branch. In limitations, he's the weeping prophet.

In Ezekiel, he's the wonderful four -faced man.

And in Daniel, he's the fourth man in life's

fiery furnaces who ultimately is your shepherd.

In Hosea, he's the faithful husband. In Joel,

he's the baptizer with Holy Ghost and fire. In

Amos, he's our burden bearer. In Obadiah, he's

mighty to save. If I could go over into the New

Testament and we were to open up into the book

of Matthew, we would find that he is the Messiah,

the one who was to come. In Mark, he's the wonder

worker. In Luke, he is the son of man. In John,

he's the word that became flesh and dwelt among

us. In Acts, he is the spirit baptizer. In Romans,

he is the justifier. In 1 and 2 Corinthians,

he's our sanctifier. In Galatians, he's the redeemer

and the curse from the law. In Ephesians, he

is the Christ of unsearchable riches. In Philippians,

he is the God who supplies all of our needs.

In Colossians, he is the fullness of the Godhead

dwelling bodily. In 1 and 2 Thessalonians, he

is our soon coming king. In 1 and 2 Timothy,

he is the mediator between Between God and men,

the man Christ Jesus. In Titus, he's our faithful

pastor. In Philemon, he's the friend that sticks

closer than a brother. In Hebrews, he is the

better blood of the everlasting covenant. In

James, he's the great physician and the prayer

that heals and saves the sick. In 1 and 2 Peter,

he's the chief shepherd who shall appear with

the crown of... unfading glory. In 1 and 2 and

3 John, he is love himself made manifest and

bodily before us. In Jude, he is the Lord coming

with 10 ,000 of his saints. And in Revelation,

he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Amen. Who is your shepherd? He's Abel's sacrifice.

He's Noah's rainbow. He's Abraham's ram. He's

Isaac's well. He's Jacob's scepter. Moses' rod.

Joshua's sun and moon that stood still. He's

Elijah's mantle. Elisha's staff. Gideon's fleece.

Samuel's horn of oil. David's slingshot. Isaiah's

anointment. Hezekiah's sundial. Daniel's visions.

Amos' birth. Malachi's son of righteousness who

is your shepherd. He's Peter's shadow. Stephen's

signs and wonders. He's Paul's handkerchiefs

and aprons. And he's John's pearly white city

who ultimately is your shepherd. He's a father

to the orphan, a husband to the widow, to the

traveler in the night. He's the bright and morning

star to those who walk in the lonesome. He's

the lily that is found. He's the rose of Sharon,

the honey in the rock. He's the brightness of

God's glory, the express image of his person.

He's the king of glory, the pearl of great price,

the rock in a weary land, the cup that runs over,

the rod and staff that comfort, and the government

rests upon his shoulders, and there shall be

no more. Who is your shepherd ultimately? He

is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the living God,

conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin

Mary. He is God of God and light of light and

very God of very God. He is begotten and not

made. He is the Word that became flesh and without

Him nothing was made which has been made. He

has all of the preeminence and honor and glory.

There is no other name given under heaven but

the name of Jesus whereby we might be saved.

Who is your shepherd? He is faithful and true.

He is the promise that holds. He's that sure

and solid foundation. I'm thankful, church, that

you have a pastor that points to the true shepherd.

the chief shepherd, the bishop of your souls.

He understands that there is one who can do anything

but fail, the one who can minister and touch

and heal the people of God. Jesus is my shepherd.

He's your shepherd, and he's your pastor's shepherd.

We're the sheep of his pasture, and how blessed

you are that you have a pastoral couple. That

points to him every single week. He's not up

here for the name of Clifford Waters. He just

assumed to hide behind this pulpit and set forth

the glorious person of Jesus. That's what makes

them a good pastoral couple. They are servants.

What did the Bible say? What were the words of

Jesus? When we get to heaven and he shall say

to us, not well done. Good and faithful whatever

title. Good and faithful servant. A servant of

the Lord. A minister to God's people. A shepherd

to the flock. Cliff, Kathy, I don't want to embarrass

you this morning, but here's what I'd like to

do. I'd like for you guys to come and stand and

face this congregation. Seven years that they

have been here. If you're one of those numbers

people. That's the number of perfection. Number

of completion. Seven wonderful, great years.

And look around at all that the Lord has done.

All that He's blessed you. And can I tell you

His heart? The secrets of His heart? He's not

done. Not even close to done. The conversations

I still have, there's still more to do. There's

still more work. There's still more people to

reach. There's still wayward children. There's

still lost sons and daughters. There's still

sheep that need to come in and be fed. There

are still the naked that need to be clothed and

the hungry that need to be fed and the thirsty

that need drink. Their passion has not waned

one bit in seven years. And so here's what I'd

like to do as an altar call. I'd like for all

of the leadership of this church, whatever it

looks like, to come and stand closest to them.

And then all that would to gather on the outside

of them. Every retired minister, I know you've

got a bunch here this morning. Every retired

minister that would to come and gather around

this couple. And all of this congregation and

all of this body to gather around and help us

lay hands upon them. and pray for a greater anointing,

greater vision, greater passion, and greater

ministry than they've ever known. I believe that

the best is yet to come for this church as the

Lord leads this couple. If you love them and

you believe in them this morning, would you come?

If you're not able to come, stretch your hand

this way and help us pray.