Father, thank you for being such a great God to us, for adopting us as your very own children. We praise you for that. Holy Spirit, thank you for being our teacher. And we just ask you to teach us this morning that each of us would leave with something directly from you to us. And Jesus, we thank you for being our Savior. We thank you for being our shepherd. We praise you and trust you. And it's in your name we pray. Amen. Yeah, the list of the most popular songs ever is pretty eclectic. I don't know if uh maybe some trivia buffs know that. Um I don't know if you know what the most purchased single record of all time is. Um it is Bing Crosby's White Christmas. Far and away, 20 million more copies than any uh single ever purchased. Um Candle in the Wind by Elton John is second, and We Are the World uh is third. Um surprisingly, a couple of my favorite uh tea pain songs didn't even make the list. Um but there is a uh there's a song that can't be calculated by numbers of records purchased that might be the most loved song ever written. It was written 3,000 years ago by a guy that lived quite a life. He went from being a neglected child to a teenage shepherd to an unexpected war hero to the king of Israel. He had a high-profile moral collapse and a restoration. And one thing about David is he was a prolific songwriter and musician. And so he wrote what we call the 23rd Psalm. We call that because it's the 23rd song in a book of songs. And we don't really think of it as a song, you know, because we read it and we think of it as a scripture, but it was written and it was played with music and it was a song. And David wrote this song from a unique perspective. It was not from the war hero or even the broken man in disgrace, it was from his time as a shepherd. We saw last week in when Jesus says in John 5 that you search the scriptures because you you think they give you eternal life, but the scriptures point to me. And this is such a beautiful example of what Jesus is saying. Because this song perfectly describes our relationship with Jesus. Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. We're described in the Bible as sheep that have wandered off, but have returned to our shepherd. And that the 23rd Psalm is, of course, more than just a song. It is a gift. It is a gift of truth, and it's a gift of hope, and it's a gift of comfort to each of us. The song starts The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the still waters, he restores my soul, he leads me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Then we get to the verse. This one that we probably most often think of when we think of the twenty-third Psalm. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. I was at a funeral a couple months ago. A friend of mine's wife passed away. They had two school age children. The funeral was at St. Michael's, and the priest read this psalm. And I think I and everyone there, we were just listening to every word because this family and this group of friends at that moment were walking through the valley of the shadow of death. It was really that day that it reminded me what a powerful song this is and how good it would be for us to spend some time just taking it in, reminding ourselves of our relationship with Jesus through this song. You know, I don't understand how people can live without Jesus. Um, because it is hard enough with him. It is. It is hard enough with him. I don't know how anyone possibly can live without him. And from time to time, we all have dark valleys to walk through. Um we're reading this verse in the New King James Version. I rarely do that. Uh in fact, maybe never, but uh definitely rarely. I prefer a newer translation because they're easier to understand and easier to talk about. But I keep coming back to this translation, and I think it's just because it's the one that most of us who know the 23rd Psalm learned it in, you know? And it just it just seems right to use this translation. But the verse is kind of an anomaly, because in the New King James it is actually mistranslated. The Hebrew word should be translated dark valley. And so in the most of the newer translations, that's what it'll read through the darkest valley. But when the translators that were working for King James worked on this psalm, they wrote what is our darkest valley, you know, the valley of the shadow of death. And so the anomaly that is this verse is both mistranslated and perfectly translated at the exact same time. You know, and we have all kinds of dark valleys in our life. Deep disappointment, financial ruin, you know, being abused, relationships breaking, depression, addiction. I mean, there are all kinds of dark valleys that Jesus will get us through. And they're all difficult. And some of us I know are smacked out in the middle of a dark valley this morning. I want to ask you a favor. I rarely do a group participation type of thing because to me it just feels a little churchy, honestly. But uh, you know, sometimes we can do it. And so this is what I want to do. I'm gonna ask you a favor. I would like you to stop and think about a time in your life where you've gotten really close to God, either for the first time or the time that you felt the closest to God. Okay, and so when you've done that and you can think of a time, raise your hand, please. Okay, so look around at the hands, leave them up, if you will. Look around at the hands. If that time was a difficult time in your life, leave your hand up. See, most of the hands stayed up. Thank you. In tough times, in dark valleys, Jesus, God, the Father, and the Holy Spirit do something amazing. They transform religion into relationship, into a more personal, real relationship. You can see that even the way David writes the song. The first three verses are more observational. Um, David talking about he and the Lord's relationship. David says, He is my shepherd, he gives me everything I need, he makes me rest. But when David gets to the dark valley, something happens. From here on, it is not he, it is you. You are with me, you comfort me, you bless me. I will live with you forever. It's the relationship. You know, the difference between theology and a relationship, the difference between having a belief system and having a relationship. Difference between religion and a real relationship. Jesus, I need you. You. You are with me, you comfort me, you help me. And it's in the really hard times, it's relationship crisis, financial crisis, depression, addiction, health problems, even facing death, that Jesus will be with you. We see that he's real. He see that we see that he's our friend. We see that he is our Savior. Yea, though I walk to the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. A shepherd had two things that they always carried with them. Uh sometimes they'd carry a knapsack with a little bit of food, but they traveled light, and and what they always carried with them was a rod and a staff. And we think it more of the staff when we think of a shepherd, but the rod was a weapon. You know, and a shepherd always had that with him. It was like a nightstick a policeman would carry. Um, about 18 inches long, and um, you know, they had it all the time. When Moses is talking to the burning bush, I don't know if you remember, uh God says to Moses, What's that in your hand? Moses says, A rod. He had it with him at that time. God had him throw it on the ground, it turned into a snake. He had to pick it up, it turned back into a rod, and that rod became a symbol to the Egyptians of God as a weapon, as God as strength. The rod was the weapon that a shepherd used. You know, and if a predator got close, I mean, they would use it precisely. They could throw it, they could swing it. It was always with them. The staff had a different purpose. Now, the staff is what we would stereotypically think of when we think of a shepherd, you know, shepherd leaning on a on a big long stick with a with a crook in the hand. That is what a staff is for a shepherd, and they too would have all that have that with them all the time. Um, it was used not as a weapon, it was used to guide and to save. And so when the sheep were going along the path and they would they would travel a lot because they would be going from pasture to pasture, you know, at different times of the year. And so as they're going down the path, the shepherd would reach out with that staff and he would nudge the sheep on their shoulders and just move them back onto the to the path. And so they're all going in the same direction. But it was most often used to save. Because it was dangerous for sheep. You know, it was a dangerous time, and they had to travel through some dangerous places with lots of hazards. Uh, and the shepherd could not always protect the sheep. You know, the rod was to protect, but he couldn't always protect. Sometimes he would have to save. You know, and the sheep that they would get thirsty and they would go down to a stream, you know, and sometimes they'd go crazy for the water, and they'd just go in too far and they'd start to drown. And the shepherd would have to reach out with that staff with the crook in the end and grab the sheep and pull them back to safety. A sheep would fall in a hole. You know, and they'd be there and they'd think that they were completely forgotten, but they weren't. The shepherd would find them. And he'd reach down with the staff and he would pull them out of that hole back onto the path. You know, one of the uh most often things that would happen is that sheep would get into thorns, and they'd get themselves tangled into thorns so much that they couldn't even move. But the shepherd would come along with the staff, and he would use that to pull off the thorns and set his sheep free. And so here is the shepherd. A weapon in one hand and a staff in the other. And it gives David comfort. His shepherd is going to protect him from many things and save him from everything else. God said David was a man after his own after his own heart. David got God. You know what I mean? He got him, he understood God. And the fact that his shepherd had a weapon in his hand did not scare him. It comforted him. It comforted him because he understood how much God loved him. You know, if um if my daughter and I are walking through the woods and it gets dark, and um and all of a sudden we hear, you know, a coyote or something, you know, or maybe it's just an angry deer or um a rabid squirrel or something, you know, but you know, if we get nervous and I pick up a if I pick up a stick as a weapon, what will her reaction be to that? Will that make her scared or comforted? Well, this isn't a very good analogy, because probably neither. But here's the point is is what are is the chance that I am going to hit her with that stick? Zero. There is no chance. That rod is only there to protect her. Only there to protect her. And when our shepherd is mighty and strong with a rod and a staff, it does not scare us. It did not scare David, it gave him comfort. In 1 Samuel, David tells about when he is a shepherd, and he chased down bears and lions with his bare hands in order to save his sheep. See, David knows that he was a good shepherd. He would have never hurt his sheep. He protected them, he saved them. The fact that his shepherd is strong and powerful and carries weapons, it comforts him. It comforts him. You know, one of the confusing things for us is why Jesus doesn't protect us from all the bad things. You know, personally, I've made peace with that. You know, I uh I've come to understand that we live in a jacked-up world, you know, and that eventually God is going to restore everything to how he wants it. We're going to talk about that a little bit next week. But he does not promise to protect us from everything. In fact, the opposite is really more true. It says in John 16, I've told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. And so when we're drowning, or fallen into a hole, or got ourselves stuck in a bunch of thorns, even when we find ourselves in the darkest valley, our shepherd has not forgotten about us. Our shepherd has not lost his love for us. He is going to save us. Take heart. Take heart. He has overcome the world. And that brings us to the darkest valley, the valley of the shadow of death. You know, facing our own death, facing the death of those that we love, which is what I really think David was talking about in this psalm. He hadn't yet faced his own death, but he had walked through the valley of the shadow of death with those that he loved. You know, for us personally, there's an apprehension like anything. You know, we don't know what to expect. But it's it's those that we love, our children, our parents, our spouses, our friends that really rock us. Because there's so much grief, and we miss them so much. And it feels so final. David says, even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. You do not in any way need to fear death. In John 11, Jesus says, You don't have to wait for the end. I am right now resurrection and life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this? Believe it. Believe it. It's true. You will not ultimately die at all. It'll be like a blink of an eye. Then you'll have a whole new body, a whole new world, a whole new life. It's true. And it's true with our loved ones too. I think uncertainty about our loved ones, uncertainty about their future in heaven, is what makes the valley of the shadow of death so dark. David had a baby son that died. While he was sick, David fasted and mourned. But when he died, he got up and he bathed and he ate. And those people around him, it really threw them, and they weren't sure what was going on. They said, we don't quite get it. You mourned before your baby died, but now you've changed clothes and and washed up and are eating. And this wasn't like a pattern for mourning, because later in David's life he'll had an older son die unexpectedly, and he mourned after and grieved after then. David's reaction is just an expression of what David knew about God. It says in 2 Samuel 12, 23, can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me. See, David knew he hadn't lost a son. That he would go to him one day. That death was not final, though it felt final. They'd be separated for a moment. Life goes by so fast, and then they would be together forever. You know, in the book of Job, there is, at least to me, the most interesting reinforcement of God's plan for us and our loved ones. His plan for us and our loved ones to live together forever. In Job 1, it says, There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless, a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area. And it goes on to say that talk about his kids who were who were grown, how they would get together and they would celebrate for days. And this worried Job. He felt like they were unpleasing to God. Then one day, the unthinkable happens to Job. And one day, marauders came and they stole all his cattle. A fire destroyed his flocks. And then a storm and a great wind destroyed the house of his oldest son. All of his grown children were there that night for a party. And in that tragedy, they all died. All ten of his children. And so for the next 40 chapters in Job, Job, his wife, and his friends are trying to understand the whole thing. You know, and his wife thinks he should just curse God, and his friends think that it's all his fault, or that God's trying to teach him humility, or he brought it on, or those types of things. But it wasn't any of those things. In fact, God's plan was to make Job an example of great blessing. In Job 42, it says, So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand teams of oxen, and a thousand. Female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. Now, this is a small statement that's easy to miss. Job started with 7,000 sheep, God gave him 14,000. He started with 3,000 camels, and God gave him 6,000. He had 500 oxen, so this time God gave him a thousand, and so on. God exactly doubled everything for Job that he lost. But to double his children, God did not give Job 14 new sons and six new daughters. He only gave Job seven new sons and three more daughters. Because Job never lost his children. We don't lose our children. At that moment, Job now had fourteen sons and six daughters. And soon all of them would be living together forever in heaven. Sometimes people that teach that God is so anxious to send people to hell. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death with a loved one, it's hard to be comforted. Because we're not sure we will see them again. Jesus said that he did not come to condemn the world, he came to save it. Three months ago we were talking about joy, and I shared a few verses that are difficult to understand, so they're really seldom talked about. 1 Peter 3 is talking about Jesus. It says, So he went and preached to the spirits in prison, those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. Okay, he says literally now, not that this is easy for us to understand, but he says literally that Jesus went and gave the people who died in the flood, the people who are called the most wicked ever, the opportunity to be saved through him. And then in 1 Peter 4, it says, That is why the good news was preached to those who are now dead. So although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit. In Romans chapter 11, this there's a similar statement about Israel. It says, I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud of yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles come to Christ, and so all Israel will be saved. As the scriptures say, the one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness, and this is my covenant with them that I will take away their sins. Then he goes on to say, For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience, so he could have mercy on everyone. Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge, how impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways. The reason it is impossible for us to understand the decisions and the ways of God, because it is impossible for us to possibly comprehend how loving and how merciful God is to us. It's impossible to understand. That could be trouble. But this is the truth. This is the truth. If Jesus saved the thief on the cross who turned to him literally with his last breath, if he saved the wicked people who died in the flood and all of Israel after their last breath, he can reach out with his shepherd staff and save the ones you love. How great is his love. How hard is it to understand his decisions and his way. Jesus is our shepherd. And when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we have nothing to fear. He is our shepherd. The fact that he carries a rod and a staff doesn't scare us, it comforts us. He is for us. Through. Through. If you are in a valley now, you will get through. Jesus won't let us set up camp in a dark valley. There's a pasture on the other side. He loves us, he leads us, you will make it through. And you'll get on to the next part of this song. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. And I will live in the house of the Lord forever. If the worship team will come up, we're going to finish in just a minute. We're going to sing one more song together. You know, if you haven't already put your trust in Jesus, he is for you. He loves you. He cares for you. In your own words, in your own way, you just simply have to ask him to be your shepherd. Jesus, just be my shepherd. And he will. We're going to be blown away by the whole thing. Just as it's happening. Imagine, just seeing angels and Jesus getting to see him face to face. But quickly, I think, we're going to turn and we're going to see all those that we love. And we're going to put our arms around them and we're going to hold them knowing that we will never, ever be apart again. And at that moment, we will know that even though we walked through the valley of the shadow of death, we had nothing to fear. Because the Lord is our shepherd. Just stand with me. Let's pray. Jesus, we thank you. We thank you for being our shepherd. Lead us, teach us, get us through all of the dark valleys. We look forward to living with you and our loved ones in your house forever. Thank you, Jesus. We love you, we trust you. And it's in your name we pray. Amen.