WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.990 Thank you, man. The Bible says he's able to do 00:00:02.990 --> 00:00:05.730 exceeding abundant above all that we could ask 00:00:05.730 --> 00:00:08.230 or think of him. That if we will give, he will 00:00:08.230 --> 00:00:10.429 give back to us a good measure, pressed down, 00:00:10.470 --> 00:00:12.990 shaken together, and running over. That before 00:00:12.990 --> 00:00:16.149 we call out, he will answer, and while we are 00:00:16.149 --> 00:00:18.949 yet speaking, he will hear. He can do anything 00:00:18.949 --> 00:00:22.570 but fail. He goes before us in our tomorrows. 00:00:22.570 --> 00:00:25.250 He has been all in our yesterdays, and he is 00:00:25.250 --> 00:00:29.609 a very present help in time of need. How many 00:00:29.609 --> 00:00:32.359 could stand and say, I would not have made it 00:00:32.359 --> 00:00:35.600 if it had not been for the goodness of the Lord. 00:00:35.719 --> 00:00:38.759 It was He that woke me up this morning. He put 00:00:38.759 --> 00:00:42.359 my feet on the solid ground. He's put soundness 00:00:42.359 --> 00:00:46.219 in my mind, breath in my lungs, a heart that 00:00:46.219 --> 00:00:49.560 beats, a soul that is saved, a heaven that is 00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:52.420 before me. How many could raise their hands and 00:00:52.420 --> 00:00:56.539 testify and say, the Lord has been good to me 00:00:56.539 --> 00:01:01.020 today. Amen. How good it is to be in the house 00:01:01.020 --> 00:01:03.939 of the Lord today. And hope well it is good to 00:01:03.939 --> 00:01:06.379 be back with you. I think it's been about four 00:01:06.379 --> 00:01:09.959 or five years ago that I was here to preach. 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:12.420 And it is an honor to be back with you on this 00:01:12.420 --> 00:01:15.680 Pastor Appreciation Sunday. And I know I don't 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:18.060 have to say it. I know you know it. You are blessed 00:01:18.060 --> 00:01:20.760 with some of the finest and greatest pastors 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:24.260 there is anywhere in the world. Amen. And so 00:01:24.260 --> 00:01:27.219 it is an honor to be here today. to celebrate 00:01:27.219 --> 00:01:31.180 Pastor Cliff and Sister Kathy. And again, they 00:01:31.180 --> 00:01:34.439 are the choicest, and as Brian said just a moment 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:37.579 ago, they are the very, very best among us. I 00:01:37.579 --> 00:01:40.400 do have some nicknames for him. I won't run through 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:42.959 all of those today, but he's got more nicknames 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.659 than any other preacher I know. He obviously 00:01:45.659 --> 00:01:49.340 leads our covenant group, and we take every chance 00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:53.159 we get to express to him just how much we love 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:55.359 him, and sometimes that feels like a dagger in 00:01:55.359 --> 00:01:58.680 the kidney. But we do appreciate and love him. 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:01.719 He has to put up with us on a weekly basis. But 00:02:01.719 --> 00:02:05.060 he's the very best friend that I have. When I 00:02:05.060 --> 00:02:08.819 first met him, I couldn't stand him. I had some 00:02:08.819 --> 00:02:11.560 thoughts about him. I didn't like him. I saw 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:13.680 him only from a distance. And I had a conversation 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:16.099 with him. Still didn't know if I liked him. But 00:02:16.099 --> 00:02:18.319 I got to know him a little bit more, but he has 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:21.419 become over the last, what, 12, 13 years that 00:02:21.419 --> 00:02:23.180 we've been friends. I don't have a better friend 00:02:23.180 --> 00:02:26.740 anywhere else in the world. If I'm going through 00:02:26.740 --> 00:02:29.379 something, he's the first one I call. Rarely 00:02:29.379 --> 00:02:33.360 do I make a weighty pastoral decision. That I 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:35.919 don't seek his counsel and his advice. We have 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:38.460 caught more crappie than I can care to count. 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:41.520 We've killed turkeys. We've chased ducks. We've 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:43.139 done about everything together. We've traveled 00:02:43.139 --> 00:02:46.340 all over the country. And what you see is what 00:02:46.340 --> 00:02:50.080 you get. He is a pastor's pastor. He is a friend's 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:52.800 friend. And Sister Kathy has been right by his 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:55.139 side. I don't know of a better couple. And they 00:02:55.139 --> 00:02:57.659 are worthy of all of the honor and respect that 00:02:57.659 --> 00:03:02.000 you all could pay to them today. Amen. Amen. 00:03:03.239 --> 00:03:07.460 I love you, my friend. Appreciate you. So we're 00:03:07.460 --> 00:03:08.800 going to go into the Word this morning. I know 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:11.300 him well enough that he's had enough attention 00:03:11.300 --> 00:03:14.939 today, and he wants it. on the Lord and he wants 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:17.319 the Lord to bless you all today. I had a conversation 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:20.599 with him. He feels like I do. As a pastor, this 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:22.979 is one of the most awkward days that you will 00:03:22.979 --> 00:03:25.039 have. You don't serve, you don't preach, you 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:27.439 don't give of yourself for attention. You do 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:29.639 it to see your people be edified and strengthened 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:31.960 and to grow in relationship with the Lord. And 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:33.800 so that's what we're going to do today. We're 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:35.400 going to preach the word. If you have your Bibles, 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:37.699 turn with me to the book of Ezekiel chapter 34. 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:40.419 We're going to begin in verse 1 and we're going 00:03:40.419 --> 00:03:45.360 to go to verse 5. A message I've entitled, Shepherds 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:50.300 After His Heart. Shepherds After His Heart. You 00:03:50.300 --> 00:03:52.139 may recognize that verse. It's found in the book 00:03:52.139 --> 00:03:54.280 of Jeremiah. But as we read these verses that 00:03:54.280 --> 00:03:58.159 are before us, we see a sad state. We see a sad 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:00.740 situation. The people are perishing. They're 00:04:00.740 --> 00:04:02.680 being taken advantage of. They're being robbed 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:05.259 simply because there are no shepherds. Read with 00:04:05.259 --> 00:04:07.740 me, if you will, at verse 1 of chapter 34. The 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:10.500 Bible says, The word came to me, the word of 00:04:10.500 --> 00:04:14.060 the Lord, Son of Man. Prophesy against the shepherds 00:04:14.060 --> 00:04:17.420 of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, even to 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:20.899 the shepherds, thus says the Lord God, O you 00:04:20.899 --> 00:04:23.779 shepherds of Israel, you who have been feeding 00:04:23.779 --> 00:04:27.120 yourselves, should not the shepherds feed the 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:30.420 sheep? You eat of the fat and you clothe yourselves 00:04:30.420 --> 00:04:33.500 with the wool. You slaughter the fat ones, but 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:36.779 you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have 00:04:36.779 --> 00:04:39.139 not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, 00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:42.899 the injured you have not bound up. The strayed 00:04:42.899 --> 00:04:45.720 you have not brought back. The lost you have 00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:49.579 not sought. And with force and harshness you 00:04:49.579 --> 00:04:52.519 have ruled them. And so in verse 5, the Bible 00:04:52.519 --> 00:04:56.259 says, So they were scattered because there was 00:04:56.259 --> 00:04:58.759 no shepherd. Father, I pray that you would add 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:01.490 blessing to your word. Lord, I know that there 00:05:01.490 --> 00:05:04.170 is honor upon this house because there is an 00:05:04.170 --> 00:05:07.129 honorable shepherd. There is one who seeks to 00:05:07.129 --> 00:05:10.329 strengthen and feed and clothe and to seek after 00:05:10.329 --> 00:05:13.730 the sheep of your pasture. That, Lord, he serves 00:05:13.730 --> 00:05:16.850 as a shepherd of this congregation. And, Lord, 00:05:16.870 --> 00:05:19.990 I pray that the most fruitful and most prosperous 00:05:19.990 --> 00:05:23.129 years of this church and the ministry are before 00:05:23.129 --> 00:05:25.470 them and not behind them. I pray over Sister 00:05:25.470 --> 00:05:28.610 Kathy and Brother Cliff today that your hand, 00:05:28.709 --> 00:05:31.459 your guiding light, anointing of the living God 00:05:31.459 --> 00:05:33.819 would be upon them as they lead this church. 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:37.180 Father, as I stand behind this pulpit, I pray 00:05:37.180 --> 00:05:39.620 that same anointing would be upon me, that the 00:05:39.620 --> 00:05:42.399 unction of the Holy Ghost would guide my words. 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:45.399 May it go to enlarge your people and to spread 00:05:45.399 --> 00:05:48.319 your glory. In Jesus' name we pray. And the church 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:53.899 said, amen and amen. You may be seated. A pastor 00:05:53.899 --> 00:05:58.339 is called to be many things. A pastor is a... 00:05:58.589 --> 00:06:03.350 He's a prophet. He's a guiding light. He comes 00:06:03.350 --> 00:06:06.579 to lead and to guide the people of God. He's 00:06:06.579 --> 00:06:09.860 a preacher who would lift up his voice and declare 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:13.220 the mysteries and the oracles and the deep things 00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:16.800 of God. That just as deep calleth unto deep, 00:06:16.860 --> 00:06:20.620 the preacher stands behind the pulpit and speaks 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:24.620 the unfathomable mysteries and wisdom of God. 00:06:24.819 --> 00:06:28.540 He's a caretaker of souls. He is a counselor 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:31.939 to those who are troubled and in hard and difficult 00:06:31.939 --> 00:06:36.660 times. But a pastor is only a pastor because 00:06:36.660 --> 00:06:40.040 of the sheep that are before him. A pastor without 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:45.019 a sheep, a pastor without a congregation, a pastor 00:06:45.019 --> 00:06:48.800 with no people is no pastor at all. You can take 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:51.720 the title if you would like, and you can call 00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:55.639 yourself by any name if you so choose. But if 00:06:55.639 --> 00:06:58.420 there are no people underneath your ministry, 00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:00.939 or if there are none that are being strengthened 00:07:00.939 --> 00:07:04.379 and edified by the work and the effort that you 00:07:04.379 --> 00:07:08.209 are accomplishing, then you are no pastor. But 00:07:08.209 --> 00:07:11.170 I say before you this morning that you are gifted 00:07:11.170 --> 00:07:14.370 with true and genuine pastors. That as I look 00:07:14.370 --> 00:07:17.889 out and I see this congregation on this beautiful 00:07:17.889 --> 00:07:22.129 fall Sunday morning that the Lord has made. As 00:07:22.129 --> 00:07:25.170 I have stood with you in this sanctuary and we 00:07:25.170 --> 00:07:28.189 have worshipped the true and living God together. 00:07:28.329 --> 00:07:31.889 As I have seen you lift holy hands to a holy 00:07:31.889 --> 00:07:35.410 God. As I have felt the presence and known the 00:07:35.410 --> 00:07:39.449 atmosphere of worship. here I can say with all 00:07:39.449 --> 00:07:43.550 assurance and confidence that you are a people 00:07:43.550 --> 00:07:46.949 of God because you have a pastor that has been 00:07:46.949 --> 00:07:51.029 called and anointed of God amen I believe with 00:07:51.029 --> 00:07:54.529 all of my heart that God has called and anointed 00:07:54.529 --> 00:07:59.180 and equipped Kathy and Cliff to lead this church 00:07:59.180 --> 00:08:02.879 and this congregation. In fact, I remember, I 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:06.120 told you this a few years ago when I came to 00:08:06.120 --> 00:08:10.279 you. I remember the initial conversation that 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:14.040 I had with him pertaining this church. We were 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:17.439 in a duck blind out in Arkansas and he said, 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:21.459 I just cannot get the Hopewell church off of 00:08:21.459 --> 00:08:24.620 my mind. He said, I drive by it occasionally. 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:27.980 You know where he was pastoring, one of the largest 00:08:27.980 --> 00:08:31.980 churches in the state and one of the largest 00:08:31.980 --> 00:08:34.960 churches in the denomination. You just don't 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:39.600 take the move that he made to leave what he left 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:42.419 to come here unless you are seeking the will 00:08:42.419 --> 00:08:45.450 of God and not your own will. And I remember 00:08:45.450 --> 00:08:48.710 that conversation. He said, I just feel as though 00:08:48.710 --> 00:08:52.090 the Lord wants to do something there. I just 00:08:52.090 --> 00:08:55.750 feel a burden in my heart that I can't escape. 00:08:56.129 --> 00:08:59.690 I can't get away from. I believe the Lord is 00:08:59.690 --> 00:09:03.529 calling me here. And so we stand here this morning, 00:09:03.629 --> 00:09:07.789 hard to believe, seven years later. And I look 00:09:07.789 --> 00:09:11.190 out at this beautiful congregation. And I know 00:09:11.190 --> 00:09:14.029 all that the Lord has done these last years. 00:09:13.870 --> 00:09:18.629 last seven years. And I say truthfully and assuredly, 00:09:18.629 --> 00:09:22.350 it was the will of the Lord to bring them here 00:09:22.350 --> 00:09:26.950 as your pastors, as your shepherds, and as your 00:09:26.950 --> 00:09:31.080 leaders. Amen. In my conversations with them, 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:34.200 I know the love and the devotion that they have 00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:37.659 for you. The concern that they have. The prayers 00:09:37.659 --> 00:09:40.559 that they have prayed. And so I stand before 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:43.299 you this morning and I say they are worthy of 00:09:43.299 --> 00:09:47.460 all honor and respect and devotion that you can 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:50.299 give to them. It is because they are not seeking 00:09:50.299 --> 00:09:53.539 their own wheels. It is because they are not 00:09:53.539 --> 00:09:56.740 seeking their own fame. It is because they are 00:09:56.740 --> 00:09:59.590 not looking to be lifted. lifted up in the eyes 00:09:59.590 --> 00:10:03.409 of man, that they are worthy of honor and devotion 00:10:03.409 --> 00:10:06.950 and respect. If you believe that, shout amen 00:10:06.950 --> 00:10:10.929 this morning. And so I want to talk about what 00:10:10.929 --> 00:10:14.289 it means to be a shepherd. When we open up the 00:10:14.289 --> 00:10:17.730 Bible and we find a man by the name of David, 00:10:17.870 --> 00:10:20.889 David, that great colossal figure in the Old 00:10:20.889 --> 00:10:23.970 Testament, they tell us that David had a mind 00:10:23.970 --> 00:10:26.970 as brilliant as a kiss of sunlight upon clear 00:10:26.970 --> 00:10:30.350 water. David, who was so gifted with words and 00:10:30.350 --> 00:10:33.169 eloquence, who could write half of the book of 00:10:33.169 --> 00:10:37.009 Psalms, and yet he was such a warrior that they 00:10:37.009 --> 00:10:40.610 sang the songs of him. that Saul had killed his 00:10:40.610 --> 00:10:45.110 thousands, but David his tens of thousands. But 00:10:45.110 --> 00:10:48.070 yet if you wanted to know the true heart, essence 00:10:48.070 --> 00:10:51.789 of who David was, he was a shepherd. That when 00:10:51.789 --> 00:10:55.750 we first find David, he's on the backside of 00:10:55.750 --> 00:10:59.009 his father's property, tending to the sheep. 00:10:59.210 --> 00:11:02.250 David would say that the Lord had delivered the 00:11:02.250 --> 00:11:06.149 lion and the bear into his hand, and therefore 00:11:06.149 --> 00:11:08.950 when he stood in front of David, that bellowing 00:11:08.950 --> 00:11:13.570 giant. He was unafraid and undeterred and unmoved. 00:11:13.690 --> 00:11:17.710 And he said, you uncircumcised Philistine, you 00:11:17.710 --> 00:11:23.110 shall be as one of them. Why was David so confident? 00:11:23.289 --> 00:11:27.350 Why was he so assured that David the shepherd 00:11:27.350 --> 00:11:30.710 knew ultimately that there was a shepherd that 00:11:30.710 --> 00:11:34.610 was over him? Perhaps the most famous chapter 00:11:34.610 --> 00:11:38.460 in all of the Bible. Certainly one of the most 00:11:38.460 --> 00:11:42.559 famous chapters in the book of Psalms. Pinned 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:46.700 by the hand of David himself. David would say 00:11:46.700 --> 00:11:51.379 those wonderful words. The Lord is my shepherd 00:11:51.379 --> 00:11:57.100 and I shall not want. If a pastor is to succeed. 00:11:57.200 --> 00:12:01.820 If a pastor is to do well. He must understand 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:07.100 and recognize first and foremost. as an under 00:12:07.100 --> 00:12:11.080 -shepherd of the great shepherd himself, that 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:14.480 there is one above us and one that goes before 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:18.779 us and one that leads us. Amen? The word pastor 00:12:18.779 --> 00:12:23.019 comes from the Latin translated from shepherd. 00:12:23.379 --> 00:12:26.899 That's the true meaning of a pastor. It means 00:12:26.899 --> 00:12:30.460 a shepherd, one who would take care of the flock 00:12:30.460 --> 00:12:35.200 and tend to the sheep. But we live in a day and 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:38.919 age. We live in a time in which pastors want 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:42.620 to be referred to by many different titles. Some 00:12:42.620 --> 00:12:46.039 pastors want to be known as leaders. Others view 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:50.879 themselves as CEOs of the ecclesiastical world. 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:54.940 Others view themselves as visionaries or directors 00:12:54.940 --> 00:13:00.200 or encouragers or inspirational or merely motivational 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:05.470 speakers. Can I tell you this morning? of God's 00:13:05.470 --> 00:13:10.389 pastor, the members of a congregation, the ecclesiastical 00:13:10.389 --> 00:13:15.049 body and mystical body of Jesus Christ. We don't 00:13:15.049 --> 00:13:19.929 need CEOs. We don't need motivational speakers. 00:13:20.250 --> 00:13:24.090 We don't need some little one, two, three inspirational 00:13:24.090 --> 00:13:29.269 talk. We need men who will stand behind the pulpit 00:13:29.269 --> 00:13:33.669 of God and preach the word. We need shepherds. 00:13:34.029 --> 00:13:36.870 who will lead us into the truth and blessing 00:13:36.870 --> 00:13:41.190 and promise of Almighty God. And I can't help 00:13:41.190 --> 00:13:44.470 but wonder in this day and age with all of our 00:13:44.470 --> 00:13:48.389 descriptions and all of our expectations, if 00:13:48.389 --> 00:13:51.730 we have not missed the role of a shepherd in 00:13:51.730 --> 00:13:55.409 all of the titles that are laid down at the church's 00:13:55.409 --> 00:13:59.529 feet, I wonder how many truly like being called 00:13:59.529 --> 00:14:03.379 a pastor or a shepherd. We want to have... some 00:14:03.379 --> 00:14:06.639 other title ascribed to us because we want to 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:10.360 be higher than we really are. Can I tell you, 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:14.159 a pastor is the lowest office in the church. 00:14:14.379 --> 00:14:18.179 We're servants. We are not here to be served 00:14:18.179 --> 00:14:22.000 but rather to serve. And if I can tell you something 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.159 about this couple right here, again, they're 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:29.080 not here for their own sake. They are here for 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:32.820 the sake of the body of Christ. They are here 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:36.799 to serve you and to minister to you and to lead 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:40.299 you. To make sure that you lie down in pastures 00:14:40.299 --> 00:14:44.840 of green and you sit beside still waters. To 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:47.919 make sure that your heads are anointed with oil 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:51.759 and your cup is running over. That even in the 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:55.519 midst of your enemies, the Lord might bless you 00:14:55.519 --> 00:15:00.519 and prosper you and keep you. I know this couple 00:15:00.519 --> 00:15:04.799 and they love me. love the title of pastor. They 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:08.360 love the title of shepherd. They are servants 00:15:08.360 --> 00:15:14.600 to the people and the body of God. Amen? And 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:17.820 so that was the promise of Scripture. The Lord 00:15:17.820 --> 00:15:21.279 said, I'll raise up shepherds after my own heart. 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:24.940 That's the role of a pastor. That's the role 00:15:24.940 --> 00:15:28.659 of a preacher, to be a shepherd and his congregation, 00:15:28.700 --> 00:15:32.460 the flock. Again, I say sheep don't need CEOs. 00:15:33.019 --> 00:15:36.120 They don't need directors. They don't need encouragers. 00:15:36.379 --> 00:15:40.299 They need shepherds who will preach the truth 00:15:40.299 --> 00:15:44.299 of God's Word. That this Word is sharper than 00:15:44.299 --> 00:15:47.750 a two -edged sword. The Bible says that it's 00:15:47.750 --> 00:15:52.970 able to separate even soul from spirit and bone 00:15:52.970 --> 00:15:57.029 from marrow. It's able to separate and to divide 00:15:57.029 --> 00:16:00.529 us. That it's able to see and penetrate even 00:16:00.529 --> 00:16:04.769 into the deep recesses of our heart. We need 00:16:04.769 --> 00:16:08.350 preachers who will stand behind the pulpit and 00:16:08.350 --> 00:16:11.870 say that there is a hell to shun and that there 00:16:11.870 --> 00:16:15.269 is a heaven to gain. That there is such a thing 00:16:15.269 --> 00:16:19.080 called... And there is needed repentance in the 00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:22.179 body of Christ. There is a call to holiness. 00:16:22.419 --> 00:16:26.639 That without holiness no man shall see the Lord. 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:30.240 That there is a righteous standard for the people 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:33.679 of God. Sometimes the preacher might come after 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:37.480 you with a rod. And sometimes it might be a staff. 00:16:37.740 --> 00:16:41.059 He might come to you in love and encouragement 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:47.000 and uplifting. Words may cut to the very core 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:50.000 of who you are, but can I tell you this world 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:53.860 is not our home. We started out with that song 00:16:53.860 --> 00:16:57.039 this morning. Do we not still believe that Jesus 00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:01.360 is coming? One glorious day in the clouds that 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:04.819 is lightning flashes, even from the east unto 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:08.160 the west, that at the trump of God, the voice 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:11.579 of the archangel, the Lord himself shall descend 00:17:11.579 --> 00:17:16.460 with a shout. we which are alive and remain shall 00:17:16.460 --> 00:17:19.680 be called up to meet the Lord, that we who are 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:22.980 alive in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:25.960 that this corruption shall put on incorruption, 00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:30.500 and this mortal shall put on immortality, that 00:17:30.500 --> 00:17:34.000 death shall be swallowed up in victory forever. 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:36.859 Do we not believe that there is a foundation, 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:41.079 a building not made with hands, eternal in the 00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:43.809 heavens? Jesus said you believe. Believe in God. 00:17:43.890 --> 00:17:48.029 Believe also in me. I go to prepare a place for 00:17:48.029 --> 00:17:52.990 you that where I am, there you may be also. Can 00:17:52.990 --> 00:17:56.069 I tell you, you won't get to heaven by your good 00:17:56.069 --> 00:17:59.869 works. You won't get to heaven by righteous deeds. 00:18:00.210 --> 00:18:04.049 You will only get to heaven by the shed blood 00:18:04.049 --> 00:18:09.730 of Jesus Christ. By grace are you saved and not 00:18:09.730 --> 00:18:13.250 of yourselves. It is a gift of Christ. God, you 00:18:13.250 --> 00:18:16.109 need a preacher who will still tell you that 00:18:16.109 --> 00:18:20.650 hell is hot and heaven is sweet. Repent for the 00:18:20.650 --> 00:18:25.390 kingdom of God is at hand. Thank God for a preacher 00:18:25.390 --> 00:18:29.069 who will stand with a backbone and shoulders 00:18:29.069 --> 00:18:33.869 squared and declare the infallible, inerrant, 00:18:33.869 --> 00:18:39.509 eternal word of God. Amen. Heaven and earth shall 00:18:39.509 --> 00:18:43.619 pass away. But the word of the Lord shall endure 00:18:43.619 --> 00:18:48.099 forever. To preach his word. To be entrusted 00:18:48.099 --> 00:18:52.900 with his word. What a calling that is. That's 00:18:52.900 --> 00:18:56.619 what it means to be a pastor. To be called. You 00:18:56.619 --> 00:19:00.039 didn't call yourself Cliff. The Lord called you. 00:19:00.430 --> 00:19:03.890 You didn't choose to go anywhere. The Lord ordered 00:19:03.890 --> 00:19:07.509 and directed your steps. He's here because He 00:19:07.509 --> 00:19:11.589 has put His ear to the lips of Almighty God and 00:19:11.589 --> 00:19:16.869 said, Here I am, Lord. Send me. Oh, to have preachers 00:19:16.869 --> 00:19:20.930 and pastors such as that. Why do we need them? 00:19:21.430 --> 00:19:25.269 Because it is the law of average. That I don't 00:19:25.269 --> 00:19:28.190 know your stories here this morning, but I could 00:19:28.190 --> 00:19:32.339 say unequivocally, And without a doubt that there 00:19:32.339 --> 00:19:35.460 are here this morning marriages that are crumbling. 00:19:35.779 --> 00:19:38.640 There's some of you here today that have wayward 00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:42.259 children. Some of you have or know people who 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:46.259 are being destroyed by addictive substances, 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:50.400 whether it's alcohol or cigarettes or drugs. 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:53.599 Some of you here today are weighed down with 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:57.480 the burdens and cares of life, stress that is 00:19:57.480 --> 00:20:01.289 overwhelming. financial woes that are collapsing, 00:20:01.509 --> 00:20:05.670 depression that is defeating. Some of you here 00:20:05.670 --> 00:20:08.809 today, it was all you could do to get dressed, 00:20:08.990 --> 00:20:12.910 to brush your teeth, and to walk out the door, 00:20:13.029 --> 00:20:16.470 and to walk in these doors. You're here simply 00:20:16.470 --> 00:20:20.049 running on fumes. You've given everything you 00:20:20.049 --> 00:20:23.730 know to give. You're hanging on by a thread. 00:20:23.890 --> 00:20:28.259 Not much more to give. Ready to collapse and 00:20:28.259 --> 00:20:31.980 give up. The signs of the Christian life are 00:20:31.980 --> 00:20:36.579 all but void. You feel like anything but a conqueror 00:20:36.579 --> 00:20:39.700 and an overcomer. You hear those words of Paul 00:20:39.700 --> 00:20:43.500 in Romans chapter 8 that you're more than conquerors. 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:47.500 And yet you feel conquered today. You feel overwhelmed. 00:20:48.460 --> 00:20:52.839 We have sheep here today who are in danger of 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:57.220 being lost. And so you need a shepherd who would 00:20:57.220 --> 00:21:00.599 come along. A shepherd who cares enough to correct 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:03.720 you. A shepherd who cares enough to feed you. 00:21:03.980 --> 00:21:07.259 A shepherd who cares enough to encourage you 00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:10.220 and to tell you the truth. Because when we look 00:21:10.220 --> 00:21:13.920 out at our world, I see no shepherds in politics. 00:21:14.779 --> 00:21:19.039 But I expect that. As I turn on the 5 o 'clock 00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:23.349 or the 6 o 'clock or the 10 o 'clock news. There's 00:21:23.349 --> 00:21:26.130 no shepherds there. They're just talking heads. 00:21:26.730 --> 00:21:30.130 When we go into our schools and we look at our 00:21:30.130 --> 00:21:33.089 elementaries and our middle school and high schools 00:21:33.089 --> 00:21:37.869 and our schools of higher learning, we don't 00:21:37.869 --> 00:21:40.799 see shepherds there either. We see the innocence 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:43.500 of our children, of our young people being taken 00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:47.039 every single day. And my wife's a teacher, by 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:49.819 the way. I'm not knocking at teachers, but we 00:21:49.819 --> 00:21:52.819 live in a day that they're no longer institutions 00:21:52.819 --> 00:21:56.640 of learning, but we see the indoctrination and 00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:59.339 we see the turning of their little hearts and 00:21:59.339 --> 00:22:03.859 minds. There are no shepherds there, but I expect 00:22:03.859 --> 00:22:08.180 that. As we go into the courthouses and we see 00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:11.480 the judge, your honor, and we all rise for him. 00:22:12.099 --> 00:22:15.640 He's a judge, but he's not a shepherd. In no 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:19.880 other avenue, in no other place, no other institution 00:22:19.880 --> 00:22:24.880 or congregation or building are there shepherds 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:29.619 except for in the church. It is in the church 00:22:29.619 --> 00:22:33.259 that we are called to have a shepherd and a pastor. 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:37.900 And how sad it is that many have abdicated that 00:22:37.900 --> 00:22:41.779 responsibility and that calling. But how blessed 00:22:41.779 --> 00:22:44.839 you are that you have a shepherd this morning 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:48.960 who understands that there are people or sheep 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:53.680 who need to be fed. And minister to and clothe 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:57.680 with the good news and the words and the grace 00:22:57.680 --> 00:23:01.460 and the mercy and the love and the compassion 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:06.099 and the eternalness of God himself. That inside 00:23:06.099 --> 00:23:10.019 of this house and this building there is something 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:14.119 that is deposited in your soul that nothing else 00:23:14.119 --> 00:23:18.599 in the world can give to you. Amen. The Bible 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:23.259 says. We, like sheep, have gone astray, and therefore 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:27.220 we need shepherds to bring us back in. We live 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:29.819 in a day and age in which sin is no longer called 00:23:29.819 --> 00:23:32.799 sin, and because we no longer have a word to 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:35.700 define it, we no longer have a solution to provide. 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:39.019 We live in a day and age in which sheep no longer 00:23:39.019 --> 00:23:41.660 think themselves broken, and because they no 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:44.420 longer see themselves broken, they no longer 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:47.779 think that they need to be fixed. We live in 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:50.680 a day and age that we will allow any prescription, 00:23:50.940 --> 00:23:55.720 any feel -good to soothe our ills and to calm 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:59.519 our minds, and yet we will now never allow the 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:03.579 peace and the presence that passes all understanding 00:24:03.579 --> 00:24:07.259 to give us comfort. You know, I marvel at those 00:24:07.259 --> 00:24:10.660 words of Paul. Paul said, be anxious for nothing 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:14.819 in everything. Give thanks unto the Lord. Rejoice 00:24:14.819 --> 00:24:18.960 always. And again, I say rejoice. I look back 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:21.779 over the saints of God. I'm a third generation 00:24:21.779 --> 00:24:25.839 church of God preacher. My grandfather was a 00:24:25.839 --> 00:24:28.980 preacher. My uncle is a preacher. I've grown 00:24:28.980 --> 00:24:32.859 up in the church all of my life. I can remember 00:24:32.859 --> 00:24:36.160 those saints of old. I remember those services 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:40.240 of yesterday. I remember my grandfather grew 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:44.019 up in a house with a dirt floor. It was a one 00:24:44.019 --> 00:24:47.319 -room shack. He grew up working the coal mines 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:51.140 of Marion County. They didn't have much. They 00:24:51.140 --> 00:24:53.940 weren't afforded all of the luxuries and the 00:24:53.940 --> 00:24:57.960 affluence of life. They were not wealthy by any 00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:01.380 means, not in the terms of this world, but there 00:25:01.380 --> 00:25:04.910 was a blessing that they had. There was a richness 00:25:04.910 --> 00:25:08.789 of soul that could not be taken away. There was 00:25:08.789 --> 00:25:13.430 something deposited down deep on the inside of 00:25:13.430 --> 00:25:16.670 them. They understood that there was a God that 00:25:16.670 --> 00:25:20.069 watched over and kept to make sure that they 00:25:20.069 --> 00:25:22.869 were taken care of. In fact, one of the stories 00:25:22.869 --> 00:25:26.650 I remember most in that little church on Orm 00:25:26.650 --> 00:25:30.509 Mountain was an old sister by the name of Sister 00:25:30.509 --> 00:25:35.210 Maggie Nunley. was getting ready to close its 00:25:35.210 --> 00:25:38.450 doors. They didn't have a lot in terms of finances. 00:25:38.970 --> 00:25:41.750 And so my grandfather told me the story. She 00:25:41.750 --> 00:25:45.250 gave her last dime that would have been a lot 00:25:45.250 --> 00:25:49.109 of money back in the late 30s and the early 40s. 00:25:49.109 --> 00:25:53.150 She gave a dime into the offering plate. It was 00:25:53.150 --> 00:25:56.109 the last dime that she had. And my grandfather 00:25:56.109 --> 00:25:59.289 told me the story that when she went home that 00:25:59.289 --> 00:26:02.430 afternoon and she was working in the garden, 00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:11.220 We often wonder, how is the Lord going to do 00:26:11.220 --> 00:26:14.640 it? I heard that as Brian declared that... promise 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:18.359 and that prayer over you as you gave this morning, 00:26:18.539 --> 00:26:21.279 that as you give, the Lord would provide resources, 00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:24.559 that he'd open up the windows of heaven, that 00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:27.500 money would chase you down, that blessings of 00:26:27.500 --> 00:26:30.759 God would be upon you. I don't know how it works. 00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:34.079 I don't have an explanation for it. There's no 00:26:34.079 --> 00:26:37.599 mathematical formula. I guess it's like Malachi 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:41.380 said, he'll open up the windows of heaven and 00:26:41.380 --> 00:26:45.529 pour you down a blessing. that you cannot contain. 00:26:45.869 --> 00:26:49.869 He's able to do it all. He owns the cattle on 00:26:49.869 --> 00:26:54.150 a thousand hills, and He owns the hills thereof. 00:26:54.269 --> 00:26:58.150 You need to be told that this world is not our 00:26:58.150 --> 00:27:01.890 home, but there is a God that watches over us 00:27:01.890 --> 00:27:06.750 and guides us every single day. We live in this 00:27:06.750 --> 00:27:10.509 old wilderness. We call earth, that there is 00:27:10.509 --> 00:27:13.880 a hope and a promise that it... to come. Amen. 00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:21.180 Hallelujah. We live in a day and age in which 00:27:21.180 --> 00:27:24.619 there are ravenous wolves. There's wayward goats. 00:27:25.480 --> 00:27:29.240 There's lions and bears that would do us harm. 00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:33.259 And so we need a shepherd to protect us. The 00:27:33.259 --> 00:27:36.259 Bible tells us in the last days there would be 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:39.640 such a growth of evil and hostility to the true 00:27:39.640 --> 00:27:43.289 faith. that eventually would permeate even into 00:27:43.289 --> 00:27:46.369 the church, that there would be a departing from 00:27:46.369 --> 00:27:49.869 the faith, a turning unto man -made philosophies, 00:27:49.869 --> 00:27:53.490 and that if it were even possible that it might 00:27:53.490 --> 00:27:58.069 deceive the elect, that sheep themselves would 00:27:58.069 --> 00:28:02.329 turn away. That's why you need a shepherd. And 00:28:02.329 --> 00:28:06.289 the only kind of answer to this problem is that 00:28:06.289 --> 00:28:09.410 your shepherd, of which you have a good one, 00:28:10.190 --> 00:28:13.589 That he might understand and know which he does. 00:28:14.849 --> 00:28:17.029 That there is another shepherd that he is pointing 00:28:17.029 --> 00:28:20.269 unto. What was it that Paul said to the church 00:28:20.269 --> 00:28:23.809 at Thessalonica? What was it that he declared 00:28:23.809 --> 00:28:26.369 to them? He said, you are my hope and my joy, 00:28:26.490 --> 00:28:29.930 my promise before the Lord. He said, he that 00:28:29.930 --> 00:28:33.309 hath the bride is the bridegroom, John declared. 00:28:33.869 --> 00:28:37.329 John the Baptist said, I'm not him. I just came 00:28:37.329 --> 00:28:40.470 to point to him. I just came to show you who 00:28:40.470 --> 00:28:44.150 he is. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, 00:28:44.269 --> 00:28:47.490 but the friend of the bridegroom standeth and 00:28:47.490 --> 00:28:51.930 waiteth and rejoiceth greatly at the sound of 00:28:51.930 --> 00:28:54.930 his voice. I'm thankful that you have a pastor 00:28:54.930 --> 00:28:58.470 this morning that puts his ear to heaven and 00:28:58.470 --> 00:29:03.390 says, Lord, where are you leading us today? song 00:29:03.390 --> 00:29:07.089 a moment ago. He understands that that cloud 00:29:07.089 --> 00:29:11.609 that covers by day, it leads him. And that fire 00:29:11.609 --> 00:29:16.009 that burns at night, it's a guiding light. He 00:29:16.009 --> 00:29:19.910 understands that the words that he declares and 00:29:19.910 --> 00:29:23.849 speaks are not his own. That there is an anointing 00:29:23.849 --> 00:29:28.630 of God that blesses and touches and gives life 00:29:28.630 --> 00:29:33.430 to his words. Amen. I don't know what it is about 00:29:33.430 --> 00:29:36.309 being a preacher, but I've had enough conversations 00:29:36.309 --> 00:29:40.130 with him, and I've had them myself, that on the 00:29:40.130 --> 00:29:42.309 Sundays you feel like you've preached the worst 00:29:42.309 --> 00:29:45.430 sermon in your life, you'll have people come 00:29:45.430 --> 00:29:47.670 up and say, Pastor, that was the greatest thing 00:29:47.670 --> 00:29:50.519 that I've ever heard. You're trying to drag yourself 00:29:50.519 --> 00:29:52.440 out of here and say, Lord, if you could just 00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:54.920 turn back the clock and the hand of time and 00:29:54.920 --> 00:29:58.079 let me redo that. I stumbled all over myself. 00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:01.160 It didn't make sense to me. I don't know how 00:30:01.160 --> 00:30:03.619 it made sense to them. And yet they'll come up 00:30:03.619 --> 00:30:06.339 to you and say, that was the greatest message. 00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:09.619 That blessed me. I got more out of that than 00:30:09.619 --> 00:30:12.420 I've gotten in the last six months. And we're 00:30:12.420 --> 00:30:15.019 scratching our head trying to figure it out. 00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:17.579 But yet on those Sundays where we feel like we 00:30:17.579 --> 00:30:20.900 hit all. points that we had and we quoted every 00:30:20.900 --> 00:30:24.240 facet of scripture and we're dripping sweat and 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:27.460 we feel like we've left a lung on the altar. 00:30:27.640 --> 00:30:31.460 Nobody will say anything. Can I tell you there's 00:30:31.460 --> 00:30:34.779 a reason that happens? It's the foolishness of 00:30:34.779 --> 00:30:38.940 preaching. It's not in the efforts of man. It's 00:30:38.940 --> 00:30:41.779 in the efforts of God. There is an anointing 00:30:41.779 --> 00:30:45.240 on the preacher. There is an anointing on the 00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:48.519 pulpit. There is an anointing. on the pastor, 00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:52.779 that he takes dead words from a dead man, but 00:30:52.779 --> 00:30:56.680 he touches the lips and gives life and ability 00:30:56.680 --> 00:31:01.839 to penetrate into the darkest soul and darkest 00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:06.079 heart and cause life to spring out of it. There 00:31:06.079 --> 00:31:10.940 is a great mystery, and that mystery is God himself. 00:31:11.259 --> 00:31:16.150 Amen. Paul said, without controversy, great is 00:31:16.150 --> 00:31:20.329 the mystery of godliness. Apart from him, your 00:31:20.329 --> 00:31:23.910 pastor can do nothing. Apart from him, the church 00:31:23.910 --> 00:31:28.470 can do nothing. We recognize that he is the chief 00:31:28.470 --> 00:31:32.910 shepherd. He's the bishop of our souls. He's 00:31:32.910 --> 00:31:36.730 the captain of our salvation. Of all of the accolades, 00:31:36.769 --> 00:31:38.910 I don't know how much time I've got left. 1152. 00:31:39.190 --> 00:31:41.450 If I was at home, I'd have eight minutes left 00:31:41.450 --> 00:31:43.470 this morning. I know your preacher's a little 00:31:43.470 --> 00:31:46.289 longer winded than I am. He's probably just getting 00:31:46.289 --> 00:31:48.710 wound up right now. I always get on to him. Let 00:31:48.710 --> 00:31:51.730 your people go. Be like Moses. Stand before him. 00:31:51.769 --> 00:31:54.250 I'm going to let you go today. I know you're 00:31:54.250 --> 00:31:55.890 trying to beat the Baptist. Well, actually, you've 00:31:55.890 --> 00:31:58.549 got food back here. But most Sundays you're trying 00:31:58.549 --> 00:32:02.009 to beat the Baptist down the road or the Presbyterians 00:32:02.009 --> 00:32:04.309 or somewhere. And he just keeps trying to force 00:32:04.309 --> 00:32:07.000 things. you and give you more and more and more. 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:10.240 You're saying, Pastor, land the plane already. 00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:13.259 We get the point. We know what you're trying 00:32:13.259 --> 00:32:16.779 to say. He goes past that 45 minute mark and 00:32:16.779 --> 00:32:20.119 it's knocking on an hour every Sunday. I'm trying 00:32:20.119 --> 00:32:23.740 to get done in about 25 or 30 minutes. I'm not 00:32:23.740 --> 00:32:26.380 your pastor this morning, but I'm speaking to 00:32:26.380 --> 00:32:28.960 his heart. Cliff, let him go a little earlier 00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:32.319 every Sunday. My grandfather used to say, go 00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:38.220 ahead, yeah. this morning. My grandfather used 00:32:38.220 --> 00:32:40.640 to say, he said, I'd rather them say, man, I 00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:42.759 wish he'd given us a little bit more than to 00:32:42.759 --> 00:32:46.519 hear them say, I wish he'd shut up already. I 00:32:46.519 --> 00:32:48.420 don't know what y 'all say to him this morning, 00:32:48.460 --> 00:32:52.420 but he goes about 10 or 15 minutes just telling 00:32:52.420 --> 00:32:54.920 me what he preached to you on Sunday. And that's 00:32:54.920 --> 00:33:04.680 just the cliff notes. He does. I'm trying to 00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:09.259 be good. Oh, you need a pastor. And you have 00:33:09.259 --> 00:33:12.799 a pastor that points to the true shepherd. He 00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:15.579 understands that Jesus is the one. They're not 00:33:15.579 --> 00:33:18.039 here for their own fame. They're here for the 00:33:18.039 --> 00:33:20.839 fame of Jesus. That your life, that you might 00:33:20.839 --> 00:33:24.900 be a living epistle read about by men. That everywhere 00:33:24.900 --> 00:33:27.440 you go, he might be proud for you to say, I'm 00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:30.289 a member of the Hopewell Church of God. I don't 00:33:30.289 --> 00:33:32.609 know if y 'all have tags on your cars or bumper 00:33:32.609 --> 00:33:34.869 stickers. I won't let my people have them, but 00:33:34.869 --> 00:33:37.470 maybe you have them this morning. I hope that 00:33:37.470 --> 00:33:40.529 he would be proud of you everywhere that you 00:33:40.529 --> 00:33:42.970 went, that he would say, those are my people, 00:33:43.049 --> 00:33:45.869 those are my members, that you would carry yourself 00:33:45.869 --> 00:33:49.509 because you have a shepherd who has carried you 00:33:49.509 --> 00:33:53.690 to the feet of Jesus and laid you at the cross 00:33:53.690 --> 00:33:56.470 of Christ, that he understands that he's not 00:33:56.470 --> 00:33:59.740 smart enough, he's not strong enough. He's not 00:33:59.740 --> 00:34:03.220 good enough, but glory to God, there's one who 00:34:03.220 --> 00:34:07.480 is. That by his stripes we are healed. He's able 00:34:07.480 --> 00:34:11.400 to do all things. He's the same yesterday, today, 00:34:11.719 --> 00:34:15.380 and forevermore. Amen. Would you stand with me 00:34:15.380 --> 00:34:20.539 this morning? I'm not going to read all of this, 00:34:20.699 --> 00:34:25.239 but I want to close with these remarks. For some 00:34:25.239 --> 00:34:28.590 of you, this is not new material. That back in 00:34:28.590 --> 00:34:31.349 the 40s and the 50s, there was a man by the name 00:34:31.349 --> 00:34:33.610 of Oral Roberts, and you might have your opinions 00:34:33.610 --> 00:34:37.230 of him. But he preached a sermon, and the end 00:34:37.230 --> 00:34:40.789 of the sermon, he talked about the fourth man. 00:34:40.949 --> 00:34:44.650 You sang about it a moment ago. And when he got 00:34:44.650 --> 00:34:48.269 to the fourth man in the fiery furnace, he would 00:34:48.269 --> 00:34:52.849 ask that question, who is that fourth man? If 00:34:52.849 --> 00:34:55.489 I could change that question just a little bit, 00:34:55.570 --> 00:34:58.690 and I won't go through all of it, I would like 00:34:58.690 --> 00:35:02.769 to ask the question, who ultimately is your shepherd? 00:35:03.170 --> 00:35:05.750 If we were to open up in the book of Genesis, 00:35:06.050 --> 00:35:09.489 we would find that he is the seed of the woman. 00:35:09.869 --> 00:35:13.130 If we go into Exodus, he's the Passover lamb. 00:35:13.630 --> 00:35:16.449 If we go into Leviticus, he's the high priest. 00:35:16.570 --> 00:35:19.949 In Numbers, he's the pillar of cloud by day and 00:35:19.949 --> 00:35:23.510 the pillar of fire by night. In Deuteronomy, 00:35:23.530 --> 00:35:26.289 he's the prophet like unto Moses. In Joshua, 00:35:26.510 --> 00:35:29.960 he's the captain of our salvation. In Judges, 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:32.960 he's the judge and lawgiver. In Ruth, he's our 00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:35.780 kinsman redeemer. If I could go a little bit 00:35:35.780 --> 00:35:38.880 further into the book of Psalms, he's that tower 00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:42.980 and refuge. He's the one in whose shadow we hide. 00:35:43.159 --> 00:35:46.739 In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, he's our wisdom. 00:35:46.860 --> 00:35:50.519 In Song of Solomon, he's the lover of our soul, 00:35:50.719 --> 00:35:54.500 our bridegroom. In Isaiah, he's the prince of 00:35:54.500 --> 00:35:57.539 peace, the wonderful counselor, the mighty God. 00:35:58.440 --> 00:36:01.980 Everlasting Father. In Jeremiah, he's the righteous 00:36:01.980 --> 00:36:05.119 branch. In limitations, he's the weeping prophet. 00:36:05.420 --> 00:36:09.099 In Ezekiel, he's the wonderful four -faced man. 00:36:09.420 --> 00:36:12.820 And in Daniel, he's the fourth man in life's 00:36:12.820 --> 00:36:16.679 fiery furnaces who ultimately is your shepherd. 00:36:16.719 --> 00:36:20.960 In Hosea, he's the faithful husband. In Joel, 00:36:21.099 --> 00:36:24.980 he's the baptizer with Holy Ghost and fire. In 00:36:24.980 --> 00:36:29.079 Amos, he's our burden bearer. In Obadiah, he's 00:36:29.079 --> 00:36:32.500 mighty to save. If I could go over into the New 00:36:32.500 --> 00:36:35.179 Testament and we were to open up into the book 00:36:35.179 --> 00:36:38.199 of Matthew, we would find that he is the Messiah, 00:36:38.500 --> 00:36:42.239 the one who was to come. In Mark, he's the wonder 00:36:42.239 --> 00:36:46.239 worker. In Luke, he is the son of man. In John, 00:36:46.420 --> 00:36:50.119 he's the word that became flesh and dwelt among 00:36:50.119 --> 00:36:54.780 us. In Acts, he is the spirit baptizer. In Romans, 00:36:54.940 --> 00:36:58.260 he is the justifier. In 1 and 2 Corinthians, 00:36:58.599 --> 00:37:02.559 he's our sanctifier. In Galatians, he's the redeemer 00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:05.440 and the curse from the law. In Ephesians, he 00:37:05.440 --> 00:37:09.420 is the Christ of unsearchable riches. In Philippians, 00:37:09.460 --> 00:37:12.260 he is the God who supplies all of our needs. 00:37:12.539 --> 00:37:15.960 In Colossians, he is the fullness of the Godhead 00:37:15.960 --> 00:37:20.139 dwelling bodily. In 1 and 2 Thessalonians, he 00:37:20.139 --> 00:37:23.960 is our soon coming king. In 1 and 2 Timothy, 00:37:24.239 --> 00:37:27.250 he is the mediator between Between God and men, 00:37:27.329 --> 00:37:32.510 the man Christ Jesus. In Titus, he's our faithful 00:37:32.510 --> 00:37:36.110 pastor. In Philemon, he's the friend that sticks 00:37:36.110 --> 00:37:39.769 closer than a brother. In Hebrews, he is the 00:37:39.769 --> 00:37:43.570 better blood of the everlasting covenant. In 00:37:43.570 --> 00:37:46.809 James, he's the great physician and the prayer 00:37:46.809 --> 00:37:50.849 that heals and saves the sick. In 1 and 2 Peter, 00:37:51.130 --> 00:37:54.110 he's the chief shepherd who shall appear with 00:37:54.110 --> 00:37:58.309 the crown of... unfading glory. In 1 and 2 and 00:37:58.309 --> 00:38:02.670 3 John, he is love himself made manifest and 00:38:02.670 --> 00:38:06.349 bodily before us. In Jude, he is the Lord coming 00:38:06.349 --> 00:38:10.190 with 10 ,000 of his saints. And in Revelation, 00:38:10.489 --> 00:38:15.409 he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 00:38:15.409 --> 00:38:21.090 Amen. Who is your shepherd? He's Abel's sacrifice. 00:38:21.630 --> 00:38:25.809 He's Noah's rainbow. He's Abraham's ram. He's 00:38:25.809 --> 00:38:29.989 Isaac's well. He's Jacob's scepter. Moses' rod. 00:38:30.469 --> 00:38:33.809 Joshua's sun and moon that stood still. He's 00:38:33.809 --> 00:38:38.469 Elijah's mantle. Elisha's staff. Gideon's fleece. 00:38:38.750 --> 00:38:43.469 Samuel's horn of oil. David's slingshot. Isaiah's 00:38:43.469 --> 00:38:47.730 anointment. Hezekiah's sundial. Daniel's visions. 00:38:48.110 --> 00:38:52.650 Amos' birth. Malachi's son of righteousness who 00:38:52.650 --> 00:38:57.690 is your shepherd. He's Peter's shadow. Stephen's 00:38:57.690 --> 00:39:01.489 signs and wonders. He's Paul's handkerchiefs 00:39:01.489 --> 00:39:05.250 and aprons. And he's John's pearly white city 00:39:05.250 --> 00:39:08.909 who ultimately is your shepherd. He's a father 00:39:08.909 --> 00:39:12.190 to the orphan, a husband to the widow, to the 00:39:12.190 --> 00:39:15.309 traveler in the night. He's the bright and morning 00:39:15.309 --> 00:39:19.639 star to those who walk in the lonesome. He's 00:39:19.639 --> 00:39:23.719 the lily that is found. He's the rose of Sharon, 00:39:24.000 --> 00:39:27.099 the honey in the rock. He's the brightness of 00:39:27.099 --> 00:39:30.500 God's glory, the express image of his person. 00:39:30.679 --> 00:39:34.360 He's the king of glory, the pearl of great price, 00:39:34.599 --> 00:39:38.440 the rock in a weary land, the cup that runs over, 00:39:38.659 --> 00:39:42.380 the rod and staff that comfort, and the government 00:39:42.380 --> 00:39:46.639 rests upon his shoulders, and there shall be 00:39:46.639 --> 00:39:52.460 no more. Who is your shepherd ultimately? He 00:39:52.460 --> 00:39:56.380 is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the living God, 00:39:56.679 --> 00:40:00.679 conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin 00:40:00.679 --> 00:40:05.440 Mary. He is God of God and light of light and 00:40:05.440 --> 00:40:09.280 very God of very God. He is begotten and not 00:40:09.280 --> 00:40:13.760 made. He is the Word that became flesh and without 00:40:13.760 --> 00:40:17.360 Him nothing was made which has been made. He 00:40:17.360 --> 00:40:20.559 has all of the preeminence and honor and glory. 00:40:20.739 --> 00:40:23.960 There is no other name given under heaven but 00:40:23.960 --> 00:40:28.699 the name of Jesus whereby we might be saved. 00:40:29.099 --> 00:40:33.300 Who is your shepherd? He is faithful and true. 00:40:33.559 --> 00:40:37.179 He is the promise that holds. He's that sure 00:40:37.179 --> 00:40:41.519 and solid foundation. I'm thankful, church, that 00:40:41.519 --> 00:40:45.599 you have a pastor that points to the true shepherd. 00:40:46.090 --> 00:40:49.329 the chief shepherd, the bishop of your souls. 00:40:49.530 --> 00:40:53.449 He understands that there is one who can do anything 00:40:53.449 --> 00:40:57.349 but fail, the one who can minister and touch 00:40:57.349 --> 00:41:02.909 and heal the people of God. Jesus is my shepherd. 00:41:03.389 --> 00:41:06.769 He's your shepherd, and he's your pastor's shepherd. 00:41:07.489 --> 00:41:11.090 We're the sheep of his pasture, and how blessed 00:41:11.090 --> 00:41:15.059 you are that you have a pastoral couple. That 00:41:15.059 --> 00:41:20.840 points to him every single week. He's not up 00:41:20.840 --> 00:41:23.699 here for the name of Clifford Waters. He just 00:41:23.699 --> 00:41:28.019 assumed to hide behind this pulpit and set forth 00:41:28.019 --> 00:41:31.460 the glorious person of Jesus. That's what makes 00:41:31.460 --> 00:41:35.099 them a good pastoral couple. They are servants. 00:41:35.380 --> 00:41:36.880 What did the Bible say? What were the words of 00:41:36.880 --> 00:41:40.880 Jesus? When we get to heaven and he shall say 00:41:40.880 --> 00:41:44.070 to us, not well done. Good and faithful whatever 00:41:44.070 --> 00:41:50.230 title. Good and faithful servant. A servant of 00:41:50.230 --> 00:41:54.110 the Lord. A minister to God's people. A shepherd 00:41:54.110 --> 00:41:58.489 to the flock. Cliff, Kathy, I don't want to embarrass 00:41:58.489 --> 00:42:00.190 you this morning, but here's what I'd like to 00:42:00.190 --> 00:42:03.030 do. I'd like for you guys to come and stand and 00:42:03.030 --> 00:42:07.190 face this congregation. Seven years that they 00:42:07.190 --> 00:42:10.610 have been here. If you're one of those numbers 00:42:10.610 --> 00:42:15.860 people. That's the number of perfection. Number 00:42:15.860 --> 00:42:20.219 of completion. Seven wonderful, great years. 00:42:20.739 --> 00:42:24.019 And look around at all that the Lord has done. 00:42:24.099 --> 00:42:27.099 All that He's blessed you. And can I tell you 00:42:27.099 --> 00:42:31.579 His heart? The secrets of His heart? He's not 00:42:31.579 --> 00:42:35.920 done. Not even close to done. The conversations 00:42:35.920 --> 00:42:38.960 I still have, there's still more to do. There's 00:42:38.960 --> 00:42:41.320 still more work. There's still more people to 00:42:41.320 --> 00:42:43.780 reach. There's still wayward children. There's 00:42:43.780 --> 00:42:46.099 still lost sons and daughters. There's still 00:42:46.099 --> 00:42:49.179 sheep that need to come in and be fed. There 00:42:49.179 --> 00:42:51.579 are still the naked that need to be clothed and 00:42:51.579 --> 00:42:54.300 the hungry that need to be fed and the thirsty 00:42:54.300 --> 00:42:58.079 that need drink. Their passion has not waned 00:42:58.079 --> 00:43:02.039 one bit in seven years. And so here's what I'd 00:43:02.039 --> 00:43:04.849 like to do as an altar call. I'd like for all 00:43:04.849 --> 00:43:06.690 of the leadership of this church, whatever it 00:43:06.690 --> 00:43:09.849 looks like, to come and stand closest to them. 00:43:10.409 --> 00:43:13.170 And then all that would to gather on the outside 00:43:13.170 --> 00:43:15.610 of them. Every retired minister, I know you've 00:43:15.610 --> 00:43:17.789 got a bunch here this morning. Every retired 00:43:17.789 --> 00:43:21.070 minister that would to come and gather around 00:43:21.070 --> 00:43:24.630 this couple. And all of this congregation and 00:43:24.630 --> 00:43:27.349 all of this body to gather around and help us 00:43:27.349 --> 00:43:31.159 lay hands upon them. and pray for a greater anointing, 00:43:31.159 --> 00:43:34.119 greater vision, greater passion, and greater 00:43:34.119 --> 00:43:36.760 ministry than they've ever known. I believe that 00:43:36.760 --> 00:43:40.019 the best is yet to come for this church as the 00:43:40.019 --> 00:43:42.480 Lord leads this couple. If you love them and 00:43:42.480 --> 00:43:44.440 you believe in them this morning, would you come? 00:43:44.519 --> 00:43:46.639 If you're not able to come, stretch your hand 00:43:46.639 --> 00:43:48.340 this way and help us pray.