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Listening to God in loneliness.

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There's a lot of research that
says college students have a pretty

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vast susceptibility to loneliness.

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Research says, it says because
of transition, and it is a transition.

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You had things kind of your
groove and you had your friends and

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you had your life and your
family right there in high school.

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And then you come to college
and it's different.

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But there's also another
transition, especially those of you

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who are juniors and seniors.

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You're thinking about a
transition beyond that.

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And that feels lonely as well,
because you do have your friends

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and your connections here.

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And then there's the pressure
of college life.

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College students are
incredibly busy.

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I know you're all awfully busy.

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And in busyness, we can become
very lonely.

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And then there's the issue of
unrealistic expectations.

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Do you think you ought to be
at this level or other people think

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you ought to be at this level
or doing this and this.

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And it could create a feeling
of failure when you're really not

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failing.

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But it's not hitting that same
expectation that you idealized and

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in that loneliness can set in.

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And then there is, I mean, all
the research shows a real issue with

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social media.

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It's kind of amazing.

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And I like it too.

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I'm as connected as you are.

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Trying to get some work done
last night, and I wound up flipping

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TikTok, watching golf videos
for 20 minutes, like, stop, stop.

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You can't stop.

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It's addictive.

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But the more connected we are,
the more lonely we are.

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And that is shown in hundreds
of studies as social media has taken

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over our world.

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The college students are in
that arena.

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And I'm sure some of you have
experienced loneliness or maybe are

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now, but everybody finds it at
different stages of life.

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There are times when
loneliness sets in.

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And so if we're going to
listen to God in loneliness now or

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in the future, we need to
follow to what we learned from Elijah,

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and especially the last two
steps that Elijah took.

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One is the reflection.

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You can't deal with loneliness
if you can't reflect on what's going

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on in your life.

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And the fourth one, being
close to God because you will not

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hear the whisper in loneliness
if you're not close to God.

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There are really four levels
of friendships, and you can't be

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best friends with everybody,
because friendships take time and

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they take energy, they take investment.

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And so there's a first level
where you're just friendly and you're

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not friends friends, but
you're friendly and you know each

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other, you care, you're
interested, you're connected.

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I probably got thousands of
people I'm friendly with, but they're

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not the ones I'm going to call
when life hits the bottom and I need

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a real friend.

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Well, then there's secondly,
the committed friendships that are

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trusting people you can count
on people who you can tell the toughest

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stuff to.

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And you might only have one or
two or three of those at a time in

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your life because those take a
lot of energy and investment.

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But those are really important
friendships in our lives.

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And thirdly, they're the
lifelong friendships.

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I was fortunate enough to
marry my best friend.

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Mary Lou's been my best friend forever.

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We met the first week of
college of her freshman year.

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I'll tell you that story sometime.

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But she's my best friend.

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And it's a lifelong friendship
that just gets deeper and deeper

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and deeper and deeper.

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And sometimes there are other friendships.

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I hope you'll make some
friendships at Belhaven that will

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last your whole life.

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I met a couple of those in
college that lasted a whole life.

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In fact, last week between
chapels, I got a phone call from

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the sister of one of the
couple of people that I've connected

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with all since college, and he
had a heart attack a week ago Monday

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and died.

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And they called me between
chapels, let me know my heart's good.

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So don't worry, we're good.

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But lifelong friendships.

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But then there's only one
perfect friendship, one perfect friendship

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with God and fellowship with Christ.

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And that's what we're going to
look at today in the 23rd Psalm,

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that perfect friendship, that
perfect friendship that guides us.

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And because it is a commitment
of God to us in his connection with

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us as our friend, our Father.

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And it is a standard by which
we need to use in investing in other

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friends and how we want to be
a friend.

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So think of it both ways.

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And it's going to take some
reflection and some interpretation

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on your part to fit in your
situation as we go through this.

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So.

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And it's going to have to go a
little fast because of time today.

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So some of our most important
choices in life are our friendships,

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who we put time and energy
with, who we connect with.

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I'm not talking about friendly.

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I hope you're friendly with a
lot of people.

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I really hope you are on a
small campus you can be.

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And that's a really nice thing
about a campus.

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But who you going to invest in?

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And more importantly, who are
you going to follow?

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Because friends will either
build you up or tear you down if

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you invest in the right kind
of people.

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And so friendships are built
on a question.

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First of all, activities or attributes.

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You know, if you're playing a
football team, you're friends with

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people on a football team
because you've got that in common,

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the activity.

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Or if you're in dance, or if
you're in the STEM lab or whatever

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it may, you have that activity
in common.

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That's great.

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But deep friendships need to
be built on the attributes of the

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people, what they bring to the relationship.

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Is it built on competition or character?

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You know, sometimes when I
hear and, you know, when students

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have difficulty, I do hear
about them always, and they're just

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fighting with each other.

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And they go, but she's my best
friend, okay?

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I think people get into
friendships with people they're in

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competition with because they
don't know how else to relate to

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them.

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And instead we need to be
looking at character instead of competition,

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friendships.

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And then is it status or is it strength?

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Go back to high school,
sitting at the right table, being

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part of the right friend group.

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It's all about status, isn't it?

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Hate to tell you, that doesn't
go away.

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I know people in business who
are 50, 60, 70 years old who still

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are friends because of status.

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But the people of status may
not be the people of strength in

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your life.

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And then is it entertainment
or is it eternity?

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I think some people connect
with friends just because they're

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fun to be with.

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They're going to be wild,
they're going to do something different,

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they're going to stretch.

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It's always going to be interesting.

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And sure enough, that is.

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But friendships need to be
about preparing us for eternity and

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building in us the qualities
that lift us up and bring us closer

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to God.

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So I think, you know, looking
at these levels or choices we have

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to make in friendships, I
think after many, many, many years

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of watching college students
come here and studying college students,

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I think many people would make
their life so much better just by

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changing a friend group.

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But we don't do that.

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And why?

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Because we have a fear of loneliness.

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So even though I know this
friend group is.

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Or this friend is tearing me
down, I don't want to give that up

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because I'm afraid of being lonely.

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And so I stick with it even
though it's harmful.

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Well, here's where the 23rd
Psalm becomes our guide friend that

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Jesus is in the journey of
life even when we feel lonely and

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the standard to use in
investing in our friendships.

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And it's a wonderful passage
when you think of it in terms of

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this idea of loneliness and friendship.

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We have to understand a few
things about the 23rd Psalm in order

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to get context.

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First of all, it's written
from the perspective of sheep.

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It's about 200 times in the
Bible, the perspective, the idea,

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the image of sheep is used in
talking about our relationship to

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God.

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Well, the reason is because in
Bible, everybody understood that

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there were sheep everywhere
and the shepherds were really important

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people in trying to handle all
the sheep.

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And so when Jesus would talk
about sheep, everybody knew exactly

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what he was talking about.

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And it's important to
understand about sheep a couple things.

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First of all is sheep need a
flock to manage life.

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A sheep who tries to live on
their own will die.

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They will not make it.

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We, in the same way, need each other.

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We need fellowship, we need connection.

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And we will not make it if we
try to go do it totally on our own.

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And the second thing about
sheep is, yes, they're part of that

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flock, but the flock falls
apart without the shepherd, because

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without the shepherd, the
flock just gets into stuff that that's

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dangerous and harmful and
pulls them down.

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Sheep can't really be
connected to the flock if each is

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not individually connected to
the shepherd.

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And we have scriptures about that.

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How the shepherd knows the
name and the sheep know the name,

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hear the voice of the
shepherd, and there's a relationship

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there.

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But you can't connect to the
flock if you don't know the shepherd.

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And some people who are lonely
are lonely because they don't know

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the shepherd.

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They're just trying to hang
out with the flock.

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So you've got to understand.

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The 23rd Psalm was written
about from the perspective of sheep.

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And Christ, who is our friend,
who leaves the 99 to find the 1,

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sets the standard for the kind
of friend he is and the kind of friend

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we should be.

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I pray you'll develop friends
like that and you'll be that kind

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of friend to other people who
would leave the 99 in order to go

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find the 1.

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Well, the 23rd Psalm, as we
look at it, breaks down kind of like

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a chart.

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I developed this several years ago.

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It was really helpful to me
personally and then began to talk

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about it some.

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And I want to walk you through
kind of how the 23rd Psalm lays out

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for me.

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I have to see things graphically.

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I have to kind of figure out
how the pieces fit.

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And so this is helpful to me.

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I hope it might be helpful to you.

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But you see in this are four
unchanging the connection to God,

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the sovereignty of God, being
a child of God and the grace of God.

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Those things don't change.

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Those are the same for everybody.

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We all have the same thing there.

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But then the process of
between each of those are unique

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to each one of us.

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Those are our personal
positions of circumstances and choices

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and confidence and completeness.

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So that's how the 23rd Psalm,
if you break it down in where this

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is going, lays out.

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And it's kind of helpful to
understand this is not just a pretty

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poem that you read when things
are tough.

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This really is an outline and
an understanding of how our life

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is in Christ works.

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So let's just walk through it
real quickly.

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A connection to God.

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You see, I highlighted the
piece that relates to that.

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The Lord is my shepherd.

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That's our connection to God.

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You see, the first verse of
the 23rd Psalm is the whole message.

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The rest of it's just an explanation.

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But the 23rd Psalm, the Lord
is my shepherd.

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That is the message.

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It is a personal connection.

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The Lord is my shepherd.

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It's not, the Lord's going to
be your shepherd someday.

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The Lord's not going to be
your shepherd.

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When you get closer to him or
whatever, the Lord is your shepherd.

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It's your choice how close you
want to get to him right now.

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But the Lord is your shepherd.

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But his really key word is the
Lord is my shepherd.

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My connection.

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00:12:52,330 --> 00:12:55,290
It doesn't have to necessarily
look like somebody else's connection,

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00:12:56,330 --> 00:13:03,170
but my connection with the
Creator God and with real life and

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00:13:03,170 --> 00:13:04,410
the messiness of it all.

248
00:13:06,490 --> 00:13:08,890
The Lord is my connection.

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00:13:10,090 --> 00:13:12,610
You see, because we are sheep.

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00:13:12,610 --> 00:13:15,210
Now, we sometimes don't want
to admit it, but we are sheep.

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00:13:15,890 --> 00:13:19,490
And when Jesus uses that
model, it makes a lot of sense.

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00:13:19,490 --> 00:13:22,650
Because sheep are dumb, first
of all.

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Well, we don't think we're
dumb, but compared to God.

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00:13:25,970 --> 00:13:28,130
Remember the illustration I
gave you of the universe?

255
00:13:28,130 --> 00:13:30,850
I was looking at some more
stuff on that last week.

256
00:13:30,850 --> 00:13:34,810
It's just mind boggling how
big the universe is compared to God.

257
00:13:34,810 --> 00:13:36,730
Who could create and envision that?

258
00:13:36,730 --> 00:13:40,290
We can't even put our head
around the size of the universe.

259
00:13:40,450 --> 00:13:41,410
Yeah, we're dumb.

260
00:13:42,570 --> 00:13:43,850
Sheep are dirty.

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00:13:44,890 --> 00:13:46,090
They just live dirty.

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00:13:47,930 --> 00:13:49,130
It's just how they are.

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00:13:49,690 --> 00:13:52,970
Somebody has to clean them up
and they're defenseless.

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00:13:54,010 --> 00:13:57,849
If a wolf comes, lion comes,
whatever's in the Middle East.

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In those times, sheep have no defense.

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00:14:02,170 --> 00:14:02,570
0.

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They can't run and they can't fight.

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00:14:06,170 --> 00:14:08,570
Their only hope is the shepherd.

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00:14:09,290 --> 00:14:13,690
So the Lord is my shepherd is
where we start in our relationship

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00:14:13,690 --> 00:14:16,330
with God, in his friendship to us.

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And as we connect with others.

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If we don't have that in
common, it's always going to be hard

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00:14:21,370 --> 00:14:23,689
to build real, lasting friendships.

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00:14:23,930 --> 00:14:26,170
And then we come to our
circumstances of life.

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I have all that I need.

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00:14:29,290 --> 00:14:34,870
And he lets me rest in green
meadows and leads me besides peaceful

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00:14:35,510 --> 00:14:36,310
streams.

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00:14:37,030 --> 00:14:39,590
God starts with meeting our
basic needs.

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00:14:40,070 --> 00:14:42,830
Green meadows, sheep have got
to eat.

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00:14:42,830 --> 00:14:46,470
Peaceful streams, sheep can't
drink from fast moving water.

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00:14:47,350 --> 00:14:50,430
They will die of thirst if the
water is fast moving.

282
00:14:50,430 --> 00:14:51,910
They have to be by peaceful water.

283
00:14:52,470 --> 00:14:54,630
God starts with our basic needs.

284
00:14:55,670 --> 00:14:58,070
And in our friendships we need
to do the same.

285
00:14:58,070 --> 00:14:59,430
Friendship starts there.

286
00:15:01,110 --> 00:15:04,550
And when you think of the
friends that you have, do you think

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00:15:04,870 --> 00:15:09,190
of green meadows and peaceful
streams or do you think of stress?

288
00:15:10,790 --> 00:15:13,230
Because some of our
friendships, we just add stress to

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00:15:13,230 --> 00:15:13,510
life.

290
00:15:13,910 --> 00:15:15,190
It doesn't have to be there.

291
00:15:16,390 --> 00:15:17,750
How can we take that out?

292
00:15:18,470 --> 00:15:23,670
Reflection circumstances start
with the basics of where we are.

293
00:15:23,830 --> 00:15:25,990
And then it goes to the
sovereignty of God.

294
00:15:27,790 --> 00:15:29,470
He renews my strength.

295
00:15:29,710 --> 00:15:31,070
He renews my strength.

296
00:15:31,630 --> 00:15:35,870
Sovereignty means this, you
know, sovereignty is a big word and

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00:15:35,870 --> 00:15:39,030
we talk about it a lot in the
church and in Worldview and all that

298
00:15:39,030 --> 00:15:39,550
kind of stuff.

299
00:15:39,550 --> 00:15:41,310
Sovereignty means essentially this.

300
00:15:41,710 --> 00:15:42,910
God's got it.

301
00:15:44,190 --> 00:15:45,070
He's got it.

302
00:15:45,870 --> 00:15:47,550
He knows where you are.

303
00:15:47,950 --> 00:15:49,390
He knows who you are.

304
00:15:49,870 --> 00:15:51,550
He knows where you need to be.

305
00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:53,640
God has this.

306
00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:58,840
And that's what the shepherd
brings to the sheep.

307
00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:01,240
He renews my strength.

308
00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:02,120
That's not rest.

309
00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:03,160
That's different.

310
00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:04,720
He renews.

311
00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:05,800
He invigorates.

312
00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:10,760
He brings life and vitality
and meaning to my life in my connection

313
00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:11,680
to God.

314
00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:16,400
If we understand that God is
truly our shepherd, we start to look

315
00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:19,240
at our circumstances
differently because he's got it.

316
00:16:21,110 --> 00:16:25,270
Too much of our energy was put
into complaining about our circumstances

317
00:16:25,270 --> 00:16:27,350
and wishing they'd just be different.

318
00:16:27,430 --> 00:16:30,790
And if we start with the
understanding God, you've got this.

319
00:16:31,670 --> 00:16:32,470
I don't.

320
00:16:35,910 --> 00:16:40,310
If we'd start there, we could
get renewed in his strength.

321
00:16:41,590 --> 00:16:45,350
Then the scripture goes on to
the choices we make.

322
00:16:46,730 --> 00:16:51,690
He guides me along right
paths, paths.

323
00:16:51,690 --> 00:16:55,970
There's more than one way, but
he guides me along the right path.

324
00:16:55,970 --> 00:16:57,050
God guides.

325
00:16:57,450 --> 00:16:58,810
He points the way.

326
00:16:59,690 --> 00:17:01,530
And so often we ignore it.

327
00:17:01,770 --> 00:17:04,010
In his scripture, he gives us
the way.

328
00:17:04,090 --> 00:17:06,050
He tells us this is the way to live.

329
00:17:06,050 --> 00:17:09,210
And if you'll live this way,
you're going to have a much more

330
00:17:09,210 --> 00:17:13,630
productive and fulfilling and
wonderful life.

331
00:17:14,430 --> 00:17:16,990
But we ignore the path that he
gives us.

332
00:17:17,630 --> 00:17:22,910
But he says he takes us on,
guys, be along the right paths.

333
00:17:22,910 --> 00:17:24,350
You know, paths are well worn.

334
00:17:25,310 --> 00:17:27,550
Paths are not cut through the wilderness.

335
00:17:27,710 --> 00:17:28,830
Never been here before.

336
00:17:28,990 --> 00:17:29,310
No.

337
00:17:29,310 --> 00:17:30,510
Paths are well worn.

338
00:17:30,510 --> 00:17:35,510
And God knows the Paths that
will strengthen us.

339
00:17:35,510 --> 00:17:36,350
He guides us.

340
00:17:36,350 --> 00:17:37,390
He doesn't force us.

341
00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:41,920
We need to stay close to the
shepherd or we're going to lose the

342
00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:42,360
path.

343
00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:47,000
And then it goes to the next
corner, here, which is to be a child

344
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:47,640
of God.

345
00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:51,360
He brings honor, bringing
honor to his name.

346
00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:55,240
So he guides me along paths
that bring honor to his name.

347
00:17:55,640 --> 00:18:01,440
If we're the sheep and he's
the shepherd, it isn't our name at

348
00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:02,280
stake, is it?

349
00:18:04,130 --> 00:18:05,170
It's his character.

350
00:18:06,450 --> 00:18:07,810
It's his reputation.

351
00:18:08,130 --> 00:18:11,090
If he drives a whole flock off
a cliff, that's on him.

352
00:18:11,090 --> 00:18:14,130
That's not on us, because
we're just the sheep.

353
00:18:14,210 --> 00:18:16,530
We're trying to follow the shepherd.

354
00:18:19,570 --> 00:18:21,090
God wants the best for you.

355
00:18:22,210 --> 00:18:24,130
God wants the very best for you.

356
00:18:24,450 --> 00:18:29,300
Because if you're carrying his
name and you are his sheep, it's

357
00:18:29,300 --> 00:18:31,100
his reputation that's hurt.

358
00:18:31,820 --> 00:18:37,500
If your life falls apart, we
can have confidence that God is leading

359
00:18:37,900 --> 00:18:40,220
in the right path.

360
00:18:40,700 --> 00:18:42,700
And that brings us to the next section.

361
00:18:42,940 --> 00:18:46,940
Even when I walk through the
darkest valley, I will not be afraid,

362
00:18:47,500 --> 00:18:49,380
for you are close beside me.

363
00:18:49,380 --> 00:18:51,660
Your rod and your staff, they
comfort me.

364
00:18:51,980 --> 00:18:55,420
You prepare feasts for me in
the presence of my enemies.

365
00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,480
You honor me by anointing my
head with oil.

366
00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:09,800
I've had too many friends
who've gone through some horrible

367
00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:10,240
stuff.

368
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:16,640
Death of a spouse, death of a
child, which is even worse.

369
00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,560
I've had friends get fired
from big jobs.

370
00:19:21,770 --> 00:19:26,090
I've had friends have horrible
moral crisis and just crumble.

371
00:19:27,130 --> 00:19:31,570
And what I found during those
times of trying to be a friend to

372
00:19:31,570 --> 00:19:37,810
them, that most people
deserted during those times, most

373
00:19:37,810 --> 00:19:39,610
people didn't come around anymore.

374
00:19:40,410 --> 00:19:43,250
Most people didn't want to be
associated with it.

375
00:19:43,250 --> 00:19:45,970
They wanted to be associated
with them if things were going great.

376
00:19:45,970 --> 00:19:48,590
But when they were walking
through the valley of the ship Shadow

377
00:19:48,590 --> 00:19:51,430
of Death, they didn't want to
be there.

378
00:19:53,670 --> 00:19:55,110
But that's not who God is.

379
00:19:55,750 --> 00:19:59,510
He is with us when nobody else
will be.

380
00:20:00,390 --> 00:20:04,390
And may we be the kind of
friend who's with others when nobody

381
00:20:04,390 --> 00:20:06,070
else is willing to.

382
00:20:06,870 --> 00:20:08,230
But he's not just with them.

383
00:20:08,390 --> 00:20:11,590
He says, I prepare a feast in
the presence of my enemies.

384
00:20:11,750 --> 00:20:13,510
Think of that image a little bit.

385
00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,240
So you got these enemies who
are all after you.

386
00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:17,640
And what's God going to do?

387
00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:19,040
He says, we're going to have a feast.

388
00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:20,600
We're going to put on a banquet.

389
00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:21,440
We're going to have a party.

390
00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:23,280
And they can just watch.

391
00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,760
Because I'm celebrating you
and our relationship together.

392
00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:30,960
And you don't have to be anxious.

393
00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:32,880
And you're not alone.

394
00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:34,880
You're not alone.

395
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:38,080
When you're having a feast,
which is the equivalent of a party,

396
00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:41,600
you're not alone in that
because God is with us.

397
00:20:42,690 --> 00:20:45,090
And then he says, I'm going to
anoint your head with oil.

398
00:20:45,250 --> 00:20:48,290
You know what the anointing
means when you're anointed with oil?

399
00:20:48,290 --> 00:20:53,490
In those days, it meant you
were receiving the inheritance of

400
00:20:53,490 --> 00:20:54,290
who God is.

401
00:20:54,370 --> 00:20:56,130
It means you were being healed.

402
00:20:56,770 --> 00:20:59,010
It means you were coming into purity.

403
00:21:00,290 --> 00:21:03,810
It means you were the honored
guest of the whole thing.

404
00:21:03,810 --> 00:21:05,970
And that's what the scripture says.

405
00:21:06,770 --> 00:21:08,050
In the worst of.

406
00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:09,960
Of the moments of life.

407
00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:14,120
You prepare a feast for me in
the presence of my enemies, and you

408
00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:15,880
anoint my head with oil.

409
00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:21,400
David had lone loneliness,
horrible loneliness.

410
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:25,520
For a guy who's that popular,
he was mighty lonely at those five

411
00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:26,920
different times in his life.

412
00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:31,080
But at those times, this is
what he wrote.

413
00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:37,390
This is what he wrote about
how God ministered to him so we can

414
00:21:37,390 --> 00:21:38,150
have confidence.

415
00:21:38,470 --> 00:21:44,150
And that confidence fills us
with an embracing of the grace of

416
00:21:44,150 --> 00:21:44,550
God.

417
00:21:45,590 --> 00:21:46,910
The grace of God is there.

418
00:21:46,910 --> 00:21:48,470
The problem is we don't
embrace it.

419
00:21:50,470 --> 00:21:53,830
I've told you before, and I
will tell you again before you graduate

420
00:21:53,830 --> 00:21:57,310
from Belhaven many times,
there is nothing in the world you

421
00:21:57,310 --> 00:21:59,590
can do to make God love you more.

422
00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:01,200
Nothing.

423
00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:01,760
Zero.

424
00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:07,360
And there is nothing you can
do to make God love you less.

425
00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:08,640
0.

426
00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:14,560
God's grace is sufficient
because he loves us.

427
00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:17,280
And his love is not dependent
on us.

428
00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:18,960
It comes from him.

429
00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:23,360
When we trust God through the
realities of life, then we become

430
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:30,100
overwhelmed with the
confidence in God's grace.

431
00:22:30,100 --> 00:22:32,580
When you walk through the
valley of the shadow of death and

432
00:22:32,580 --> 00:22:36,780
God is with you, then next
time you face that, when you come

433
00:22:36,780 --> 00:22:38,500
out of that, you feel God's grace.

434
00:22:38,500 --> 00:22:40,660
You understand God's grace at
a deeper level.

435
00:22:40,660 --> 00:22:42,380
And you see this thing as a cycle.

436
00:22:42,380 --> 00:22:44,100
And you kind of see how the
arrows are going.

437
00:22:44,180 --> 00:22:46,420
Because we're going to go
around and round and round on this

438
00:22:46,420 --> 00:22:46,980
through life.

439
00:22:47,140 --> 00:22:52,750
And every time you come
through this corner of this path

440
00:22:52,910 --> 00:22:58,670
of life, through the deep,
dark times, you understand his grace

441
00:22:58,750 --> 00:23:01,950
even greater and you embrace
it more fully.

442
00:23:02,750 --> 00:23:04,510
And then it comes to completeness.

443
00:23:06,590 --> 00:23:11,350
Surely goodness and unfailing
love will pursue me all the days

444
00:23:11,350 --> 00:23:12,110
of my life.

445
00:23:13,950 --> 00:23:14,510
Surely.

446
00:23:14,510 --> 00:23:19,960
Means only how they talk in
that language.

447
00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:22,280
Means only, okay?

448
00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:29,160
Only despite the realities,
only goodness and love will pursue

449
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:29,480
me.

450
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:30,600
Goodness?

451
00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:31,640
What's goodness?

452
00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:33,079
That's God's resources.

453
00:23:34,360 --> 00:23:36,040
What's unfailing love?

454
00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:37,080
That's God's grace.

455
00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:40,520
And I love this scripture here.

456
00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:44,160
And unfortunately, most of the
translations don't get it.

457
00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:49,360
In what you really boil it
down to it's he will pursue me.

458
00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,600
Too often the traditional says
it will follow me.

459
00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:57,440
It doesn't follow me, it
pursues me is the correct translation.

460
00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:03,080
So the way this boils down is
if you retranslate this a little

461
00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:07,600
bit, only God's resources and
grace will chase after me every day

462
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:08,160
of my life.

463
00:24:08,860 --> 00:24:13,900
That's the promise that God
makes to us in our relationship with

464
00:24:13,900 --> 00:24:14,220
Him.

465
00:24:15,980 --> 00:24:20,060
It's not just available, he's
chasing after us.

466
00:24:20,460 --> 00:24:21,820
He will pursue us.

467
00:24:22,220 --> 00:24:23,820
He will not let us go.

468
00:24:26,060 --> 00:24:28,780
All we've got to do is stop
and turn around and embrace him.

469
00:24:30,060 --> 00:24:31,740
And there comes the completeness.

470
00:24:32,460 --> 00:24:37,950
And then it brings us back to
where we started, the connection

471
00:24:37,950 --> 00:24:39,110
to God again.

472
00:24:39,990 --> 00:24:42,150
And the cycle begins again.

473
00:24:42,630 --> 00:24:48,070
And the relationship with God
grows deeper the next time around.

474
00:24:48,150 --> 00:24:51,950
And the friendships we have
with others grow deeper the next

475
00:24:51,950 --> 00:24:54,150
time around when they're built
on these principles.

476
00:24:55,990 --> 00:25:00,050
I hope you have some wonderful
friends right now, and I hope some

477
00:25:00,050 --> 00:25:01,250
of them will be a friend for life.

478
00:25:02,930 --> 00:25:08,250
But God is a friend no matter
what anybody else does who chases

479
00:25:08,250 --> 00:25:13,010
after us with all his
resources and grace.

480
00:25:15,409 --> 00:25:23,010
Pick friends in your life that
do that for you and be a friend who

481
00:25:23,010 --> 00:25:24,130
does that for others.

482
00:25:26,060 --> 00:25:28,940
And when you do, life moves to
a different level.

483
00:25:30,380 --> 00:25:32,340
Make that your prayer, and
let's pray it together.

484
00:25:32,340 --> 00:25:34,460
As we say our benediction.

485
00:25:35,580 --> 00:25:38,300
No eye is seen, no ear is heard.

486
00:25:38,700 --> 00:25:40,140
No mind is conceived.

487
00:25:40,300 --> 00:25:43,660
What God has prepared for
those who love Him.