God Is Trying To Give You Rest

All right, we are continuing our journey in Psalm 23. This is the third week we are actually having a commentary on Psalm 23 and by the looks of it we're going to go for another couple of more weeks till we come to the conclusion of this beautiful and magnificent Psalm. So we will read today Psalm 23 and verse 2 only and hopefully we'll be able to finish verse 2 or it might take us another week just to finish verse 2 but hopefully we'll try to finish it today by the grace of the Lord Jesus.

So here we go Psalm 23 and verse 2. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. Beautiful verse.

So let's see what this verse is all about today. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters.

We said previously that verse 1 is the key that opens Psalm 23. Now let us come and open the door with this key and enter into this Psalm, Psalm 23. Verse 1 began with this.

The Lord is my shepherd. So let's enter today and see what this shepherd is doing for all of us. The Lord is my shepherd and verse 1 we said is the key that opens the entire Psalm 23.

So let's come today and see what this shepherd is doing for all of us my beloveds. First he makes me to lie down in green pastures. The shepherd is taking me to green pastures.

Second he leads me beside the still waters. The shepherd is doing two things. Number one he is binding me or tying me up where there is green pastures.

He's binding me and tying me in green pastures. Number two he is leading me to the still waters. Two things binding or tying and leading.

So the shepherd is doing two things for all of us. Number one he is binding us. Number two he is leading us.

This shepherd is doing this in other words. He is stopping me by binding me and he is moving me by leading me. He is stopping me by binding me or tying me up and he is moving me by leading me.

Now where is this shepherd binding me? Where? In the green pastures which is the first half of verse 2. So verse 2 is divided into two parts. The first part is to do with green pastures. The second part is to do with the still waters.

So the good shepherd is binding me wherever there is green pastures. And what is green? What does green symbolize? Green symbolizes life. When you see a green tree you say this tree is alive.

But if you see a dry tree you will say this tree is definitely dead. So the color green symbolizes life. So when the shepherd takes the sheep to the green pastures where there is grass, what does the sheep normally do when the shepherd takes it to green pastures where there is grass? The sheep obviously eats.

And when he takes the sheep to still waters, what does the sheep do? Normally drinks. So now this shepherd who is providing for all of my needs, what did we say? The Lord is my shepherd. And what did we say about the Lord last time? He is Yahweh.

Yahweh is God in provision, providing everything I need and everything I lack. So this Lord who is my shepherd, He is the only one who is providing all of my needs. So now since this shepherd is providing all of my needs, He is doing, what is He doing for me here? Number one, binding me in a place where there is food and He is leading me to a place where there is water drink.

So He is binding me where there is food, green pastures, and He is leading me where there is water to drink, still waters. And by the way, why King David is saying about the shepherd, He is leading me, meaning all of us, He is leading me to the still waters. Why still? Because my beloved, the sheep cannot drink from a running stream.

When the sheep sees water running, the sound of that running water frightens him, runs away. He has to drink from still waters, otherwise he will die from thirst. So since the shepherd is the Lord who is God and He is our creator, so He knows what makes me and what breaks me.

He will do what is good and good only for me. So He leads me to the still waters because the sheep can only drink from stagnant still waters. The moment it is running, He gets frightened.

Now, and He is leading me where the water is, still water is to drink. So there is eating and there is drinking. There is filling and there is quenching.

There is eating and there is drinking. Green pastures, eating, still waters, drinking. So there is eating, there is drinking.

By eating I am being filled and by drinking I am being quenched. Two things the good shepherd is doing for me and for all of us. Now the word of God, my beloved, it does two things.

One, it feeds you and number two, quenches your thirst. And this is what verse two is literally saying. Where there is food, the shepherd is binding me or tying me there.

What does the shepherd do? He puts a rope around the neck of the sheep and then he takes that sheep to the green pasture and then a piece of timber hammers it down into the ground and then ties the rope on that piece of timber. So that way the sheep cannot go anywhere. It stays there.

It is tied where there is green pastures, where there is food, where there is food. Once the sheep eats and is filled, the shepherd loosens that rope and then he leads the sheep to the still waters to drink. Now why? Let's assume I am in a desert, lost.

And then I come to this place and I find plenty of food. I am hungry. So I, as they say in the good old English, I dig into it, brother.

So I start eating because I am hungry, I am starving. I am eating, I am eating, I am eating. Now I am filled with food and then I start searching for water and I find none.

What will happen? Eventually I will die. Why? Because I was hungry and I was thirsty in that desert. I found food, I ate, but I was already thirsty.

When I ate the food, I became thirstier. So I started looking for water desperately. I couldn't find it.

You see, if you eat and you don't drink water, eventually you will choke on the food you ate because you need the water for the food to be digested in your stomach. Now, the shepherd who is providing for all of my needs is feeding me, meaning he is filling me, then giving me water to drink, lest I choke on the food and eventually die. When the shepherd gives me that water, the water comes down and helps to digest the food.

It is then and then only I am comfortable now and I am filled. Food alone is not enough, but food and water, then you are filled and you are enriched. The Word of God is food for you and drink for you.

Both. The Word of God is food for you and drink for you. In the place where there is food, green pastures, the shepherd is tying me there.

And in the place where there is still waters to drink, the shepherd is leading me there. And the word leading, meaning he is allowing me to walk behind him. He is allowing me to walk behind him.

Since he is leading me to the still waters, that means he's given me the opportunity and is allowing me to follow him and walk behind him. Now, what is the shepherd trying to say here? The Lord, who is my shepherd, our shepherd, will make sure his word reaches you whether you like it or not. The good shepherd, he will make sure that his word will reach you whether you like it or not.

You will hear his word willingly or unwillingly. Either way, the shepherd will make sure his word gets to you. Gets to you.

Example. Let's say I don't go to church. I don't like going to church.

Some people, they say, what's the point of going to church? So let's say you don't go to church. What will this shepherd do? He will make sure, since you don't come to church, he will make sure his word comes to you. Now, how is he going to get it to you? I'll give you some examples how the shepherd works.

He probably will get it to you through a lecture, through this good-looking bishop, my dear friend. You don't come to church, the Lord will come to you. He's tying you in the green pastures.

His word is food and drink. So to eat, he's taking you to eat. Whether you like it or not, you're going to eat it.

So now, you don't come to church, he says, I'm going to come to you. So through a lecture, I'll send my word. Through a person, I'll send my word.

And through, far from all of you, through a funeral service. How many times people go to church on special occasions only. They don't come on Sunday to receive the body and the blood of Christ.

They don't read the Holy Bible. They don't listen to anything to do with Christ. But when somebody passes away, that is a family member, a friend, a colleague, someone close to them, they are forced to go to church because they'll say, what will we say to the family of the departed soul when they see us not coming to church? That's an embarrassment.

So they are forced to go to that funeral service. And in that funeral service, what happens? The priest or the bishop stands and talks and gives the word to that soul, whether they like it or not. The shepherd is tying me in green pastures where there is food, meaning the shepherd is saying, I will feed you my word, whether you accept it or not, whether you want it or not, and whether you like it or not, I will feed you my word.

Yes, I will. Now the question is why? Why is the Lord who is my shepherd making sure his word reaches everyone so that you don't have any excuse ever in the end? And St. Paul says it in Romans chapter 2 verse 1, Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, meaning no one will ever be able to say to God, I did not know, I did not hear on judgment day. You have no excuse, my dear friend, when you face the almighty God on judgment day.

You won't be able to say, I never heard about Jesus Christ. I never knew who Jesus Christ was. Nobody told me about him.

The shepherd will make sure you are tied wherever there is green pastures. He will feed you his word, meaning he will make sure his word reaches you while you are on earth. You will hear about him and there is no two ways about it.

Now, today, my beloved, the whole world is hearing about Christ. Technology has made it possible. All these social media platforms, there is Facebook, there is YouTube, there is Instagram, there is TikTok, there is Wikwok, there is Niknok, all these social media platforms, they have brought the word of God to every corner on the face of this planet.

Even those who live in isolated areas on this earth, they get it through the social media platforms. You are with no excuse, my dear friend. Therefore, Christians and non-Christians alike will not be able to say, I did not know about you, God, on judgment day.

When they face God and when he says, did you hear about Jesus Christ while you were on earth? It does not matter whether you were a Christian or not. Did you hear about Jesus Christ while you were on earth? You will not be able to say to God, no, I never heard about him. Because the shepherd makes me, what is makes me? Whether I like it or not, he forces me.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures. The shepherd makes sure his word reaches you. He wants to make himself known and heard by you, my dear friend.

Bless you. Now, because the shepherd's responsibility was to get his word to you, which is tying you where there is green pastures. That is his responsibility.

The shepherd is saying here, I will feed you my word. And where, where is feeding green pastures? When, what did we say? The green color symbolizes life. He says, I will feed you my word where there is green pastures and green represents life.

And the Lord says, my word is life for you. He who hears my word and believe it in it, even though he dies shall live. That's a promise.

So my word is life. And that's why I'll make sure you receive it. It is my responsibility as the good shepherd to get my word to you because my word is life.

And if I don't get it to you, you will have an excuse on judgment day to say to me, God, it's not my fault. I never heard about you. So how it's not fair to judge me now.

You should have sent your word to me at least out of being given the opportunity to accept it or not. But now your judgment is unfair and far from God to be the unfair judge. That's why he will make sure that you are taken and tied to green pastures, meaning you receive my word.

That's his responsibility. Now it is the good shepherd's responsibility to get his word to you. However, second part of verse two, when you go to drink from the still waters, when you go to drink from the still waters in order to be comfortable now, because what did we say? The water will come down and help digest the food.

So you are now comfortable. So when, when you go to drink from the still waters to be comfortable in this, you must follow him. In this, you must follow him.

It's amazing. Psalm 23. It's amazing.

I'm just touching the surface here. You must follow him. But my beloveds, just for now, I want to ask this question.

How is the Lord tying me, binding me? How is he doing it? I'll give you an idea. How is he doing it? I was born in a Christian family. Did I choose that? No.

By the way, you don't get to choose your parents. God chooses them for you. So that's why, as they say in the Italian accent, tough luck.

So you can say, oh, my dad's got a big nose, tough luck. My mom is stubborn, tough luck. Just like you're stuck with your parents.

And congratulations, mom and dad, you're also stuck with your children. You can't just say, I deny you. Get a life.

You can't deny them. So how is the Lord tying me? I was born in a Christian family. In this, he has tied me in green pastures.

He wants his word to reach me, so he made sure I'm born in a Christian family so that his word, the shepherd's word, is reached to that newborn baby. I opened my eyes and I found myself belonging to Christ. Did I ask for it? No.

Did I choose it? No. Whose choice was it? God's. Wow.

God chose for me to be in that Christian family and belonging to Christ. Because God is saying, my word, I will feed you. Yes, surely I will.

I was baptized as a baby. When I was born in that Christian family, my parents took me to the church and the priest dipped me in that baptismal font three times in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I was baptized as a baby.

Did I ask for it as a baby? No, I didn't. I was forced. I was tied in the green pastures.

He makes me. He forces me to go to green pastures. He ties the rope and brings me to the green pastures and hammers it there so I don't move anywhere from that place.

So yes, I was born in a Christian family. Okay, I was baptized as a baby. Fine.

However, when I grew older and began to understand, did I continue walking in Christ's path chosen for me or did I walk in a path I chose for me? See, God wants his word to reach you. So he placed you in a Christian family. That Christian, that parents, the Christian parents baptized you as a baby.

None of it was your choice. But when you started growing older and you became an adult, an adult man, a mature woman, then once you began to understand, did you continue being with Christ in the path he chose for you or did you choose a path of your own and walked away? Did you remain with him or did you walk away from him? So it doesn't matter now whether you are born in a Christian family or not. Very important point I want to get you to.

Very important point. Now, you see my beloved, just like Christians, just like Christians who do not wish to follow Christ will not end up being with him at the end. So as in the opposite way, the non-Christians who will follow Christ will end up being with him.

This is why Christ God is fair with every single human being because some will come and say, what? It's not my fault I was born in a non-Christian family. It's not my fault. This is all I know.

But God will say, but I still got my son's word to you even though you were born in a non-Christian family. The same way I got my son's word to that who was born in a Christian family. I am fair with Christians and non-Christians alike.

I sent my word to all humanity, Christians, non-Christians. And by the way, when did you become a Christian? When I sent my word to you. Prior to that, there was no Christianity and there was no Christians.

So when I sent my word and certain people accepted me and became Christians, the way I send the word to them, I send it to the non-Christians. But the key point is when I send my word to a Christian family and they don't abide by it, they don't adhere to it, they don't follow it, they will not end up being with me at the end. They won't.

And if I send my word, not if, when I send my word to a non-Christian family, but they accept my word, they adhere to my word, they will be with me. This is why so many Christians are walking away from Christ and so many non-Christians are coming to Christ. God is fair.

God is fair. You see, my beloved, verse 2 is saying, part 1, he makes me to lie down in green pastures. Part 2, he leads me beside the still waters.

Leads me beside the still waters. The Lord is saying in Luke 9, 23, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. If anyone desires to what? To come after me.

To come after me, what is it? He leads me to the still beside the still waters. When Christ leads you, what does that mean? You are coming after him. You are following him.

You are walking behind him. When it comes to following Christ, the Lord says, if anyone desires, meaning the Lord is giving you the choice, he is not commanding you to do it. Are you with me? When it comes to feeding you, he will make sure you're fed.

When it comes to his word reaching you, he'll make sure it reaches you. But when it comes to drinking from the still waters, he will not force you. He will give you the choice freely and willingly to follow him.

Following Christ is a choice. It is not mandatory. It is a choice.

You know why? Because Christ is love. You need to choose the person to love. You can't be forced to love.

You need to choose. Imagine a couple and stand. Today we had a wedding.

It was beautiful. I celebrated. It was amazing.

Thank you very much. Imagine a couple stands here on that big wedding day and they are forced to marry each other. That's hell.

That is hell. That's why the vows, when we recite them, we say, did you come freely and willingly? Yes or no? Are you going to take her freely or willingly? And willingly or forcefully? If any of the two parties says, I was forced to come, wedding is canceled on the spot. I will not go any further.

I don't care what happens next. I will not. Because it's supposed to be based on love.

And when it comes to love, nothing is forced. Everything has to be done freely and willingly. Yeah, Father, please hurry up.

I want to take my sweetheart and go. I've had enough of your beautiful face. Father, I want to go to Hawaii, baby.

I've been promoting Hawaii lately a lot. They should give me a free ticket to Hawaii. So I go and I go and surf with the great white shark, brother.

Sorry, is it hot? It is hot. It's my presence anyway. So thank you.

So my beloved. So the Lord Jesus says, if anyone desires to come after me, he needs to deny himself and carry the cross. This is a free will here in following Christ.

It's a free will. The Lord will never force you to follow him. You need to choose freely and willingly to come and enjoy being with Christ and being quenched by him to drink from the still waters.

You need to that to make that choice freely, willingly. He will never force you. He will force you to hear his word, but he will never force you to accept his word.

That's what the good shepherd does. That's why not the whole world follows Jesus Christ. It's not that he is incapable of doing that.

No, he's very capable. He can make everyone a saint before we blink our eyes. But since he is love, he will not force you to love him.

You need to choose to love him. He will make sure he brings his word to you, but he will not force you to love his word. He will not.

Now, did the Lord Jesus do this? Yes, absolutely. When he came a thousand years after King David, when he came a thousand years after King David. Now, one thing about the Lord Jesus I want to share with you.

The Lord Jesus first chooses, second gives a choice. I'll say that again. The Lord Jesus first he chooses, second he gives a choice.

I'll tell you what I mean. When the Lord Jesus came in his first coming, he chose the twelve apostles. They did not choose him.

He chose them. That was his choice, not theirs. So he chose the twelve apostles.

He made them to lie down in green pastures. He tied them down wherever there was life, green life, because he came to save you. He loves you, so he wants to give you life.

So he will make sure you are tied wherever there is life. But when did these apostles have a choice? At the end of Christ's life on earth. At the end of Christ's life on earth, they had a choice.

At the beginning of the Lord's life on earth, God chose them. They had no choice. But at the end of his life on earth, they had a choice.

And what was that choice they had at the end? The Lord said to them in Luke 24 49, Behold, I send the promise of my father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. In other words, the Lord says, remain in Jerusalem in order to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. So to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, you must remain in Jerusalem.

He gave him a choice. Question. How many people received the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire? 120 people only.

Wow. Were the 120 the entire number of Christ's disciples? No. How many did Christ make lie in green pastures? In the thousands.

How many people heard his word? Thousands upon thousands upon thousands. So hearing the word is the green pastures. Thousands heard the word.

But how many of them followed Christ to the still waters? Only 120. Because out of the thousand that heard the Lord's word, only 120 decided to be in that upper room and they lasted till the end. All the others ran for their life, fearing not to be killed by the Jews.

They did not follow Christ. It's not easy to follow the Lord, my darling. It's not easy.

Are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to give up what makes you happy and feel not so happy for the Lord's to be happy? Are you willing? Let me tell you one thing. Nothing in this world comes for free. If anybody says to you, come and listen to what I'm saying and I'll give you this for free, they're lying.

And even when they have a sale on, buy one, get one free, get a life, that price and the one you buy already contains the price of the second one that is given supposedly for free. There is no such thing for free. You're paying, you're paying, you're paying.

Nothing comes for free in this world. Then how much more nothing comes for free to gain God himself? If worldly things don't come for free, do you think heavenly will come? You need to pay. You need to pay my beloved.

So now, the Lord Jesus chose the 12 apostles. They had no choice, but at the end of his life, he said, remain in Jerusalem in order to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. But only 120 remained in Jerusalem.

The other ones, the thousands of people who heard his word walked away from him. Did the ones Christ tied down in green pastures where there was food were also led by him beside the still waters? No, only 120 followed Christ to the still waters. Now, remain in the city of Jerusalem to receive the Holy Spirit.

Those who did not remain in the city of Jerusalem did not receive the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit. Only those who remained received the power of the Holy Spirit. Those who did not remain did not receive the power of the Holy Spirit.

And in this, the apostles were given a choice at the end. You know, it's like marriage. Those who are married, I pray that you are doing well.

Those who are single, stay as you are. Just kidding. I think it's getting a little bit cold.

Now, you see, when it comes to marriage, like I, we said to this beautiful couple today, earlier today, a young man and a young woman, they meet first time ever and something happens. They start talking to each other. They get to know each other more and more and more.

And as time goes by, they decide to take it all the way to marriage. And finally, the day is here. The big day.

Preparation has been going for maybe months and to some maybe years, deciding what to do, how to do it. And then how many bridesmaids, how many grooms best man. We're going to have three guys, five guys, a long train, a hundred on this side and a hundred on the other side.

And then we got to go for a rehearsal and find the right, you know, dresses. And then the invitations. And then the mother-in-law come into play and she says, you can't invite a hundred people from your side and you leave 50 for my side.

It's not fair. I'm going to invite 150 to compete. Well, then fighting.

And then Mike Tyson comes, gives you the upper card. It's World War Three until the big day comes. And when the big day is finally here, the couple are saying to one another, thank God, finally it's over.

We made it. Not realizing they haven't started yet. It's about to begin.

So all the dramas prior to the wedding day is nothing compared what comes after the wedding day. It's nothing. It's like a walk in a park after the wedding day.

We call it the baby is born. Clinically speaking, there are four stages to the baby being born. I'm not a doctor, but I am a doctor.

There are four stages before the baby is born. There is what they call clinically and the terminology pre-embryonic stage, embryonic, fetal, and then baby born. Pre-embryonic is the time of conception into the mother's womb and up until the first two months in the mother's womb.

Sorry, pre-embryonic is before being conceived. I beg your pardon. Pre-embryonic is before being conceived and it is the moment of conception, that split second.

So before and the split second of conception, that's pre-embryonic. Embryonic, from the moment of conception till the first two months. Fetal, from two to nine.

Nine, the baby needs to come out. After nine months, the baby comes into this world. Marriage, pre-embryonic, that baby that was in the mother's womb is being taught how to be.

If it's a boy, he needs to be taught while in the mother's womb how to be a good man and a good husband and a good father later. Now this is marriage. We're going to talk about marriage at another time.

Beautiful. From a Christian perspective, it's beautiful. Now when the baby is born, now that is embryonic.

Embryonic is when the baby is born till they are 16, 18, getting to maturity. Embryonic is now in the mother's womb you're taught to be a good boy or a good girl and a good husband later on and a good father or good mother and a good wife later on. So when they grow to the maturity age, that boy meets the girl.

When he meets that girl and they fall in love, that's where the fetal stage comes. The fetal stage is the moment they are engaged till the day of the big day wedding. But on the wedding day, nine months are over.

The baby needs to be born. So on wedding day, the baby is born fresh now. It's not over.

It's about to begin because when the baby comes, sleepless night come. Sleepless nights will come. The baby cries.

The baby needs to be fed. The baby needs to be washed. The baby needs to be clothed.

And there is a temperature. Mama and Papa going to the doctors at 12, 1, 3 o'clock in the morning. Fairfield, Liverpool, Westmeath Children's Hospital.

No sleep. Come back exhausted, tired. He's got work tomorrow.

He says, what have I done to myself? The Lord says, at the beginning you received My Word. Receiving it is when you came to decide to get married. But when you decided to get married and you did get married, after marriage, till death parts you from one another, you need to follow Me to the still waters.

It's a life journey. It's a life journey with Christ. It's not having fun.

It's life full of responsibility. It's life full of trials and obstacles and tribulations and ups and downs. It's a life where one day I'll be good, the next not.

One day I'll be hungry, the next I'll be filled. One day I'll be crying, the next I'll be laughing. It's a mixture of so many things happening.

Are you going to last? Who is going to last? The one who loves from the heart. Because the one who loves from the heart is the one who is going to be willing to sacrifice till the end. So now, remain in the city of Jerusalem in order to receive the power of the Holy Spirit.

You don't remain, you're not going to receive the Holy Spirit. And if you don't receive it, don't complain and whinge to me because I said you need to remain. I gave you a choice, so it's up to you.

Are you going to stay with me or not? My beloved, I'll take you now to the gospel according to Saint John chapter 4, where the Lord Jesus has an encounter with a Samaritan woman at the well. John chapter 4. It's one of those beautiful, beautiful topics, beautiful narratives. The Lord Jesus was going from south to north.

Then the Holy Spirit changes the Lord's path to go to a place called, in the old, olden days, called Shechem or Shekim. Now in Shechem or Shekim, another name for it, another name for it, the western, the west bank, saying thank you. The west bank.

The west bank where Gaza is, unfortunately, and what's been happening there. Very sad. Very sad.

So the Lord was redirected by the Holy Spirit to go to this place called Shechem or Shekim, Neblis or the west bank, where our beloved the Palestinians are. And there happened to be a well dug up by our father Jacob, who is the son of Isaac, the grandson of Abraham. So this well was dug up by our father Jacob.

And it happened to be summer time. And it is extremely hot in summer in that particular part of the region. So the Lord went at the time when it was the hottest in that particular day.

And when they get to the well, the Lord Jesus says to the twelve apostles, go to the nearby villages and buy food. I am hungry. So He sends them away because He knew this person is going to come at that time where it is the hottest in the day to come and draw water from that well.

And why would that person come out at the hottest time in the day? Because this person does not wish to be seen by their own people there because of their situation. They are embarrassed. So this person comes and to their shocking surprise, they meet a man sitting at the well.

And this person happened to be the Samaritan woman. Jesus Christ to her, it's a first time meet. I don't know who you are and what you are.

And then the Lord starts the conversation. He says, woman, give me some water to drink. She looks at him.

She says, looks like you're a Jew and I'm a Samaritan. There is enmity between us. We are not in good paths here.

Why are you asking a Samaritan woman to give you water? You being a Jew, you shouldn't be talking to a Samaritan woman. We are enemies. He said, woman, if you knew who asked you for water, you would have asked him to give you water and he would give you the living water.

She said, you don't even have a glass, not a jar. Where are you going to get this water from? She said, our father Jacob gave us this well. He drank from it, his family, his flock, and he gave it to us.

It's a blessing given to us. He said, woman, he who drinks from this water thirsts again, but the water I give you, you will never thirst because I give living waters. And then he hits her on the sensitive cord, says to her, go and call your husband.

She replies and says, I don't have a husband. I had five husbands before. Go, baby.

I had five husbands before and the one who is with me in the 21st century's terminology, my boyfriend, baby. He's my boyfriend. But she didn't say boyfriend because that was over 2,000 years ago.

She said, he is not my husband. The Lord says, truly, you said all. She didn't say all.

She said, I don't have a husband. The Lord elaborated and he said, you had five before and the one who's with you is not your husband. And he gave the credit all to her.

Truly, you said all of that. But my point is to the 12 apostles, when he sent them away to bring food, he said, I'm hungry. What did he say to the Samaritan woman? I am thirsty, not hungry.

The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Why? Because he makes me to lie down in green pastures.

I'm hungry. And he leads me beside the still waters. I am thirsty.

I'm hungry for the Old Testament church and I'm thirsty for the New Testament church. I am the good shepherd to two branches of my beloved church, the Old Testament branch, the green pastures, and the New Testament branch, the still waters. Because if I eat and I don't drink, I will never be comfortable.

But if I eat and drink, then I am filled and fulfilled. I need to bring both branches and make them one. And that's where John the Beloved sees that in Revelation chapter four.

And he said, and I saw 24 elders sitting around the throne of God in heaven. What are the 24 elders? 24, 12 and 12, 12 Old Testament church, 12 New Testament church, because the Old Testament church was made out of the 12 tribes of Israel. And the New Testament church consists of the 12 apostles, 12 and 12, 24.

I ate and I drank. And then at the end, I brought them both together. And when both of them together were in my presence in heaven, in my father's house, it is then and then only I, the good shepherd can say, I am filled now and I am fulfilled.

The Lord says, I gave you myself. I gave you my baptism, but green pastures, green pastures, you came out a Christian. However, still waters, did you live your Christianity? Green pastures, you came out a Christian, but still waters, did you live your Christianity? It is not enough to be a Christian.

You need to be a follower of Christ, not just a Christian. A Christian only will not last with the Lord. The follower of Christ will last.

Then you have lived your Christianity. When you follow him, you can come to church, listen to his word and leave and not adhere to it. What have you gained? Nothing.

You can go to the doctor and he gives you the medication. You take the medication home and you throw it in the bin, or you put it on the shelf and never take it, never drink it. You'll never get healed.

So you can't blame the doctor for not healing you. The doctor gave you the medication. It is up to you to take it or not.

He will never force you to drink it because he needs to lead you for you to drink and to lead you. He says, if anyone desires to follow me, carry my cross, deny yourself, carry the cross and follow me every day. You need to take the medication.

I'm the doctor, Jesus Christ says, my job is to give you the medication, but it is your job today to take the medication according to the prescription of the one and only doctor, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Make sense? He makes me to lie down in green pastures and he leads me beside the still waters. Wow.

Amazing. Amazing. When I was quenched by the Holy Spirit, I became comfortable only then.

You are only made comfortable and complete when you follow Christ, the Good Shepherd, to the still waters. Why do we need the Holy Spirit? Remain in Jerusalem in order to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Why do we need the Holy Spirit, my beloved, in order to be quenched? Why without the Holy Spirit we can never be quenched? Why? Because when the shepherd makes us hear his word, we need the Holy Spirit to understand it.

And we need understanding in order to follow him. I'll tell you why. The word of God is God himself.

John 1.1 says it very clearly. If anybody questions the deity of Christ, the divinity of Christ, read John 1.1. Very clear. You don't need to be a genius to figure this one out.

John 1.1 says, in the beginning was the word, Greek logos, intellect. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. That's it.

So who is this word? Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God. So the Son of God is the logos. This logo says, was in the beginning with God, and this logos was God himself.

So the word which the Good Shepherd brought to me, and he gave it to me, whether I like it or not, he made me hear his word. This word, since it is God himself, the only one who can explain God to me is God. Who can speak about you more than you? Who can explain you more than you? No matter how close the other person is to you.

Parents, they know their children more than anyone else, but parents will never be able to know their children 100%. For one simple fact, they can never fully read their mind. They can never fully see what's in their heart.

Only God can. Then how much more this infinite God, who is the only infinite being ever in existence? Who can explain the infinite God, except the infinite God? That's why when the Lord Jesus gave us his word, the green pastures, to feed us his word, we needed the Holy Spirit, who is God, to come and explain this word to us, reveal this word to us, and then make us drink this word in order to be quenched and to be filled. In one of the lectures a long time ago we did about the Holy Spirit will teach you, the Holy Spirit's role, in a very nutshell, and I know you're getting tired, but it's not bad, still early.

In a nutshell, my beloved, the Holy Spirit is the teacher. Whenever there is a teacher, there is a curriculum to be taught, there is a subject. And for the teacher to teach that subject, you need to have a school.

So the Holy Spirit is the teacher, and the Holy Spirit came to teach this subject. Who is the subject? Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son. So the Holy Spirit came to teach the Son to us.

He came to reveal the word and explain what the word meant in every way to all of us. When you go to school, do you go to school to learn about the teacher or about the subject? You'll probably study for 12 years, maybe even more. And you will never know who this teacher was, but you will know what the subject was all about, because the role of the teacher is to teach you the subject, not to teach you about himself.

So the Holy Spirit came to explain the subject, which is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the word. See, if we don't understand the word, how can we follow the word? How can we adhere to the word? How can we know what the word is expecting from us to do? So that's why I need the Holy Spirit to quench me and teach me what the word means in order to understand it, in order to follow Christ to the still waters. He makes me to lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside the still waters. Wow. So one day there was a live radio sort of interview.

They brought a Christian guy, and not telling the Christian guy, they brought another one who was an atheist. The Christian person did not know he's going to face an atheist. And it's a live show.

So now the atheist turns around and asks the Christian guy this question live. And he says to the Christian, he says, you as a Christian, you believe that Jesus Christ is God? He said, yes, I do. He says, and this Jesus Christ of yours, he came to wash away the sins of the world.

He came to cleanse, to clean all the sinners. He said, yes, he did. He said, well, he didn't do a very good job, did he? Because sin is growing at a rapid pace.

And people are sinning more and more. But if Jesus Christ is God, and God is almighty, and he can do anything and everything, why isn't he stopping people from sinning? And why isn't he washing this sin that he came to do so? The Christian guy live on the spot. He says to him, my dear friend, let me ask you a question.

Do you believe in soap? He says, well, yeah, there is soap. He says, then do you believe there is a soap factory that manufactures this soap? He says, yes, there is a soap factory that manufactures the soap. He says, but my dear friend, there are still dirty people in the world, isn't there? He said, let me tell you what I mean.

He said, you could very well be working in the soap factory and still be dirty. Why? Because until you take the soap and apply it on yourself, you will never be clean. The Lord came and shed his blood on Calvary on the cross.

But it takes you to take that blood and apply it on you, i.e. you need to believe in the sacrificial lamb of God and what he's done for you. And until the day that comes, you don't believe in him, you will remain in your sin filthy, dirty, ugly as. You'll need to apply the soap in order to be clean.

Therefore, you need to apply the blood of the lamb of God on you in order to be cleansed from your sins and be holy and wholesome once again. Hearing the word is half the truth, but the other half following Christ to the still waters. Applying the word in your life, living the word, hearing it only will not save you, but hearing it and living it, you are saved.

Amen. That's why when people go to church and say, I've been going for the last 20 years, nothing's changed in me. Because you only heard the word, you did not follow the word.

But you could come to church one day and leave fully changed. Why? Because you accepted the word and you implemented it in your life. The day you implement the word of the Lord in your life, living it, you will change then.

And this is the role of the good shepherd. He'll make sure his word reaches you. He will take you and make you lie down in green pastures, but he will not force you to drink from the still waters until you willingly and freely choose to follow him and say, Lord, I choose to live for you and follow you all the days of my life and forevermore.

Amen.