Let’s begin today by looking back at the 65th Psalm. If you recall, this psalm contained a passage of Scripture that the Lord gave me for us at the beginning of this calendar year, and it is no wonder why, for it echoes what we have been learning over the past several months regarding the “good life.”
 
Again, Psalm 65:11-13 says, “You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance. They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing.”
 
Again, church, I believe the Lord is set on crowning our year with His goodness! I believe that good things are on the horizon for HPC, and I believe we are already seeing signs of it! Amen!
 
Let’s back up and look at the entire Psalm quickly because as the Lord drew me back to this “rhema” this week, He began to show me more that is contained for us in this Psalm.
 
In verse 4, David says, “Blessed is the man You choose…” Church, we must realize that we are a chosen generation! We were hand-picked, selected and chosen for His goodness! What a blessing to know that the Almighty Creator of the heavens and the earth chose each of us! We are, therefore, a blessed people! Amen?
 
Then he goes on to say, “And (blessed is the man you) cause to approach You” Now it is one thing to be chosen and it is another to be given the opportunity to approach Him! Church, as James chapter 4 teaches us, drawing near to Him is the key to grace, as He has promised that He will draw near to us when we draw near to Him!
 
But notice what He says that we have chosen to draw near to in the rest of verse 4 - “That he may dwell in Your courts, we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.” Now this ought to sound familiar to all of us who heard our prior message in this series where we learned about the house of the Lord that we are able to dwell in forever (see Psalm 23:6).
 
But notice here that David calls it being satisfied with the goodness of His house. Amen! Church, this is what God’s presence provides - tastes of His goodness! There is nothing like it, amen?   
 
Now notice verses 9-10: David went on to say, “You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it. You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.”
 
What we are seeing here is how rain showers were considered a blessing - especially to their agricultural based society. Rain was, and is, a sign of blessing! Amen.  
 
Now have you noticed that before today, 6 out of the last 7 Sundays have been filled with rain? Well, my attitude towards all the rain on these Sundays was not the best. But the Lord showed me something this week. He took me to these verses in this psalm and began to show me that these rains we have been receiving are a sign of something. Yes, they are prophetic in nature. The Lord showed me that we are about to see a harvest, a harvest of a year crowned with His goodness. That’s right - He is leading us to verses 11-13. Glory!
 
You see, this psalm is believed to be sung at the Harvest Festival at the end of their agricultural year! In other words, it was the Jews’ psalm of praise for the First-Fruits! Therefore, we ought to be expectant of a spiritual harvest that is coming on the heels of the latter rain - healings, miracles, etc! Amen and glory!
 
And what we have been covering over the past few months is what I believe to be the Lord is “watering” our fields with. Yes, we have been getting “washed in the water of the Word” of the 23rd Psalm and I am believing for a harvest of goodness in our lives.   
 
REVIEW
 
So, we have seen what this good life that Christ came to make available for us consists of- namely:
 

1. “The Lord is My Shepherd”- He is, in fact, our Good Shepherd - being there to lead and guide us, and to speak to us. On top of that, He even knows our own, individual names. So, this is not just some general, blanket care that He provides for us; it is personal care!
2. “I shall not want”- So, since He is our Shepherd, we can expect to never lack and do without - for His goodness leads Him to meet all of our needs and grant us the desires of our heart - for the good life is a life of no lack.

3.“He makes me to lie down in green pastures”- This is where He guides us, to pastures of new and tender grass. Not to the old, used up stuff, but He makes all things new! The good life is a new life!

1. “He leads me beside the still waters”- This is where He leads us, to waters of rest. So, the life He desires to lead us by is a life of peace and relaxation, resting in the finished work of Christ. Therefore, the good life is a life of rest!
2. “He restores my soul”- The good life is a restored life, where the things that the devil has stolen from us, our Good Shepherd restores - even that damaged and broken soul.
3. “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”- Yes, our path is a path of walking in the justice and deliverance of our God. Our path drips with victory! Therefore, the good life is life filled with deliverance and victory! Thanks, be unto God!
4. “Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil”- Even though our path of life will have temptations and trials, we are promised to walk through them, all the way to the other side. Therefore, we do not have to fear, for the good life is a fearless life.
5. “For you are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me”- God is with us and He is for us! We know this because He has given us His Word (His rod) and His Holy Spirit (His staff). Therefore, the good life is a comforted life!
6. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”- God has prepared a feast for His children and this table is prepared before us even in the presence of our enemies. So, the good life is a fulfilled and satisfying life!
7. “You anoint my head with oil”- This is the Lord’s honor and grace being bestowed on us, His distinguished guests! Therefore, the good life is the anointed life!
8. “My cup runs over”- This is the excessive and extravagant nature of our God to keep pouring and pouring! He is the more than enough God! The good life is the overflowing life!
9. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”- So, God’s two footmen are in hot pursuit of us to prepare the way for us and to overtake us with blessings! Therefore, the good life is a life that is daily pursued with God’s blessings!
10. “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”- We saw that this describes us being offered the opportunity to live in God’s manifest presence every day. So, last week, we concluded our look at the 23rd Psalm with a “bang” by looking at the one thing that makes this good life the “goodest”- and that is, that we can dwell in God’s presence forever! The good life is life lived in His presence!

HOW TO HAVE THE GOOD LIFE
So, what I would like to do this week is wind up this teaching by revisiting the many “how to’s” that we learned over the past several months. You see, it is one thing to make known what is available unto us, but how do we begin to experience these things in our life. In other words, how can we practically apply these truths to our lives, and make our life emulate this “good life?”
Well, the first and most obvious key is that the Lord must become our own, personal Shepherd (Psalm 23:1). Everything else in Psalm 23 is quantified by the first verse. In other words, have we made Jesus our personal Savior and Lord? Have we come to the Lord and become a part of the fold? If we have, then guess what the fruit of this is? As we’ve said, if we are His sheep then we are known by Him, we hear His voice, we know His voice, and we are led by the Spirit of God (see John chapter 10).
Of course, there are varying degrees to this. There is the expectation that if we are children of God, we are led by the Spirit of God. Also, if we are His sheep, we know His voice and follow Him. But while we might steer clear of sin and do general things that a child of God is compelled to do, we might not always truly let the Spirit of God lead us in all things. We might not always strive to hear His voice and be guided by His ways. This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest hindrances to us experiencing the quality of life that God has for us - for if we persist in doing things our own way and not His, then we are foolish to expect to walk in everything He has for us.
To learn how to hear from God, go to our website and listen to the series “How To Hear from God and Be Led By the Holy Spirit.” To do this, go to www.highpointmacon.com. Then click on “Recent Messages” on the top menu. Next, click in the search box and type in “how to be led” and press enter. Then click on part one and go from there.
No, saints, living the good life starts with making the most important decision of making Jesus your Lord and receiving the Spirit of God, but it is consummated in deciding to let the Lord truly lead every area of our life by us adhering to what is written and in communion of the Holy Spirit.   
But I believe there is another very important principle that is key to us experiencing the good life, and it is found in the very heart of the 23rd Psalm:
You see, this is called the 23rd “Psalm” for a reason - that is because it was a song, a song written by King David to declare who he believed His God to be and what he believed His God would do for him personally. Now that might too simple for you but hear what I am saying today: This is psalm is to be our song! It is to be our declaration and the confession of our faith as it was David’s! Amen?
So, another key to experiencing this “good life” that is described in the 23rd Psalm is to begin to, first, fill our hearts with the faith and hope of these truths, but then to begin to declare these things out of our mouths! Why? It is because, as Proverbs 18:21 states: life and death are in the power of the tongue! So, if “life” is in the power of the tongue, then the “good life” is in the power of the tongue as well.   
I believe James 3:3 illustrates this truth perfectly. It says, “Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.”
First of all, whenever the Scriptures refer to things like the wind, waves, storms, floods, and rain from a negative standpoint, these are always examples used to describe negative circumstances, trials, and tribulations. Therefore, I see this verse which describes something large like a ship describing our lives.
You know, our destiny in life seems so big, how could we ever determine its direction? It seems as though what determines its direction are the circumstances of life. These fierce winds “drive” our life from one direction to the next if we let them. But there is a way to determine our destiny! I said, there is a way to determine the direction our life goes in - and it is with our mouth! Notice what James says that these large ships are steered by - a very small rudder.
You see, friends, even though our words seem so little and insignificant, they are able to turn our lives around for the better! Even that very small rudder can influence the direction that the ship that is so large goes.
But just as we cannot turn the wheel of the helm one or two times in a direction and then take our hands off the wheel and expect the ship to turn, likewise, we need to hold fast to our confession until the ship turns - holding the proverbial wheel in the direction we want our life to go.
However, notice that it is wherever the pilot desires. In other words, it is up to the inner man to decide which direction the boat is going to go in. It is his desire. You have to let your spirit man - who always desires the good plans God has for you - turn that wheel and hold it there until your life begins to buck the tides of life and take you into the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God, which is the good life.  Amen.
SUMMARY
So, what we have seen here is how to see our year crowned with His goodness! There has to be showers that come through the watering of the Word, and then, the harvest will come! But it is vital that you begin to let it rain in your own life by learning to declare what God’s Word says. In other words, watering your own field by speaking God’s Word.
So, let’s do that now! Let’s declare these prophetic promises and make them our “psalm” (i.e. song) - expecting that the First-Fruits will surely come! Yes and amen!
So, say it with me:
“The Lord is my Shepherd… I shall not want… He makes me to lie down in green pastures… He leads me beside the still waters… He restores my soul… He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake… Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil… For you are with me… Your rod and your staff, they comfort me… You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies… You anoint my head with oil… My cup runs over… Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life… And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!”
“Therefore, You crown the year with Your goodness… And Your paths drip with abundance… They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side. Our pastures are clothed with flocks; our valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing.”
“I believe in the Lord my God and I shall be established; I believe His prophets and I shall prosper!”

​Yes, church, God wants us to live a good life! He wants us to live this temporal life, giving glory to Him. This means that everything in our life from our mental and emotional state to our physical and financial condition are reflecting the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
 
Now, of course, this doesn’t mean that we won’t incur hardships and have opportunities to fight the good fight of faith. The devil and this world will certainly try to steal our faith and bring challenges into our life, but we will be able to walk through them without even the smell of smoke! Yes, the fire cannot touch us! Hallelujah!
 
So, last week, we began looking at the final verse of Psalm 23, verse 6, and we saw how King David continued with this description of God being our Honorable Host by saying, “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”
Church, this statement is so powerful in that it reveals to us what we have to look forward to - again, not just in the next life, but all of the days of our life here now! Amen!  
We saw that some synonyms for the word “Surely” are as: “assuredly, certainly, definitely; doubtless, easily, hands down; inarguably, indisputably; undeniably, undoubtedly, unquestionably, unarguably; clearly, plainly, really, truly.” Therefore, when we see the word “Surely” attached to a statement in God’s Word, this means we can take it to the bank! It is a done deal!
But as confident as David was able to be here in this verse, we, under this new and better covenant, should be even more confident. Why? It is because He already has poured out His goodness and mercy on us through Christ Jesus! So, as far as God’s concerned, it has already been done! Amen! SURELY, God’s grace is in our account!
Then we looked at what is it that we can be confident of experiencing every day of our lives? David says that it is God’s goodness and mercy following us all the days of our life.
Regarding this, we saw how goodness and mercy have been referred to as God’s footmen. These footmen were two men who took their place behind a wealthy man on his coach. Their task was to smooth the way for him. Where he went, they went. When his coach stopped, they jumped down to open the door for him. They would hurry into the inn to make sure his room was ready and his supper served.  
However, we saw that some have gotten the wrong impression of these two footmen. We saw that when this verse says that this goodness and mercy shall “follow” us all the days of our life, some have gotten the impression thinking that they are maybe 50 yards behind us, picking up the rear. But the Hebrew word that David used here is crucial to understand in this context. It is the Hebrew word radaph, which means “to pursue, to set off after someone in order to catch them.” It also means “to chase, to run after, or to be in hot pursuit of.”
In fact, this word is translated “persecute” more times in the original King James version than it was “follow.” David oftentimes used this same word to describe his enemies’ pursuing and persecution of him (see Psalm 7:1, 31:15, 35:3 etc.).
So, this paints a better picture of what David meant in Psalm 23:6: Just as David’s enemies would intentionally and maliciously pursue David to do him harm because of their hatred for him, God’s goodness and mercy likewise intentionally pursue us - but not to do us harm because of their hatred - but to do us good because He loves us! Amen!
So, no, God’s goodness and mercy do not follow behind us at some distance, never catching up to us. No, they are pursuing us in order to catch us every day! We used the example that it is like you were speeding and now a police car is “following” you with its lights on. That police officer is not “following” you from a distance; no, they are “pursuing” you in order to catch up to you, pull you over, and give you a ticket for speeding.
Church, that is what God’s goodness and mercy is doing for each and every one of us every day: They are in “hot pursuit” of us! The difference is, when they catch you and I, they are not going to give you a ticket (i.e. punishment and judgment); God’s goodness and His unfailing love will provide you with all manner of grace and mercy! Amen! 
So, we then looked at God’s first footman called “goodness.” The Hebrew word that is used here is used over 550 times, and guess what you will not find in these 550 instances where it is used…? Of the 550-plus times this word "goodness" is used, you never one time see any reference to things like cancer, paralysis, tragedy, accidents, sickness, poverty, etc. Isn’t that interesting? It is particularly interesting when you consider how so many Christians, and even ministers, today are equating these bad things with God’s goodness.
But, no, this word “goodness” describes things that are “pleasant, becoming, beneficial and morally good”? In fact, this word for "goodness" is translated as “good, better and best.” It is, therefore, a huge stretch for these who equate evil, destructive things like this to being agents of God’s goodness.
In fact, this word that David used that is translated “goodness” is the same word that God used throughout Genesis chapter one in describing His creation. So, if you want to know what God considers “good,” then look at His original design in creation, which is completely absent of these evil, harmful things. No, God’s original creation is all life and constructive, not death and destructive!  
Then we looked at the other footman of the Lord that is following close behind, translated “mercy.”
This word comes from the Hebrew word hesed, which I believe is the closest Old Testament counterpart to our New Testament word describing God’s love, agape. This word is defined by Strong’s as “unfailing love, loyal love, devotion, kindness, often based on a prior relationship, especially a covenant relationship.” It is for this reason that many like to define this word as “the unfailing, steadfast, covenant love of God.”
So, not only is God’s goodness in hot pursuit of us, but we also have God’s unfailing, covenant love chasing us down as well! Aren’t you thankful, church, that God’s unfailing love never quits on us and never quits pursuing us. Yes, even when we are unlovable and do some pretty stupid things, God’s love is still in hot pursuit of us!   
Now we saw how these two words “good(ness) & mercy” are what was used in the very common statement of praise that was made throughout the Old Testament where God’s chosen people said, “For the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!” (And notice that both, His goodness and mercy, are referred to in this, the single most popular statement of praise we have in the entire Bible)
In studying this, we find something very interesting: You will find that when they began to praise God with this “phrase of praise” that the glory of the Lord showed up, enemies were defeated, and God’s people were blessed! (Compare 2 Chronicles 5:13-14)
Now it is important to realize that just simply parroting this particular phrase is not necessarily going to get the same results. What needs to be understood here is that it is in praising God out of the heart for His goodness and His mercy that is what will yield God’s miraculous provision in our lives. And specifically, this: when you praise God all the days of your life for His goodness and His mercy like this, His goodness and mercy will follow you all of the days of your life!
Then, finally, we looked at the last part of this phrase from Psalm 23:6 and saw that David’s confidence was not in the fact that God’s goodness and love pursuing us will happen sometimes or from time to time; no, David said, “Surely, (this will happen) all the days of my life.” In other words, this was not something that he believed would happen occasionally or sporadically; this was not something he was confident would happen from time to time or even “as the Lord willed.” No, David was “sure” that the Lord’s goodness and mercy would be in hot pursuit of him every day of his life.
So, this is something that we should ask ourselves: Do we believe that we have good things and God’s love pursuing us every day? Are we expecting that something good will happen to us today? This is apparently what David believed!
Now the truth is that most people (including Christians) are pessimistic, not optimistic. They will say things like, “Well, if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all!” And the problem with this belief system is that it based on their experiences and not on God’s Word. The Bible says, “Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life!” So, that is only what we should be saying! As the late Oral Roberts was known for saying, “Something good is going to happen to you today!” This is where he got this from - verses like Psalm 23:6!  
So, this is what we took away from the message last week: We need to change our expectations and begin to say out of our mouths every day that “Surely, something good is going to happen to me today!”- all because God has said that His goodness and His unfailing love are pursuing us every day of our lives!
So, surely, certainly, absolutely, we can take it to the bank, the Lord’s goodness and His unfailing, steadfast love are in hot pursuit of us, God’s children. And these are not seasonal blessings either; they are pursuing us every day of our lives! Amen, and so be it!
THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
But, you know, as wonderful and blessed as this good life can be - as great as all the physical, financial, relational, emotional, mental benefits are - there is “one thing” that far surpasses all of these natural blessings. Yes, there is one thing that is most needful and is the good part of this good life - and that His presence! The one thing that is available to us that makes this good life the “goodest” is that we can live in the presence of God every day! Amen?
Ironically enough, this is exactly what David referred to, albeit in the last half of the last verse of this beautiful psalm. (Truly, the last shall be first! Amen?) So, let’s look at the last portion of Psalm 23:6. In it, David says, “… And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Now, first of all, one thing that is important to understand about this reference to “the house of the Lord” is that it is not a physical place. I understand that we like to refer to our church buildings as “the house of God,” but these physical structures we gather in are not truly God’s house. That’s right: one cannot say God’s house is here or it is there - for the house of the Lord is wherever we take it because our bodies are now God’s temples.
Do you remember the account where Jesus was ministering to the woman at the well and He told her that the time was coming where we will not worship the Father on that particular mountain or in the city of Jerusalem, but the time was coming where those that worship the Father must worship Him in spirit and in truth? Jesus said that God is spirit, and this is why the time was coming where God’s people were not going to have to go to a specific place to worship anymore. Therefore, the secret place is a spiritual place, the house of the Lord where His presence abides.  
Even when these Old Testament saints referred to the “house of the Lord,” they were not referring to simply a physical structure. It would not have been realistic that David would have been referring to a physical place either because how many of you know that we cannot stay in one physical structure all the time? No, you cannot go to church every day just as the Jews could not constantly live in the Temple or Tabernacle. So, David was evidently talking about something else when he referred to the “House of the Lord.”
Now repeat after me: “Pastor Trey… wants me… to come to church.” Going to church is important, saints! For it is uniting together in fellowship to be equipped and encouraged that keeps us from straying from the pack and becoming easy prey for the roaring lion. But how many of you know that there is something more important than going to church? There sure is, and this is it: “dwelling in the house of the Lord forever.”
So, what was David referring to here? Well, to the Jewish mind, the house of the Lord (i.e. the Tabernacle and then the Temple) was synonymous with God’s presence. Yes, they saw “the house of the Lord” as the place where God dwelt - in the holy of holies of both the Tabernacle and the Temple. So, what David was literally saying was that He was certain that he would dwell in God’s presence forever. No, not in the holy of holies, but that God would be with Him wherever he went.
AND I WILL…FOREVER
But notice how David said, “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Not, “And I hope or maybe I will dwell there.” No, He was confident that he was going to dwell in the Lord’s presence forever. There was no question in his mind. And this is the confidence we should have as well - that we are not “in and out,” one day God’s there and the other He’s not. No, we should know that His presence is present forever.
I say this because there is an epidemic in the Body of Christ – a wrong belief system – that the Holy Spirit may come and alight on us one day, but as soon as we “grieve” Him, He flies away like a bird out of a tree. This is simply not true! Jesus promised us that when the Helper has come, He will abide with us forever (see John 14:16). So, He is not in us one day and gone the next. No, He remains with us forever. Even when we sin. Even when we say and do stupid things. He abides.
So, that is the first piece of encouragement that we should receive from this phrase - that we don’t have to worry about God’s presence departing from us if we are born again, Spirit-filled believers. Nothing can separate us from His love! He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 & Deuteronomy 31:6). Jesus said, “I am with you always even to the end of this world” (Matthew 28:20). So, we need to be fixed in the truth that God is always with us, that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and that we will dwell in His presence forever.
Now “forever” does not just indicate eternally either. It certainly includes forever into eternity, but it includes right now as well. In other words, dwelling in the house of the Lord starts and is made available the moment we are born again and continues throughout the rest of our life here in these tents and will continue when we leave this earth and live in the glory of God’s kingdom.
As a matter of fact, this is why God gave us Jesus to begin with…    
ETERNAL LIFE
If you were to ask many Christians what their favorite Bible verse is, probably the most common answer would be John 3:16. The reason this would likely be the favorite verse of the majority of Christians is because this verse perfectly illustrates the gospel message of God’s unconditional love and of His amazing grace. But even with as much time and energy that has been spent reading and studying this powerful verse, there is a major point that Jesus made in it that is not understood in many circles of Christendom.
Let me explain: Many only read John 3:16 from the perspective that God has saved us from something - namely, perishing in hell and eternal death. This truth that Jesus came to save us from an eternity of being separated from God has been emphasized time and time again through this verse. And while this is most definitely true and an important part of our salvation (for being “saved” is being delivered from eternal death), this is not all that is entailed in our salvation. You see, God did not just save us from something; He saved us unto something! And Jesus reveals what He saved us for in this classic verse. So, let’s take a look at it…
John 3:16 reads- “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him would not perish but have eternal life.”
First of all, notice that this verse begins by talking about how much God loved the world. Friends, this is a good time for a commercial here - because I believe one of the most detrimental things to having a good, healthy relationship with God is the misconception of who God is. You see, so many view God has a harsh, judgmental God who is out to get them and is only focused on their sins, faults and shortcomings, but this is simply not the truth. This verse says that God so loved the world, not just loved His people. No, He loved the world! This is the ungodly! The sinner! Those who were lost and without God in the world! And then this verse didn’t just say that He loved the world; it says that He so loved them! Amen! 
“So” let me ask you a question: if God so loved the world, then how do you think He loves His church? I would answer that question this way: God so loves the world, but God “so-zo” loves His church! Amen! 
But my point is what so many fail to realize is that this verse not only shows us what God has done for us, but it also reveals to us God’s purpose for our lives. In other words, John 3:16 provides us with more than just what God did for us; it also shows us what God did for all of the world- revealing the purpose of our salvation.
Most read this verse and act like it ends with the word “perish.” They seem to only acknowledge that God sent Jesus to save us from perishing for all eternity. Just like so many just stop at this point of the verse, this is as far as some get in their revelation of God’s purpose in sending Jesus.
But no, finish the verse, saints! Don’t get stuck on that same old verse and dance; get to the chorus! The chorus to this beautiful love song says, “but have eternal life.”
So “eternal life” is what God saved us unto and the purpose of our salvation! Again, this verse says that God sent His Son not only for the purpose of saving us from perishing, but that we would have “eternal life.” God’s redemptive plan involved more than just delivering us from eternal death; it also involved delivering us into eternal life!
So here is the big question then: What is eternal life? Is it, as it initially sounds, to “live forever”? It could not mean to just simply live forever because, I have news for you, as it pertains to eternity, everyone is going to “live forever.” Some will spend eternity in heaven and the others will spend eternity in hell, and our eternal destination is determined by whether we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior or not.
You see, contrary to popular belief, eternal life begins now, not when we die. Jesus said that we now possess eternal life (John 5:24 & 6:27). In other words, the invitation into eternal life begins the moment we put our faith in Him. Therefore, the gift of eternal life is something that is immediately available to all born again believers.
KNOWING GOD
So, if eternal life is not what it seems like just from the casual glance as just beginning after we die and go to heaven, what is it? We need to find out the answer to this question so that we do not miss any of the privileges and benefits of our salvation.
Jesus gave us the answer to this mystery in John 17:3… He said, “And this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
So eternal life is indeed more than what it seems on the surface! Eternal life is knowing God the Father and knowing God the Son! Now this makes the truth that we now possess eternal life easier to understand, doesn’t it? We now have eternal life because we now have the glorious opportunity to know God! Hallelujah!
Now when this verse says that eternal life is to “know” God, it is important to note that Jesus was not referring to knowing about God or to just having some intellectual information about Him.
You see, it is easy for us to say that we “know” someone, but do we really “know” them? For example, if someone asked us if we knew Donald Trump or some other famous person we would likely say that we do, but does this mean that we really know them? The answer is no. We might know about them or know of them, but this does not mean that we really know them like Jesus was referring to here. You see, there is a difference between how we use the word “know” in today’s language and how the Bible uses this word “know.”
The word “know” here in John 17:3 means to know experientially and intimately. For example, this word “know” was used this same way in Genesis 4:1 to describe how Adam “knew” his wife Eve, which was meant to describe the intimacy in their relationship. So, we can see from this example that when the Bible uses the word “know” it means much more than having head knowledge; it means to have an experiential knowledge! And from this example in Genesis, we can see that it means to have a close, intimate knowledge of another individual similarly to what you would have when you have a personal relationship with them.
So, I submit to you that eternal life - which is “knowing” our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus - describes having a personal relationship with God. It is having a close relationship with God as a parent and child or a husband and wife would have with one another! Eternal life is having a knowledge of God that goes beyond just being acquainted with Him or vaguely knowing about Him. Eternal life is knowing God on a personal level and having a personal and intimate relationship with the Godhead! Thank you, Jesus!    
So, yes, “forever” begins now! If we are born of God and the Holy Spirit resides in us, “eternal life” begins now and will continue into the next life. Amen! And King David was a man well ahead of his time - for he understood this well. Yes, he understood the value of fellowshipping with God and living in His presence. In his estimation, there was nothing more important than this. He indicated this in Psalm 27, so let’s look at it:
ONE THING IS NEEDFUL
In Psalm 27:4, David begins to say, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek…” The Hebrew word for “one” here describes the bringing together of several different things or a uniting together of multiple things. So, what David was saying was that if he could summarize everything that he desired from the Lord; if he could bring everything together that he asked and sought the Lord for, it would be this “one thing”: “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”  Therefore, what David was saying was that if he could summarize everything that He asked the Lord and sought Him for, it would be to dwell in His presence all the days of His life. This is the one thing he wanted!
In Luke 10:38-42, we see Jesus Himself referring to this one thing as well. This is, of course, the familiar story of Martha and Mary: In this story, we see Martha was distracted with much serving, and how she resented her sister for not helping her. Eventually she had had it with her “lazy-bum” sister and decided to interrupt Jesus to get Him to correct Mary. But I bet she was not prepared for the response He gave her: He said, “Martha, Martha, you are troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Wow! This verse is loaded with some powerful truths that paint the picture of so many believers!
Notice that in Luke 10:42, Jesus did not say that this one thing - the good part of our calling - is just a good idea; He said that this one thing is “needed.” This is something that we desperately need to understand - that spending time in God’s presence is an absolute necessity and not just beneficial.
Notice that Jesus said only “one thing” is needed, and it was not Martha’s service for Him. Now, He was not saying that her service was unimportant or that it did not have its place. Our service unto Him is important, but Jesus said that Mary had chosen that good part. That “good part” of what? That good part of a believer’s responsibility! What Mary had chosen was the one thing that was needful… And what was that one thing that she desired and sought after? It was fellowshipping with Jesus - drawing near to Him and sitting at His feet! Jesus attested that spending time in His presence was the good and needful part of our relationship with Him!  
PLANTED IN HIS PRESENCE
Now regarding Psalm 27:4, did you notice the same word “dwell” that was used in Psalm 23:6 was used here as well? This is also the same terminology used in Psalm 91:1 when Moses said that He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. You see, saints, this is where the child of God is meant to live - in God’s presence!
And this is obviously not just an occasional visit to these places; this is living in them! That is what this word “dwells” indicates, which I see as being the Old Testament counterpart to the New Testament word “abide.” Therefore, this excludes the “nod to God” crowd (i.e. those whose relationship with God consists only of attending the occasional church service or doing sporadic religious exercises). No, this is referring to the one who lives in the place of His presence, those who daily “dwell” in His house.
Psalm 92:12-15 teaches us that as we are planted and abiding in the Lord’s presence (i.e. His house) that we will blossom and sprout with a spiritual harvest (i.e. we will be spiritually rich with the life of God). It’s just like how a tree works. As a trunk of a tree pumps sap into the branches which force the branches to produce or else they’ll drown. Likewise, as we remain plugged into Jesus, He pumps His life into us and forces us to produce His fruit.
You see, this was David’s great desire because he knew just how wonderful time spent in the Father’s presence was! Yes, he knew it’s benefits!  Notice what he went on to say in the 27th Psalm…  
He said at the end of verse 4 - “to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.”
You know, there are some things you just will not know outside of fellowshipping with God in His presence. You will not be able to behold the beauty of the Lord outside of His house. In other words, you will not be able to see how truly good and gracious He is. Yes, some things are better caught than taught. I could stand up before you Sunday after Sunday, telling you how good God is and how awesome He is, but if you do not get in His presence for yourself and behold upon Him yourself, there are some things you just will not see. No, we need to get in His “house” and gaze upon Him (i.e. beholding Him). This is when, not only will we be able to truly see Him as He is, but also, we will be changed into the same image from glory to glory! Amen!
Yes, saints, His temple is where we are able to truly “inquire” of the Lord and learn all about His ways. In other words, in His presence is where we get answers. Have you ever noticed that the things God speaks directly to you are the things that stick and you remember the most? That’s because the Lord Himself will always be your best teacher. 
But notice what David went on to say next in verse 5- David says, “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion. In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.”
So here, David explains another major reason why dwelling in the presence of God all the days of His life was His greatest desire: Not only did He get to experience the myriad of blessings associated with spending time in God’s presence; he also knew that this was the key to being hidden and protected in the time of trouble. Therefore, we can see that dwelling in God’s presence - just you and Him, fellowshipping and spending time with each other - is where we are sheltered from harm and trouble. It is here that we are shielded and defended from the snares of the fowler. Amen.  
ABUNDANTLY SATISFIED
But His presence does not just offer us protection from the enemy, it is where we truly become satisfied and content. Psalm 36:8-9 teaches us this: In verse eight, David begins by saying, “They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of your house...”
The “they” being referred to here are those who know their God and, therefore, position themselves under the shadow of His wings (see verse seven). So, what does he say is the benefit of drawing near to Him like this? We are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of the house of God.
Therefore, the way David says that we become abundantly satisfied (or you could say, extremely content) is by entering the fullness of God’s presence. This, of course, corresponds with Paul’s secret to contentment that we find in Philippians 4:13 - for our contentment level is directly tied to abiding in the presence of the Lord. Amen?
We see this principle reflected in Psalm 16:11 as well when King David said, “In Your presence is fullness of joy.” So, it sounds like the key to being full of joy and abundantly satisfied in our hearts is learning to live in the fullness of God’s presence. Or you could say, the more of the Lord’s presence that we are abiding in, the more content and satisfied we will be. Amen.
Saints, there is no substitute for His presence! It brings fullness of joy, contentment and satisfaction. Therefore, the only reason that we ever become discontent in life is because we are not drawing the strength for our contentment from the presence of Christ. Yes, if we ever feel like we need anything other than Christ, then we are showing signs that our heart is gravitating towards these other things and away from the Lord.
The rest of Psalm 36:8 goes on to say, “…and you give them drink from the river of your pleasures.”
Didn’t Jesus say that if anyone thirsts, let them come to Him and drink (John 7:37)? You see, true satisfaction comes from nowhere else other than being close to Him and drinking from His well of salvation. He alone can satisfy our deepest needs - not a spouse, a job, or a hobby - just as water is the only thing that can satisfy us when we truly thirst. There is no substitute for Christ in this dry and thirsty land just like there is no substitute for water in a naturally dry and thirsty land.  
Then notice what King David says in verse nine: “For with You is the fountain of life; In your light we see light.”
David goes on to say here that it is only being with Him (that is, in His presence) that you and I can experience the fountain of life. What is this fountain of life? It is God Himself - for He referred to Himself as the fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 2:13). So, when we are “with Him,” the life of God can continuously flow through our very being making us perpetually satisfied and content.
David also said that in His light we see light. In other words, when we are in His presence (for God Himself is light), we can see more clearly and our perspective will change. The things we used to think were important and that we had to have will no longer be our priority and focus. That’s right - in His presence we will be able to see what is important with an unclouded perspective and will truly walk in the light as He is in the light.
My friend, there are so many benefits to the presence of God in our lives. Like we have just seen, it produces light and it is our fountain of life. Yes, His presence is to us spiritually what sunlight and water are to us physically. 
So, we can clearly see that dwelling in the Lord’s “house”- that is, His presence - has a myriad of benefits. It abundantly satisfies our soul! It causes us to grow and flourish and bear fruit for the glory of God! It protects us from many of the onslaughts of the enemy! But, I believe most importantly, it grants us entrance into a rich and vibrant fellowship with the Lord that we are all called to inherit! And we can continue and grow in this all of our lives. We can still bear more fruit in old age by spending time in his presence, still continue flourishing!
OUR VITAL NEED
Now let’s skip ahead to another verse in the 27th Psalm that explains the attitude that David had regarding his desire to be with God. What we will find is that David did not seek to be with God all of the days of His life just because he wanted to; we will see that David sought to be with God because he knew how much he needed to.
Psalm 27:8 in the Amplified Bible reads this way: “You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].”
Notice, first of all, that David said God told him to seek His face and, as the Amplified Bible brings out, to require His presence as his vital need. What this tells us is that David’s desire to be with God was evidently not just initiated by David himself. No, the Lord had commanded David to seek His face and require His presence as his vital need.
The Lord has repeatedly told me the exact same thing over my walk with Him. Yes, throughout my walk with the Lord, I have had Him tell me time and time again just how important it is that I learn to fellowship with Him. In fact, it seems like every time I have ever approached Him with a frustration that I was having in my walk, that seeking His face was the remedy He gave me. Particularly early in my walk, in the times where I asked God for answers, invariably His response to me was something like, “Son, you just need to be spending time with Me.” 
But, whether we know it or not, God has told all of us how important that it is that we spend time with Him; and He has told us through Psalm 27:8. He has admonished each and every one of us through this powerful passage of Scripture to seek, inquire for, and require His presence as our vital need. None of our situations are unique. We all need to spend time with God - dwelling in His presence and feeding on His faithfulness!
You see, He knows that spending time with Him and seeking His face is vital to our spiritual life. This is why He commands us to do so. But the problem is not with getting God to know how much we need to spend time with Him; the problem is with getting us to realize how vital it is that we spend time with Him.
I believe a good illustration that describes the importance of the time we spend fellowshipping with God is in the importance of periodically plugging an electronic or battery-operated device into its power source. You see, we all have battery operated devices that we have to recharge periodically and we also have some electronic devices that need to stay plugged in so that they can continue to operate. Either way, every electronic or battery-operated device has to be plugged in or recharged at some point or another. One device that can probably be understood by most of us is our mobile phone. If we do not plug in our mobile phones regularly, we are likely to have the battery die, correct? Therefore, we place a priority on charging our phone on a daily basis so that it does not run out of power. And although having our cell phone lose its power is not a serious thing, what God wants us to understand is that a failure to maintain quality fellowship with Him is indeed detrimental to our spiritual lives. No, I am not saying that we are going to die physically or spiritually if we do not spend time with God. However, what I am saying is that we will not truly live if we do not have good, quality fellowship with Him!
For example, Jesus said in John chapter 15, in order for the branch to truly live and be productive, it must abide in the Vine because, apart from Him (i.e. Jesus Christ), we can do nothing. If Jesus were here on the earth during the 21st Century, He might have used the same illustration that I am using here because basically what He was making the point of is that if the branches do not stay “plugged into” the Vine, they will lose their “power” to be fruitful. Therefore, just as is the case with our electronic and battery-operated devices, if we want to fulfill our mandate to be lights to the world, we must stay plugged into the source of that light. Why? It is because the quality of our spiritual life is directly tied to us having an abiding relationship with the True Vine.
But let me take this illustration to another level… What if you literally ran on a battery and, just as is the case with any battery-operated device, you had to recharge your battery at a certain time, say first thing in the morning? If this were the case, where would you be first thing every morning? Undoubtedly, every morning for a specific period of time, you would be plugged into that power source! It would not matter if you did not sleep well the night before, if you would rather watch television, or even if someone invited you to an all-expense paid trip to your favorite place to shop. No matter how you felt or what came up, you would be recharging your battery at all costs! And why? It is because you would understand how vital and necessary it is that you recharge your battery. And this is exactly how we should view our time spent with God! Now I believe that the reason that God has indicated that we need to be this serious and rigid about our time spent with God is because if we do not adopt this mentality, the devil is sure to distract us.
Have you ever noticed that when you have decided to go to your prayer closet to spend time with God that every possible distraction will come up? Yes, invariably, the devil will send both external and internal distractions to derail our time spent in God’s presence. Some examples of these external distractions would perhaps be the phone ringing, someone knocking at the door, or the dog starts barking. But not only will these external distractions come up, even our minds will begin to be filled with distracting thoughts. For example, we might start having thoughts about all the things that need to be done around the house. Now you know good and well that if you were simply sitting in front of the television, you would not be thinking of how you need to be cleaning out the garage, would you? So where do you suppose both these external and internal distractions come from? You guessed it! It is the enemy that plants those distractions in your path to abiding in His presence! And why do you suppose he fights our time spent with God like this? Do you think it might be because he knows how vital this time we spend with God is to our spiritual lives? I guarantee you this is why he sends these distractions and obstacles! He apparently knows something that most believers do not! But no more! Lord you have said, “Seek Me and require my presence as your vital need!” So, we say to You, “Lord, one thing we desire and commit to do; we will seek to spend time with You!”    
CONCLUSION
So, what have we learned? We have seen that dwelling the house of the Lord is not just something that is available to us from time to time or as the Lord wills. It is something that is promised us forever - partly because the Lord Himself has promised that He will always be with us. Therefore, we have God’s presence with us all of the time as God’s children and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
But this is also available experientially as well - for as we learned, the house of the Lord is His presence. Therefore, we have the promise of His presence being available to us forever. This all starts with experiencing “eternal life” which is knowing God. So, as we seek to know God, having relationship & fellowship with Him, we experience now what is available to us forever. Amen.  
And the benefits to His presence are unending, church! We have seen that we come to know Him more in His presence. We have our questions answered in His presence. We are protected in His presence. Our hearts are full in His presence. We become more fruitful through His presence. The benefits are endless!
Therefore, our prayer should be that of Moses when he said, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” (Exodus 33:15). You see, defeating our giants, inheriting our Promised Land, and eating the fruit of this good life cannot compare to living in the presence of the Lord. Amen?
You see, Moses had tasted and seen that the Lord is good. So, he knew that nothing else could compare with the manifest goodness of God. And this is the way it is with all of us; once we get a taste of the goodness of His presence, we will want more! You can’t get enough of His presence because it is addictive. 
So, get addicted today, church! Get a taste of this good life - for the Good Life is a life lived in God’s presence. Amen!

We have been studying the “Good Life” that God has made available for us to live, and we have learned some wonderful truths from the 23rd Psalm!
 
We spent the first eight weeks of this series covering verses 1-4 that give us the analogy of a shepherd’s relationship with his sheep. Then, we saw how there is a transition beginning in verse 5 from God being described as our Good Shepherd to Him being described as our “Hospitable Host.”
 
So, these last two verses of the 23rd Psalm show us another part of God’s nature: Not only is He that Good Shepherd who takes care of His sheep; He is that Honorable Host who crowns us with His lovingkindness and tender-mercies in His house. Yes, He prepares this table before us and makes all things good and ready! Upon entering, He honors us by anointing our head with oil! He fills our cup up to overflowing! Then our response is, “Surely, my host’s goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life! And I will live in His house forever!” Amen! This is living the good life, my friends!
 
Now we saw how in the beginning of verse 5 God is said to prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies, and we learned some incredibly important principles about this table that He has spread before us:
 
First of all, we learned that just because a meal has been prepared by the Lord does not automatically mean that all of His children will partake of it. Why? Because God’s people do not always accept the invitation. Yes, those the Lord has invited generally don’t make showing up to that dinner a priority in their lives.
      
But we also learned that there is another reason found in this verse why God’s children do not always partake from the Lord’s table. Notice again that this verse includes eating “in the presence of our enemies.” We learned from this that the reason why so many fail to partake of the children’s bread is because they have left the Lord’s table to argue and fight with their enemies. And what we have come to understand is - even if we are successful at avenging ourselves, we are missing the meal. Do you know how many of God’s children are missing out on the party at God’s table because they decided to let their enemies spoil their fun? Don’t leave the table for someone who decided not to come to the party!
 
But the fact remains that there is a table prepared for us to partake of, and it is up to us to both accept the invitation and to not let anything or anyone distract us from the Lord’s supper. We are to run the race before us, setting our hands to the plow and not looking back (or to the side for that matter)!
 
Then two weeks ago, on Resurrection Sunday, we looked at another phrase in Psalm 23:5, where David said, “My cup runs over!” We learned that this analogy describes that abundant life Christ came to make available for us, and we saw how this life “more abundantly” describes a life that is “over, above and more than is necessary.” Strong’s says that it means “beyond, super-abundant in quantity, superior in quality and by implication, excessive.” The Amplified Bible gives a great definition to this phrase; it defines it as “to the full, till it overflows.” In fact, this Hebrew word that is used for “runs over” is only used in one other place in the Scriptures, and that is found at the end of Psalm 66:12 when he says, “But you brought us out to rich fulfillment.” Other translations call this place of “rich fulfillment” a “wealthy place.” 
 
So, the picture we have painted here is of a cup that is not just filled full to the brim, but it describes a cup that is actually overflowing and spilling over - a rich, abundance of drink, hallelujah! Therefore, God’s nature is to not only give us enough life, but to give us more than enough life! This is always what He desires to do for us because He is an excessive God!
 
We saw this in the first name that the Lord used to reveal Himself to mankind - El Shaddai in Genesis 17:1.
This is when He appeared to Abram and revealed one of His names as, “Almighty God.” This name described God as the One who is able to supply and provide every need that we have. It carries the idea of Him being “All-Sufficient”, or you could say, “more than enough!” As I’ve heard my father in the faith, Andrew Wommack, say time and time again, “God is El Shaddai, not El Cheapo!” J God is too much!
 
So, it is apparent that we serve a God who is a “too much and more than enough” kind of God! We see this in all of these witnesses as well as in our new and better covenant which is established upon better promises! Church, God’s nature and will is to reveal Himself as El Shaddai to us and to multiply us exceedingly! He desires to keep pouring His goodness into our cups, and fill us with His life until we are overflowing! So, as the Psalmist said, “Open your mouth wide and He will fill it” (Psalm 81:10)! Amen and so be it! 
 
And, finally, last week, we looked at the other phrase that David wrote in Psalm 23:5 when He said, “He anoints my head with oil.” Mind you, the context of this phrase in Psalm 23:5-6 is of a gracious host honoring his or her guests, and the original Hebrew language paints this same picture in this phrase.
 
We saw how this word “anoints” is not the common word used for the anointing of a king or a priest. It is for this reason that the Hebrew word David used here is only translated “anoints” this one time in the original King James version. And the reason why it is not translated this way any other time is because this word literally describes “to make fat, to thrive or to prosper,” and we saw how it is used this way four times in the Book of Proverbs.
 
Therefore, based on this choice of words of David, we saw that this describes an anointing all right, but not an anointing for regal or priestly duties. Rather, he was referring to the anointing of a guest at some prestigious banquet with oils and perfumes as a way of honoring them. Yes, the allusion is to the custom of anointing the head on festive occasions, as an indication of prosperity and honor. Therefore, as a whole, it is indicative of the divine favor, of prosperity, and of joy.
 
So, this oil that our most gracious and honorable Host (the Lord of Hosts, that is) anoints our head with is poured out in such a “full, thriving and prosperous” manner. In other words, He pours oil on our head so abundantly - thus the expression indicates an abundance of oil.
 
We saw how this correlates with the phrase “My cup runs over” and both phrases, therefore, describe “abundance.” They echo each other in describing the Lord pouring more than enough. Essentially, what David was saying was, “He pours out an abundance of oil on my head, and He pours out an abundance of wine in my cup!”
 
We also looked at how both oil and wine are types of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures. Therefore, the good life is the anointed life - the life anointed by the Holy Ghost! Yes, all throughout the Scriptures when we see someone being anointed with oil that is symbolic of the Holy Spirit being poured out on them - either to equip and empower one for a particular office or to set free and deliver one from a particular bondage.
 
We then looked at one very solid biblical example of how this occurs found in the Gospels: Mary’s anointing Jesus found in Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 12. We looked at this in Mark 14:3-9, where we are told that this event transpired when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper. Now Mark just described her as a “woman,” but we know from John’s Gospel that this was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (see John 12:2-3).
 
We saw that Mary came with an “alabaster flask.” In short, “alabaster” was a stone commonly found in Israel. It was a hard stone resembling white marble So, the container Mary used to carry the perfumed oil was made of a white, marble-like substance. Ointment, oils and perfumes used to be put in vessels made of alabaster, which kept them pure and unspoiled. The boxes were often sealed with wax, to prevent the perfume from escaping. Alabaster was a strong enough substance to keep the oil or perfume completely contained until the time of its use.
 
Mark goes on to describe this alabaster flask as containing “a very costly oil of spikenard.” Now "spikenard" was a plant that only grew in the Himalaya mountains of India and Nepal. Therefore, Mary's fragrant oil of spikenard was a rare, imported product in Israel. Now, how expensive was this spikenard contained in the alabaster flask? Well, we saw how we don’t have to speculate because in John 12:5, Judas evaluated that it could have been sold for “three hundred denarii." Now, in their day, one denarius was the wage for one day's labor. So, if Judas' estimate of the value of Mary's spikenard is correct, then it would have been worth close to someone's annual salary, equivalent to several tens of thousands of dollars today.
 
You see, something’s value is only determined by what others are willing to pay for it. So, even though Judas and some of other disciples thought this was a waste does not mean that the Lord did. Mary obviously thought blessing and honoring Jesus was worth more than a year’s worth of wages and more than silver and gold. Amen!  
 
But we saw how there was a “breaking” of that box or flask that had to occur to get out what was precious on the inside - for we learned that “this was a long-necked vessel for storing or holding ointment or perfume, and when the neck was broken off, the contents were used…”
 
Now this event teaches us several lessons:
 
One is this - I believe that not only is Mary an example to us of how we ought to strive to honor the Lord, but I also see this “alabaster flask” as symbolic of us too. Yes, I see this “alabaster flask” as symbolic of our temples - that is, our bodies - as “alabaster” was also one of the stones used to decorate Solomon’s glorious Temple (see 1 Chronicles 29:2). As the Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 2:5, we are living stones, being built up as a spiritual house. Praise God! And if this “alabaster flask” is a type of our bodies, oh, what a measure of treasure is contained within us!  As 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 states, we are to be diffusing the fragrance of the knowledge of God in every place we go as the Lord’s “earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Yes, there is a treasure within these “alabaster boxes” (i.e. earthen vessels) and it is meant to be released to honor and glorify the Lord with! Amen!
 
But the key to releasing the sweet-smelling aroma and blessing the Lord with it is found in being “broken”- that is, learning to lose our own dignity and pride and get “outside the box” where God can be God to us. We saw that one reason why this treasure stays within our vessels is because we like to stay in control. We don’t want to lose face in front of people. We keep our dignity and pride and, in so doing, we keep that anointing oil on the inside of us.  
 
As an example of this, we looked at what King David said after he had danced before the Lord with all of his might (2 Samuel 6:13-23). When David fully expressed Himself in praise towards God like he did, the Bible says that Michal, his wife, disdained him. And why? Because he did not praise and worship his God the way she thought he should have. She thought, being a king, he should have been more dignified. But we all know David’s response, right? He said, “Woman, I will be even more undignified than this!” Hallelujah! And we saw how Michal’s disdaining David’s worship resulted in her being unable to have children. So, you could say, her fragrant oils and perfumes stayed all “bottled up.” 
 
The other lesson that we learned from this anointing of Jesus by Mary is how the Lord literally “anoints our heads with oil.” In other words, we saw how He does indeed honor and pour out His divine favor on our lives, and it is through other people! Yes, He anoints us through other vessels.
 
Now we learned that our first ambition should not be to ask God to get other vessels to bless us; our first ambition should be to be the vessels that the Lord uses to bless others. The more you are willing to anoint others by being a blessing to them, the more you will be anointed with His blessing. The more you sow, the higher you will go. So we should desire to be a vessel that blesses others. We saw this in 2 Timothy 2:20-21, where the Apostle Paul said, “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor…”
 
Now people read this and think, “Oh, that explains it. I must just not be a vessel of ‘honor.’ I guess I am just a base vessel.” No, no, no! Paul goes on to say, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” In other words, whether or not we are a vessel of honor is not God’s choice; it is our choice! That’s why he said, “if anyone cleanses himself…” That means, whosoever will!
 
And we learned that specifically what Paul said we need to cleanse ourselves from is “iniquity.” That’s right, that “sin from within” is the key to being God’s vessel of honor. We saw how iniquity is premeditated, continuing, and escalating sin. Therefore, the heart is what needs to be right in order to be an honorable vessel.
 
But what we learned is that the Lord desires to honor us like this! He will not be out-done, for we can never out-give God. So, if the Lord commends Mary for such an extravagant and honorable gift, then you must know that He desires to “anoint our heads with oil” in like fashion.
 
Yes, church, the Lord desires to bless and honor us in such an extravagant way! Mary is our example of that! He desires to give us more than we think we are worth. And it is all because our value is not based on our own estimation of ourselves; our value has been determined by how much the Lord decided to pay for us - and that was A LOT! Amen and so be it!
 
JEHOVAH SURELY
So now let’s move on to the final verse of Psalm 23, verse 6. In this verse, King David continues with this description of God being our Honorable Host by saying, “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”
Church, this statement is so powerful in that it reveals to us what we have to look forward to - again, not just in the next life, but in all of the days of our life here now! Amen!  
Now notice the first word we see used in this verse - “Surely!” (And it is worth noting here that this isn’t the only Scripture that gives us this assurance of what God will do for His saints: Psalms 85:9 says, “Surely, His salvation is near to those who fear Him…” In Psalm 91:3, it says, “Surely, He shall deliver you…” Psalms 112:6 says, “Surely he (the righteous) will never be shaken…”)
Some synonyms for the word “Surely” are as follows: “assuredly, certainly, definitely; doubtless, easily, hands down; inarguably, indisputably; undeniably, undoubtedly, unquestionably, unarguably; clearly, plainly, really, truly.” Therefore, when we see the word “Surely” attached to a statement in God’s Word, this means we can take it to the bank! It is a done deal!
You know, we don’t need a Greek or Hebrew scholar to explain all these words in the Bible to us before we start believing them! All you need is enough simplicity and faith to just start actually believing what His Word says and taking it at face value! So here, when the Bible says, “Surely!”, it means “Surely!”
You know how Paul said that not many who are wise, noble, or mighty according to the flesh are called (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-29)? Why is this? Is it because God loves those who are educated and wealthy any less? Heavens, no! The reason why this happens is because, as a general rule, those with all of these things going for them in the world have a tendency to trust in and be distracted by these things.
No, God is looking for the person who is just simple enough - whether they are dumb as a rock or they have an IQ that is through the roof - to read His Word and agree with everything He said. So, when they see a verse like this that says, “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…” they believe it, and it is so! Amen!
So, let’s say it now - “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!,” “Surely, He shall deliver me!,” and we can take it a step further - “Surely, He shall heal me! Surely, He shall bless me! Surely, He shall save my children! Surely, He shall protect me! etc.”
But do you know why we, under this new and better covenant, can particularly be so confident? It is because He already has delivered us! He already has healed us! He already has blessed us! Yes, He already has poured out His goodness and mercy on us through Christ Jesus! So, as far as God’s concerned, it has already been done! Amen! SURELY, God’s grace is in our account!
If God were a woman, I bet He would have named Himself, “Jehovah Shirley!” 😊 However, this reminds me of that comedy where one guy said, “Surely, you can’t be serious!?!” and then the other guy replied with, “I am serious, and don’t call me ‘Shirley.’”
IN HOT PURSUIT
So, what is it that we can be confident of experiencing every day of our lives? David says that it is God’s goodness and mercy is following us all the days of our life.
Regarding this, “Charles Spurgeon used to call ‘goodness and mercy’ God’s footmen - because in his day, when a wealthy man traveled, two footmen took their place behind him on his coach. Their task was to smooth the way for him. Where he went, they went. When his coach stopped, they jumped down to open the door for him. They would hurry into the inn to make sure his room was ready and his supper served. God’s two footmen are goodness and mercy and they follow us just like those footmen to smooth our journey home.” – John Phillips in “Exploring Psalms” Amen to that!
However, when this verse says that this goodness and mercy shall “follow” us all the days of our life, some have gotten the wrong impression. The picture that we could have regarding this is that God’s goodness and mercy is maybe 50 yards behind us, picking up the rear. But the Hebrew word that David used here is crucial to understand in this context. It is the Hebrew word radaph-  which means “to pursue, to set off after someone in order to catch them.” It also means “to chase, to run after, or to be in hot pursuit of.”
In fact, this word is translated “persecute” more times in the original King James version than it was “follow.” David oftentimes used this same word to describe his enemies’ pursuing and persecution of him (see Psalm 7:1, 31:15, 35:3 etc.).
So, this paints a better picture of what David meant in Psalm 23:6: Just as David’s enemies would intentionally and maliciously pursue David to do him harm because of their hatred for him, God’s goodness and mercy likewise intentionally pursue us - but not to do us harm because of their hatred - but to do us good because He loves us! Amen!
So, no, God’s goodness and mercy do not follow behind us at some distance, never catching up to us. No, they are pursuing us in order to catch us every day! For example, it is like you were speeding and now a police car is “following” you with its lights on. That police officer is not “following” you from a distance; no, they are “pursuing” you in order to catch up to you, pull you over, and give you a ticket for speeding.
Church, that is what God’s goodness and mercy is doing for each and every one of us every day: They are in “hot pursuit” of us! The difference is, when they catch you and I, they are not going to give you a ticket (i.e. punishment and judgment); God’s goodness and His unfailing love will provide you with all manner of grace and mercy! Amen! 
GOODNESS AND MERCY
Now let’s, first of all, look at the God’s first footman called “goodness.” The Hebrew word that is used here is used over 550 times, and guess what you will not find in these 550 instances where it is used…? Of the 550-plus times this word "goodness" is used, you never one time see any reference to things like cancer, paralysis, tragedy, accidents, sickness, poverty, etc. Isn’t that interesting? It is particularly interesting when you consider how so many Christians, and even ministers, today are equating these bad things with God’s goodness.
For example, you can go to many funerals today of someone who died early of, say, cancer and hear the one officiating their funeral say, “Well, we don’t know why these things happen, but this we can sure of - that God, in His permissive will, allowed so and so to have this cancer in order to teach them something or to protect them from something far worse down the road. We don’t know why, but we do know that it was God’s goodness that allowed them to have this ‘gift’ of cancer.” What a bunch of bologna! That is some seriously damaging doctrine right there!    
Did you know that this word “goodness” describes things that are “pleasant, becoming, beneficial and morally good”? In fact, this word for "goodness" is translated as “good, better and best.” It is, therefore, a huge stretch for these who equate evil, destructive things like this to being agents of God’s goodness. No, as we have been learning here @ HPC - if God is good, then He does good.
Let’s look at this way: we are told numerous times in the Bible to "do good” ourselves, right? We are told to be imitators of God as dear children, correct (see Ephesians 5:1)? So, if we believe that God does these things to His children, then why don't we do likewise and go sprinkle flu germs on our kids pillows at night to make them get sick in order to teach them something? No, we don’t do that because we love them, right? Not to mention, there is not a place on this planet that will not lock us up and throw away the key if we abused our children like this. And why? Because this is not “morally good.” Amen?
But, no, this word that David used that is translated “goodness” is the same word that God used throughout Genesis chapter one in describing His creation. So, if you want to know what God considers “good,” then look at His original design in creation, which is completely absent of these evil, harmful things. No, God’s original creation is all life and constructive, not death and destructive!  
Now let’s look at the other footman of the Lord that is following close behind - translated “mercy.”
This word comes from the Hebrew word hesed, which I believe is the closest Old Testament counterpart to our New Testament word describing God’s love, agape. This word is defined by Strong’s as “unfailing love, loyal love, devotion, kindness, often based on a prior relationship, especially a covenant relationship.” It is for this reason that many like to define this word as “the unfailing, steadfast, covenant love of God.”
So, not only is God’s goodness in hot pursuit of us, but we also have God’s unfailing, covenant love chasing us down as well! Aren’t you thankful, church, that God’s unfailing love never quits on us and never quits pursuing us? Yes, even when we are unlovable and do some pretty stupid things, God’s love is still in hot pursuit of us!   
Now this word for “mercy” is what was used in the very common statement of praise that was made throughout the Old Testament where God’s chosen people said, “For the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!” (And notice that both, His goodness and mercy, are referred to in this, the single most popular statement of praise we have in the entire Bible)
In studying this, you will find something very interesting: You will find that when they began to praise God with this “phrase of praise” that the glory of the Lord showed up, enemies were defeated, and God’s people were blessed! (Compare 2 Chronicles 5:13-14)
Now it is important to realize that just simply parroting this particular phrase is not necessarily going to get the same results. What needs to be understood here is that it is praising God out of the heart for His goodness and His mercy that is what will yield God’s miraculous provision in our lives. And specifically, this: when you praise God all the days of your life for His goodness and His mercy like this, His goodness and mercy will follow you all of the days of your life!
ALL OF THE DAYS OF OUR LIFE
Now, finally, that leads me to the last part of this phrase we are covering; notice that David’s confidence was not in the fact that God’s goodness and love pursuing us will happen sometimes or from time to time; no, David said, “Surely, (this will happen) all the days of my life.” In other words, this was not something that he believed would happen occasionally or sporadically; this was not something he was confident would happen from time to time or even “as the Lord willed.” No, David was “sure” that the Lord’s goodness and mercy would be in hot pursuit of him every day of his life.
So, this is something that we should ask ourselves: Do we believe that we have good things and God’s love pursuing us every day? Are we expecting that something good will happen to us today? This is apparently what David believed!
Now the truth is that most people (including Christians) are pessimistic, not optimistic. They will say things like, “Well, if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all!” And the problem with this belief system is that it based on their experiences and not on God’s Word. The Bible says, “Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life!” So, that is only what we should be saying!
As the late Oral Roberts was known for saying and even wrote a book on, “Something good is going to happen to you today!” Where did he get this from? From verses like Psalm 23:6!  
So, this is what I want you to take away from this today - we need to change our expectations and begin to say out of our mouths every day that “Surely, something good is going to happen to me today!” - all because God has said that His goodness and His unfailing love is pursuing us every day of our lives!
As the Message Bible puts it in Amos 9:13, “Yes indeed, it won’t be long now.” God’s Decree. “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills. I’ll make everything right again for my people Israel” And to that, we can give a hearty “Amen!”
Why would the Lord even tell His people this? It was to get their expectations set! Yes, He wanted them to start looking for it, amen?
So, in conclusion, we ought to be living a lifestyle of praising God for His goodness and love in our lives! Yes, as Psalm 34:1 states, we are to bless the Lord at all times like this and let these praises be continually in our mouths! And then, as His goodness and mercy are on the forefront of our hearts, we should boldly declare these truths - expecting God’s goodness and mercy to be manifested in our lives on a daily basis.  
Surely, certainly, absolutely, we can take it to the bank, the Lord’s goodness and His unfailing, steadfast love are in hot pursuit of us, God’s children. And these are not seasonal blessings either; they are pursuing us every day of our lives! Amen, and so be it!

REVIEW
 
So, we have been studying the “Good Life” that God has made available for us to live, and we have learned some wonderful truths out of the 23rd Psalm!
 
We spent the first eight weeks of this series covering verses 1-4 that give us the analogy of a shepherd’s relationship with his sheep. Then, we saw how there is a transition beginning in verse 5 from God being described as our Good Shepherd to Him being our “Hospitable Host.” So, these last two verses of the 23rd Psalm show us another part of God’s nature. Not only is He that Good Shepherd who takes care of His sheep; He is that Honorable Host who crowns us with His lovingkindness and tender-mercies. Yes, He prepares this table before us and makes all things good and ready! Upon entering, He honors us by anointing our head with oil! He fills our cup up to overflowing! Then our response is, “Surely, my host’s goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life! And I will live in His house forever!” Amen! This is living the good life, my friends!
 
Now we saw how in the beginning of verse 5 God is said to prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies, and we learned some incredibly important principles about this table that He has spread before us:
 
First of all, we learned that just because a meal has been prepared by the Lord does not automatically mean that all of His children will partake of it. We saw from Jesus’ parable in Luke 14:15-24 that the reason why this is, is because we don’t always accept the invitation. Yes, those the Lord has invited generally don’t make showing up to that dinner a priority in their lives. We need to begin making eating at the Lord’s table a priority, church! The reason why is because God is not looking for the able, but He’s looking for the available.
 
Just as it was said to the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:20 - the Lord is standing at the door of our hearts knocking, desiring for us to open the door, invite Him in, and dine with Him. And this was written to a church, saints! So, evidently even born-again Christians are capable of not experiencing all that the Lord desires for them.  
      
But we also learned that there is another reason found in this verse why God’s children do not always partake from the Lord’s table. Notice that this verse includes eating “in the presence of our enemies.” We learned from this that the reason why so many fail to partake of the children’s bread is because they have left the Lord’s table to argue and fight with their enemies.  
 
You see, our God delights in defending us from our adversaries. But the key to experiencing this is found in doing the same honorable things that David did in the midst of his persecution. He continued to honor the king. He did not take things into his own hands. He let the Lord justify and deliver him. Even when he seemed to have every right, he did not touch the Lord’s anointed.
 
Now we will find this out in a moment, but we are all the Lord’s anointed now. Therefore, even when one of your brothers and sisters in Christ (who are also loved by God as much as you are) do things that hurt you, you are to respond like David did, letting the Lord defend you. You and I are still to do good to them. We are to pray for them. We are to bless them. Bless and do not curse, knowing this - that you were called to inherit a blessing! (1 Peter 3:9)
 
But we learned that what so many Christians do is this: when their brother or sister does something to them, they fight back. They retaliate. They take matters into their own hands. However, in doing so, they get up from the Lord’s table. And what they need to understand is - even if they are successful at avenging themselves, they are missing the meal. Do you know how many of God’s children are missing out on the party at God’s table because they decided to let their enemies spoil their fun? 
 
Church, when people - even God’s anointed ones - irritate us, we don’t need to miss the meal God has prepared for us because of someone else. We cannot control how others act, but we can sure enough control how we react. Don’t leave the table for someone who decided not to come to the party! Amen?
 
But the fact remains that there is a table prepared for us to partake of, and it is up to us to both accept the invitation and to not let anything or anyone distract us from the meal. We run our race before us, setting our hands to the plow and not looking back!
 
Then last week, on Resurrection Sunday, we looked at another phrase in Psalm 23:5, where David said, “My cup runs over!” We learned that this analogy describes that abundant life Christ came for us to have, and we saw how this life “more abundantly” describes a life that is “over, above and more than is necessary.” Strong’s says that it means “beyond, super-abundant in quantity, superior in quality and by implication, excessive.” The Amplified Bible gives a great definition to this phrase; it defines it as “to the full, till it overflows.”
 
We also saw how when it comes to this phrase “My cup runs over,” some other translations say, “My cup overflows,” “My cup overflows with blessings,” “My cup is full and spilling over,” and “my cup overflows as if it were alive.”
 
In fact, I failed to mention this last week, but this Hebrew word that is used for “runs over” is only used in one other place in the Scriptures, and that is found at the end of Psalm 66:12 when he says, “But you brought us out to rich fulfillment.” Other translations call this place of “rich fulfillment” a “wealthy place.” 
 
So, the picture we have painted here is of a cup that is not just filled full to the brim, but it describes a cup that is actually overflowing and spilling over- a rich, abundance of drink, hallelujah! Therefore, God’s nature is to not only give us enough life, but to give us more than enough life! This is always what He desires to do for us because He is an excessive God!
 
We saw this in the first name that the Lord used to reveal Himself to mankind - El Shaddai in Genesis 17:1.
This is when He appeared to Abram and revealed one of His names as, “Almighty God.” This name described God as the One who is able to supply and provide every need that we have. It carries the idea of Him being “All-Sufficient”, or you could say, “more than enough!” As I’ve heard my father in the faith, Andrew Wommack, say time and time again - “God is El Shaddai, not El Cheapo!” J God is too much!
 
We then looked at three different examples from the life of Jesus of God’s excessive nature:
 

1. The Miracles of Jesus Multiplying the Loaves and the Fishes for the Thousands - In both of these accounts (where He fed the 5,000 men & then the 4,000 men), we are told that they ate and were filled, and also took up twelve and seven baskets full, respectively, of leftover bread and fish (see Mark 6:42-43 & Mark 8:8). We saw that the catalyst for this miracle was in Jesus blessing what they had and giving His Father thanks for it. This too is a catalyst for your miracle of provision - being thankful for and blessing what you have!
2. Jesus Calling the Fisherman - We saw in Luke 5:1-10 that when Jesus called His fisherman to come follow Him that they caught such a great number of fish that their net was breaking. We saw through this that this “net-breaking, ship-sinking” blessing to Simon Peter’s business came as a result of his willingness to sow his resources into Jesus’ ministry. In other words, he gave to Jesus’ ministry in order for Him to minister to the people and he was repaid with this abundant catch of fish - showing us that another key to experiencing this “too much harvest” is sowing into the kingdom.  
3. Jesus’ Post-Resurrection, Miraculous Catch of Fish - We saw how in John chapter 21:1-11, after Jesus was raised from the dead, He appeared to His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, but they didn’t recognize them. He speaks to them from the shore, asking them if they had caught anything. So, when they answered Him that they hadn’t, He told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat and they will find some. Now, the word “some” is not in the original text, and that is because they didn’t wind up catching just some; we are told that they caught a multitude! In this case, they had to drag the net to land because it was full of 153 large fish. However, the net did not break! But we saw that it was when they experienced yet another miraculous catch of fish that they recognized Him, saying, “It is the Lord!” In other words, they recognized His goodness! So, another important key to experiencing El Shaddai’s nature is learning to recognize His goodness!

 
So, it is apparent that we serve a God who is a “too much and more than enough” kind of God! We see this in all of these witnesses as well as in our new and better covenant which is established upon better promises! Church, God’s nature and will is to reveal Himself as El Shaddai to us and to multiply us exceedingly! He desires to keep pouring His goodness into our cups, and fill us with His life until we are overflowing! So, as the Psalmist said, “Open your mouth wide and He will fill it” (Psalm 81:10)! Amen and so be it! 
 
ABUNDANT ANOINTING
 
So now, let’s back up and cover this one other phrase that David wrote in Psalm 23:5 when He said, “He anoints my head with oil.” Mind you, the context of this phrase in Psalm 23:5-6 is of a gracious host honoring his or her guests, and the original Hebrew language paints this same picture in this phrase.
 
You see, this word “anoints” is not the common word used for the anointing of a king or a priest. It is for this reason that the Hebrew word David used here is only translated “anoints” this one time in the original King James version. And the reason why it is not translated this way any other time is because this word literally describes “to make fat, to thrive or to prosper.”
 
It is used this way four times in the Book of Proverbs:
 
1.Proverbs 11:25 - “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.”
2.Proverbs 13:4 - “The soul of a lazy man desires and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.”
3.Proverbs 15:30 - “The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy.”

1. Proverbs 28:25 - “He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered.”

 
Therefore, based on this choice of words of David, we can clearly see that this describes an anointing all right, but not an anointing for regal or priestly duties. Rather, he was referring to the anointing of a guest at some prestigious banquet with oils and perfumes as a way of honoring them. Yes, the allusion is to the custom of anointing the head on festive occasions, as an indication of prosperity and honor. Therefore, as a whole, it is indicative of the divine favor, of prosperity, and of joy.
 
So, this oil that our most gracious and honorable Host (the Lord of Hosts, that is) anoints our head with is poured out in such a “full, thriving and prosperous” manner. In other words, He pours oil on our head so abundantly - thus the expression indicates an abundance of oil.
 
Do you see how this correlates with what we discussed last week and what David said immediately following this phrase - our cup running over? Both phrases, therefore, describe “abundance.” They echo each other in describing the Lord pouring more than enough. Essentially, what David was saying was, “He pours out an abundance of oil on my head, and He pours out an abundance of wine in my cup!”
 
WHO IS THE ANOINTING?
 
Now as we see the analogy of both oil and wine obviously being used here, that should automatically direct us to “WHO” these two elements represent in the Scriptures - the Holy Spirit.
 
You see, the Holy Spirit is one of the main reasons why we are capable of living the good life. It is because He is “The Anointing” (see 1 John 2:20&27) Whom God has poured out on us in such richness and extravagance! He is Who has filled these cups up and Who flows out of our bellies like rivers of living water! Yes, the good life is the anointed life - the life anointed by the Holy Ghost!     
 
You see, all throughout the Scriptures when we see someone being anointed with oil that is symbolic of the Holy Spirit being poured out on them - either to equip and empower one for a particular office or to set free and deliver one from a particular bondage.
 
We see it used in the latter way in James 5:14-15 where the anointing with oil is seen as a method to bringing healing and deliverance to the afflicted. This, of course, is not saying that there is inherent power in the oil itself to heal someone; rather, it is using oil as a contact point between the minister and the one receiving ministry. And since “oil” is symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the anointing of the sick with oil is a symbol showing how it is the power of the Holy Spirit to set the captive free.
 
But we also see numerous examples in the Scriptures of people being anointed with oil for the purpose of regal and priestly duties - showing us that it is the Holy Spirit Who equips and empowers us for the work of the ministry.
 
You see, in the Old Testament, you had two specific offices that were anointed with oil as they entered into their position:
 

1. Kings
2. Priests

 
So, since we are anointed of God, it should not surprise us that Revelations 1:6 says He has made us Kings and Priests to His God and Father. We are “anointed” to be His children (kings) and to serve Him (priests).
 
Now regarding the New Testament usage of the word “anointed,” it comes from the Greek word chrio. This word was a medical term describing a physician pouring oil on his hands and then rubbing it into the body of the patient until the oil was transferred from the doctor’s hands deep into the skin of the patient. So, the word “chrio” has to do with “the hands” of the doctor as well as the oil itself. It describes God as being the Great Physician Who has the Holy Spirit as a type of oil on His hands, and once He has the Holy Spirit on His hands, He can’t wait to get His hands on the believer. Once He does, He begins to rub and rub until the believer is totally saturated (i.e. baptized) with the Holy Spirit.
 
Therefore, to be anointed with the Holy Ghost means to be totally saturated with the Holy Ghost. So, saying someone is “anointed” is another way of saying “God’s got His hand on them.” Amen!
 
So, we are the ones anointed to be kings and priests in this new and better covenant (see 1 Peter 2:9)! This is an important point to understand. But even though it is true that God has anointed us to be His heirs and His ministers, the fact is that David was referring to a different kind of anointing here. It is an anointing of abundance. It is an anointing of honor. 
 
THE ANOINTING IN BETHANY
 
Now as I have been studying this, I was drawn to our one, very solid biblical example of how this occurs, and it is found in the Gospels: It reminds me of Mary’s anointing Jesus found in Matthew 26, Mark 14, & John 12. For the sake of time, I would like for us to focus in on Mark’s account of this event.
 
In Mark 14:3-9, we are told that this event transpired when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper. Now Mark just described her as a “woman,” but we know from John’s Gospel that this was Mary, the sister of Martha & Lazarus (see John 12:2-3).
 
Now in verse 3, we are told that Mary came with an “alabaster flask” (some translations call it a “box”). In short, “alabaster” was a stone commonly found in Israel. It was a hard stone resembling white marble So, the container Mary used to carry the perfumed oil was made of a white, marble-like substance. Ointment, oils and perfumes used to be put in vessels made of alabaster, which kept them pure and unspoiled. The boxes were often sealed with wax, to prevent the perfume from escaping. And we are told in John 12:3 that when Mary broke open her alabaster box, “the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” Alabaster was a strong enough substance to keep the oil or perfume completely contained until the time of its use.
 
Mark goes on to describe this alabaster flask as containing “a very costly oil of spikenard.” Now "spikenard" was a plant that only grew in the Himalaya mountains of India and Nepal. Therefore, Mary's fragrant oil of spikenard was a rare, imported product in Israel.
 
Now, how expensive was this spikenard contained in the alabaster flask? Well, we don’t have to speculate because in John 12:5, Judas evaluated that it could have been sold for “three hundred denarii." Now, in their day, one denarius was the wage for one day's labor. So, if Judas' estimate of the value of Mary's spikenard is correct, then it would have been worth close to someone's annual salary, equivalent to several tens of thousands of dollars today.
 
Other sources tell us that “spikenard’s” great cost stemmed from the fact that it had to be transported over 6,000 miles to reach Palestine, and depending on quality, it sold for as much as 400 denarii per pound (or $750 an ounce in modern purchasing equivalent). That made this that Mary used to anoint Jesus’ body even more valuable than gold!
 
In fact, this ointment was worth at least 2½ times more than the 30 pieces of silver that Judas received for betraying the Lord, which is obviously why Judas got so upset about it (see Mark 14:4-5 & Compare John 12:5). So, an interesting note regarding this is: this perfume was worth 2½ times what Judas thought Jesus was worth.
 
Judas’ negative reaction to this act of pure honor and worship is typical of many people’s reaction toward worship today. Judas and some of the other disciples evidently thought this was a waste, but that was only because they didn’t value Jesus as highly as Mary did. Selah.
 
You see, something’s value is only determined by what others are willing to pay for it. So, even though Judas and some of other disciples thought this was a waste does not mean that the Lord did. She obviously thought blessing and honoring Jesus was worth more than a year’s worth of wages and more than silver and gold. Amen!  
 
But there was a “breaking” of that box or flask that had to occur to get out what was precious on the inside - for we learn that “this was a long-necked vessel for storing or holding ointment or perfume, and when the neck was broken off, the contents were used…”
 
Now this event teaches us several lessons:
 
One is this - I believe that not only is Mary an example to us of how we ought to strive to honor the Lord, but I also see this “alabaster flask” as symbolic of us too. Yes, I see this “alabaster flask” as symbolic of our temples - that is, our bodies - as “alabaster” was also one of the stones used to decorate Solomon’s glorious Temple (see 1 Chronicles 29:2). As the Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 2:5, we are living stones, being built up as a spiritual house. Praise God!
 
And if this “alabaster flask” is a type of our bodies, oh, what a measure of treasure is contained within us!  As 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 states - we are to be diffusing the fragrance of the knowledge of God in every place we go as the Lord’s “earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Yes, there is a treasure within these “alabaster boxes” (i.e. earthen vessels) and it is meant to be released to honor and glorify the Lord with! Amen!
 
But the key to releasing the sweet-smelling aroma and blessing the Lord with it is found in being “broken”- that is, learning to lose our own dignity and pride and get “outside the box” where God can be God to us.
 
You see, one reason why this treasure stays within our vessels is because we like to stay in control. We don’t want to lose face in front of people. We keep our dignity and pride and, in so doing, we keep that anointing oil on the inside of us.  
 
Church, we have to make that decision whether we are going to please God or please man. We can’t do both. So, start letting that “spikenard” out of your “alabaster box” today: Do it by laying down your pride and worshipping the Lord with reckless abandon!
 
Do you remember what King David said after he had danced before the Lord with all of his might (2 Samuel 6:13-23)? When David fully expressed Himself in praise towards God like he did, the Bible says that Michal disdained him. And why? Because he did not praise and worship his God the way she thought he should have. She thought, being a king, he should have been more dignified. But we all know David’s response, right? He said, “Woman, I will be even more undignified than this!” Hallelujah!
 
And we also know the reaction God had towards Michal’s criticism of her husband and king. The Bible says that from that day forth, she was barren. Saints, when we criticize and ridicule the response that others have to God, we are in danger of making ourselves fruitless. Or, you could say, our fragrant oils and perfumes stays all “bottled up.” 
 
VESSELS OF HONOR
 
Now another lesson that we can learn from this anointing of Jesus by Mary is this - How does the Lord literally “anoint our heads with oil”- meaning, how does He honor and pour out His divine favor on our lives? Well, how did it happen to Jesus here? It happened through this “sinful woman”- teaching us that the Lord honors us through other people. In other words, He anoints us through other vessels.
 
Now our first ambition should not be to get God to get other vessels to bless us; our first ambition should be to be the vessels that the Lord uses to bless others. Amen! Yes, church, our aim and goal is to be “honorable vessels.” As the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:20-21, “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor…”
 
Now people read this and think - “Oh, that explains it. I must just not be a vessel of ‘honor.’ I guess I am just a base vessel.” No, no, no! Paul goes on to say, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” In other words, whether or not we are a vessel of honor is not God’s choice; it is our choice! That’s why he said, “if anyone cleanses himself…” That means, whosoever will! So, based on verse 21, our prayer should not be, “God use me!” Rather, our prayer should, “God help me to be usable,” and then cleanse ourselves of what is necessary to be more prepared and useful for every good work. Amen.   
 
And what is “the latter” that Paul is referring to cleansing ourselves of to become this vessel of honor? In order to get the answer, we need to back up to verse 19 where he said, “Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’” The latter, therefore, would be his second statement of the seal of God’s solid foundation - namely, all of us who name the name of Christ departing from iniquity. Therefore, departing and cleansing ourselves from “iniquity” is the key to being God’s vessel of honor.
 
So, what is “iniquity?” In my opinion, iniquity can be best described as “a sin from within.” In other words, opposed to transgressions and trespasses which are simply missteps and mistakes in the flesh (i.e. on the outside), “iniquities” are sins of the heart. However, iniquity is sin at its worst. Iniquity is premeditated, continuing, and escalating.
 
So, what this teaches us is that it is not your simply transgressions and trespasses (i.e. the mistakes we all make from time to time) that disqualify us from being used of God. It is the premeditated, continuing and escalating sins of the heart that can keep us from our higher levels of usefulness.  
 
CONCLUSION
 
But the fact is, the Lord desires to honor us like this. He will not be out-done - for we can never out-give God. So, if the Lord commends Mary for such an extravagant and honorable gift, then you must know that He desires to “anoint our heads with oil” in like fashion.
 
Yes, church, the Lord desires to bless and honor us in such an extravagant way! Mary is our example of that! He desires to give us more than we think we are worth. And it is all because our value is not based on our own estimation of ourselves; our value has been determined by how much the Lord decided to pay for us - and that was A LOT! Amen and so be it! 

LIFE, LIFE, LIFE!
 
So, we have been doing a study of the 23rd Psalm since the beginning of this year here at HPC, and we have been studying the good life that our God has prearranged and made ready for us to live. Amen. Yes, church, God has a good life for us, and what we are celebrating today is the reason why!
 
You see, Resurrection Day (formerly known as Easter) is all about the life of God. It can be summarized in three powerful words - JESUS IS ALIVE! He is alive because the Holy Spirit came into that tomb and infused his 3-day old, dead body with resurrection life! He is alive because God the Father reached into hell with His mighty right arm and yanked Jesus from the clutches of death, hell and the grave! Amen. Resurrection Day is all about LIFE! Amen?
 
You see, now through Jesus’ resurrection, the Lord has offered us eternal life - which is knowing God (John 17:3). Therefore, the eternal life we have been given involves the ability for us all to know God, from the least to the greatest (Hebrews 8:11). Friends, knowing God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ is where life begins - for we have been called to a life of personal relationship with God.   
 
In Romans 6:4, Paul teaches us that we are called to walk in the newness of life. This is that life where old things have passed away and, behold, all things have become new. We go underneath the waters of baptism as the old man and come up as a new man in Christ Jesus. Our life has been made new in Christ. Behold, He makes all things new!  
 
The Scriptures also teach us that He has made available unto us resurrection life. This aspect of the life of God is the freedom from the death produced through the things of this world. It is the life of God that makes alive our mortal bodies and infused our lives with His life. This is the Spirit-filled life, church! Sure, when we are born again, we have the Holy Spirit; but when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, He has us. This is the resurrection life!
 
And, finally, Christ came to give us the abundant life - not just life, but life more abundantly. And that’s the life I want to talk about today on this Resurrection Sunday - the more than enough life!
 
THE OVERFLOWING CUP
 
So, let’s turn over to two openings this morning where we see this abundant life described - Psalm 23:5 & John 10:10…
 
Now in our last message, we looked at Psalm 23:5 where David said, “He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies…” And we left off where he said, “You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over!” So, this week, I want us to skip ahead to the phrase “My cup runs over” and we will revisit the anointing our head with oil perhaps next week. 
 
Now, when it comes to this phrase “My cup runs over,” some translations say, “My cup overflows.” The NLT says, “My cup overflows with blessings.” The Living Bible paraphrase says, “Blessings overflow.” The Easy to Read says, “My cup is full and spilling over.” The Aramaic Bible in Plain English says, “my cup overflows as if it were alive.”
 
In fact, this Hebrew word that is used for “runs over” is only used in one other place in the Scriptures, and that is found at the end of Psalm 66:12 when he says, “But you brought us out to rich fulfillment.” Other translations call this place of “rich fulfillment” a “wealthy place.” 
 
So, the picture we have painted here is of a cup that is not just filled full to the brim, but it describes a cup that is actually overflowing and spilling over - a rich, abundance of drink, hallelujah!
 
From a spiritual point of view, it describes having so much peace, joy, God’s presence, etc., that you are more than fulfilled in your heart. From a financial sense, it describes having “more than enough money”- more than you need, more than you can spend, and extra to give. Whatever example you want to use - our cup running over describes a life spilling over with the goodness of God! Glory!
 
Now let’s go over to John chapter 10 and take a look at where Jesus gives us another description of this “cup running over” kind of life…
 
THE ABUNDANT LIFE
 
In John 10:10 we have, what I believe to be, one of the most important truths that Jesus ever gave us concerning God’s nature. He said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
 
Now let me, first of all, make a quick point from this verse: From this very simple yet profound verse we can distinguish between what comes from God and what comes from the devil. Anything that has come to steal from us, to kill us, or to destroy the things in our lives is from the devil! Anything that has come to produce a better quality of life is from God. Now, of course, I need to qualify this. We need to define what is truly “a better quality of life”…
 
Does money necessarily improve the quality of your life? Most people would give a hearty “Amen!” to that question, but that is not exactly the case. Financial prosperity certainly can add to the quality of your life, but it is absolutely contingent upon the prosperity of your soul. If your soul is not full of peace and joy then money, nor any other natural blessing, will ever improve the quality of your life. But this also does not mean that having wealth is of the devil either, the love of wealth is what comes from the devil because covetousness takes away the life of its owner.
 
So, what I wanted us to see in this verse is that Jesus reveals to us a certain aspect of God’s nature that is important for us to understand: Again, Jesus said, “but I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” So, Jesus said, “I have come – that they may have life…” Did He come? Yes! Then, you and I may have life! Amen!
 
Now as it is with salvation or any other provision given to us by God, it doesn’t happen just because Jesus came. In other words, just because He came to provide it, doesn’t mean it is automatically applied to our lives. No! This verse says, “that they may have life.”
 
But notice that Jesus said He not only came to give us life, but He came to give us life more abundantly! This shows me that there are progressive qualities of life to be had. A Christian may have life, but we also may have it more abundantly. 
 
Now the words “more abundantly” comes from the Greek word perissos which means “over, above and more than is necessary.” Strong’s says that it means “beyond, super-abundant in quantity, superior in quality and by implication, excessive.” The Amplified Bible gives a great definition to this phrase; it defines it as “to the full, till it overflows.”
 
So, you see, based on Psalm 23:5 and this verse we can clearly see God’s true nature. God’s nature is to not only give us enough life, but to give us more than enough life! This is always what He desires to do for us because He is an excessive God!
 
Allow me to show you several other biblical examples of this excessive nature that He possesses…
 
EL SHADDAI
 
Now the first name God ever used to reveal Himself to mankind described this very characteristic that we are talking about…   
 
He appeared to Abram in Genesis 17:1 and revealed one of His names as, “Almighty God.” The Hebrew word that He used here was “El Shaddai.” The word “Shaddai” was derived from the word “shad” which means “breast” and the word “el” which was a word that described God as mighty, strong, and powerful. So, when you combine these two words together they describe God as the One who is able to supply and provide every need that we have. But if you look a little deeper into the meaning it carries the idea of Him being “All-Sufficient”, or you could say, “more than enough!”
 
You see, God’s nature is to not just be our sufficiency, but to be our all-sufficiency! In other words, His tendency is to not just meet our needs, but to meet them in abundance!
 
As Paul stated in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need…” But he didn’t stop there: How does He meet all our need? It is “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!” Those two words “according to” make a big difference in the way we should look at this verse. If he would have said, “out of His riches in glory” that would mean He could supply them in any way. For example, if I supplied something to you “out of” my riches then that might mean I just gave you a twenty-dollar bill when I’m a multi-millionaire. But if I supply you “according to” my riches then that means I will supply you according to how wealthy I am. So, if I was a multi-millionaire then that would mean you would get a whole lot more than twenty bucksJ!
 
You see, this is the way God is! He supplies us with more than enough because His provision is not according to the world’s system; it is according to His riches in glory! Hallelujah! That ought to make you shout! As I’ve heard my father in the faith, Andrew Wommack, say time and time again, “God is El Shaddai, not El Cheapo!” J God is too much!
 
TOO MUCH!
 
But there is no greater example of God’s true nature than in the life and ministry of Jesus: Jesus said in John 5:19, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” He also said to Philip in John 14:9, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” In fact, the writer of Hebrews even described Jesus as the “express image of His (God’s) person” (Hebrews 1:3). Therefore, we have three witnesses that clearly show us that Jesus fully expressed the nature of God while He was here with us. So, let’s look at a few examples from His life that echo this “cup overflowing” life of God:
 
First of all, consider the miracles of Jesus multiplying the loaves and the fishes for the thousands. In both of these accounts (where He fed the 5,000 men & then the 4,000 men), we are told that they ate and were filled, and also took up twelve baskets full and seven baskets full, respectively, of leftover bread and fish (see Mark 6:42-43 & Mark 8:8).
 
Now the catalyst for this miracle is clear: It was in Jesus blessing what they had and giving His Father thanks for it. This too is a catalyst for your miracle of provision - being thankful for and blessing what you have!
 
Now let me ask you a question: Did God miscalculate how many people there were? Did He just multiply some extra bread and fish in case there were more people than He anticipated? I think not! 
 
How about In Luke 5:1-10, when Jesus called His fisherman to come follow Him? This was, of course, when Jesus used Simon Peter’s boat to teach those following Him. So, in what was likely Jesus blessing Peter for the use of His boat, He told him to “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Verse 4). Then we are told that they caught such a great number of fish that their net was breaking. This resulted in Simon and his brother calling for their partners to come and help them and after they had come and filled both the boats, the boats began to sink.
 
So, we see here that this “net-breaking, ship-sinking” blessing to Simon Peter’s business came as a result of his willingness to sow his resources into Jesus’ ministry. In other words, he gave to Jesus’ ministry in order for Him to minister to the people and he was repaid with this abundant catch of fish - showing us that another key to experiencing this “too much harvest” is sowing into the kingdom.  
 
But again, let me ask you a question: Did the Lord know how much their nets would be capable of holding without breaking? Did He know how many fish both of their boats could hold without sinking? Sure, He did! He didn’t just command as many fish as He could to come get in their nets. The Lord is much more specific and methodical than that. So, why did they have “too many” fish? It’s because it is simply God’s nature!
 
Let’s look at one other example in the life of Jesus, because it correlates with this one we just looked at:
 
In John chapter 21, after Jesus was raised from the dead, He appeared to His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, but they didn’t recognize them. He speaks to them from the shore, asking them if they had caught anything. So, when they answered Him that they hadn’t, He told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat and they would find some. Now, the word “some” is not in the original text, and that is because they didn’t wind up catching just some; we are told that they caught a multitude! In this case, they had to drag the net to land because it was full of 153 large fish. However, the net did not break! (see John 21:1-11) 
 
Now the interesting part of this story to me is that they initially didn’t recognize Him. For some reason, their eyes were constrained from knowing that it was Him just like those disciples on the Road to Emmaus. But it was when they experienced yet another miraculous catch of fish that they recognized Him, saying, “It is the Lord!” In other words, they recognized His goodness!
 
This is yet another important key to experiencing El Shaddai’s nature - recognizing His goodness! You see, we are transformed into what we behold. So, if we see His goodness, His love, His grace, etc., we will be changed into the same image from glory to glory! 2 Corinthians 3:13-18 teaches us this - that as Moses’ face was transformed by beholding God’s glory, we are also transformed from glory to glory by beholding His glory.
 
Well, we see from one of Moses’ experiences with the Lord that when he desired for the Lord to show him His glory that the Lord told him that He would make all of His goodness pass before him (see Exodus 33:18-19) - equating God’s glory with His goodness. Therefore, we could translate 2 Corinthians 3:18 like so - “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the goodness of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from goodness to goodness, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 
 
So, it is apparent that this is God’s nature - He is a too much, more than enough kinda God! So, let’s look back at Psalm 23:5 and look again at this phrase we began with - “My cup runs over!”  
 
Now a good question to ask here is: Like it was with the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and the miraculous catch of fish, does God know when the cup is full? Of course, He does! He is omniscient and, therefore, knows everything. So, why does He keep pouring? It is because it’s His nature to be excessive! He just delights in continuing to pourJ! It is not His fault that our cups are as dinky as they are. He pours out as much as He desires to give, and it is our job to get a bigger cup to hold the excess. And then, of course, if we get one of those “big gulp” cups, He will still keep pouring. Why? Again, because it is His nature to keep pouring - but the bigger the cup, the more we can drink. It is just that simple. But we also have to realize that receiving from God is related to our being able to see God as the God of more than enough.
 
(Illustration done, pouring into a glass until the liquid poured over the top of the glass; then by showing four different glasses/cups that describe four categories of Christians: the first was a very small “shot glass” that describes “worldly Christians,” a small, “sippy cup” describing “baby Christians,” a regular sized, standard “solo cup” describing your average Christian, and a “Big Gulp Cup” describing the type of Christian we should all aspire to become)
 
So, there are many examples of this characteristic of God found throughout the Scriptures, but let’s look at what I consider to be the greatest example of this we have - which will lead us into us partaking of communion.
 
OUR EXCESSIVE COVENANT
 
I believe the greatest example of God’s excessive nature was demonstrated in this new and better covenant that we have today with God through Jesus Christ.
 
You know, the old covenant that Israel had seemed to me like it was good enough. For God to even provide a means for mankind to come into covenant with Him is amazing enough. He chose the nation of Israel as His own and gave them promises such as healing, prosperity, and protection. All He required of them was to keep their part of the covenant (which was keeping His law) and their promises of protection and provision stayed intact.
 
Now I understand that there were flaws in this covenant (as God did too), but my point is that even that covenant was more than Israel deserved. God would have been righteous to just say something like, “Well, since Adam blew it they are just going to have to make it on their own. I’ve already done all I’m going to do for them. I already gave them their one shot.” But He didn’t do that! He chose Israel and was gracious to them time and time again.
 
Being included in this original covenant would have been far more than we Gentiles could have ever dreamed. But, thank God, He didn’t stop there…
 
He established a new covenant based upon better promises and made it available for anyone who will simply believe. And under this new and better covenant, we see God’s tendency to be excessive. Not only did we obtain the benefits and promises that were given through the old covenant, we also got “much more.” Here is a list of some of the extra benefits…

1. We have been given a new nature that puts God’s law in our hearts and minds and inspires us to do those things which are pleasing in His sight!
2. We have God’s Holy Spirit living on the inside of us to teach, strengthen, empower, and lead us!
3. We have been given God’s very own righteousness freely!
4. We have been made a kingdom of kings and priests unto our God!
5. All of us are capable of knowing God personally and are able to boldly and confidently approach Him for ourselves!
6. Unlike the sacrifice’s blood under the old covenant which only covered their sins, Jesus’ blood has completely washed away our sins, never to even be remembered again!
7. Not to mention, the good life that He has prearranged for us to live that includes both natural and spiritual blessings that are overflowing!

 
And the list could go on and on… This is an excessive covenant! Amen!?!
 
Thus, the reason the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly (Genesis 17:1-2)!
 
Church, God’s nature and will is to reveal Himself as El Shaddai to us and to multiply us exceedingly! He desires to keep pouring His goodness into our cups, and fill us with His life until we are overflowing! So, as the Psalmist said, “Open your mouth wide and He will fill it” (Psalm 81:10)! Amen and so be it!