CALL TO WORSHIP:

Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 27:2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.

27:3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

July 26, 2026, �English Service

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27:4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

July 26, 2026, �English Service

SILENT PRAYER | Confession

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ASSURANCE OF PARDON:

Lamentations 3:22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; ²³ they are new every morning;�great is your faithfulness.

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PASTORAL PRAYER

July 26, 2026, �English Service

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD�Three Stories, One Lord

A sheep with a shepherd, �a traveler with a companion,�a guest with a generous host.

THE GUEST AND THE HOST:�How He Pursues Us�Psalm 23:6

Pastor Alex S. Leung

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

INTRODUCTION�

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Who is chasing you tells you whether to run or to rest.

BIG IDEA

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God's goodness and mercy pursue you every day, and His presence awaits you at the end of it, so that you will never wander again.

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1. The Pursuit

2. The Certainty

3. The Homecoming

1. The Pursuit

1. The Pursuit:

^{Goodness and Mercy on Your Heels}

23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life

follow רָדַף radaph: pursue.

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Usually the enemies are the ones pursuing:

• "The enemy pursues my soul" (Psalm 7:5).
• "They persecute me" (Psalm 31:15).
• "Let them pursue and take him" (Psalm 71:11).

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1. The Pursuit:

^{Goodness and Mercy on Your Heels}

23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life

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goodness טוֹב tov: good, pleasant.

mercy חֶסֶד hesed: steadfast, unfailing love.

Psalm 109:21    But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!

⚠️ He pursues you with goodness and mercy �because His own name is at stake if He did not.

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1. The Pursuit:

^{Goodness and Mercy on Your Heels}

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💡Goodness and mercy are covenant attributes of God Himself, revealed at Sinai.

Exodus 34:6 The LORD passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness […]

👉 God sends goodness and mercy after you �because goodness and mercy are who He is.

1. The Pursuit:

^{Goodness and Mercy on Your Heels}

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Where has the Shepherd been in Psalm 23?

Psalm 139:5 You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

The Shepherd leaves no direction unguarded.

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🎹 Goodness Of God 🎤

Your goodness is running after It’s running after me...�With every breath That I am able �I will sing Of the goodness of God

2. The Certainty

2. The Certainty:

^{Why "Surely" Really Means "Only”}

23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life

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surely אַ֥ךְ ak: only.

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👉David lived a long, hard, complicated life. And looking back over all of it, he says this: the only thing that has ever truly followed me is the goodness and steadfast love of God!

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2. The Certainty:

^{Why "Surely" Really Means "Only”}

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👍 Psalm 119:8 You are good and do good�—every single day, without exception.

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🙏 If you cannot feel God's goodness today, hold onto this: �He will still be there when you look back!

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Romans 8:38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2. The Certainty:

^{Why "Surely" Really Means "Only”}

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🗣️ Singing about God's goodness �has never meant denying your troubles. �It means believing God is bigger �than every one of them.

3. The Homecoming

3. The Homecoming:

^{Where the Wandering Finally Ends}

23:6 …and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

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יָשַׁב yashab: dwell.

• Back in verse 4, David stopped talking about the Lord and started talking to Him. "You are with me."
• Here in verse 6, David returns to speaking about the LORD (Yahweh) in the third person.

3. The Homecoming:

^{Where the Wandering Finally Ends}

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a. The Puzzle

23:6 …and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

• "return"—David expects to keep coming back to worship at God's house.
• Or “dwell"—David expects to move in permanently.

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🏚️ God's own house is where this psalm �has been walking us all along.

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3. The Homecoming:

^{Where the Wandering Finally Ends}

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23:6 …and I shall dwell in the house* of the LORD forever.”

🏚️ “House of the LORD" is temple language:

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* A settled place, wherever God's presence dwells.

• David is naming what every tent, every tabernacle, every temple was always pointing toward: unhindered access to God's presence.

3. The Homecoming:

^{Where the Wandering Finally Ends}

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b. The Prayer

23:6 …and I shall dwell in the house* of the LORD forever.”

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Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”

* "All the days of my life" =the same span of time as "forever" in Psalm 23:6. The timeline never changes.

3. The Homecoming: �^{Where the Wandering Finally Ends}

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c. The Priest

In Israel's worship, dwelling inside God's house belonged to one group alone: the priests.

• David was a shepherd-king, not a priest.
• He claims a nearness to God only a priest was ever permitted—claims it for himself.

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Every dwelling place of God across Scripture �has pointed toward something greater �than any building: God himself. �(Revelation 21:3)

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“The journey is long, so we need a shepherd; it is dangerous, so we need a companion; and it is wearisome, so we need a host. But the journey has always had an ultimate destination in mind: the restoration of return to the house of the Lord.” —David Gibson, The Lord of Psalm 23, 138.

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GOSPEL CONNECTION

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John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

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🙏The Shepherd is preparing an address. He has gone ahead of us, into His Father's house, to make sure the room bearing our name is ready.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. When you look back over your life (valleys as much as pastures), can you see the goodness and steadfast love of God in pursuit of you? What does that do to your faith today?

2. What in your life right now feels like the opposite of goodness and mercy? Bring it to the Lord this week. Ask Him to open your eyes to where His hesed-mercy is present, even in the darkness.

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3. The final word of Psalm 23 is “forever.” How does the certainty of your eternal home change how you carry today's struggles?

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Conclusion