✗ Hillsong Conf 2014: "Psalm 23, whether you like it or not" by Carl Lentz ✗

• A lot of leaders say they believe in Jesus for the next generation but not a lot of them do it
• If you came to leave different, Jesus Christ can change anybody
• Psalm 23:1-6
• The psalm is a great picture of emotion
• "The LORD is my shepherd, and I lack nothing"
• Prosperity is to know Jesus
• If you have Jesus, He is everything
• We don't camp in valleys -- We keep it moving in the valley, and walk through them
• There are better days to come for you to walk on through
• Whether you like it not, you are walking through the valley, God is your shepherd, He is still with you
• Even if you don't want to hear it, the truth is the truth
• Whether you like it or not, God is good, God is still for you
• It doesn't change the truth, the truth is still the truth
• This major truth in life is that we need a shepherd, and not do our own thing or be our own God
• Psalm 23 only matters if God is your shepherd
• If God is our shepherd, it makes us sheep in this equation
• Of all the animals He could have picked from, a hawk, a shark, or something awesome, but He picked sheep
• Sheep has nothing going for them, not great leaders, nor defend themselves, can't clean themselves, don't have a reverse magnetism
• Sheep desperately need a shepherd
• No matter how great, bad, or lost you might feel or great things might be, we need a shepherd
• You need to go back to the shepherd, go back to Jesus, go back to trusting the one thing that has never failed anybody, and He won't start with anybody right here
• The Psalm 23 Reality Check: If God is your shepherd, if Jesus Christ is everything to you, we no longer have to chase the right situation, identity from the world, or set up, we simply have to chase the shepherd everyday of our lives -- everything gets real simple
• John 10:14-15
• If I am your shepherd you should get to know My voice
• I am the only shepherd that would lay My own life for a sheep
• If you have been tempted to chase a situation, or been following Jesus and there is a temptation to chase anything but Him, you don't need to go anywhere else in your value, maybe you lost everything or get some identity back but chase Jesus cause He is the one that gave it to you in the first place
• Only Christians can have a shaky situation, but have a solid Saviour
• Things aren't great, but I am gonna chase the shepherd because there is more to come
• Sheep don't strive -- looks peaceful, not have any worry in the world, because it knows the shepherd
• If you feel tempted to strive, chase the Shepherd
• If you are feel like chasing a quicker fix, chase the shepherd
• The shepherd does what the shepherd does
• The story of a church has never been chasing a spotlight, it has always been chasing a shepherd
• Sometimes people don't know the journey but want what you have now
• Sometimes the Shepherd will lead you into the spotlight or into shadows which we don't have any control of anything but locking onto the shepherd
• Are you willing to follow the shepherd through the dark or shaky days
• We should be a Jesus honoring church
• Where are you at today?
• Rest your heart that the shepherd knows what He is doing
• We can rest easy and never strive a day in our lives because the Shepherd knows what the Shepherd does
• We have Christians comparing to others' highlight reels
• "My path is okay because I am following the Shepherd"
• There is security in the Shepherd
• People can say and do what they want to do, but we can stay secured in the Shepherd as He always remains steady
• The good shepherd will always do two things:



1. The good Shepherd always corrects



• Something to ponder, when you are tempted to wonder
• Hebrews 12:5-8 ("Do not lose heart when He disciplines you...")
• If you are not getting corrected, you are not legitimate 
• If you love Him, and knows He loves you, He is going to correct your life like a good Shepherd always will
• We got to change the way we look at correction
• They are a few that will remotely confront somebody
• When heaven can't correct you, let alone a pastor, situation or a good shepherd, it is not cute that God is trying to get through you but not to you because you do not allow Him to correct you
• When you feel His conviction, He is not being against you but for you
• If you don't know that correction is good, God is on your case and He is because He loves you
• If you realized maybe you have a purpose, that He loves you so much to accept, and loves you too much to leave you like this, let Him do what He wants to do 
• The same God that loves you will always correct that course
• Sometimes God will correct you by giving you your prayer request
• The Shepherd would not leave the lamb sitting there but picks it up with the broken leg
• God does not want to break something, but God is so good, that He can use a hardship, direct word, or your own sin to correct your course and keep you closer to the Shepherd
• What in your life might God be speaking to you?
• Maybe God is trying to correct you from the little, so He can save you from the big disaster
• Sometimes God tries to get your attention in the little
• I will never tell you what you can or cannot do, and never intentionally reject Your correction
• How many years have pasted that you rejected His correct?
• How many miracles have you walked by with a proud spirit?
• Fight over sensitivity leads to spiritual inactivity
• A lot of Christians are super sensitive which you cannot get through them
• God is searching the earth for humble people, as He exalts the humble up
• Jesus searched the earth to look for people to simply follow
• The influence and opportunity to reach people will be hindered and we need everyone here to be used by God and not stop the things of God because we are too proud
• Some of you are defending are yourself against the same heaven that loves you so much, that God sent you the one and only Son that you never get to know death but Jesus
• Would you allow the holy spirit to convict you?
• Would you allow the shepherd to correct you?


2. The good shepherd always protects



• Wherever you go, whatever you do, God's hand of protection will continue to cover you
• No matter what you do, no matter where you go, His hand of protection will be all over you
• The Shepherd will protect the sheep, cause the sheep does even know how to get protection from
• His protection is even better than you know it to be
• What if you know the King of heaven and earth was on your side?
• The wind of heaven is on your back
• He has gone before you and His protection is behind you
• You do not just hope that God is for you but know that God protects you
• You got to thank God for all those things that ended up being a bad deal or wanted to snap out  but He shut it, give Him some praise -- that is our God
• When you know how much God protects you, you are able to live with faith not fear
• You can worship like you got a Shepherd 
• You just lost your job, "I got a Shepherd", You're not doing well, "I got a Shepherd" -- There is power in that
• He's protecting you more than you know He is protecting you
• He's got your back more than you have given Him credit for
• But I do think you can rest a little bit easier knowing that God is protecting you from things you have not seen yet, or from forces you cannot fight on your own -- this is our God
• God has got more for you -- "My cup it overflows"
• It overflows with mercy and grace, we can sit in His presence day in and out, and He still is going to give grace and He still is going to give mercy
• You may know the psalm, but want to know the Shepherd
• It is not just good enough to just sing the songs, and know about the shepherd, you need Jesus, you got to know about His grace
• It is better than you think it is, you got to know about His love -- There is more than you think there is


• Church can't change anybody, only Jesus can
• Preachers can't change anybody but preach about Somebody which is Jesus who can makes anybody move
• He leaves a whole bunch of healthy sheep to look for the one that is wondering
• If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all, in your life
• Romans 10 ("The old has gone, the new is here")