Recap:

Psalm 23:1-2 is about the Provision of the Lord

Psalm 23:3-5 is about the Direction of the Lord

Psalm 23:6 is about the Destination of the Lord

Psalm 23:6 (ESV)

Surely also means only and certainty.  ‘Only goodness and mercy shall follow me.’

 Where are we going? Where will we be 40 years from now?  Some of us might not be alive then, but will still have an impact on this world.

 Q. Who is in heaven now that has impacted your life in Christ and how?

We are exiles, we are not of this world, we are different, strange, we are a peculiar people (ref 1 Peter 2:9 KJV) showing the world we are of another Kingdom.

There is something we are going to leave behind, a legacy.  What we leave behind is to be a blessing to other people. Our names, our legacy matters.  We are sheep, skittish, stupid, and led astray easily but there is something positive to the ‘sheep’ world.  Sheep have the best manure in the animal kingdom.  They eat the flowers and plants that harm other animals and bring the nutrients up to the highlands where it fertilizes the ground the other animals eat from.  We, as sheep, should be bring up ‘nutrients’ to the highlands of life.  Our business is to leave behind a better world than we found it.  Work better that we found it, doing our jobs with dignity and respect.  We are on a mission to be the light and salt, and a representation of Jesus Christ.

“Sheep can, under mismanagement, be the most destructive livestock. In short order they can ruin and ravage land almost beyond remedy. But in bold contrast they can, on the other hand, be the most beneficial of all livestock if properly managed.” -Philip Keller

We need to think about our legacy.  We are the product of people who came before us.  We should want to be a blessing in our genealogy not a weak link.

Q. What legacy do you hope to leave behind (in work, home, neighborhood etc.)?

1. FOCUS on the SHEPHERD not SUCCESS.

Psalm 23:6a (ESV) Surley goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…

Notice it does not say we will follow goodness and mercy.   Our job is to follow the Shepherd and He will see to it we leave behind a grassy field better than the way we found it.  We will walk into a situation and bring the light, the glue that binds people together.

Follow means to pursuit, chase or hunt down.  Goodness and mercy are hunting us down.  By following the Shepherd we are putting our past, future, and destiny in His hands and He will get something good out of our lives.

Q. What is a situation right now in your life that you have the opportunity to bring light and leave that situation better than you found it?

DON’T SEEK SUCCESS, SEEK THE SAVIOR

We are to follow what God has made us for and that is to follow Him and He will lead our lives forward to be a blessing.

Sometimes a GOOD thing can become a “GOD-thing”.

Sometimes a good thing becomes a drug – perfect marriage, perfect house, perfect job – seeking that all the time.   Our jobs, marriage, our house, is not God, only God can be God.  Good things can become ultimate things that you have to have and will fade into the darkness and disappear.  Chase your shepherd not these things.

2 Chronicles 26:15- 16 (ESV)

Q. What are you chasing right now that could potentially become the ultimate thing in your life (career, school, marriage, dating, children, etc.)?

Psalm 91:14-16 (ESV); John 15:5 (ESV)

2. ZOOM OUT on the long-term view of LIFE.

Psalm 23:6a (ESV)

We are so narrow focused we zoom in on little problems, issue, failures, and insecurities. The devil likes to get us to focus on these things causing us to miss out on the long-term picture God has for us.  Goodness and mercy follow us ALL THE DAYS.  Not one day, one week,  or one month, it is all the days.  The Lord has our days numbered (ref Psalm 139:16).  God is not shocked by our bad days nor impressed by our good days.

GOD is not in a RUSH with your LEGACY.

We need to have patience with God.  We need to stop zooming in on what is bugging us now and realize God has a bigger picture.  We need to zoom out and hold on.

Psalm 112:1-2 (ESV)

Exodus 20:5–6 (ESV)

God only curses for four genernations but blesses for a thousand.  He is far more eager to bless us than to curse us.

Q. What is an example of something in your life that when you zoomed out on it you received clarity on it?

3. ZOOM IN on your ULTIMATE END.

Psalm 23:6b (ESV) ‘…and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’

FOREVER is a long time.  It is forever. Heaven is forever.  That immediately means life now is not forever.  Right now is temporary.  That is how we can face the valleys.  None of these place are our final resting place.  If we follow Him,  He is up in heaven right now preparing a place for us.

John 14:2–3 (ESV)

Our promise is that this life is not forever , but heaven is forever. This gets us through sad days, seasons, cancer treatments, etc.  We have eternity ahead of us and Jesus is still working it out for our good.

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

The promise is that He is working things out for those who love us.

Q. What are some ways God has worked out bad situations in your life and how was He glorified?

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

He wants us to rely on His righteousness, not our own.

Mark 10:29–30 (ESV)

We give it to God now, He blesses our life now and he has a home for us in heaven.

Series in a Sentence:

My CONFIDENCE does not come from BELIEVING in MYSELF but by BELIEVING MYSELF to be HIS.

Challenge: Leave something (job, situation, relationship) better than you found it.