Psalm 23:4 "When the Valley is Near"

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to the Sept. 14 sermon from Clifford Baptist Church, 635 Fletcher's Level Road in Amherst. Today's scripture is Psalm 23, verse 4, and the sermon is entitled when the Valley is near, delivered today by Pastor Jeffrey Campbell. [00:00:13] Speaker B: Open your bibles to Psalm 23 today. Psalm 23. And while you're turning there, I want to say this. If you've got somebody that you know that's watching livestream, we understand there's a little technical difficulty there as well. Sounds not working. Just send them a message and say, I'll tell you about it later, or something like that. I'll preach it to you later. Just text them that I'm sorry about what's going on with our technology today, but here we are, we're going to continue on and move forward. And I'll start with a story, a very true story, and that is this. A young girl went to her grandmother and told her about how her life was going, how things were so hard for her. She didn't know how she was going to make it. She was ready to give up, was tired of struggling. And I'm just gonna give up and turn away, and I don't know what I'm gonna do. I'm just giving up, Grandma. Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. Anybody spent time in the kitchen with grandma? In that kitchen, her grandmother put three pots of water on, turned the burners up, and she gave it 15 or 20 minutes to watch or to let that water come to a boil. In the first pot, she put carrots. In the second pot she placed eggs. And in the last one she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit there for another 15 or 20 minutes without saying a word. And she turned the burners off, let them cool down. Asked her granddaughter to go over and ask simply this. Tell me, what do you see? And the granddaughter said, carrots, eggs and coffee. The grandmother brought her a little closer and said, let me show you what happens when they go through the same thing. She put the carrots in a strainer and asked her granddaughter to touch those carrots. And the granddaughter noted that those carrots were soft when before they were hard. She takes the egg out, cracks the shell and shows her the inside, which was once a mushy mess, is now a hard boiled egg. Egg. And then finally she handed her a little bit of that coffee to sip on. And the granddaughter noted the rich aroma that the coffee beans had produced. And the granddaughter simply says, what are you trying to teach me, Grandma? And she explained each of these objects had faced the Same adversity, boiling water. But each one reacted to it very differently. The carrot went from strong and hard to. To weak and soft. The egg had been fragile, the outer shell its only protection. But now the interior had become hardened and the ground coffee beans were unique. But after that boiling water, they became the good, good coffee that that granddaughter could enjoy. Does the trials of life make you soft? Does it make you hardened? Or does it make something totally different with your life? That is the message of today's sermon as we conclude a series that started out with one simple verse in prayer, Psalm 46:1, that simply says this. God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble. We cannot define trouble because trouble is different for each one of us. Trouble is different in our world and in our country, and trouble is different in the eyes and the hearts of the Christian. But here is the promise of God's word. God is present in your trouble. Over the last month, I could have preached four sermons with that simple saying that Jesus is present in it all, whether it was the storm or the fire or the prison. And now we turn our eyes to the valley. We understand this. God is our refuge and strength, our very present help. Trouble. The 23rd Psalm Many of you may sit here today and say, I don't even need a Bible. I know that. No, here's the truth. No matter how much scripture you know, you still need a Bible. Because in times of trouble we forget and we may not know where to turn. But in times of trouble, you understand and you know this verse is a place that we can go because it is God that is true to his word. Why do we use this verse or this chapter in funerals? Because families are going through the hardest days of life. David writes this with the mindset that simply this, the Lord is his shepherd, and the Lord will lead him through life no matter what comes. And here's what I need you to understand church today is this. This is not a psalm of death, even though we use it at funerals. It is a psalm of life and a promise of hope that you can have in Jesus Christ, no matter what you face. The overall reminder of this series as we wind it down today is simply this. The Lord is present, and you will see that in the life and in the words of David today. What do you do when the valley comes in view, when it comes into your vision, when it begins to cast its dark shadow upon you? Here's the reality of this psalm and here's what we're going to look at today. There is A perception of the valley, what you see coming your way. Everybody with me, there's a perception of the valley, what's coming your way. Sometimes we can see that there is the presence in the valley. So once you get in the valley, you know that God is there and then the protection through the valley. Understanding the valley is not the end. And that's what we need to understand today. One verse. I'm challenged to preach from one verse. And I'm going to do it today. And I'm going to ask you to do something that I sometimes ask you to do. Would you stand in honor of God's word as I read Psalm 23, verse number 4? Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me, God, today in only the way that you can. As we center our hearts and our minds on your word, God, I pray that you make this scripture alive and real in the lives of your people and God, I pray in only the way that you can, God, that you will use these words as words of comfort. God, hide me behind your cross, hide my voice, hide my intentions behind you, Lord, and may they only see Jesus today. God, thank you for your people gathered here in this place. And I pray as we center around your word, God, that you will lead us now in understanding and wisdom. We pray in Jesus name, Amen. You may be seated. When the valley draws near, what do we do when the valley draws near? Point number one today is this. We must understand the perception of the valley. The perception of the valley that is point number one, perception of the valley. Look at the beginning of verse number four. It says this. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. As we begin this verse together, maybe the beginning of the chapter. We like those words of the green pastures and the still waters. But we understand right in the middle of this chapter this the pastures and the still waters have now been replaced by a valley of the shadow of death. The scenery has changed in the eyes as David pens these words. And how quickly do we understand or how quickly can we relate that the paths of righteousness that we read about in verse number three can quickly lead to the valley of the shadow of death? How many of you can understand just by a nod of your head that one day things are going great and the next thing it's all broke loose? And that's what we see pictured here. David is speaking of restful places by the luscious pastures and the still waters where he can find rest in God. But then ahead, he sees the valley of the shadow of death coming. The perception of the valley. There are three things that you need to see. Is this number one, it could be death. Some people read this as this death is imminent. How many of you know? Let's testify with a raise of hand that unless the Lord comes first, we all will walk through death. Praise God. Make sure we're all on the same page here. We will walk through death. But it could be death. But for David, what this valley was is the road that he had to lead his animals on. The road that he had to walk, the way that he had to go. There was no way around it. Listen to me. It went through this way. And what happened in those hills and those valleys where there were robbers and thieves and wild animals that could endanger the sheep, the ones that he was leading. But here's what I want to remind you today. David does not write this psalm as a know it all shepherd. He writes this psalm as a sheep knowing the good shepherd. Note that he's not here to give you his advice and his expertise because he was a shepherd and he has been in the field. He says no, because I have been through the dark, dark valley. I know this. I need God. And he knows the perception of that valley is this. It could be death. Death is a possibility. And when we understand this, listen, none of us are promised our next breath. None of us are promised our next day. None of us are promised the next moment. Here is the reality. We all walk the valley of the shadow of death. Every single because death could happen. Today, there has been no more real sense of that as we have witnessed this week and how death happens. In one moment, unexpected death can happen. But our hope is not in death and our hope is not in a man. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. So even if death comes, we as believers need to be strong enough in our faith to know this. Jesus will lead us even through death. The perception of the valley could be death, but it also could mean darkness. Look at the beginning of the fourth verse of Psalm 23. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, a shadow seems darkness. It is one that is spoken and referred to here as evil and fear. It has opportunity to call trouble and heartache and despair and death. And as that shadow creeps in and gets closer and even overshadows, David says this. In that valley I feel the shadow of death. I feel the weight of that shadow that is Encroaching upon me. Some of you can understand this. If you know a bad part of town, you just don't go that way. You stay away from that. You tell your children, don't go down there. But David could not do that. This was the only way that he had to go, the only passageway that he had. And it was surrounded on all sides, and it was a sense of darkness and fear and evil that he had. Now, remember, he writes this as the sheep. He understands a very real human emotion. But today, I don't know what darkness you may be facing. I don't know how it is defined. But listen, here's what I want you to understand. As the shadows creep in. The shadows cannot be present without a source of light. Think about that just for one second. You cannot have a shadow without a source of light somewhere nearby. And so even in the darkest of moments, and even in the darkest of times, even in the shadow of the valley, here is the promise that God is there. Though you see the shadows, and though you may be fearful and afraid, here's what you need to cling to, cling to. To Jesus Christ. It could be death. It could be darkness. But here's what you need to understand about the perception of the valley is it is not a destination. There is one key word that we have read a couple times, and it is in the first part of the verse number four. Yea, though I walk, what's the next word? Through. Underline it, circle it, star it, highlight it. Walk through the valley. When somebody walks through something, it just says this. That's not the destination. That valley is not the destination. And I want you to understand, sometimes fear grips us and we're afraid. And the diagnosis is there, and the doctors are saying, and you've been there and done that, and people are saying, and you just get so old over. And here's what David said. Even as I've walked that valley, I know what's there. I know what I face. I know what awaits. I know what the potential is. I go through that valley. And sometimes we need to understand that in the times of hopelessness and uncertainty and challenging seasons of our life, lives, they are all passageways to something that God wants to use to spiritually grow us. There's no financial gain. There's no promise of that in the Bible. There's no great feeling that we can have. No. But we understand this, that the valley is not the end. And here's what we need to do as believers today. We need to set our minds on this Truth. This world is not our home. As much as I want to stay here, and as long as I want to stay here and I want to be productive for the Lord Jesus, here is my hope. When Jeffrey draws his last breath, whatever that looks like, I will walk through this life with Jesus into his arms. So your perception matters. If you look at this world and say, it's over after I close my eyes and it's the end, there is no hope. There is no hope. But if you look at it as if we're going to walk through this, praise be to God that it's not the destination. David writes this from a sense of experience. First Samuel, chapter 17. David was a young shepherd boy. The Israelites were camped out on one mountain. The Philistines were camped out on the other mountain. And guess what was in between those two mountains? Go ahead. There you go. A valley. Great Job. The Bible says the valley was below them. And here's the truth of the matter. The Israelites could not find anybody to go face the giant in the valley. I'm so glad for scripture as it tells us that David would say, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God. He would tell Saul, let no man hearts fail because of him. Thy servant will go fight this Philistine. He would tell his God, he will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine. He would tell Goliath, in that valley, you come with a sword and a spear and a shield, but I come in the name of the Lord. And here's the truth of this. The nation of Israel was defeated far before they went in that valley. They saw defeat. They saw the end. Until one little rugged shepherd said, I will go in the name of my God and I will face that giant on behalf of my people, on behalf of my God. And we understand and we know what happened in the valley is Goliath got slain. Now, I can get pumped up and hyped up about that, right? But here's the truth. You're camped in the valley today, and the perception, maybe you've seen it coming your way. You know, some health issue is out there. You know, some family issue is out there. You know, some job issue is awaiting. You know, you've got to face something. Something. It's coming. And what do we do? No, I don't want to deal with that right now. No, I don't have time for that. And here's what we need to understand the perception in the valley as it Comes your way is vital to the believer. It could mean death, it could mean darkness, but here's the truth. No matter what, it's not our home, it's not our destination. God will lead you through it. And I want to encourage you today as a word of testimony. God will lead you through it. Point number two. Look at the second part or the middle part of verse number four. It says this five words. All I want to share with you is this. For thou art with me. For Thou art with me. Those five words can literally change your life. If you understand that every moment of every day you have an all powerful God that is with you, that is leading you, that is walking with you, that will change your life. Point number two today is this, that you need to realize God's presence in the valley. God's presence in the valley. David says it is the presence of God that keeps everything at bay. It is God's presence and power that removes fear. First John, chapter 4, verse 18 says this perfect love casts out fear. There's only one person that can love perfectly and his name is Jesus. And his love will cast out any fears that you may be facing. And so today the presence of God in the valley of darkness is vital for the people of God. How many had raised little children? And maybe those little kids come in in the middle of the night and they've heard something or they've seen something, or maybe they've seen a shadow and it scared them to death. What is the only thing they want? Mama and daddy. Mama or daddy. And it's something about a mama and daddy's arms that will take the fears away from little children. But as adults, as Christians, we forget to run to our Heavenly Father, knowing that when our fears are the greatest, there's one place that we can run. And his name is Jesus. And when we run to him, he grips us and we are in his arms and in his care and he will take care of us and he will remove that fear. The presence in the valley is vital to the people of God. In the storm, we seen that Jesus was there in the fire. We seen Jesus was there in prison. Guess what? God showed up. And here in the valley we understand. Thou art with me. And so here's what I want to ask you as believers. What today? What today? What does your valley look like? What is it that keeps you up at night? What is it that causes you restlessness? What is it that's on your mind and you can't shake it and you've taken it to God before? And God hasn't given you a clear answer and it's just. It's made you anxious. Okay, God, what are you going to do now? What are you going to do? What are you going to do? What is your valley? I look at a group of young people all over this room. As I said last Wednesday night, I'm fearful for my kids. I'm fearful for the nation that they're. That's my humanly response. But here's what I want you to know in another way, I'm not. Because God will take care of you and God will lead you. God's presence is with you young people. God's presence is with you older people as we face the trials of this old life. Whatever your valley looks like, here's what you can count on. You can count on the presence of God. David writes, I know you are with me. But it's amazing what God does when he removes fear. Because his presence is with us, he often replaces it with something else. So for instance, I'll use my own situation. I know you're not supposed to put yourself in a sermon, but I'm gonna put myself in a sermon. A year ago, we began a hard road with my wife. And the worst thing that I could do was Google what the doctor said because I walked the floor for two hours. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't sleep. I just got up and walked the floor. I was concerned, I was fearful, I was worried. I didn't know what the right thing to do. I see people today that I've walked through just recently with things that are going on that are the same way, fearful. I don't know. As that valley started our way. There's so much that floods our minds and so much that distracts us in the middle of the night. Here's what I did in my own living room. Okay, God, Google has the answers. I don't, but you do. I trust your answers over Google's answers. And I walked away from it. There are times we've got to lay down fear because God will replace it. Things like peace. In Exodus 33:14, he says this. My presence shall go with thee. I will give thee rest. Rest is peace. The presence of God can replace the fear with peace. The presence of God can replace fear with joy. Psalm 16:11, it says this. Thou will show me the path of life. Thy presence is fullness of joy. The presence of God brings joy. The presence of God brings direction. I will instruct thee and teach thee in thy way. Thou shalt go I will guide thee with mine eye. It brings strength. It brings comfort. One of my greatest favorite scriptures is Psalm 34:18, which reminds us that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted, those that are crushed in spirit. God's near. So here's what the presence in the valley means. The presence of God replaces fear with godly characteristics, things like joy and peace and direction and strength and comfort. And so today, here's the truth. It may take a valley in order for you to experience those things. One more point at the end of verse number four, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. David says he knows the Lord is with him, protecting him. The Lord is his comfort. He has perceived the valley to be a bad thing. And sometimes, when we understand that this isn't going to be good, it does drive us to prayer. And sometimes we say, lord, just take this away. Make it go away. I'm not opposed to that prayer. I'm not opposed to asking God to remove the valley from out in front of you. I'm not opposed to that. But here's what I am opposed to. I'm opposed to when that doesn't happen. People leave, leave the faith, leave God, blame God, turn their back on God. That's what I'm opposed to when God says no. If God says no to that prayer, you've got to be strong enough in your faith to be okay with it and keep walking with him. The third point today is the protection in the protection through the valley and that instrument of protection spoken of in verse number four. As a rod and a staff. It could be two sticks, it could be one. But the idea here is that that stick is a stick of protection and a stick of direction. Now, some of us like the stick of protection. God, keep this away from me. God, don't let me go through this. God, keep the evil one at bay. We love that stick of protection, and that's something we need to be praying for. But the stick of direction. When we understand what that little curved end on that shepherd's hook is really for, it's not to hang planter baskets from. I know they look beautiful. But that little curved end on a shepherd's hook, it's for the shepherd to gently slide it around that sheep's neck and just direct him where he needs him to go. Not where he wants to go, but where he needs to go. And sometimes when we feel that around our neck as believers, it's the loving pull of a heavenly Father trying to direct you not where you want to go, but where he needs you to go. And so today, when we understand that stick of direction, it's a hard one to trust. We know that God is protecting us. We want God's protection, but do we want his direction? We understand today that when the Lord is dealing with us in the middle of a dark, dark place, is there comfort there? Is there peace to be found? What is the answer when God's path leads to a life that is filled with darkness and valleys? Here's the answer, Jesus. As I close not only this sermon down, but I closed this series down, I realize as your earthly shepherd, my sheep that God has given me here in Clifford, Virginia, are dealing with some hard things. But now here's what your earthly shepherd is going to do. Your earthly shepherd is going to step out of the way and say, listen, let's as a people, trust our heavenly Father, the Good shepherd, and let the good shepherd guide us together. And let the good shepherd lead you as you submit everything to him and as you follow his gentle directing through your lives. It's amazing what the perception of the valley is. But I'm grateful that it is not a destination, even if it is death. It's not a destination because we have a hope through Jesus Christ believers, a place called heaven. I'm grateful for the reminder of the Lord's presence, because in the valley, God's presence rids us of fears and anxiety that continues to eat away at us. I'm grateful for his protection in the valley, his direction through the seasons of difficulty and suffering, we recognize that we will follow Jesus Christ. I close the book. You stay still as we enter this moment of invitation. Christian, listen to me. Look at me. What is your valley? What is that thing that is causing you so much trouble that you are longing for something else? You're looking to something else instead of Jesus. You're filled with fear and anxiety instead of the joy of your salvation today, Christian, maybe you feel the gentle tug on the neck on your heart of what God wants you to do, where the Lord needs you to be. You put that gentle tugging off and you say, not now, God, not now. But you know what you need to do. May you heed the direction in the dark valley if you are here without Jesus today. I want to say this in a very loving way, as only I can. You walk through the valley and the dark times alone. I say that with a loving heart. There's a good shepherd that wants to direct you. Because here's what John 10:11 says. John 10:11 says this. Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. And The Good shepherd gives his life for his sheep. The Good shepherd has laid down his life for you. To forgive you of your sin, to walk with you through these days, to give you life after death. Because he rose on the third day, he wants to walk this road with you. The Good shepherd has laid his life down for you. And today, if you will accept that and receive that, you will walk every day with the Good shepherd leading you. You don't have to walk alone anymore. Your parents can only get you so far. Your friends can only get you so far. The world has already turned its back on you. Jesus is your answer today. If you need Jesus. That sin that separates you from a holy God, Jesus took it to the cross on your behalf and he desires a relationship with you. He will love you, he will forgive you. And he will be with you for the rest of your life. Christian today. What will we do? I'm getting out of the way. However the Lord leads you today, if you want to come and you know your family's going through a dark time, you come and kneel and pray. If you desire somebody to pray with you, we can pray with you. But here's the hope. Let's get our eyes off of the valley and put them on the one that walks with us through the valley. Father God, thank you for the blessing of a day. Thank you for your word and God. I pray that you use one verse to change the trajectory of the hearts of your people. God. That you will give the believers in this room a reminder that you are with them. That you will give the believers in this room that there is hope no matter what they are facing. God. That there is strength and there is purpose in the direction you would have them to go. And God, even if they don't understand God, you will walk with them when nobody else will. God for that one that needs a good shepherd. Not a good friend, not a good house, not a good parent, not a good mom or dad that needs a good shepherd. Oh God, I pray, Lord, that you work on that heart to show them how bad they need you, Lord. That they will run to you, lay down their sin, turn from it and turn to you as Savior today. Oh God, I pray, Lord, that you work in the hearts of your people in this place. In Jesus name. Amen. [00:36:23] Speaker A: You've been listening to Truth for the Journey from Clifford Baptist Church. You're always welcome to visit Clifford Baptist Church for Sunday School at 9:45, worship at 11am and Wednesday evening worship at 7pM Join us again next Sunday for Truth for the journey.