The Table

 

“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. Yea, 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.”

 

Our text is from the fifth verse of this 23^rd psalm in which David writes, in part: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

 

Today is the fifth Sunday of Lent, moving yet closer to Resurrection Sunday on April 20; But before we get to Resurrection Sunday, we must first pass in a few weeks through what many churches call Maundy Thursday – the day in which the Lord celebrated the Last Supper – the Last Passover meal at the table with His disciples. And it is on THAT table I want to spend much of our time today.

 

One of the principles of proper biblical interpretation is to understand who the writer of the text in question was, and who was his audience. Of course, David knew nothing about the Table of the Lord Jesus which He would initiate centuries later. He could not know that even at that table, Judas, an enemy of the Lord, would be seated. Neither could he have known of the many enemies of Christ beyond the walls of the upper room.

 

David only knew that the lessons he’d learned while tending sheep were immediately applicable to his relationship with the Good Shepherd who tended to him. That’s why he could write that it was the Lord who leads him along the paths of righteousness, even if some of those paths bring him to and through valleys of deep darkness. He could understand why the Great Shepherd makes him lie down in green pastures. He could grasp the idea that it is his Shepherd who protects him from predators with His Rod and Staff.

 

We’ve talked in some detail about these things in the past few weeks, and especially how those things apply to the Christian here in this sanctuary. So, today we now look at David’s understanding of the Great Shepherd who prepares a table for him, even in the presence of his enemies.

 

But first, let me make this important point: We should know that God's word transcends time and culture. It does so because His words are eternal, from everlasting to everlasting. Therefore, it can rightly be said that David’s experiences with the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23 have direct application to us today, even if we’re not tending sheep. They’re applicable because the Lord Jesus is still shepherding His sheep – you and me who listen to and obey His voice.  

 

In David’s day – and as still occurs in many countries today -- when a shepherd planned to move his sheep to different grazing land, he first inspected the new ‘table’ to determine its suitability and safety for the flock. Specifically, he looked for poisonous weeds which can sicken and kill them. The shepherd also looks for signs of predators such as wolves, coyotes, and vipers.

 

So, is there an application of this to us? Yes, of course. Jesus our Shepherd goes before us day by day, even into our ‘tomorrows’ – preparing our ‘table’ even in the presence of OUR enemies.

 

I hope you know the Lord Jesus is already in your ‘tomorrow.’ Time is not linear in eternity. There is no ‘yesterday’ or ‘tomorrow.’  All things in that place we are headed after the death of our body – all things there are in the eternal ‘present.’

 

That’s why Scripture tell us, “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8); It’s why God told Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5); And it’s why David could write: “In Your book were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” (Psalm 139:16b)

 

Our Good Shepherd goes before us into our tomorrows to prepare for us a safe and nourishing ‘table.” Listen to Moses speak to the nation just before they entered into the Promised Land: (Deuteronomy 31:8) “The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” And listen to God through Isaiah (Isaiah 45:2) “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth.”

 

Back now to the Psalm. Commentators are divided as to when David wrote this psalm. Many believe he did so in his later years because the psalm seems to be more reflective of his past than anticipatory of his future. It could be he wrote the psalm as he remembered when King Saul and his army hunted him.(1 Samuel chapters 19-24). Or, he could have been thinking of when his son, Absalom, tried to kill him and usurp his throne. (2 Samuel chapters 15-18).

 

It was when Absalom was seeking to kill him that David wrote: “O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God . . ..” But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head. . . . I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about. (Psalm 3:1-6)

 

David was no stranger to the histories of Israel and God's protection of His people. He knew of the pillar of fire by night and the cloud during the day that led Israel through their 40-year trek in the wilderness. He knew of Joshua’s battles, and Gideon, and Deborah and Barak. And just as he could look back on those histories, he could also look back over his own life and REMEMBER the many times his Shepherd guided him and protected him. Surely, it was those memories that emboldened him to write with such confidence as he did in this 23^rd psalm.

 

Application? To make a point to remember God's hand in our own past is a good practice. Those memories are important – and that brings up an important question: How often do YOU look back over your life to remember the many times God has guided and protected you? Yes, during many of those times you were probably unaware of His presence, but in retrospect haven’t you now recognized His hand? Like it was for the man in the poem, “Footprints in the Sand” – when he thought he’d been all alone during his most troubled time, as he looked back over his life he realized how often he’d actually been held in the Savior’s arms.

 

As we’ve seen throughout the 23^rd psalm, David acknowledges his utter dependence on God. And that point must not escape us, for we also can have – we must GROW to have – that same confidence in God. And HOW do we grow in our confidence in God? If you’ve been listening to me for more than a month you know the answer.

 

Paul tells us: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17), and Peter writes: “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2)

 

There simply is no shortcut to a maturing faith and confidence in God than as the Holy Spirit of God nurtures the people of God through the word of God. And to that end, to help you who are not consistently and routinely reading your Bible, I have been offering the pamphlet I put together to help you in your faith-journey.  And as I have said, if you have access to the internet, there are many internet sites that include annual Bible-reading suggestions.

 

Well, my time is slipping away, and so, because this is Communion Sunday, I want to switch gears and turn our attention now to another table the Lord sets for His sheep. And although it’s a table of which David had no knowledge, the Christian is familiar with that table because it originated with the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed by His enemy seated with Him and the other disciples.

 

St Paul tells us: “The Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”

 

We will shortly be receiving Holy Communion at this simple table, but as we receive Communion, may God remind us that we come here to remember and to PROCLAIM the Lord’s death until He returns for us.

 

What is it that we are to proclaim? That by God's merciful grace alone, we are, as St Peter wrote: “[A] chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

 

What are we to proclaim to each other and even to those who are not yet following the Good Shepherd? We proclaim what Paul did to those at Colossae: “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)

 

What are we to proclaim – especially to those who are not yet walking with the Good Shepherd? It is this: That THEY too – even those who are now enemies of Christ – that they too might receive mercy; That they too might be rescued from their darkness and brought into His marvelous light.

 

THIS is what Holy Communion is all about – what the Great and Good Shepherd has done for us who were trapped in our sins – sins from which no one could ever extricate themselves. It’s about what God did for us when He ransomed us from death and eternal hell when His beloved Son suffered and then died on Calvary’s cross – and three days later rose from the grave.  We proclaim this vital reality – vital to our eternal life – that Christ Jesus “was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 4:25-5:1)

 

This is what this table of Holy Communion is about, that we remember and proclaim to others: God's Son, body broken and blood spilled for sinners who crucified Him. Body broken and blood spilled for sinners here in this sanctuary who, because of our sins, caused the death of the Good Shepherd so He would bear the wrath of God in our place. As our substitute.

 

Body broken and blood spilled so that anyone who knows his sins have made him God's enemy and subject to His wrath – that they can know

they can finally and forever be reconciled to Him. 

 

Do we not know that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:8-10) 

 

This plain Communion table here before us, graced only with bread and the fruit of the vine, foreshadows the Table spoken of in that 19^th chapter of Revelation: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready” . . . . ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” (Revelation 19:6b-7, 9)

 

Yes, THIS communion table looks bare by comparison to what it will look like in that place. But we walk by faith, not by sight. And though bare, it might be said that this table points to the sumptuous table that Isaiah foresaw: (Isaiah 25:6-8) “The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine. And [God] will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth.”

 

David knew nothing of the Table which Christ would initiate centuries later.

And although we at Ashwood are not surrounded by our enemies, there are countless multitudes of Christians today in places like Iran and Afghanistan and China and Russia – and even in some places here in America – Christians receive Holy Communion at tables surrounded by enemies

 

But from reports I’ve read coming out of those terrible areas of persecution, many of our Christian brothers and sisters are convinced of this – as WE also must be convinced – the Good Shepherd is with us at the Table as we remember His substitutionary death in our place. We remember that He was delivered over for our transgressions and raised for our justification. We will remember, and we will proclaim, His gift of reconciliation to Himself of all who want to be reconciled. And we will proclaim that promise to those we meet – beginning in the dining room outside these doors.

 

And now, let us come to the Table for Holy Communion.

His Rod and Staff

“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. Yea, 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.”

 

Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent, and we continue with our series through the 23^rd psalm. If you were here last week, you will remember we spent our time with verse four: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me.”

 

You may also remember that the Hebrew words translated as the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ can also be correctly translated, ‘the valley of deep darkness.’ Regardless of its translation, whether shadow of death or deep darkness, it’s a lonely place to be. A harsh place. A cold place. Our valleys are often shrouded by chronic pain or broken relationships, or financial pressures, or the ongoing stressors of living in a world that seems to be falling apart. And if you were here last week, you will remember David reminds us we have no need to fear those valleys because our Good Shepherd is with us. Always. On mountain tops AND in the valleys.

 

So, today we turn our attention to the last part of verse 4: “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Here is the entire verse for context: Even 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.”

 

And how does God's rod and staff provide us comfort, especially in the valleys of deep darkness? There are two primary interpretations of this ‘Rod and Staff’ reference. The first understands them as God's instruments of disciplining His children. The second understands them as God's instruments of protecting His children. Both interpretations have merit, but today I’ll focus on the rod and staff as the Good Shepherd’s means of protecting His sheep.

 

John Gill, 18^th century pastor and theologian, put it this way: “The shepherd with his rod, staff, or crook, directs the sheep where to go, pushes forward those that are behind, and fetches back those that go astray; as well as drives away dogs, wolves, bears, etc. that would make a prey of the flock.

 

And of such use is the word of God, attended with the power of Christ and his Spirit; it points out the path of faith, truth, and holiness . . . and of preserving the flock from the ravenous wolves of false teachers: [Such] are the comfort and safety of his people, in the worst of times and cases.”

 

I know I’ve said what I am about to say many times over the years. I repeat myself again today without apology because of my unshakeable conviction that familiarity with God's word – His rod and His staff – is absolutely essential for our protection and our comfort, whether spiritual or physical. Or both.

 

For example, the entire 119 psalm – all 176 verses – extols the safety and the comfort of knowing God's word and allowing it to work its work in our lives and circumstances. For good reason Paul wrote to the Christians at Thessalonica: “[We] constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

 

Comfort and protection. When St Paul wrote of the Christian’s spiritual armor, i.e. the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the rest of the armor – he added: “And take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17).

 

Haven’t YOU needed God's comfort in your valleys? And don’t you think you will NEED His comfort in whatever valleys you still have before you, regardless of the darkness?

 

Please hear this. You will never find lasting comfort in any of the hundreds of self-help books that line shelves in bookstores. You won’t find it there because long before you and I were born, long before Genesis chapter one, God designed lasting comfort to be found only in His voice found in printed form in what we call the Bible. Remember: Jesus said the sheep hear His voice, and they follow Him.

So, are you consistently reading it? More than that, are you regularly reflecting on it? Are you listening to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to you through His word which alone is a lamp to our feet and a light in our valley of deep darkness.

 

Comfort and protection. There have been times in my life when I have DESPERATELY God's comfort. There have been times – and I think of one in particular, when I had a nearly overwhelming sense of guilt because of a particular personal failure I’d experienced in my walk with Christ. I suspect some of you have also experienced a feeling of guilt over your own personal failure in your walk with Christ.

 

And so, it is to that point – the feeling of guilt – that I now turn our attention. We must not be ignorant of Satan’s schemes to discourage us, dishearten us, to trick us into disbelieving God's word –especially when His rod and staff assure us of God's complete forgiveness of our sins and failures.

 

The devil knows if he can persuade the Christian to disbelieve God's Word about His full forgiveness of our confessed sins, then eventually our feeling of guilt will overwhelm us, rob us of our Christian joy, and make us ineffective in our work for the Kingdom. In some cases, an overwhelming sense of guilt can cause some to abandon Christ because they wrongly think God is always angry with them, or they give up their walk because they think they’ll never be able to live up to God's expectations of them. 

 

There’s not a mature Christian alive – the important word there is, ‘mature’ Christian – who has not, at one time or another, felt a sense of guilt over their sins. Perhaps even now, some in this sanctuary are struggling with guilt over past confessed sins – sins which God has completely erased.

 

Please hear this: It is only our confidence in what God's word tells us about forgiveness that a conscience still troubled by guilt can find peace. God's ‘Rod and Staff’ alone can restore the penitent Christian’s assurance regarding God's utter forgiveness that flows from Calvary’s cross. True and eternal forgiveness and the cleansing of a guilty conscience. Such is available to all who confess to God their sins.

 

King David is a good example of that critical point. If ANYONE had a reason to feel guilt about his sins, it was David. But listen to what he wrote after his confession of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah:

 

“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity . . . When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer . . . I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalm 32:1-6)

 

Riddled with guilt, David felt God's hand heavy upon him day after day. Night after night. And who among mature Christians has not been in the same place as guilt because of unconfessed sin dug its talons into our spirits. But now look at verse six of this 32^nd psalm:

 

When David confessed his sins to God, God FORGAVE him. Completely. Thoroughly. And David’s sense of guilt was gone. THAT’S why he wrote: “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity.”  In other words, David KNEW that God had wiped his account clean. His sin no longer appeared in God’s ledger.

 

The apostle Paul is another example of a sinner redeemed by the blood of Jesus – the blood that wiped his guilt from his conscience. You who know your Bible know the kind of murderous and blasphemous man Paul was before he met Jesus on that road to Damascus.

 

And you also know it was this same Paul who wrote to the Christians at Rome: “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) The Greek word translated as ‘justified’ means God declares the penitent to be ‘righteous.’  And that’s also why Paul could write to the Christians at Ephesus: “In Him [Christ Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:20) 

 

Throughout the New Testament, the word translated as ‘forgiveness’ means that God treats the repented sin as if it had never been committed.

 

Justified. Forgiven. Cleansed. Declared righteous. As if the sin had never been committed. Oh! Do you see how God's word is a rod that beats back the lies of Satan and how His staff pulls us from the traps the devil lays along our paths?

 

Did you ever wonder what would have happened if Judas had repented to the One whom he betrayed? If you have even an iota of doubt as to what Jesus would have done for Judas, then that might explain why you still have doubts about Christ’s forgiveness after you repented to Him of your sins.

 

OF COURSE, Jesus would have forgiven Judas. There should be no doubt whatsoever about that. So, listen, please. This is important: Jesus forgave Peter for denying three times that he knew Him. And the Lord forgave Saul (later known as the apostle Paul) who at one time ravaged the fledgling Church, dragging men and women off to prison and who tried to force them to blaspheme Christ (see Acts 26:11). And Christ’s mercy has continued through the era of Church history, to this present moment.

 

OF COURSE Jesus would have forgiven Judas if he’d repented to Him. And of course, Jesus will forgive ME and YOU and anyone else who repents to Him. And THAT is why the Shepherd’s rod and staff – His infallible and inerrant word – COMFORT us who believe His promises.

 

Murderer? Denier of God? Adulterer? Blasphemer? Fornicator? Read what God promised the penitent sinners in Corinth: “Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

 

No sin is so deep that Christ’s mercy and forgiveness is not infinitely deeper. But Satan wants us to believe that Christ’s atoning blood is insufficient to cleanse our sins – especially our darkest sins. But remember what Jesus said of Satan: “Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44b).

 

Whatever is the sin that troubles you, whatever is that sin which you believe is beyond Christ’s forgiveness and mercy – listen once more to God’s promise: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

 

I don’t mind telling you that I know from personal experience what I’m talking about. Every so often I get to thinking I’m NEVER going to get it right. I’m never going to love the Lord as I want to love Him and serve Him as I want to serve Him.

 

And then the Holy Spirit reminds me of something He showed me several years ago in the Scriptures, and immediately He comforts me and assures me that He not only knows my failures, AND that His stubborn love endures through my failures. Oh, hallelujah.

 

The New Testament writers used two words for “love” – phileo and agape. Phileo carries the idea of tender affection. Agape is often used to describe God's unconditional, merciful, and enduring love.

 

When the Lord Jesus told Peter that before a rooster crowed, Peter would deny three times that he knew Him. Peter vowed he’d never deny his Lord. But he did, didn’t he?

 

I want us to now focus on this scene in our imagination. After Peter’s third denial, Luke tells us: “The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:61-62)

Hold that thought as we now look at the 21^st chapter of John’s gospel. The apostle records this conversation between Jesus and Peter: "Simon, son of John, do you love (agape) me more than these?” He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love (phileo) you.” He said to him, "Feed my lambs.” He then said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love (agape) me?” He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love (phileo) you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love (phileo) me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love (phileo) me?” and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love (phileo) you.” (Jesus) said to him, "Feed my sheep.”

A modern version of the conversation might sound something like this:

“Peter, do you love me with all your heart?” Peter answered, “Lord, I have great affection for you.” Jesus said, “Peter, feed My lambs.”

The Lord said again, “Peter, do you really, really love me?” Peter replied, “Lord, I think you are wonderful.” Jesus answered, “Peter, tend My sheep.”

Again, Jesus asked, “Peter, do you have great affection for me?” Peter answered simply, “Lord, you know I do.” And Jesus said once again, “Feed My sheep.”

 

Two things caught my attention in this exchange between the Lord and Peter, as I hope they also catch YOUR attention. First, Peter obviously felt miserable about his repeated denial of his best friend and Lord. But I then noticed how the Savior tried to help Peter move beyond his self-recrimination and guilt. When Peter wouldn't say, when he couldn’t say with honesty that he passionately, fully, completely loved Jesus, the Lord came down to his level: “Okay, my friend. Then, do you have affection for me?”

And second – and equally important – after each agape/phileo exchange, the Lord’s charge to Peter was the same: “Take care of My sheep.” In other words, “Peter, I know you feel guilty, but your repentance has fully restored our relationship. Your sorrow and guilt are totally unnecessary. Don’t let them keep you from your task to tend My flock."

How like the merciful Christ to call each of us out of our sorrow and self-recrimination AND our inability to fully love Him as we want to love Him. Jesus knows our hearts. He knows our weaknesses of the flesh. But base on this important text, the Lord is content even for our ‘phileo’ affection. He knows that if we give Him THAT, a maturing agape love will always follow. 

 

Christian, don’t be discouraged by your failures to live up to what you want to do for Christ. The Shepherd knows very well the sheep’s weaknesses. So, believe God's word. Let His rod and staff comfort you and protect you from Satan’s lies. God loves you. He completely forgives the penitent.

 

Be at peace.

Church Labels

 I started reading again through Matthew’s gospel and paused in chapter three. The context of verses 8-10 is the baptism of John in the Jordan of those who came to him. Some of those who came were the religious folk – Pharisees and Sadducees. John told them:

“You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 10 The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

I paused here because there’s a principal in this text of which we should all be aware – and be warned. It is not enough to say we are Catholic, or Baptist, or Methodist, or we are ‘whatever.’ Labels will not get us into heaven. Only repentance and obedient faith gain us entry into heaven. The Lord Jesus warned His listeners often enough to get our serious attention:

“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; 27 and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’ (Luke 11:24-27)

Church labels matter nothing. Only ongoing repentance and faithful obedience pleases our Lord and guarantees eternal life.

Valleys of Darkness

Shepherd Psalm

Valleys of Darkness

 “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. Yea, 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.”

 

Last time we looked at the last part of verse three which reads: “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” And we reminded ourselves that our Shepherd leads us on paths of righteousness because it is ONLY those paths lead to an abundant life in the here and now – an abundance not of material gain, but of intangible benefits of peace of heart that passes understanding, and the blessings of loving relationships and so much more.

 

That’s why ‘repentance’ is such a critical step in our relationship with our Shepherd – not only during this season of Lent – but around the calendar and day after day. Without ongoing repentance, we have no biblical reason to hope to be led in the paths of righteousness – and we must never forget that truth, or minimize it, or rationalize it away. Our natural human trajectory will always and inevitably lead us to ever increasing degrees and frequencies of sin. That simply is our natural bent as fallen creatures.

 

But sometimes – as the Psalmist notes here in the text – sometimes the paths of righteousness lead to the valley of the shadow of death. The Hebrew word David used in this verse is also translated, “the valley of deep darkness.” Such a place is a dreadful place, a lonely place, a desolate place, a dangerous place. And it is to this point that I want to speak for a while this afternoon.

 

Many of us in America have grown very accustomed to our comforts. Even as followers of Jesus, we try to avoid “the desert.” We don’t like when life gets hard, or barren, or lonely. The wilderness can be financial, or physical, or emotional. But whatever our wilderness experiences, we feel isolated – sometimes even from God. And don’t think for a moment that the devil will not whisper subtle lies into your mind during your wilderness experience that God has turned away from you.

 

Please remember our Lord’s trial in His own wilderness. Satan used a similar tact with Jesus, trying to seduce Him into doubting His own relationship with the Father. He said to Jesus: “IF you are the Son of God . . . .”  turn these stones into bread. “IF you are the Son of God . . . .”, cast yourself down from this cliff.

 

And Satan will whisper similar lies to you in your own wilderness of sadness, or illness, or loneliness, or whatever may be your trial. “If God loved you, if God was protecting you, if God cared for you – why are you going through this?”

 

But Christians need to always remember that the same God who created majestic fields of grain also created the empty wilderness. So, there will be times of beauty and tranquility, and there will be times of trial and pressure. And yes, we should expect it because He TOLD us to expect it: Our faith will be tested. But our God promises to meet us even in the wilderness.

 

Maybe we need to also remind ourselves what the Lord told His audience in Mark 8:34 “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me”?

 

But listen also to St Paul tell us about the wilderness: (2 Corinthians 4:7-11) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

 

It is helpful, I think, to look back at verse 7 of this Corinthian text in which the Holy Spirit explains through Paul at least one reason for our valleys of deep darkness: So that we recognize “that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” In other words, the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us that it is only the power of God that give us the power to overcome the dark valleys.

 

Listen to St John’s words in the first chapter of his gospel: “The light [of Christ] still shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.” (John 1:5, JB Phillips)

 

Listen also to Isaiah (Isaiah 9:2, 6) “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them . . . For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

 

Are you in a dark place? Are you struggling with ongoing and chronic physical pain that limits your quality of life? Well, THAT certainly qualifies as darkness. But I think the worst kind of darkness is emotional, the kind brought on by fractured relationships and fed by a sense of poor self-worth and hopelessness. Those kinds of wilderness experiences can eat like a cancer at our very souls.

 

But if we will only believe in our ‘heart of hearts’ God's promises to us who believe and obey Jesus, we will know we are not alone in our emotionally dark wildernesses. We are never alone in our emotionally dark wilderness.

 

Have you ever thought how the Lord Jesus felt as He hung on that cross? The mob mocked Him as He suffered. With the exception of John and some of the women, all of His closest friends had left Him. And then came His agonized cry: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

 

I could spend yet more time talking about the wilderness and cite numerous examples of those in Biblical AND Church history who not only endured but overcame the darkness of their wilderness trials. But let me instead talk about some of the spiritual lessons we might learn as we walk WITH Christ in our valleys of deep darkness.

 

First, while valleys of deep darkness are often terribly unpleasant parts of our faith journey, those valleys prove to be necessary parts of our faith journey. Listen to Peter explain it: (1 Peter 1:3-7) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 

 

Next, notice David’s confidence in that next clause: Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil FOR THOU ART WITH ME.

 

Some of you know the name, Andrae Crouch. He died in 2015 at the age of 72. He was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pastor. He’s often referred to as "the father of modern gospel music” by many contemporary gospel musicians. One of the songs he wrote – Through it All – encourages the faithful with these words of truth as we journey through our dark valleys:

 

“I thank God for the mountains/And I thank Him for the valleys/And I thank Him for the storms He's brought me through/For if I'd never had a problem
I'd never know that God could solve them/I'd never know what faith in God could do.

 

“Through it all, Through it all/I've learned to trust in Jesus/I've learned to trust in God/Through it all, Through it all/I've learned to depend upon His Word.”

 

Do we believe what GOD has promised His beloved children throughout His infallible Scriptures to be true, or do we believe what WE think is true? When God told Abraham that his wife, Sarah, was going to have their child, Abraham could have defaulted to how things LOOKED to him. He was old. Sarah was old. But he chose to believe what God said – and God counted his faith as righteousness. You’ll find that in Genesis 15:6.

 

Dozens of Scriptures from Genesis through Revelation illustrate how dark valleys ALWAYS lead to spiritual maturity for the Christian who chooses to believe God, who chooses to walk by faith and not by sight. And many of you can also quote the same passages. Whatever the dark valley – chronic illness, loneliness, financial stressors, or whatever: Through it all “Immanuel” walks with us.

 

Many of you are familiar with the poem, Footprints in the Sand. Listen to it again: “One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: One belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.

"Lord, You said that once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed you most, you would leave me."

The Lord replied, My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints – it was then that I carried You."

 

Christian, please hear me. Sometimes the paths of righteousness lead us through the valley of the shadow of death, through the wilderness of deep darkness. Don’t be surprised when they occur. And as difficult as it often is to patiently walk through those valleys, perhaps the words of Paul – who knew of those valleys from personal experience – perhaps his words of encouragement to his readers in the first century will also encourage you:

 

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . . and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation about perseverance, and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5)

 

Christian, listen – the God who is sovereign over all of nature, who stills the wind and the waves, who controls all of the affairs of nations and of individuals . . . The God who delivered His only Son to rescue you from ETERNAL darkness – this God is your Father and He is in absolute control of your life circumstances, including your journeys through life’s valleys of deep darkness.

 

I’m out of time this afternoon, so we will stop here. We'll continue next week with this powerful psalm of encouragement and hope.