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.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.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.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.
44 sermons cite this verse
… And I think that some people need to hear this in the room right now That's why Psalms 23 4 David writes yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death see that pit put it back on the screen The pit is a valley I was going good and then it dropped off But God says even when you're in the valley I'm walking with you. Even when you're at the low place, I'm with you. You don't have to fear because I am with you. The truth is Joseph wouldn't have picked betrayal. He had to rip up his list because what God was going to allow him to go through would not have been something he picked on his list. None of us would pick betrayal. None of us would pick COVID-19. Did anybody write that down on your year plan this year? Did anybody put that on your dream board? I want to start Janu off really strong, and then I want to get in the Word in February, and then I want to meet my man in March, and then I don't want to see him again until next August. …
… How I feel right now on the mountain top. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil. When I am afraid, I lose you. I'm trusting you. I'm trusting God. And I am not afraid. Because I have a Father. Jehovah Jireh is his name Jehovah Jireh is his name in His name. Jehovah's sin can know my righteousness. My God. Forever. Amen. I have a Father. You forgot you had a father. Remind the enemy I have a father. I praise his word. That's enough. That's all I need. That's all I need. That's all I need. I'm already loved. I'm already chosen. I know who I am. I know it feels broken. I'm already loved. More than I could imagine. And when is it now? I'm on many love. I'm on many doors. I know who I am. I know if you're spoken. When I am afraid. I'm on many love. I'm on my trust. In God. I trust in God. …
… he restores my soul, he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake here it is, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. I don't know how to tell you that I knew this, but I knew towards the beginning of this little journey that it was going to be the valley. Excuse me. The valley of the shadow of death, not the valley of death. The Valley of the Shadow. I will fear no evil because you are with me. There are measures of the presence of God. There are realms of his presence you can only find in the shadow. You can't find it in the party. I'm the party person. I mean, I like the breakthroughs. In 20 years, I've talked about things of this nature. I doubt a half a dozen times, probably two or three times, four at the most. It's just not what my life is about. I realize it's a reality, but it's like I live for the breakthrough. …
… He says, God leads me in the path of righteousness for his name. Say, yea, though, I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil. why? Because the God that we serve is with us. God can guide you. Get you out of that cave. Lastly, y'all praying with me church. The third point is is that identity is found when we stop looking at self all the time and start looking to God. David says there is nobody on my right side that right hand in biblical antiquity is a place of someone who is an advocate David says I feel like that nobody is concerned for me David says finally he says no one cares for my life but David does not stay in this stronghold He realizes that he's not strong enough and he does what Leslie Allen calls goes from cries in a crisis to cries for a new future. David completely changes his tone and the direction of the psalm in verse number five. …
… God's gonna help you through whatever it is you're facing. David said, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. He didn't say, yea, though I collapse and die in the valley of the shadow of death. God's gonna get you through what you're facing. He's preparing you for something in your future. But why, we might ask. was the devil targeting Peter in particular. Because the devil saw Peter as a threat against the kingdom of darkness, and he wanted to take him out. Satan can spot a spiritual leader as well. He knows who effective people are, and he will attack them. So if you find yourself coming under spiritual attack, that can actually be a good sign, not a bad one. Going back to Job, why did all that stuff happen to him? because he was godless? No, to the contrary, because he was godly. Why are you going through hardship? Why are you getting tempted more than ever? Why are you facing these difficulties? …
… And it was David himself who wrote in Psalm 23, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Isn't that interesting? A rod comforts you? Yeah. It reminds you you're God's child. David being a shepherd had two primary tools he used with the sheep and with their enemies. The staff, the long crooked pole, he would use to pull a wayward sheep back in the line and a rod. He would use to drive away a predator, even kill a predator and also occasionally use on a sheep, not quite in the same way, but give them a little whack, to keep them in line, especially if that sheep was going astray and leading others astray. The way I look at it, better to have a broken leg than be leg of lamb, okay? So sometimes in our life, we're going astray. God uses this stuff. Now, come on, don't do that. …
… He leads me in the right paths for his name's sake. Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. And then he says, maybe. Thank you. Your rod and your staff comfort me. You prepare a banquet for me in front of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil and my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Now I want you to notice first that this psalm begins and ends with the Lord. The Lord is my shepherd. And it ends with, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This psalm is all about God. It's all about his goodness to you. If you missed any in this series, I would encourage you to go back and listen to the 12 things that God has said he wants to do for you because he is a good God. …
… He leads me in the right paths for his name's sake. And even when 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 comfort me. You prepare a banquet for me in front of my enemies, and you anoint my head with oil, and my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Thank you. Now there are a lot of metaphors in this passage. David is a shepherd and he's using the shepherd motif, talking about all the ways that God wants to bless your life. And today I want us to focus on the meaning of verse 4, which is this phrase, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Now what in the world does that mean? Your rod and your staff. These are clearly two kinds of sticks. How in the world can they bring comfort to your life? …
… What do I need to remember? Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. Three things God wants you to remember in a valley. Number one, remember I'm not alone. God is with me. Remember that I'm not alone. God is with me. Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. By the way, that word shadow of death, that's one word in Hebrew. It's salmawet. Salmawet is the valley of the shadow of death. It's one of the valleys of life. Guess what? You're gonna go through that one. That's one valley everybody here and everybody on earth is gonna go through, the valley of the shadow of death. And he says, I will fear no evil for you are with me. Now, look at that verse on your outline, and I want you to circle the word through and circle the word you, because those are the two most important words in Psalm 23, verse four. …
… We did a whole collection around this idea, even though I will. and the whole idea of even though I will was that like Psalm 23 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 so look how Habakkuk says it though and you could add the even though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines. Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no fruit, though there are no sheep in the pen, no cattle in the stalls, here it comes. Yet I will, even though I will, even though I will. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God, my Savior. Why? Because the sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. He enables me to tread on the heights. So there may not be grapes today. There may not be olive crops today. There'll be no produce in the field, no cattle in the stall, no sheep to be had today. But I'm telling you, my hope is in God. He is an overcomer. I am an overcomer in Him. And so even though it's the darkest of days, I will still praise Him. Even though it's the hardest of times, I will still know that my God is an overcoming God and I am an overcomer in him. …
… He leaves me in the right path for his name's sake. And even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. Very good class. You all get an A and you all get a cookie. now this phrase even though i walked through the valley of the shadow of death there's actually a canyon in israel called the valley of the shadow of death i'm sure david had been through it many many times some of these canyons were very narrow at the bottom and could be 800 feet tall and so when you're looking up on either side the only time you'd get the sun is actually at noon day And so in the middle of the day, you could be in the bottom of this canyon and not see the sun because the walls were so tall and the canyon was so narrow, the sun only shines when it's right overhead and it would be in shadows most of the day. …
… There's only one line in it. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, you are with me. This chapter is not really about death. It's the most famous psalm quoted at death. But it's not about death. It's really about how God wants to guide you and lead you all the way through your life. Now because God is a good God And that's what we're looking at God has good plans for your life Not bad plans And God wants you to understand those plans And because he's good He has promised to guide The good shepherd doesn't just feed us He leads us He doesn't just correct us He directs us He guides us And so this is part of leading, feeding, and meeting our needs, which is what the good shepherd does. Now look at the top of your outline, and we're going to start with now the first three verses. So let's read it together. …
… The Lord designs us in all aspects of life to discover Him. For example, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because you are with me. What does that say? There's a measure of his presence that you can only find in the valley of the shadow of death. Every part of life gives access to greater breakthrough. And to have opportunity to, in this environment, to make connection that impacts our life and theirs is a missed opportunity for many. One of the scariest verses in the Bible for me, absolute scariest, is this verse out of Proverbs 5. I'll just read it to you. Proverbs 5, verse 14, if you're taking notes. I was on the verge of total ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation. I was on the verge of total ruin in the midst of the congregation. There's a statement that's often credited to a couple of different people, Marilyn Monroe, and then one of my favorite comedians. His name slipped my mind. But the statement goes like this. …
… I'm not afraid. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Thou art with me, my rod and my staff. They comfort me. The same God who took care of me down here is going to take far better care up there. No more tears. Everybody take a praise break. Act like you've never heard of heaven before and you just won the lottery. You're going. You're going. Streets of gold, gates of pearl, walls of jasper. And the Bible said he leaned and laid his hands on every one of his children and blessed them with a blessing. And then it said he pulled the covers, throw it up, and said he drew his feet up into bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people. Well, who is his people? Well, it just told you in the verses I just read you. his father was Isaac, and his grandfather was Abraham. And they went and got with their people, and all them got together, and they said, hey, we heard old Jacob's coming today. …
… wilderness right now, and if God be for you, who can be against you? Clap and thank God. You might be in the wilderness, but my Bible says, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Somebody clap and thank the Lord today that even if I'm in the wilderness, I'm going to pass the, come on, give them a praise today. We'll pass the test. Jesus is in the wilderness. He's not trying to run from it. He's not trying to hide from it. He's just trying to be faithful to depend upon God. And so three times the enemy comes and tempts him. Read this last verse in Luke chapter four, verse 13. And when the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. I like that part so much. He left him until an opportune time. In other words, you need to know that the enemy of your soul is looking for the right opportunity when your guard is down to tempt you. …
… breakthrough I cannot find any other way. The Lord designs us in all aspects of life to discover. For example, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because you are with me. What does that say? There's a measure of his presence that you can only find in the valley of the shadow of death. Every part of life gives access to greater breakthrough. And to have opportunity to, in this environment, to make connection that impacts our life and theirs is a missed opportunity for many. One of the scariest verses in the Bible for me, absolute scariest, is this verse out of Proverbs 5. I'll just read it to you. Proverbs 5, verse 14, if you're taking notes. I was on the verge of total ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation. I was on the verge of total ruin in the midst of the congregation. there's a statement that's often credited to a couple different people Marilyn Monroe and then one of my favorite comedians his name slipped my mind at the moment but the statement goes like this the worst thing in life is not to be alone it's to be with people who make you feel alone and sometimes you have to be the one who initiates and it doesn't mean that I can't connect with every person neither can you but I can connect with somebody and I've got to make sure that my life not just from a pulpit …
… god cares too much to allow you to go down a path that won't allow you to be elevated so when the psalmist writes in psalm 23 yea though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i shall fear no evil he says thy rod and thy staff they comfort me our job is to find a way to be comforted by the rod the rod was not just about protecting the sheep from predators the rod was also for correcting the sheep I find comfort when I am with the shepherd because I know the shepherd won't have me out here wrong I'm trying to you know I went back to school I'm trying to be more eloquent these days but let me tell you something I don't fool with nobody who won't tell me when I'm out here wrong edo uhm showing up loud and wrong. I need to be close to somebody who is not just a yes man. I find comfort because I recognize that I'm walking with the King of Kings and he will not allow me to be out here wrong. He will correct me. He will challenge me. Those he loves, he chases. That is the word. He doesn't just chase him for chasing sakes. He chases because I have a plan for you. I have a vision for who you can be and I may have to correct you in order to get you to that place. …
… We got two passages tonight. Psalms 23 verses 1 through 4. And then Mark, put your finger in there as the old people say, put your finger in Psalms and then skedaddle over to Mark, the 10th chapter, verses 46 through 52. Thank you. when you have psalms 23 say amen amen let's read it together just verses one through four the lord is my shepherd i shall not want he maketh me to lie down in green pastures he leadeth me beside the still waters He restores my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. 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. Now go with me to Mark, the 10th chapter. i'll be reading from the esv version english standard version and you can just follow along it's on the screen as well and they came to jericho and as he was leaving jericho with his disciples and a great crowd bartimaeus a blind beggar the son of timaas was sitting by the roadside and when he heard that it was Jesus of Natharus he began to cry out and say Jesus son of David have mercy on me and many rebuked him telling him to be silent but he cried out all the more son of David have mercy on me and Jesus stopped and said call them and they called the blind man saying to him take heart get up he's calling you …
God of mercy, as we enter into Lent, may your spirit guide us to places we might not necessarily want to go. We turn to you because you, O Lord, have the words of life. Help us to hear what you have to say and grant us the courage to live it out. This we pray in Christ's name. Amen. repent and thou shall be saved. Is that what you came here to hear today? I mean, is life going well with you? When you look out at the world, is it as it should be? Do you find yourself crying out to God in fear or because of injustice? Do you hope that God would finally come and fix all that is broken? You wonder, when will the day of the Lord get here so that we can have peace and justice for all? be careful what you wish for the prophet Joel proclaims that the day of the Lord is coming and is near however he goes on to describe the day as one of darkness and gloom on that day there will be a great and powerful army but it is not to bring liberation and freedom to the oppressed. …
… say this with me out loud, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. For God is with me. I want to end by returning to the story of Robin Sisley. Rob was diagnosed again with cancer, a brain tumor and pancreatic cancer. Difficult to treat. And his response has been amazing. I mean, you know, when I first saw him after this, of course there's fear and shock, you know. And so you work through that, but then you come back and you say, but I trust in God. I trust in God in the middle of this. And I will not be afraid because I do. And that's what I've seen in him. And so I asked him, you know, how have you dealt with this? Tell me what your experience is, you know, what you're thinking. And he says, from my perspective, I really don't live in fear having cancer. Even before being diagnosed, your message that the worst thing is never the last thing always has provided me a peace or calm, not fear. …
… 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. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for your word. I thank you for the truths that are contained in this psalm, this powerful and simple declaration of who you are. Lord, I pray that you would open our eyes today to see just how you want us to enjoy you, to interact with you, and to be led by you. I pray that you would speak through me and touch lives and change lives today. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. We've titled this message, hold on wait for it a rested development that's very important the space is very important a rested development some of you heathens are like oh arrested development like the tv show and you could quote bees and banana stands and all of that not today not today it's a rested development. And we came up with this title because of just how God wants to work in your …
Because in Psalm 23, we claim a lot of promises. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil, for you are with me. you will prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies you will anoint my head with oil and my cup will overflow goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life you will restore my soul wait a minute wait a minute we claim those promises but don't realize the context the context is in Psalm 23 and 1 where it says the Lord is my I wish somebody would catch it to say the Lord is my shepherd is to confess that I am a nomad To say the Lord is my shepherd is to say I am bought with a price. My life is not my own. I have a leader. I have a guide. That's why he says you will lead me in the path of righteousness for my name's sake. …
… In fact, why don't you read this with me? The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not one. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. There's the word leadeth. He restoreth my soul. he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. I want you to notice that. The psalmist in this beautiful passage saying, God, you are leading me. You're leading me like a shepherd and I am your sheep. You know, I'm one of your lambs. Lead me. This is the prayer of a Christian. We invite Christ to lead us. So to be Lord, which is what we call Jesus, is a central title for Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus is Lord. Lord means master, sovereign, ruler, leader. And so at the very heart of our lives, the very essence of who we are, we seek to be led by Jesus, who incarnated, who put flesh on God. And so we're people, if we're a follower, if we're a Christian, we're people who've said, Jesus, I will follow you. You remember Jesus' invitation to his disciples when he began preaching and ministering, he said to his disciples, he'd come to them and say, come follow me. That's the central invitation he gave, come follow me. And so he invites us today to follow him. If you're a Christian, you've said, I'm following Jesus. He's the Lord. He's master, sovereign, ruler. …
… I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Psalm 23.4, even though I walk through the valley, through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. you can rest in his strength, even in the wilderness. somebody just needs to hear that today you you can rest you can go to sleep knowing that the god of heaven is holding on to you and he's not going to let you go he's not going to let you go we cling to him he clings to us desperate faith trust in god and in the last few verses which are you know kind of wild to read uh he's you know his enemies are going to be destroyed they're going to become food for jackals. What's all that about? It's about trusting God. It's about, I don't have to avenge myself. I don't have to protect myself. I don't have to figure my way out of this. …
… I got bad news. 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 anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And I want one more verse. And it's Isaiah 43. when you pass through, not if you pass through, I'm not telling you you won't go through the flood. I will be with you. See the comma? When you go through it, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. And when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. Nor shall the flame scorch you. I love this. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have given Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia, saving in your place. I love this part of this verse. …
… for his namesake even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Because I'm so strong. Nope. What's it say? For you. are with me. even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of evil, of the shadow of death, I will fear no. evil. You're 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 overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What a powerful phrase. I will fear no evil. Listen, I'm telling you, I've been shaken up this week. I'm not Superman. but I'm coming through this week saying even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. I certainly don't fear death, not one shred of fear of death, but I want to come through these days and say, and I don't fear evil, and I'm staring right at it. …
… If God be for me, who can be against me? Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are. You're with me. I think the hardest thing about COVID was people, their faith was tested in isolation. You know, Zoe didn't have a Sunday morning service for 17 months. We didn't get to meet as a church like this. And when people were stuck in their homes, having to choose faith and choose worship and choose Jesus, It's easy when we get together on Sundays and we worship God together. What's going to happen to you when you're isolated and there's nobody around? And here's Joseph. He's in prison, and he doesn't get weird. He doesn't get bitter. He doesn't go sideways. He doesn't lose his faith. He just keeps serving and trusting God. And I pray that you get connected in community. I pray that you are not living an isolated life. The Bible says that a man that isolates himself seeks his own desire and rages against all wisdom. …
… He's leading you beside still waters. he's walking with you i love that the bible says even in the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil your rod and your staff they comfort me you've prepared you've prepared a banqueting table in the presence of my enemies my cup overflows surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life amen so he's called you Come on, let's thank God that he's called us. He's given us purpose. The second thing is that wrestling, unfortunately, wrestling is the language of transformation. it's the language transformation in your life. It only happens through the wrestling. It only happens through God working in that inner struggle with you in your life. Wrestling is the language of transformation. Look at it here in Genesis 24. So Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him till daybreak, till daybreak. Jacob's struggle ultimately came down to his identity, being second born, being behind his brother Esau, being overlooked. …
Aside from the shepherd's provision, we see in the next movement the shepherd's protection. The pronouns change here, and we go from he, third person, to you, second person. Look at the second part of the psalm. 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 you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup overflows you you you the pronouns have changed but the direction is the same we're still talking about the Lord we're talking about the shepherd and what the shepherd does. We've identified the shepherd and now we're speaking to the shepherd and speaking to the shepherd about his protection. You are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. So here in this valley of the shadow of death, there is the rod and the staff. The rod and the staff refer to his means of fending off enemies and his means of guiding us even in the most difficult times and places. This idea of the valley of the shadow of death taken from the shepherding theme is an idea, some commentators say, and I believe it's the best explanation, that if you think about sheep being moved from one place to another, and basically you have to move sheep to find green pastures. And sometimes when you are moving to find green pastures, it's interesting, predatory animals know where their prey …
… And when the wind blows, your hope is going to evaporate. David said, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? For you, you are with me. Not for he is with me. You are with me. He made the shift. He matured. He grew up from God reminding him, I am with you. I am with you. I am with you. I am with you. I am with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. He grew up to you. You are with me. Oh, fear no evil. who's your first call good or bad, who's your first call? Oh my word, I got a call. I want so bad to get to the place in life where my first call is Jesus. I can't believe this just happened. Jesus, thank you that you are with me. I'm about to call so-and-so, but I need you. That's a shift, and you've got to make it. number five give your cares and dreams to him one by one I did an interview with Max Lucado a few months ago that we released as we're dropping a new podcast this week, season. …
… But when he shows up at your door, when he's crouching at your house and he hears, 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. O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? My God has overcome it. That's what sends demons fleeing from you. That's where they realize I can't win this war. They understand. They get it. They know how to overcome. I can't take anything from them that Jesus hasn't given to them. Pray when you're questioning. Pray when things don't make sense. Pray when you may not even fully have faith for it. Because no matter if you feel it, believe it, or have faith for it, the enemy knows that the power of prayer, he knows that God's word cannot return void. That is his promise for you today. The power of speaking to the one who holds your past so the enemy can't throw it in your face. …
… you can be an overthinker but while you overthinking and while you scared keep putting one foot in front of the other and say yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil because he's with me Now, y'all ready for what I'm going to give you today? All right, promise if y'all don't cut up, I'm going to get through all of this. But I had to back you back so you can walk with me because these are laws. This is what caused them to accelerate. Y'all saw what happened? As soon as they did what Jesus said do, here come all these fish. They don't have room enough to even carry it in. And that's the kind of acceleration I want you to see. So here's what I was going to give you today. Number one, we must have perspectives fueled by positivity. We must have perspectives fueled by positivity. It's right there in verse one and two. Let's slow down. …
… Verse 4, I walked through the valley of the shadow of death. I didn't want to go in the valley, but I needed the valley because I'm going to learn something in the valley I didn't see on the mountain. Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Here comes the reorientation for 13 of y'all that's going to shout. Thou preparest a table before me, not outside the presence of my enemies, but while them jokers are looking right at me. He anoints my head with oil. Surely, I used to wonder now I can say surely I used to have questions now I can say surely my faith was depleted But now I can say surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life Somebody ought to thank God for your seasons of disorientation Because they taught you how to trust God like you've never trusted him before Go on and take a few seconds and thank God for your challenges Thank God for your tears the songwriter said if I never had a problem I wouldn't know he could solve them and that's what's going on in the text today with the author behind this text is David and to appreciate Psalm 3 up to appreciate this content you've got to understand the context and to appreciate what David is wrestling with the disorientation that David is dealing with in this text you got to go back and 2nd Samuel chapter 15 through chapter 18 because here's what's happened let me drop it real low so …
… that God was with you. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil because thou art with me yeah yeah tell somebody around you he's with you he goes to work with you rides down to dan ryan and lake shore with you travels with you through the darkness hangs out with you in the midnight goes to chemo and treatment with you walks the hall of the of hospitals with you anybody know he's with you I never will forget a few years ago I went to a conference and we were out there taking pictures and I just knew that the people I invited to be in the pictures were the only ones in the picture and so you know how it is you're out in a big group setting and y'all trying to capture the moment you want to capture some pictures so you say come here y'all and three people walk up come here y'all let's take a picture and three of y'all get in the picture one, two, three, cheese, take the picture two more people walk up and you take the picture one, two, three, let's cheese, take the picture And it wasn't until I got back to my room that I realized I had been photobombed. …
… You lead me on the path of righteousness for your name's sake. Even though I shall walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You will prepare a table in the presence of mine enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. So, Lord, back that weak enemy up, up off me, for Satan's power is limited. but your power is immeasurable in Jesus' name, in Jesus' mighty name. Family, it works. The principle works. In Jesus' name, it works. And speaking of Jesus, yes, speaking of the Son of God, you know I've introduced you to the principle of the divine, however. Now let me leave you by introducing you to the person. Because the divine, however, is not simply a principle. The divine, however, is also a person. …
… when he wrote those words, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? Because God is with me. The psalmist asked it again in Psalm 139, Where can I go from the presence of God? If I wake up in hell, God is with me. And I want you to know no matter what you wake up to, no matter how much more the virus has spread, no matter how much more it looks like it will not come to an end, I want you to know that God is there. And there's something about knowing God is there that brings comfort to us. You all know I love going to the movies. Being shut down from being able to go to the movies is one of the depressing elements of this virus. And I remember the very first time that I took Cooper to the movies. You know, you can't take them till they're about five or six because they don't know how to sit still. …
… God put me here in this ministry, in this marriage, in this place, in this situation, all by myself, but God's understanding says, yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me. And if we are going to walk along and trust in the Lord, we need to know that we need the usher in charge. But let me close because I know this is a sermonette. And some of you might be frustrated right now because you saw me stop on verse 5 at a semicolon. But I love my abbreviation. I love my punctuation. because a semicolon is stronger than a comma but it's softer than a period and when we get to verse 5 trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding semicolon it is a pause that is harder than a comma softer than a period which gives us time to know that if you're going to trust in the Lord you're going to need to know the name that I will be who I will be you will need to know the nails that some of us are still here because we didn't break and you will need to know the need and now that we've paused let me take you to verse 6 because verse 5 tells us trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and verse 6 takes us to …
… I stopped by to remind somebody of one King David who said, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. I came by to remind somebody of the prophet who said, fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass. I came to remind you of one Isaiah who said, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. Oh, yes, there is a word because if God before us, if God before us, if God before us, who I say can be against us, neither death nor life, it is written, neither angels nor principalities, it is written, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, neither height nor depth, or any other living creature can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And how do I know? Because In our text today, we find Jesus. Jesus, who amidst oppressive economic and social and political conditions, chooses disciples. …
… We can anticipate it. In Psalm 23, verse 4, King David reveals how to accept death, and more importantly, how to embrace it and use it as a way to grow in our faith. If you have your Bible, turn there now as Adrian Rogers gives this timely message, How to Smile at Death. Take God's Word and find Psalm 23 and verse 4. Psalm 23 and verse 4. Now I suppose that Psalm 23 is known better than any other psalm in all of the Bible. And I suppose that verse 4 is quoted perhaps more than any other verse in that psalm. 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. A little lady had walked with God for many, many years. a saint by every measure of the word. At last her body grew frail, and her life was ebbing away, and she was on what many would call her deathbed. …
… It says, me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth 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. So first of all, as we look at verse 1, we see what I'm going to call the sovereign God, Jehovah, the great, great, great I Am, the one who rules the universe. Now notice in contradistinction what David is saying, the great Jehovah is my shepherd. Now we move from the sovereign to the shepherd. Learn this, that the Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Jesus of the New Testament. When we say Jehovah, we speak of his deity. But when we say shepherd, we speak of his humanity. In John chapter 10, the Lord Jesus unlocked the mystery of the 23rd Psalm when he said, I am the good shepherd. …
… He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me. In the presence of mine enemies, Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth 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. A beautiful psalm. We're only going to look at the first verse. And it will be a marvel really if we even touch on the truth that's in the first verse. We could take every word in the first verse and just emphasize each word. The Lord. Not a Lord, but the Lord. When David wrote this, the Egyptians had 360 primary gods, one for every day of the week. The Canaanites, in whose land the Israeli came to live, they had many gods. …
… He leads me beside quiet or still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me or leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest the table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou noughtest my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving kindness or mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Well, what I'd like to do is I'd like for us to look at this passage of Scripture in the light of that whole idea that God is a caring God, that He cares for us, and He cares for every single detail of our life. There's not anything about you that is not important in the eyes of God. There's nothing about you that He will neglect, nothing He's going to overlook. …
… He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul, and He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. And yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil. Why? Because the shepherd is with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." It's interesting language there in the Psalm where David is recalling his own days as a shepherd. You remember when he was still a boy and the troops of Israel were faced against the armies of the Philistines when the giant Goliath came into the valley and called out a challenge for there to be a champion to come forth from Israel who would take on this giant in hand-to-hand combat where winner takes all. Whoever wins the fight wins the day for his army. And Saul looks around, and he can find none of his warriors who are willing to go up against Goliath. and David happens to appear because he's bringing his brothers their lunch, and they're in the army, and he hears this challenge, this defiance out of the mouths of this pagan Goliath, and he can't believe that no one in Israel will stand up to Goliath. …
… He guides me or leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest the table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou notice my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving kindness or mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Now, how many times have you read that passage of Scripture? Where did you usually stop when it says, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil? Well, what about this table? And what about the anointing of my head? And what about goodness and mercy following me all the days of my life? This passage of Scripture is God's psalm to us, showing us and demonstrating to us how much He cares for us. …