Thankful in the Valleys

10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”

All are condemned.

All deserve a devil’s hell.

Hebrews 10:27–29 NLT

27 There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. 28 For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.

But God is making a way where there seems to be no way for all to hear the Best News Ever.

A way for every nation, every tongue, every people group, every skin color and every culture to know Jesus.

So they have an opportunity to humble themselves BEFORE Him and to surrender their lives TO Him.

It with a sad heart I tell you that not all will bow before Jesus when they hear the Best News Ever.

Some will continue in their rebellion and sin.

They will thumb their nose at God.

Until that final day. When as says, [Because…]:

Philippians 2:9–11 NASB95

9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God makes the way to Himself available by removing every barrier, every hindrance.

On Tuesday, before our time of corporate prayer, I read from the devotional Missionary God, Missionary Bible where Missionary Dick Brogden reminds us:

Missions work is not complicated; it’s just hard. Someone has to do the difficult, unglamorous labor of rolling away the stones. We cannot look at the amazing movement of Iranians coming to Jesus today without consideration of Robert Bruce who in the 1860s wrote from Iran: “I’m not reaping. I’m not sowing. I’m not even plowing. I’m just gathering rocks from the field.”

Maybe that’s what you feel you are doing.

Rolling the stones out of the way.

Removing hindrances to the Gospel being heard in your family, in your school, at your workplace, in your neighborhood.

God has prepared and is preparing the way spiritually.

He is removing every barrier and every hindrance to the proclamation of salvation through Jesus.

Just like John the Baptist did before the public ministry of Jesus 2000 years ago.

John the Baptist prepared the way SPIRITUALLY.

He accomplished what was prophesied of him in ___ , where God says:

Malachi 3:1 NASB 2020

1 “Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of armies.

God continues to speak in Mal 4:5, 6 that:

Malachi 4:5–6 NASB95

5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

We read of this scripture’s fulfillment in:

Mark 1:2–8 NASB95

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.’ ” 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. 7 And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. 8 “I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In the same way that John spiritually prepared a way for Jesus, the same way the Apostles spiritually prepared the way for people to see the glory of Jesus, the same way that WE are to prepare a spiritual path for all nations to see the glory of the Lord, there will one day be a PHYSICAL preparation for the entrance of God’s glory revealed in Jesus:

Text: Isaiah 40:3-5

Isaiah 40:3–5 NASB 2020

3 The voice of one calling out, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the uneven ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; 5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

In God’s economy all — everyTHING and everyONE who belongs to Him, prepares for His coming.

We have seen how EVERYONE who belongs to God, who lives in obedience to Him, has prepared and is preparing the people of this world to see the majesty and glory of Jesus.

In our text we see the earth itself preparing the way of the Lord.

Because all the earth belongs to God.

Psalm 89:11 NASB95

11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them.

As we read in Isaiah 40:

Cooked places will become straight.

Valleys will be raised up

And mountains will be made low

All adjust to become flat plains instead of obstacles to the entrance of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

When the earth has finished its work, then the glory of the Lord is revealed.

After everyTHING is done everyONE will see God in the fullness of His glory and majesty.

Thanks for the Valleys

To that end, that we would not only see God’s glory and goodness, but give thanks to Him, for these 3 Sundays that lead up to Thanksgiving, I would like to talk about the valleys of our lives.

They seem like huge, deep hindrances to us seeing the glory of God.

But God will lift them up in our understanding — in our sight.

No longer barriers to Jesus, they become bridges to a closer relationship with Him.

And maybe we just need the Lord’s help to see them as they REALLY are.

Places that God raises up in our understanding.

Places where we point and say:

“God did a miraculous work there. It was ONLY in the valley that I could seen Him like I do now.

“It’s only in the valley, that I would have grown in my faith.

“I love the mountains, but I can’t live there.

“It’s in the valley that the Lord restores my soul.

One of the things that unites us together as a congregation is a love for the mountains.

Haven’t the leafs been gorgeous this year?

I personally love going to the tops of mountains for the panoramic views.

Most of the time you can’t drive to the tops of the mountains.

There is the challenge of getting to the top.

You have to walk or hike to get there.

I’ve enjoyed hiking to the tops of several local mountains to just sit and drink in the views of God’s creation.

A group of us wanted to hike to the top of Blood Mountain Friday morning.

I’m doubting it will happen.

II guess we may have to reschedule due to the weather.

I’ve enjoyed going to the top of Mt. Mitchell, the tallest point in North Carolina and on the eastern seaboard.

You can drive most of the way to the top.

But then there is a steep, half-mile paved trail.

The same with Clingman’s Dome the tallest point in Tennessee.

Again, a very steep .6 mile trail to the top.

I’ve been to the top of Brasstown Bald multiple times — the tallest point in Georgia.

A group of ladies and I hiked 7 miles to the top of Brasstown from Young Harris College several years ago.

I’ve been to the top of Siler’s Bald once.

Wayah Bald multiple times — that’s another one you can pretty much drive to the top.

I’ve hiked to the top of Waterrock Knob off the Blue Ridge several times.

Last year when I went I was asked about a crashed plane not far from the top on the other side. I didn’t even know about that! And the crash is from almost 40 years ago.

So even when you have hiked to the tops of mountains multiple times you can still see something new or learn something new.

But a hike to the top of a mountain doesn’t always lead to a wonderful view of the surrounding area.

A few years ago Vanessa and I hiked to the top of Richland Balsam Mountain which is very near the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We hiked the 3/4 of a mile trail to the top where the only thing you can see is trees all around and right up next to you.

No mountain panorama — which was disappointing.

A lot of sweat and work with no reward.

I have hiked to the top of Blood Mountain only to have clouds obscure the views from the top.

But still, those of us who live here love the views we get OF the mountains and FROM the mountains.

Another thing I like to see is waterfalls.

A consequence of mountains is that there are valleys in between.

In some of those valleys are beautiful waterfalls.

We are blessed in our area because we have “wet” mountains.

I’ve also hiked mountains out west where there are no trees or waterfalls.

In our area or out west, people don’t normally live on the tops of mountains.

We live in the lower areas.

We live in the valleys.

One of the things that I’ve definitely learned in this area is that the tops of mountains generally have very poor soil.

You can’t grow food there.

So, whereas I love mountains, I live in the valley.

We need to be thankful for the valleys.

In 1971 Andre Crouch wrote these words:

I thank God for the mountains And I thank Him for the valleys I thank Him for the storms He brought me through For if I'd never had a problem I wouldn't know that He 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

This morning, as we think about how according to

Ephesians 5:20 NASB95

20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

We also need to remember:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NASB95

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Again, I say that the valleys can be tough places for us.

But if we ask Him, God will not only give us a different view of our valleys, He will give us the wisdom to thank Him for them.

Thankful for the Valley of the Shadow of Death

One of the toughest valleys we will ever face is the Valley of the shadow of death.

Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Really no one wants to face this valley, but we all will.

Not just OUR death, but the death of a loved one — that’s the hard one!

But this valley teaches us at least 2 lessons:

1st is that we must ALL be ready to pass through this valley into eternity.

We must be prepared for the valley of the shadow of death.

Prepared for our own deaths.

But also prepared for the deaths of others.

Because, until Jesus comes back, all will die.

This valley is a blessing in that it forces us to prepare for eternity.

It motivates us to witness to our loved ones who are not prepared — who have not repented of their sins, who have not surrendered their lives to Jesus.

The 2nd thing this valley teaches us is that even when we face death, we are not alone.

The Psalmist King David said: Because You are with me, I don’t have to be afraid.

Oh, what a blessing that Jesus never forsakes us, He never leaves us — even as we go through the valley of the shadow of death.

Thankful for the Valley of Springs

Indeed, even in the Valley of the Shadow of Death God leads us on to the valley of Springs.

Refreshing springs of Living Water.

That quenches our parched soul

Psalm 104:10 “He sends forth springs in the valleys; They flow between the mountains;”

Those mountain tops are beautiful, but I have yet to find springs of water gushing out of the peak of a mountain.

Maybe it happens.

But it is down in the valleys that we RELIABLY find refreshing springs of water.

So, here is yet another valley for which we need to be thankful.

A valley which, at first glance, may be deep and dark — may seem a curse.

Ah, but then, if we listen, we can hear the refreshing that our soul needs!

Called to the Valley of Decision

There is no “IF,” we WILL face valleys in our life.

We can choose to complain about them, curse them, resent them, get angry at God about them — none of that will make valleys go away.

Just maybe God is trying to raise up valleys in our understanding this morning.

Even though it may not seem pleasant, maybe God is using that valley to do a good work in our life.

We may not get to choose whether or not we go through a valley.

But we do get to choose what we think about them.

Valleys are places of decision.

Joel 3:14 “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

God is calling you this morning to the Valley.

Maybe He calls you to the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

But for sure He is calling you to the Valley of Decision.

Will you turn to Him?

Will you repent of your sins?

Will you surrender control of your life?

If you do, contact us.

We want to help you take the next step in a relationship with Jesus.

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