Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ.

Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. There is the cause of discouragement, even further level to depression, to defeat, that phrase right there. Everybody says why am I feeling so down? Why am I so discouraged?

Why am I dealing with all these things? You and I are made in the image of God. We have a body, soul, and spirit. And when the spirit is wounded, the body and the soul follow right behind. We oftentimes will have difficulty with our physical well-being. Oftentimes sickness and physical ailment will be a sign of the spirit wounded inside of an individual.

Notice, let me read that again in case you didn't see that. Verse 3, for the enemy hath persecuted my soul. He hath smitten my life down to the ground. He hath made me to dwell in darkness as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me. My heart within me is desolate.

Has anybody ever been there? Your heart felt dry. Notice if you would, verse 5, I remember the days of old. I meditate on all thy works. I muse on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee. My soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsty land.

Selah, hear me speedily, O Lord. My spirit faileth. Hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning, for in thee do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies.

I flee unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Thy spirit is good.

Lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake. For thy righteousness' sake, bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy, cut off mine enemies and destroy all them that afflict my soul, for I am thy servant.

It's a good chapter, isn't it? All God's people said right there, Lord, we need your help today. I know that there are folks here hurting.

There are always people hurting. Lord, we literally could preach on subjects like this every service, and there would always be people that need it. But, Lord, I feel specifically this morning that you have laid this on our heart. I ask you to minister to souls.

There might be individuals that are here this morning that didn't even realize that they need this, but they need it. So, Lord, I pray that you would help us and encourage us through your word this morning. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Let me mention, as I was kind of studying, going through the book of Psalms, we have been preaching out of the book of Psalms the last four Sunday mornings. I'll be preaching out of Psalms again tonight, something that God has laid on my heart on this subject, being a confused Christian. There's a chapter that Asaph wrote, and Asaph basically describes what he'd been taught, but then he says the things that I've seen make me question the things that I've been taught. And we're going to talk about that tonight when you're a confused Christian. We know what the Bible says, but when we see things happening, we say, well, can I trust that? That doesn't make sense to me.

We're going to talk about that tonight. But I was reading a story about, I won't give his name, but this pastor who had lost his family in a tragic fire. Their house had caught fire while he was out doing work for the church and different things. And this particular pastor in his book, he had fallen into the depths of depression, he called it. And he literally just didn't feel like praying. He didn't feel like reading the Bible. He didn't feel like preaching. He didn't feel like going to the office. He didn't feel like talking to anybody.

And I must say, I have actually been there a few times, not for long periods of times, but I've experienced that in the past couple years, so it got my attention. And he was just going for a walk one day and he was just frustrated. He knew he didn't like being the way he was, but he had lost all of his family. It had been a tragedy.

And it was a confusing time for him and he found himself just in constant almost depression and defeat. And he was walking down the road one day, excuse me, and there were some men doing construction work on a church auditorium there near where he lived. And as he walked by they were working on the roof and the steeple part of that church and there was a man down and he had a stone. And he was taking a tool and he was just chopping away at that stone and carving on that stone.

And that pastor walked by and he looked at that gentleman and just started a conversation and what are you all fixing up here? And he said, well, we're working on this and putting the new steeple on and different things and they had stonework up there on the steeple. And he said, well, what are you doing to that stone? He said, why are you carving out that stone? And he was carving that stone and he said, sir, do you see up there there's an opening there at the bottom of that steeple?

And he said, yeah, I see that. He says, well, I'm carving this stone down here so that it will fit up there. And that pastor said all of a sudden it just got a hold of me that this valley that God was putting him through was carving him down here so that he would fit up there. And folks, I want you to understand that sometimes God has to carve us in the valley so that we'll fit on the mountain. Oftentimes if God would just leave us on the mountain, we'd be no good for anybody.

We would be spoiled rotten brats, but sometimes God has to carve us in the valley to make us fit on the mountain. As David wrote this chapter, I want you to understand what was going on. I want you to look, if you would, very quickly at other things I would say, but let me just, actually, let me go ahead and do that. God's word never returns void. Let me give you a couple of these verses. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way.

Psalm 37. Sometimes you say, well, I don't understand why it happened to me or why these things are happening to me. The Bible says that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Romans 8 28, we all know that, and all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according. Listen, I know that there might be many of you here that don't believe it, but God is in charge of all your life. He controls the valleys, he controls the depths of your valleys, he controls the distance of your valleys, he controls the duration of your valleys, he sends these valleys into our lives to develop us and to make us more like him. And our world is filled with people just like that preacher that I mentioned to you a minute ago.

And even sometimes this church can be full of people just like that preacher. And dear friend, I want you to know that you are not alone to be discouraged, and you're not alone to be defeated, and you're not alone to be sometimes even in depression. There's some great individuals in our country. Do you know, I didn't know this until I read and studied it out, that George Washington dealt with years of depression, the father of this country. Martin Luther, who obviously we know was so instrumental in much of our church history, Martin Luther, he suffered from depression a great part of his life. Charles Spurgeon, the great evangelist and pastor, he suffered from depression much of his life.

John Adams, Winston Churchill, great hymn writers, I could give you name after name after name of individuals that wrote hymns that we sing right out of our hymn books that struggled with discouragement and struggled with depression. And you got to understand, dear friend, all these individuals I mentioned to you accomplished great things, but they had to go through valleys before God could put them on the mountain. I want you to notice, number one, if you will, look at verse three. I want you to notice, number one, the pain in the valley.

As David describes the myriad of emotions he goes through in these 12 verses, he begins first showing us the pain in the valley. He describes it obviously in verse one beginning where he says, God, give ear to my supplication. He's saying, God, I've got to talk to you and you've got to hear me.

I've got to get a hold of you today. I'm going through some things in my life and you're just going to have to answer me. He said, God, in your faithfulness, God, he's reminding God, you're faithful and you're righteous and you promised that you would never leave us. So, God, you're going to have to listen to me today.

Look at verse two, enter not into judgment with thy servant. David says, God, listen, don't hold this against me, that I'm depressed and I'm discouraged and I'm down. And he said, God, I know that you know how I am. And by the way, dear friend, you can't fool God. He knows when you're angry and he knows when you're depressed and he knows when you're discouraged and he knows when you're bitter. You can fool me or people, but God knows you. David said, God, I'm a clear book in front of you, just don't hold it against me. Look at verse three, for the enemy hath persecuted my soul. Now, that's very important. Let me explain to you what's going on and we believe this, obviously, because of Psalm chapter 41.

If you want to put that in your notes to look up later. We believe the context of this chapter, Psalm 143, is two individuals that had brought pain to David's life. Number one was his son Absalom.

We've talked about him before. He had a bitterness against his father. It went way back to some things that happened to his sister Tamar. And also the Bible said that Absalom wanted the throne, he wanted to be king. And so he ended up going against his dad, his own flesh and blood. He turned against his father. He tried to turn the hearts of the people against his father. And David, literally at a time, had to run for his life because his own son Absalom was trying to kill him. He had a father-in-law named Saul that had tried to kill him and now his own son was trying to kill him.

You think you have a dysfunctional family. Secondly, David had a very close advisor named Ahithophel. The Bible tells us that Ahithophel changed sides.

He kind of became a spy. He turned his back on David and he went to the enemy who had been a close advisor. He knew all the secrets. He knew all the things. David, the Bible said, trusted Ahithophel. He was very close with him.

He trusted him. And the Bible tells us in other passages of Scripture that Ahithophel basically stabbed David in the back, turned against him, went to his, obviously the enemy, went to the people that were trying to kill David and tried to sell secrets. And it's amazing, and I'm not going to go through the whole story, but it's amazing how God protects his man. Because when Ahithophel went to the enemy and started trying to tell him, David's going to be here at this particular time. You can go there and kill him.

They didn't believe him because they knew Ahithophel was so close with David, even though he was trying to give them David's head, they didn't believe him. And God protected him. Isn't God good?

That's another whole story. I know you don't get the whole thing, but it just excites me. You get into God's word and you immerse yourself into it. God always wins. David said here in verse three that the enemy hath persecuted my soul.

There's the key. Somebody can persecute your body and you'll get over it. You'll heal.

It's when people hurt your soul. You can't take a pill for that. You can't put a Band-Aid on that. You can't even have surgery for that. Some of you say, well, you can take a pill for that. Yeah, I understand that, but that's not what we're talking about.

That's what you don't want to do. David said he's persecuted my soul. Notice this. He hath smitten my life down to the ground. He hath made me to, notice this, dwell in darkness. So we see under the pain in the valley, as David describes his pain in the valley, number one, we see the pain of darkness. He said that they have knocked me so far down into the valley that I feel like I'm dwelling in darkness.

It's this, that I can't see where I'm going. It's dark. I don't know if it's because of Absalom.

I don't know if it's because of Ahithophel. But David said this, there seems to be no end to the pain and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Dear friend, you might have been through some things in your life and literally you have felt darkness for a long time. You can't seem to find that light at the end of the tunnel. You can't even seem to find somewhere in the future that you're not going to be burdened and cumbersome with whatever is dealing with you and whatever you're going through.

And you literally feel like you're just in darkness. And a lot of times we as individuals, that's exactly how we will respond to that. We will just stay in. We'll stay away from people. We'll isolate ourselves.

We'll withdraw because we want darkness because that's how our soul feels. Number two, I want you to see under the pain in the valley, not only the pain of darkness, but number two be the pain of depression. Look if you would at verse four. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me? Notice this, my heart within me is desolate.

Now you've got to look at a couple of words here. First off, David said that my spirit is overwhelmed. That word overwhelm means, it means shrouded. It means being encased in darkness is what that word overwhelm means. And then he says this, he says my heart within me is desolate. That word desolate means basically stunned or astonished.

Now listen to me. It's as if David here cannot believe what just happened to him. He is stunned. He cannot believe this happened. He literally is shrouded in darkness. And he cannot believe what has happened.

And he literally does not even have the heart to go on. Anybody been there? You know that motivation, that excitement that you once had, just couldn't wait to get up the next day and you can't look forward to this and excited about the future and now it's gone. It's like I'm stunned at what's happened and what individuals did to me.

And David says I don't even have enough heart now to even get up and go out of bed. Oh dear friend, some of you might be there or have been there or are heading there. Valleys. You know there's a lot of people walking through valleys just like that.

They almost don't have the heart to go out of the house. I want you to see number three. We not only see the pain of darkness, the pain of depression, but number three we see the pain of despair. What's interesting is in the pain of darkness in verse three we see that David felt there was no hope. In the pain of depression in verse four he said he had no heart. But here in verse seven the pain of despair, notice verse seven. Hear me speedily O Lord, my spirit faileth. David here is saying I'm in despair. My spirit has failed me. It means this, he says I have no hope.

Notice this. Hide not my face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. It's as if it's already over. I've got no hope. My spirit has failed.

I can't even get enough energy to fight this. It has hurt me so bad. That word faileth means to be at the end.

Listen to me. David feels that he has reached the end of his rope and if God doesn't lift the veil then he will never see light again. David had gone so far to the point that he probably tried to deal with it and he probably tried to just get his mind on other things and he probably tried to keep himself busy and everything he did, this hurt was there and this depression was there and he'd gotten to the point that he comes to God in verse one and he says God you've got to listen to me.

You've got to hear what I have to say today because if you don't take care of this I don't think I ever will be able to move again. Dear friend, I'm here to tell you that's exactly the point that you need to get to is where you know the only hope you have is God. Ecclesiastes 2 verse 2 says this, For all his days are sorrows and his travail grief, yea, his heart taketh no rest in the night.

David probably couldn't even sleep. Job 14, 1, Job obviously a man who was obviously persecuted in different things. He said this man that is born of a woman is a few days and full of trouble. Listen to me before I go on to the next point I want you to get this. Number one is this, the valleys of life are going to come. Number two, when they do come we must remember that they come from the hand of a loving father. Number three, we must remember that they come because he is trying to work in us. Number four, we must be careful that we do not waste that valley. Do you understand that?

You've got to understand that before we can move on. Number two, we've seen the pain in the valley. Number two, I want you to see David describes the prize in the valley. You say preacher how could you get a prize out of that? What good could possibly come out of that? Notice if you will, number one as David begins to change the spirit of the psalm as he offers the prize in the valley, notice verse two if you will.

This is very interesting to me. Verse two David says this, enter not into judgment with thy servant. Notice this, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. Thy sight, listen David here is saying God if you hold this against me, if you really look into my life there is so much sin there that I would never be justified.

Listen to this, you've got to get this, listen to me this is good. Number one under the prize in the valley we see first David describes the prize of repentance. Now listen you've got to get this, our valleys are not always caused by our sin.

But sometimes they are. Sometimes our sin is what's brought on the valleys and sometimes it's not our sin that brings on the valleys. But either way, however, listen, when you and I begin to seek God in our valley we will always find sin that needs dealt with. And David here said through this valley God I admit I've got sin in my heart that needs dealt with. And dear friend I'm going to tell you when you face valleys and people hurt you, you get in that bed at night and you can't sleep, all of a sudden that sweet Holy Spirit will bring up things that you need to deal with.

He did it last night. Listen, I'm going to tell you this morning as far to the best of my knowledge, and I try to do it every time I enter the pulpit, but I'm telling you I guarantee you this morning that I'm standing here behind this pulpit 100% right with God today. I almost got no sleep last night. God woke me up, I cried, I've just had to give some things over to God. And dear friend when you go through valleys it's as if God allows that for you to get a good view of you. Do you know the valleys have a way of bringing us to our knees?

Regardless or not of whether you're responsible for your valley or if God's responsible for your valley, look at your life and find is there something there that's not right that I need to deal with? Number two, David describes not only the prize of repentance which is our sins, but number two David describes the prize of remembrance which means our sovereign. Notice this, look at verse five. As David's describing his pain in verse five he says this, I remember the days of old. I meditate on all thy works.

I muse on the work of thy hands. In the middle of his valley the way David begins to claw out of it, the way David begins to experience the victory that God had for him, it came because he began to remember all the things God had already done for him. Let me tell you something, if you're in a valley you need to remember you are serving the same God that had you on the mountain at one time in the past.

In the valley all we can see is no hope for the future. So let me tell you what you do, you look back to the past and you see all the things God's done for you. David said I remember the days of old. David had much to remember.

A great hymn writer, William Cowper, and he wrote a lot of songs that we sing. But I was reading on this and William Cowper was a hymn writer that had suffered severely with depression in his life. And he hired a carriage driver years ago obviously to drive him to take him to London Bridge. His plan was to throw himself into the river and end his life. However when the driver of that carriage picked him up and they started for the bridge, as is often the case there in London, fog became so bad that they drove that horse-drawn carriage around for a few hours in that dense fog.

Frustrated, Cowper demanded that the driver just stop and let him out to walk. When he stepped from the carriage he was shocked to find that he was standing in front of his very own door. It became apparent to him with tears running down his face that the Lord still had a use for his life. He entered his home that evening and he penned his words to a famous song called God Works in Mysterious Ways.

And I just wanted to read this to you that he wrote that night right after he wanted to kill himself. God moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable minds of never failing skill.

He treasures up his bright designs and works his sovereign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head. I don't think you got that. You're not paying attention are you?

The preacher is just reading a poem. I'm going to say it again and you better react this time. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds that ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head. The very things you dread will drop blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace. Behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face. His purpose will ripen fast, unfolding every hour.

The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. Number three. Let me just say this. When you and I are in the valley we need the prize of remembrance. We need to remember what God has done for us.

Number three. I want you to see that David describes the prize of reliance. Not just obviously of repentance of his sins.

Not just remembrance that God is sovereign. But David here in verse six describes the prize of reliance and that has to do with ourself. Notice verse six. David said, I stretch forth my hands unto thee.

My soul thirsteth after thee. David here is saying this, God I have to rely on you. You know why you and I often end up in valleys?

Because we have become to the point that we're relying on ourself. And when we get in a bad enough valley we find out that our spirit fails. Like David said.

What's great? His spirit never fails. And David said, I call on you.

You help me. My soul thirsteth after you. What's interesting that phrase thirsty land at the end. David said this, my soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsty land. You know what that word thirsty land in the Hebrew means?

It means dry, parched, cracked ground that longs for rain. Listen to me. David literally here realizes I cannot produce water. David said, God I'm so dry I can't produce the water that I need. So I've got to come to you for the water. He says, I am a dry ground. I'm a dry thirsty ground. I've got nothing left God.

So I long for you because you can bring the rain. I want you to look at chapter 143. First off I want you to look at verse one. He says, hear my prayer O Lord. Look at verse eight. Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning for in thee do I trust.

Cause me to know the way wherein I shall walk. Notice this, for I lift my soul up unto thee. Look at verse nine. Deliver me O Lord. He's talking to the Lord. Look at verse eleven.

Quicken me O Lord for thy name's sake. For thy righteousness shall bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies. Destroy all them that afflict my soul for I am thy servant.

Now notice this. Several times in these verses David refers to his prayers. David here is describing that the only path you and I will ever have out of the valley is if it starts with us calling on God. What's amazing when you and I get in the valley the very thing we often stop doing is praying.

And that's the only thing that will get us out. Amen preacher. Listen to me. I am certain that there were times when David felt like stopping his prayers. There are times when David said what's the use. There are times when David said hey the damage has been done what's God gonna do about it now.

There are times when David probably did not feel like praying but he kept on praying. Listen to me. Our duty is to pray. Pray when God says yes. Pray when God says no. Pray when God says wait. Pray when everybody else has some other thing and some other function and some other remedy for you. Listen to me. Prayer is the only path out of the valley. If you don't hear anything else today would you hear that. Prayer is the only path out of the valley. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you.