God With Us: Part 1 - In the Valley

Merry Christmas from all of us here at Life Church where we are one Church meeting in multiple locations and reaching around the world thanks to what God is doing at church online if you ever have any questions or you want to learn more about us as a church you can always check us out online simply by going to Life Church we'd love for you to stay connected throughout your week and everywhere you go with the Life Church app it's free and available wherever you download your apps from but right now let's join up with our senior pastor Craig Groeschel for his message called God with us [Applause] [Music] on the mountain in the valley in the crowded streets or the empty desert in our soul and in our waiting we are never alone [Music] [Music] it's awesome to have all of you with us today every single one of our life churches our open network churches our family gathered around computers and villages all over the world at church online today we're launching into a brand new message series and it's called God with us let me kind of tell you what I want to do in this message series is we're gonna actually bounce off of what is an anchor scripture for those of us who are followers of Christ we're gonna look at the power of the theological term is the word incarnation it means that God became flesh and dwelt among us on Christmas Eve what I want you to know is we're gonna have literally over 200 different worship services at all of our live churches Christmas is the time of the year that now even more than Easter people who are not connected to church are most willing to come and during those services I'm going to talk about and what I believe is the most creative way I've ever done and a way that people can understand what it means that the word became flesh that God is among us and so today as we launch into this message series about the presence of God I want to start with the verse that will start us every single week Christmas Eve we'll deal with this in great detail but it's found in Matthew's Gospel of Matthew chapter 1 verse 23 and this is what scripture says look the Virgin will conceive a child shall give birth to a son they will call him Immanuel which means let's say it aloud at all of our different churches they will call him Emmanuel which means God is with us the title for this message series is God with us and for those of you that are followers of Christ it is so easy to believe that God is with us when things are good when you're on the mountaintop it's easy to believe that God is with us whenever you get really good news when you get a raise when your baby sleeps through the night for the first time when you get a parking spot in the maltiness up close God is so good he gave me this parking spot it's easy to sense the presence of God when things are going good when the mountain but it's sometimes more difficult to sense his presence when you're in the valley when things aren't going the way you would want them to when you get bad news when you're hurting maybe when you feel a little bit alone when you're worried or when you're afraid or when you're battling depression I want to talk today about God in the valleys and what's interesting to me is so often much of your life can be going really really well in other words you've got all these different pockets where you're kind of on a mountaintop and then there's this one area that just weighs everything else down so much is good but this one thing just really really brings a serious weight to your life and this is what happened to me out of the blue on Thanksgiving Day just a little over a week ago our family had about forty people from around the country family members some of which we hadn't seen in a long time come in for the day and the house was perfect Amy I mean just knocked herself out and it's like yeah it always looks like this not you know everything's you know it's just your candles to hold you and you know family's in there and there's a sense of this is what we live for everybody we love is together such a special moment and it was until it wasn't I got a text that day about an hour into everybody being there from my pastor Pastor Nick Harris with some news that just took the wind down of out of that day I give you a little context when I started into ministry my pastor he had a tremendous gift of raising up young pastors and I was one of three that served in this window with him and I was just one of three very talented these other guys were just amazing there was Jay there was Lance and there was me if you've been with our church for a while you've heard me talk about my close friend Jay who tragically after a series of very unfortunate events took his life and that was a low point for me then I got this text about Lance and Lance and his wife during that season they were the closest friends that we had they were there with us at the hospital when Katie my first daughter was born were there with this overnight when my second daughter Mandy was born and we were just so so so close I got the text that they found Lance after a horrible accident dead on Thanksgiving Day here we are in the middle of the mountaintop family from all over the perfect moment the the moment you you live for times like this and then there's the valley that the tragedy that comes in and just just steals everything that you've been hoping for unfortunately some of you are there right now some seasons and pockets of your life are really really good your your marriage is blessed but you've got a kid making crazy and stupid decisions and that hurts so much or you're really really close to God and you sense God's presence but at the same time you're afraid you're gonna lose your job or you're really really excited about the holidays getting together with family and yet you just got really bad medical news about you or somebody else and so there's so many so many good things and yet there may be one or two things that just kind of take you down in the valley so what I want to talk about today is where is God in those valleys when you look at scripture it's interesting that valleys represent several things you see in the valleys there were often battles that took place some of you right now you may be in a battle in the middle of a valley values were seasons of desperation valleys four seasons of loneliness it's interesting that valleys were also a time of growth that you may enjoy God in some ways on the mountain but you experience him in different ways when you're in the valley in fact if you're taking notes I like to say it this way we may enjoy God on the mountaintops but we get to know him intimately in the valleys we may know him we enjoy him when times are really really good but we get to know him in a different way when we're in the valleys so what I want to do today is I want to look at a text from the Old Testament Psalm 84 and if you've ever read through Psalm 84 chances are you read right past these verses if you stopped at them you may not have understood them and so today I want to look at them and hopefully bring some insight that will impact your spiritual life in a very real way so I'm 84 we'll start in verse 5 and we're gonna see where God is in the valleys this is what the psalmist said blessed are those whose strength is in you blessed are those who find their strength in God whose hearts are set on pilgrimage as they pass through the valley of baka they make it a place of Springs the autumn rains also cover it with pools they go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion the valley of baka what is the valley of baka the valley of baka was most likely related to a tree very similar spelling and this tree would ooze out SAP if you walk by this tree people said the tree was called a Reaper it looked like the tree was crying and that's why the valley of baka is translated different ways in scripture it's called the valley of tears it's called the valley of weeping is called the valley of loss anytime you see a valley in the Bible you would see a place that was very very dangerous there'd be thorns there'd be wild animals probably vicious cats Satan's favorite animal in the valley you know there there there would be people waiting to jump you and and and rob you in fact it was very difficult to get through a valley without something bad happening very difficult to get through the valley and this is why the psalmist says this in verse 5 he says blessed are those whose strength is found in you God blessed are those whose strength is found in you now I know that many of you are not followers of Christ and we're glad that you're here if you don't know God intimately then chances are our times when you just say I've had enough I can't do any more I'm overwhelmed I'm exhausted and I just don't have enough and the truth is if you don't know God intimately then what you have is all you have what you have is all that you have but for those who are Christ followers we believe that we have a strength that goes beyond just what we have that we have access to a heavenly strength and that's why the psalmist said blessed are those whose strength is found in you we believe that when we get to the end of our strength that there is a heavenly strength there is a divine strength there is a strength from our God that is available to those who know him I'll give you an example that may help understand this I work out with a guy for over 20 years I've worked out with a guy named John but I call him Paco Paco's his nickname he calls me Paco I don't know why but we're both Paco we just wash you got to have a nickname for your brother guys or you're not really good friends if you know the nickname they're just a buddy if you got a nickname they're a good friend so Paco and I go to the gym and every now and then we really kind of have strategic ways of mixing up the muscle groups one time on chest day we did real heavy weights and just light a few reps with really heavy ways and then decided to burn it out at the end of the day with ridiculously light weights but trying to do a lot of reps and so we were doing heavy heavy heavy and then we got down to just doing the bar nothing else a 45 pound bar but the goal was at the end of this already exhausted day to do 50 reps of just the bar looks ridiculous you walk it what's wrong with these poor guy you're just doing a bar you know you got no no strength at all and it's relatively easy for the first twenty twenty-five or thirty then the lactic acid sets in and I'm telling you man your boobies all fire I mean fire I mean like shaking a little a little you like you try that next day you try to lift up and they lock and you just hit you like this forever so you're going to and John's like she's cheering me on every looks ridiculous yeah come on Groeschel there's more Enya I'm doing the bar come on that fire come on push it and get to 30 about 35 and I start to give out so he starts assisting me with just the bar how ridiculous is this and so he's helping me up come on and then he starts putt-putt it it's all you not all me he's helping me it's all you come on it's all you about 42 they just give out it's over there's nothing left okay and I just let go well John didn't realize I've let go and he still cheer me on it's all you it's all you keep going it's all it was not me it was all him but at the end of my strength Paco took over the good news is for those of you who are Christ's followers there is a power bigger than Paco it is our God who when you hit the end of your strength his strength is made perfect in your weakness his strength scripture said Ismay absolutely perfect blessed are those whose strength is found in God if you're in the middle of a valley right now you have access to the very real ever-present power of a good God who is available and ready to come and assist you in your time of need blessed are those whose strength is found in God the text doesn't say blessed are those who make it on their own doesn't say blessed are those who pull themselves up by the bootstraps it doesn't say blessed with those who are really determined one of the big problems in our world today is we almost idolatry idolaters a spirit of Independence I don't want to need anybody I want to be financially independent I want to be completely good on my own I don't want to trust people I don't want people to be there for me I don't need God I don't need anybody we were not created to be independent we were created by our God to depend on him and to depend on others blessed are you when you realize you are dependent and you have a Power greater than yourself some of you you need to into it you just admit it I don't have what it takes I need his presence blessed are those whose strength is found in God I want to show you it verse five in a different translation because I love the way the New Living Translation highlights this verse it says this it says what joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord who've set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem I love that we're on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem what does that mean we we may be in the valley but we're going to what was known as the City of Refuge or we were going to the place that they called the place of peace one commentary said this it said to get to the City of Refuge you had to travel through the valley of tears I like that imagery sometimes to get to where you really appreciate the presence and the power of God you have to push through a little bit of the pain to get to the presence of the goodness of God I put it in my notes this way for so many the valley is the pathway to the place of peace we pushed through the valley we're on a pilgrimage that this is the way that the psalmist said it let me show you the first part he said this what joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord who have set their minds everybody saved my mind is set say to get my mind is set blessed are those who have their mind set toward God what you think about matter so much what you think about matters Paul talked about this a lot in the new testament to the Kawashima believers he said this he said set your mind on things above not on things below Paul told the Philippians believer this you said if anything is excellent or praiseworthy or admirable or lovely think about such things you where you are is one thing what you think about is something else what you think about matters for example the other night I was having a hard time sleeping it was probably 3:00 in the morning and I guess I was tossing and turning because Amy leaned over and she said are you okay and I said I'm okay I just can't sleep and she said you want us that I can't sleep the next thing you know we've been married almost 27 years she has never done this before she just a little 105 pound body came over she put one hand on one shoulder one hand on the other shoulder and was looking straight down at me like wow I didn't see this coming but you know it's a good time for me if this takeda okay and you know after 27 years of marriage that wasn't what she was thinking but you never know what might come on and she said she looked at me and she said don't say that 3:00 in the morning she never raises her voice don't say that okay okay don't say you can't sleep today you have the peace of God say he is with you right now say your mind is at rest like my mind is at rest I promise you're scaring me right now to stop they get go away and then she rolled back over and she was asleep that come from I have no idea but she was right what you think about matters what you think about matters listen somebody you need to hear this right now your current situation may be in the valley but your mind can still be set upon God your your heart might now might be racing but your mind is set your your soul may be aching but your mind is set your emotions may be racing but your mind is fixed toward God that there may be too much to do when there may be pressure with the inlaws and you may be wondering how are we gonna pay for Christmas and on and on and on and on and on there may be real tragedies in the valley but my mind is set on the goodness of God he is with me he has for me greater is the one who is in me than the one who is in this world my God is going before me to prepare a way for me his Spirit gives me strength when I am weak I need him every moment of every day his word is a lamp unto my feet is it a light unto my path when I cannot get his power is very very real I may be in the valley but my mind is set on the kingdom of God I'm on a pilgrimage I'm going to the place of peace you may be in the valley but your mind is fixed verse 6 says this I love this phrase as they pass through the valley of baka they make it a place of Springs as they pass through the valley of baka in other words we may be in the valley right now but the valley is not our destination what are we doing I'm just passing through I may be in the valley right now but this is not my home I'm journeying to the place of peace I'm just passing through my God will get me through this I'm just passing through David said something similar in Psalm 23 he said even though I walk tell me even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me I may be in the valley but I'm just passing through I may be in a difficult time but God's gonna get me through I may be hurting right now but I'm not gonna be hurting forever my God is gonna pull me through I may be in a dark place right now but we're just passing through the valley of baka sometimes when you're in the middle of it you just won out get me out God make it go away make it stop God I don't want this anymore just take it away now I just want out what you have to realize this so often God may show you that the way is through the valley not out of the valley the road to the path of peace is often through the valley just passing through I'm just passing through I love this next phrase as they pass through the valley of baka they make it a place of Springs that King James Version says it this way the King James Version they make it oh well they make it a place of Springs in other words whenever you're in a dry place what do you do you dig a well you make a well you take and clear away a little hole as a container for the provision of rain that God will send God hasn't sinned it yet is dry right now but when you're dry and when you're hurting you make room for the presence of God you make room for the provision of God you make a well but it hasn't rained yet but I know my God will provide what I need so I make a container preparing for the presence and the provision of God you make it well it's almost as if God would say something like this you show me your faith and I'll show you my faithfulness if you dig it I will fill it if you prepare for me I will show up you show me your faith and I'll show you my faithfulness Jesus apparently had this kind of philosophy in the New Testament there's a guy with a withered up hand instead of Jesus saying I'm just gonna heal you Jesus said no you stretch out your hand and I will heal it you show me that you believe I can do it and I will do it a man who couldn't walk for 38 years Jesus didn't just say Jesus power you're healed and steady said you take up your mat you get up you show me you believe that I can make you walk if you show me your faith I will show you my faithfulness I don't know who this will speak to but someone you need to hear if you dig it he will fill it if you plant it he will grow it you have to plant your seed before you see the harvest if you pray it God hears your prayer if you dig it if you prepare your God will reveal himself when you're in the dry place you make a well you prepare for the presence and the provision of God if you show me your faith I'll show you my faithfulness I love the if promises of God in Scripture if you draw near to me God says I will draw near to you you show me that you believe and I will show you my presence if you seek me you will find me if you make room for me I will reveal myself to you there's somebody here you haven't sensed the presence of God in a long time it's trying to make a well it's time to dig a ditch it's time to say God I'm gonna stop and wait for your presence I'm going to prepare for your provision and for your presence because if you dig it he will fill it think about this think about this some of you you you really you need an encounter with God God rarely reveals himself to people who are rushed this should sink into somebody he rarely reveals himself to people who were rushed imagine Moses is a burning bush Moses driving by 75 miles an hour by the burning bush taking a picture of Oh Instagram story that bushes burnin not being there soon that's not what God says God says hey once you stay a while why don't you take off your sandals because you're standing on holy ground why don't you for a moment be still be still and know that I am God why don't you make a well and then wait on me to fill it because if you dig it I will fill it if you seek me you will find me if you draw near to me I will draw near to you be still and know that I am God some of you it's just time to prepare and say God I want to meet with you and I'm gonna wait for you and I'm going to believe that you're gonna reveal yourself to me because I need you right now and this is what happened to me on that Thanksgiving Day inside my house it was the mountaintop everybody I loved close and dear to me and my family is there and then there's the valley and I said to Amy I said I've got to have 10 15 20 minutes to go outside and I need to encounter God and I felt some pressure inside because not only in my family but I'm the pastor to so many of these people and we're hosting but I just need to go and encounter God and so I went on the back porch just hearing about my dear friend who just there's no way to get him back and I just cried and cried and cried and cried and said God please show up I need you let me tell you what didn't happen there was no audible voice there was no double rainbow in the sky there was no earthquake which there could have been it's a lot of earthquakes where I live right now there's no earthquake what would happen is I just truly truly truly sensed the comforting presence of God god I need you and I'm just gonna wait on you make a well prepare for his presence and if you draw near to him he will draw near to you I need your presence so I was able to go back in to the mountaintop because God met with me in the valley we enjoy him so much on the mountains but we get to know him intimately in the valleys here's what I hope you'll understand God never ever promised that you would never go through the valley he promised you would never have to go through the valley alone God with us and the Virgin will be with us and his name will be Emmanuel which means God with us I love the way the psalmist phrases this this portion of Scripture he says this as we journey through the valley of baka we're going to the place of peace then he says they go from strength to strength I love this phrase they go from strength to strength they go from strength to strength blessed are those who experienced the strength of God blessed are those whose strength is found in you then they go from a little bit of strength to a little more strength to even more of God's strength to even more of his strength and then a little more of a strength until each appears before God in Zion they will go from strength to strength from strength to strength not our strength but his strength and this is the very thing that God has done for my family through an 18 month Valley as I told you about all that my daughter Mandy has been through if you haven't been here my second daughter Mandy I'll show you our most recent picture this is Mandy who's been experiencing tremendous health challenges if she can come to church which is not always she can't stand through worship this is Mandy with James just sitting down and I took that picture at our family reunion worship time and I told Mandy I believe by faith at next year you will stand all the way through worship I gave her that picture is an act of faith and if you don't know the whole story we she was we couldn't diagnose what she was going through finally sinner to the Mayo Clinic how the diagnosis but for 18 months she's just a physical she just can't do much at all go to the grocery store stay in bed the next day and it's just horrible to watch this newly weds my daughter go through this so one day I'm trying to prepare a message maybe a month ago and I just had a breakdown just this all came crashing down I went to a place alone in the church I'm like God give it to me take it from her can't you do anything God where are you we've prayed come on God and I just sense God just ministered to me to completely trust my daughter to him and I felt like he was showing me that as crazy as I am as much as I love her that he actually loves her more than I do trust her to him on that same day I came home and I told Mandy I told him Amy I still had a breakdown today over Mandy she's a hundred two hundred two and she said I felt like God was telling me Amy said that we should start praising him for her healing before that we see it so day after day that's what we did God we thank you we believe she's going back to the mountain God we believe that you're gonna heal her God we thank you that you were with her God we trust her to you got after 18 months of seeing nothing we believe that you're a good god we still have faith in you God we believe that you can do this I'm happy to tell you that for the first time in 18 months we've seen some slight and very very real improvement very very noticeable improvement and we praise him and we praise him as she's climbing back up the mountain and we will praise him when she is on the mountain but here's what I want you to understand we praise Him in the valley because we may enjoy him on the mountaintops but listen to me we get to know him in the valleys he reveals his character to us we can sense his strength in a way that we can't otherwise when we totally and completely need him and we have nothing else and we know that we're traveling through the valley we're just here we're just we're passing through he is a good God and we're going to the place of peace so right now you feel weak who is God in the middle of your weakness my God is your strength when you're in the darkness who is God our God is your light in the darkness when you're in a season of trouble who is our God he is your joy in the trouble when you're in the middle of pain who is our God here's your comforter in the middle of your pain that's who our God is we pass through the valley even though we're in the valley we do not fear why because he is with us the same God that is good on the mountaintops is good to us in the valley we get to know him in the valley if you're in the valley right now you're just passing through you won't be there forever our God will lead you out he is good he is with you he is present and He will take you from strength to strength when you can't handle any more you lean into him and let his strength be everything that you need even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil why because you O God are with us who are you you are Emmanuel God with us so father today I pray especially for those who are in the valley that you would be everything that they need all of our churches as you're reflecting in prayer those who say yeah Craig with you there may be a lot of pockets of my life that are really good right now but there's this one pocket where the valley is very difficult I need his presence would you lift up your hands right now just be honest Oliver Church and lift up your hands high right now there are so many of you and I and I hurt with you but I praise God with you in the valley I pray God that you would move that you would reveal yourself god I thank you that there are those today who will do all who will make a well who will prepare for the provision of your power and your presence just to pause God and say we need you draw near to us God as we draw near to you I pray for miracles God and we thank you even before that the answer even before we see you move we praise You God not just for what you do but we praise you for who you are we thank you that you are Emmanuel you are God with us who will never leave us and never forsake us as you keep praying to at all of our churches there are some of you life's pretty good right now but you still feel empty I am convinced that our God will allow you to get to a place in life where many of your dreams come true you make the money you want to make you get the house you want you have the different toys you want and yet you're still empty I believe God will let us get there sometimes to show us our need for so much more others of you you don't know what a mountain is your life is so low I'm convinced that sometimes God will let us get to a place we're so low with the only place we can look is up and look toward him whether you're on the mountaintop and empty or in the valley and hurting the good news is our God will meet you there who is God he is the Living Word he is the one who became flesh in the person of Jesus Jesus is the sinless son of God who loved and reached out to people who were hurting broken and their lives were torn apart he loved them as they were but he never ever left them there Jesus became sin for us on the cross he died in our place on the third day when the stone was rolled away he was not there why because by the power of God he defeated death hell and the grave so that anyone and this includes you doesn't matter who you are didn't matter what you've done anyone who calls on the name that is above every name the name of Jesus Christ your sins would be forgiven you would be made completely new if you're at the top and you're empty he will meet you there if you're at the bottom and hurting he will meet you there right now the only thing separating you from him is your sin when you confess you're in need he forgives your sin he brings life and life abundantly to you and that's why many of you are here you need his grace you need his mercy you need his salvation today you say I turn from my sin I turned toward Jesus I call on you I'm digging a well I want you to meet me there Jesus I give my life to you that's your prayer lift your hands high right now all of our churches lift them up right here both of you in this middle section others today say yes I need Jesus right back over here call on him today say yes Jesus way back here toward the back church online you clicked below me over here on this side saying yes I surrender to him I'd give my life to him would you pray with those around you as we experienced the miracle of salvation pray Heavenly Father I trust you to save me to forgive me to make me new Jesus lead me as my Lord and as my Savior fill me with your Holy Spirit so I could follow you and live for you every day of my life my life is not my own I give it to you thank you for a new life now you have mine in Jesus name I pray my church would you worship with me welcome those today celebrate new life in Christ [Applause] as a church it's our honor to play a small part and all that God is doing in and through your life and we would love to continue with you on that journey to find out what your next steps could be in your relationship with Christ all you have to do is go to Life Church slash next we would love to have you your friends and your family join us for one of our special Christmas Eve services happening at all of our Life Church locations to find out a service time in a location near you you can go to Life Church slash Christmas and if you don't have a life church near you you're in luck because we have services happening throughout the week at the church online thanks again for joining us here at Life Church where our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ all because we believe whoever finds God finds life you

Channel: Life.Church

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Rating: 4.9342465 out of 5

Keywords: Craig, Groeschel, lifechurch

Id: 8a636LMTkzE

Length: 38min 22sec (2302 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 04 2017