The apostle Paul said, ". . to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). How differently most of us look on death! We think of it as some horrible monster seeking to separate us forever from those we love. Actually, for those who are in the Lord, death is but the gateway to life, a stepping-stone to Glory.

       To the unbeliever death is a terrible thing. Sir Thomas Scott, on his deathbed, said, "Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a Hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty."

       M. F. Rich, an atheist, cried, "I would rather lie on a stove and broil for a million years than go into eternity with the eternal horrors that hang over my soul! I have given my immortality for gold; and its weight sinks me into an endless, hopeless, helpless Hell."—Selected

       As much as men wish to deny the eventually of death, it will not be stayed. It will come suddenly, or slowly, but it will certainly come.

       Over the years I have preached many funerals. Sadly some of them were of the unsaved and lost. Their lives testified of their relationship with their Creator and clearly many had not relationship. As I stood over each one and preached their funeral, in my heart I knew where they were. I would look into the faces of those they left behind and know they sought assurance and hope. I was only able to give hope to the living, to believe in God and receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Only to the living does God offer salvation forgiveness and eternal life.

       I with great comfort and peace I preached the funeral of many believers also. I knew where they were based on their belief in Jesus Christ as their lives testified. I could offer a sure and absolute hope to those they left behind as to where they were and that based on the sure and absolute promises of God their loved one was in heaven.

       What do we know about death? We know that every living thing will die. Every person will die unless they are alive when the Lord comes back. This means that every friend we have in the world will someday die. Each person you work with or go to school with will someday die.

       More sobering than these thoughts is the fact that every member of our family will someday die. Your children will face death one day. Your husband, wife, parents and loved ones. The question that should concern us is where will they spend eternity?

A. Psalm 23:4 reveals the reality of Death.

       "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" The shepherd had to continually lead his sheep to pastures of green grass. He would lead them on long journeys through the high country to the mountain pastures where the sheep will have adequate food for the summer. But part of the journey involves moving from their present pasture, across ravines to the mountain range beyond.

       Between the hills, there are often great gorges with rivers and streams rapidly running through the valley. Some of them are so deep that sunlight never reaches the bottom. The sides of the ravine are steep and treacherous. Rock slides are common. Since the path is dark, there is always danger of stepping on loose rock and then falling to the bottom of the canyon. The journey is treacherous for both sheep and shepherd.

1. Life will have some valleys for all of us. If you have not walked through the valley yet, get ready because this is an experience that is common to all.

       Certainly we would agree that the path that we must follow in life is often marked by obstacles that threaten our health, our happiness or perhaps even our lives.

       Do you ever pray during trying times that the Lord will take the difficulty away or perhaps pick you up over the problems and put you down on the other side?

       In John 16:33, Jesus said, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

       The truth that every Christian knows (or will soon learn) is that the Lord doesn't always rescue us from trials. He doesn't take us out of the valley of the shadow every time we ask Him. We recall the prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed repeatedly concerning his thorn in the flesh. While we do not know what his problem was, we know that it was a physical problem that severely hindered him. But God chose not to remove it. Instead he told him, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness," (2 Cor. 12:9).

2. The natural human response to the "valley of the shadow" is fear. --I will fear no evil--The greatest fear we have concerning death is of the unknown.

       We don't know how we will die. We don't know when we will die. About all we know for certain is that we will die.

       The news media is daily reporting of people who died or were killed in hundreds of ways. We hear is so often I believe we become immune to the reality of death.

       Just as a child is afraid of the dark because he doesn't know what might be waiting for him, we will naturally fear our experiences in the valley because of the unknown.

3. Christians need not be afraid because we have the assurance of the presence of the Lord. –"For thou art with me." God Himself walks with us through those valley experiences. Our journey may be long and it may be treacherous. But we have the peace of knowing that our Lord walks with us and that He never leaves us in the valley of the shadow of death. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus said, "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

       There is a key word in this verse for Christians. It is the word "through." We do not walk down into the valley of the shadow of death and stay there. We walk "through the valley."

       Many of you have been through the trying times of watching someone you love grow weaker and weaker and finally die. Together, you have watched the changes that took place. But through all of the hurt and pain, you were aware of the presence of the Great Shepherd. We have the assurance that we are moving through the valley to the higher ground on the other side.

       There is one thing that a Christian can be sure of: the Great Shepherd Himself is guiding us and is holding our hand. For the child of God, the true believer, the path will never get so steep that we cannot walk it safely. We will never have to worry about the unknown because we are walking with the one who knows all that will happen tomorrow and in tomorrow's tomorrow!

       For some people, you are going through the valley for the second, third time or perhaps you have been through the valley so many times you have lost count. Some people will curse God because they have to go through the valley again. But the faithful find that the same God that guided them through the first time will guide them through the valley each time they must travel that way. We can have absolute confidence in Jesus Christ that He is guiding us.

C. THE TOOLS OF THE SHEPHERD

". . . thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" When the shepherd of the ancient Middle East went to the fields with his sheep, he carried only the essentials. He didn't burden himself with unnecessary items. Two essential items were his rod and his staff.

1. The Rod. The rod was basically a club. It was heavy and long enough that a skilled shepherd could use it to defend his flock. The shepherd's rod was a symbol of his authority and power. This may have been the weapon of choice for David when he killed the lion and the bear that he referred to prior to his battle with the giant (1 Samuel 17:36). The rod extended the shepherd's reach and multiplied his strength. He could swing the rod with such precision that neither he nor the sheep had to fear man or beast.

       But the rod was not just a defensive weapon. There were times when the shepherds of the past would use it as a means of disciplining an unruly sheep. Since sheep are prone to follow one another, a wayward sheep is a threat to the entire flock.

       I often wonder if church members realize their effect on others for good or bad? Instead of just one sheep wandering off, the whole flock would be inclined to follow, one sheep at a time. Correcting the wayward sheep was another indication of the shepherd's concern for all of the sheep.

ILLUS: Have you ever seen the rod of God in action? Have there been times in your life when you know that God's protecting hand defended you from harm? We have all experienced that protection.

       But more than that, we have also experienced the discipline that the Lord sends to us when we stray from the path. He not only disciplines us because we are errant children but because sometime the activity of an errant Christian is a threat to the fellowship of a local church. Jesus said, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," (Matthew 16:18). He will not let anything come against His church; not even the misguided notions of a wayward Christian.

2. The Staff. The staff of a shepherd is a long slender stick that often has a crook in one end. Where the rod speaks of the shepherd's authority, power and discipline, the staff of the shepherd speaks of his concern for his sheep. The staff was never used as an instrument of discipline. The crook or hook at the end of the staff was used to gently lift a lamb out of danger or to move a lost lamb back to its mother. But the hook was also used on mature sheep. If the shepherd needed to inspect a wound, he would use his staff to draw the animal close to him.

ILLUS: Sheep are naturally timid animals. They may stand off from people and not come close enough to touch. Even sheep that are used to seeing the shepherd in the field with them day after day may stay several steps from the shepherd. But with the use of the staff, the shepherd could bring the sheep close to him.

       Do you ever try to keep the Lord at arm's length? When He wants to inspect your heart and you know that you have not been living in a way that is pleasing to Him, do you back up from Him? It is on those occasions that He uses His divine staff to draw us close to Him.

       Both the rod and the staff bring comfort. We are comforted when God protects us, when He corrects us, and when He draws us close to Him. Each of these tell us of His love for us.

CONCLUSION: If you have been through the valley of the shadow of death, you can use your experience to comfort others. I have on several occasions. Once in December 1999 with a deased liver I almost died. Again in 2001-2 with a ruptured diverticulitus with two surgeries. I know what it is to face death.

       Believers draw strength from each other. We can relate our experiences of how God made His presence known and how He gave us comfort during our hour of greatest trial. We are the tools God will often use to bring comfort to other hurting people.

       Try as we might, there is nothing that we can do to escape physical death. Vitamins may have some benefits. Exercise may lengthen life. There are things that we can stop doing and others that we can start doing that will have a bearing on how long we will live. But there is nothing we can do to escape physical death.

       But if you have been with an elderly friend or family member when they died you know that physical death is not as mystical as some may think. There is nothing unnatural about it. In fact, it is a natural part of our human existence. And those who are prepared for death do not fear it when that time comes.

       Are you prepared to die? Have you settled things with the Lord so that you know that you are ready to meet Him? Or will you have to face spiritual death? That is the thing that people really face. For those who do not know Jesus as Savior, they know that there is something to fear about death. There must be something beyond this life but they are not sure what.

       Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Are you ready to meet Him when death comes or when He returns? Will your family and friends have the peace of mind of knowing that when your life is over that you will go to be with the Lord?

       This invitation is for you. If you have never placed your faith in Jesus, come now and receive Him as your Savior....

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