Walking Through the Valley of Weeping — Carter Conlon

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, P .O. Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771, or calling 903 -963 -8626.

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The Call to Enter God's Purpose

Today I'm going to be speaking a message that the Holy Spirit has very deeply stamped on my heart. It's something He's working out in me, and it always makes it easier, sometimes harder actually, to preach something that the Holy Spirit is working into your own life.

But I'm telling you that I'm understanding the importance of what I'm about to speak, because I believe that if you're a genuine Christian, you have a desire to go to a place that God desires that you should live in, and to become everything that Christ wants you to be.

But in order to get there, there's a place that you're going to have to go through. I never fully understood it before the way I do now, from having researched the Scriptures and letting God speak to my own heart, but I'm starting to see something.

And I don't believe that any church can long stay in, well, I'll use the term loosely, but revival means where the life of Christ is being manifested in such a way that it is changing both church and community.

And I don't believe that any church can long sustain a revival without going to this place that I'm about to speak about. As a matter of fact, I'm sure of it. A revival would be short-lived, and the church would again decline into self-seeking without this kind of a heart.

Now, Jesus said to the church of Revelation, seven churches, whoever has ears to hear, and the inference is if you can hear, you will overcome. You will see your need, call out to me for the power, and I will give it to you and you will overcome.

If ever we needed hearing ears, I believe it's today. And I'm not saying that just for effect because I'm about to speak a message, but this is something that's very deeply been moving in my heart. And I believe that throughout history we've seen many churches go into decline who have known an incredible presence of God, but they've lost his presence for this specific reason.

I'm going to talk about walking through the valley of weeping. Now, it's not what it sounds like, so you're going to have to stay with me very closely, but walking through the valley of weeping. Let's pray together.

Now, Lord Jesus, I stand today dependent on you, and I thank you for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Lord, this message has to be animated by you, and I'm asking you to animate me. I'm asking you, God, to give me your mind, your heart, your emotions, everything that's of you, that it would flow through me, that I not get in the way and hinder this word.

God, I thank you for what you're going to accomplish today. I thank you, Lord, that your will will be done and your kingdom will come in a very powerful way in this church and very many of our lives. Lord, give us ears to hear today.

Give me an anointing to be able to speak it. I stand totally wholly dependent on you, Holy Spirit, and I thank you that you have never failed me and you will never fail me as long as I live, because these are your people.

God, you will always be faithful to them. You will feed them. They've come for your word, and you will give them your word. I thank you for impressing my heart and pressing on my heart this word this week.

Give me great grace today, and I thank you for it in Jesus' mighty name. Numbers, please, in the Old Testament. I believe that's the fourth book in the Old Testament, the book of Numbers, chapter 32. Walking through the valley of weeping.

Numbers, chapter 32, and I'll be reading from verses 20 to 23. And Moses said unto them, if you will do this thing, if you will go armed before the Lord to war. That's Numbers 32, beginning at verse 20.

Verse 21. And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the Lord until he has driven out his enemies from before him. And the land be subdued before the Lord. Then afterwards you shall return and be guiltless before the Lord and before Israel.

And this land shall be your possession before the Lord. But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out. Be sure. Now, you're going to be surprised, I think, as we begin to discuss this.

This scripture is thrown out a lot about people who are living in hidden sin, obviously. And you've heard it preached on, more than likely, and you know the scripture. Quite often referring in context as it's spoken to people who are living in willful disobedience to God.

And the warning of the scripture being sure that your sin will find you out, and that's true. But we're going to look shortly into the context of this particular warning in the scripture and find out that it has a little bit of a different meaning to it.

Christ's Command to Love One Another

Now, in John 15, I just want to read it to you. Jesus said these words. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. And greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

And you are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth, or from this time forward, I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord does. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known to you.

Now, these things, he says in verse 17, I command you that you love one another. Now, Jesus is saying, in effect, to his church, to his disciples, I'm giving my life as a sacrifice for your need. And if you are mine, I command you to love one another in the same way.

This is a command, if you belong to me. He said, before you were servants, but now I call you friends, because now you're beginning to understand something. I didn't come to live my own life here for my own enjoyment and purposes.

I came because the Father sent me. The Father sent me because you have a need. I'm paraphrasing in a sense as if Christ were speaking to his own disciples. And I'm about to go to Calvary and lay my life down as a sacrifice.

I'm going to give myself for you. I'm going to yield my body as a living sacrifice. I'm going to endure ridicule and mocking and even suffer the wrath of a mighty and a holy God. And I'm going to do it because you have a need.

And if you are mine, I command you to love one another in the same way that I love you. Now, that's a very high command. It's an incredible command. It really implies that there is no place for selflessness in the body of Jesus Christ.

That when we come to him, not only do we become citizens of another kingdom, but we have another value system. The whole value system of this world is me, myself and mine. I live for myself. I do what I have to do to better myself.

I work towards my own objectives and my own improvement. But Christ said, no, it's not going to be this way among those. As a matter of fact, it's going to be so pronounced that the world will know that you are my disciples.

There'll be another spirit upon you. They'll see a love upon you that is not found anywhere in the world. They'll see a yielding and a giving one for another. You can't find it anywhere but in the body of Jesus Christ.

And there will be such a care and compassion one for another. There will be a people who so have found my heart in this issue that there will be a standing back of the entire selfish world system. And they will know that you're my disciples.

They will know simply because they haven't got that degree of compassion. And it cannot be found. It cannot even be manufactured apart from the spirit of God. You cannot get it but from God. Now, Moses, in Numbers 32, considered what was happening in the hearts of some of the people, a serious issue.

There were three tribes. Well, actually, there were two tribes, the tribe of Gad and Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh. This is the second generation. Now, the first generation who came out of Egypt have died in the wilderness because of unbelief.

The second generation have now come again to the shores of Jordan. God has come around and affected them. And they now have the opportunity their fathers didn't have to go in. Well, their fathers didn't take, not rather have.

They didn't take the opportunity. They're now called to go in and to conquer the promised land. But there were these two tribes and the half tribe of Manasseh who looked around and said, well, we like it where we are.

We understand the call of God is to go on the other side of Jordan and to conquer the land and to possess places that are now possessed by the enemies as it is of God. But we like it where we are. And we see fertile fields and grass and such like.

Now, if I had time to go into history, that was a very poor decision on their part because they were actually the first conquered in the subsequent years to come and battled and struggled these particular tribes for many, many years after.

It was a very, very poor decision to ever stop short of what God has for your life. And there are people in the church who are like that, say, well, I've come far enough. I like it here. My job's going good.

My family seems to be in order. I like the church I'm attending. It's far enough for me. Let others press in. Let others go on to this place of promise that God has for them. But I'm going to stay right here and I'm very, very happy to stay here.

And yes, they were still part of the inheritance of God. The tribes, they were still part of God's people, but they fell short of what God had for them. But Moses came and he said in verse six, numbers 32, verse six.

And Moses said to the children of Gad and the children of Reuben, and we will include the half tribe of Manasseh. He said, shall your brethren go to war and you sit here? And wherefore discouraging the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them.

Thus did your fathers when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to save the land. So you see, Moses said your indifference to the struggle that your brothers are about to face is going to have great consequences, both for them and for you.

Moses says, don't you remember the history that when there were people going over the Jordan 40 years ago and some spies came back and because of their unwillingness to go and to fight the battle, they discouraged the hearts of the people and they ended up cast out and all dying in the wilderness.

And Moses said, this is a serious issue because you are following in their footsteps. Verse nine, he says, for they went up into the valley of Eshgal and saw the land and discouraged the heart of the children of Israel that they should not go into the land which the Lord had given them.

And the Lord's anger was kindled at the same time and he swear saying, surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt from 20 years old and upward shall see the land which I swear to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me.

And save Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua, the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord. And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was consumed.

And Moses says, now behold, you are risen up in your father's stead, an increase of sinful men to argument or that means to add to yet the fierce anger of the Lord towards Israel. For if you turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness and you shall destroy all these people.

Now, the context means that your lack of concern will cause them to be discouraged and their discouragement will end up in them being destroyed just as your forefathers will. And Moses said, this is a serious issue.

Yes, you can be happy where you are, but it does not exempt you from the battle ahead. It does not exempt you from the struggles that your brethren are going to face. You must not sit back and begin to build and relax and become indifferent to the battles that are going to be going on all around you.

And the people said, no, we will do this thing. We will go over. This is right. We will fight. And Moses said, all right, if you do, he said, you will have what you desire. But if you don't, be sure your sin will find you out.

Be sure there will be something that will come upon you, something that will happen to you. And it will be a natural consequence of the indifference to the struggling and the plight of those that are going in to possess the land that God has given to them.

Selfishness in the Corinthian Church

Now, put a marker there, please, and go to First Corinthians in the New Testament. First Corinthians, chapter 11. Be sure, he said, your sin will find you out. Now, I want to show you this in a New Testament context.

The very same situation was happening in the Corinthian church. Now, Paul the Apostle wrote to this church and he admonished this church to have a change of heart. He said, you are getting together and there are people among you who have a lack or are going through difficult times.

And those that are secure, those that have provision are gathering together and fellowshipping together. And they're leaving those with need on the outside of their fellowship. In verse 22, he says, have you not houses to eat and drink in?

Or do you despise the church of God and shame them that have not? And what shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? He said, I praise you not. Paul said, this is not right. Here are brethren in your midst who are struggling.

Now, whether it's struggling to obtain food in this particular case or just even to enter fellowship, maybe they're struggling with loneliness or discouragement in the New Testament context. Of course, the provision or the land of promise is that we are completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ and everything that he is and all that he has promised to make us into.

But there are some in the fellowship who have not yet entered into that. They're sitting on the sidelines and they're wanting. And Paul says, here's the same spirit that's in the world is now creeping into the Corinthian church.

And people are gathering around economic status. Perhaps they're gathering around culture, whatever the situation is. They're looking for people who are of the same heart that they are, and they're gathering around having wonderful fellowship and leaving those that are struggling on the outside.

Now, this is not much different from what we see happening in Numbers chapter 32. People are saying, look, we're going to settle on this side of the river. We understand that our brethren are battling, but we have our own concerns.

And we're going to sit here and we're just going to build our houses and we're going to build our sheepfolds and let them go over. Now, I'm sure initially that's what was in their heart. We don't want to go over and fight.

And Moses says, no, you can't do this. You can't do this. It's wrong. And Paul says to the Corinthian church, this is not right. And he goes on and he says, now, I received something from the Lord. This is Christ.

He said the night he was betrayed and he goes on to say he he took before the people and said, take it. This is my body, which is broken for you. And he said also he took the cup of the New Testament in his blood, the cup of wine.

And he said, this do is off as you drink it in remembrance of me. And Paul, what he's doing in Corinthians is contrasting the selfishness that was creeping into the Corinthian church with the selflessness of Christ.

He said, I received this about Christ. Christ gave his body. Christ gave his blood. Christ gave himself. His was his life was a death as it is. He was always moving into the giving of himself. And this is the this is the church.

This is the head of the church. And Paul says we are his body. And he said, as long as you often as you eat this bread, verse 26, and drink this cup, you to show the Lord's death till he comes. In other words, is as long as this same heart is in you for your brethren, you are a visible demonstration of the giving of Christ for fallen humanity until he comes.

You're a demonstration of Christ. It's not just about coming to a table and eating some bread and drinking some juice. That's not what it's about. Paul says, no, if you as long as you your heart is this way in the church.

He's not this is not about communion. This particular chapter of Scripture, it's about a contrast of an attitude of heart that was getting into many of God's people and the heart of Christ. And Paul says, as as long as you are have a heart to be yielded for your brethren, to be yielded for your brothers and sisters in Christ.

He said, you are showing this this demonstration as it is of this incredible love that cannot be found anywhere. But in God, you are showing it to the world until he comes. You're showing his death. You are you are a visible demonstration to the world of the fact that there is a God.

He has died for our sins. He does give of himself for his people because his people are a living demonstration of his heart. And then he goes on, he says, for whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

Paul says whoever comes into the fellowship and continues in a pattern or a life of selfishness, not even caring about what's going on in people's lives around them. They will be guilty in a sense of taking his name in vain.

In other words, saying, I'm Christ. But but the whole heart and demonstration isn't Christ. It's an empty profession of Jesus Christ. And Paul then goes on, says, let a man examine himself. And so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.

For he that eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord. In other words, not understanding what it means to be part of the Lord's church, not understanding.

This is a high calling. This is an incredible calling to go so far beyond the former passions, the former value systems that we had before we came to Christ. It is an incredible calling into the life of Christ.

And Paul says for this cause, many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep. Remember, Moses said, be sure your sin will find you out. Well, here's how it finds you out. He said for this cause, many are weak.

And if I don't have time to go into all the words, but in the original Greek, it means weak in regard to spiritual things. A dull dullness of mind, in other words. For this cause, many of you are not growing in grace.

Very weak in your mind of the understanding of the things of God because there's no there's no compassion for the struggling among us. Can you imagine? How can we say we are Christ's and be selfish? I mean, it just doesn't go.

It is so foolish to even think. How can we say we are Christ and be completely focused on ourselves and our objectives and ideals and all these other wonderful words that even have sometimes spiritual connotations put to them?

But how can we say we are genuinely Christ's? And Paul says for this reason, many are dull or weak concerning spiritual things or sickly. And the Greek definition says it means morally weak, morally weak.

No, no control over one's own passions. Be sure, he said, your sin will find you out. So I wonder sometimes when we're counseling people who are having struggles with moral issues, if we're really dealing with what the root is, we're talking about, OK, stay away from here and don't go there and don't do this.

Could it possibly be that the root is selfishness? Could it possibly be that it's not really a moral issue? Morality becomes the outward fruit. But could it be possible the root is a selfishness, a lack of consideration for the church of Jesus Christ, for the struggling and suffering all around us in the body?

I'm not even talking outside the church now. A selfishness, a coming into the house of God, all about me, all about myself, all about mine. What can I get out of this today? Totally blind to all of the needs, spiritually dull and then morally struggling.

And I can't help but wonder with all the counseling that we do, if selfishness is or self-centeredness quite often is not the root of much of the moral weakness that we find rampant in the church of Jesus Christ today.

And then he says in many of many sleep and the Greek word means spiritually dead or put to sleep. So he said because of this, Paul says, many are weak with regard to spiritual things. They're struggling morally and they're spiritually dead or they've been put to sleep.

You see, that's why I said a church that has an indifference to the needs of people around it within its own body cannot long sustain a revival. It will die because really Christ is the spirit of truth.

He is the truth. And without truth, there is really no presence of God. And it's a tragic thing to ever go into a church. And I have been there that has once known the spirit of God and has lost it. And I can tell you definitively in places where I have been that I can say more often than not, it is this selfish spirit that has gotten into a church that has killed, killed the presence of God.

Christ says, I cannot stay here. I cannot bear witness to this because it's not me. And remember, Moses said, be sure your sin will will find you out. Paul, in effect, is saying to the Corinthians, your sin is already finding you out.

This is why Corinthian church. These are these things are beginning to manifest in your midst. People are dying spiritually and becoming morally weak, etc. It's finding you out. You know, I think of when Christ said, I command you to love one another.

I command you as I have loved you. I command you to love one another. In other words, it's not optional. If you are part of my church, this has to be you cannot be part of my church and have this area and exclusion from your life.

Remember, Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and said, I commanded you to look after your father and mother, but you changed it all around. And you said, well, whatever profit they get from my life, it's it's now just a gift.

And he says, now, by your tradition, you've made the commandments of God of no effect. Incredible. Now, we can take a command and substitute it for just momentary bursts of goodness to pacify our conscience where we come in and perhaps see somebody in the need and say a little prayer.

And that meets the need for the next six months in our life. Oh, folks, it isn't that way. The command means this is to be a part of your being. This is to be a part of who you are. Your your mind is to be open, that I may speak to you, that I may call upon you for something, that I may put a word in season into your into your heart and into your mouth for a struggling brother or sister, that you may go into the prayer closet and begin to intercede for somebody that you see the devil overpowering around you, that you begin to realize.

And I begin to realize that that we are we're not simply individuals, but we are part of a body now. We're part of a body. The eye can't say to the ear, I don't need you or the hand to the foot. I have no need of you anymore.

No, we are part of a body. And Paul and Christ is saying we must understand this and take seriously the command as it is to love one another as he loves us. Now, go ahead to the book of Ephesians, please.

Spiritual Warfare and Intercession for the Saints

Ephesians, chapter six. In Ephesians, chapter six, at the end of the chapter, it's a very powerful chapter on putting on the whole armor of God, beginning in verse 10. Paul says, finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

And this is, in effect, the desire of every Christian. You want to be strong, don't you? I do in the Lord. I want to put on the power of his might. Now, we know the power of his might is nothing physical.

The only might that the Christian has, rather, is from the power of the Holy Spirit. It's Christ. Paul says elsewhere, put on Christ. It's Christ in me. It's Christ on me. It's Christ formed in me, who is my life.

Paul said it clearly in the book of Acts. We live, we move, we have our being in him. It's Christ who is my strength. It's Christ who gives me a new mind. It's Christ who is my righteousness. It's Christ who is the truth in my inward parts.

It's Christ who changes me and brings me from strength to strength. It's Christ. And Paul says, put on this armor. Put on all of this might of the Lord. And then he goes on, of course, and he says, you're not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities.

Then he says, take the whole armor of God, in verse 13, that you might be able to stand. Then he goes on to describing that armor. Truth about your loins, the breastplate of righteousness. In other words, knowing that I am covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Your feet, as clothed as it is with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. So we even have seminars on this stuff now, where people get up in the morning and put on all this imaginary armor now.

But, folks, there has to be a purpose for it. It's not just to live for ourselves. To go look like a tin soldier heading off down to Wall Street or wherever it is you work on Monday morning. Oh, yeah, fighting this imaginary mystical devil all the way.

Well, as nice as that is, that's not what it's all about, folks. A soldier is to go into war. It's not just a defensive. These weapons are not all defensive weapons. A soldier is to go into war. And then you find the fulfillment of this armor in verse 18.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit. And watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. You see, when I'm watching, praying and standing in the gap, I can be sure that the life of Christ is in me.

This is the evidence. You see, because the human nature can only be turned fully from its inherited selfishness by the power of Christ. It's the only way. I know that Christ is on me when I can say, I care about you.

That's how I know. I know when I'm watching. And if I see the devil attacking you, then I go and, first of all, I can speak into your life and encourage you. I can take you by the hand and I can pray with you.

And I can go into my prayer closet. And I know the power of God is on me because I'm being moved away from self-centeredness now. And I'm being moved into the life of Christ. That's the evidence. Supplication means praying for specific benefits.

When I'm praying for you, when I'm aware of your need and I don't just write it off because I'm dwelling on the other side of Jordan. And I've got my own flocks and barns and everything to look after and say, well, you know, Godspeed, good luck in the battle.

No, no, it's not that way at all. It's being aware of what's going on around me. It's being aware of what's transpiring in your life and praying that God bless you. Praying that God strengthen you. Praying that God enlighten your mind.

Praying that God come and vanquish the enemy that wants to wreck your marriage and wreck your home and take your children. Praying against the unbelief that the devil so deeply wants to sow into your heart because of your situation.

Praying, God, God, give that person courage. Give that man courage. Give that woman courage. Cause them to stand. Infuse them with your life. We understand that as we pray as a church that God infuses Pastor David's conferences with life.

The life of the Holy Ghost is there. Barriers break. People are encouraged and strengthened. But, beloved, it's not just all about conferences. We are called to pray one for another. If I am in Christ, I'm to watch for you and you're to watch for me.

And we're to pray one for another. We're to be aware of what's going on around us in the church. As I have loved you, I command you to love one another. Remember, Jesus said to Peter, Peter, Satan wants to sift you as wheat.

He wants to destroy you, in other words. But I have prayed for you that your faith doesn't fail. And when you're converted, strengthen the brethren. This is the evidence. This is the evidence that the power of God is on my life.

The rest can be just all selfish. Selfishness masqueraded as this wonderful religion. But the evidence is that I have compassion and care. And I'm watching for you and you are watching for me in the church body of Jesus Christ.

The New Commandment and Peter's Transformation

John, Jesus was speaking in John chapter 13. And he said to his disciples, he said, I'm giving you a new commandment. He said, as I have loved you, now I want you to love one another. Let me just read this to you.

John 13, 34, he said, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have loved one to another.

And Peter then says to the Lord, where are you going? And Jesus said, where I'm going, you can't come now. But you will follow me after. In other words, I'm going to the cross, Peter, and I'm going to give my life for you.

And you can't come there yet. Because you're still a natural man. You're still governed by. You remember at the end of the book of John, he tells him up to this point in your life, you've gone where you wanted to go.

You've done what you wanted to do. But now as you're growing old, you're going to stretch forth your hands and someone else is going to lead you now. There's going to be a change of ownership and authority in your life and a change of power.

And of course, that word that was given to Peter did was fulfilled in his life. And Peter said, why can't I follow you now? He said, I'll lay my life down for your sake. And Jesus turns to him and says, oh, oh, will you really?

Will you really lay your life down for me? He says, no, you won't. Before the morning comes, you will deny three times that you even know me. You see, Peter, you don't have any power without my life in yours.

You have to have my life in you. And the evidence of my life in you is that then you will have the power to lay your life down. You can't follow me now, but you will follow me not too far down the road.

You will follow me. And of course, if you know the history of Peter's life, you know he did follow Christ. He did lay his life down for Christ and for his brethren. A wonderful, wonderful man of God was was was taken and by the power of God made into another man and became the fulfillment of the commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.

David and the Loss of Divine Purpose

Numbers, again, 32, Moses. Remember, the warning was your sin will find you out. And then one of the things, the only thing really in Numbers 32 that the Scripture speaks of, Moses said, if they will not pass over with you armed, they will not.

They will have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. In other words, if they will not go with you, then they will not be given what they desire. They desire this. They desire this specific place to live.

And God says, if they won't go, I'll take it away from them. And, you know, beloved, when we settle in and become selfish, we desire peace. And all of a sudden it's taken away. We desire courage and our courage leaves us.