Spiritual Maturity - Part 2

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This is the third sermon in a series of messages on 2 Peter and is based on 2 Peter 1:6. This message focuses on the next two traits that should be evident in the life of a growing Christian - temperance and patience.

Written Excerpts:


2 Peter 1:5-6 ^(NKJV) But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge. ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness.

Introduction:

As most of you know, we have started into a series of messages on the book of 2 Peter. In the first message two weeks ago we highlighted some of the introductory comments made by the Apostle Peter, then tried to emphasize the fact that God’s Word makes it clear that our life of faith was not ever intended to be static or stagnant. Just as it is expected for a baby to keep growing and developing through childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood, so it is expected as normal for a Christian believer to grow in his faith and become mature in his understanding of salvation and living the Christian life.

In the second sermon, last week, we talked about faith, virtue and knowledge as necessary qualities that are essential in the life and practice of Christian faith. Today, we plan to continue with the list of qualities offered by Peter and speak to you about the topics of temperance and patience as indicated in verse 6.

What did God mean when He inspired Peter to urge believers to keep growing in their faith by supplying temperance and patience into the mixture of qualities already mentioned – faith, virtue, and knowledge?

Let us examine these words to grasp the message God has for us today.

I.    Temperance

As we “generously cooperate with God in supplying” goodness and knowledge on top of faith, we are urged to also supply “temperance.”

(Tyndale Commentaries) - Once again Peter uses a word which must have cut the false teachers like a whiplash. They claimed that knowledge released them from the need for self-control (2:10ff.; 3:3). Peter emphasized that true knowledge leads on to self-control. Any system which divorces religion from ethics is fundamental heresy.

(Lenski New Testament Commentary) - This proper self-control connected with knowledge of the Word is not a legalistic abstinence from what God permits; it is not of the style mentioned in Col. 2:21 [“touch not, taste not, handle not.”] Nor is it the so-called temperance of prohibitionists or of …celibates. It, of course, controls all bodily appetites, but does so by controlling reason, emotions, and will through the knowledge of the Word and the will of God.

In other words, it’s not a matter of following a list of rules, but it is living according to principles that promote thoughtful and willful choices that will lead me down a path to be more like Christ.

What comes to your mind when you hear someone use the word temperance? For some people, the word “temperance” means, “Doing all things in moderation!” Is that really an accurate / valid philosophy? Should you only attend church in moderation? Should you only pray in moderation?

On the other hand, there are some fleshly desires/passions that we would say are never appropriate to indulge; i.e. illicit sexual behavior, illegal drug use, etc. So what does temperance mean? 

The root word in the original Greek means “ to exercise power” – thus, with the prefix it means to exercise dominion over self or other things, i.e. to control them. It simply means, Self-Control. Sometimes self-control means limited or moderate practice, but at other times, self-control means total abstinence.

 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) – …like goodness above, it was highly prized in Greek moral philosophy. It meant controlling the passions instead of being controlled by them.

According to this author, we could discover where temperance is lacking in our lives by asking, “Is there anything in my life that I’ve repeatedly failed to control or conquer, but it seems to have control of me?”

Adam Clarke – “A proper and limited use of all earthly enjoyments, keeping every sense under proper restraints, and never permitting the animal part to [overpower] the rational.”

It is the opposite of those without Christ, living ungodly lives. Those who do not attempt to restrain their desires, but only to fulfill them, as we find described in this passage:

2 Peter 3:3 ^(NKJV) knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts

Temperance is a life/character trait of those who are suitable for leadership.

Titus 1:8 ^(NKJV) [describing qualities of a “bishop”] but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled,

It is one of the qualities listed in the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 ^(NKJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

As an expression of the fruit of the Spirit, it means letting the Spirit of God take control over my body and fleshly appetites so that I do not indulge in practices that harm my spiritual appetite or spiritual health.

Temperance is the spirit-led ability to control desires in order to achieve Christlikeness. It is a principle for life that applies to the areas the Bible doesn't specifically address.

• Entertainment / Pleasures we seek
• Movies / TV we watch
• Places we go
• What we eat or drink, etc.

Spiritual perception is needed in order to detect those impulses and appetites that threaten my spiritual health and the power to keep them in check or under control.

The Christian life is not a license to live life just as I please or indulge in any pleasure I crave. It is the maturity in faith and spiritual life so that we acquire the strength/power to control those impulses that threaten to drag us away from being like Christ.

 (The Complete Book of Zingers) — Keep out of your life all that keeps Christ out of your thoughts.

(www.sermonillustrations.com) During his term as President of the U.S., Lyndon Johnson was somewhat overweight. One day his wife challenged him with this blunt assertion: "You can't run the country if you can't run yourself." Respecting Mrs. Johnson's wise observation, the President lost 23 pounds. 

Ouch! You know, a very similar thought went through my mind the other day: “How am I going to preach on self-control when I’m 20 pounds overweight?” I confess I need to exercise self-control over my diet.

What are the things God has spoken to you about that need to be brought under control in your life? What things has God spoken to you about that you need to completely abstain from?

This quality of self-control is one reason fasting is encouraged in Scripture, because fasting and prayer forces us to bring our flesh into subjection to the Spirit and put our bodies on notice that the spiritual is much more important that the physical.

II.  Patience

As we move on in this list, Peter admonishes the readers to mix into the previous traits another trait called “patience.”

For many people the word patience simply means to have the ability to wait on things that seem to take too long.

Impatience is a very undesirable quality. Everybody seems to be in a big rush and we get exasperated over the smallest interruptions and delays to our perceived busyness and necessary tasks.

(Joke about the young woman’s car that stopped in traffic and she couldn’t get it started. After several attempts to start it while the man in the car behind her was constantly blowing the horn, she finally got out of her car and went back to him and said, “If you would kindly try to fix my car so it will start, I’ll stay back here and blow your horn for you!”)

(Illustrations Unlimited) – The antiquated train on a branch line was creeping slowly through the countryside when suddenly it came to a dead stop. The only passenger in the car, a salesman riding the line for the first time, asked the conductor why they had stopped. The conductor said, "Nothing to worry about, sir. There's a cow on the tracks." In about ten minutes the train got under way again, but after chugging along for a mile or two, it again ground to a halt. "Just a temporary delay," the conductor said. "We'll be on our way shortly." The exasperated salesman asked, "What is it now? Did we catch up to the cow again?" 

Actually the word “patience” carries the idea of endurance. It is not the resigned, passive attitude of a slave that knows his condition will never improve, so he might as well “grin and bear it.” But, it is the positive attitude of hope founded in faith that produces the willingness and power to hold up under intense opposition.

(Draper's Book of Quotations) – There is no such thing as preaching patience into people unless the sermon is so long they have to practice it while they [listen]. No man can learn patience except by going out into the hurly-burly world and taking life just as it blows. Patience is riding out the gale. – Henry Ward Beecher 

Ha! Now you know why my sermons can be so long! I’m merely training you to develop patience!

(Tyndale Commentaries) - The mature Christian does not give up…. This patience is no stoic quality of accepting all that comes as from the dictates of blind fate. It springs from faith in the promises of God, knowledge of Christ, experience of his divine power (see vv. 3-4). 

(Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) - Thus endurance, rightly understood, is active rather than passive. It is the mark of maturity (Jas 1:3-4), since superficial faith will not endure. Moreover, it has two sides: it expresses itself toward the world and toward God. Far from being the exercise of mere willpower, by which the Stoic deadened his sensibilities, endurance for the Christian issues out of a deep awareness of and confidence in God’s sovereignty….

Endurance is needed in all kinds of situations, and it is the situations themselves that produce more endurance. The Apostle James said, “The trying of your faith worketh patience.” The Apostle Paul said, “Tribulation worketh patience.” It’s the same principle as weight-lifting. You cannot increase your muscle mass or strength without pushing your strength to the limits.

The Bible talks about patience in…

Tribulation – Romans 12:12

Affliction – Hebrews 10:32

“Parental” discipline – Hebrews 12:7

Attacked for good deeds – 1 Peter 2:20

There are all kinds of circumstances that try us and stretch us and stress us to the limit. 

We can stress and worry and get angry and agitated over our circumstances or we can invite God’s Spirit to take control and give us the ability to hold up under the stress and give us a calm peace about the situation believing that God has not abandoned us and He is still in control.

I understand that it is much easier for me to stand up here and describe how things ought to be. But it is quite a different matter to actually practice it in the heat of the battle.

God has the grace to give us just what we need when we need it.

Conclusion:

As Christian believers get older in the faith and the longer they walk with Christ, there should be more and more evidence of Christ-like qualities and character in them. Those qualities are provided through the grace, power and presence of God as we grow deeper and deeper in the faith.

Today we have learned that some of those traits include self-control and endurance. May the Lord help each one of us to strive for more and more of God’s grace to practice these qualities, and may we never resort to excuses and justifications over our lack of them. 

Let’s close the service by singing our closing hymn: He Giveth More Grace.

Spiritual Maturity - Part 1

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This is the second sermon in a series of messages on 2 Peter and is based on 2 Peter 1:5. This message focuses on the first three traits that should be evident in the life of a growing Christian - faith, virtue and knowledge.

Written Excerpts:

2 Peter 1:5 ^(NKJV) But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge.

Introduction:

Last Sunday we spoke on the subject of growing in the faith. We were talking about the fact that the Apostle Peter urged his readers to add to their faith a whole list of additional qualities that ought to become a part of a Christian’s life. Peter has introduced the list by saying that God’s power and God’s promises are provided in order to help us develop into stronger Christians who reflect the nature and character of Christ in greater ways. We definitely get the impression from his language that there ought to be no such thing as a stagnant believer who hasn’t given evidence of spiritual growth and maturity for a long period of time.

I read a quote from Rev. Vance Havner that certainly can be applied to our topic today, although I’m not sure what the original context was in which he made the statement. (Vance Havner) ― “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs. ” The life of faith is one that leads us to go higher and higher. It is not enough to look up and wish for more understanding and greater demonstration of faith, we must take the initiative to climb the steps.

We’ve already talked about the verses leading up to this list that begins in verse 5, so today we are continuing by discussing the qualities that Peter says we must add to faith. Let us take a look at these qualities mentioned in verse 5.

I.     Faith

The first thing we need to mention is that we are expected to start with faith. It should be an obvious truth, but I don’t want to take anything for granted. Faith is the starting point.

According to Hebrews 11:1, Faith is the confidence and assurance that the things which cannot be seen are nevertheless just as real as anything else. And, we can depend on it to be trustworthy. It is proof, evidence, just like any other evidence you present in a court.

Faith includes the belief that God exists.

Faith trusts/relies on the Word/promises of God.

Salvation, Sanctification, daily provisions, etc.

Faith produces all the subsequent responses to God’s Word.

If we truly believe what God says, then we will demonstrate that faith by actions that please God, and by showing the fruit of God’s work in our lives.

II.    Virtue

“Add” – In the exercise of faith add (supply) virtue. The word used here is the word epichorēgeō. We talked about this word last week, but here is some additional insight about it.

(Tyndale Commentaries) - The [Greek] word [translated] add, is a fascinating one. It is a vivid metaphor drawn from the Athenian drama festivals, in which a rich individual, called the chorēgos, since he paid the expenses of the chorus, joined with the poet and the state in putting on the plays. This could be an expensive business, and yet [these rich individuals] vied with one another in the generosity of their equipment and training of the choruses. Thus the word came to mean generous and costly cooperation. The Christian must engage in this sort of cooperation with God in the production of a Christian life which is a credit to him.

Other writers indicate that the word “supply” would be a better translation (i.e. in your faith, generously supply virtue.)

“Virtue” – This is an interesting word that is used very seldom in the N.T. It is hard to “nail down” the exact meaning. As near as I can tell from all the sources I’ve studied, the most accurate single term we could use to convey the meaning is the word, “excellence.”

(Tyndale Commentaries) - It means ‘excellence’, and was used to denote the proper fulfilment of anything. The excellence of a knife is to cut, of a horse to run. But what is the excellence of a man? … In a word, his life must reflect something of the attractive character of Christ. For he was the man par excellence, the proper man. True human excellence, then, is the manliness which is Christlikeness. That likeness cannot be acquired except through personal and continuous encounter with him by faith. In other words, this excellence of life in the model of Jesus Christ is not something we have in ourselves, but it is supplied by our being “in faith.”

Look at 1 Pet. 2:9 ^(NKJV) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

And, Php. 4:8 ^(NKJV) Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.

Both of these verses indicate that virtue includes all of those excellent qualities that deserve recognition, praise and honor.

As we grow in our faith, we need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to supply any and all excellence of life and character that would make us more and more like Christ. This would include moral excellence, as well as any other quality that is Christ-like. Let’s not allow ourselves to buy into the philosophy that God and everyone else should simply accept us as we are and we’re not changing for anyone. No, we want to supply the person and cooperation for God to make us more and more like Jesus.

III.  Knowledge

Next, in the exercise of faith and in supplying virtue, we are urged to supply knowledge.

(Today's Best Illustrations) - Certainly God can use a person of great intellect, but only as long as his faith is even greater. — Fred Smith in Leadership, Vol. 10, no. 2.

(J.D. Charles, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) - In Greek and Christian thought there is an organic and indivisible link between virtue and knowledge (Stoics believed all vice is rooted in ignorance). For the Greeks, knowledge was the underpinning needed to acquire all other virtues. But Peter’s emphasis on knowledge is that it is an extension of faith and virtue. Knowledge is not a goal in and of itself…. 

It is surprising to see how many of the errors that are dealt with in the NT epistles of Paul, Peter and John have to do with people who claimed to have superior knowledge.

1 Cor. 8:1-3 ^(NKJV) Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. ² And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. ³ But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. 

Again, we are reminded that knowledge is not something that we have in ourselves nor can we supply it in our own ability. But we do have the capability to make ourselves available to God in the search for knowledge. We have the choice whether to pursue knowledge or not.

In this particular verse, the word “knowledge” is slightly different form of the word that is used in verse 2.

2 Pet. 1:2 (NKJV) Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

(Tyndale Commentaries) – The word here in verse 5 seems to carry more of the idea of “practical wisdom.” This knowledge is gained in the practical exercise of goodness or virtue, which in turn, leads to a fuller knowledge of Christ.

(The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) – Knowledge strictly [speaking] is the [understanding] by the mind of some fact or truth in accordance with its real nature… 

The mind is constituted with the capacity for knowledge, and the desire to possess and increase it. The character of knowledge varies with its object. The senses give knowledge of outward appearances; the intellect connects and reasons about these appearances, and arrives at general laws or truths; moral truth is apprehended through the power inherently possessed by men of distinguishing right and wrong in the light of moral principles; spiritual qualities require for their apprehension spiritual sympathy ("They are spiritually judged," 1 Cor. 2:14, ^NKJV But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.). 

The highest knowledge possible to man is the knowledge of God, and while there is that in God's infinity which transcends man's power of comprehension (Job 11:7, 9), God is knowable in the measure in which He has revealed Himself in creation (Romans 1:19-20, "that which is known of God," etc.), and supremely in Jesus Christ, who alone perfectly knows the Father, and reveals Him to man (Matthew 11:27). 

Proverbs 1:7 ^(NKJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. 

This proverb emphasizes the fact that the very basic knowledge we should have is the fear of the Lord. Later in this same chapter, Wisdom urges the simple, the scorner and the fool to come and obtain knowledge and wisdom. But for those who refuse, she offers a strong warning.

Proverbs 1:24-29 ^(NKJV) Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, ²⁵ Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, ²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, ²⁷ When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. ²⁸ "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. ²⁹ Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD, 

It is a fearful thing to reject or neglect the opportunities that God provides for us to gain knowledge of Him.

Conclusion:

Our Creator, the God of the Bible is a self-revealing God. He desires for us to know Him and He proved it in the most convincing way by sending His own Son to live on earth so we could have the ultimate revelation of Him. God has not only sent His Son, but He has inspired His Word, which reveals knowledge of him. There ought to be a strong desire and yearning in the heart of every believer to know God more and to know His Word more.

Peter is urging us to supply knowledge in the exercise of faith and virtue.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 ^(NKJV) Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; ²⁴ But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD. 

Let us all seek the help of God’s Spirit as we strive for excellence in Christlikeness and strive for more and more knowledge of God.

Growing in the Faith

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This is a sermon based on 2 Peter 1:1-4. It is the first in a series of messages on 2 Peter and it emphasizes the necessity and expectation that Christian believers will not become stagnant or remain static in their faith, but will grow and mature in it.

Written Excerpts:

2 Peter 1:5 ^(NKJV) But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

Introduction:

I don’t need to tell you that we are witnessing a major transition take place in our society and culture. It has been happening behind the scenes for a few decades at least. But much more recently it has been “coming out of the closet” and blatantly paraded by the media into all of our homes and in our faces. One of the characteristics of this transition, aided and abetted by the national media, is the destruction of truth. We are rapidly learning that we hardly know any longer whether we are being lied to or not; whether events are staged or spontaneous; or whether our perceptions have been manipulated in order to arrive at foregone conclusions.

I remember times in my life when I used to wonder what it must be like to live in a country such as those in the former Soviet Union, where you never could know for sure what the truth was about current events or even about history. Now, we’re living it here. 

But, these conditions are not new. As I indicated, it has happened in many other nations, and it was also prevalent in biblical times. Several of the NT books of the Bible were written specifically because of false teachers who had cropped up among the believers and the churches and were distorting the truth. One such book is the book of 2 Peter.

In previous churches where I served I did a series of sermons based on verses 5-7 in chapter one. I would like to share those messages with you over the next few weeks. Perhaps I will end up doing a study through the entire book of 2 Peter before we’re finished, I don’t know for sure if that will be the case or not. For today’s message, I want to highlight the message found in a few words in verse 5: “… giving all diligence, add to your faith….”

So let’s begin our study today by considering some background information about this letter and then looking at Peter’s message to Christian believers.

I.       Background on 2^nd Peter.

Peter is writing his epistle to Christians in Asia Minor – possibly the same churches to which he wrote his first letter, although the more general salutation in v. 1 of the second letter would allow for a wider audience. (“The strangers/pilgrims who are scattered throughout [names of regions]” vs. “Those who have obtained like precious faith.”)

It would appear that the occasion and purpose of this letter is to refute some teachings of false teachers that had infiltrated the church or emerged from within the churches. These false teachers perverted the doctrine of justification and promoted a rebellious and immoral way of life.

The delay of Christ’s return doesn’t mean he is not coming. He is coming and there will be a judgment. (3:3ff)

God’s salvation and grace doesn’t mean that believers do not need to live a holy life. Holiness as a lifestyle is expected. (3:11,14)

II.     Salutation:

Peter views himself as a slave to Christ. 

He claims apostleship. His authority is not his own, but was given to Him by the Lord Himself.

Writes to those who obtained same precious faith as he and other apostles. 

·     God’s grace is open and accessible to all, which is to say to apostles and non-apostles. (Expositor's Bible Commentary)

·     This faith they have obtained is the same precious value as that which the apostles have. How much do we value our faith?

·     Faith is provided by the righteousness of God and Christ.

*    The word [righteousness] has the ethical associations which we find given to it in the Old Testament; here it means the fairness, the justice of God. (Tyndale Commentaries)

Traditional greetings. (Grace and peace to you) “Be multiplied” – i.e. more than enough.

Knowing God and Lord Jesus brings grace and peace. 

III.    Describes Effects of God’s power (3-4)

The omnipotent power of God gives everything we need for life and living godly. (cf. Titus 2:11, 12).

·     God has called us to glory and virtue. 

*    God has called us to live above the kind of life we were living prior to knowing Him. (Reflect His glory and His character.)

*    The point is that the One who calls, enables. (Tyndale Commentaries)

·     God has given exceeding great & precious promises

*    “exceeding great” – Gk. Superlative form of “megas” from which I assume we get the word “mega” we use today to mean “big, huge, etc.”

·     By these (i.e., His glory and virtue or goodness) we join Him in His nature. 

*    Taken together, the triple agency of the promises, the power and the person of the Lord Jesus regenerate a man and make him a sharer in God’s own nature, so that the family likeness begins to be seen in him. (Tyndale Commentaries)

*    Being partakers of His divine nature means that we are fleeing (leaving, separating from) the corruption that is in the world. There are a lot of Christians (including preachers) who talk as though there is no difference between the conduct of a believer and a non-believer. 

They emphasize the fact that one is forgiven and the other one isn’t. But, Scripture clearly teaches that a true believer and follower of Christ will have more and more changes in his/her life that distinguishes them from those without Christ.

So God has provided everything we need to live the Christian life of faith. 2 Peter 1:3 (NKJV) … His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness….

IV.    Growth is normal

Give diligence to add to your faith. Don't be satisfied or complacent with present state! Yes, you have obtained this same faith that we have (v. 1), but don't be content to just remain at the same level of faith or Christian character.

Start with Faith then “add to.”

“Add to” – probably best understood not as a numerical adding up of more and more qualities, but “…develop[ing]  one virtue in the exercise of another: “an increase by growth, not by external junction; each new grace springing out of, attempting, and perfecting the other.” Render, therefore, as Rev. In your faith supply [mix in] virtue, and in your virtue [mix in] knowledge, etc.” (Vincent’s Word Studies)

God never intends to let us stay in the same condition we were when He saved us.

Conclusion:

(A. W. Tozer Sermon: Victors of Victims) If Satan opposes the new convert he opposes still more bitterly the Christian who is pressing on toward a higher life in Christ. The Spirit-filled life is not, as many suppose, a life of peace and quiet pleasure. It is likely to be something quite the opposite. Viewed one way it is a pilgrimage through a robber-infested forest; viewed another, it is a grim warfare with the devil. Always there is struggle, and sometimes there is a pitched battle with our own nature where the lines are so confused that it is all but impossible to locate the enemy or to tell which impulse is of the Spirit and which of the flesh. There is complete victory for us if we will but take the way of the triumphant Christ, but that is not what we are considering now. My point here is that if we want to escape the struggle we have but to draw back and accept the currently accepted low-keyed Christian life as the normal one. That is all Satan wants. That will ground our power, stunt our growth and render us harmless to the kingdom of darkness. Compromise will take the pressure off. Satan will not bother a man who has quit fighting. But the cost of quitting will be a life of peaceful stagnation. We sons of eternity just cannot afford such a thing.

We will be coming back to continue looking at this matter of growing in the faith. We’ll be talking about what it means to “mix in” all of these qualities that Peter mentions here.

Let’s close by singing the hymn, Wherever He Leads I’ll Go.

The Valley of Tears

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This is a sermon that was based on Psalm 84:6.

Written excerpts:

Psalm 84:6 ^(NKJV) As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools.

Introduction:

A little earlier in the service we heard Psalm 84 read. I want to draw your attention specifically to verse six as we begin the message this morning, and I want to read it again from a more recent translation. In this translation, we discover one of the probable meanings of the name “Baca” which appears in the KJV.

Psalm 84:6 (NLT) When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. 

Several weeks ago this passage caught my attention, and I felt the Lord directing me back to it for our consideration today.

I dare say that nearly everyone in the congregation today has had the personal experience of “walking through the valley of weeping” at some point in your life. There may be some of us who have experienced that valley multiple times in our lifetime. There may be some of us who are walking that valley today and have been for some time.

If you notice the wording of this verse, it indicates that the people referred to here have not only endured the time of weeping, but they also experienced the delight of watching their sorrow produce blessings they couldn’t have imagined. With the help of the Holy Spirit this morning I would like to consider three observations about this text.

I.    Consider the original meaning of the text.

II.  Consider the optimistic outcomes from the valley.

III. Consider the reason for the outcomes described.

I.    The Original Meaning of the Text

Various scholars agree that verses 5-7 seem to indicate that the Psalm is about those who are on a pilgrimage to Zion (Jerusalem) where God chose years earlier for His name to be established and known. Thus, the temple was to be built there and was completed by King Solomon. The Temple was more than just a building for the performance of sacrifices and offerings required by God. It was the place where God would meet with His people. 

The Temple was only a “token of God.” (Willem A. VanGemeren, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised Ed.)

The pilgrimage very well could have been travelers on their way to the City of Zion and the temple courts for one of the several festivals that were celebrated throughout the year according to the word of the Lord. On any such pilgrimage, the travelers would have literally experienced difficulties represented figuratively as the “valley of weeping” in verse six.

But, as we also notice in verse six, these travelers witness their adversity and sorrow turn into what one writer describes as “life-giving springs and rains.” He goes on to say, “As they move through the Valley of Weeping it turns fertile as they near the holy place. Indeed, the closer they get, the stronger they become [v.7]… until they finally arrive at the sanctuary.” (Tremper Longman III, Tyndale O.T. Commentaries)

So the Psalm appears to be describing how the tiring, sometimes dangerous, and sorrowful journey turns into blessing and joy as the pilgrims approach the place where God meets His people.

II.  The Optimistic Outcomes of the Valley

The wording of verses 6-7 indicate very positive results arising out of adversity. 

(VanGemeren, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Rev. Ed.) It is not unlikely that the psalmist also speaks of the highway, the Valley of Baca, and the water as metaphors of the experience of fellowship and blessedness after a prolonged period of adversity. The strength and joy of the godly stem from their hope in God. Faith in God is ultimate and transforms weak people into those who “go from strength to strength” (v.7) and the Valley of Baca into springs and pools, as expressive of God’s blessings (v.6). 

What are the outcomes?

Unexpected fellowship (draw closer to God and His people)

Unexpected blessings (gifts and benefits we never dreamed we could experience)

Unexpected strength (the ability to not only endure, but to rise above the very things we thought would surely destroy us)

Should we not “expect the unexpected” when we consider our God?

Listen to several similar verses that God gave to the prophet Isaiah.

See Is. 35

Isaiah 41:17-20 (NKJV) ¹⁷  "The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the LORD, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. ¹⁸  I will open rivers in desolate heights, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water. ¹⁹  I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, The myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine And the box tree together, ²⁰  That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the LORD has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it. 

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV) ¹⁸  "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. ¹⁹  Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. 

While Isaiah was commissioned by God to let the people of Judah know of judgment and punishment for their sin, yet He wouldn’t completely abandon them. He would save a remnant and would perform the unexpected and miraculous – such as: streams of water in the desert, highways in the wilderness, and fountains in the valleys.

Dear friends, I know that it doesn’t happen 100% of the time, but many times I have witnessed God doing marvelous things in the lives of people who have gone through some of the severest trials and sorrows. That’s what God specializes in!

III. The Reason for the Outcomes Described

As I read through this Psalm, I detect two reasons for the unusual outcomes from the “Valley of Weeping.”

1.   The kind of people they are.

2.   The kind of God they serve.

If we read through verses 1-4, we discover that these are people who love the presence of God, the house of God and the people of God. They find their greatest joy, not in the pleasures of the world, but in the fellowship and communion with the Lord. See verse 10. They “envy” the very birds that build their nests and raise their young near the altar, because those birds are continually close to the place where God “dwells.”

Dear friends, if you want to have the ability to experience unusual blessings from the valleys of weeping, become more and more acquainted with God, and His house, and His people!

Secondly, the reason these results come about is because of the kind of God they serve. (See v. 11)

Tyndale Commentaries - God, after all, is the provider of life and illumination (sun) and a protection from threats (shield). He gives all good things to those who follow him obediently, as the opening of Psalm 23 also asserts (‘The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing’). 

Conclusion:

(Tyndale Commentaries) - God chose Zion as the place to make his presence known among his people, so Solomon built the temple there. Thus, that place and that building were holy, or set apart from all other places, because of God’s presence. To be in Zion is to be close to God and his benefits.

The New Testament announces that God makes his presence known in Jesus Christ: ‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us’ (John 1:14). God sent his Spirit to dwell in us so that we, as individuals (1 Cor. 6:19-20) and as a church (Eph. 2:19-22), are called the temple of God.

Whatever valley you may be going through today, use it as a motivation to seek God and draw closer to Him. Use your valley as a motivation to seek to be in God’s house with God’s people. If you and I gain no other benefit or blessing from our valley other than getting closer to God, then it will be a valley well worth the sorrow and trouble. The best news of all is that one of these days, if we stay true to the Lord, we will experience our last trial, our last valley and our last sorrow.

As a reminder of these truths, I want to close the service by singing the hymn, Until Then.