Sermon Outlines

By Frederick F. Schwindt, Evangelist

THE VALLEY OF ACHOR, THE DOOR OF HOPE
Part 1

1. Bible students know that the valley of Achor is noted as:
   1. The tragedy that came to Achan and his family.
   2. This tragedy affected the whole congregation of Israel - Josh. 7:4, 13, 14
2. It has a lesson for God's people:
   1. Secret sins among some of the church members are known to God as truly as the sin of Achan was known to him.
   2. "Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance." Ps. 90:8
   3. We will do well to pray, with David, "cleanse thou me from secret faults" - Ps. 19:12

1. Even the Son of God had His valley:
   1. Watch Him in the garden of Gethsemane - Luke 22:39- 44
   2. His darkest valley was when he died of a broken heart on the shameful cross of Calvary - Matt. 27:46
2. John the Baptist surely had his valley before he finished his mission in this world:
   1. See him in a dark, cold, and forbidding prison - Matt. 11:1-5
   2. He ended his ministry by being beheaded because he reproved the sin of Herod - Matt. 14:6-12
3. The disciples had their valley:
   1. Let us not forget that memorable night when their Lord was taken away from them and they were scattered.
   2. Or when they bemoaned their shattered hope - Luke 24:13-21
4. Every life has its valley:
   1. David speaks of it - Ps. 23:1-6; 73:1-24
   2. How soon we shall pass through the valley is known to God alone.

1. This is a great gospel promise from a God of love and compassion:
   1. He will cause the light to shine out of darkness - 2 Cor. 4:6
   2. Think of the experiences of -
      1. Joseph - Gen. 37:1-36; 39; 40; 41
      2. Daniel - Dan. 6:10-28
2. Our strength is made perfect in weakness:
   1. 2 Cor. 12:9, 10
   2. This may be difficult to understand, but it is true just the same.
      1. Jacob was declared victor over his difficulties with Esau, his brother; yet, to remind him of his weakness, the angel of the Lord touched Jacob's thigh - Gen. 32:25-32
      2. Saul, whose name is now Paul, suffered from a special weakness in his eyes, and the Lord never removed that weakness, to remind Paul that God saved him in spite of himself.
3. But the blessedness of this text is:
   1. The valley of Achor has been given as the door of hope.
   2. That means that our darkest and most forbidding experiences will be turned into a most wonderful experience.
   3. It means that our weakest points in our lives can, by the grace of God, become our strongest points.
4. Let us ever keep in mind that our troubles can, under the direction of the Lord, be very helpful to us:
   1. They detach us from the world and its pleasures - Gal. 6:14
   2. They not only separate us from the sins of the world but they drive us to God on our knees - Rom. 5:3; 8:35; 2 Cor. 7:4
5. This experience will help us to see God's unchangeableness:
   1. He loves us in the shadows as well as in the sunshine.
   2. He cares for us in the day of affliction as well as in the day of prosperity.
   3. He can turn darkness into light, sorrows into joy.
   4. He has given us the valley of Achor for the door of hope.