"Every Valley Shall Be Filled" Luke 3:1-2

1
"Every Valley Shall Be Filled"Luke 31-2

• Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of
  Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of
  Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his
  brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region
  of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
  while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the
  word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in
  the wilderness.

2
"Every Valley Shall Be Filled"Luke 33-6

• And he went into all the region around the
  Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the
  remission of sins, as it is written in the book
  of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying "The
  voice of one crying in the wilderness 'Prepare
  the way of the Lord Make His paths straight.

3
"Every Valley Shall Be Filled"Luke 33-6

• And he went into all the region around the
  Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the
  remission of sins, as it is written in the book
  of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying "The
  voice of one crying in the wilderness 'Prepare
  the way of the Lord Make His paths straight.
  Every valley shall be filled And
• every mountain and hill brought low The crooked
• places shall be made straight And the rough ways
• smooth And all flesh shall see the salvation of
  God.'"

4
"Every Valley Shall Be Filled"Luke 35

• This was a fit time to begin preaching the
  baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
• The moral and political conditions did not keep
  the Voice of the prophet from being fulfilled.
• Verse 5 is a symbolic description of the work
  that was to be begun by John and completed in
  Christ.

5
"Every Valley Shall Be Filled"Luke 35

• Commentators give detailed application of this
  prophecy, and, following their example, we may
  regard the Pharisees and Sadducees as mountains
  of self-righteousness, needing to be thrown down,
  and thereby brought to meekness and humility the
  outcasts and harlots as valleys of humiliation,
  needing to be exalted and filled with hope and
  the publicans and soldiers as crooked and rough
  byways, needing to be straightened and smoothed
  with proper details of righteousness.

6
"Every Valley Shall Be Filled"Luke 35

• But the application is general, and not to be
  limited to such details. However, civil tyranny,
  and ecclesiastical pride must be leveled, and the
  rights of the common people must be exalted
  before the kingdom of God can enter inJ W
  McGarvey (Four-Fold Gospel)

7
"Every Valley Shall Be Filled"Luke 35

• This was a fit time to begin preaching the
  baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
• The moral and political conditions did not keep
  the Voice of the prophet from being fulfilled.
• Verse 5 is a symbolic description of the work
  that was to be begun by John and completed in
  Christ.
• But even today there are many valleys to be
  filled by the Lord.

8
The Valley of Darkness

• The valley is a fitting symbol of darkness.
• It is dark in the valley when the sun is shining
  on the mountain top.
• It is often too dark in the valleys to take
  photos.
• Our valleys are often dark when the sun is
  shining on the everlasting hills of God.
• We cannot see our way.

9
Jeremiah 1023

• O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself
  It is not in man who walks to direct his own
  steps.

10
The Valley of Darkness

• The valley is a fitting symbol of darkness.
• It is dark in the valley when the sun is shining
  on the mountain top.
• It is often too dark in the valleys to take
  photos.
• Our valleys are often dark when the sun is
  shining on the everlasting hills of God.
• We cannot see our way.

11
The Valley of Darkness

• The valley is a fitting symbol of darkness.
• Christ came to fill our valleys with light.
• He is our light.

12
John 812

• Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the
  light of the world. He who follows Me shall not
  walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

13
The Valley of Darkness

• The valley is a fitting symbol of darkness.
• Christ came to fill our valleys with light.
• He is our light.
• He will give us light.

14
Ephesians 514

• Therefore He says "Awake, you who sleep, Arise
  from the dead, And Christ will give you light."

15
Psalm 119105

• Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my
  path.

16
The Valley of Darkness

• The valley is a fitting symbol of darkness.
• Christ came to fill our valleys with light.
• He is our light.
• He will give us light.
• He brought life and immortality to light.

17
2 Timothy 18-11

• Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of
  our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with
  me in the sufferings for the gospel according to
  the power of God, who has saved us and called us
  with a holy calling, not according to our works,
  but according to His own purpose and grace which
  was given to us in Christ Jesus before time
  began, but has now been revealed by the appearing
  of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished
  death and brought life and immortality to light
  through the gospel, to which I was appointed a
  preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the
  Gentiles.

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19
The Valley of Doubt and Fear

• All men walked through the valley of doubt and
  fear before the Lord came.
• People had doubts about a resurrection and life
  beyond.

20
Job 1414

• "If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days
  of my hard service I will wait, Till my change
  comes."

21
The Valley of Doubt and Fear

• All men walked through the valley of doubt and
  fear before the Lord came.
• People had doubts about a resurrection and life
  beyond.
• There were doubts about how man should worship.

22
John 419-20

• The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You
  are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this
  mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is
  the place where one ought to worship."

23
The Valley of Doubt and Fear

• All men walked through the valley of doubt and
  fear before the Lord came.
• People had doubts about a resurrection and life
  beyond.
• There were doubts about how man should worship.
• There were doubts among the Jews. There were
  many sects because of their differing views.

24
Acts 236-8

• But when Paul perceived that one part were
  Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out
  in the council, "Men and brethren, I am a
  Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee concerning the
  hope and resurrection of the dead I am being
  judged!" And when he had said this, a dissension
  arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees
  and the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say
  that there is no resurrection--and no angel or
  spirit but the Pharisees confess both.

25
The Valley of Doubt and Fear

• All men walked through the valley of doubt and
  fear before the Lord came.
• People had doubts about a resurrection and life
  beyond.
• There were doubts about how man should worship.
• There were doubts among the Jews. There were many
  sects because of their differing views.
• There was a constant fear of death. Nothing to
  look forward to.

26
The Valley of Doubt and Fear

• All men walked through the valley of doubt and
  fear before the Lord came.
• Jesus came to fill our valley with confidence and
  hope.
• He gives us confidence that we will live again.

27
John 1125-26

• Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the
  life. He who believes in Me, though he may die,
  he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in
  Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

28
The Valley of Doubt and Fear

• All men walked through the valley of doubt and
  fear before the Lord came.
• Jesus came to fill our valley with confidence and
  hope.
• He gives us confidence that we will live again.
• He gives assurance to all believers in Him of
  being accepted with God.

29
John 1423-24

• Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves
  Me, he will keep My word and My Father will love
  him, and We will come to him and make Our home
  with him. He who does not love Me does not keep
  My words and the word which you hear is not Mine
  but the Father's who sent Me."

30
Hebrews 419-22

• Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who
  has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of
  God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do
  not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with
  our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as
  we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come
  boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain
  mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

31
Hebrews 1019-22

• Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the
  Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and
  living way which He consecrated for us, through
  the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High
  Priest over the house of God, let us draw near
  with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
  having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
  conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

32
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33
The Valley of Despondency

• Men often settle in this valley.
• Israel drifted into it and their bones were dried
  up.

34
Ezekiel 371-3

• The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me
  out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in
  the midst of the valley and it was full of
  bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all
  around, and behold, there were very many in the
  open valley and indeed they were very dry. And
  He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones
  live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

35
Ezekiel 374-7

• Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones,
  and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of
  the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones
  "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you,
  and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and
  bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put
  breath in you and you shall live. Then you shall
  know that I am the Lord." ' " So I prophesied as
  I was commanded and as I prophesied, there was a
  noise, and suddenly a rattling and the bones
  came together, bone to bone.

36
Ezekiel 378-10

• Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh
  came upon them, and the skin covered them over
  but there was no breath in them. Also He said to
  me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of
  man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord
  God "Come from the four winds, O breath, and
  breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' "
  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath
  came into them, and they lived, and stood upon
  their feet, an exceedingly great army.

37
Ezekiel 3711-13

• Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are
  the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our
  bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves
  are cut off!' Therefore prophesy and say to them,
  'Thus says the Lord God "Behold, O My people, I
  will open your graves and cause you to come up
  from your graves, and bring you into the land of
  Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord,
  when I have opened your graves, O My people, and
  brought you up from your graves.

38
Ezekiel 3714-16

• I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live,
  and I will place you in your own land. Then you
  shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and
  performed it," says the Lord.' " Again the word
  of the Lord came to me, saying, "As for you, son
  of man, take a stick for yourself and write on
  it 'For Judah and for the children of Israel,
  his companions.' Then take another stick and
  write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim,
  and for all the house of Israel, his companions.'

39
Ezekiel 3717-20

• Then join them one to another for yourself into
  one stick, and they will become one in your hand.
  "And when the children of your people speak to
  you, saying, 'Will you not show us what you mean
  by these?'-- say to them, 'Thus says the Lord
  God "Surely I will take the stick of Joseph,
  which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes
  of Israel, his companions and I will join them
  with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them
  one stick, and they will be one in My hand." '
  And the sticks on which you write will be in your
  hand before their eyes.

40
Ezekiel 3721-22

• Then say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God
  "Surely I will take the children of Israel from
  among the nations, wherever they have gone, and
  will gather them from every side and bring them
  into their own land and I will make them one
  nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel
  and one king shall be king over them all they
  shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they
  ever be divided into two kingdoms again.

41
Ezekiel 3723-24

• They shall not defile themselves anymore with
  their idols, nor with their detestable things,
  nor with any of their transgressions but I will
  deliver them from all their dwelling places in
  which they have sinned, and will cleanse them.
  Then they shall be My people, and I will be their
  God. "David My servant shall be king over them,
  and they shall all have one shepherd they shall
  also walk in My judgments and observe My
  statutes, and do them.

42
Ezekiel 3725

• Then they shall dwell in the land that I have
  given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers
  dwelt and they shall dwell there, they, their
  children, and their children's children, forever
  and My servant David shall be their prince
  forever.

43
Ezekiel 3726-28

• Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with
  them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant
  with them I will establish them and multiply
  them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst
  forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with
  them indeed I will be their God, and they shall
  be My people. The nations also will know that I,
  the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is
  in their midst forevermore."'"

44
The Valley of Despondency

• Men often settle in this valley.
• Israel drifted into this valley and their bones
  were dried up.
• They could not see a way out of this helpless
  condition so far removed from Jerusalem and their
  homeland.
• People often become despondent when they feel
  that the Lord is not with them.

45
The Valley of Despondency

• Men often settle in this valley.
• Jesus came to fill our valley with strength and
  deliverance.
• Paul's valley was so filled.

46
Philippians 413

• I can do all things through Christ who
  strengthens me.

47
2 Timothy 310-11

• But you have carefully followed my doctrine,
  manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering,
  love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions,
  which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at
  Lystra--what persecutions I endured.

48
2 Timothy 310-11

• But you have carefully followed my doctrine,
  manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering,
  love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions,
  which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at
  Lystra--what persecutions I endured. And out of
  them all the Lord delivered me.

49
The Valley of Despondency

• Men often settle in this valley.
• Jesus came to fill our valley with strength and
  deliverance.
• Paul's valley was so filled.
• The Lord will be with us and will help us.

50
Hebrews 135

• Let your conduct be without covetousness be
  content with such things as you have. For He
  Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor
  forsake you."

51
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