High Road, Low Road

Note: You also can listen to the audio sermon: High Road, Low Road.

June 28, 1992 (pm)

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees! Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Make every effort to live in peace with all men, and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Hebrews 12: 12 - 16

I recall two or three "masterpiece sermons" that Dr. Edward Mann used representing E.N.C. when I was (what we called) a "quartet boy." One began with a bit of verse about "high road" and "low road" and being dissatisfied with "misty flats in between..."

"Behold I show you a way, and ways, and a Way. And the high soul goes the high road, and the low soul goes the low— and in between, on the misty flats, the rest grope to and fro..but to each is opened a high road and a low, and each soul must determine the way his soul must go." -don't hold me to this quote...!

The whole Book of Hebrews is about the high soul finding the high way of holiness! It is about the BETTER way! All Christians who start out with Jesus are on the High Road. There are NOT two ways for Christians. Either we are following after Jesus, following after holiness— or we are sidetracked somewhere, lost or in the process of getting lost; groping our way into the "misty flats" of compromise.

There are several "warnings" in the Book of Hebrews. They are NOT usually popular; we don't think we need warnings. Our hearts are pure! But how do Christians who start out so ideally and with good intentions get off the high way of holiness?

I. WE CAN LOSE THE HIGH WAY THROUGH NEGLECT OR IGNORANCE

(2:1-4)

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard. so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. -Hebrews 2:1-4

  1. Key words here are "careful attention" "drift away" and "ignore;" we may be in danger simply because we are so familiar with the way of salvation that we take it for granted!

    TO LISTEN EARNESTLY TO GOD? Others may hear God speaking because they are listening— we may miss conversation with God Himself because we are blinded by so much light— or perhaps thinking that knowing facts is the same as knowing a Person.

    The chilling warning here is that we are responsible not only for what we hear— but for the light or opportunity we may have— responsible for what we COULD hear easily if we would only listen!

    TO "DRIFT AWAY" ? So very gently, so slowly— watching inconsistencies in people— emphasizing the negatives— believing doubts, doubting instead of seeking— like a boat slipping away from a mooring— unattached, soon a tragic loss.

    TO IGNORE ALMIGHTY GOD ? The supreme insult— to go past God as if He were not there! Our mighty nation is in great danger of doing exactly this! We DO have a state religion— the religion of secularism! We shall pay for this by being by-passed in the revival which is coming!

  2. The warning is: THOSE WHO IGNORE GOD WILL NOT ESCAPE HIS JUDGMENT!

II. WE CAN LOSE THE WAY OF HOLINESS BY UNBELIEF

(3:12)

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. ("an evil heart of unbelief"KJV) Hebrews 3:12-13

  1. The illustration here is the Children of Israel, having been delivered from slavery in Egypt, but stopping short of the Promised Land.

    They were characterized, possessed, by a spirit of ingratitude, and continually looked back on the best of slavery from the worst of the pilgrim's life.

    They also had a spirit of rebellion, against the Laws of God and the discipline of Sinai and Moses.

    Worst of all, perhaps, they had a spirit of blindness to God's PURPOSE. God intended for them a home, a country of plenty. They could not think beyond this day! They quickly forgot how God had brought them this far miraculously!

  2. The warning here was that their hearts would be hardened and they would no longer be able to understand the love of God. What is the "unpardonable sin?"

III. A THIRD WARNING IN HEBREWS IS A WARNING AGAINST IRRESPONSIBILITY

Two verses:

(5:12) Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's Word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

and

(6:1-6) Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity. Let us not lay again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instructions about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.

It is impossible for those who have been enlight ened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

  1. The warning is not that it is wrong or evil to be immature; any more than it is a sin to be a baby! Babies are FUN! If you don't believe me take Jake to the South Shore Plaza for half an hour! The warning is that it is tragic to REMAIN immature! To refuse to try to grow and develop and accept responsibility as well as privilege! This is a deadly danger:

    This spirit is characterized by wanting to be satisfied— but NOT being willing to accept responsibility!

    This spirit is characterized by wanting all the fruits of hard labor— but not accepting the day in, day out discipline that produces fruit. [Like our first garden in Cherry Valley— yielded NOTHING!]

  2. "Peter Pan" Christians are not only burden to others— they are in grave and mortal danger themselves! [What IS the unpardonable sin?]

IV. FINALLY; IT IS POSSIBLE TO LOSE THE WAY OVER DIVIDED LOYALTIES!

(Text) There is no higher call, ever, than "Follow Me!" from Jesus Himself. The fullness of the Holy Spirit is not a call to division— it is an enabling to know Jesus better, to understand what Jesus said better, to be more and more like Jesus. This is what Jesus taught about the coming of the Spirit:

"He (the Holy Spirit) will not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear he will speak. He will glorify Me: for he will take of mine and show it you. John 16:13-15 Wesley's translation.

To every child of God there comes a call to total, complete dedication. We in the holiness "movement" have made a specialty of it; we call it our "cardinal doctrine." But hearing it, or being familiar with it does not make it happen. Each of us must be willing to "lay aside every weight" and "the sin that doth so easily beset us" and follow after God's will for our lives!

It is possible to have a clear witness; that we have done just that! Like Jacob at the Brook Jabbok, we need to wrestle with the angel— until God's blessing is more important to us than even our lives!

"What is your name!??" the angel said, when it seemed that Jacob was exhausted.

"I am Jacob- the usurper- the mixed of motives!" was the honest answer. "But I will not let you go until you bless me!"

Your name is now ISRAEL!" said the angel. And Jacob's name, and the very heart of his character were changed!

Conclusion:

This has been a "negative message." I MAKE NO APOLOGY FOR THAT! WARNING! is a big word in Hebrews! But let me end this message, not with words about how to "get off" the Highway of Holiness, but how to be sure to stay ON!

After all, the best way to avoid trouble is to stay as far away from it as you can. When we must go into the danger zones or the battle-ground God has promised us grace. But Jesus also taught us to pray: Lead us NOT into temptation, but deliver us from evil!

And right here in this 12th chapter— this "warning"— is a sure formula for not failing!

  1. (12:2): Fix your eyes on Jesus! A great share of our trouble comes when we listen to our fears, or listen to bad people, or listen too much to good people— before or more than we listen to Jesus Himself!

    The very dearest, sweetest, most godly person will sometimes be wrong! They will sometimes fail!

    Jesus did not fail!

    Jesus endured contradiction of sinners against himself— even to the point of death; can we endure our hardships, even if it kills us? Will we?

    KEEP LOOKING TO JESUS!

  2. (last): Make every effort to live in peace with all men (And women) and to be holy; for without holiness no one will see the Lord! It takes EFFORT to be at peace with people! If only we could live out our lives in solitary vacuum with no one but a perfect, holy God! WE are so perfect!

    What is the effort involved? Not a simple thing— but Paul put it this way (in his testimony before Felix—remember?)

Acts 24:16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and (people.)

Whatever it takes— keep your eyes on Jesus! Keep your conscience clear! Stay open— keep 'fessed up! For if we walk with Jesus daily, we shall never leave the High Road!

Prayer - EH #75 Jesus, My Strength My Hope