Walking The Highway Of Holiness:calvary Road Series Series

“Walking the Highway of Holiness” – The Calvary Road

Isaiah 35:1-10

March 7, 2004

Purpose: In regards to the Holiness Highway, we can either be on it or off it. And if we’re on it, we may help others along as others help us.

INTRODUCTION

illus. - Down in the Florida Keys that are two roads. The original road is just two lanes wide and complete sections of it our missing due to old age and disrepair.

But running right along side the original is the newer road. It’s lanes are wider, the concrete newer, and most importantly it’s a complete roadway from Key Biscane to Key West.

While the first road is battered and falling apart, the second is complete and functional.

While the first road can be used for only limited purposes, the second has no limits as a roadway.

I invite you to keep these images in mind as we talk about another highway this morning. This highway, unlike the first, much like the second, has been built and is ready for travel. For those who have accepted Christ, this highway will be the one that leads them to their eternal home.

But their job is not done. We need to remember that all of us were off the highway at one time or another, that everyone has the opportunity to get on, and that we can travel this highway together. Today, we’re going to rediscover this Spiritual highway, and see what insights it gives us.

I. We all walked off this highway…

illus. – wandering around DC – couldn’t find the right road – got some bad directions – should’ve bought a map.

Did you know that the Bible says we’re all a bunch of screw-ups? Well, it doesn’t say exactly that, but it says that we all have sinned, we’ve all fallen short of God’s glory for our lives. And if we’re to take Isaiah’s word for it, than each of us has at one time, not been walking on this highway…

iilus. - Let me tell you about Farmer Joe…Farmer Joe decided his injuries from the accident were serious enough to take the trucking company (responsible for the accident) to court. In court, the trucking company’s fancy lawyer was questioning farmer Joe. "Didn’t you say, at the scene of the accident, ’I’m fine’?," questioned the lawyer.

Farmer Joe responded, "Well I’ll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favorite mule Bessie into the..." "I didn’t ask for any details," the lawyer interrupted, "just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, ’I’m fine’!"

Farmer Joe said, "Well I had just got Bessie into the trailer and I was driving down the road..."

The lawyer interrupted again and said, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. Please tell him to simply answer the question."

By this time the Judge was fairly interested in Farmer Joe’s answer and said to the lawyer, "I’d like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule Bessie."

Joe thanked the Judge and proceeded, "Well as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into the trailer and was driving her down the highway when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign and smacked my truck right in the side. I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurting real bad and didn’t want to move. However, I could hear ole Bessie moaning and groaning. I knew she was in terrible shape just by her groans.

Shortly after the accident a Highway Patrolman came on the scene. He could hear Bessie moaning and groaning so he went over to her. After he looked at her he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes. Then the Patrolman came across the road with his gun in his hand and looked at me. He said, "Your mule was in such bad shape I had to shoot her. How are you feeling?"

It was then that I said, "I’m fine. Just fine." (source: www.sermoncentral.com – Andrew Chan)

Today, there’s no need to lie by saying “I’m fine”. We, as the human race, are not fine. Since Adam and Eve, we’ve been born into a world of sin. We are sinful creatures, living in a sinful world, trying to survive with sinful options. We traveling down the broken, torn up, incomplete road. But thankfully there’s some good news.

transition – When Jesus died on that cross for us, to pay the price of all the sin past-present-future, he did it so that we would have the opportunity to get onto the complete highway’s on-ramp.