He called it a ‘highway of holiness’ in Isaiah 35:8. This ‘lane’ I was speaking about yesterday, that I liken to what ‘abiding in Him’ is all about...it’s the Highway of holiness. It’s also the pathway of peace. (Luke 1:79). One nice thing about this highway that might appeal to you, if you are like me, is there is not much congestion or heavy traffic. Do you know why? Jesus said it was pretty narrow and not many people were on it. (Matt. 7:13-14)

Now I know this term ‘holiness’ can trigger all kinds of alarms and bells in us for a host of reasons. And before you want to question me as whether I think I am ‘holier than thou’ simply because I bring it up...just settle down there for a moment and let me ask if you could give a good, simple explanation or definition as to what ‘holiness’ is that we can benefit from? I only touch on this because we are commanded to “be holy in ALL our conduct because God is holy’. (1 Pet. 1:14-16)

For centuries, we have seen all the various ways sincere but often misguided people go about trying to ‘achieve this holiness’ through things they do, or maybe not do. This usually leads to much frustration, failure, and discouragement because despite all ‘our efforts’, we don’t usually end up ‘feeling holy’. And if we do ‘feel holy’ we end up putting off a sense that we are truly ‘holier than others’ and are quick to let them know about it. But for whatever it means to be ‘holy’, we would do ourselves well to understand it and ask the Lord to make it real to us, because ‘without holiness, no one will see the Lord’. (Heb. 12:14)

Guess who Jesus said are the ones who will...’see the Lord’? Those who have a pure heart. (Matt. 5:8). Yep...He did indeed say that. He also pointed out what it is that our hearts are defiled by in Mark 7:21-23. Sounds like a bunch of those carnal deeds or traits that are ‘evident’ in our lives. (Gal. 5:19-21; Rom. 1:29-32). And I only say ‘evident’ because it’s pretty easy to identify what kind of fruit is in a person’s life because of what comes out of their mouths.. I mean, again...Jesus tells us that it is from the ‘abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks’. (Matt. 15:18-20).

Now it is not a sin or even wrong to simply notice what kind of fruit is being manifested in people’s lives. Jesus even said it would be a good idea to make note of that given many ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ would find their way among us as false teachers and lead folks astray. (Matt. 7:15-20). But I also think we’d do ourselves a service to also pay close attention to the fruit coming out of our own lives and allow the Holy Spirit to tend to it as well. I bet that is the fruit John the Baptist warned the religious folks in his day to inspect closer. (Matt. 3:7-12)

So I think a good working definition for the word ‘holiness’ would be to have a ‘pure heart’, one that has been made pure as we first give God our deceptive and wicked hearts (Jer. 17:9) and then follow in obedience as He leads us to do away with ALL those things that defile us. (Rom. 8:13-14) It’s almost like watching God’s people go in to ‘clear the land’ of all those wicked nations in Canaan...one by one. But now, it’s not Hittites and Amorites He wants off the ‘land’, it is pride and selfishness and greed and all those other deeds of the flesh. ;-).

There really is a bit more to this gospel and walk of faith besides quoting John 3:16, joining a church, and keep singing until Jesus returns. There’s so many more scriptures in this Bible of ours that we have laid aside and ignored, and to our own peril. (Hosea 4:6). Did you know what Paul told Timothy in his first letter what the goal of all this instruction or commands were? - “love from a pure heart”. (1:5). Jesus came to perfect us in His love. (1 John 5:12,17). This is what it means to be ‘conformed to His nature’. (Rom. 8:29). We actually ‘become partakers of His divine nature’ (2 Pet. 1:2-4) so that...we can go out and ‘love others as He first loved us’ (John 13:34-35), which He says will be how “all will know we are His disciples”. Sounds like ‘fruit’ to me, does it not to you?

And we don’t bear this kind of fruit unless we are abiding in Him. (John 15:1-8). But if we are abiding in Him, we will bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be His disciples as we glorify the Father. (8) This whole ‘new commandment’ to love others as He loved us...was not some lofty goal to aim for while being told we could never do it. We better be following His Spirit and submitting to His Lordship because we will never be able to fulfill the law unless we do submit to Him. (Luke 6:46; Rom. 8:4) Oh...did I mention that ‘love is the fulfilling of the law’? (Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 4:14). And were you aware that Paul, who wrote so much about ‘faith’ also includes the fact that ‘faith’ and the ‘law’ are not contrary to each other and that it is not the ‘hearers of the law who will be justified, but those who do it’. (Rom. 3:31; 2:13)

Or maybe you were taught that this ‘being made holy’ or ‘sanctified’...was a ‘second work of grace’, and that all is well with your soul and you are guaranteed entrance into heaven because you walked an aisle and said a prayer making a profession of faith. It’s almost like this talk of obeying Jesus is some ‘option’ for super-saints that want to live abundantly in God’s grace. (John 10:10). I bet that is what all those folks we who read about in Matt. 7:21-23 were told too. 

And that sobering revelation in Matt. 7:23 came on the heels of Jesus talking about this ‘narrow path’ that ‘leads to life’ and not many are on it. It is indeed, a ‘highway of holiness’ and unless you are abiding in Him, it is pretty difficult to find, let alone travel. Truth be told, we really don’t aspire and yearn to ‘be holy’; that is, if our flesh nature remains alive because it is hostile towards God and will not subject itself to God’s law. (Rom. 8:7-8)

So how is it that so many professing ‘believers’ today, continue doing all kinds of ‘wonderful works in His name’ (Matt. 7:22) and also continue to ‘sin regularly’ as they manifest ‘fruits of the flesh nature’ while not seeming to be overly concerned about it? I mean really, tossing out phrases like “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven” seems so trite and dismissive, especially to people ‘on the outside’ who many, are genuinely looking for true peace and life and freedom?

Perhaps the answer to that question is maybe they fell into that trap of the enemy that Paul warned would happen to people...as they buy in to ‘another gospel, follow another Jesus, and even receive another spirit’. (2 Cor. 11:3-4). Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what Paul might be referring to there when he said ‘receive another spirit’? What might that look like and how might it operate in a person who was not really ready to ‘surrender  all’ but still wanted the assurance of going to heaven when they died? Because Jesus was pretty clear...eternal life is reserved to those who love God with ALL...their hearts. (Luke 10:25-28; Matt. 22:36-40)

Is it possible many people today are experiencing what Paul implies might be a ‘false peace’ of assurance?

If we are reluctant to surrender our whole heart to Him, it can make traveling that ‘highway of holiness’ pretty challenging, especially for folks who admit that there is something within them that really does not want to abide in Him All the time, so they don't, or don't even feel it is possible to do so.  Yet, it's not like we want to just turn and reject Him all together, like many did previously. (John 6:66). Or we don't want to be wishy-washy and come to His light, then turn away because we like darkness more...sometimes. (John 3:19)  So we kind of need something to 'take the edge off' of our discomfort so we still 'feel saved'; you know what I mean?  And then, we end up like those folks Paul wrote in 2 Tim. 3:1-5 who still live according to the flesh but also have a 'form of godliness, but deny the power'.  I mean, really...God can't truly set us free from all sin now...can He?

Would you take a moment and read 1 Thess.5:1-6 if you would please.

Paul warns that while ‘they are saying “peace and safety!”, then sudden destruction comes upon them...” almost like a ‘flood’ might do. (Matt. 7:24-25). That sounds a bit serious to me. Now, if you would can you please turn to Deut. 29:14-20. It would be good to start at vs. 14 to get the full context of what God is pointing out here as you come to the part that warns what happens when His people hear...the word of the Lord, but then claim they can still walk in peace even though.....they continue to ‘follow the dictates of their own heart’(flesh). (19). God goes on to express ‘intense displeasure’ towards those who think they can claim to abide in Him all the while they continue to do what they want to do. He actually says that ‘every curse written in this book will settle on them’. You might review Deut. 28:15-68 if you need a refresher. And if you are of the persuasion that all ‘those curses have been done away with’, you might then ask yourself...why so many of ‘those curses’ are afflicting so many people today?

Now, if you would, please turn to and read Jeremiah 23:16-22. Ezekiel 13 would be a good follow up to read where he says the same thing...how God’s people are being deceived by false teachers who want to assure people that even though they continue to walk in the flesh (dictates of their own hearts) that they will have ‘peace’ and ‘no evil will come upon you’. He even warns of ‘sudden destruction’ coming upon them and we would understand all this in the 'latter days'. I bet this is what Paul was trying to warn us of there in 1 Thess. 5.

So how might a ‘sincere believer’ know for sure...if they are truly abiding in Jesus...or maybe have been following ‘another Jesus’, even having ‘received another spirit’? It’s not a difficult test to take. In fact, Paul admonishes us to do that very thing...’examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith and pass the test’. (2 Cor. 13:5)

IF...you are truly abiding in Jesus, then His grace is what is empowering you to ‘go and sin no more’ so that you can truly ‘walk as He walked’. (1 John 2:6; 3:6; John 15:4-5). But...if you are like many...who ‘sin regularly’ and yet continue to claim you have ‘peace’, maybe feeling a bit unsettled at times but not really worried because you are ‘under the blood’ and ‘saved by grace’...chances are...there has been a ‘disconnect’. Imagine discovering, for example, that the smoke/fire alarms in your home had never been connected and were not working at all. And if you were prone to worrying or being fearful of your home catching fire, yet found comfort and...’peace’ knowing that you would be awakened in the event of...only to find out they were not ‘hooked up’, that might cause you some concern. Why you might drop everything else you were doing and get those devices hooked up...lest ‘something worse come upon you’. (John 15:4)