I've entitled tonight's message,
Pursuing Peace and Holiness. Verse 14, follow or pursue peace
with all and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. I look up in verse 12 of this
passage. This is actually a quotation
from Isaiah chapter 35. As a matter of fact, hold your
finger there and turn with me to Isaiah 35. Verse three. Strengthen ye the weak hands
and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful
heart, be strong, fear not. Behold, your God will come with
vengeance, even God with a recompense. And this is referring to the
cross. He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind
shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an heart, and the tongue of
the dumb sing. For in the wilderness shall waters
break out, and streams in the desert, and the parched ground
shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water.
In the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass
with reeds and rushes, and on the highway shall be there and
away. and it should be called the Way
of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over,
but it should be for those, the wayfaring men, though fools shall
not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any
ravenous beast shall go up thereupon. It shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there in this Way of Holiness. And
the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with
songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. And they shall obtain
joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isn't
that a wonderful passage of scripture. Now back to our text in Hebrews
chapter 12, verse 12, wherefore. Lift up the hands, which hang
down like we were just reading about in Isaiah 35. Lift up those
hands, which hang down in the feeble knees. Now this statement
is made in light of what he says in verse one, when he says in
the last phrase, let us run with patience the race that is set
before us. Now during a race, you're liable
to have your hands hang down. And your knees can become feeble.
And you can go back and forth like that. I did it once. I was
running a half marathon. Never ran a marathon, but I ran
a half marathon. And about 11 miles into the race, there was
a woman that was ahead of me. And I thought, she's not going
to beat me. And she was outrunning me, and
I thought, I'll die before I let her beat me. And she beat me,
and I died. I mean, at the end, I'd never
been that tired before. I was running so hard, I started
going back and forth, and couldn't run straight, and just hit the
ground at the line. I was just, I learned what it
meant to have weak hands. and enfeebled knees. And that's really what he's talking
about in light of running this race. And you know this race,
let us run with patience the race that is set before us. The course of our life is compared
to running a race. Let us run with patience the
race. You've got a race, I've got a
course. Let us run with patience the
race that's at force. Now this word race is also translated
conflict, contention, and fight. It's an athletic contest, but
it's more often than not referred to as a fight. Paul said fight, the good fight
of faith. Now there's nothing easy about
a fight. There's nothing easy about a race. It's a conflict. There's much conflict involved.
There's much contention. This running a race, there's
nothing easy about it. Now, there's a very real sense
in which it's easy because like I said a couple of weeks ago,
we start this race at the finish line and we've already won. In Christ Jesus, we start at
the finish line. And the Lord also said, take
my yoke upon you and learn of me for I'm meek and lowly in
heart. You'll find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my
burden is light because he carries it all and makes it easy and
gracious. But it's still true that this
is compared to a fight and there's nothing easy about this. And
there's a reason for that. We've got something called the
flesh. Galatians 5, 17 says the flesh lusts against the spirit. And that's not talking about
the Holy spirit. That's talking about the spiritual man. The
flesh lusts against the spirit. The spirit lusts against the
flesh. This is that same spirit where
we read last week of he's called the father of spirits. The flesh
lusts against the spirit, the spirit lusts against the flesh,
they're contrary one to another. So that you cannot do the things
you would. Do you remember when the Lord
came in the garden of Gethsemane and asked the disciples to pray
with him? And he finds them all asleep. He said, couldn't you
watch one hour with me? And then he made this statement.
The spirit indeed is willing. But the flesh is, the word is
impotent, without strength, weak, without strength. So you can
see some difficulty that is involved in running this race. And these
were where these hands hang down and these feeble knees. Now he'd already given instructions
with regard to this race. He said in verse one, wherefore
seeing were Also compassed about was so great a cloud of witnesses
talking about everybody mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11. Let us
lay aside every weight, anything that would hinder us in this
race. Let us lay aside every weight
and the sin, the sin. Same for everybody. Sin of unbelief. That's the sin. Fed by self-righteousness. Self-righteousness brings on
unbelief. Twin sisters, they, where you
have one, you have the other. Let us lay aside every weight
in the sin, which thus so easily beset us looking to self, self
righteousness, and let us run with patience. The race that
is set before us and how's this race to be run? Looking unto
Jesus. looking away from everything
else and looking to him only, looking to him as the author
and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was said before
him endured the cross, despising the shame. And I sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God, even while I'm preaching
right now, there's one set down at the right hand of the throne
of God, representing his people ruling the earth. And then he
says, for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners
against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds. You've not resisted unto blood
striving against sin, and you've forgotten the exhortation which
speaketh unto you as unto children." We forget we're children. That's so easy. We become slaves
in our minds and we forget we're children. And he says, you've
forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you and said, children,
my son despised not thou the chasing of the Lord, nor faint
when thou art rebuked of him. So he's talking about running
this race. And he says in verse 12, wherefore
lift up the hands, which hang down in the feeble knees. Now that word lift up. is the
same word used with regard to that woman who was bent over.
You remember her in Luke chapter 13? The scripture says she could
in no wise lift up herself. What a horrible state she was
in. And the Lord said, woman thou
art loose from thine infirmities. It's used with regard to rebuilding. Building that which is repaired
and broken down. Now, you know as well as I do
that me and you both are very liable to have the weak hands
and feeble knees. You run this race, it will happen. You will find yourself with weak
hands and feeble knees because you still have the flesh to deal
with. You know he's there all the time. And that's what causes our hands
to hang down and weakens our knees as we run this course. And generally when we're like
this, we've forgotten that we're sons. And we've forgotten that we've
already passed the finish line and we're already accepted in
the beloved and we become self-absorbed. discouraged, and it's only the
grace of God, his enabling strength that will enable us to lift up
the hands that hang down and the feeble knees renewing us
in this race, running toward the place we've already started,
the finish line. Now look what he says in verse
13. He says, make straight paths
for your feet. Lest that which is lame be turned
out of the way, but let it rather be healed. Now, this is a quotation
from Proverbs chapter four. Would you turn to Proverbs chapter
four? Verse 25. Let thine eyes look right on,
and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path
of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not
to the right hand, nor to the left. Remove thy foot from evil. make a straight path. Now, the
analogy for making a straight path is when a farmer is plowing,
what's he do? He looks, if I want a straight
path to that clock, I'm back on that wall and I'm plowing
a furrow, I'm not going to take my eyes off that clock. I'm going
to keep moving to that clock. I'm not going to look down at
my feet to see how they're doing. I'm not going to look to the
side to see somebody else is doing. As soon as I look to the
side, I'm going to veer off. I'm not going to look behind
me to see how straight the furrow is. No, I'm to look straight
to that clock and look nowhere. Now that is what it is to look
to the Lord Jesus Christ. You look to him only. You don't look at your feet.
You don't look at your walk. You sure don't look at the walk
of somebody else. You don't look behind you to look for evidences.
You look straight to the Lord Jesus Christ and don't be looking
anywhere else. It's wrong. The only way my weak
hands are going to be strengthened and the only way my weak knees
and feeble knees are going to be strengthened is by looking
to Christ. That's it. It's that simple.
Looking to Christ, looking unto Jesus. And that word, the only
time that word is used in the New Testament, you look away
from everything else and fix your eyes and your gaze upon
him, who he is, what he did, where he is, and you look to
him only. This is not trying to, well,
I need to do some kind of spiritual pushups to get stronger. I need
to do spiritual squats to strengthen my knees. look to the Lord Jesus
Christ, you make straight paths. And the only way that is done
is by continuing to look to him and not being corrupted from
the simplicity, the onlyness of Christ. Don't you love that
word, the onlyness of Christ? I love that. You don't have any
choices. You don't have any options. There's
only one place to look. Everything else is bad. Looking
unto Jesus. Not looking to your experience,
not looking to how well you're doing, not looking to how much
you understand, not looking to how much you're growing, not
looking to how changed you are. Forget all of that. Looking unto
Jesus. Make straight paths. Don't veer
off to the right or to the left as the wise man said in Proverbs,
making straight paths. I was thinking about this scripture.
As you Colossians 2, 6, as you received Christ. How'd you receive him? Now, I
couldn't tell you when I first believed. I don't know. I know
I did at some point. I can't tell you the date as
to when that was. But I do know this. When I first
looked to Him, when I first received Him, I received Him as all I
had. I didn't have anything along
with Him. I didn't have anything to add to Him. My only hope was
who He is. and what he did in my behalf. No other hope. Look to him only. Now, as you received Christ Jesus,
the Lord, so walk in him. Do you ever graduate past him
being the only thing you have? Well, if you do, you're in trouble. You've gone too far. It's looking
to Him only. That's what He's talking about
when He's talking about make straight paths. Don't veer off to the
right. Don't veer off to the left. And that's what prevents
that which is lame being turned out of the way. If I do anything
but look to Christ only, that which is lame will be turned
out of the way. I'm to continue looking to Him
only. That's what perseverance in the
faith is. It's not staying religious. It's continuing to look to Him
only. The last breath you take upon
this earth will be looking to Him only. My hope is built on
nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not
trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. Now, it's only looking to Him
only that you won't be turned aside. If you don't, that which
is lame will be turned aside. He said, make straight paths.
Don't veer off, lest that which is lame be turned aside. You see, it's only continuing
to look to Christ that there's healing. That's the only way. There is no other way. He healed them. that had need
of healing. Do you have need of healing? The holy not a physician, but
they that are sick. Are you sick? He said, I came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The only way I'll not be turned
aside is by continuing to look to him. Now, verse 12, wherefore
lift up the hands which hang down in the feeble knees and
make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame
be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. By his
stripes we are healed. Now the exhortation, follow, pursue. Now that's strong language. This is not something you're
half-hearted about. This is not something that's a take or leave
it. Follow. Pursue. Make this your aim. Make
this your goal. Make this your purpose in life.
Follow. Pursue. Relentlessly pursue. Peace with all men. And more than that,
Make this your pursuit, peace and holiness, without which no
man shall see the Lord. Now, there are several things
in the New Testament we're told to pursue. I love 1 Corinthians
14, 1, make charity your aim, pursue charity, follow after
charity. You want something to pursue?
Charity. Pursue hospitality. Pursue the mark of the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ. Pursue that which is
good. Don't you love that exhortation?
Pursue that which is good. Paul said to Timothy, pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Pursue
peace. Now right now. By the grace of
God, while you're sitting there listening to this message, pursue
peace. Peace is a feeling. And you might have peace and
it's not a well-grounded peace. Or you might have peace that's
a well-grounded peace. I'm sure that there are many
people who have found peace or felt peace And found out in no
certain terms, they woke up in hell, feeling all kinds of peace.
I don't want to have that kind of peace. I want to have a well
grounded peace, but peace is a feeling the peace of God that
passes understanding and what peace a believer experiences
in his heart when he sees that Christ is his peace. He is. our peace. Ephesians 2, 14, you know what
gives me a peaceful feeling? That he himself is my peace. Having made peace, Colossians
1, 20, having made peace through the blood of his cross by him
to reconcile all things to himself, by him I say, whether they be
things in earth or in heaven, and you that were before time
aliens and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath
he reconciled." Right now, in the body of his flesh through
death to present you holy, unblameable, unreprovable in his sight. Christ is so much my peace. that
I, in my person, through the gospel, am holy, unblameable,
nothing to bring to my charge, unreprovable in his sight. I give you peace. Therefore,
being justified. Now, if you're justified, that
means that Jesus Christ kept the law for you, and that he
put away your sins, and you now stand before God as one who has
never sinned. Does that give you peace? The justified work of God in
Christ. Oh, what peace there is in the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is called the God of peace.
And we also read of the peace of God. Christ said, my peace
will I give to you. Now think of that. Think of the
peace Christ has. It's hard to get up. It's hard
to even think about it. But he's at such peace. He's
at peace because who he is. He's at peace because he controls
everything. His will is always done. He's never frustrated.
He never worries. He's at peace. Oh, and he says,
my peace I give. unto you. That is the possession
of every child of God. He is peace. I love when Peter
makes this summary of his preaching. Preaching peace by Jesus Christ. That covers it all, doesn't it?
He is Lord of all. That's a summary of everything
we believe, isn't it? Peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. The Lord said, these things have
I spoken unto you that in me, there's my peace in him. These things have I spoken unto
you that in me, you might have peace. In the world, you'll have
tribulation. You're gonna have sorrow. You're
gonna have very difficult things. But be of good cheer. And if
the Lord says be of good cheer, guess what? You and I are to
be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Romans 14, 17, the
kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. We read in Romans 15, 13 of the
joy and peace of believing. You know, there's
nothing more peaceful or joyous than simply believing the gospel. That's the greatest experience
this life has. And, well, it's not an experience
of this life. It's an experience of the heavenly
life. The joy and peace of believing. Now, pursue peace. And if it
be possible, Paul said, as much as life in you is, live peaceably
with all men. Don't be contentious. Don't be
looking for a fight. Live peaceably with all men as
much as you can. And sometimes you can't, you
know, there's going to be people that are going to get upset with
the peace you have, because if that's your peace, that means their
peace is no good. They're not going to like that. And that's going to
create conflict. Well, that's okay. But if it's
possible, if it's possible, live peaceably with all men. I love the scripture. Endeavor. to keep the unity of
the spirit in the bond of peace. Let the peace of God rule in
your heart, Colossians 3.15. You know what that means? Let
the peace of God be the umpire. That's what the word rule means.
There's the umpire. The peace of God. If it's contrary
to the peace of God, it's wrong. Let the peace of God rule in
your heart. The fruit of the spirit is peace. And the only way this race can
be run is to pursue this peace the Bible has been describing. Peace. I'd like to bottle it,
wouldn't you? Well, we have a bottle. in Christ. It's a peace that
knows no variations. You might not feel it as much
one time as the other, but it doesn't change the ground of
it. He is our peace. Pursue peace. Be a peacemaker. You know, I love that, uh, beatitude. Blessed are the peacemakers.
Today shall be called the children of God. Pursue peace. And look at the next thing he
says in verse 14. Follow, pursue peace with all,
with God, with men, among yourselves. Follow, pursue peace with all. And holiness, without which no
man shall see the Lord. Pursue, follow after holiness. without which no man will see the Lord. Now, if I
don't have this holiness as my possession, I won't pursue it. Think about that. You don't do
something to pursue holiness. You pursue holiness because you're
holy. Be ye holy. For I am holy. You can only be holy if you are
holy. And that's what happens in the
new birth. You're given a holy nature. And when you're given
this holy nature, you know what you desire? To pursue holiness. Be ye holy. I love this scripture.
This covers every area of our life. be ye holy in all manner
of conversation." I don't care what it is, there's the rule,
be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Now, this holiness, the same
word is used with regard to what Christ has made into us. First
Corinthians 130, Of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is
made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification. It's the same
word, holiness. It's the exact same word in the
Greek. Now, how can I pursue holiness? It's a very important question.
I'm to pursue it just like I do peace. But there's nothing I
can do to make myself holy, just like there's nothing I can do
to achieve peace. I've got to look for it outside myself. Pursue
holiness. I'd like you to look at 2 Thessalonians
2, while you're turning there, this thing of holiness. Ephesians
1-4, I was elected, why? I was chosen, why? holy according
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that
we should be holy and without blame before him. When Christ
died for me, you know what he did? He made me holy. by the which will we are made
holy, sanctified, made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. Now in 2 Thessalonians chapter
two, verse 13, but we are bound To
thank, to give thanks always to God for you. Brethren, beloved of the Lord. Can you imagine being beloved
of the Lord? If you're a believer, that's
you. You're beloved to God. Heaven wouldn't be heaven to
him without you being there. He gave his son for you, beloved
of the Lord. Because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth. Now I'm so thankful that he put
these two things together. What is the evidence of sanctification
of the spirit? Belief of the truth. What is the cause of belief of
the truth? Sanctification of the spirit. You know how you can pursue sanctification? By believing the truth. Now chew on that. How do I pursue
holiness, sanctification of the spirit? By believing the truth. The Lord said in John chapter
17, verse 17, sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. And if I'm going to pursue sanctification
and I want to be holy in all manner of conversation, don't
you? I love holiness. I love Him who
is holy. I love His Holy Spirit. I love
His Holy Son, the Holy One of God. I love His otherness. Pursue holiness. How? Believe
the truth. I'm not going to give you a list
of things that you can start doing that will make you more
holy. Why, that would deny what holiness is in the first place.
Holiness is nothing you do to become holy. There's nothing
you do to become holier. Believe the truth. Believe the
gospel. Oh, in believing the gospel,
you are pursuing holiness. This is what Paul was referring
to, really, when he said in 2 Corinthians 7, 1, perfecting holiness in
the fear of God. How do you do that? Believe the
truth. The fear of God, same thing,
same thing. Now we have a race to run, a
race that's set before us. And remember Paul said, if a
man strive for the masteries, he is not crammed, except he
strive lawfully. Remember that scripture in 2
Timothy 2? The only way to run this race
is to look to Jesus. only, the author and the finisher
of our faith. To consider him, to not forget
our sonship because of him and its benefits, his chasing. Oh, what a blessing to be chasing
to the Lord, to have his direction, to have chasing isn't him punishing
you and beating you because it's the training of a child that
he loves. It's being beloved of the Lord. Make straight paths. to prevent those hands hanging
down in feeble knees, pursuing peace. The peace of God, peace with
God because of the peace He made. Pursuing peace and holiness without
which no man shall see the Lord. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your
word. Lord, how we thank you that you've
put us in this race set before us. And we pray for grace to
lay aside every weight and let us lay aside that sin that we
so easily fall prey to. Let us run with patience that
race that set before us looking to thy dear son, the author and
the finisher of faith. Lord, how we thank you for that
in your word. We know faith doesn't come from us. It's your gift.
You're the author of it and the finisher of it. And you put it
in us and we ask you to do that. Lord, increase our faith. Lord,
enable us to make straight paths, deliver us from weaving to the
right and the left, but to look to thy son only. Oh, Lord, let us pursue peace. And Lord, let us pursue holiness. And Lord, how we look forward
to that time. when we're gonna behold you with
no sin clouding the view. Lord, you said in your word,
you come quickly. We say even so come Lord Jesus. Bless this message for Christ's
sake. In his name we pray, amen.