In this message, Pastor Ben exhorts us to observe three signposts we will see along the narrow road to glory. 1. Remembering God’s great salvation 2. Pursuing peace and holiness 3. Treasuring our birthright

This morning we’re going to talk again about running. And maybe you are growing tired of talk about running. But running the Christian life, as one godly man used to say, is a long obedience in the same direction. And we all have journeys to take in our life. Not just the journey of life or the journey of the Christian life, but we all travel from one place to another.

And sometimes on long journeys, we often question, especially if we haven’t been this way before, if we’re going in the right direction. Example, how many of you have driven from Regina to Swift Current? You know once you hit Moose Jaw that there’s not a lot between Regina and Swift Current. But how many of you have driven between Swift Current and Medicine Hat? There is even less between Swift Current and Medicine Hat. And to top it all off, if you drive from Medicine Hat to Calgary, there’s this vast expanse of nothing. Brooks is this oasis in the middle of nowhere, and it’s wonderful. But you wonder if you’ve never been that way before, am I really going the right way? It doesn’t seem like I’m making progress because I’m seeing so much of the same thing, the same cow, the same tree, the same power pole, and I don’t know if I’m making progress. And maybe it’s the middle of winter. Maybe it’s late at night. Maybe you don’t feel safe driving. But you must press on. You have an appointment to keep, a date to make, something important you must get to. And so, in the midst of the whiteout and in the midst of the blizzard, you keep going. And then you see the signpost and you know you’re going in the right direction.

And the Christian life is a lot like this. Especially if you’ve been running a long time, you find yourself saying, “Lord, how do I know I’m making progress? How do I know that I’m still on the narrow way and have not turned aside to the wide road that leads to destruction?” And so today I want to talk about three signposts, three landmarks that show if we are running on the narrow way. Three signposts that tell us we are running along the narrow way.

Signpost One: Strengthened by God’s Salvation

The first signpost is that we are strengthened by God’s salvation. Hebrews 12:12 and 13 as Andrea read for us: “Therefore, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees and make straight paths for your feet so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”

So as you know verse 12 starts with a “therefore” which means we need to look back to see why is the “therefore” there. And we remember the start of chapter 12, verses 1, 2, 3 where the Christian life is described in these two ways: this race where we set aside every sin that entangles, every hindrance to running, and we fix our eyes unto Jesus. Look ahead to Christ. The one who has actually run this race before us. Who has suffered the scourging of the Lord, who has been disciplined as a son and who has made it to the destination which is glory where he reigns right now. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.

Therefore, verse 12, lift up your drooping hands. Strengthen your weak knees. How are they strengthened? How can I lift up my arms when I’m tired? When I’m weary? Beholding the glory of Christ is what will strengthen us. Not only remembering his example of faithful endurance but also remembering the great salvation we are moving toward step by step because this verse is actually quoting a passage from Isaiah 35. Isaiah 35:3 and 4. And it’s an exact quote. The author does not want us to miss this passage from Isaiah which reads like this: “Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, be strong. Fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

There is a coming salvation. Be strengthened by the fact that you will both reach glory as you run this narrow race to see Christ and that he is also coming back to set the world right, to judge the world in righteousness and also that the saints will reign with him in glory. This is what should strengthen the believer. The fact that as we lift up arms that are heavy and tired, as we press on, we can be strengthened by the fact that Christ has gone ahead and Christ now reigns and can give us the grace to keep going.

These are people who are looking forward to their final and full salvation even though they haven’t arrived at it yet. They’re looking forward not to heaven because as we say often from this pulpit, heaven is worth nothing. The streets of gold are worth nothing. The gates of pearl are worth nothing. Whatever precious and beautiful gems and metals are hanging out in heaven are worth nothing apart from the abiding and glorious presence of God. Zippo. Zero. Nothing. If God is not there in glory.

There’s a phrase that you might have learned when you were driving and it’s this. It’s so simple. Look where you want to go. I heard this often, very often. Don’t stare at the headlights in the other lane, Ben. Stare at the road. Yes, I will. Because what happens if you stare at the oncoming traffic? Bam. You’re going to get hurt. You are going to get hurt bad if you do not look to where you want to go. And considering we want not just to go to heaven, but to see Christ because we do not see him now, we must look to him always. And beholding the glory of Christ, the one who suffered, the one who died, the one who rose again, and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

If we look to him, and this isn’t just staring up into heaven, after Christ ascended, two angels come because the disciples are doing just that. And the angels say, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand staring into heaven? This Jesus will come in like manner.” So don’t just stand there gaping into heaven. Gape at this instead. Because here is the clear testimony of Christ. Behold him in his word. Here is his glory. Look to him. See him. Who is he? What has he done? And what is he doing for me as I trust him and walk with him in faith? That is the guidepost. And as you do that, as you catch these glimpses and glances of Jesus, you will understand that I am going the right way. I’m going to see him in glory.

Signpost Two: Striving for Peace and Holiness

The second guidepost, the second signpost is a striving for peace and holiness. Verse 14, “strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

Now, I don’t know if that scares you because often when we talk about holiness, especially in our church tradition, we equate holiness with a sense of moral purity. If a Christian is described as holy, that means that they don’t do this sin. That means that they don’t do that sin. That means that my level of sinlessness is like here. Now maybe you are familiar with, maybe you grew up in a Catholic background and you were told about these saints who preached the gospel to nations, who fasted for 40 days, who could levitate when they prayed while mass was being said. Crazy things. And those were holy people because they forgot about everything else in the world and locked themselves in the monastery and said, “I am seeking God.” Well, this is not the kind of holiness the author of Hebrews is talking about.

Because although an intense focus on God is to be commended, our holiness affects every single part of us. It’s not about a certain moral standard. It’s about having fellowship with God and being like him. Remember Moses? Moses goes up on Mount Sinai and when he comes down his face is just radiant and all Israel says, “Moses, we can’t look at you. You’re reflecting God’s glory so much you have to put a veil on.” And as the believer seeks God and goes into his presence, we will reflect his glory. We will be more like him. But I’m getting ahead of myself because we have to talk about how peace and holiness work together. There’s a reason the author pairs these two things. And they’re paired in verses 10 and 11 as well.

Hebrews 12:10, “For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them. But he, that is our father, disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Peace and holiness go together. And for those that will submit themselves to the mighty hand of God’s discipline in whatever way it is to come, peace with each other will come. And holiness because the holiness without which no one will see the Lord is the kind of holiness that comes from approaching God. Which sounds kind of weird, but I will explain it more.

Hebrews chapter 7 verse 26 says this, talking about Christ as the high priest: “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need like those high priests to offer sacrifices daily. First for his own sins and then for those of the people since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.”

We cannot draw near to God. Mortal man cannot approach the glory of God. No one could enter the most holy place where the glory of God was revealed in the temple except the high priest once a year and only with blood. But Jesus Christ, as we’ve talked about for weeks, is our great high priest. He is holy. He is innocent. He is unstained. He is separated from sinners. And therefore, on our behalf, he can approach God and offer a sacrifice once for all. And the one who is holy by declaring us righteous, by cleansing us from sin, by offering up himself in our place now has thrown the door to the holy of holies wide open. That is why we can say with confidence from chapter 4 verses 15 and 16: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

We can enter the holy place because Christ has declared us holy. And as we enter the holy place more and more, seek God, approach God through prayer, through his word, we will share in his holiness. The holiness without which no one will see the Lord is the holiness that the one who seeks the Lord has because the pagans are not holy. Those who will not approach God are not holy. But those who approach God through the finished work of Jesus, through Jesus’s continual work praying, interceding and seeking the blessing and grace for his people from his father. That is what declares us holy. And Christ will make us holy. We will reflect more and more of his glory and his image. We will truly be like him in every way in righteousness and in holiness.

And as we seek Christ, as we are more conformed to his image, the result of that will be, as we read, peace with everyone. Because when you are striving to please God, peace with his people, peace with the members of his body is a great result of that. Because I don’t know about you, but when we take our eyes off of Christ in the gospel is often when our divisions come. If the body of Christ, believers who come together to worship and know God more, if this stops being our main focus, if this stops being our delight, this is what makes us a church. There are many churches that call themselves churches and they don’t have this. They have people in the pews. They have programs. They might have Sunday school. They might have preaching from the Bible. But if Jesus Christ crucified and risen is not treasured and proclaimed as the only way of salvation and the people who assemble to celebrate that believe that, we do not have a church.

And if we in taking our eyes off of Christ fix them onto something else, the color of the carpet, building a building, serving even good things, serving the needs of the poor. If our main focus ceases to be this, strife and division comes up really, really fast. How can you be at peace with your fellow man if you forget that? Because we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God. We won’t. Because we have peace with God. We can have peace with his people. Let us not forget that.

And so, who knows if you have a quarrel with somebody here today, for lack of a better term, if you have beef with the man who sits at the big chair in that office. Why is it because you have a concern for the health of our church and want to share it to build up the body? Or is it because you have a bone to pick? Not just with him, but with anyone else in this congregation. If we are not at peace with one another, we are missing a big part of the Christian life. A big part.

And I promise you, what may seem like a small rift, a small crack will go much deeper if we do not take the mortar of the gospel and cover it over. Love covers over a multitude of sins. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Corrects our hearts. Take that gospel mortar today and slap it on. We need it very much. And if that is a marker of your life, that is signpost number two that you are running in the right direction.

Signpost Three: Do Not Despise Your Birthright

Signpost three, you do not despise your birthright. Now, birthright, what does that mean? Well, I’ll read from verses 15-17 here: “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God. That no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled, that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.”

Esau’s birthright. We know Esau, red man, hairy man, man who is the firstborn son of Isaac, who has the promise of all of Isaac’s wealth and inheritance when Isaac dies. And Isaac is going to die soon in this story because he’s getting old and blind and foolish. The promise of being the ruler of the family, the next patriarch, inherit all of this wealth and prestige from Isaac. But Esau in his fleshly desire, in his shortsightedness, he’s not looking ahead to the goal. He is looking straight down at the step in front of him and he says, “Right now, I’m hungry.” And crafty old Jacob says, “Give me your birthright and I’ll give you some stew.”

What a foolish exchange. But also, what a way of disrespecting your father. What good is my birthright? Give me this stew. We say it’s dumb because it is. But dear friends, here is the thing we cannot forget. When Esau in all of his sinfulness and verses 15 through 17 actually describes Esau’s sinfulness, he fails to obtain the grace of God. Esau is not a part of God’s salvation plan in the same way that Jacob is.

Root of bitterness refers to the kind of, it’s a quote from Deuteronomy, refers to the kind of idolatry where the idolater says I will keep my idols and nothing bad will happen to me because God does not see, God can’t see in the dark. God can’t see what I do in my secret room. God cannot see what is not in public. That is not true. No one is sexually immoral or godless like Esau. Esau marries a foreign wife. Esau’s life does not reflect a life of faith in God in myriads of ways. But above all else, he despises his birthright. He’s been promised a great inheritance. He’s promised a great privilege being the head of this family, but he follows pleasure and sin. And dear friends, this is something that none of us are immune from.

When you become a Christian, God promises you a wonderful inheritance. As we quote the verse from Romans often, the one who gave us his own son, did not spare for us his own son. Will he not graciously give us all things? If you want to inherit the world and the universe and everything that God has power over, become a Christian. Because as Christ reigns over it all, we will reign with him in glory. But Esau sees only what will give him immediate satisfaction. And so he exchanges his birthright for stew. I don’t know how it tasted, but I’m sure it wasn’t worth it.

But we know this, we know that Esau desired to inherit the blessing, his father’s blessing, and he did not. For he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. He sought the blessing with tears. He said, “Oh, God, give me the blessing. Oh, God, give me the blessing. Oh, God, give me the blessing.” But he didn’t repent. He didn’t turn from his sin. We don’t know where Esau was, where he died. Sure, he reconciled with his brother Jacob, but the state of his soul, only God knows. Esau forgot that sin has consequences.

He persisted and persisted and persisted in seeking the blessing without seeking God. What did we sing? Once it was the blessing. Now it is the Lord. We don’t want something but someone because Christ is so much greater than anything you can have. And yes, as we become a Christian and trust in him, there are benefits. There’s the fruit of the spirit. There’s the promise of glory. But it comes all by seeking himself. And Esau doesn’t seek himself. Esau doesn’t seek God. He persists in his sin and reaps the consequences.

Hear this carefully. Only God knows how far we will go into sin before we pass the point of no return. We do not. Only God knows how far you will go into your sin before you will decide that turning back to Christ is not a good idea. But dear listener, dear hearer, do not grow fearful nor tremble or doubt if you have repented enough. Notice the complete lack of grief Esau has over sin. There’s no sign he has any remorse. No remorse whatsoever.

But the Christian who grieves over sin and runs again to the throne of grace has responded rightly. Again, the holiness without which no one will see the Lord is not the standard of moral purity, but rather an attitude of the heart that will always run back to Christ for mercy. But as we run back to Christ for mercy, Christ will not leave us the same. He will not leave us the same and will conform us more to his image. It may take 50 years. It may take 40 years to get over some besetting sin that you have. It may take ages of prayer and grappling with God’s word and thinking and meditating and calling people to pray for you and asking for help from wise people and using every weapon in the Christian’s arsenal to walk with God and stand firm against temptation and the devil.

Your birthright, what you have been given in Christ Jesus as a child of the King is an intimate relationship with the Lord, unparalleled access into the throne room of God, and unparalleled favor and love from the most high. Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God, and that is what we are.

So to despise your birthright, to commit apostasy is to refuse to go to God for that grace. So as long as you go to him for grace, as long as you repent every time you fall, as long as you embrace his mercy instead of your attempts to atone for your own sin, there is mercy that is delighting in your birthright.

Application

So, how do we actually apply this text as we walk the Christian life and as we notice these signposts along the narrow way? As we are strengthened by God’s salvation, as we strive for peace and holiness, as we refuse to abuse the grace of God and instead seek his grace at all times, never doubting he will receive us by faith. What do we actually do?

The first is meditate on the gospel and on Jesus Christ. Remember where we’re going. Remember what we’re looking towards. It is Jesus. It is the risen savior. It is himself. That’s why I love that hymn so much because I don’t know about you, but in my own Christian life, the temptation is to seek something rather than someone. And the battle of walking the narrow way is more about finding every way I can prevent sin instead of seeking the glory and goodness of God. Preventing sin is only one half of the equation. And I promise you, as I prepared this message this week, I failed miserably.

But God is still gracious. God is still gracious. And however you might whatever you might wrestle against, whatever you might thought you might try to put down, the only successful remedy will be fixing your eyes on the gospel. Not only what Christ has done as in saving you and declaring you righteous, but also in what Christ is doing in sanctifying you, in making you more like him. Both we must think about or our hearts and our thoughts will wander back into the narrow way or the wide way because the ruts are deep. It’s easy to slip into the wide way. So seek him. Read your Bible and look for Jesus. Pray in the name of Christ.

Share your faith. There’s no better way of remembering the gospel than having to share it with somebody else. Let the gospel be on your heart and your mind at the forefront. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks, says the Gospel of Matthew.

Secondly, seek peace and love with your neighbor. And I know that it’s not easy. God knows it’s not easy. But he also knows that his power and grace is more than sufficient. If Christ can forgive the ones that crucified him, if Christ can love the people who put him to death, surely you and I can be at peace with our neighbor. Surely, and this is not because we are sufficient. This is because God is powerful and peace cannot exist in a church that is dominated by division, by strife, by gossip. And yes, gossip is just as destructive as many things. And we are not immune from it because gossip sows just doubt and division and focuses on oh what that person did or this person did or what they might have done or who knows how this story has gone instead of truth. Truth that comes from knowing Christ.

Don’t content yourself with the latest news on whoever because it’s probably not accurate anyway. What will always be accurate and more than that will change your heart is God’s word and God’s gospel. So the next time somebody offers you some tidbit, however juicy, say, “I know what’s true.” And what’s true is important. If you have to rebuke a dear brother or sister in the Lord, please do because it’s not done with a high hand. It’s not out of sense. I’m holier than you. But we need to share in God’s holiness. And God is always truthful. Let God be true and every man a liar. And let his people also be true.

So run this way. Look for the signposts. Throw yourself wholly and completely on the mercy and power of Jesus Christ. And if you do not know Christ, if you have not come to him in faith, come to him today. There are probably over a hundred people here that could tell you who he is and what he does for those who will confess their sin and come to him in faith. So, let’s approach him now in prayer together.

Prayer

Lord, we are thankful for the privilege of approaching you. Father, this life is long to us. It is very short in your sight. And God, we ask you by your power to work in our hearts that we might look for these signs that we are on the right path. And Lord, if we are not, that you would drag us back and direct us to do what is right. That we might not turn to the right or to the left, but walk with you faithfully. Lord, help us to remember and walk in your great salvation, to seek peace and pursue it, remembering that since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God. Lord, have mercy upon us, but let us confidently come to you seeking your grace which you are glad to give. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.