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Grace Notes Sermon Ministry:
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Highway to Heaven
In
memorial: Steve Barnes
Steve was a lot more than a
trucker. He was a family man, a
great husband and dad, and a friend to everyone, and I called him the teddy
bear of Grace Baptist. We all
know someone who could brighten a room by leaving it...Steve was just the
opposite. His smile was
contagious, his laugh was ornery, and his laser pointer drew more than one
feature on a church member across the room or a pastor in the pulpit!
The shirt might not have been tucked in, but this was the guy you
walked across the room past many others to talk to - he was a gravitational
force in more ways than one!
Yes, he was much more than
a trucker, but when it came to vocations he would say, "Is there anything
else?" He kept it between the
lines for decades, all the way until the end when it was time to park it and
take the exit from this world to a much better one - where this guy who was
all heart traded in his worn out ticker for one that will never stop for all
eternity!
Let's call this 'highway to
heaven.' The doubter says you
can't know if there is a heaven.
Well I know it. He says it's a
place we've made up to make ourselves feel better at funerals.
It sure makes me feel better today, I'll grant you that, but I've got
good reason to believe in it...I'm trusting the inspired Word of God which
is always proven true, and its Author, the God who cannot lie, Who created
the heaven and the earth, and provides the strength and breath to the
doubter to make his arrogant and ignorant statement in this life, before he
stands before his Maker someday when every knee will bow and every tongue
will confess.
"OK, so even if heaven is
real do you know Steve is there?"
That's a BIG 10-4! I was
there by his hospital bed about 7 years ago when Steve got saved the Bible
way...he was born again that day and though he was told he may not have many
years on this earth he began living eternal life on that day and today it
continues in a finer fashion than any of us have ever dreamed...and it will
never end! I know he is there
and I'll see him again...will you?
I know Steve and just like Marda, I know he wants me to tell you the
truth about life and death on this day.
I baptized the guy [and
myself in the process], but that's not why he is in heaven today.
He joined the church, but
that didn't make him a Christian.
He was an all around good
guy, even taught me to double clutch and not grind gears, but the Bible says
many good people will be in hell because they didn't do what Steve did:
Accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior...as the only way, and your
one way ticket on the highway to heaven!
Jesus is the way, the truth
and the life...
Isaiah 35:8-10
8
And an highway shall be there...and it shall be called The way
of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for
those: [others! ...even fools can't miss it!] the wayfaring men, though
fools, shall not err therein.
9
No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go
up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk
there:
10 And the
ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to
What is this road? It's the
King’s Highway! It spans all the
chasms of human wretchedness. It
tunnels through all the mountains of earthly difficulty.
It’s wide enough and strong enough to hold the entire human race
should they choose to travel that way.
It was blasted out by the
Rock of ages
And cemented with the blood
of the cross
It was built with the
shouting of Angels
while demons trembled in
fear.
The King sent his Son to
build this road. He put his head and hand and heart to it, and after the
road was completed, he waived his blistered hand over the way crying, IT IS
FINISHED!
1. It’s a CLEAN Highway
Many fine roads have become
ugly and desecrated because they have not been properly cared for.
But our text says...the
unclean shall not walk on this one.
Steve wasn't perfect, but forgiven!
And so, clean!
There’s no place on this
road for the blackness of sin.
This highway is only for
those who have had their sin cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ,
and have had them cast into the sea of forgetfulness!
This is a clean
highway…there’s no littering on this road. It’s the highway of Holiness.
There’s no road raged, foul
mouths to have to plug our ears from.
There’s no chewing tobacco wads we’ll have to sidestep.
There’s no pornographic billboards on this road brother.
There’s no signs telling you Abortion is Right.
No men holding hands on this road.
This is a clean highway! Many will travel it that USED TO participate
in all the above, but like Steve, they were saved from their sins and chose
to head down a new road.
2. It’s a PLAIN highway
You can't miss it if you
look for it.
That is, if a man is an
idiot, he can find this road just as well as if he were a philosopher.
The imbecile has only just to knock once at the gate of Heaven, and
it swings open wide. You don’t
have to have 13 degrees and a master's to find this road.
Even some Christians get into debates about theories such as pre-trib
and mid-trib and post-millennialism;
-they debate over
predestination and election
The great thing about this
road though is this:
You don’t even have to know
any of those words to find this road.
This road is a PLAIN
highway!
Even a CHILD can find this
road! And if they can find it,
ANYONE who searches for it can also find it.
3. It’s a SAFE highway
On ancient highways,
travelers would think themselves safe, not knowing whether there was a lion
waiting to spring upon them.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon,
It’s a safe highway.
Many an individual has had
serious accidents upon life’s highways…deer jumping out…drunkards veering
into wrong lanes…
Not this highway… it’s a
safe highway.
4. It’s a PLEASANT highway
end of vs. 9 ...but the
redeemed shall walk there:
10 And the ransomed of the
LORD shall return, and come to
When you take a trip, you
start off at one point and have a final destination.
I don’t want to get on a
road and drive just to see where it goes… I want to know where it goes. I
don’t want to waste my gas and time.
The reason this highway is
a pleasant highway is because we know where we are going!
WE know where we came from…
Came from bondage.
Came out of the devil’s territory.
We were loosed from Satan's chains.
Guilt and condemnation were
left behind. The old nature was
buried many miles ago.
We know where we came from,
and now we know where we are going! And that’s the reason for the pleasant
trip! We’re going to a pleasant place!
Songwriter said: We’re
marching to
We’re marching upward to
Vs. 4 Then let our songs
abound,
and every tear be dry;
we’re marching through
Emmanuel’s ground,
we’re marching through
Emmanuel’s ground,
to fairer worlds on high,
to fairer worlds on high.
There’ll be no tear drops
on that highway…
No grave yards will litter
the hills
No wheelchairs or walkers
will be needed on that road...Steve's got an air ride rig for all eternity
and I look forward to joining him!
Oh I wish I could swing
open one of those 12 gates so you could hear the shouting on the other side.
I wish I could open it far enough that you could catch a glimpse of
the splendor of heaven.
Oh yes… John did just that
didn’t he?
Under the anointing of God,
he wrote about that vision he saw…
Listen:
Rev. 7:9 After this I
beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud
voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood
round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell
before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing,
and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might,
be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Our text today: vs.10 And
the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to
Are you ready for that
great trip on the Highway to heaven?
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NOTICE! Our sermons are free to download, copy and paste, edit and use as you see fit...but only our free subscribers get the newest messages, featured sermons, and some free gifts we shower on them from time to time!
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All Sermons and PowerPoint Slideshow Presentations ©Copyright Jerry Shirley and Grace Notes Ministries® unless otherwise credited. These resources are yours to use freely, but only in public worship services or private study groups and devotions. They may not be sold, republished or retransmitted in any form without written permission.
