BLJ: Today's reading contains a warning for those that reject death-route holiness. Prayerfully read today's passage and affirm in your heart that you will never take the easy way out.
CONSEQUENCE OF A CRUCIFIXION COP-OUT
Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth ...(Luke 13:23-28).
BLJ: The way is narrow and confining. You are not free to live according to a carnal nature. You are not free to do whatever you wish. God has set boundaries and they must be obeyed. The sanctified heart loves the boundaries and pleasing God.
Webster says that "cop out" means to back out of an unwanted responsibility. Jonah, for example, tried to "cop out" when God told him to go and preach to the city of Nineveh. (Jonah 1:2).
When the writer of this book was seeking the Holy Ghost in dead earnest, a church leader tried his best to talk him out of it. The man acknowledged the fact that when his own wife was under conviction for holiness in a previous revival, and was seeking to be sanctified, that he talked her out of it. Apparently he had talked himself out of it also. He later became immorally involved with the wife of another minister and was required to surrender his office and his credentials. Had he gone all the way down the "death-route" and received, and retained a Holy Ghost experience, and encouraged his wife to do the same, the tragedy in his own life and marriage and ministry would never have happened.
BLJ: Woe unto those that not only fail to enter into holiness, but keep others from entering in. A special place in hell for them, in my opinion.
CONSEQUENCE OF A CRUCIFIXION COP-OUT
Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth ...(Luke 13:23-28).
BLJ: The way is narrow and confining. You are not free to live according to a carnal nature. You are not free to do whatever you wish. God has set boundaries and they must be obeyed. The sanctified heart loves the boundaries and pleasing God.
Webster says that "cop out" means to back out of an unwanted responsibility. Jonah, for example, tried to "cop out" when God told him to go and preach to the city of Nineveh. (Jonah 1:2).
When the writer of this book was seeking the Holy Ghost in dead earnest, a church leader tried his best to talk him out of it. The man acknowledged the fact that when his own wife was under conviction for holiness in a previous revival, and was seeking to be sanctified, that he talked her out of it. Apparently he had talked himself out of it also. He later became immorally involved with the wife of another minister and was required to surrender his office and his credentials. Had he gone all the way down the "death-route" and received, and retained a Holy Ghost experience, and encouraged his wife to do the same, the tragedy in his own life and marriage and ministry would never have happened.
BLJ: Woe unto those that not only fail to enter into holiness, but keep others from entering in. A special place in hell for them, in my opinion.
"Elijah's God still liveth
And waits with great desire; And those who meet conditions He answers yet by fire."
A DEPLORABLE DISAPPOINTMENT
Many years ago Dr. Purkiser told this story at a camp meeting in West Virginia. It was later relayed by another evangelist. Here is the account:
He...got up and took his text, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." And then he had a wonderful text -- a wonderful sermon. He had three divisions: quenching the Spirit, grieving the Spirit and resisting the Spirit. (Are you listening now?) He came down to the climax -- the close, and he said: "My father was a Presbyterian minister and a pretty good preacher and a good man [as far as he knew], but he was not sanctified wholly. And I had a little church and I somehow worked it around that I got my father to come and attend a good part of this revival meeting. And my father sat there night after night with his mouth open and finally went to the altar, and prayed real good the first night, and the second night and several times. And one night I saw him freeze up!" He said, "My father -- I saw him back up. I saw him change his expression, I saw him shake his head -- and got up and sat down on a bench, and walked out that night, and went home the next day, and became the meanest man I have ever known, and died and went to hell, drunk, with a heart attack and is burning in hell tonight, because [I'm giving his words] he failed to take the 'death-route' and die out to self and get a sanctified heart."
BLJ: Dr. Purkiser was a leading theological voice for the Church of the Nazarene. Notice his father heard the truth, began to respond and then backed up. Woe be unto those that know the truth about holiness and reject it. Their end is disastrous.
Today sweet Mercy lingers, Tomorrow Death may come And touch with icy fingers Your heart. It spareth none. Repent while Love is pleading, And Mercy's at the gate;
While Christ is interceding -- Tomorrow is too late. [22]
Dear Brother H. Robb French, founder of the Florida Evangelistic Association and Hobe Sound Bible College, surely did believe in the "Death-Route" and he was not afraid to call it by its right name. He said:
"It's a death route. You die to self, you die to sin, you die to reputation, you die to people, you die to money, you die to the future, you die to the family, you die to everything...everything you have or ever expect to have is just a pile of ashes."
BLJ: This is why the great need of the church is for its members to take the death-route and get sanctified wholly. Can you imagine what it would be like to pastor a church of death-route Holy Ghost filled sanctified believers! The devil would shake in fear!
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