Highway Of Holiness Truth 19

SAVED FROM MAKING NO PROGRESS TO HEAVEN

In this very brief message I shall relate two stories about being saved from making no progress to Heaven.  The stories are short, but poignant!

01 -- TWO WOULD-BE TRAVELERS IN COMFORTABLE SEATS

Two travelers, who fancied they were abundantly able to take care of themselves, entered a railway passenger car when the train was being made up and found comfortable seats.  They had dropped into conversation when the porter looked in and told them to go forward.  "What is the matter with this coach?" they asked.  "Nothing," he grinned, "only 'tain't coupled on to anything that'll take you anywhere." (from 1000 Ill.)

John 1:12 tells us, "as many as received" Christ Jesus, "to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."  Act 1:8 says, "ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."  Until/Unless believers in the Church have received "the power of the Holy Ghost" in Christ's saving, sanctifying power THEY ARE GOING NOWHERE spiritually, for without that power they AREN'T COUPLED ON TO ANYTHING THAT WILL TAKE THEM ANYWHERE"!  It takes MORE than a comfortable Head-Religion of believing on Christ in the denomination of our choice to make the journey Heavenward.  We must have Heart-Religion that has us "coupled onto" Him who gives us the power to be true Christians who are truly moving forward every day toward Heaven!

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02 -- GOING NOWHERE BECAUSE CAUGHT IN A BACK-EDDY

Some trees had been felled and the logs were shoved down the side of the mountain to hit a stream below so as to be carried to the mill where they would be cut and planed for the purpose of building.  One log, unfortunately, had reached the stream too near a back-eddy, and, instead of being pulled on down stream toward the fulfillment of the purpose for which it had been cut, it was completing circles over and again under the influence of this revolving current aside from the main stream.  A man beheld this unfortunate log as it repeatedly circled and shot toward the main stream.  It would break into the current of the main stream a little, then be pulled back into the eddy, next time to complete a wider arc and shoot toward the main stream with greater force.  Up to a certain point, it would increasingly enlarge its arc and propulsion toward the main current, and at times it would be enough influenced thereby that it looked like it might escape the eddy, but it never did.  Curious, the man returned in the evening to see if the log had broken out of its useless circles, but the man wrote:  "The poor log was still there, busy as ever in not going onwards: and I went upon my journey, feeling very melancholy for this tree, and thinking there was very little hope for it." (Dictionary of Illustrations #4539)

Please bear with me as I make the following application: -- When born into this world, we are, as it were, felled by God spiritually and shot down the mountain-side of life so as to enter the WILL OF HIS PURPOSE and be moved forward into the Mill of Divine Providence where He plans to cut, plane, and shape us to be part of His Church.  However, MANY who have been shot down the mountain-side have been caught in a Satanic back-eddy and become trapped therein.  Instead of moving onward toward the fulfillment of God's purpose at His Mill, they waist countless years "going nowhere" toward the fulfillment of God's Will.  If such never escape this trap of the devil they will be cast into everlasting fire from the Judgment.  In the story above, the forlorn onlooker thought it possible, if not probable, that the log he had beheld would NEVER escape.  However, I have GOOD NEWS for every reader: -- i.e., no matter how long Satan has trapped a soul in one of his powerful back-eddies, CHRIST JESUS IS MORE THAN A SORROWFUL ONLOOKER!  HE IS THE ALMIGHTY SAVIOR OF EVERY SIDE-TRACKED SOUL! -- and when one who is desperate to escape from his BACK-EDDY OF SIN, cries out to Christ, JESUS PULLS THAT SOUL OUT INTO THE THE MAIN STREAM OF HIS WILL, and moves him on down to the main stream to the planing mill of His grace, and MAKES HIM A USEFUL TIMBER IN THE CHURCH OF GOD!  HALLELUJAH!  He did it for ME, and He will do it for you too! -- "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).  GLORY!