MAKE STRAIGHT PATHS

Sunday Morning:  June 9, 2002

Text: Hebrews 12:12-17  "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13. And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 14. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15. Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16. Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."

WORK AND WALK

Hebrews 12:12  "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;"

STRENGTHEN WEAK HANDS

Isaiah 35:3-4  "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4. 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; he will come and save you."

BE STRONG

2 Chronicles 15:7  "Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded."

MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS

Titus 3:8  "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."

REWARD

Colossians 3:23-24  "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24. Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."

TROUBLED HAVE WEAK KNEES

Daniel 5:6  "Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another."

EVEN PATHS

Hebrews 12:13  "And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed."

PREPARED WAY

Isaiah 40:3-4  "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:"

TAKE UP THE STUMBLING BLOCKS

Isaiah 57:14  "And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people."

CLEAR THE PATH

Isaiah 62:10  "Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people."

PEACE AND HOLINESS

Hebrews 12:14  "Follow [pursue] peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"

PEACEMAKER

Matthew 5:9  "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children [sons] of God."

THE FEAR OF GOD

Romans 3:12-18  "They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15. Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16. Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17. And the way of peace have they not known: 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes."

HOLINESS

1 Thessalonians 4:7  "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."

SEPARATION

2 Corinthians 6:17-18  "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

PERFECTING HOLINESS

2 Corinthians 7:1  "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

GRACE OVER BITTERNESS

Hebrews 12:15  "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;"

FALLING FROM GRACE

Galatians 5:4  "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."

ACCEPTABLE SERVICE

Hebrews 12:28  "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:"

DEFILING OTHERS

Ephesians 4:31-32  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

LOSS OF BIRTHRIGHT

Hebrews 12:16  "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright."

DOUBLE PORTION

Deuteronomy 21:17  "But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his."

DESPISED BIRTHRIGHT

Genesis 25:34  ". . . Esau despised his birthright."

INHERITANCE LOST

Hebrews 12:17  "For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected [disapproved]: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."

DISCIPLINE

1 Corinthians 9:27  "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway [disapproved]."

SELF EXAMINATION

2 Corinthians 13:5  "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith (pleasing God); prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates [disapproved]?"