STAY ON THE KING’S HIGHWAY
or
DON’T MESS WITH MOAB!
TEXT: Deut.2:27,28
THESIS: To show that God’s will includes separation from the world.
INTRO.:
A. Israel had been in the wilderness for 40 years because of a disregard for the will of God. God finally says “You have tarried here long enough, it’s time for you to go into the Promised Land. But to get to God’s Promised Land they had to go directly through the land of Moab. The Promised Land is a picture of the Spirit filled life for the believer. Moab is a picture of the world. The believer is IN the world but is not supposed to be OF the world. We have to live here but we don’t have to be a part of its wicked system.
B. Moses sends messengers to the King to ask his permission to pass thru Moab on the highway. This highway was the famous “King’s Highway” that went from the Red Sea north to Damascus. It was a major trade route & the Israelites needed to take the King’s Highway in order to get to the Promised Land.
TRANS.: The believer is on his way to heaven, but he must live down here while he is making his pilgrimage. There are some things he must do & some things he must avoid while on his way…
I. FIND THE KING’S HIGHWAY:
ILLUS.: In most cases the will of God is very clear…it is most often in writing, in the Bible. Do this. Don’t do that. Get saved. Get baptized. Join church. Go soul-winning. Tithe. Be faithful. Serve God. Help others. Be a blessing. Stay true. Don’t backslide.
II. AVOID THE THRILLS OF MOAB: (Deut.2:1-6)
TRANS.: One writer says that the words “meddle not” means to “thrill not” with them i.e., God’s people are not to seek the world’s thrills & excitement. Higher things should capture their interest & attention.
ILLUS.: The thrills of the world are transient, temporal & temporary. Why should a people who have seen God’s miracles for them & who walked thru the Red Sea on dry land meddle w/Moab’s thrills?! Why should the believer who has been delivered from the world & hell & has had answered prayer & great victory seek any lesser thrill from the world?! Why should a people who have eaten Manna from heaven & drunk water from the Rock seek the cheap & tawdry & non-satisfying thrills of Moab?! Why should God’s people borrow the thrills of a heathen, sin-cursed world?!
ILLUS.: We are not to walk around w/a chip on our shoulder, looking for a fight. If the world doesn’t like our stand against sin, evil & ungodliness, let them lump it. But they are no to dislike us because we are unlikeable. The believer who looks down his pious nose in a condescending way at the lost is nauseating to the them & to the Lord! You don’t have to be like them to win them, but you had better be kind to them, courteous to them & helpful or you will never win them.
III. AVOID ENTANGLEMENTS IN MOAB:
ILLUS.: God is saying “On the way thru Moab, don’t marry the Moabites, don’t go into partnerships with them, don’t socialize with them. You will never win the lost by any kind of an unequal yoke w/them nor by wearing your hair like them, or by dressing like them or by following the latest Moabite fads & fashions!!!
IV. AVOID BEING AFFECTED BY MOAB:
ILLUS.: The problem is that believers don’t GO to the right or left, but they look in that direction & become contaminated & affected by Moab.
🤴The ladies go to the beauty salon (or saloon) & they see how the lesbian Hollywood crowd wears their hair, so they get contaminated & get a “butch” hairdo!
👲The guys go to the unisex barber shop to get the latest bowl haircut of the Rock crowd.
👨🎨The kids listen to the music of the CCM & Christian Rock crowd & get contaminated by it.
🎤All over America churches are trading in their hymn books for the latest herky-jerky, dirty beat music of the Moabites.
🙌The teens go to the Mall to see what the Moabite teens are wearing & go out & buy clothes that are 12 sizes to big for them & look shabby & worldly.
😎The guys look at the sports super heroes & get their ear (or nose or tongue or belly button) pierced or dye their hair yellow, red, or purple! Or tattoo their bodies in spite of God’s command not to permanently mark themselves. They have become contaminated.
💥You say “Preacher, but these things won’t send me to hell will they?!” No but they are weights that will keep you from running the race & winning the victory.
EXAMPLE.: Two men at the starting line in a race. One who has wasted his life the night before on booze, drugs & women. Will he win the race? NO! The other is clean, and went to bed early, but shows up wearing combat boots, a heavy overcoat & carrying 20 pound dumbbells in each hand. Will he win the race? NO! His weights will prevent him!
V. STAY ON THE KING’S HIGHWAY!
CONCL.: We are marching to Zion, but between here & there we have to pass thru Moab. We need to...
INTRO.:
A. Israel had been in the wilderness for 40 years because of a disregard for the will of God. God finally says “You have tarried here long enough, it’s time for you to go into the Promised Land. But to get to God’s Promised Land they had to go directly through the land of Moab. The Promised Land is a picture of the Spirit filled life for the believer. Moab is a picture of the world. The believer is IN the world but is not supposed to be OF the world. We have to live here but we don’t have to be a part of its wicked system.
B. Moses sends messengers to the King to ask his permission to pass thru Moab on the highway. This highway was the famous “King’s Highway” that went from the Red Sea north to Damascus. It was a major trade route & the Israelites needed to take the King’s Highway in order to get to the Promised Land.
TRANS.: The believer is on his way to heaven, but he must live down here while he is making his pilgrimage. There are some things he must do & some things he must avoid while on his way…
I. FIND THE KING’S HIGHWAY:
- Locate God’s Will for Your Life:
- Moses makes a deal that he will use the highway built & maintained by a King & says he will stay on the highway & not veer to the right or left.
- God, the King has a will for your life & you need to find it & stay with it & not get off on detours, side roads, tributaries or uncharted trails.
ILLUS.: In most cases the will of God is very clear…it is most often in writing, in the Bible. Do this. Don’t do that. Get saved. Get baptized. Join church. Go soul-winning. Tithe. Be faithful. Serve God. Help others. Be a blessing. Stay true. Don’t backslide.
II. AVOID THE THRILLS OF MOAB: (Deut.2:1-6)
TRANS.: One writer says that the words “meddle not” means to “thrill not” with them i.e., God’s people are not to seek the world’s thrills & excitement. Higher things should capture their interest & attention.
- Make Doing God’s Will Your Thrill:
- The believer can’t be filled w/the Spirit if he is filled & thrilled w/the world.
- The believer is not to “turn unto the right hand or to the left” to see what the world has to offer.
ILLUS.: The thrills of the world are transient, temporal & temporary. Why should a people who have seen God’s miracles for them & who walked thru the Red Sea on dry land meddle w/Moab’s thrills?! Why should the believer who has been delivered from the world & hell & has had answered prayer & great victory seek any lesser thrill from the world?! Why should a people who have eaten Manna from heaven & drunk water from the Rock seek the cheap & tawdry & non-satisfying thrills of Moab?! Why should God’s people borrow the thrills of a heathen, sin-cursed world?!
- The motto of the believer should be “Don’t meddle w/the Moabites!”
- The ordinary meaning of the word “meddle” is “contend, stir up, strive.”
- The believer who is Spirit filled is not to be contentious w/the world.
- He is to be kind, sincere, courteous, helpful & a blessing.
ILLUS.: We are not to walk around w/a chip on our shoulder, looking for a fight. If the world doesn’t like our stand against sin, evil & ungodliness, let them lump it. But they are no to dislike us because we are unlikeable. The believer who looks down his pious nose in a condescending way at the lost is nauseating to the them & to the Lord! You don’t have to be like them to win them, but you had better be kind to them, courteous to them & helpful or you will never win them.
III. AVOID ENTANGLEMENTS IN MOAB:
- Avoid Unnecessary Involvement With The World:
- Included in Moses’ deal was that he would only purchase the necessities from them. (text)
- He said he would buy food & water, not beg or borrow it from them.
- He is saying that as God’s people are marching to the Promised Land they to be honest, upright, independent & hard working citizens, not looking for a handout from the world.
- He is also saying that while we have to pass through Moab on our way to the Promised Land, we are not to become any more entangled w/the world than necessary.
ILLUS.: God is saying “On the way thru Moab, don’t marry the Moabites, don’t go into partnerships with them, don’t socialize with them. You will never win the lost by any kind of an unequal yoke w/them nor by wearing your hair like them, or by dressing like them or by following the latest Moabite fads & fashions!!!
- Purchase what you need from the world, but don’t entangle yourself w/them any more than necessary.
IV. AVOID BEING AFFECTED BY MOAB:
- Don’t Become Contaminated by The World:
- Here is the great temptation for God’s people.
- We are in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land & between us & heaven is Moab & we have to go through, but we are not to go to the right nor to the left.
ILLUS.: The problem is that believers don’t GO to the right or left, but they look in that direction & become contaminated & affected by Moab.
🤴The ladies go to the beauty salon (or saloon) & they see how the lesbian Hollywood crowd wears their hair, so they get contaminated & get a “butch” hairdo!
👲The guys go to the unisex barber shop to get the latest bowl haircut of the Rock crowd.
👨🎨The kids listen to the music of the CCM & Christian Rock crowd & get contaminated by it.
🎤All over America churches are trading in their hymn books for the latest herky-jerky, dirty beat music of the Moabites.
🙌The teens go to the Mall to see what the Moabite teens are wearing & go out & buy clothes that are 12 sizes to big for them & look shabby & worldly.
😎The guys look at the sports super heroes & get their ear (or nose or tongue or belly button) pierced or dye their hair yellow, red, or purple! Or tattoo their bodies in spite of God’s command not to permanently mark themselves. They have become contaminated.
💥You say “Preacher, but these things won’t send me to hell will they?!” No but they are weights that will keep you from running the race & winning the victory.
EXAMPLE.: Two men at the starting line in a race. One who has wasted his life the night before on booze, drugs & women. Will he win the race? NO! The other is clean, and went to bed early, but shows up wearing combat boots, a heavy overcoat & carrying 20 pound dumbbells in each hand. Will he win the race? NO! His weights will prevent him!
V. STAY ON THE KING’S HIGHWAY!
- Don’t Get Detoured from God’s Will:
- Don’t allow the look, lure & lust of Moab to make you go AWOL or become deserter from the Lord’s army.
- Don’t allow some seemingly simple detour to a lesser road ruin your testimony, marriage, kids, future plans or your life!
- The Israelites had determined to follow God’s will into the Promised Land at all costs & had to go to war w/the King & his people. V.30-34 (God’s people will ultimately win out over the world!)
CONCL.: We are marching to Zion, but between here & there we have to pass thru Moab. We need to...