Finding Redemption: Escaping the Highway to Hell and Embracing God's Grace
I'm on the highway to hell On the highway to hell Highway to hell I'm on the highway to hell.
-AC/DC 1979
This famous rock song was written 44 years ago and I still hear it played at just about every Texas Tech football and basketball games I attend. Many people in the crowd sing the chorus with great familiarity and enjoyment. This is weird because I can think of a lot of highways I do not want to be on and at the top of the list is the highway to hell.
Lessons from Solomon
Three thousand years ago, a man named Solomon wrote about the highway to hell. This could have been written today and it is still true to life. Proverbs 7 describes the way one can enter the highway to hell. This highway is easy to enter, but most difficult to exit.
6At the window of my house
I looked down through the lattice.
7I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the young men,
a youth who had no sense.
8He was going down the street near her corner,
walking along in the direction of her house
9at twilight, as the day was fading,
as the dark of night set in.
Proverbs 7:6-9
Here was a young man who had no sense of what was really going on. He had left his home to and headed in the direction of a woman’s house. It was getting dark when no one would see him. He believed he could get away with this rendezvous with his woman. No one would ever know or find out.
Many Church leaders deal with a similar struggle. They are drawn away by the temptation of sexual immorality. They may not be leaving their home, but they use their computer or phone to enter another world of fantasy. They are drawn to the pleasures of sin offered to them online in the world of porn. They believe no one will find out. They believe they can get away with this decision to turn from God and turn to sexual immorality.
Church leaders are more prone to enter the highway to hell through the entrance of sexual immorality. Jeff Fisher shared these factors from churchleaders.com:
Ministers are often isolated and unaccountable for their actions.
Protection and policies around ministers can be lax.
Ministers have few people they can share their deepest struggles with.
Ministers frequently feed off the approval of others.
Solomon continued to describe this young man in Proverbs 7 as he made his way to this woman’s home.
10Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11(She is unruly and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
12now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)
13She took hold of him and kissed him
and with a brazen face she said:
14“Today I fulfilled my vows,
and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.
15So I came out to meet you;
I looked for you and have found you!
16I have covered my bed
with colored linens from Egypt.
17I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
18Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
19My husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
20He took his purse filled with money
and will not be home till full moon.”
Proverbs 7
The attractions on the highway to hell are quite vivid. The promise of pleasures are obvious and inviting on this highway. No one falls into sin because it makes them feel bad. All one sees and hears on the front end of temptation are the benefits. This looks and feels good, so why not do it since you can get away with it?
We cannot enter the highway to hell without believing the lies of the deceiver of our souls. If we stop at verse 20, then all is well on the highway to hell. We have the end result of his young man who believed he would be the one exception.
21With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.
22All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer stepping into a noose
23till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.
Proverbs 7
The highway to hell never ends well. Once you are on this highway you are trapped as you make endless promises to quit and stop, but you keep on doing the same things. Solomon described a man who did not realize this would cost him his life. If you know anything about Solomon’s life, he could be describing himself. His life did not end well. He was trapped by this sin that led to idolatry.
We all know of pastors, missionaries and leaders who entered the highway to hell and it cost them their church, marriage and family. Was it worth it? The answer is always no. This highway is so easy to get on and so difficult to exit.
How Do We Exit the Highway to Hell?
We must have a whole hearted desire to repent and return to the God who loves us. We have to be broken over our sinful choices in order to exit the highway we had no business being on. If we belong to God, we will encounter His loving correction to bring us back to Himself. God has not given up on us. We may have given up on ourselves, but His love endures forever.
God is able to restore us as He has already forgiven us through the cross of Jesus Christ. We all have chapters we are not proud of in our life. God has new chapters for us. Our God is a God of new beginnings. We can start new today under the declaration and banner of God’s wonderful promise given to us in Christ-
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1
I have been blessed to meet many new friends over the last three years as we have held numerous retreats. We would love to have you come and join us. We only have a few openings left for this year.
Click here to sign up for one of our remaining 2023 retreats. Feel free to call me if you have any questions.
- Jim Daniel