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Light Of His Word The Sermons of Pastor Mike Walls Freedom Baptist Church Used By Permission Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. |
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Light Of His Word The Sermons of Pastor Mike Walls Freedom Baptist Church Used By Permission Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. |
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LET’S
GET BACK TO THE OLD PATHS Jeremiah
6:16 Introduction:
The book of Jeremiah is a great book of
the Bible. It has many great principles in it. The
prophet Jeremiah is exhorting the nation of Judah to REPENT and
RETURN to GOD! Our text verse is a powerful summary of the
message of Jeremiah. Let me give you three thoughts in this section of scripture. 1. Judah had
a PATTERN of REBELLION Jeremiah 3:6-11
“The LORD said
also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that
which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every
high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played
the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn
thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister
Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding
Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a
bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not,
but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through
the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and
committed adultery with stones and with stocks. And yet for all
this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with
her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. And the LORD said
unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than
treacherous Judah.” Without going in much detail because it will be off the beaten path,
Israel’s pattern of rebellion was seen in that they would follow
idols of the people that lived around them. Many times we
do the same. We think that we look cool by dressing like
the Jones. We think it is cool to talk like the neighbors.
We think it cool to worship like the others. Worship is
more than music. It is more than preaching. It is
inward commune between you and the Lord. 2. Jeremiah
was PREACHING REPENTANCE! “Go and proclaim
these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding
Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall
upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep
anger for ever.” “Return, ye backsliding children, and I
will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou
art the LORD our God.” “If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith
the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations
out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.” Glen Matthews, the West Virginia evangelist preached one time that
there are three doctrines not preached much any more. They
are restitution, restoration and repentance. This was not
so with Jeremiah. His book was full of preaching repentance.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus sends letters to seven churches.
Each of them has a call to repent. Think of this!
These seven churches were only one generation past the day of
Pentecost. If they need repentance and were that close to
the life of the Lord Jesus, how much more do we need more than
two thousand years past His life. 3. Jehovah
has PATHS of RIGHTEOUSNESS. “Thus saith the
LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,
where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest
for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” As matter of introduction, I want to ask and answer a few questions.
Why ask for the old paths? It is because the new paths are
delusional and destructive. The new paths are man’s miserable
substitution for the grand old “highway” of God, which only captivate
the unsuspecting into Doubting Castle, the habitation of Giant
Despair. What are the old paths? They are the remembered paths that
Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah and so many more have
traveled. They believed God and accepted God’s word as the
lamp to their feet and the testimony of His Son as the sure foundation
of the their hope. The revealed will of God is the old unerring
path that leads to peace and God’s power. This is the light
that is as trustworthy as the sun. The old path is sprinkled
with the blood of atonement; the new path has rose water of men
pleasing. Why we should walk in the old paths? In them we find the blood
of Christ to justify. In them we find the Word of God to
satisfy. We find the power of the Holy Spirit to sanctify. This verse of scripture is the Lord warning the people of God to
return to Him. They had forsaken God for their idols and
this parallels our time. We live in a time that many of
the old time principles of God’s Word have been minimized and
forsaken all around us. We see churches and I am not just
speaking of Independent, Fundamental Baptist church that are going
down the new paths in order to build larger and larger church
regardless of the cost. It is not a request. You can turn down a request. The
Lord is not requiring them to go to just any path but the old
path. It is a clear path as well as the correct path. During World War II, during the Battle of the Bulge, there was a
group of German soldiers who dressed themselves in the uniforms
of the Allies. These German soldiers used American military
vehicles and went through the German countryside changing the
road signs. When the American troops came to the various
crossroads, they were often fooled and lead off in the wrong
direction. This deception by the Germans almost gave them
the victory in this very decisive battle from the Second World
War. Just like those German soldiers caused confusion and death by changing
a few signs, so many in our day are leading millions off into
Hell because they are changing some of the road signs of the
faith. When you refuse to call sin exactly what it is – sin, then you can
never really lead some one to the Saviour. The Bible plainly
says that all are sinners. If you don’t get them lost
first, you will never get them saved. The old paths involve salvation through the blood of Christ. “And almost
all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding
of blood is no remission.” The old paths involve the scriptures and its work in the life of
a believer. “All scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto
all good works.” Our Bible is still the inspired book. Our Bible is still the
inerrant book. Our Bible is still the infallible book.
Our Bible is still the inflexible book. Our Bible is still
the invaluable Book. It still brings conviction.
It still brings conversions. It still brings correction.
It still brings cleansing. It still brings comfort.
It still brings conquering. The old paths involve a love for church. “Not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some
is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see
the day approaching.” The old paths involve the reality of heaven and hell. It is
also includes the value of the human soul, the soon return of
the Lord Jesus and the holiness of God. If you minus any
of these, then you are not on the old path. Regardless
of which signs the world changes, it does not change the road!
The Word of God is still settled in Heaven. We still know
the “old paths.” There is no question about what way is
the right way. And, God’s requirement has not changed:
ask for the old paths and walk therein! II. THE
RENDERING OF THE OLD PATHS IN OUR PREACHING I
will be quoting an older preacher and his message “I Like The
Old Paths”. The Old paths are when Women wore the jewelry; Men wore the pants;
Harlots wore the paint and children wore the stripes.
The Old paths are when Women looked like ladies; Men looked
like gentlemen, and children looked decent. The Old paths
are when People loved the truth and hated a lie; they would
follow the Pastor and ignore the world; they came to get IN
and not to get OUT! The Old paths are when Cursing was
wicked; Drinking was evil; Divorce was unbelievable; the Flag
was honored; America was beautiful and God was welcomed. The Old paths are when we READ the Bible in public, prayed in school
and preached on the courthouse steps! The Old Paths are when Laws were based on the BIBLE; HOMES read the
Bible and churches taught the BIBLE!! The Old Paths are
when preachers were more interested in NEW CONVERTS than new
clothes and new cars!! Churches wanted to reach every creature
with the GOSPEL more than new buildings and paved parking lots
and prayed and wept over the lost in their community. The Old Paths are when God was worshipped. Christ was exalted
and the Holy Ghost was followed!! The Old Paths are when the
Bible was believed and not corrected; Sinners got Saved, Converts
were CONVERTED and the Gospel was preached and not SHARED. THOSE WERE THE DAYS WHEN: We would go witnessing with tears; prayed
a lot and talked little on the phone; spent more time with the
Bible than the TV. We would weep about lost souls, enjoy
going to CHURCH more than anything. We had testimony and
song services. We would really try to do something for
God; we would say AMEN to the truth, and got to the ALTAR to
repent of sin. We would bring folks to Church; take Pastor
home for Sunday dinner; give tithes and offering gladly.
We would seek the WILL OF GOD in everything and stand against
sin anytime and anywhere!! THAT
WAS THE OLD PATHS!!! III. THE
RESPONSE NEED TO THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE OLD PATHS. We
are told to do three activities in response to the requirement
for the old paths. A. We
are told to stand. Among the Hebrew definitions for word
“stand” is this definition. It is to stand
your ground. Since the old paths are the ones that ours
heroes of the faith, we can see how they stood in the Old Paths. David stood in the Old Paths when he was standing against the giant,
Goliath. Do you recall what he said in that day? 1st
Samuel 17:26, 45-47 “And David spake
to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to
the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach
from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that
he should defy the armies of the living God?” “Then
said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword,
and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the
name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,
whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver
thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head
from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines
this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of
the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in
Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD
saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S,
and he will give you into our hands.” The three Hebrew men stood in the Old Paths when Nebuchadnezzar threatened
to put them in the fiery furnace. Daniel 3:16-18 “Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar,
we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so,
our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not
serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast
set up.” Shammah stood in the Old Paths. 2nd
Samuel 23:11-12 “And after him
was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines
were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground
full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines.
But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and
slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory.” This list could go on and on but I am going to limit it to these
three accounts. If you stand for something, then you will
fall for anything. In these days we need to stand for
the Bible. We need to stand for the Blood. We need
to stand for the Blessed hope that awaits us. B. We
are told to ask for the old paths. Our children
need to be taught to ask for the Old Paths. They are going
to suffer from the lack of plain preaching if they are not taught
to ask for the Old Path. We are living more and more in
what Brother Amos warned us would come. Amos 8:11 “Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine
in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the LORD” C. We
are told to walk in the Old Paths. It is the path that
our Saviour trod. “For
even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for
us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” Too
long people who call themselves Christians have been talking
the walk and not walking the talk. It means walking in
the Lord. In the book of Ephesians we see seven different
walks. We have our past walk that we followed the devil
and his crowd. We have our present walk in which we are
His workmanship. We have a privileged walk in that we
are in the vocation of the high calling of the ministry.
We must have a pride less walk. We must never walk in
the vanity ways of the world. We have priceless walk in
that we are walking in love. We have preventable walk
in that we are walking in the light of the Word of God.
All this leads us to the prudent walk. We are careful
in all that we do. IV. THE
REWARDS OF THE OLD PATHS First of all, we know that we are going to arrive at the right destination.
A few years ago, my family and I went to Washington, DC.
We rode the Metro to almost every place we went. But we
were always paying attention to make sure that we got on the
right Metro and if we were getting off on the right stop.
Some times this was a real challenge. The destination that we going to is heaven and the Lord Jesus has
not failed to get any of His children to their destination.
We are assured that Old Path that we can surely end up into
His presence. Secondly, we can travel in safety knowing that the Lord is
guarding our way. Not only will we end up where we want to be,
but also we will get there in the safest, most “Therefore we
are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in
the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith,
not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to
be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Thirdly we can know that while we are on the Lord’s path, the deepest
needs of our soul will be met! Only Jesus knows that deepest
need. He knows how to satisfy and met it. Fourthly, there will be fellowship with Him and joy in His presence
at the end of the way! “What a day that will be when
my Jesus I shall see and I look upon His face, the One that
saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand and leads
me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that
will be!” Our Text tells us that some decided that they would not walk in the
Lord’s will and in the Lord’s path. The results of their
choice are chastisement and destruction. Time will not
permit me to read verses seventeen through thirty. There
is a high price to pay for refusing to walk in the Lord’s will!
I was thinking about Lot. When he refused to walk in the
old paths, he lost his fortune, fame and mostly his family.
We are living in a day when many are refusing to walk in the old
paths. Either the old way is too narrow, or they feel
that God just doesn’t know that what He is talking about. I
never consider it an insult that I am narrow minded. That
is the old path. Yet no matter what the world does, let
us, the people of the Lord stand tall in the old way. Let us
be “Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding
in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour
is not in vain in the Lord.” Conclusion:
No, the old way isn’t the popular way! It is being abandoned
daily by people who have decided that new is better. They
are leaving the Bible, the old songs of the faith, old-fashioned
worship, praising the Lord and preaching. Seeker services
are replacing old time worship of the Lord. Yet, God has
not changed. “Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” “For I am the
LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” I
can find no room to change myself. I’ll ask for the old
paths and are walking in them. The question is: how about
you? The enemies are changing the signs, but the Lord will
know the way. Let’s ask Him and He will lead directly to
the Old Paths.
I. THE
REQUIREMENT OF THE LORD FOR US TO GO THE OLD PATHS
peaceful manner possible. It is the absent- present principle.
V. THE
RUINATION THAT COMES FROM DEPARTING FROM THE OLD PATHS
unashamed of who we are. Let us hold our heads high and walk
in the way God has ordained without apology and without backing
down. Let us be everything the Lord commanded us to be in His
Word. 1st Corinthians 15:58
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