Now let's open our Bibles again
this morning to the book of Acts. Acts chapter 11. Acts chapter 11. Let's begin reading
with verse 21. Acts 11 verse 21. And the hand
of the Lord was with them, and a great multitude,
a great number, believed on Christ, turned to the Lord. Then the
tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which
was in Jerusalem. And they sent forth Barnabas,
that he should go as far as Antioch, who when he came and had seen
the grace of God, he was glad. And he exhorted them all that
with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For Barnabas
was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and much
people were added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus
for to Saul. And when he found him, he brought
him unto Antioch. And it came to pass that a whole
year Barnabas and Saul, they assembled themselves with the
church and taught much people." Now read this next line, "...and
the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." The disciples were first called
Christian. This is the first time that this
word is used in reference to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, before Antioch, what were
they called? How did they refer to these people
who believed on Christ and who were born again, redeemed? How
did they refer to these people if they didn't call them Christians?
I'll tell you how they referred to them. because of the people
of the way. The people of the way. Let me
show you that. Turn to Acts 9. Acts 9, verse
1 and 2. And this is back before Saul
of Tarsus met the Lord. Acts 9, verse 1. And Saul, yet
breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples
of the Lord, went to the high priest and desired of him letters
to Damascus, to the synagogue, that if he found any, any Christians,
no, they didn't call them Christians, what did they call them? If he
found any of this way, of this way, whether they be men or women,
he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. Let me show you another
scripture, Acts chapter 22. Acts 22, and this is what Brother
Sammy read a moment ago, the confession, the testimony of
Saul of Tarsus when the Lord saved him. In Acts chapter 22,
verse 3 and 4, and here's Saul speaking, what we read a while
ago. I am verily a man which am a
Jew, born in Tarsus, the city of Cilicia, yet brought up in
that city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect
manner of the law of our fathers. And I was zealous toward God,
as you all are this day. And I persecuted." Whom? The people of this way. I persecuted
this way unto death. This way. People of this way. I persecuted them to death. and binding and delivering them
into prison, both men and women. What is this way? I'll tell you.
It's the way of grace, not of love. It's the way of Christ,
not of words. It's the way of a person, not
a profession. For Christ said, I'm the way,
I'm the truth. I'm the light, and no man cometh
to the Father but by me. You know, when Adam sinned in
the Garden of Eden, he lost three things. He lost the way to God. God put him out of the garden,
put flaming cherubims to keep him from coming back, put him
out. He lost his way. He lost the
truth. He believed the devil's lie.
And he lost his life. He died. And that's the reason
Christ is called the way. and the truth and the life. And
that's what Christians were called back in those days, the way. It's the way of ruin by the fall. It's the way we believe. It's
the way we've been taught. It's the way of ruin by the fall,
redemption by the blood, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit. And I'll tell you, listen to
me. I'll tell you this, when a person,
by the grace of God, hears of this way, learns this way, and
believes on Christ, and receives in his heart and in his soul,
by the power of God's Spirit, the way of life, he will walk
in that way. He will walk in that way and
with those people the rest of his life. He will keep the way. And his life will, his faith
will grow stronger and stronger and stronger with every passing
day. And here's my text now. Turn
to Job chapter 17. When a person by the grace of
God hears the gospel of God's redeeming grace, of the way of
life, the way, the truth and the life, and receives it and
believes it, comes to know the Savior, He'll walk in this way
the rest of his life, and he'll keep his way for all time. And he'll die in
that same as the prophets of old died. Let's look at Job chapter
17. This is what Job said. Now the
righteous believers, the righteous also shall hold his way. He'll
hold his way. He'll keep his way. He'll walk
in this way. The righteous will. He will hold
this way. And he that hath clean hands,
clean hands and a sincere heart, he'll grow stronger and stronger. Job 17, verse 9. The righteous
shall hold his way, and he that hath clean hands and a sincere
heart, he'll grow stronger and stronger. Now this, he may not
always travel at the same speed. The scripture doesn't say here
he'll hold his pace, but he'll hold his way. He'll stay in the
way of God, the way of Christ, and the way of life. He may not
hold his pace, might not move as swiftly, but he'll hold his
way. He'll keep the faith. He may
not travel with equal enthusiasm and equal excitement and zeal. The Scripture does not say he'll
hold his zeal and his enthusiasm. He'll hold his way, the way of
truth, the way of God. He may not always travel with
equal success, but whether he's rich or poor, or whether he's
a success or a failure, or whether he's in sickness or in health,
he'll hold his way. He'll keep the faith. The righteous
shall hold his way. I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians
chapter 6. Now Job says here in 1 Corinthians
chapter 6, he said, the righteous shall hold his way, and he that
hath clean hands." What is this, clean hands? He that hath clean
hands. What are we talking about here?
Well, look at 1 Corinthians 6, verse 11. Goes back in verse
9 and 10, talks about idolaters and thieves and covetous people
and drunkards and revilers and extortioners. And then verse
11, and such were some of you. of what took place, but you're
washed. You have clean hands. You're
washed. You're sanctified. You're justified.
You're sanctified. You're justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God. He, the
righteous, shall hold his way. And he that has been washed in
the blood, he'll continue in his way. Let me show you another
scripture regarding this clean hands. In John chapter 13, our
Lord Jesus Christ met with the disciples before
he went to the cross, and he exhorted them and ministered
to them, and then he washed their feet. You've read the story,
and I've preached on it, and Brother Paul has too. But here
in John chapter 13, And, you know, Peter said to the Lord,
said, well, Lord, not, don't just wash my feet, wash my head
and all over. But verse 10, listen. Jesus saith
unto him, He that is washed, sanctified, justified, needeth
not save to wash his feet, but he is clean. That's what we're
talking about. He's clean everywhere. And you are clean. That's what
we're talking about. Job said, the righteous shall
hold his way, and he that's clean, washed in the blood, clean in
Christ. And what's this now? In John
chapter 15, just two pages over, and our Lord says in John 15
verse 2, John 15 verse 2, every branch in me that beareth not
fruit, God will take it away. He won't continue in the way.
He's not in the way. But every branch that beareth
fruit, he'll purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now
you are clean. You're clean how? Justified,
sanctified, I've washed you, and you're clean by the Word
which I've spoken to you. This is wherewithal shall a young
man cleanse his way, by taking heed to the Word of God. That's how our way is clean,
by taking heed to the Word of God. Taking heed to the Word. Now, I want to give you this
morning, from this text, he, the righteous, shall hold his
way, and he that's been washed and cleansed by the Word, he'll
hold his way. He that hath clean hands, And
he'll grow stronger and stronger every day. And we'll give you
five reasons why this is true. Five reasons. All right. The
righteous shall hold his way. Here's the first reason. He'll
hold his way because of the work of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. And I want you to turn to Romans
chapter 8. He's going to hold his way because
of the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Romans chapter
8, verse 28. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are called
according to his purpose, for whom he did foreknow. He did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren, over whom he did predestinate.
Then he called. And whom he called, then he justified. And whom he justified, then he
glorified. Now what are we going to say
to these saints? I say this, if God the Father is for me,
who can be against me? He'll hold his way because God's
for him. The Father is for us. If God
be for us, Who can be against us? But now
look at the next verse also. The Lord Jesus Christ is for
us. The Lord Jesus Christ is the reason why we'll hold our
way. Because He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up
for us all. How shall He not with Him freely
give us all things? Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is He that condemns? How can a man be lost if Christ
saved him? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather that's risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who maketh intercession for us. The righteous will hold
his way because the Father is for him, and the Son redeemed
him, and the Holy Spirit will keep him. Look at the next line.
Who's going to separate us? Who's going to separate us from
the way? From God the Father. from the Son. Who's going to
separate us from the love of Christ? With tribulation, distress,
persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword? No. As it's
written, for thy sake we're killed all the day long, we're counted
as sheep for the slaughter, and in all these things we're more
than conquerors through him that loved us. Listen to me. There
is no point, there is no point between the first day when God
saved and save me." When God the Spirit begat us in Christ,
we were born of the Spirit of God from that day until the day
we enter glory. There's no point between that
day when we first were redeemed until we enter glory that the
believer does not declare perfectly and wholly salvations of the
Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. From the dunghill to the throne
is one message. Salvation is of the Lord. He
is my wisdom. He is my righteousness. He is
my sanctification. And He is my redemption. And
salvation is of the Lord. From its purpose, to its execution,
to its application, to its sustaining power, to its ultimate perfection. O to grace, how great a debtor
daily I am constrained to be! Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee. Jesus taught me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God, and he to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood. And Paul said in Philippians,
He that hath begun a good work That's my point. A man will hold
his way because God, the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit
performed a work of grace in his heart. And he, he that performed
that work of grace, he'll complete it in the day of Jesus Christ. Write it down. The righteous
will hold his way. Hold his way. Now here's the
second reason. The righteous will hold his way because of
the Word of God. The promise of Christ. The promise
of Christ. The promises of God. Precious
promises of God. Turn with me to John 10. Here is the word of Christ. John
chapter 10. The promises of Christ. Listen.
John chapter 10 verse 11. John chapter 10. I'm the good
shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life
for the sheep. He that is a hireling, and not
the shepherd whose own the sheep are not, he sees the wolf coming,
and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf catches them, and
scatters the sheep. And the hireling fleeth, because
he's a hireling. He doesn't care anything about
the sheep. But I'm the good shepherd, and I know my sheep. I've known
them. These are the words of Christ
our Lord. I know my sheep. They know me. As a father knows
me, even so I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep,
and other sheep I have. They're my sheep. Whether they're
lost or found, whether they're straying or weary or whatever,
they're my sheep. And other sheep I have, which
are not of this fold, them I must bring, and they shall hear my
voice, and they shall be one fold and one shepherd. That's
a promise. And that's the reason I can't
be lost, because of the promises of Christ. That's the reason
we're going to hold our way is because of the promises of Christ.
Stay in that same chapter, and let's look at verse 10, verse
23. And the Lord Jesus walked in
the temple in Solomon's porch, and then came the Jews round
about him and said to him, Now, how long are you going to make
us doubt? How long are you going to make
us doubt? You be the Christ, tell us plainly. He said, I told
you. Jesus answered and said, I told
you. You didn't believe me. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. But you believe not because you're
not of my sheep. As I said to you, I told you
this. My sheep hear my voice. I know them. They follow me.
I give them eternal life. They'll never perish, and no
man will ever pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave
them all to me is greater than all, and nobody can take them
out of His hand, because I am my Father. the promises of Christ. Brother Barnard, Brother Barnard
back in World War II, Barnard was a chaplain. He was born in 1905 and when
World War II came along he was a grown man who had finished
the seminary and became a pastor and joined the army. And he became
a chaplain and He told me they were getting ready to send him
overseas, and they had a meeting with the leading officers
to instruct these chaplains about how they would conduct themselves
in the event, and in the certain event, that men would be wounded. and killed, and has to minister
to them. Now, they told Brother Barnes,
they said now, and the other chaplains, they said, when you
come in the service as Baptist, and Catholic, and Methodist,
and Presbyterian, all these different denominations, and when you come
to a man, and he's wounded, and he might be dying, if he's Catholic,
you've got to give him the last rites. If he's Jewish, you're
going to have to do certain things that he has to do. If he's a
Baptist, you've got to do certain things to him. Barnes said, I
can't do that. If I come upon a man who's dying,
I'm going to talk to him about the Lord. I'm not going to give
him last rites and do all these things. It's not going to work.
So they wouldn't send him overseas. But he ran into men who did go
and who would do this. And I heard the story about one
of those chaplains who who found the young man and he was severely,
severely wounded. He brought him to the hospital
and the chaplain went to see him and he said to him, said,
young man, he said, what's your denomination? What's your denomination? And this young man was one of
those people of the way. He replied to the chaplain, he
said, Jesus Christ is my denomination. And the chaplain said, well,
son, what I mean is this. What is your faith? He said,
my faith is Jesus Christ. But he said, son, you don't understand.
What's your persuasion? He quoted that scripture I quoted
a while ago. I know whom I have believed,
and I am persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've
committed to him. That's my persuasion. What he
gives, he keeps. What our Lord promises, he keeps. You see, feelings come, and feelings
go, and feelings are deceiving. My hope is the Word of God. Nothing
else is worth believing. Though all my heart should feel
condemned for want of one sweet token, I know one greater than
my heart. and His Word cannot be broken.
So I will trust in Christ's unchanging Word till soul and body separate. The words of men will all pass
away, but God's Word abides forever. And that's the reason you'll
never be lost, because He keeps His Word. That's right. The work of the Father The work
of the Son, the work of the Spirit, and the Word of God is our persuasion,
our denomination, and our faith, the Word of God. All right, thirdly,
the believer will hold his way because of the Spirit of God
that lives in him. Because of the Spirit of God
that lives in the believer. You see, Christ in you, that's
the hope of glory. It's not just Christ in the creed,
and Christ in the catechism, and Christ in the altar, and
Christ in the baptismal, Christ in you. That's the hope of glory. Brethren, Paul said, I travail
like a woman with birth pains. What's she travailing for? To
bring forth a child, to bring forth a daughter. She's travailing
in pain and Sovereign to bring forth. And Paul said, I travail,
brethren, till Christ be formed in you. That's what has to take
place. Christ formed in you. Not just
a doctrine to believe. Not just a persuasion. Not just
a catechism. It's Christ in you. That's the
hope of glory. Till Christ be formed in you.
Paul said this, I'm crucified with Christ. I'm a dead man. I'm crucified
with Christ. I'm a dead man. Nevertheless,
I live. Not I. Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live
in this flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved
me and gave himself for me. You are partakers of Christ's
suffering. Now listen to this. You're partakers
of Christ's suffering, and by these sufferings of Christ, you
are a partaker of His divine nature. That's exactly right. Christ in you, that's the hope
of glory. You see, this new nature, this
new nature is in us by a birth, by a new birth. The first time
we were born, we were born of our parents of sinful seed. And
that which is born of the flesh is flesh. It won't ever be anything
but flesh. But that which is born of God
is of the Spirit. It's the work of the Spirit of
God. It's the seed of God. Seed of
the Word. Let me show you that. Turn to
1 Peter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1. Salvation, not just walk in and
out, making a decision and accepting a doctrine. Salvation is Christ
in you, a new birth, a new creature in Christ Jesus, a new being.
It's never existed before. In 1 Peter 1, verse 23, listen. Verse 22, 1 Peter 1, verse 22,
seeing you purified your soul. in obeying the truth through
the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren. See that you
love one another with a pure heart fervently, being born again,
not a corruptible seed." What does that mean, corruptible seed?
Well, when a baby's born, there's a seed of man and an egg of a
woman that's germinated here. There's a seed of man. And when
man plants the seed, what's born is flesh, natural man. died born in sin and soon to
die. That's the seed, the corruptible
seed, the seed that'll fade away. But we're born again of incorruptible
seed. It's not dead, it's living, it's
incorruptible, it's not sinful, it's holy. It's the seed of God. It's the seed of the Word of
God, which lives and abides forever. That's the reason we have eternal
life. We have an eternal life by an
eternal seed. Incorruptible. It's the life
of God. It's the partakers of a divine
nature. It's the new birth. The new birth. We're born again. Somebody asked
me one time, said, do you believe man can be saved and then lost?
I said, depends on who saved him. 100%. Depends on who his daddy is. If his mother saved him, he'll
be lost. If his preacher saved him, he'll
wind up lost. If his church saved him, if he
saved himself, if his work saved him. But if God Almighty, by
the power of His Holy Spirit, brought that incorruptible seed,
the Word of God, into your heart, and you're born again, you'll
never die, never be lost. Can't be, can't be, can't be. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them. They follow me. I give them what?
Temporary life? Six months? Eternal life. And
they'll never, never, never perish. The soul that owns Jesus, at
lean for repose, I will not, I will not, never desert to its
foes. Look with me at 1 John chapter
3. 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3 verse 9. Listen to it now. 1 John 3 verse
9. 1 John 3 verse 9. Whosoever is born of God, born
of that incorruptible seed, born of the Spirit, born of Almighty
God. Whosoever is born of God does
not commit sin. For his seed, that incorruptible
seed, remains in him. He can't sin. He's born of God. Natural man can sin because he's
corruptible. But that seed that God puts in
our hearts is the seed of God. He cannot sin. He cannot. Now, here's the third. Well,
look at 1 John 4, verse 13. 1 John 4, verse 13. Listen to this. This is what
we're talking about. 1 John 4, verse 13. Know, hereby know ye, we, that
we dwell in him, and he dwells in us, because he's given us
his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify
that Not just a doctrine, God dwells
in him, and he in God. New nature. It's a new nature. And that new nature overcomes
the world. Old Richard Baxter. Richard Baxter
was walking down the street one day with a friend, and he came
upon a couple of fellows that were in a drunken stupor. And Richard Baxter observed those
men. And this is what he said. There,
except for the grace and mercy of God, goes Richard Baxter. Don't ever forget it. There,
except for the grace of God. But God's grace makes a difference. God Almighty's Word promises,
and they'll never, they'll never perish. The righteous shall hold
his way. He'll hold his way. All right.
Fourthly, the believer will hold his way because Christ intercedes
for him. Christ intercedes for him. Paul
requested the brethren. He said, Brethren, pray for us.
Pray for us. I pray for your pasture this
morning. Pray for all of God's servants. Pray for God's people.
Samuel said, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord
in ceasing to pray for you. And that's so important. Brethren,
pray for us. Pray for one another. Pray without
ceasing. But here's the glorious truth.
he ever lives to make intercession for us. Christ prays for us. That's right. Turn with me to
Luke chapter 22. Luke chapter 22. Listen to this. This is such a powerful, powerful
point I've got here. The believer will hold his way
because Christ won't let him fall. He prays for him. Listen in Luke chapter 22. Verse
31. Got it? Luke 22, 31. And the
Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you,
that he may sift you as wheat, but I pray for you. I pray for
you. You think about that. I pray
for you. Let your faith fail not. It's
not going to fail because he's praying for you. Pray for me. And when you're converted, When
you get straightened out, you'll strengthen your brethren. And
old Simon said, I don't need all that. Let's do it. He said,
my Lord, I'm ready to go with you into prison or death. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Look
at that next line. And he said, Simon, I tell you,
Peter, the cock shall not crow this day. before you've denied
three times that you even know me. I sure am glad he's praying
for me. That's the reason the righteous
will hold his way. He'll hold it. He'll hold it. He'll get it. He that hath clean
hands will grow strong. He'll grow in grace. He'll grow
in knowledge. He'll grow in the Word of God.
Your faith groweth exceedingly, the Scripture There are in Christ,
there are babies and infants and young men and elders. We
grow. Anything that's living grows.
It grows. And our faith groweth exceedingly.
Take heed to the Word of God. Desire the sincere miracle of
the Word that you may what? Grow. Grow how? Grow in faith. Grow in love. Grow in forgiveness. Grow in meekness. Grow in humility. Grow in the things of God. Hebrews chapter 7. Hebrews chapter
7. Listen to this. Hebrews 7 verse
23. The believer will hold his way
because Christ prays for him. Hebrews 7 verse 23. Listen. These, they truly were
many priests. There were a whole lot of them.
Because they They were not suffered to continue by reason of death.
They're dying men. But this man, the Lord Jesus
Christ, because he continues ever, he has an unchanging priesthood. Wherefore, he's able to save
you to the uttermost, that come to God by him, see he ever lives
to make intercession for you. That's promise. The believer, he's righteous,
he'll hold his way because of the work of the Father, Son,
Holy Spirit, because of the promises of Christ, because our Lord intercedes,
because the Spirit of God dwells within us, a new nature, new
man, new creature, born of God. And here's the last, he'll hold
his way because of the everlasting covenant that God made with Christ
for us before the foundations of the world. That's it. And David was dying. Seventy-five
years old. And he was dying. And David,
the son of Jesse. In 2 Samuel chapter 23. Turn over there with me. David,
the son of Jesse. Sweet psalmist of Israel. The
writer of the book of Psalms. All these blessed hymns, David,
2 Samuel 23, verse 1. Got it? Now, these are the last
words of David. David, the son of Jesse, man
who was raised up on high, the anointed of God Jacob, the sweet
psalmist of Israel, who said, The Spirit of the Lord God is
made by me. His word was in my tongue, in
my heart too. The God of Israel, the Rock of
Israel, spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just,
truthful, honest, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be
as the light of the morning when the sun rises, even the morning
without clouds, as the tender grass springing out of the earth,
and by clear shining after the rain. Now, although my house
be not so with God, David has some rebellious children and
rebellious friends, and he said, my house is not so with God. Got a lot of rebellion. Yet he
hath made with me an everlasting covenant. He made with me an
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, all things, all
time, all truth, and sure, and this is all my salvation. and all my desire. Although at
the present time, he makes it not to grow. Doesn't look like
much right now, but it's there. It's an everlasting covenant.
And the believer will hold his way. That way is the way of Christ. It's the way of truth. It's the
way of God. It's the way of salvation by
grace. It's the way of a person, not a profession. And he'll hold
that way, and he'll grow stronger and stronger because God will
never leave him, never forsake him. Our Father, thank you for your
word. This is our confession. This is our confidence. This
is our persuasion. This is our faith. This is our
hope. Thy precious, everlasting, eternal,
infallible, verbally inspired word. We love thy word. Help us, Lord, to make it a light
unto our feet and a lamp unto our path, that your word might
be hid in our hearts, that we will not sin against thee. Bless
this message to every heart according to your will. Lord, teach us. Teach us. We shall grow grateful
for this time together and pray your blessings upon every home
represented here today. Bless our home and our families
and our children and our grandchildren and our loved ones. Hedge them
about like Job prayed. Lord, hedge my children about. Keep them safe. Keep them from
harm. Keep them from evil. Keep them
in your love. We give thee thanks. In the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Thank you.