The Ways Of The Lord Are Right

Q: What does the Bible say about the ways of the Lord?

The Bible teaches that the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them, as stated in Hosea 14:9. The phrase 'the ways of the Lord are right' emphasizes the righteousness and faithfulness of God in all His dealings. In Hosea 14:9, it conveys that God's paths lead to life and righteousness, and those who are justified by faith are called to follow these divine ways. This assurance is crucial for Christians, especially amidst life's uncertainties, as it reminds us that God orchestrates everything according to His perfect will, bringing about good for His people.

Q: How do we know that God has ordained all events?

We know that God has ordained all events through Scripture which teaches God's sovereignty and His purpose in unfolding history for His glory. The sovereignty of God is a fundamental doctrine in Reformed theology, affirming that He controls all events and outcomes. The Bible reveals that God has appointed the end from the beginning, as seen in Isaiah 46:10. This means that God doesn’t merely plan; He ordains all things according to His perfect will. Acts 16 illustrates this sovereignty, as seen when the apostles were directed away from their plans to reach new regions, culminating in a miraculous conversion in Philippi. Through these examples, we understand that every circumstance is part of God's providential plan, ultimately serving His purpose for His people.

Q: Why is the conversion of Lydia significant?

Lydia's conversion is significant as it illustrates God's grace opening a heart to receive the gospel. Lydia's conversion is a beautiful illustration of God's grace in action. While she was a religious woman, her heart was not open until the Lord Himself opened it as Paul preached the gospel. This transformation signifies that salvation is not based on human effort or understanding but is entirely a work of God’s grace. As mentioned in the sermon, the heart of a sinner is closed to divine truths until God intervenes. Lydia's story encourages believers to trust in the transformative power of the gospel and to recognize that it is God who calls individuals to faith.

Q: What does the Bible teach about salvation?

The Bible teaches that salvation is a gift from God, accomplished through Jesus Christ's atoning work, not based on human merit. Christian soteriology emphasizes that salvation is wholly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. As noted in the sermon, Christ's death was substitutionary and effectual, meaning it was intended to save the elect and accomplished its purpose. This doctrine combats the prevalent belief that salvation is merely 'made possible' by Christ's sacrifice, reinforcing that it is a finished work and a gift freely given. The message of salvation goes beyond mere intellectual acknowledgment; it calls for a personal trust in Christ and a transformation of the individual’s life.

Q: How does God use trials for His purpose?

God uses trials in the lives of believers to further His purposes and bring about spiritual growth. In Reformed thought, trials are not merely obstacles but divine tools used by God to accomplish His purposes. The sermon highlights that the suffering of Paul and Silas in prison led to the miraculous conversion of the jailer. This underscores how God often works through adversity to bring about redemption and growth. As believers face hardships, it is essential to trust in God's sovereign plans, believing that He is weaving our trials into a larger tapestry of grace that glorifies Him and edifies the church. Embracing trials with faith can lead to unexpected blessings and deeper reliance on God's faithfulness.

Let me just say that again, it's Acts chapter 16, reading from verse one. We're speaking about the apostle Paul here, when it says, then came he to Derbe and Lystra, and behold, a certain disciple was there named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess and believed, but his father was a Greek. which was well reported of the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters, for they knew all that his father was a Greek.

And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep. that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith and increased in number daily. Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia, but the spirit suffered them not. And they passing through Mysia came down to Troas.

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia and prayed to him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us. And after he had seen the vision immediately, we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore, loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracea, and the next day to Neapolis, and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony, and we were in that city abiding certain days. And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a riverside where prayer was wont to be made. And we sat down and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us, whose heart the Lord opened. And she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized and her household, she besought us, saying, if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there. And she constrained us. And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel, possessed with the spirit of divination, met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. The same followed Paul, and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, which show unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the Spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

And when our masters saw that the hope of our gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrates, saying, these men being Jews do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. The multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely, who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stalks. And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's bands were loosed. The keeper of the prison awakening out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice saying, do thyself no harm for we are all here. Then he called for a light and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas. and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes and was baptized, he and all his straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

And when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, Let those men go. The keeper of the prison told this, saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace. Paul said unto them, they have beaten us openly, uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison, and now do they thrust us out privily? Nay, verily, but let them come themselves and fetch us out. The sergeants told these words unto the magistrates, and they feared when they heard that they were Romans. And they came, and we sought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. And they went out of the prison and entered into the house of Lydia. And when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them and departed. Amen. May the Lord bless to us this reading from his word.

I would like to tell you a little of my Jesus. I want to tell you a little bit about my saviour, Jesus Christ. I want to tell you how good he has been to me, how loving and how kind I have proved him to be all my life. He calls me one of his little children.

He is patient with me. He is kind to me, despite my frequent foolishness. He has washed away my sin. He forgives me when I sin. He clears my conscience. He heals the brokenhearted. Many years ago, the Lord Jesus came into my life when I was, I think, no older than some of you younger ones gathered here today. And He has given me such peace through all these years that I cannot imagine living without Him. He is my Lord. but he is my friend.

And the Lord Jesus Christ died for sinners like me, and he died for sinners like you. He took my place for my sin under the just punishment of God. His death was substitutionary. That means that he died in my place. It was effectual. That means that it accomplished what it was purposed and intended to do. We often say, and we need to keep saying it because of the widespread free will religion that seems to be everywhere in our world today, that the Lord Jesus did not make salvation possible by his death. in order for that then to be made effectual by the faith of the individual, but rather he effected our salvation and gives it as a gift to the individual. And that is an important distinction. For me, he served justice and he saved me.

When he comes into a person's life, he transforms that person and he makes them a new creature. Jesus Christ has given my life meaning and purpose. He has given me friends. He's given me brothers and sisters in the family of God. We should not take that for granted. There are lots of lonely people in this world. The Lord has given us a family and he has given us brothers and sisters of a spiritual, of a real, of a deep and significant kind.

He's given me peace. He's given me confidence in my heart that whatever happens, he will be there for me. If I let him down, he will never let me down. If I prove unworthy or unfaithful to Him, He will always be faithful to me. He has shown me mercy and given me grace. He has given me life and He has given me promises. He has given me grace and He will give me glory.

And I would love for you to know this Jesus as I know Him. So all that I ask is that you listen to what I have to say this morning with the hope that you too may know something of what it is for Christ to be your Lord and Savior as well. The prophet Isaiah in chapter 14 and verse nine, you don't need to turn to it, but this is what the verse says, or the second half of the verse, says this, the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them. And that's really the hook upon which I want to hang my thoughts today. The ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them. The ways of the Lord are righteous. The ways of the Lord are purposeful. Furthermore, the ways of the Lord are timely. Our times are in God's hands. And these are challenging times in the world. We should recognize that.

No one, it seems, really has very much idea what is going to happen. In a time, in a period, in an age of instability and randomness about what is going on at the highest levels in our world. No one seems to have any real idea what to do. There are wars and rumours of wars. There's unrest in our communities. There's political drama at every news broadcast. we think wistfully of the days when politics was boring. Well, it isn't anymore, and that is concerning. At an international level, economically, with shortages ahead, likely, and lots of chaos to be had, well, that at least is the way it appears.

But the ways of the Lord are right. The ways of the Lord are right, says Hosea. And the just shall walk in them. So imagine that for all the uncertainty and I've jumped on a few stepping stones as I've tried to set out a little bit of a backdrop. Your life may be uncertain for a whole load of other different reasons that are personal to you. But for all of those uncertainties, the ways of the Lord are right. And the just shall walk in them.

There is wisdom and reason to what is going on. There is purpose. There is sovereign, glorious purpose in all that seems chaotic. And far from it being out of control, there is a great, big, wonderful God ordering everything and accomplishing his holy will for the good of his people by a million billion secret paths intertwining throughout the whole of history in order to arrive at his decreed end.

The ways of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them. And I think that that is a word of comfort to his church. Fear not, I am with you. I've got it all under control. The ways of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them. That's what I believe. My God has appointed the end from the beginning. He knows exactly what he is doing. I wish my trust and my confidence was stronger, but I am certain of this, that the just shall walk in God's right ways, and the Lord will be with us on every step of the way.

We make our plans, we have our ambitions, but none of us can tell what a day holds. God has wisely hidden the future from us. We would either, if it was good, we would rush towards it to the neglect of the things that needed to be done. If it's bad, then we would withdraw from it and we would be anxious every day until it happened. The Lord has been very gracious in hiding the future from us.

But he knows exactly what is going to happen. God doesn't plan. He ordains. He doesn't have ambitions. He wills. And then he does all that he wills, and he does it right first time. His ways are right. It's what Isaiah says. He tells us in Isaiah 55, verse eight, And we have a fine example of that in our passage today from Acts 16.

Paul and Silas, and Timothy, a young man, and Luke, because this is written in the first person, it's we, so Luke is there as well. There may have been others in that group, but at least these four were travelling up from city to city, going to various churches and passing on some of the information that had been conveyed from the church at Jerusalem concerning the Christian faith and life and practice. They were traveling from city to city. They were going from region to region.

They were in, at this time, what's called Asia Minor or modern day Turkey. They were preaching the gospel at every opportunity. And they had planned to preach in the Roman province of Asia. So it's not the continent that we call Asia nowadays. It was a little province that had the name Asia in the middle of Turkey, as now called.

And that was where they wanted to go next. But they were forbidden by the Lord from doing so, at least for that time. So they planned something else. They'd turn east and north a bit, and they would head towards the Black Sea. They would go into Bithynia.

But that, too, was stopped. That was blocked. I don't know by what means the apostles knew that these doors had closed for them. It might have been a very circumstantial thing, like the means of transport wasn't there anymore, or they may have had some sort of special revelation to say, no, that's not what I want you to do. But their preferred route was closed before them. And instead, as they traveled north, they came to Troas on what is the northwest coast of Anatolia. They kind of ran out of road. They came to the coast.

But here the way of the Lord would be revealed to them. Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia appealing to him to come over the sea just a short distance and into Europe. In the vision, the man said, come over into Macedonia and help us. I have wondered the significance of that us there, whether that was Paul being informed that actually there were believers there and that he was being called to give them some support and encouragement. Either way. Paul took it as direction from the Lord, and the little group headed into Europe and towards Philippi.

But why Philippi? Why Philippi? Why not Asia? Why not Bithynia? Well, for one very simple reason, the Lord had people in the city of Philippi that he was getting ready to save under the preaching of the apostles. In the circumstances, the conversions of Lydia and the Philippian jailer could hardly be more different.

And yet each contributed to the glory of God and the gathering in of his church. Ordinarily, when the apostle Paul went into a new city, a new area, a new town, he would go to the Jewish synagogue and there he would very often be invited to take part.

Remember, he was a Pharisee. He was, we've thought about this in the past, I think, but he was probably, as far as his education is concerned, the crème de la crème. He was the top as far as the Old Testament understanding and Pharisaical religion was concerned. If he went into one of these provincial towns, and they had any idea of the sort of contribution that he could make to their service, I am sure that he would be eagerly received. Of course, he had a different message to preach these days. He preached of the Lord, but still they were curious to hear, still they were interested about this man, Paul.

It therefore seems that it's unlikely there was a synagogue in Philippi. Otherwise, that's where Paul would have gone. Rather, it seems the Jews in that area went out of the city to a river bank where they were able to pray with some seclusion, perhaps, some privacy and some freedom. And that's where Paul went on one of these early days in Philippi. There they spoke to one of the ladies that was present, a woman called Lydia, and she seems to have been a Jewish lady, and at first she began to listen just generally to what was being said.

But as she heard the gospel and the message of grace, The Lord opened her heart and gave her the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. And that opening of the heart is a picture of conversion. The heart of a sinner before conversion is closed up in darkness and ignorance towards God and towards spiritual things. It is naturally contrary to the grace of God. And even though this woman was by practice religious, she had no true knowledge of God. She had no fear for him. She had no real love for him. But what a glorious, beautiful picture of transformation this is in the life of Lydia. As this little group sat talking, perhaps in the shade of some trees by a river's edge, gently, sweetly, powerfully, the Lord opened her heart and implanted grace and made her a new creature in Jesus Christ.

In the following days, the apostles continued to exercise their ministry. but their preaching stirred up spiritual opposition, and a young woman possessed of a devil followed them and shouted against them. Paul was grieved at her condition and commanded the devil to leave her, which it did, much to the annoyance of the girl's masters, who made money at her fortune-telling.

These men, the masters, caught Paul and Silas and they brought them to the magistrates. They stirred up a bit of a riot. They caused a crowd to gather and perhaps for their own safety, these magistrates thought, we need to deal with this matter and deal with it quickly before things get out of hand. So they quipped with rods. Paul and Silas, with many stripes. I don't know how many that was. But the fact that it was many shows that it was not just a few.

And they had them thrown into prison, perhaps with the idea of getting some quiet in the city, and then the next day they could decide what they were going to do with them. The jailer was charged to make sure they were kept safe. He was a diligent man. He put them into the heart of the jail, the prison. And he shut and locked the cell door on Paul and Silas as these men with their bruises, their open wounds, their bloody tunics, were thrown into this stinking, dark, no doubt damp cell and left there all night. He shut them up, but little did he suspect what a change was about to occur in his life as well. And here is the second convert that we hear about in Philippi, another precious soul whom the Lord had chosen in grace and now brought to faith. This time not by a river bank, but in a fearsome Roman prison.

But do you see how the Lord's ways work together? Do you see how they work together for good for his people? Do you see how the ways of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them? Quietly, gently. Lydia's heart was opened by the Lord to receive faith in Christ as the apostle Paul spoke of Christ there at that bucolic rivers side. I have a picture of it as being a beautiful scene.

Conversely, The circumstances of the conversion of the Philippian jailer could hardly have been more dramatic, brutal, or indeed surprising. In the dead of the night in the prison, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns. The whole jail heard their praises. Their open wounds, bloodied, beaten, chained in the darkness, they thanked God and worshiped Christ. and suddenly there was an earthquake, and the cell doors flew open. The prisoners all realized that their chains had become unlocked, their shackles had given way, fallen off. The jailer, he was asleep, he woke from his sleep at the earthquake and he realized that the prison doors were open and he supposed that the prisoners must have fled.

He would have taken his own life. But Paul, and I don't know how he knew, Man gets out of his bed and realizes what's happened, draws his sword to take his life. Paul's in the inmost part of the prison, so I don't know whether that was special revelation or in some way Paul understood what was happening.

But he cried out, do thyself no harm, for we all are here. And I think the following verses are amongst the most delightful in scripture. Here is a sinner under deep conviction. And he calls for a light, and he sprang in, and he came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved?

And they said, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, the gospel. They preached the kingdom of God and his righteousness to him and to all that were in his house. What can we tell from these verses concerning the ways of the Lord and his work of salvation? We can tell this. Salvation is a rare and precious thing.

In the whole of Philippi, it was these two. Now, there may have been others afterwards, but it was these two. It was individuals. It was this woman who was a Jew. It was a man who was probably an old soldier. That's what happened with these jailers in these provincial towns in Rome. He would have been a Roman legionary. and he would get too old to be marching around the country and if he had been a good soldier they would pension him off by giving him a jailer's job in one of these towns.

Who would have imagined that that was the man that God was gonna call, that Christ was going to save. Salvation is a rare and precious thing. And many seemingly random circumstances have to come together in order for a person to be saved. If you are a believer, think how it was for you, how the events of your life conspired beyond your control to bring you to that place, bring you to that point where you trusted the Lord. As Christ is the way of salvation, so there are means of salvation for the Lord's elect. Why? Because the ways of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them. He brings the preacher, he prepares the heart, he gives the light, and he gives the life in his good time. And another thing we can learn from this passage is that Christ's ministers blessed the Lord and praised him for his ways.

He saved this precious soul, Lydia, by opening her heart on a warm Sabbath day at the side of the river outside the city of Philippi. It seems to have been a lovely scene. There would have been few more delightful conversions to behold, to witness. But they blessed the Lord too, for the soul of the Philippian jailer, as they sat in the prison with their backs bleeding and in pain.

Did they know that this man was going to be saved? Did they appreciate that that would be the outcome of this horrendous situation that they were in? Or did they just sing praises to God despite the circumstances they were in? What's the lesson here?

We lean, do we not, into ease in our lives and we recoil from hardship And yet the Lord uses both to bring about his purposes, and he did for the souls of these people. The circumstances that we dread, that we worry about, that we were anxious about, they will prove to be the unexpected means of blessing for us and for God's people, because that is according to God's wills. They, God's will, that is his way. In this case, the shaking of this jailer brought him to that place, a hardened opponent to God brought him to that place of kneeling before Paul and Silas and asking what he would have to do to be saved.

I don't know whether Paul was thinking, I wish we'd gone to Bithynia. I wish we'd been able to go to Asia. I don't know when he was sitting in the prison with the blood dripping down his back whether he thought, what am I doing in Philippi? But you and I ought not to bewail our hardships or complain of the injustice that we encounter in this world.

It is hard not to. but we need to remember that even the severe trials that the Lord brings to his church and people will be used in order to bring lost sheep to glory and to honor his name. If we could see the outcomes of grace in the heat of the trial, we too would praise the Lord We would praise him from the midst of the burning fiery furnace if we could see the grace at the end. But we ought to do so by faith in anticipation of that grace, because the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them. It isn't easy to thank the Lord for trial and pains when we're in darkness and chains. But when we believe that the ways of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them, it ought to quieten our grumbles, steady our resolve, and quicken our step on the paths where he leads.

And what of a sinner faced with these two contrasting conversions? I don't know what the spiritual state of everyone here is, but we look at Lydia, we look at this jailer. If you are a believer, perhaps your conversion experience was like Lydia's, quiet, reasoned, thoughtful. but some, like the jailer, are driven almost to despair before they find the Lord.

Saved, as it were, from the very entrance of hell, Christ's little lambs will be as readily snatched from death as wooed with sweet promises. The efficient, Cause in both cases was God himself. The means was the preaching of the gospel. The subject was the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul told Lydia of the sacrifice of the saviour, of the blood that had been shed for the remission of sins and the gift of faith. He told the jailer of divine love and mercy. of atonement by blood and forgiveness of sins. He told them about the new birth.

The message was the same, the effect was the same, though the circumstances differed. Christ's church is being gathered from the most unexpected places. A prayer meeting here, a prison cell there. Some experiences seem easy. Others are very traumatic and hard. But either way, the ways of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them to the discovery of his grace and the accomplishment of his glory. Amen.

The Ways Of The Lord Are Right

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the ways of the Lord?

How do we know that God has ordained all events?

Why is the conversion of Lydia significant?

What does the Bible teach about salvation?

How does God use trials for His purpose?

Sermon Transcript

About Peter L. Meney

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

The Ways Of The Lord Are Right

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the ways of the Lord?

How do we know that God has ordained all events?

Why is the conversion of Lydia significant?

What does the Bible teach about salvation?

How does God use trials for His purpose?

Sermon Transcript

About Peter L. Meney

Comments

More from Peter L. Meney

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Peter L. Meney

Suggested for You

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book