Turn back to Jeremiah chapter
6. I've entitled this message, The
Old Paths. The Old Paths. Jeremiah was preaching during
a very dark time. Look in verse 10 of Jeremiah
chapter 6. Jeremiah makes this complaint. To whom shall I speak and give
warning that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised
and they cannot hearken. They're unable to because of
their sinfulness, behold, The word of the Lord is unto them
a reproach. They have no delight in it. These people that I'm preaching
to find no delight in the word which I'm preaching. Look what
he says in verse 13 of the people he's preaching to. From the least
of them, even unto the greatest of them, everyone, note the word
everyone, everyone is given to covetousness. greed, coveting
money, coveting power, coveting the praise of men. They were
given to, controlled by covetousness. Does that sound much like our
day? Look at his summary of the preachers
of his day in verse 13. From the prophet even unto the
priest, everyone And notice that word everyone. Everyone. No exceptions. Everyone dealeth
falsely. I want to say this right. It's
certainly something that I felt, something that was disturbing
me very much. This week, I was thinking about Lexington, Kentucky,
and I thought to myself, in this city, there is not one place
where I could say with confidence, go there and you'll hear the
word of God. You'll hear the gospel of grace.
There's not one place that I know of. Now, I'm not saying there
aren't any. I haven't heard everybody. I realize that. But I don't know
one place where I could say with confidence, go there and you'll
hear the truth of how God saves sinners by Christ. But you know,
Jeremiah felt that way, didn't he? He said, from the prophet
even to the priest, every one of them dealeth falsely. And here's what they've done.
Verse 14, they have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my
people slightly saying peace, peace, when there is no peace. They give a formula that will
end with peace. If you do this, if you do that,
if you stop doing this and if you stop doing that, if you change
this and change that, you'll have peace. If you believe this
and if you believe that, if you accept this and accept that,
you'll have peace. And Jeremiah says, it's a false
peace. It's not real. It's a false peace,
peace, peace when there is no peace. Now, the inspiration of
this message came to me while I was thinking about that and
I was feeling very despondent. I was feeling, am I just negative? What's wrong with me? I wish
I could find another place. Where what I preach and what
I believe is preached. I'd love to. I'd be thankful. And I was feeling so despondent.
And this scripture came to my mind. Ask for the old paths. Just popped up in my mind. I
trust the Lord put it there and I couldn't remember where it
was I read it. I got a concordance and looked it up and here it
is in Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 16. Look what he says. Thus saith the Lord. Aren't you thankful for that?
Aren't you thankful for that? This is not something some man
has concocted. This is not man's opinion. This
is the Word of God. Thus saith the Lord. Now, that's what I want to hear.
I want to hear what he says. That's all I want to hear. I want to
hear what he says. Thus saith the Lord. Stand ye. in the ways, don't be moved,
abide in my ways, and see, perceive, and understand, and ask for the
old paths. Where is the good way? And walk
therein, and you shall find rest for your souls. Ask for the old
paths. I wonder if you and I can do
that even now. Ask for the old paths. Now, what
are these old paths? Let me say this. This is not
talking about being old fashioned. The old fashioned way. Well,
the old fashioned way is not necessarily the good way. We
do things the old fashioned way. Well, I guess in some respects
I could be called a dinosaur. I've never texted. Never have. I don't Facebook. I don't Twitter. I don't even know what Twitter
is. I don't blog, and I wouldn't know one if I saw one. I don't
use a computer in sermon preparation, and I suppose I'm old-fashioned
in that sense. And I'm not saying that's good. The problem is I
can't type. And that's a continual source of grief to my wife and
daughter when I ask them to type for me. They say, why don't you
learn to type? But I feel like I can't. I've tried to, and maybe
I could if I tried harder. In that sense, is that good?
No. No, it's not good. Old-fashioned is not good in
that sense. The old paths are not old-fashioned
paths. Now, that word old, when he says,
ask for the old way, is the same word that's always translated
in the Hebrew, in the Old Testament, everlasting. Come with me to Jeremiah 31. Verse 3. The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. Now that word everlasting is
the same word translated old in Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 16. Everlasting. Seek ye the everlasting
way. It's also translated from ancient
times and eternal. Now that which is everlasting
never goes out of fashion, does it? It can't become old fashioned. It always The only thing that I can have
confidence in is that which is eternal. And you know why? Because if it's eternal, my works
don't have anything to do with it. That's the only thing I can
have confidence in, that which is old, eternal, that never had
a beginning and that will never end. You see, only that which
is accomplished in eternity can give me rest to my soul. If it's
something I got to do in time, I find no rest. Only that which
is everlasting gives me comfort, not what will be, but what already
is and what always has been. God is eternal. He never began to be. His Son
is eternal. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was,
eternally was, in the beginning with God. His Spirit is eternal. God's Word, God's truth is eternal. The psalmist said, Forever, O
Lord, thy Word is settled in the heavens. Truth remains while
The errors and opinions of men will be destroyed. God's decrees
are eternal. We read in Ephesians 3.11 of
the eternal purpose which he purposed in himself, in Christ
Jesus the Lord. God's purpose is eternal. Romans
8.28 says, And we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the call according to
his purpose. Now what happens in time was purposed in eternity.
And everything that happens in time was purposed in eternity
by Him who is eternal. That's who He is. 2 Timothy 1.9
says, He saved us. And He called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works. but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began. All that I have, if I'm a believer,
all that I have, justification, acceptance, the love of God,
everything, sanctification, whatever you want to talk about, all I
have was given me in Christ Jesus before time began. He saved us, and He called us. Which came first, the saving
or the calling? He saved us, and then He called us. I was
saved before time began in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to Romans chapter
8. Somebody says, do you believe
in eternal justification? Yes, I do. I was justified before
time began in the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't you have to believe? Of course you do. That doesn't
take away the necessity of faith. If you don't believe the gospel,
you won't be saved. It's still true that everything I have was
given me in Christ Jesus before the world began. And that's where
my security comes from. You know, the only thing that
I feel secure about is that which is accomplished, not something
that will be. How many times have people invested in something
that was for sure and lost everything? The only thing that is really
for sure is that which is already been. It is historical. That's
accomplished. And look in Romans chapter eight,
verse twenty eight. Paul says, and we know. Someone says, I don't know that.
Well, I do. I do. I know this just like Paul does.
The truth recommends itself. If you're a believer, you say
with Paul, we know. We know this is so. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose. God's got a purpose. Romans 9,
11 says, for the children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to
election, might stand not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated. That is God speaking. That is
God's purpose. Verse 29. For. Whom he did foreknow. Now notice the word whom. It
doesn't say what he foreknew. Somebody says, well, God knows
everything that's going to happen. Sure he does. Yeah, he knows what's
going to happen because it's all his purpose. Whatever happens,
what he purposed. Yeah, he knows what. But that's
not what predestination is. Predestination is not God knowing
about events. Whom. Whom. Whom he did foreknow. Whom he did know beforehand. And that word know, it doesn't
simply mean he knew about him. He knows about everybody. But
what about that crowd he said, depart from me, I never knew
you. I didn't know you in eternity
and I don't know you now. What he means by that is I never
loved you. I never knew you to be mine. I never knew you to
bow the knee in adoration to me. I never knew you to trust
me as everything. I never knew you. But whom he
foreknew, whom he foreknew, they know him too. Every one of them. Everybody that he knows, they
know him because he makes himself known. Now let's go and read
it. Verse 29. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate. to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren
for over whom He did predestinate. Then He also called, irresistibly
and invincibly. And whom He called, then He also
justified. Listen to me. Justification isn't
God offering justification. You want to be justified or condemned? No, it's Him for what He declares
you to be. If you're justified, that means He justified you.
Whom He called, then He also justified. That means you have
no guilt. That means you stand before God's law without sin.
And whom He justified, then He also glorified. Now, notice it
doesn't say whom He will glorify. It says He glorified. Past tense. Already done. You see, whatever
God does is eternal. Turn to Hebrews chapter 4. Hold
your fingers there in Romans 8. Turn to Hebrews chapter 4. Verse 3. For we which have believed do
enter into rest. As he says, I swore to my wrath
they should not enter into my rest. Although the works. What? What? They were finished. All the works were finished when. From the foundation of the world. Now that is eternal. Back to Romans 8, verse 31. What shall we then say to these
things? That God's got a purpose. Whom
He did foreknow. He did predestinate. Whom He
did predestinate. Whom He called. Whom He called
and justified. Whom He justified. He glorified. Past tense. Done. Done. Finished. What shall we
say to these things if God be for us? Who can be against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not? What could
possibly prevent him from freely giving us all things? Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died. Yea, rather, that's risen again,
who's even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. Only that which is eternal is
sure. So when he says ask for the old
past, ask for that which is eternal. We read in the scripture of an
eternal salvation, of eternal judgment, of eternal redemption,
of an eternal inheritance. I love when the Lord on judgment
day says, come you blessed my father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. And you and I got
to say about all that, this stuff about eternity. Say the same
thing David did. David said in 2 Samuel 23 verse
5, Although my house be not so with God, yet hath he made with
me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure. And this is all my salvation. And it's all my desire. though
he make it not to grow." Can you say that with David? This
is all my salvation, this everlasting covenant, ordered in all things
and sure. It's all my salvation and all my desire, though we
make it not to grow. Now, go back to Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 6. Stand ye in the ways, and see,
and ask for the old path, the everlasting path. Where is the
good way? The good way. The way of Christ. The way of grace. The narrow
way. The good way. Now, turn to Matthew
chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7. And the good way is the way to
get you there. Isn't that so? The good way is the way to get
you there. It gets you to the destination. That's a good way. If it gets
you there, it's the good way. Now look what our Lord says in
verse 13 of Matthew chapter 7. Enter ye in at the straight gate,
the narrow gate, for wide is the gate. And broad is the way
that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat,
because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads
to life, and few there be that find it." Now, the road to destruction
is a very wide road. There's a lot of ways to destruction. There's room for the licentious.
and there's room for the legalist. There's room for the moral, and
there's room for the immoral. There's room for the religious,
and there's room for the irreligious. You can get there as a drug pusher,
and you can get there as a preacher. Broad is the way that leads to
destruction. There's a lot of roads that will
take you straight to hell. But straight, very narrow, is
the way that leads to life. And our Lord says, few there
be that find it. And somebody says, well, why
is that? I don't know, but whatever the Lord does is right. And he
tells us, many go that wrong direction and very few get on
the narrow road. Turn to Luke chapter 13, verse
24 or verse 23. Then said one unto
him, Lord, Luke 13, verse 23. Then said
one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said
unto them, strive, you strive to enter in at the straight gate.
Don't worry about whether there's many or there's few. You strive
to enter in at the straight gate. For many, I say, unto you will
seek to enter in and shall not be able. Now, what is this good
way that he speaks of? Well, you know that Christ is
the way to the Father. In John chapter 14, verse 6,
Christ said, I am the way. He didn't say, I'll show you
the way. He didn't say, I'll guide you along the way. He said, I am
the way. He's the way to the Father. I
am the way. No man comes to the Father but
by me. Now, what does that mean? No
man comes to the Father but by me. Well, not beside me. Not behind me. Not even pleading
my name, but by me. Sometime around, somewhere around
930, 940 this morning, a big red van came
rolling into Todd's Road Grace Church and it entered there.
A big red van. I picked the big red van because
it's the biggest car that comes in here with the most people
in it. a big red van. You see a big red van, but you
know what? Everybody in that van got here, too. When the van
arrived here, they arrived here. When I pulled in, when my black
car pulled in here, me and Linda, too, we were in the van. Now,
what our Lord is saying is no man comes to the Father but by
me. When I come to the Father, that's
when His people come. That's what it is to come to
the Father. It's not just come and pleading. I am pleading Him.
And I say what? I don't come beside Him. And
I don't come behind Him. I simply come in Him. When He
comes to the Father, I come to the Father. That's what it is
to come by Him. He is the way to the Father. He didn't say, I'll show you
the way. He didn't say, I'll guide you the way or I'll teach
you the way. He said, I'm it. I meant, if you're in me, you're
in the very presence of the Father seated in heaven right now. Now, in 1 Peter 2, 15, he's called
the right way. Now, I know in this generation
we live in, everything's kind of convoluted. But let me say
this, he's the right way and every other way's the wrong way. That's just so. Is there any
truth in other religions? No. He's the only way to the
Father. He claims that exclusivity. He
says, I am the way. He's called in 1 Peter 2, the
way of truth. The way of truth as opposed to
the way of lies. Now, listen to me. The message
that's preached in our day, and here it is. God loves everybody. Christ died for everybody. He
wants to save everybody. He offers salvation to you. And
it's up to you as to whether or not you'll accept it or reject
it. Salvation is ultimately in your
hands. God wants to save you. Christ
died for you. God the Holy Spirit is calling
you. He wants to save you. But salvation is up to you. That
is a lie. There is no truth in that message. It's a false message that if
you believe that, you will be damned. If I believe that, I
will be damned. That's how serious this is. There's
only one gospel, the way of truth. coming into the Father's presence
by Christ. That's the only way to the Father. This is the way of truth. And all other ways are lies. And you can't be saved by a lie. In 2 Peter 2.21 and Matthew 21.32,
it's called the way of righteousness. The way of righteousness. Righteousness. There's only one
righteousness that the Bible recognizes. And it's not human
righteousness. Let me tell you that. As a matter
of fact, Isaiah 64 says our righteousnesses, our works, the things we do,
are as filthy rags. That's what the Bible calls them.
The only righteousness that the Bible recognizes is the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. His perfect obedience. Now, do you want to know what
righteousness is? It's the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He kept God's
law perfectly. And that's the only righteousness
there is. His righteousness. Now, the only
way that I can be brought into God's presence and accepted is
because His righteousness is my righteousness before God. My sin became His sin. He took my sin and my sorrow,
and He made them His very own. He bore the burden to Calvary,
and He suffered and He died alone. And just as truly as my sin became
His sin, His righteousness is mine. Now that's the way of righteousness,
and I can come into God's very presence with his righteousness,
the righteousness of God. In Luke 179, this is called the
way of peace. You're the only peace that I
experience, and I do experience peace from this. I wish I could
bottle this and think about it all the time. The only peace
I experience is that when he said it is finished. All my salvation was accomplished. And you know, that gives me peace.
I don't look anywhere else for peace. I don't look to my preacher
and my work center. I look to who he is and what
he did. He is our peace. And then in Hebrews 10 20, this
way is called the new and the living way. That word new means
freshly slaughtered. The blood of Christ is not old. It's always new. Freshly slaughtered. That's how it appears to the
Father. Freshly slaughtered. But not
only is it freshly slaughtered. Living. Life. Not presenting a dead sacrifice. He was dead, freshly slaughtered,
and he's alive right now. He's the new and he's the living
way as opposed to a dead way. In 1 Corinthians 10, 13, he's
called the way of escape. You know what that means. In
Isaiah 35, 8, he's called the way of holiness. In 1 Corinthians
12, 31, this is the more excellent way. And I love this in Acts
24, verse 14. is being tried and he says after
the way that they call heresy and you know most people in Lexington
Kentucky will say this message is heresy that I'm preaching
right now this is heresy to say that God doesn't love everybody
and Christ didn't die for everybody and that's heresy after the way
which they call heresy so worship I the God of my father believing
all things which are written in the law and in the prophets. Back to our text in Jeremiah
6. Verse 16, Thus saith the Lord,
Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, wherein
is the good way, and walk therein. And you shall find rest for your
souls. You're familiar with that passage
in Matthew chapter 11, beginning in verse 28, where the Lord says,
Come to me, all that labor and are heavy laden, laboring under
the burden of sin. That's what he's talking about.
And I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you'll find rest
for your souls, for my yoke is easy. Grace, my burden is light. Now turn to Hebrews chapter 4. We've looked at one verse in
Hebrews chapter 4. Let's look at another. In this old path where it is
the good way, the way of Christ, there's rest. Hebrews chapter
4, verse 9. There remaineth therefore a rest
to the people of God. For he that hath entered into
his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did
from his." Have you ever ceased from your
own works? You ever done that? The only
way you'll rest is if you cease from your own works. Now, what
this is a reference to is creation. Cease from your own works as
God did from his. What did God do after he finished creating? He looked at what he did. And
he was very good. And he rested, not because he
was tired, but because the work was finished. Finished. Nothing left to create. Finished. And if I rest in Christ, I look
at what he did as finished. There's nothing for me to do.
I rest, and what a sweet, sweet rest this is. And look what he
says in verse 11. He said, Let us labor, therefore,
to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example
of unbelief. You know what the hardest thing
in the world to do is? I can tell you. The hardest thing in
the world to do, as a matter of fact, it's impossible unless
God enables you, is to simply rest in Christ. Just rest. Believe that what he did is all
that is needed to make you perfect and complete in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, ask for the old paths. That's where the good way is.
And you will find rest. unto your souls. And you know
what this crowd said? Nah, we're not doing that. We're
not doing that. We're not walking that way. I
hope and pray that nobody in this room's response is nope,
we're not going that direction. But I hope and pray that every
one of us will enter into this thing of resting in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And I know this, this is the
difference between being saved and being lost. People who are
saved rest in Christ. One of these days, I'd like to
put up a sign in reference to all the ridiculous religious
statements that I hear in this generation. Rest it. Do not disturb. Let's pray.