My subject tonight is the weeping prophet and his
message. Jeremiah was known as the weeping
prophet. He wrote in Jeremiah 9, O that
my head were waters and that my ears, my eyes were fountains
of tears, that my head were waters and my eyes were fountains of
tears, that I might weep day and night for my people, for
they know not God. And the apostle Paul wrote in
Romans chapter nine, I'd like you to turn there, Romans The
ninth chapter, verse one through three. The
Apostle Paul wrote here, Romans 9, one through three, I say the
truth in Christ, I lie not. My conscience also bearing me
witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great sorrow, great heaviness
and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself
were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according
to the flesh. Over there in chapter 10, verse
1, he said, My heart's desire and prayer to God Israel, for
Israel is that there might be saved. The weeping prophet. I heard a person say one time,
you know, he said, I just love to preach. I just love to preach. I love to stand in the pulpit
and preach. And the reply came back, that's
good. It's good to be a preacher and
it's good to preach. But it's more important that
we first love the people to whom we preach. That's the key. That's the key to Paul's ministry.
That's the key to Jeremiah's ministry. I love the people to
whom I preach. In 2 Timothy 2, I'll just quote
this for you. 2 Timothy 2 verse 24, Paul wrote,
The servant of the Lord must not strive, argue, quarrel, But
be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing
those that oppose themselves." That's their opposition is to
themselves. They're confused, they're troubled,
they oppose themselves. If we can teach, be patient in
meekness, and teach them, if peradventure, that God give them
repentance. Acknowledging the truth. I'd
like for you to turn to the book of 1 Thessalonians, and hear
the apostle again. in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 7. But we were gentle, 1 Thessalonians
2 verse 7, but we were gentle among you, even as nurse here,
mother, even as a mother cherishes her children. So being affectionately
desirous of you, of your salvation, of your contentment, of your
joy, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have
imparted unto you not the gospel only. We must not just depart
the gospel only, but we'd be willing to impart unto you our
own souls, because you're so dear to us. And it's very appropriate then,
if I speak from the writings of this man, I want you to turn
now to Jeremiah chapter 6. If I speak from the writings
of this man, it's very important for me that I love the people
to whom I preach, And that I can preach with a broken heart and
a tender spirit, a gentle attitude, patient, willing to teach me. So Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 14. Jeremiah 6 verse 14. He says,
They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people,
saying, slightly say peace, peace when there is no peace. Were
they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not
at all ashamed, neither could they blush. Therefore they shall
fall, they shall fall among them that fall. At the time that I
visit them, they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. Now then,
here is Jeremiah's message to the people. Thus saith the Lord. We need to be alert when the
Scripture says, Thus saith the Lord. This is the Lord speaking.
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 you'll find rest for your souls." Four things. Stand ye in the ways. Ask for
the old paths. Where is the good way? And walk
therein, and you'll find rest for your souls. Well, here's
the first one that he says to us. He says, stand in the way. You know, Thomas said to the
Lord Jesus Christ, he said, Lord, we know not where you're going.
How can we know the way? Our Lord said to him, Thomas,
and I've been so long time with you and you not know me. I am
the way. I am the truth. I am the life. I am the way.
Christ is the way. I found an old hymn in the Gatsby
book. I asked Brother Mike Bartram
to put it to music, and this is what it says, Christ the way.
Christ is the way. To him alone from sin and death
we flee. And he whom the Father seeks
must seek him in thee. Christ is the truth. His word
alone true wisdom must impart. He alone can open my mind and
purify my heart. Christ is a life, the way, the
truth, and the life. Christ is a life, and that open
truth proclaims His powerful arm. And those who rest their
hope in Him, nor death nor hell can harm. I want you to turn
to the book of Job for a moment. In Job chapter 17, Christ is
the way. And Job says here in John chapter
17 verse 9, that the righteous will hold that way. Jeremiah
said, stand in the way. And here in Job chapter 17 verse
9, and the righteous shall also, also shall hold on his way. And he that hath clean hands,
Our hands are washed in the blood of Christ, and they're clean. And those that have clean hands
will grow stronger and stronger and stronger. I gave you an outline
along this, on this verse some time ago. The believer shall
hold his way, stand in the way of Christ. He may not always
travel with equal speed, but he'll hold his way. It does not
say the believer will hold his pace. It says he'll hold his
way. And the believer shall hold his
way, which is Christ. He may not always travel with
equal success. He may be rich, he may be poor. He may be successful, he may
fail. He may be sick, he may be well. But he will not forsake the way
of Christ. He will cling to the Redeemer. And the believer will always
travel with equal zeal and enthusiasm. He will have times of trial and
struggle, but he will come to Christ and keep coming. He'll
look to Christ and keep looking. He'll cling to Christ and he
will hold his way. The believer The man whose hands
are washed in the blood, justified by the Son of God, will hold
his way. I love these old writers. Spurgeon. Spurgeon is my favorite, I guess.
But Spurgeon wrote on this Job 17.9, he wrote these words. That's so. All right, back to
my text, Jeremiah chapter 6. Stand ye in the way. Hold to Christ. Cling to Christ and see. Now watch this. And ask for the
old paths. What's Jeremiah talking about
here, the old paths? I've heard some of my primitive
Baptist brethren preach from this, and they preach it beautifully. The old paths. What are the old
paths? Well, they're the ancient paths. The ancient paths. Jeremiah uses
that word, ancient, in reference to our paths in Jeremiah 18. You may want to turn over there
and see it, mark it in your Bible. In Jeremiah chapter 18, verse
15. Ask for the old past. Ask for
the old past. In Jeremiah 18, 15, because my
people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity,
and they have caused them to stumble in their way from the
ancient past. They've left the old ancient
past, to walk in past in a way not cast up. The ancient path. What is the ancient path? I'll
tell you what it is. It's the path that Enoch walked
when he walked with God. That's the old path. It's the
same path that Enoch walked when he walked with God, and was not
when God took him. What are the old paths? It's
the same path that Abraham walked when he was seventy-five years
old, and God appeared to him and said, I'm going to make a
covenant with you that you leave your father's house and your
kindred and go to land I'll show thee." And Abraham walked that
path with God. He walked with God. And then
the path that Moses walked was the path that we read about in
Hebrews 11. Turn to Hebrews 11 and let's
read this path. that Moses walked. The old paths. Ask for the old paths. Here it
is in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 verse 24. Moses walked with God and Moses
refused some things and he chose some things and he esteemed some
things. Now what's in Hebrews 11 verse Verse 23. By faith Moses, when he was born,
was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was an unusual
child, most unusual. And they were not afraid of the
king's commandment. So by faith Moses, when he was
forty years old, when he was come to years, number one, he
refused He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Moses refused some things. That's the path of the Lord.
That's the path we walk. He refused some things. It's
not going to happen. I'm not going to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter. I'm going to be called the son
of God. Number two, he chose something. He's choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season." I like that old song, I choose Jesus.
I choose Him because He chose me. But I choose Him. He loved
me because I loved Him. I love Him because He loved me.
And I love Him. Moses chose to suffer the affliction
of the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for
a season. And then Moses esteemed something. He esteemed the reproach of Christ. Greater riches. He esteemed the
reproach of Christ. Greater riches than all the treasures
of Egypt. For he had respect until the
recompense of the reward. And then Moses forsook something. It said by faith he left Egypt. He forsook Egypt. Not fearing
the wrath of the king. For he endured as seeing him
who is invisible. And then Moses remembered something. In verse 28, through faith he
kept the Passover. Through faith he kept the Passover.
He kept the first one. Then he kept it one year later.
Then he kept the next one. Kept the next one. Kept the next
one. All the way down. Yes sir. Our faith, Moses, refused
to be called Pharaoh's son, chose to suffer the affliction of the
people of God, esteemed the reproaches of Christ greater than the treasures
of Egypt. He forsook Egypt and he remembered
the Passover, the shedding of the blood, the redemption that Christ Jesus
purchased for us. I've been trying to preach these
old pious for the years that I've been called to preach. And
you know what they are? What happened in the garden.
I preached it over and over. I preached it time after time
after time. What happened in the garden?
Man fell. Through one man's sin, we all
die. Trespassers of sin. What happened
on the cross? He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him. Now his stripes
were healed. What happened in the heart of
a sinner when he finds mercy in the favor in the hands of
God, in the way of God? Ask for these things. Ask for
the old, the old package. Our generation is clamoring for
something new. We're talking here about the
old paths, the ancient paths, the way that Enoch walked and
Abraham walked and Isaac and Moses walked. This is the way
of God, the way of salvation, where the cross leads home. There's no other way but this.
We'll never get out of the gates of life the way the cross we
missed, and people today are clamoring for something new.
For example, there's a new translation of the Bible printed almost every
decade. Do you know that? We don't need a new translation
of the Bible. Not at all. Turn with me to Luke
chapter 19. Luke chapter 19. I found this true. I haven't
examined all these translations, but I've examined a few of them. I picked up one and looked at
it, and I read Luke 19 and verse 10. I was talking to Zacchaeus, and
Jesus said to him, this day of salvation come to this house.
For as much as he also is the son of Abraham. For the son of
man is come to seek and to save that which is lost." And they
left that out, Brother Martin. They left it completely out.
I don't know why. I do not, I do cannot, to save
my life. That's the key of it. That's
why he came. The son of man has come to seek
and to save the lost. And when they printed this particular
translation a few years ago, Just let that out. New translations. New music. They call it contemporary. What does contemporary mean?
Well, it means in the dictionary, recent. But it means really our
way. We're going to do it our way.
You remember that old song, Mother, I'd rather do it myself. I'm
going to do it my way. New music. Contemporary music.
Do it our way. New words. New words for old
truths. And I read in the paper not long
ago that they want a new style of dressing for worship. And
we'll do away with, I guess, coats and ties and ladies' dresses
and all these proper ways of dress to go worship God. You
can wear your shorts to church. Come like you are. Come in your
bathing suit. You know, new styles. That's
what they're talking about. New styles of worship. New styles. And then there's a new format
for worship. It's no longer be still and know
that I'm God. It's now noise. Just noise. Entertainment. Laughter. Jokes. A new way. Our generation wants something
new. We need to go back to the old paths. The old ways. The
ancient ways. That's right. Somebody wrote
this not long ago. The churches need to upgrade. The church has outlived its usefulness. Its youthfulness. Well, perhaps
that's true. And I'll tell you why. The church
lost its way and lost the old path. That's what happened. And it certainly is outliving
its usefulness if it leads the way. Christ said, I'm the way.
I'm the truth, I'm the lie. No man cometh to the Father but
by me. And we've forsaken the old past. I'm telling you this, the church cannot survive as
a social organization. It cannot survive. That's not
why God put it here, as a social organization. And the church
can only survive As a lighthouse for lost souls. That's why we
meet, that's why we come together to worship, pray, preach, and
seek the lost. Seek to bring them to Christ.
The church can only survive as a lighthouse to illuminate the
old past. The church can only survive when
the preacher preaches who Christ is, and what Christ did. And why Christ died, and where
he is now. Why did our Lord come to this
earth? I was reading a sermon by Brother
Barnard. He gave me his outlines and his
writings and so forth, and I profited greatly by it. And he had an
outline in here on why Christ died. And this is what he said,
I'll give you three scriptures as to why Christ died. And every
one of them begin with the word that, T-H-A-T. All right, here
they are. Christ died in order that God
may be just and justified. That's why he died. That God
may be just and justified. Why Christ died? Secondly, He
died that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
That's why He died. That we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. Thirdly, He died that in the
ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace
for us in Christ Jesus our Lord. That's why that. That God may
be just and justifying. That we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. And that He, in the ages to come,
He might show forth the riches, the glorious riches of His love
and grace toward us in Christ Jesus. All right, back to my
text. Let's get back to this text. Jeremiah chapter 6, the
message of the old weeping prophet. Thus saith the Lord, stand in
the way, hold fast to the way of Christ. Ask, ask them. Ask them for their old past.
Don't be satisfied with contemporary or so forth or new things. Just
ask for the old past. If it was a blessing to Moses,
it'd be a blessing to you. If it's a blessing to Enoch,
it'd be a blessing to me. If it's a blessing to Paul, it'd
be a blessing to me. Stay with the Scriptures. Savor
their old pies. And where, where's the good way?
The good way. All right, I want to show you
something here. In 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 12, the
good way. The good way. Where and what
is the good way? 1 Corinthians chapter 12. You know, really, when the Bible
was translated in the King James Version, they made it in chapters
and verses. But the Bible originally wasn't
written in chapters and verses. It was written in books and epistles
and paragraphs and so forth. And sometimes, sometimes, They
divide chapters at a pretty difficult place, and this one is divided
in a way that's not really good. It ought to have been stopped
right here. Let's start with verse 28 of 1 Corinthians 12.
1 Corinthians 12, verse 28. And God has set some in the church,
first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly
teachers, and after that miracles, gifts of healing, and helps and
governments, diversities of tongues. But are all apostles? No. Are
all prophets? Well, of course not. Are all
teachers? No. Are all workers of miracles? No. Have all the gifts of healing? No. Do they all speak with tongues?
No. Do they all interpret? No. But
I'll tell you something, listen, verse 31. But covet earnestly,
covet earnestly the best gifts, the best gifts. Now watch this.
And yet, show I unto you a better way, the good way, the best way. I'm going to show you the best
way. All these other things are unnecessary, they're profitable,
and God uses them, but I want you to covet the best gifts,
but I want to show you something better than all of them. Look
at chapter 13, verse 1. Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels, and have not love, I become as a sounding
brass and a tinkling cymbal. I might speak with tongues. But
if I don't have love in here for God, for His people, might
as well rig an old Chinese dong. That's right. And though I have
the gift of prophecy, preaching, and I understand all the mysteries,
and I have knowledge, and I have intellect, and though I have
all faith so I can remove mountains and have not love, I'm nothing. This has battered all these things.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though
I give my body to be burned as a martyr, and have not love,
it profits me nothing." That's what he said. Where's the good
way? Here it is right here. Oh, stand in the way, stand in
the way of Christ. Ask for the old ways and then
look for the good way. Love. Love. Freedom. Love suffers long. It's kind. Love envies not. Love born is
not itself. It's not put up. It's not proud
and arrogant. Love does not, doeth not behave
itself unseemly. Love doesn't seek her own. Love
is not easily offended. Love thinketh no evil. Love doesn't
rejoice when people go wrong. Rejoice is not an iniquity. Love
rejoices in truth. Love beareth all things, believeth
all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things, and really
endures all things. And love never fails. But there'll
be prophecies, they won't fail. Whether it be tongues, they'll
cease. Whether it be knowledge, or what we call knowledge, it'll
vanish away. We know in part, we prophesy
in part, but when that which is perfect is come, that which
is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as
a child, understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when
I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through
a glass dimly, dimly, darkly, as in a riddle, but then face
to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know even as
I am known. And now, about his faith, that's
the way, the way of the cross, the way of Christ. Hope, that's
the old past, hope in his love and mercy, and love. These three,
and the greatest of these is love. The greatest of these is love.
Somebody said this one time about that scripture, faith, hope,
and love. There are three main graces, faith, hope, and love.
Faith, by which we look to Christ and receive in Him all things
and live in Him. by which we wait for the fulfillment
of every promise in Christ, and love to God and to men. Yet love exceeds all the others
as to its duration and use, for faith one day will give way to
reality." And hope will give way to seeing
for ourselves everything. And love continues. It continues. Faith will give way to sight. Hope will give way to reality.
And love only expands. Now, here's the fourth part of
this Jeremiah's message, Jeremiah 6. 6th. Jeremiah 6, verse 16. Now the 4th. He said, Thus saith
the Lord, Stand ye in the way, and see. Ask for the old paths. Where
is a good way? Walk therein in love and grace,
and you will find rest for your soul. Rest for your soul. And I want you to turn to 1 Peter
chapter 5. 1 Peter chapter 5. 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 10. Now that the God of grace, the
God of grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by
Christ Jesus, After you've suffered a while, after you've suffered
a while, make you perfect, mature, establish you, strengthen you,
and settle you. I want to share a story with
you, and then I'll close my message. In 1851, about 13 or 14 years before President
Lincoln declared the slaves free emancipation proclamation. There was a young boy born down
in Georgia to a slave, young black boy, and they named him
Charles Albert Tindley, 1851 was when he was born. And when the slaves were set
free, he was about 12 or 13 years of age, and he and his family
moved up to the north. And he couldn't read or write. And he was a brilliant young
man. And he tried to go to school to learn so he could read and
write. One thing he wanted to do, learn
to read, for he wanted to learn to read the Bible. So he studied,
and he learned to read, and he got a good job, and he became
the custodian of a large black Baptist church up north. I forget what city it was in.
But he became the custodian of the church. And he served as
a church custodian until he was 50 years old. And the pastor
died. And they held him in such high
esteem and love that they called him to be their pastor. And he
pastored until he was 83 years old. And he wrote three great
hymns. He wrote not only the hymns,
But he wrote the music. That's pretty hard to do. He
wrote the hymns. If the wealth of you withhold
of its silver is gold, take your burden to the Lord, leave it
there. He wrote that, Mark, he wrote words and music. Another
one I think is one that, I'm not sure about this one, but
there's a new one other, and, well, it's lessened my mind.
But this one, this one is in your book. And it's called, Nothing
Between the Soul, My Soul and the Savior. We sing it, just
like take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. But
here's the words of this song. I just want to quote it to you.
Charles Albert Tingley, preacher of the gospel, in his
late years, he wrote, Nothing Between My Soul and the Savior. nor of this world's delusive
dream. Let us renounce all sinful pleasure,
because Jesus is mine, and there's nothing between. Nothing between
like pride and station. Self nor friends shall not intervene. Though it may cost me much tribulation,
I am resolved that nothing between. Nothing between, even many hard
trials, Though this whole world against me convene, Must not
my heart from him ever sever, Because he's my all, and there's
nothing between." Stand in the way, hold fast, cling to Christ. Ask for the old paths. Let's
don't go the new route, contemporary route. Let's ask for the old
paths. And let's see if we can't learn
something about this which is best. Now by faith, hope, and
love, but the greatest of these is to love. By this shall all
men know you, my disciples, if you love one another. And it
obviously starts right here. Your loving pastor is a loving
pastor. You love him, he loves you, I
love you. God's preachers love God's people. And they're tender and gentle
and kind and loving. Because that's what God called
them to do. And then you find rest for yourself. That's where it is. That's where
the rest is. Thank you for inviting me. I love your pastor so much. He
means so much to me and all of you. We appreciate you inviting
us down and letting me preach for you. Pray for us. Thank you.