A few weeks ago, we looked at
a model of prayer of David there in Psalm 70. Since that time,
I've started looking at a number. There's so many prayers in God's
word. And the Lord willing, for the
next few Wednesdays, I'd like to look at some of those prayers
found in Scripture. You know, in Luke 11, we read
that the Lord, He taught. He taught. He took time to teach
His disciples to pray. In Luke 18, the Lord spoke a
parable and He said these words. He said, men ought always to
pray and not to faint. to continually be in prayer and
not to faint, not to grow weary. In 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17,
Paul writing to the Thessalonians, he said this, he said, pray without
ceasing. Now that doesn't mean we're continually
engaged in vocal prayer. but rather to live before Him
believing, believing Him, confessing our constant need
of Him. We're to believe God at all times to acknowledge our dependence
on Him, to acknowledge our dependence on His blood, His righteousness. You know, we must have Christ
for acceptance before Almighty God. When we sin, and we often
do, we're to trust Him for pardon. When tempted and tried, we're
to trust Him for protection and care. When we work, we trust him for strength, for
whatever labor he set before us. When we eat, to acknowledge his gracious hand
that has provided for every need, his goodness. In all things,
we are to willingly submit to and trust Him. Trust Him. Trust Him and His gracious providence,
His continual mercy and love for His people. You know, often
when we go to our Lord in prayer, there certainly should be an
acknowledgement of our weakness, our weakness in a prayer for
his direction. And I believe that's what we
have this evening here in this text. If you turn to the book
of Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 10, and there's a lot more here,
but I want us to just look at one verse of scripture. Jeremiah 10 verse 23. Listen to these words. Oh Lord,
I know that the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man that walketh
to direct his steps. Jeremiah starts with these words,
O Lord, I know. All prayer, all prayer is to
Almighty God, to Jehovah. You see, every one of those letters
is capitalized, O Lord. And then he says, I know. You
know, it's good to know some things. John said, we know his testimony
is true. The truth of God's Word. Isn't that a good thing to know? That everything written in God's
Word is true. It's for our instruction. Paul says this, he said, we know
that what thing soever the law saith It said to them who are
under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world
become guilty before God. Do you know that? Has God revealed
that to you? Like Paul, that in this flesh,
that's what Paul said, I know, I know this, I know that in me,
That is, in this flesh dwelleth no good thing. Jeremiah says, I know that the
way of man is not in himself. You know, that's true in a natural
sense, and that's true spiritually speaking. It's that way that
is in us by nature, that nature that we're born with, that nature
that we got from our father Adam. It is not a good way. It's a
sinful way. It's the complete opposite of
God's way. It's after the course of this
world. It's a dark and crooked way.
And it leads to and ends in death and destruction. Aren't we thankful that it's
not in man that walketh to direct his steps in this world, in salvation? Again, an acknowledgment of our
weakness, our inability. It's not in man that walketh
to direct his steps. You know to say anything otherwise
is just an outright lie. Think about what false religion
says. They say a man can direct his
steps. He's just got to pull himself
up by his bootstraps, right? That he can take the first step. That he can make a decision. Man can't do those things. But the word of God speaks of
one who does, the one who has. Psalm 37, 23 says, the steps
of a good man are ordered by the Lord. And he delighteth in his way. The course of the believer's
life is every step graciously ordained by Almighty God. In His loving kindness, it's
all fixed, it's all settled, and it's all maintained. Spurgeon
wrote this, and he wrote many things, but he said, the place
of the flower upon the hillside It's as fixed as the station
of the king. The dust which is raised by the
cart wheel, back in times when that cart would be drug around,
that little bit of dust that rolled off those wheels, he said
it is as surely steered by divine providence as the orbits of the
planets. All of it, all of it ordained
by God. Not fate, not chance, not luck
that rules us. Every step ordered by his divine
decree. Listen to these words from Solomon,
from the book of Proverbs. He said, a man's heart deviseth
his way, but the Lord directeth his steps. Proverbs 20 verse
24, man's goings are of the Lord. How can a man then understand
his own way? Man's goings, that's not just a step. His goings,
that's all of them. Man's goings are of the Lord. He directs his steps, his goings
are of the Lord. Consider this truth. Not one step, not one step ever taken by a
man on this earth, there's not one that he's taken that God
did not determine in his own counsel. Listen to just a few
words from this old hymn. All things work out for good
we know, Such is God's great design. What's the next line? He orders all our steps below
for purposes divine. In whom? In whom we also obtained
an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things, all things after the counsel of His own
will. Wouldn't we be wise to bow to
Him, to bow before His divine will in everything, whether we
understand it or not? Wouldn't we be wise to pray to
be in prayer about everything, even our steps. Paul wrote to
the Philippians, he said, be careful for nothing, but in everything,
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known unto God. Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I know that
the way of man is not in himself. It's not in man that walketh
to direct his steps. But he does. The Lord directs
the steps of his people. I know there's many ways in which
he directs our steps. I don't know if you ever spent
any time thinking about that, but listen, one of those ways
is he causes his people to follow him. To walk in his steps following
him, like a little kid. Dad goes out there and tromps
through the mud or at the beach and tromps through the sand and
leaves those footprints. And the little one just kind
of comes behind and tries to get their feet to fall in every
one of them. In John 10, 27, our Lord said
this. He said, my sheep, hear my voice,
and I know them, and they, what? Follow me. To follow him. And he said, I give unto them
eternal life. They shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. The way of a man is not in himself. It's not in man that walketh
to direct his steps. Oh, that the Lord would cause
us to follow him. to walk worthy, to walk worthy
of His calling, to walk with Him. Well, what is it? What is it to walk with Him,
to walk with our Lord? I've just got a few points here
this evening. I'll try to be brief, but the
first one is to know Him. I don't know about you, I don't
make a habit of walking around with strangers, but I enjoy the
company of those I know. To walk with Christ is to know
Him. Paul, writing to the Philippians,
he said that I may know Him in the power of His resurrection
and the fellowship of His suffering and being made conformable unto
His death. John wrote this, he said, everyone
that loveth is born of God and he knoweth God. Lord grant it that I might know
thee. To know all that he has done
for me. To know something of the power
of his resurrection. To be more acquainted with Him
and who He is. The wonders of His person. That
I might know something of the power that comes from Him and
His resurrection. When God raised Him from the
dead. To know something of the fellowship
of His suffering. to know and share his suffering,
and to be transformed to his likeness. He died to sin. Wouldn't it be something if we,
and one day we will, to be dead to sin? Well, second, to walk with Him is to be totally
committed to Him, totally committed to Christ. Paul wrote, for me
to live is Christ. Consider Christ's commitment
to His people, to His Father. He said these words. I don't
know if these would ever roll out of our mouths. Not my will, but thy will be done. Commitment to Christ. Paul writing to young Timothy,
he spoke of commitment. He said, for the witch cause,
I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed. And I am persuaded that He's
able to keep that which I have committed, committed unto Him
against that day. To commit everything to Him, to trust Him and Him alone, to
cast all my cares upon Him. committed to the Lord
Jesus Christ, committed to his will, committed to his gospel,
committed to his people, committed to his cause, to his glory in
this world. Well, third, to walk with Christ,
to follow Christ is to desire to be like him. To have a heart that longs to
be like Christ, to be more like Him, to be made like Him, to
be conformed to the image of His Son. In Romans 8 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. foreordained of God from all
eternity. You know, there's a sense in
which God knows all men, their birth, their life, their death,
their destiny. But listen to these words of
our Lord. This is what he said to a group of men. I never knew you. I never knew you. Depart from
me, you workers of iniquity. But in eternal love and grace, there are those that He does
know. He knows his sheep. He knows every one of them. Speaking
of his people, listen to these words, these words from the book
of John. My sheep, they hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me. He said, as the Father knoweth
me. Even so, know I the Father, and
I lay down my life for the sheep." He said, I'm the good shepherd. And I know my sheep. And I'm known. I'm known of mine. All to know him. to follow Him,
to be made like Him. You know, God in His eternal
purpose, He has predestinated all whom He saved to be just
like His Son, to be conformed to His image. Think about that, to be made
just like His Son. Just like the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ, the firstborn
among many brethren. You know, under the law, the
firstborn was the Lord's choice. There was a special place for
the firstborn. He had authority over everybody
else. In a sense, he acted as the Lord's
priest. But this is where it's important. Christ is the firstborn of the
Father. The firstborn with regard to
all creatures. Christ is the firstborn among
all of God's sons. And they are chosen in Him. That's what Scripture says, chosen
in Him. Christ is the firstborn from
the dead to die no more. He's the chief glory of the Father
and all of His sheep are going to be made just like Him. Oh, I pray the Lord would give
us a desire to be more like Him, to be more like Christ, to be
more like Him in love, in tenderness, in thoughtfulness, in zeal, in
dedication, in devotion, in purity, in holiness, in righteousness.
Oh, to be more like Christ. Fourth, to walk with Christ is
to live in communion with Christ. Turn with me, I'll give you a
little rest there, because this is a tough one to find. Turn
with me to Amos chapter three. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Amos chapter 3, verse 3. To live in communion with Christ.
It says here in Amos 3, verse 3, can two walk together except
they be agreed, except they be one, to have union, agreement
with God. That union which once existed, there in the garden, there was
union. But sin separated us. Now a need for reconciliation. Man and God must be reconciled. They can't walk together otherwise. Well, who brought that about? Did man wake up one day and decide,
well, I'm just gonna be reconciled to God? That's not how that works, is
it? And besides that, man has no desire. In and of ourselves,
we have no desire to walk with Him, to be in union with Him,
to be reconciled to Him. That's impossible with man. But with God, with Almighty God,
all things, all things are possible. You see, the Lord is, He's the
offended party. We've sinned against Him. But in that covenant of peace,
covenant of grace, God the Father and God the Son brought it to
pass through His obedience, through His suffering, through His death,
through His sacrifice. Through that satisfaction he
made with Almighty God, now there's agreement made on the part of
Almighty God. His justice, his justice is satisfied. Where does that leave man? Well,
the Spirit of God comes in power and reveals to man his sin. his enmity with God, the consequences
of that sin, and he slays that enmity. And he gives man a new heart,
a new desire, a new want to. That man is saved. He's reconciled
to God. That soul that once hated God,
that ran from God, that tried to hide from God now loves Him. And now they are
agreed. One by the satisfaction of Christ
and by the Spirit of Christ. Listen to these words from Colossians
1 verse 21. You, you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now." I like that
word, now. And I like this word too, hath
he reconciled. Reconciled. All that enmity removed. Where there was division, now
there's unity. Where there was wrath, now there's
peace. Reconciled by the blood of his
cross. Who did that? He did that. Christ
did it. And now, and now they're reconciled. We walk together. We walk together. The saints walk with God. and in his sight, in his presence. That being true, why wouldn't we be frequent in
prayer and thanksgiving for what he's done? To walk with him, to follow him,
to follow in the steps he's ordered, in his presence and in his favor. Our Lord appeared to the disciples
after his resurrection. Scripture says their eyes were
opened and they knew him. They knew him. And when he vanished
out of their sight, this is what they said. The disciples, they
spoke to each other and they said, didn't our hearts burn
within us? While he talked with us, by the
way. The path. That's what that, the
journey. That sounds a whole lot like
walking together to me. While he talked with us by the
way and while he opened to us the scriptures. Oh Lord, I know
that the way of man is not in himself. It's not in man that
walketh to direct his steps. Aren't we thankful that he does?
Aren't we thankful that he directs our steps? That our goings, all
of them, are of the Lord. That our steps are ordered by
the Lord. And one day, one glorious day,
we're going to see Him. We're going to behold Him face
to face. Not just with eyes of faith, but face to face. And we're going
to be like Him. And we're going to, Scripture
says, walk with Him. clothed in perfect righteousness. Turn with me to Revelation 3.
Let me just close with this passage of scripture. Revelation chapter
3. Look beginning with verse three
of Revelation three. Remember therefore how thou hast
received and heard, and hold fast and repent. If therefore
thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and
thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. But he says, thou hast a few
names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. Look there in verse five, or
listen to these five words. They shall walk with me. In white, for they are worthy. And he that overcometh the same
shall be clothed in white raiment, and I'll not blot out his name
out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before
my Father and before his angels. He that hath an ear to hear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. I pray the Lord would guide us,
direct us in all things. All right, Isaac, come lead us
in a closing hymn.