We are continuing our look at continuing in old-time doctrine, which involves continuing in Bible Doctrine. We are looking at the Biblical doctrine of Salvation. We have noted the means of salvation. Now that's look at the method of salvation.
b. The Method of Salvation
Having looked at just how God has provided us with salvation, now let’s consider how we get saved. I am sure that many of you are familiar with Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” I am glad that we have a very simple salvation. God has already done the work of providing the way to get saved – through the sacrifice that His Son made on the Cross of Calvary. We will look at both God’s part in salvation and man’s part in salvation.
1) God’s part – Conviction
Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit applying the truth of the Word of God to our hearts. “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” Romans 10:17
“And he [Paul] said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Acts 9:5 The pricks that Jesus is referring to is the conviction that Paul felt for his sin. “And he [the Comforter – The Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” John 16:8. I am so glad that I felt the conviction of the Holy Ghost in my life so that I could get saved. Here is a very simple thought: you MUST realize that you are lost before you can be saved! Dear friend, you must understand that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 You and I, along with every single man, woman, boy, and girl on this planet are sinners. We sin every day. We are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners. We are born with the sinful nature inherited from Adam and Eve. Sin is the direct opposite of what God is. God is holy and perfect. Oh! How sinful we are! Dear reader, will you realize and accept the truth of the Word of God? If you are lost, the Holy Spirit is inviting you to realize that you are sinner and then trust in Christ for salvation. God’s part in salvation is conviction.
2) Man’s part – Repentance and Faith
Friend, God has done all the work necessary for salvation. Our part in salvation is simple: repent and believe! “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks [anyone non-Jewish], repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21 That verse reveals that salvation is for anyone, Jew or Gentile, and that salvation consists of both repentance and faith. If the Holy Spirit has convicted your heart that you are a sinner, you must now repent of your sin. Repent means to change your mind and direction. This doesn’t mean you have to promise to quit anything or join something, but it is does mean that you are agreeing with God about your sin and that you are seeking His forgiveness. Faith involves trusting Christ as your Savior. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13. Let’s break down that verse as we finish looking at the method of salvation.
a) The Scope of Salvation “For whosoever…”
Dear reader, ANYONE can get saved. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, not just a chosen few. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Jesus died for ALL men and women! The Holy Spirit said in Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride [the church] say, come, and let him that heareth say, come, and let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely.” Praise God! One of the aspects of the song that we will be singing in Heaven is this: “…for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” Rev. 5:9.
b) The Sincerity in Salvation “shall call…”
This is calling on God to save you. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God.” Those who are “poor in spirit” realize that they cannot do anything for themselves and they call upon God to save them. To get born again, you must realize that you are lost and that you need Christ. That is why this verse says “for whosoever shall call…” If you are lost, call right now upon God to save you. He will! What the exact words you use are not important. The publican said “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner!” What is important is that you realize Christ has done all the work necessary for salvation and simply trust in His finished work.
c) The Source of Salvation “upon the name of the Lord…”
The Word of God says to “call upon the name of the Lord.” Don’t call on Mary, Buddha, Allah, Mohammed, your good works, or anything else! Call on the Lord. He is ready to hear you cry out to Him! He wants to save you! God does not want you to go to a devil’s Hell, but He wants you to be able to fellowship with Him both here and in Heaven. “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh to the Father but by me.” John 14:6.
There is no other way, He is THE way!
d) The Sureness of Salvation “shall be saved”
Praise God! If you realize that you are lost sinner and deserve to go to Hell, and that Jesus paid that penalty for you, and you call on Him, you SHALL be saved! There is no might, or maybe, or hope-so! As John R. Rice (now in Heaven) used to say, “we have a know-so salvation.” You don’t have to doubt, or wonder. In fact, if you doubt your salvation, you are either doubting that you trusted Him for salvation, or you are doubting that God would do what He said He would do. Friend, Jesus died on the Cross, so that you could be saved. He doesn’t want you to spend time doubting. Base your assurance on what He did, and what the Word of God says! Don’t base your assurance on your feelings, or your circumstances. There are some mornings when I don’t feel saved, but I know that I am saved because of what Jesus did and what Jesus said.
If you are not saved, why not get saved right now? You can pray this simple prayer: “Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and that You died for me. I ask You to forgive my sin and come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” If you prayed that prayer and meant it, God had to save you because of what He wrote in His Word. If you just trusted Christ as your Savior, let me know and I’ll be glad to encourage you in your walk with the Lord.
If you are saved, take some time to “stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.” (Job 37:14) Praise the Lord for the method of salvation!
06 August 2010
12 July 2010
Continuing in the Old Paths part II
We are looking at "Continuing in Old Time Doctrine." We are currently looking at Bible Doctrines and we began by studying the doctrine of salvation. We will now finish noting the Means of Salvation.
2) Atonement
Atonement is the Old Testament term for the temporary covering of sin. The High Priests would have to come year after to sacrifice the blood of a spotless lamb, pointing forward to the day when The Spotless Lamb of God would shed His precious blood for our sin!
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. – Romans 5:11
3) Redemption
Let’s begin by defining redemption. Redemption is the divine act by which Jesus Christ paid the whole demand of the Law against the sinner setting him free from the curse and bondage of Law forever! Hallelujah! It is this aspect of salvation that we will be singing about in Heaven.
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; - Revelation 5:9
Why is redemption so important? Let’s look at the Greek words translated “redeem”.
There are four.
a) Agorazo – this means to buy in the market place
b) Exagorazo – this means to purchase out of the market place never to be sold again
c) Lutrao – to set free by paying a price
d) Apolutrosis – full or complete loosing
Put these definitions together and we have the blessed fact that I was a slave in the slave market of sin, but Jesus Christ shed His own precious blood on the cross of Calvary, buying me out of the slave market, never again to be sold! He indeed set me free! Free from sin’s penalty! Free from sin’s power! Praise His holy name! – one day, I will be free from sin’s presence! “Thank God I am free, free, free from this world of sin. Washed in the blood of Jesus, I’ve been born again! Hallelujah, I’m saved, saved, saved by His wonderful grace. I’m so glad that I found out that He would bring me out and show me the way!”
4) Propitation
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. – I John 2:2
Propitation is the final means of salvation that we will notice. Propitation means simply that God’s righteous wrath against sin and the sinner has been appeased because Christ bore all the penalty of sin on the Cross. I am so glad that He bore sin’s penalty for me! I could never have been able to satisfy God’s righteous wrath, but He did! Hallelujah for the means of salvation – substitution, atonement, redemption, and propitation!
2) Atonement
Atonement is the Old Testament term for the temporary covering of sin. The High Priests would have to come year after to sacrifice the blood of a spotless lamb, pointing forward to the day when The Spotless Lamb of God would shed His precious blood for our sin!
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. – Romans 5:11
3) Redemption
Let’s begin by defining redemption. Redemption is the divine act by which Jesus Christ paid the whole demand of the Law against the sinner setting him free from the curse and bondage of Law forever! Hallelujah! It is this aspect of salvation that we will be singing about in Heaven.
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; - Revelation 5:9
Why is redemption so important? Let’s look at the Greek words translated “redeem”.
There are four.
a) Agorazo – this means to buy in the market place
b) Exagorazo – this means to purchase out of the market place never to be sold again
c) Lutrao – to set free by paying a price
d) Apolutrosis – full or complete loosing
Put these definitions together and we have the blessed fact that I was a slave in the slave market of sin, but Jesus Christ shed His own precious blood on the cross of Calvary, buying me out of the slave market, never again to be sold! He indeed set me free! Free from sin’s penalty! Free from sin’s power! Praise His holy name! – one day, I will be free from sin’s presence! “Thank God I am free, free, free from this world of sin. Washed in the blood of Jesus, I’ve been born again! Hallelujah, I’m saved, saved, saved by His wonderful grace. I’m so glad that I found out that He would bring me out and show me the way!”
4) Propitation
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. – I John 2:2
Propitation is the final means of salvation that we will notice. Propitation means simply that God’s righteous wrath against sin and the sinner has been appeased because Christ bore all the penalty of sin on the Cross. I am so glad that He bore sin’s penalty for me! I could never have been able to satisfy God’s righteous wrath, but He did! Hallelujah for the means of salvation – substitution, atonement, redemption, and propitation!
21 June 2010
Continuing in the Old Paths part I
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them – II Timothy 3:14
I am glad to be identified with the old time way. Paul told his young preacher boy Timothy to “continue thou in the things which thou hast learned…” We need to continue in the old time religion, if it is going to survive this generation. I believe that walking in the old paths involves continuing in the things which we have learned. In my previous message, we examined Jeremiah 6:16 and saw that we must walk in the old paths. Now we will examine three ways in which we must continue in the “old-time religion.” This will be done in a series of posts. Remember you can post questions and comments on here. I hope that if you are lost and reading this, that you will pay close attention to the first point. Those who are saved, I pray that the following messages will help you to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saint.” (Jude 3)
I. Continue in Old Time Doctrine I Timothy 4:16
Continue in the right Beliefs
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. – I Timothy 4:16
First, we must continue in the old time doctrine, or to put it another way, we must continue in the right beliefs. We have to make sure our doctrine is right. What is doctrine exactly? Doctrine is defined as a body or system of teachings relating to a particular subject. We can continue in the old time doctrine because it comes from the Word of God. Let us examine two ways in which we can continue in old time doctrine.
A. Continue in the Biblical Doctrines
We must continue in Biblical doctrines. Why is our doctrine so important? Because as Dr Ernest Childs taught me – “What people see me do, they think I believe.” Therefore it is fundamentally important that we have the right beliefs, and those beliefs must come from an incorruptible, unchanging source – The Holy Scriptures. Dr. Tom Farrell says often “The Holy Spirit wrote the Holy Scriptures to make us holy saints.” If we don’t continue in Bible doctrines, they will not make it to the next generation. I would like to examine three important Bible doctrines in which we must continue.
1. Salvation
This doctrine is the most important doctrine to continue in because it determines your eternal destiny. If your doctrine is not right about salvation, you will die and go to a devil’s hell. Salvation is the work of God.
Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah. – Psalms 3:8
Salvation is of the LORD. – Jonah 2:9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9
From the above verse, there is only one condition for salvation and that is faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. I would like to be very detailed in this matter of soul salvation, so we will consider the means, method and nature of salvation. The following is not a result of my own study, but a organized outline of the Biblical doctrine of salvation as given in my Systematic Theology class taught by Dr. Ernest Childs. Dr. Childs’ outline is not based on his opinion but on a careful study of the Word of God.
a. The Means of salvation.
There are four means by which God has supplied salvation.
1) Substitution
Because we are born in sin, we deserve to die and spend eternity separated from God.
Romans 3:10 – 23
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The above passage clearly teaches us that man is sinful and unable to satisfy the demands of a righteous and holy God.
Romans 6:23a – For the wages of sin is death….
The death referred to in this verse is not just physical death, but also eternal death in the lake of fire eternally separated from the God of Heaven. But I am glad that God did not leave us in that state. The verse ends by stating – but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because we needed to die, a substitute was required, One Who is innocent, willing, and acceptable to God. Only One has ever fulfilled those requirements and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
II Corinthians 5:21
For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Hallelujah for the Accepted Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus became my sin for me and took my place, dying for me! Hallelujah, what a Savior!
I am glad to be identified with the old time way. Paul told his young preacher boy Timothy to “continue thou in the things which thou hast learned…” We need to continue in the old time religion, if it is going to survive this generation. I believe that walking in the old paths involves continuing in the things which we have learned. In my previous message, we examined Jeremiah 6:16 and saw that we must walk in the old paths. Now we will examine three ways in which we must continue in the “old-time religion.” This will be done in a series of posts. Remember you can post questions and comments on here. I hope that if you are lost and reading this, that you will pay close attention to the first point. Those who are saved, I pray that the following messages will help you to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saint.” (Jude 3)
I. Continue in Old Time Doctrine I Timothy 4:16
Continue in the right Beliefs
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. – I Timothy 4:16
First, we must continue in the old time doctrine, or to put it another way, we must continue in the right beliefs. We have to make sure our doctrine is right. What is doctrine exactly? Doctrine is defined as a body or system of teachings relating to a particular subject. We can continue in the old time doctrine because it comes from the Word of God. Let us examine two ways in which we can continue in old time doctrine.
A. Continue in the Biblical Doctrines
We must continue in Biblical doctrines. Why is our doctrine so important? Because as Dr Ernest Childs taught me – “What people see me do, they think I believe.” Therefore it is fundamentally important that we have the right beliefs, and those beliefs must come from an incorruptible, unchanging source – The Holy Scriptures. Dr. Tom Farrell says often “The Holy Spirit wrote the Holy Scriptures to make us holy saints.” If we don’t continue in Bible doctrines, they will not make it to the next generation. I would like to examine three important Bible doctrines in which we must continue.
1. Salvation
This doctrine is the most important doctrine to continue in because it determines your eternal destiny. If your doctrine is not right about salvation, you will die and go to a devil’s hell. Salvation is the work of God.
Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah. – Psalms 3:8
Salvation is of the LORD. – Jonah 2:9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9
From the above verse, there is only one condition for salvation and that is faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. I would like to be very detailed in this matter of soul salvation, so we will consider the means, method and nature of salvation. The following is not a result of my own study, but a organized outline of the Biblical doctrine of salvation as given in my Systematic Theology class taught by Dr. Ernest Childs. Dr. Childs’ outline is not based on his opinion but on a careful study of the Word of God.
a. The Means of salvation.
There are four means by which God has supplied salvation.
1) Substitution
Because we are born in sin, we deserve to die and spend eternity separated from God.
Romans 3:10 – 23
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The above passage clearly teaches us that man is sinful and unable to satisfy the demands of a righteous and holy God.
Romans 6:23a – For the wages of sin is death….
The death referred to in this verse is not just physical death, but also eternal death in the lake of fire eternally separated from the God of Heaven. But I am glad that God did not leave us in that state. The verse ends by stating – but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because we needed to die, a substitute was required, One Who is innocent, willing, and acceptable to God. Only One has ever fulfilled those requirements and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
II Corinthians 5:21
For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Hallelujah for the Accepted Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus became my sin for me and took my place, dying for me! Hallelujah, what a Savior!
29 May 2010
"Give Me That Old-Time Religion"
Jeremiah 6:16 "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 ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said we will not walk therein."
For my first few posts, I would like to deal with the topic of the "old paths." Since the title of this blog is "Walking in the Old Paths", I thought it would be good to define what exactly the Bible means by the old paths. Tonight I will deal with this verse from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah.
GIVE ME THAT OLD-TIME RELIGION
Jeremiah 6:16
Intro: This verse comes close to the end of Jeremiah’s second message to the rebellious nation of Israel. According to Jeremiah 1:2,3, Jeremiah preached and prophesied during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoakim, and Zedekiah. This was approximately the same times as the ministries of Zephaniah, Daniel, Habbakkuk, and Ezekiel. The basic theme of his messages was the inevitable and inescapable judgment of God upon Israel for her rebellion and disobedience. Doesn’t this sound the message that America needs today? We need more men of God, who like Jeremiah, will be “weeping prophets” who will “cry aloud and spare not.” Close to the end of this second message to Israel, God Himself has some instructions that I believe apply to you and I today. We will notice the Realizing, Requesting, Remaining, Resting, Rebelling, and Returning of the Old Paths.
I. The Realizing of the Old Paths.
“Stand ye in the ways and see…”
This involves two things.
A. Taking a Stand. “Stand ye in the ways…”
Right now, you and I need to decide to stand for God. We will accomplish nothing for God if we sit on the sidelines. We don’t have the time for passive Christians! We need men and ladies of God who will stand up and count for God. We don’t need to focus on being successful in the world’s eyes, be successful in God’s eyes. Are you taking a stand for God? Determine right now how you will finish for God! Don’t wait until later to determine what kind of stand you are going to take! If you wait, you will compromise, you will change. Decide now that you are going to stand in the old-time religion! Decide now that you are going to stick with the old stuff because it works every time. Decide now that you are going to stick with the Book (the KJV), the Blood, and the Blessed Hope! Don’t be idle, stand! Don’t hide, stand! Don’t quit, stand!
B. Taking in the Sight “and see…”
Take a look around and realize that the new ways of using contemporary methods, DOESN’T WORK!!!! In the last few decades, we have begun producing a breed of weak, unfruitful, carnal Christians! You simply can not use the world to reach the world. If you use the world to reach the world, you will end up like the world. If we use Christ to reach the world, the people we reach will be like Christ. Let me remind you that are two parts to the Great Commission: go and teach. We have to win souls, but we need to train those souls to reach souls. As you look around, notice the condition that America is in. We are rejecting God as a nation and I believe that as result, we are ALREADY under the judgment of God. The only reason we are still here is God is a patient God and not willing that any should perish! God’s patience will not last forever, so we need to see the souls that are perishing and win them to Christ. “Mine eye affecteth mine heart!” Lamentations 3:51
We also need to see our own condition. Are we right with God? Take a stand and take in the sight!
II. The Requesting for the Old Paths.
“and ask for the old paths
This is one of the biggest areas in which we are failing. We need to be on our knees constantly if we are going to stay true to God. Jesus said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love!” What a true statement is in that old song!
I’ve said this before and I will continue to say it, we need prayer-warriors. Refusing to pray is a sign of pride. If we don’t pray for our churches, if we don’t pray for our pastor, our workers, our Sunday school classes, our bus kids, we are saying “God, I don’t need you. I can do it myself.” I am surenobody would actually want to say that to God, so we need to be on our knees! Take prayer bulletins from your church home and pray over them.
A. Pray Constantly!
B. Pray Compassionately!
C. Pray "Confessionally"!
PRAY! Ladies and gentlemen, our heavenly Father, our King, our Master is telling us pray for the old paths!
III. The Remaining in the Old Paths.
“where is the good way, and walk therein…”
Notice that God says that this is THE good way! It is not A way, it is THE way! “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
God also says that this is the GOOD way. God will not lead us down a bad way! “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.’ Psalm 23:1-3 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23
Notice that last phrase “he delighteth in his way.” You can apply that two ways. The good man delights in God’s way. I have in my Bible above this passage a statement from a friend of mine, Doug Potgetter. He said “What you delight in reveals the condition of your heart!” What a true statement! What are you delighting in? Or you can look at verse as God delights in the way of the good man. That is also a blessed thought! Is God pleased with your walk.?
Then God tells us to walk therein. Walking involves participation! Walk means we move forward for God. “Laying aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith.” Hebrews 12:2-3
“Your walk talks louder than your talk talks.” You claim to be a Christian, does your life match your claim? Having taken the stand for the old-time way, and taken in the sight, and praying for the old-time way, will you remain in the old-time way? Now what is involved in walking in the old-time religion?
A. Remain Faithful! –Participate!
Don’t give up! Just jump in and get involved! Get involved in soul-winning! Get involved in church! Get involved! Be faithful to the house of God! Get involved in giving! Get involved in the prayer-rooms! Remain faithful if you are faithful! If you are not faithful, repent of your sin and jump in!
B. Remain Fruitful! –Produce!
John 15:1-5
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Notice the promise that if we abide in the Vine, we WILL bear fruit. We cannot bear fruit ourselves, we have to abide in Christ in order to do that!
So be faithful and fruitful! Participate and produce!
IV. The Resting in the Old Paths
“and ye shall find rest for your souls…”
Notice three things about this rest…
A. The Scope of the Rest – It is Deep!
This rest is soul-deep!
B. The Source of the Rest –It is Divine!
The best rest we can get can only come from our Heavenly Father.
C. The Sweetness of the Rest – It is Dependable!
V. The Rebelling against the Old Paths
“But they said, we will not walk therein.”
The end of this verse tells me that there will be opposition to the Gospel. Should that stop us? No! "Yea, all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
II Tim 3:12
We should love those who oppose walking in the old time way. We should pray for those who speak out against our God and His Son and His Word. Yes, persecution will come, but consider this: the first-century Christians endured beatings, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake, torn apart by lions and we in America only have to put up with someone talking about us or slamming a door in our face. In spite of the rebels, keep on for God!
VI. The Returning to the Old Paths
Jeremiah 3:12,13,22
Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD....
Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
God offers to you and I the opportunity to return to the old paths, will we stand in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, and walk therein and find rest for our souls? Or will we not walk therein and bring the chastisement of God?
I hope these six thoughts were helpful to you. My next post will deal more specifically with the thought: "Continuing in the Old Paths."
In the service of the King of Kings,
Bro Troy
For my first few posts, I would like to deal with the topic of the "old paths." Since the title of this blog is "Walking in the Old Paths", I thought it would be good to define what exactly the Bible means by the old paths. Tonight I will deal with this verse from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah.
GIVE ME THAT OLD-TIME RELIGION
Jeremiah 6:16
Intro: This verse comes close to the end of Jeremiah’s second message to the rebellious nation of Israel. According to Jeremiah 1:2,3, Jeremiah preached and prophesied during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoakim, and Zedekiah. This was approximately the same times as the ministries of Zephaniah, Daniel, Habbakkuk, and Ezekiel. The basic theme of his messages was the inevitable and inescapable judgment of God upon Israel for her rebellion and disobedience. Doesn’t this sound the message that America needs today? We need more men of God, who like Jeremiah, will be “weeping prophets” who will “cry aloud and spare not.” Close to the end of this second message to Israel, God Himself has some instructions that I believe apply to you and I today. We will notice the Realizing, Requesting, Remaining, Resting, Rebelling, and Returning of the Old Paths.
I. The Realizing of the Old Paths.
“Stand ye in the ways and see…”
This involves two things.
A. Taking a Stand. “Stand ye in the ways…”
Right now, you and I need to decide to stand for God. We will accomplish nothing for God if we sit on the sidelines. We don’t have the time for passive Christians! We need men and ladies of God who will stand up and count for God. We don’t need to focus on being successful in the world’s eyes, be successful in God’s eyes. Are you taking a stand for God? Determine right now how you will finish for God! Don’t wait until later to determine what kind of stand you are going to take! If you wait, you will compromise, you will change. Decide now that you are going to stand in the old-time religion! Decide now that you are going to stick with the old stuff because it works every time. Decide now that you are going to stick with the Book (the KJV), the Blood, and the Blessed Hope! Don’t be idle, stand! Don’t hide, stand! Don’t quit, stand!
B. Taking in the Sight “and see…”
Take a look around and realize that the new ways of using contemporary methods, DOESN’T WORK!!!! In the last few decades, we have begun producing a breed of weak, unfruitful, carnal Christians! You simply can not use the world to reach the world. If you use the world to reach the world, you will end up like the world. If we use Christ to reach the world, the people we reach will be like Christ. Let me remind you that are two parts to the Great Commission: go and teach. We have to win souls, but we need to train those souls to reach souls. As you look around, notice the condition that America is in. We are rejecting God as a nation and I believe that as result, we are ALREADY under the judgment of God. The only reason we are still here is God is a patient God and not willing that any should perish! God’s patience will not last forever, so we need to see the souls that are perishing and win them to Christ. “Mine eye affecteth mine heart!” Lamentations 3:51
We also need to see our own condition. Are we right with God? Take a stand and take in the sight!
II. The Requesting for the Old Paths.
“and ask for the old paths
This is one of the biggest areas in which we are failing. We need to be on our knees constantly if we are going to stay true to God. Jesus said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love!” What a true statement is in that old song!
I’ve said this before and I will continue to say it, we need prayer-warriors. Refusing to pray is a sign of pride. If we don’t pray for our churches, if we don’t pray for our pastor, our workers, our Sunday school classes, our bus kids, we are saying “God, I don’t need you. I can do it myself.” I am surenobody would actually want to say that to God, so we need to be on our knees! Take prayer bulletins from your church home and pray over them.
A. Pray Constantly!
B. Pray Compassionately!
C. Pray "Confessionally"!
PRAY! Ladies and gentlemen, our heavenly Father, our King, our Master is telling us pray for the old paths!
III. The Remaining in the Old Paths.
“where is the good way, and walk therein…”
Notice that God says that this is THE good way! It is not A way, it is THE way! “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
God also says that this is the GOOD way. God will not lead us down a bad way! “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.’ Psalm 23:1-3 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23
Notice that last phrase “he delighteth in his way.” You can apply that two ways. The good man delights in God’s way. I have in my Bible above this passage a statement from a friend of mine, Doug Potgetter. He said “What you delight in reveals the condition of your heart!” What a true statement! What are you delighting in? Or you can look at verse as God delights in the way of the good man. That is also a blessed thought! Is God pleased with your walk.?
Then God tells us to walk therein. Walking involves participation! Walk means we move forward for God. “Laying aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith.” Hebrews 12:2-3
“Your walk talks louder than your talk talks.” You claim to be a Christian, does your life match your claim? Having taken the stand for the old-time way, and taken in the sight, and praying for the old-time way, will you remain in the old-time way? Now what is involved in walking in the old-time religion?
A. Remain Faithful! –Participate!
Don’t give up! Just jump in and get involved! Get involved in soul-winning! Get involved in church! Get involved! Be faithful to the house of God! Get involved in giving! Get involved in the prayer-rooms! Remain faithful if you are faithful! If you are not faithful, repent of your sin and jump in!
B. Remain Fruitful! –Produce!
John 15:1-5
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Notice the promise that if we abide in the Vine, we WILL bear fruit. We cannot bear fruit ourselves, we have to abide in Christ in order to do that!
So be faithful and fruitful! Participate and produce!
IV. The Resting in the Old Paths
“and ye shall find rest for your souls…”
Notice three things about this rest…
A. The Scope of the Rest – It is Deep!
This rest is soul-deep!
B. The Source of the Rest –It is Divine!
The best rest we can get can only come from our Heavenly Father.
C. The Sweetness of the Rest – It is Dependable!
V. The Rebelling against the Old Paths
“But they said, we will not walk therein.”
The end of this verse tells me that there will be opposition to the Gospel. Should that stop us? No! "Yea, all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
II Tim 3:12
We should love those who oppose walking in the old time way. We should pray for those who speak out against our God and His Son and His Word. Yes, persecution will come, but consider this: the first-century Christians endured beatings, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake, torn apart by lions and we in America only have to put up with someone talking about us or slamming a door in our face. In spite of the rebels, keep on for God!
VI. The Returning to the Old Paths
Jeremiah 3:12,13,22
Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD....
Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
God offers to you and I the opportunity to return to the old paths, will we stand in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, and walk therein and find rest for our souls? Or will we not walk therein and bring the chastisement of God?
I hope these six thoughts were helpful to you. My next post will deal more specifically with the thought: "Continuing in the Old Paths."
In the service of the King of Kings,
Bro Troy
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