"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