Remember the old pathway

Sermon notes from Sunday 14 April 2013

Jeremiah 6 verses 9 – 17

Look at one of the messages laid by the Lord on Jeremiah’s heart.  The message was for the people of Israel to turn and come back.  Jeremiah was a young man.  Even when he was conceived in the womb God said he knew him already.  Before he even came out of the womb God said he sanctified him, set him apart for the preaching of God’s own word.  Jeremiah was sent to a nation who had turned away from God.  They had known much of God’s blessing.  They were brought out of Egypt into the Promised Land yet turned their backs on God.  There are many today who have been brought up in a Christian home, sat in gospel meetings yet have turned their backs on the loving God.  God says to Jeremiah I want you to give the nation a message from me.  Take it to the leaders, the elders, the priests and the people of Israel.  Verse 16 “thus saith the Lord.”  The authority he had.  He was coming from the presence of God.  When we open up this word of God then we have the authority of God.  Here’s what the Lord had to say to the nation.  “Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therin, and ye shall find rest for your souls.  But they said, We will not walk therein.”  Jeremiah was asking them to pause and consider these words.  To consider where they were going.  The message for you today is to stand still and see where our lives are taking us.   “There is a way that seemeth right unto man but the end thereof is the way of destruction.”  We say “there’s no harm in the life I lead, surely God will not close heaven’s door in my face?”  Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life.”  He says stand for a moment, look around and see where you are going.  Then he says “ask”.  Whenever you realise where you are going you have to ask where.  Who do you ask?  The word of God.  It is a picture of travellers travelling through this pilgrim way.  Then God says “walk”.  God asks for the old paths.  We are always being told we need something new.  We need to go down a different pathway to present the word of God but God says no – it is the old pathway we need.

The old path of preaching.  We are getting away from the preaching of God’s word today.  On the day of Pentecost in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit came down and filled those people’s hearts it was as a result of Peter preaching.  They heard the word of God proclaimed in their own language.  Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and 3000 were saved.  It is through the foolishness of preaching that men and woman should be saved.  Peter preached the Lord Jesus Christ on that particular day, that he came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost.  People were convicted of the wrongs they had committed and the Holy Spirit came down and opened up their hearts that they would believe the gospel of saving grace.  It is the old pathway of preaching.  The Son of God himself was the example.  When he came into the city of Capernaum to a particular house he found rest and succour but it was noised abroad that he was in the house.  We need to be telling others what the Lord can do.  The Lord is coming back again to take those who have been saved by the precious blood of Christ.  The preaching of the word of God is no longer fashionable today.  People have turned it over to drama and mime.  1 Corinthians 1 verse 17 “Christ sent me to preach the gospel not with wisdom of words lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”  Galatians 1 verse 6 “that I might preach him.”  Paul advised young Timothy “preach the word.”    If there is one thing God is going to reach this lost world with it is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Paul told Timothy “do not let anyone despise thy youth.”  Great revivals in the past came through the preaching of God’s word.  When Josiah the king found the word of God he expounded it and thousands came to a knowledge of the word of God and his saving faith.

The old path of prayer.  The prayer meeting is considered old fashioned today.  To be still when we want action.  The early church was born in prayer.  When Jesus left his disciples he told them to return to Jerusalem and wait in prayer.  Acts 1 verse 4 “they all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.  Acts 2 verse 1 “when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in the place.”  Solomon built a great temple for the God of heaven to be worshipped in.  On the day of dedication he lifted up his hands to God and began to pray “if this people turn away, if you stand by for this people, allow their enemy to come in and if this people will pray you will remember them.”  God answered that prayer “if my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray then will I hear from heaven and I will heal their land.”  Acts 4 verse 24 “they gathered together to pray and lifted their voices unto God.  It was a hard time for the leaders but the church overcame its doubts and despair.  Daniel prayed 3 times a day.  We only have to look back to the 1859 revival and see them beginning to pray and revival came.

The old path of power.  The church has swapped power for organisation.  Paul said in 1 Corinthians “your faith should stand in the power of God not in the intellect of God.”  They were told to wait in Jerusalem to receive the power of God.  They needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Acts 1 verse 8 “ye shall receive power after which the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me in Samaria, in Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth.”  The moment you give your heart and life to God you are given the Holy Spirit.  We need to be filled with it to have the power of God in our lives.  Acts 2 the day of Pentecost when fully come they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.  Acts 6 the leaders in the church, the characteristics of these men verse 3 look ye out among you 7 men of God full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.    We should strive to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Be no value to God unless filled with the Holy Spirit.  Was there a moment in your life when you can point back to whenever you gave your all to the Lord and he filled you with the Holy Spirit?  Stephen was the first martyr in the church stoned to death.  Stephen was full of faith and power, full of the Holy Ghost.  Paul encouraged the believers in Ephesus he found 12 men all professing to be saved.  Paul asked “have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed?”  He was not interested in anything else but Holy Spirit activity.  Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?  Are you saved today?  Are you seeking to live for him in this day?

The old path of peace.  We are to follow peace with all men.  Don’t be deceived by thinking the church is old fashioned just because we preach the word of God.  Take time to pray.  We need this power of God.  These are the old paths.  A church may be filled with commotion and activity and be far away from God.  A church may be large in number and be far from God.  A church may be small in number and be far from God.  We need to get back to the old pathway today.