Old Paths

[0:00] Let's go to the Word of God if you've got your Bibles. Jeremiah 6 from verse 10. Tell me about the old paths, the old paths. And reading from verse 10 of chapter 6, Jeremiah 6 verse 10.

[0:14] It says, the prophet says, To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised and they cannot hearken.

[0:25] Behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach. They have no delight in it. Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord. I am weary with holding in. I will pour it upon the children abroad and upon the assembly of young men together.

[0:41] For even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. And their houses shall be burnt unto others with their fields and wives together.

[0:52] For I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord. For from the least of them, even unto the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness.

[1:03] And from the prophet, even unto the priest, everyone dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.

[1:15] Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed. Neither could they blush. Therefore they shall fall among them that fall.

[1:25] At the time that I visit them, they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. 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.

[1:42] But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.

[1:53] Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth, behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.

[2:08] We can look at the progress that mankind has made in so many ways, and say, We've sure come a long way. A long way. Only problem is, in some aspects, we've taken the wrong road.

[2:22] We've got sidetracked. We see here, Jeremiah chapter 6, verse 16, talks about some old paths. 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.

[2:38] But, they said, We will not walk therein. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word, and ask you to visit with us, Lord, to minister by your spirit's power.

[2:53] Lord, to speak to us from your word, and give us something we can take into our lives, and put into practice. We pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. It's like we're at the crossroads.

[3:04] A crossroads, a fork in the road, if you like. And the Lord says, Ask. Ask for the old paths. Ask for directions. Who's ever had to do that? Yeah, stop and ask for directions.

[3:15] Which way? Which way should I go? There's a choice here. And the Lord says, Head back to the old paths. The old time religion, if you like. The old time power. Scriptural teachings.

[3:26] But that's something, it seems, that's treated as obsolete now. Archaic. Out of date. Superseded. Obsolete. When people hear Bible truths, they sometimes don't want the word.

[3:40] Like the people in this very text says, that we will not. We will not walk therein. We will not hearken. They hear the Bible truth, and they sound like the crowd of Jeremiah's day.

[3:51] We want something new. Something different. We want something trendy and cool. Contemporary and hip. People would mock the old fashioned truth of the word of God.

[4:02] It's like they just don't want to hear it, isn't it? Often as we know, as we witness and talk to folk that don't know the Lord, often they really are very hostile and anti.

[4:13] It's almost like the world that we live in, us Aussies, are smarter than the Bible. Smarter than God, so they would think. That we'll go our own way. They say, really, we've drifted though, haven't we?

[4:24] We've drifted as a nation, as a people, as a culture. We've wandered away. It's like, as Psalm 1 puts it, the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

[4:36] There's the way of the ungodly. There's the way of the righteous. We're standing at a fork in the roads. Ask for the old paths. In the context, Jeremiah tells about watchmen.

[4:47] Jeremiah 6 verse 17, it says, Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.

[4:58] The Lord says, Listen, listen to the sound of the trumpet. And they say, We won't listen. We need preachers who will be watchmen. And we've got watchmen. We've got churches, godly, biblical, faithful churches like this one, and numbers around.

[5:13] But it's almost like we're getting scarcer. There's only so many watchmen out there. But we need preachers, like your preacher here, who will be watchmen. He'll sound the warning. He'll see the horizon, scour the horizon, and sound the warning.

[5:27] As we see the enemy approaching, we see the dangers. The ones on the walls, the watchmen, had to watch and sound the alarm, to blow the shofar, to sound that alarm. But who will sound the trumpet today?

[5:39] Friends, we need to be such a people, don't we? To be such a church. We hear of men of God, of old and women of God. We hear of people like Billy Sunday, who lived in the early 1900s.

[5:51] And he preached boldly against sin. Billy Sunday was one, who was a drunk, before he got saved. And he preached much about, the wickedness of addictions, and alcohol, and such things.

[6:04] One day he was asked, to tone it down. You know, that's just getting a bit too, a bit too heavy there. Tone it down preacher. Stop offending people. And people would tell Billy, they would say, stop rubbing the cat's fur, the wrong way.

[6:18] He replied, I'm not going to change my preaching. Let the cat turn around. You know, that's the truth of it, isn't it? If the truth offends, it's us that need to change, in accordance with the truth.

[6:30] One day there was a young preacher, came to John Wesley, and he was asking him, how could he get, more, bigger crowds, to come and hear his preaching. And Wesley said, just let God, set you on fire, and the people will come, to watch you burn.

[6:46] We need some of that, old, bold preaching, don't we? The word of God, given forth faithfully, and freely, and fully. We need preachers, who will preach the word. We'll be like these watchmen, of Jeremiah's day, that God called, to be those ones, who will preach the word, preach it, and not hold back.

[7:04] Because it's only the word of God, that can affect God's work. We read, as Jeremiah tells us, of the word of God, in Jeremiah 23, verse 29, the prophet is told, it's not my word, like as a fire, saith the Lord.

[7:22] And like a hammer, that breaketh the rock, in pieces. It's like a fire, it's like a hammer. We need to just unleash it, don't we? To let it, do its work, let God do its work, through, the clear preaching, biblical preaching, direct preaching, of the word of God.

[7:39] Fact is though, we've forgotten, the shame of sin. In this, cultured world, the so called, modern culture, of this world, we don't blush anymore. We don't blush anymore, as it says there, in verse 15.

[7:52] So we've forgotten, how to blush. Like the shame, and reproach, that our world, just routinely, puts out there, is almost, we don't, get the sense of it anymore.

[8:03] The shock of it, the horror of it, the reproach of it. And so, biblical conviction, is unfashionable, some would say. The Lord, set watchmen.

[8:15] The Lord, raises up churches like this, preachers like yours, sets those watchmen, in those places, where he wants them to, sound the alarm. And he told the people, to hearken, hearken, listen, listen to the sound, of the trumpet.

[8:30] I'd imagine, you hear, those that, would blow a shofar, as they would have, done in these days. And it's quite a, a grating sound, it's a, it's a shocking, piercing sound, isn't it?

[8:42] It's a, it's a waking up sound. But the people said, we will not hearken, we don't want to hear the sound, of the trumpet. We don't want to hear this. You know, the trumpet call, this is the trumpet. The trumpet call, is disturbing, isn't it?

[8:53] The word of God, can be disturbing, it's sounding a warning, it's shaking us, from our apathy, it's saying, there is a danger, there's a danger, we should be alerted to. And as the Lord, told Isaiah, in Isaiah 58, verse 1, he says, cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice, like a trumpet, and show my people, their transgression, and the house of Jacob, their sins.

[9:19] The Lord told the prophet Isaiah, hold not back, but just deliver it. But the people, by and large, would say, things as, really, we see in modern day Adelaide, don't we?

[9:31] Give us something comfortable. You know, don't rock the boat. Give us something light, and breezy, nothing heavy, or unsettling. Yet, the preacher's job, is to be bold. We must, declare the word.

[9:44] He calls, such preachers, as we, to comfort, the afflicted, but also, discomfort, the comfortable. It's easy to get comfortable, isn't it?

[9:55] And we must sound the warning, we must speak it forth. This is the watchman's job. Yet, some miss the mark. It tells us such, in Isaiah 56, verse 10, of watchmen that fail, in their duty, it says, his watchmen are blind.

[10:10] They are ignorant. They are all dumb dogs. They cannot bark. Sleeping, lying down, loving, to slumber. Many preachers have lost their bark. They are as useless, as a guard dog, that, you know, you see some, you see some signs, at some doors, and it says, beware of the dog.

[10:30] And then there's just, this little chihuahua, that scarcely makes a noise. You know, we need to be watchmen, that bark, that bark loud. And friends, that's what we have here, in this church, I'm sure, of preachers, that preach the word faithfully.

[10:43] But the average Christian, would, seek out a church, it seems these days, where they, don't get to feel, uncomfortable. Where it's all kind of, cozy and comfy, it's fine and dandy.

[10:56] They find somewhere, that's snug and smug, and settled. Some place, where there's no conviction, there's no challenge. Yet the old time preacher, would preach, thus saith the Lord.

[11:09] There'd be a conviction there. And the preachers, would not hold back, but be bold, to declare the word of God. In the old days, the old fashioned preachers, as it were. But it's like, these days, modern sensitivities, and political correctness, that's not appreciated, it seems, that much these days.

[11:29] But the Lord called, Jeremiah to such, to be one, who delivered a burning message, as we read in Jeremiah 5, verse 14, where it tells of the word of God, that the prophet, was told to declare it.

[11:41] Jeremiah 5, verse 14, it says, Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, God of hosts, because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words, in thy mouth, fire, and this people, word, and it shall devour them.

[11:54] You know, elsewhere, it talks about the burning, and his bones, doesn't it? There's that sense, where the word of God, is burning, and it's like a fire, a flame. Now, such bold preaching, is not palatable though.

[12:07] It's outmoded, some would say. It's out of fashion. Why is it different now? It's like the message, is being toned down, softened down, and lest someone take offence, lest the preacher, tread on toes.

[12:21] It's almost like, we've got to watch our, sensitivities, in some circles, it would seem, that we should, tone it down, that we should be tolerant, and that the preaching, would be slick, and smooth talking.

[12:35] Yet, we must have the faithful word. It's the opposite, of what God wants. The word of God, should be such, that it's a fire, breathing out. That's a message, that our world, needs to hear. A message, that cannot be changed, because really, what we're talking about today, the old paths, is in contrast, to the new paths, isn't it?

[12:56] And we see, it's almost like, people would deride, that which is old, as obsolete, as out of fashion. But really, the word of God, it doesn't change.

[13:07] It's forever settled, in the heaven, isn't it? The word of God, is eternal. It doesn't, fade away. It's not as the flower, that fades. It's everlasting, the word of God.

[13:19] It's enduring forever. And it's, it's the truth. The truth cannot be changed. That's the point. Some would say, well, you've got your truth, I've got mine, as if truth is not, it's not fixed, it's fickle, it's depending how you feel, and what your views, and opinions might be.

[13:37] But yet, the truth, is the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. That's what they call it, in court. And the truth, is the message, that our world needs to hear.

[13:48] It is the truth. The truth cannot be changed. The truth, that we have today, is the truth, that they had, thousands of years ago. And so, there's no near revised version, of the truth.

[14:01] Let's, let's get that point. It says in Jeremiah 6, verse 10, their ear is uncircumcised, it's like, it cannot spiritually receive. There's a blockage there. They cannot hearken, it says.

[14:13] The word of the Lord, is unto them a reproach. They have no delight, in it. The problem is not, in the word, it's in the reception, of the word. And we need, old fashioned preachers, like our Lord Jesus, himself, who preached more, about hell, than heaven.

[14:30] He preached more, on the destiny, of the damned. And he preached, twice as much, on hell, as he did on heaven. But today, we're afraid to talk, about such subjects, as hell.

[14:41] But friends, the truth of hell, is still true today. It's still real. That old fashioned, reality of hell, and the old fashioned, reality of heaven, is still the same.

[14:51] It's not changed. So we must declare it. We must have it. But today, it seems, we're afraid, to talk about such things. Dion Moody said, that good preaching, will make people, get right, or get mad.

[15:03] It's one or the other, isn't it? Depends on the receptivity, of the hearers. Surely we stand, friends, we stand, at the crossroads, don't we? It's that fork in the road, where we must make a decision, who will we follow?

[15:15] Which path will we take? Will we choose, the right road? And it seems like, the Aussies of today, are just too busy for God. In these days of fast food, and convenience stores, the church has to be, convenient, too.

[15:30] So sermons have to be shorter, they would say. And we have to run everything, by the clock. Yet, as David says, in Psalm 25, verse 5, on thee do I wait, all the day.

[15:43] We need to avoid, being ruled by the clock, it can be a trap, can't it? Where we, try to, compress our time, with God, when really, we should take time, to wait on the Lord, to take time to pray, to take time to fellowship, take time for Him.

[15:59] It's like, change has swept away, everything, these days. There's low, or no standards, and just about, anything goes, it seems, and no one, dares to draw a line, and make a stand.

[16:11] It's all fuzzy, and frothy, and weak. People just run, with what is easy, what is popular, what is the in thing. And we see that trend, in some circles, where it's all about, the entertainment, and yet, the truth is absent, sadly missing.

[16:32] The truth is unchanging, it's timeless, and the truth matters, more than any, of the trappings. Proverbs 22, verse 28, it says, remove not, the ancient landmark, which thy fathers, have set.

[16:46] It's talking about, landmarks, or boundary markers, that were set, in the ground, and were clearly, marked down, and established. And the Bible, gives us such, boundary markers, such, landmarks, they're ancient, landmarks, they're, they're set in stone, they're, settled.

[17:04] And God is against, compromise, would try to, move those markers, and change the things, that are, God says, there's a boundary there, and to make it, more accommodating.

[17:15] Where there's some, deliberate, redefining, this blurring, of boundaries, as if there's, no rights or wrong, and everything's, graying. It's as if, conformity to the world, is the big factor now.

[17:28] And that's a big trap, isn't it? It's the trend of Australia, let's be honest, as Aussies, people get caught up in the worldliness, instead of godliness, and churches can jump on this bandwagon, where it's all new methods, new gimmicks, new diversions, and in doing that, we've lost some things, we've lost some things that are precious, we've lost some of those essential, ancient landmarks, we've lost that watchfulness, we've lost that prayerfulness.

[17:53] So friends, what are these old paths, that we should look for? The paths, the old paths, that we should look for. Now of course, in saying things that are old, I'm not saying, that everything that's old, is necessarily good, and everything that's new, is necessarily bad.

[18:08] But in the context, of what the Bible says, are the old truths, the old fashioned, ancient landmarks, they're set, they're established, God's marked them, God's made them.

[18:19] And these old paths, I've put to you today, that we should look to, be encouraged by, are the old paths, of Bible doctrine, Bible doctrine. Old doctrines, they are never changing.

[18:32] Ever true. When you think about it, I'm sure, you've got a statement of faith, that outlines your, key beliefs, as a church. And I'm sure, Pastor Luz doesn't, kind of get the eraser out, every so often, and cross out a few lines, or add a few extra things in, to the statement of the church.

[18:53] Because doctrine, is settled, it's established, it's Bible, it's Bible based, it's Bible founded, Bible doctrine, is not changing, it doesn't change, it's true, it's ever true.

[19:06] And Bible doctrine, is old, it's timeless, really it's eternal. Bible teaching, cannot be changed, and twisted, to suit modernity. When you think, really the doctrine, that we have today, should be the same doctrine, they had, in the first century, of the church.

[19:21] I'm talking, Bible doctrine, old fashioned, proven, trustworthy doctrine. That's what we stand for, as churches, such as ours. We stand for, old fashioned truths, such as old fashioned, ancient landmarks, such as, the old, shed blood, of Jesus, to save the soul.

[19:41] That's the only way, it always has been, always will be, the only way to be saved. The old time holiness, of God, that is ever, never changing, isn't it? And that should impact us, today as it, has touched, ancient, times.

[19:57] 1 Peter 1, verse 15 through 16, it says, but as he, which hath called you, is holy, so be ye holy, in all manner, of conversation, in all your way of life, be ye holy, he says, because it is written, be ye holy, for I am, holy.

[20:15] The Bible tells us, about the way, of holiness, that's one of the, old paths, isn't it? The way of holiness, that's an old path, for sure. It talks in the word of God, about old time worship, it's in the beauty, of holiness, there's a wonder to it, there's a reverence to it, there's a joy, that comes, deep down, and it's Bible based worship, and it's Bible based worship, it's worship in spirit, and in truth, that's not a path, that changes, it's a path, that is fixed, Mark 8, 36 through 37, it says, for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul, or what shall a man give, in exchange for his soul, that's true today, as it ever was true, and ever will be true, ask for the old paths, this prophet says, ask for the old paths, the very doctrine, of the Bible itself, it is unchanging, it is ever the same, you know this book, really this, these 66 books, 66 books, 1,189 chapters, 41,173 verses, 77,

[21:22] I've got to get this right, 774,746 words, 3,566,480 letters, in the Bible, it's every ounce, the infallible, inerrant, inspired word of God, that's an old book, isn't it, thousands of years old, that we can hold, in our hands, in our language today, and the word of God, it says, is forever settled, in heaven, it is unchanging, it's an old book, but it's ever true, isn't it, the old, old gospel message, is ever needful today, and what about, the doctrine, of the wrath of God, some of these days, would give you, a weak and watered down, view of God, as if he's a, cosmic budding, you know, and yet, they lose that, that sense, that awe of him, that wonder of him, the reverence, that we ought to, have towards him, the fear of God, they're afraid to tell you, that you are a sinner, in the hands, of an angry God, you know, we see the old time, religion, it says, in Hebrews 10, 31, it is a fearful thing, to fall, into the hands, of the living God, the old time, religion, would say,

[22:30] God is angry, with the wicked, every day, these are, warning sounds, these are the trumpet sounds, these are, the words of the watchman, you're in danger, if you're outside of Christ, the old time, religion, would say, God is angry, with you, and that he will punish you, in hell, if you go on, unsaved, we must be saved, we must be saved, that's an old path, that's, that's an old essential, isn't it, there's no deviation, with that, because Hebrews 12, 29 says, for our God, is a consuming fire, the word of God, says, as it all, as it, as it is written, as it is written still, it says, then shall he say unto them, on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting, fire, that's an old path, isn't it, to, to actually believe, the word of God, says that, and we ought to act, in accord with that, the truth of that, the old fashioned doctrine, of such hell, this verse tells us, to ask, where are the old paths, it says, ask, where is the old path, where is the good way, it's calling all of us, friends, it's calling each one, to a personal response, that we all have to, come to that fork in the road, and say, which road am I going to take, just any, way I care for,

[23:51] I'll just go my own, willy nilly way, or, am I going to go God's way, I'm going to choose, the right path, the good way, and we're all called, to a personal response, it says, ask, and find out, which paths were old, and follow them, and so, in this world, where it seems, they chuck out, everything that is old, as if it's out of date, no, there's a used by date, well I've checked my Bible, and there's no used by date on it, this is, this doesn't expire, this is as good, as it ever will be, and it's applicable, it's relevant, there's nothing more relevant, than the Bible, for you today, and the old path, means the old gospel, the old gospel, as Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 15, he says, for I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died, for our sins, according to, the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again, the third day, according, to the scriptures, salvation, salvation, is still, only by, the old time way, salvation, hasn't been revised, there's no new version of it, there's no updated, method, it's the same Bible method today, than it ever has been, since the dawn of time, really, isn't it, salvation is by God's grace, through faith, the word of God, tells us, to avoid the new paths, choose eternal truths, scriptural ways, you know, there's many voices out there, that would say, there's many ways, but we know, there's only one way, to be saved, it's through, our Saviour, and his precious blood, and the way, that leads unto life, is still the same way, there's no alternative, way, there's no other way, to climb up, over the wall, there's only the way, the door, the one door, the one way, the Lord Jesus, and this is the way, that leads to peace, and to rest, so choose, carefully, where is the good way, ask, choose, that right way, choose the good way, choose God's way, the righteous way, it seems like, this is contrary, to modern day, church culture, as we see, and look,

[25:57] I always like to say, we need to be careful ourselves, you know, we're not blowing our horn, and saying, we can't make some mistakes, I know our church, my church, I'm sure you'd say, the same, we need to watch ourselves, and we can look at others, and say they're doing it wrong, but, we've always got to be careful, are we doing it God's way, and, when it's contrary to the Bible, then it's the wrong way, that's simple as that, isn't it, and, yeah, it seems in some circles, everything's all about, constantly new, changing, updating, really, worldifying, modifying, revising, such that, we're going further, and further away, from the old paths, we're straying, and that can be a danger, and in Jeremiah's day, what it really intended here, these new paths, that it speaks about, were really, those new paths, that the Hebrews wore, into the ground, on their way up, to the pagan, places of worship, onto the high places, of worship, they'd made some new ways, there were some new paths, that they were treading, and these were into, areas of, of sin, of idol worship, of pagan religion, and it seems, in our day, there's like, all of these new religions, religious ideas, there's all these, you know,

[27:14] TV preachers, that with all kinds, of strange ideas, internet preachers, and people seem, to just jump on, the latest bandwagon, without any thought, or discernment, actually, should I discern, is that biblical, or is it not biblical, is that one of, God's ways, is it the old paths, or is there some, newfangled way, that's actually contrary, it's not saying, that everything, that is new, is wrong, of course, I wanted to make that clear, but there's that danger, of lacking discernment, such that we'll just, follow any, anything else, that crops up, and go along with it, and David himself, fell into this trap, as we read, in 1 Chronicles 13, David himself, the one, who God, called, the one, after God's own heart, David himself, fell into this trap, of a new innovation, a new, way of doing things, a new cart, was called for, and this was in, 1 Chronicles 13, we might just, take time to turn there, 1 Chronicles 13, as we read about,

[28:18] David, and, of his adoption, of a new cart, so, God had a method, that the, of the covenant, was to be carried, in accordance, with the, direction of God, but, David, adopted, the, methodology, of the, idol worshippers, it says there, 1 Chronicles 13, from verse 7, it reads, and they carried, the ark of God, in a new cart, out of the house, of Abinadab, and Uzzah, and Ahoh, drove the cart, and David, and all Israel, played before God, with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with sultries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets, and when they came, unto the threshing floor, of Chodin, Uzzah put forth his hand, to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled, and the anger of the Lord, was kindled against Uzzah, and he smote him, because he put his hand, to the ark, and there he died, before God, and David, was displeased, because the Lord, had made a breach, upon Uzzah, wherefore that place, is called,

[29:23] Peraz Uzzah, to this day, and David, was afraid, of God that day, saying, how shall I bring, the ark of God, home to me, so here was David, he adopted, the methodology, of the Philistines, he was led astray, by the Philistine spirit, and taking this, course of action, that was not God, ordained, or God honoring, and yet, verse 4 says, it was right, in the eyes, of all the people, everybody thought, this was a grand idea, a great idea, if they put it, to a church vote, that it had, a majority, vote in favor, of such an innovation, of adopting, this methodology, really it was a, a picture of today's, kind of church, where, there's an overwhelming, adoption, of that which is, worldly, worldly methods, and means, in today's church, really the efforts, of the flesh, if it's got, if it's contrary, to what God, has directed, then we must be, very clearly, against such, and so, we must always, have that heart, but we don't just, jump on the bandwagon, as in the, the new cart, as it were, as David did, but to be more, careful, of such things, yeah, it's in all of us, isn't it, that we all can be, subject to this, in this entertainment, driven world,

[30:44] Christians too, can search out, for entertainment, such that they're, deviated from the old paths, and in this verse, that we've read, in Jeremiah, it tells, the Lord tells the people, specifically, they're only to consider, the old paths, the Lord told the people, they were to ask, which are the old paths, the old spiritual ways, the scriptural ways, the God honoring ways, this should be, our question, and that which, we should all, ask ourselves, in decision making, are we choosing, the old paths, are we choosing, the ways of God, are we choosing, the direction, God would have us, to choose, and the old paths, all led to the same place, the old paths, they would have led, to the temple, the old paths, there at Jerusalem, would have led, the people of God, to the temple of God, the place that God, had established, for the Hebrews, to come into his presence, and to worship him, and so Jerusalem, was here at the center, of the country, and the Jews, would wear the paths, into the ground, as they came, from all directions, to worship, towards Jerusalem, these old paths, would literally, have led them, into the very presence, of God, the old paths, were those, which were honoring, to the Lord, that were, giving him, due worship, as Christians, we don't have, these old paths, trodden in the ground, that we can follow, but we do have, the word of God, we do have, this source of truth, and it's, undeviating, it's unchanging, it's ever, true, and it's mapped out, for us, in the word of God, how we are to live, who we are to, follow, of course, our Lord, in faith, and trust, and the faiths, and beliefs, and practices, of God's church, are the old paths, that we need to follow, you know, we could, ideally, even, transport back in time, and be, of like-minded, with those saints, of previous centuries, that have followed, our Saviour, that we still have, the same love, for the same word, for the same truth, for the same Saviour, that we have, the same mandate, that they had, in Matthew 28, to go and preach, the gospel, to go and preach, the gospel, it's the same mandate, it's that same old mandate, is still our mandate, today, but many will refuse, the old ways, they think, there's something, better and grander, it's just what the devil, won't isn't it, the old paths, that will bless the soul, and lift our spirit, the devil doesn't want you, to tread those paths, he wants you to find out, some other paths, that will actually, take you away from God, to fail to seek out, the old paths, is a loss of victory, for you, a loss, to your spiritual life, and it can mean, a backsliding for you, the devil, would gladly, detour you, friends, let's be honest today, and look, we can all reflect on, the paths, that we've taken through life,

[33:44] I know I can, where maybe, I've got distracted, detoured, from the narrow way, and I got misled, by this or that, you know, we can all have times, when we can be, like, just like the world, I want to tread, the wide, and worldly way, to neglect, the old paths, really, if we neglect, the old paths, we're choosing, paths of compromise, and apathy, if you refuse, the old paths, the old ways, the old truths of God, then you're in danger, of ruin, of loss, of eternal regret, we must search out, the old time principles, of the word of God, and, and stick by the stuff, stand with the solid church, be a faithful, part, of this, Bible believing body, God's principles, never change, they're always the same, and we can take heart, in that, we don't have to have, some murkiness, some, some, you know, the devil's the author, of confusion, isn't he, there's not some fog, some spiritual blindness, we have a very clear, word of God, we've got the very clear, teachings, of his word, the word doesn't need, revision, it's us, who need to change, to fit the word, and the old Bible standards, do not change, they're ever true, they do not get updated, and rephrased,

[35:04] Bible truth, is Bible truth, it doesn't change, and this truth, they've stood the test of time, they are eternal, so friends, we can take heart, there's a clarity for us, that are Bible believers, and our Lord calls us, to the old time principles, it's unchanging, and everlasting, old time godly priorities, these are the things, that the men and women of God, of revivalists, of reformers of old, the faithful people, the remnant church, of history, has always held fast, to these things, and we stand, in their number, we walk in their tread, we are amongst those, who will uphold, and reclaim, these timeless, biblical truths, the authority, of the scriptures, this need of restoration, of renewal, of such, to return, to revive, it's not to revise, but to revive, that which we have, to take heart in it, to take seriously, the truth of it, to take a stand, in faithfulness, in strong testimony, to have a heart, to seek the will of God, in everything, to seek out, the old paths, and these are, time honoured, time tested, spiritual principles, scriptural truth, the paths of the righteous, the everlasting path, we could look at,

[36:24] Psalm 1, as an example, really couldn't we, of the blessed man, he walks in the, in the right way, in God's way, he takes that right path, the paths of the righteous, the everlasting path, may we get back, to prayer, to dependence upon God, to deeper faith, the enemy doesn't want you, to take the old paths, he wants you to stumble, and stray, to be diverted, and distracted, we stand at the crossroads, the choice is yours, where will you go, we must emphasise, the old time gospel, the old fashioned truth, it hasn't changed, the old rugged cross, friends, the old time gospel, that saves souls, is the one that we need today, as we ever have needed, and the question is, where will we walk, wherein will we walk, are we walking, in the old paths, here is a test, does the path, we're taking, bring rest, to restless souls, we live in a so called, information age, they call it, don't they, and yet, as Hosea 4 verse 6, it says, people are destroyed, for lack of knowledge, in this so called world, where everything's, on the, you know, everything's, at our fingertips, to reach, information, yet, we don't have knowledge, we lack knowledge,

[37:54] I know, years ago, I used to keep, printouts of everything, they got files, and files, and now, it's all electronic, but, there's a massive information, we can just garner, and tap into, but, the Bible speaks, about a time, when people are going, to be destroyed, for lack of knowledge, even though, there's such, information, there's no knowledge, of God, and that's what counts, isn't it, and we're just like, the people, of Acts 17, 21, where there's people there, that they just wanted, to hear, and get hold of, and tell, and share, some new thing, new thing, and we can get, I can get distracted, you know, they call it the news, don't they, there's always something new, it's news, you just get, the news cycle, and it's just, you're getting, recycling, of more and more news, more and more news, and yet, really does it, have value, sometimes it can be, just another distraction, can't it, telling, and wanting to hear, some new thing, we're just like, the people in Acts 17, 21, so friends, ask for, the old paths, that's, it's an important thing, that we should ask, for the old paths, that we should inquire, after it, we should seek, after it, we should desire, there, which is, the old fashioned truth, the saving grace, of God, that the truth, of the word, the truth, of doctrine, the truth, of knowing the saviour, the truth, of knowing the one, who says, come unto me, all you who labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, rest for your souls, in this good way, you'll find rest, for your souls, that's, that's really, the critical, factor, isn't it, that you can find, rest for your soul, and you can, point others, to that rest of soul, that is only found, in Christ, and found, in the saviour, so stand in the ways, and see, it says, that means stop, it means actually, take a moment, to reflect, to stand, in the ways, stop and consider, what's my future, what's my future direction, where am I headed, when I'm facing, that fork in the road, and there's so many paths,

[39:56] I can take, may we stand for the old paths, the old paths, in the sense of Bible truth, Bible doctrine, faith in Christ, Bible blessing, the old paths, stand for them, without apology, don't be ashamed, to stand for Christ, to say, I believe, Jesus is my saviour, and that he is the one, who saved my soul, don't be ashamed, of your testimony, as an individual believer, to share your faith, to stand, full square for Christ, to stand strong, to stand boldly, to stand for, the grace and favour of God, the faith in Christ, that saves the soul, and to stand, with a good biblical church, such as this one, that you can be rock solid, and stand firmly, not falling for some, new doctrine or fans, not getting misled, by voices that are contrary, but having the old, unvarnished gospel truth, that saves a soul, and brings God's rest and joy, that's the joy that we have, the rest that we have, because the Bible says, we can find rest for our souls, rest for our souls, rest from the guilt, and shame of sin, rest from that troubled heart, rest from that weary, wandering, to find the way, the truth and the life, to know,

[41:16] God's saving rest, in Christ, it says, we should, stand, in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is, the good way, and walk therein, and you shall find rest, for your souls, let's not be as those, that said, we will not, walk therein, but rather, let's say, we will, walk therein, let's pray, Lord, we thank you that, your word, does give us, these, essential truths, that are unchanging, unbending, everlasting, relevant, essential, critical, pivotal, for our lives, Lord, that there is a rest, for the soul, that is restless, there is a peace, for the heart, as we trust you, Lord, as saviour, as master, help us to, stand, and take notice, and not to be misled, as the devil, would detour us, so easily, and we're so inclined, to be distracted, by different things,

[42:25] Lord, Lord, let us, hold firmly, these truths, that are never changing, and that we need, these eternal, life changing, truths, Lord, to be, solid, faithful believers, Lord, we pray for this church, the pastor, the fellowship here, Lord, that it will be, blessed, and that we can, endeavour, as your people, to be, active, in this, gospel, harvest field, all around us, Lord, to be such, to tell others, of this great rest, that only you can give, to the soul, that is weary of sin, that, only you, are the one, that can give us, that, heavenly, life, that heavenly, way, and Lord, there's only, your grace, can make that, possible for us, help us Lord, to, to grow in these things, to, to, to walk strongly, and firmly, and stride, down these, old paths, of truth, of peace, of faith, all for your praise,

[43:34] Lord, may you be lifted up, in our lives, we pray.