|
continued from
home page>
We praise the Lord for His
manifold blessings and goodness to His children. It was only
necessary to cancel two services before returning to the states.
We had a great meeting in one of the local churches. We were
asked to preach Thursday thru Sunday on the subject of service.
God was pleased to place His hand upon every service. The people
were moved and the church was encouraged in their devotion and
dedication unto the Lord. The Pastor’s Conference was a great
success! It was our privilege to share the pulpit with Dr.
Randall Parker from Greenfield, Indiana and Dr. Bruce Turner
from Tampa Florida. The theme of the Conference was Jeremiah
6:16, “The Old Paths.” Later I will give you some
thoughts from one of the messages I preached in the conference.
Please continue to remember
us in prayer. By the time this is posted, my mother will most
likely have had her surgery, but please pray for God’s prefect
will to be done in the lives of our family! Please continue to
pray for all of our meetings. God continues to challenge and
encourage our heart with fresh truth from the Word of God. For
this we give Him all praise and glory! Please pray for a fresh
anointing of God’s power and presence upon every service. We are
continually reminded of the words of our Lord, “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” (John 15:5). I am excited about what the Lord is
showing me out of Hebrews 11 and I continue writing on
the subject with the expectation of getting it in print when I
have completed the work. Please pray for the increasing
financial burdens of many churches and ministries. Our nation is
in a desperate need of a move of God and the leadership of our
Great Nation seems to ignore the need and has little compassion
for the American people. While our nation may appear to be
religious, she is anything but righteous!
The Old Paths
Evangelist Dr. Bob Sanders
March 1, 2010
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.”
This is most likely the best
known verse in the book of Jeremiah. It is a favorite
verse for revivals, Bible Conferences, and meeting that stress
dedication unto the Lord. The last two conferences that I have
attended have used this passage as their theme for the
conference. Could it be that God is trying to get our
attention?
The very first thing to catch
my attention is the phrase, “Thus saith the Lord.” While
we know and believe that the entire Bible is the Word of God,
here we have the record of God directly speaking to His people.
God is demanding our attention! I want us to notice five things
that call for our immediate attention.
(I) There is an activity that
must cease. “Stand ye in the ways”
While it may be hard for some
of us to admit, sometimes our activity can be a deterrent to our
relationship to the Lord. We can become so busy with the
ministry that we lose sight of the Master! The word “stand”
means to stand, to abide, to continue. I don’t know what was
going on in the lives God’s people, but it almost appears as if
God is saying “Stop, stand still for a minute and let me have
your attention!” In Psalm 46:10, God said, “Be still,
and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I
will be exalted in the earth.” Has God got you undivided
attention? In Psalm 46, it appears that He wants us to
know His person. In Isaiah 40:31, God said through the
lips of the prophet, “But they that wait upon the
Lord shall renew
their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint.” Here God wants us to experience His power. Could it
be that we need to just stop what we are doing and look unto the
Lord?
(II) There is an observation
that must be made. “And see”
It is not physical sight that
God is concerned about, it is spiritual sight. The word “see”
means to see, to advise self, to behold, consider or discern.
God wants to give spiritual enlightenment unto His people. When
writing to the seven churches in the book of the Revelation,
God said to the church of the Laodiceans, “Because thou
sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). The
conformation of our blindness is not what we think, but what
does God think!
(III) There is a request to
be made. “ask for the old paths”
At this point there is a
great truth that presents itself, “There will never be a request
until the activity has ceased and a spiritual observation has
been made!” The reason we continue in the same futile paths of
the world and with such religious fervor, is that we have never
seen the need for change which only occurs when we stop long
enough to see what God sees! Have you asked for the old paths?
(IV) There is a course to be
followed. “walk there in”
It’s one thing to know what’s
right; it is totally another thing to do what’s right! I
personally believe that our greatest problem is not in knowing
what is right and what it is that God wants and expects from us.
Our problem is that we do not want to do what’s right; we want
to do what we want to do! The response of God’s people was,
“We will not walk therein.” When we are blessed by a
visitation from the Lord, will that also be the response of our
hearts?
(V) There is a rest to be
experienced. “ye shall find rest for your soul”
If you want to understand the
type of rest God is speaking of, take a moment to listen to the
words of David, “Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my
cup runneth over” (Psalm 23:5). Rest is not the absence of
the conflict; it is the presence of “The Shepherd!”
All of the above has been
said to bring me to this thought! Basically, Jeremiah 6
is thirty verses of declared destruction with one verse right in
the middle calling for repentance or a turning about; “ask
for the old paths . . . and walk therein.” While there is a
declaration for the old paths, there is no definition
of the old paths! Nowhere in the entire chapter does God give
the people a definition of what the old paths are. As I have
stated earlier, I think the reason that God does not define the
old paths is that He knows that the people already know what the
old paths are!
When we preach, teach, or
study this passage, the first thing that must be done is
determine what the “old paths” are. While we can try to make the
old paths anything we want to, the truth that must be answered
is, “What are they in accordance to the Word of God?” While each
of us must answer that question for ourselves, may I suggest
that you look at Joshua 24:14, & 19-20. God’s objective
is not so much to bring the people back to a list of
practices, as it is back to the love of a person!
When ask what is the greatest of all the commandments, Jesus
spoke of not law, but love; “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew
22:37-38). You may control a man’s habits and never possess
his heart, but if you possess his heart, it will control his
habits! You may still be wondering what the old paths are. For
me the old paths are whatever leads me back into a love
relationship with my Lord!
Thanks for stopping by!
Please don’t make this your last visit. Please look at our
schedule and if you can come by for any of the meetings, it
would be a delight to see you.
Because of Him,
Brother Bobby &
Sister Glenda
Hebrews 9:28
> PRINT FRIENDLY VERSION
|
