This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’Yahweh says, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, ‘Where is the good way?’ and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’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.Thus saith Jehovah, 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.
4 sermons cite this verse
But Jeremiah 6, 16 tells us where the power is found. It says, thus says the Lord, stand in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where the good way is and walk in it. Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk in it. Find the old paths. Man, if I'm going on a dangerous, treacherous hike, let's say it's Mount Everest, or let's say it's a hike by a heavily wooded area that there's a cliff that is not visible, you know which path I want to be on? The old one. The one that people have safely made it to the end of the hike. Don't put me on the new path, because who knows where the new person's going. They went off the cliff. I don't want to follow them. Put me on the old path where the way is good, that I might have rest for my soul. preach the word preach the word not politics not morality not psychology not social issues now we will deal with some of those in light of scriptural teaching but the text is always the foundation we build upon and god has not called me he has not called pastor skip he has not called caden or caleb or nick or taylor or nelson or matt parola or any of us he has not called us to be motivational speakers giving you little pep talks. He has not called us to be political activists or protesters. He has not called us to be psychologists. He has called us to be …
… That is the distinguishing mark, the attitude towards Scripture. Jeremiah 6, 16 says, "'Thus says the Lord, Stand by the ways, and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls, but they said, we will not walk in it. If you walk in the Word, it's evidence of a transformed life through salvation. If you do not, it's evidence that you haven't been transformed. Listen to some other expressions from that 119th Psalm. I have chosen the way of truth. My heart stands in awe of your word. I delight in your law. Your law is my delight. I will speak of your testimonies also before kings and will not be ashamed. I hope in your word. I seek your precepts. And even when the psalmist senses his failures, His desire is still to obey the Word of God. And he says, Oh, that my ways were directed to keep your statutes. Teach me, O Lord, the way and your statutes. …
So there is no other way of salvation and sinners are most faithfully warned that however pleasant and attractive any other ways may appear to be, the end of those ways is death and "everlasting destruction from the Presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." When Jesus said, "I am the Way," He clearly intended to exclude all other ways, so beware lest you perish in any one of them! Be not like the foolish and wicked people of Jeremiah's day to whom the Lord said, "Stand you 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." But, alas, they said, "We will not walk therein." Be you not like unto them! But what is this exclusive way of salvation? In our text it is twice described as coming to Christ. But what is meant by that expression? It does not mean any mere locomotion, any moving of the body from one place to another. There were many who came to Christ in that sense while He was upon the earth—they thronged around Him and pressed upon Him—but the mere proximity of their bodies to Christ did not bring salvation to them, for many of them turned away and walked no more with Him when His heart-searching teaching was too faithful for them. Well, then, what does coming to Christ readily mean? …
"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."--Jer. vi. 16. Reverence for the old paths is a chief Christian duty. We look to the future indeed with hope; yet this need not stand in the way of our dwelling on the past days of the Church with affection and deference. This is the feeling of our own Church, as continually expressed in the Prayer Book;--not to slight what has gone before, not to seek after some new thing, not to attempt discoveries in religion, but to keep what has once for all been committed to her keeping, and to be at rest. Now it may be asked, "Why should we for ever be looking back at past times? were men perfect then? is it not possible to improve on the knowledge then possessed?" Let us examine this question. In what respect should we follow old times? Now here there is this obvious maxim--what God has given us from heaven cannot be improved, what man discovers for himself does admit of improvement; we follow old times then so far as God has spoken in them, but in those respects in which God has not spoken in them, we are not bound to follow them. Now what is the knowledge which God has not thought fit to reveal to us? knowledge connected merely with this present world. All this we have been left to acquire for ourselves. Whatever may have been told to Adam in paradise, or to Noah, about which we know nothing, still at least since that time no divinely authenticated directions (it would appear) have been given to the world at large, on subjects relating merely to this our temporal state of being. How we may till our lands and increase our crops; how we may build our houses, and buy and sell and get gain; how we may cross the sea in ships; how we may make "fine linen for the merchant," or, like Tubal-Cain, be artificers in brass and iron: as to these objects of this world, necessary indeed for the time, not everlastingly important, God has given us no clear instruction. He has not set His sanction here upon any rules of art, and told us what is best. They have been found out by man (as far as we know), and improved by man, and the first essays, as might be expected, were the rudest and least successful. Here then we have no need to follow the old ways. Besides, in many of these arts and pursuits, there is really neither right nor wrong at all; but the good varies with times and places. Each country has its own way, which is best for itself, and bad for others. …