# What kind of path are you leaving

Key Passage: Jeremiah 6:16
Date: June 7, 2024

Turn your Bibles, if you would, to Jeremiah chapter six. If you don’t have a Bible, many of these chairs underneath the one in front of you have a Bible there, and we will make sure we get a Bible to you. Jeremiah chapter six. And just a couple verses there.

We’ve got a couple extra Bibles. Maybe get one for young folk up here on the front row. I’m glad they’re here. Appreciate y’all being here. We’ll get y’all some Bibles. Good deal. Thank you, Ms. Jennifer. I appreciate that. Jeremiah, chapter six. We’re going to really jump down in just a minute in verse number 16. We’re a little short on time, Grandparents’ Day. But we enjoyed that. We wanted to do that, but we’re going to try to jump right in this morning. Jeremiah 6.

We’re going to start in verse 16. Excuse me, verse 13. We’ll start there, then we’ll go down to verse 16. We’ll focus on four words, just four words. We’re going to try to emphasize from verse 16 here in just a minute. And for the internet, the title: What kind of a path are you leaving? With grandparents today, of course, the Lord just burdened my heart about that. What kind of path are you leaving?

We’re going to start in Jeremiah chapter six, verse 13. Would you please stand as we read God’s word together, trying to show it respect? Jeremiah 6 and verse 13 is where we’re starting out this morning. If you’re there, would you say amen? Good. You’re there for the vast majority. That’s wonderful. Look at verse 13.

He says, “For from the least of them, even unto the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness. From the prophet, even unto the priest, everyone dealeth falsely.”

Now, I’m speaking specifically to the nation of Israel, a very sad state it was in—the land, the nation. By the way, America’s in a sad state right now. I don’t think I have to spend a lot of time. I think the vast majority understand that. You listen to the news a little bit; you know that.

How bad our land is. Watch TV for about an hour or two, you’ll realize how bad our land is. I went to the convenience store—I think it was the Circle K at this point, maybe a Golden Gallon years ago over here—on a Friday night. I just sat in a car for a little while and watched people come in and out, and I was shocked. The vast, vast—I think I did a percentage, it was maybe in the 70s percent—of the people that came out either had alcohol, tobacco, or lottery tickets in their hands. It’s amazing. It just shows you where our land is.

We’re trying to get a little more personal here, but I want you to understand the context of what’s going on here. Verse 13, we’ll read it again: “For from the least of them, even unto the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness. From the prophet, even unto the priest, everyone dealeth falsely.” He healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.

Some say, “Well, everything’s good, it’s all right, just be happy.” No, friend, it’s not all right. We’re living in a sinful day and time, and that’s what this is talking about. They bring a little bit of slight healing, but there’s so much more that needs to be said and done. Someone was telling me that…

They listened to a man—I don’t know if it was on the internet or TV—but he was giving his testimony of salvation, and he cursed in the middle of it. He did not say, “Oh, I’m sorry,” or “I slipped.” He just cursed. And that’s where our land is. It’s a sad statement. They bring a little peace, but there’s no true healing and changing. What a sad statement. Verse 15: “Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay.”

By the way, that man who was telling me about that said, “You know, if that had slipped and he apologized, I get it; they just got saved not too long ago.” But they weren’t even embarrassed about it. Were they convicted about it? He just went on like nothing. And that’s what he’s saying here: “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 when I visit them. They shall be cast down, saith the Lord.”

Now here’s what God says to do about it all—verse 16, our text verse: “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.’” By the way, praise the Lord, you can have rest in the middle of a world like that.

You can have rest in 2023, amen. You can find rest for your souls. Sad statement at the end here, but they said, “We will not walk therein.” We’ll be focused personally, but can I just say overall the context: Israel did not get right, and judgment came, specifically in Jeremiah’s day—a very sad time. But he tells us what to do in verse 16. We’re going to try to emphasize four words, four words, from verse 16 this morning.

Would you pray with me that God would speak to our hearts as I pray the same? Lord, we come. We need you, Lord. Father, there are older people here. There are younger people who are all in between. Lord, I could not do this, but you can. Lord, you’re a mighty God. Would you, Lord, speak to every single person here this morning? Father, help us to listen. Help us to have ears to hear from you. Father, we’ll thank you. We’ll brag on you and praise you for what you do, Lord. Father, we’re asking for this in faith because we’re asking in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.

It was a snowstorm. It was not in Tennessee; we don’t get many snowstorms here, but it was a little up north. There was a snowstorm, and it had snowed about two feet. It was still snowing back in the day, and Dad had gone outside in that two feet of snow, you know, and he had stepped out there. He went out to the woodpile to get some wood to bring in and put in the fireplace. I want to make sure there was enough.

Sure enough, when Dad went out there—back at the back, there’s a pile of wood—he went out to get that. Little Johnny wanted to follow Dad. And little John said, “Mom, I want to help. I want to help Dad,” you know. So finally, Mom said, “All right,” because she knew there was a clear path from Dad’s footsteps.

Little Johnny went out there, you know, it was kind of like he could just jump in every hole where Dad’s leg was two feet tall in the snow. But he knew where to go because there was a clear path that Dad had left. I want to just emphasize a little bit of that verse. First of all, that word “path.” Every single person here is leading a path for someone.

Even our young folk right down front here, even our youngest folk. Who’s the youngest one here? Anybody there? Oscar, how old are you? Oscar, 13. Anybody younger than 13? Oh, we got one younger than 13, 12. We got a 12-year-old here. I’m sorry. What’s your name? Aubrey. Are you the 12? Aubrey, that’s Aubrey. What’s yours? What is it? Harmony? I’m sorry, Harmony. You’ve been here a lot. I should know you. Harmony, the youngest one here, you know what? She says, “Well, they’re all leaving paths for me.” But can I say, you know what, Harmony? You’re leaving a path for these little ones that came in here. These little ones, they look up to Harmony. She’s like, “Pastor, you’re embarrassing me this morning now,” you know. Oscar, 13, however old these other guys are—everyone—you’re leaving a path for someone. Every person in here.

Even these guys, okay, I don’t know, 15, 16, 70, whatever they are. Look, they’re looking up to the 20-year-olds. Garrett down here, you know, 20—I don’t know how old he is—24. Put your license out and look at it, man. They’re looking up to the 20-year-olds. So he’s leaving a path for someone, and then he’s looking up to the married people because he wants to get married one day. Is that right? See there? So are you looking up to somebody? The young married folks are leaving a path for him. The young married folks are following the path of the middle-aged. And the middle-aged, you’re following the path of the older. And those in the golden years—someone said, “Man, these golden years aren’t so golden after all.” I’ll tell you what, now, you know. But everyone’s leaving a path for someone; someone is following in your footsteps.

He said, “I want you to stand there in the ways and see and look for someone that is leading the right path.”

I like this. Talking about the people up in the golden years and whatnot. A man from our church comes sometimes. He said, “My dad was a good Christian.” He said, “When my dad got older, he had terminal cancer.” And he said, “My dad told me one day, he said, ‘Son, I’ve showed you how to live for the Lord, and I’m going to show you how to die for the Lord.’” Hey, everybody’s leaving a path. Let me ask you—look right here—let me ask you, what kind of a path are you leaving for those people behind you?

Are the younger generation going to have someone in our end times that has left the right kind of a path for them? I’m a little bit bothered by America in some ways. We’re trying to switch it around where we’re trying to follow the younger folk. No, friend, you set a pattern for the younger folk. That’s why even commercials, they say we target the younger generation in our day and time because if we can get them to have it or wear it or use it, then the older people follow. Then somewhere along the line, somebody says, “I’m going to follow the older paths.” That’s what it ought to be. What kind of a path are you leaving?

Now, to have a path, you have to walk. You know, just one time, you won’t leave a path unless there is snow. I have a—there’s a field back behind my house. There are horses there, and then you cross over; there’s about, I don’t know, maybe 50 acres. And I like to walk out there. Praise the Lord for off spray. Somebody say amen right there. If there’s a chick or a tigger within a 10-mile radius, it’ll get on me, amen, you know. And so…

You know, if I go out there one day out of the month, there’s not going to be a path. But if I go out there consistently—did you hear that?—if I go out there faithfully, I go out there and I walk my little trail, I’ll leave a path. Now look, if you want your children and your grandchildren, those behind you, to see a clear path, you’re going to have to be consistent in living to the Lord.

You know, the Bible says, “Moreover, it is required in a steward that a man be found faithful.” I’m so thankful for the people in my life that left a faithful pathway for me to follow. I was a teenage boy. I went to Calvary Baptist Church in Lakeland, Florida, back in 1934, amen, you know? Not quite that far back. But anyway…

There was a man in that church, Tommy Douglas. He always had a baseball cap on everywhere he went, had the old-school hearing aid. You could see him a mile away, you know, I’m talking about it. He had one in his ear, and he had a little wire that ran down to his shirt pocket. Somebody pulled the wire out, and it just hung there. They said, “Well, that don’t work.” He said, “You know, it don’t work at all. Just talk louder,” amen, you know.

Kind of Tommy Douglas. I still remember this as a teenager. I’d watch him. He always had that baseball cap on, but when he walked in the church doors, he always pulled it off. I still remember that all these years later. He left the pathway. But here’s the big thing about Tommy Douglas. He was retired, him and his wife. I didn’t say retarded. He was retired. Amen, now, you know. He was retired. Thank you. I’ll take that right here. He was retired, but he spent the last years of his life visiting bus routes. I’m talking about the church had about 9 or 10 bus routes, maybe more, I don’t know, 12. And Tommy Douglas, he was in charge of at least three bus routes.

He would reserve a day or two a week to go to doctor’s offices for visits. Amen. Anybody want to testify right there, you know? But the rest of his time—I’m talking about Wednesdays and Thursdays and Fridays and Saturdays—he would spend his days visiting boys and girls, getting them ready, lined up to ride a church bus on Sunday. He would have his drivers lined up to drive his buses. He would have lists, and as you pick up all these kids, they would go around Lakeland Fairways, picking up boys and girls, and literally hundreds of boys and girls came to Calvary Baptist Church and got to say they’ll be in heaven one day because Tommy Douglas spent his life serving the Lord with those kids. Here’s the thing: I have 35—so let’s say how long ago? No, I don’t know. I’m 54, you know. And I was a teenage boy all these 40 or so years later. Maybe 38 years later, he left a clear path for me. I still remember that. I remember Tommy Douglas very clearly. I remember I had a bus route at that time, and I thought, man, how in the world? We had some contest going on in the bus ministry. How in the world can you beat Tommy Douglas? He was always the top guy in the bus ministry. I’m thankful for those people that left a good path for me. All these years later, I still sometimes think about Tommy Douglas. If he could spend the last years of his life serving the Lord, surely I can serve the Lord.

What kind of a path? I think about Granny Lee. We called her Granny Lee. Everybody loved Granny Lee because it just seemed like she loved everybody. I remember my Aunt Selena—you know, no, I’m teasing. She’s in heaven now. But Aunt Selena, she would bring a friend over. That friend liked to visit Granny Lee’s house because that friend… she was not—oh, how do I say it nicely?—she wasn’t pleasant to look at. We’ll just leave it like that. But she knew she went to my Granny Lee’s house, Granny Lee would love her. So she liked to come visit her. And that’s a legacy. That’s a path that my Granny Lee left for me. I remember Granny Lee, she loved everybody. By the way, praise the Lord, she always had sweet tea for everybody. Amen. Come on now. It’s good preaching right there, you know. But what kind of a path are you leaving? Are you leaving a path of being mean and grouchy and grumpy and all that? Are you leaving a path where you love people? I thank God for people that left a great path for us to follow. How many ever heard Oliver B. Green on the radio? Have you ever heard Oliver B. Green? Somebody who had—help me out—what did he always say? “Lord, save the soul nearest hell.” He had that.

He reminds me hearing him preach. It sounds like Yosemite Sam, the way he preached, you know. You have to listen, pull him up and listen to him sometimes. He’d always pray, “Lord, save the soul nearest hell.” He left the pathway for me. I still remember that. Hey, what kind of a path are you leaving for somebody? You are leaving a path for someone who is following in your shoes. They see where you stepped and they’re following that same path. Remember my dad many a time coming out in the morning. He was sitting in his easy chair. He was either reading the Bible or The Sword of the Lord. I walked in on my mom; she was praying during her prayer time. They left a pathway for me. I’m thankful for those people that left a pathway for me. Hey, what kind of path do you leave? I remember being out bus visiting with my dad and coming upon a family, and they weren’t right. If I remember, it was a lady. She had been in a fight with her boyfriend or husband—I’m not sure—the night before. She came out; she had a big old black eye right there. It was black and blue, blood under the eye and all that. You don’t know what I’m talking about. But I remember they were a little needy. And I remember my dad—Dad was—this is where I get it from—he didn’t like to spend money, you know what I mean? He’s tight with that money, you know. But I remember my dad pulling out, I think it was a $20 bill. I don’t know. That was back in the day. It was worth a little bit more then. You can buy a pack of gum with $20 today, you know. You could buy a little more back then. But I remember my dad pulling the $20 bill out and giving it to that family. He left the path for me.

Let me ask you, what kind of a path are you leaving for people? You are leaving a path for someone. What are they going to look back at your life and what are they going to say? “Well, I remember that they did this.” My pastor for years, Pastor Carter—I’m trying to get him to come up and preach for us next year, Pastor Carter—I remember he always talks about the day he got saved. It’s in Florida, middle, middle Florida. Used to be orange groves everywhere you look. You drive for miles, oranges everywhere, you know. And Pastor Carter, he worked in those groves and had a truck—they call them goats—that pick up the oranges once in and put them in a tub, whatnot. He did all that stuff. And I remember—I still remember all these years later—Pastor Carter told me about the day he got saved, and he went out to his job, and he said, “Man, those oranges on the tree,” he said, “they looked like golden balls. The sun shone brighter. Everything was wonderful. I just saw gold everywhere.” Ha, because he just got saved. All these years later, I remember that. He left the path for me. Hey, what are your grandchildren going to say about the path you left for them?

Everybody’s leaving a path, and he said, “Hey, what do you do? I want you to go in the ways and see and ask for the old path.” What kind of a path are you leaving? Now let’s look at another word in that verse. Go back to verse 16. We covered the word “path.” Look over there in Jeremiah 6, look at verse 16, if you would, please. Let’s emphasize another word for a minute here. In verse 16, you’re there, amen? Good deal. Here we go. Look at verse 16. He says, “Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and what’s the next word? See.” Now there’s a path that is being left, but can someone see it?

How clear is it? Several years ago, my daughter and I—she’s one of the ones playing the piano sometime over here—we went to Prentice Cooper State Forest. It’s a hunting preserve. It’s a little over 24,000 acres. My daughter was riding a four-wheeler; I was riding the dirt bike. We were out in the middle of the woods. We were following a trail, a path. But the farther we went in the woods, the less clear—is that a word? Yeah, I don’t know. Unclear, yeah, the more unclear it became. That’s a word. All right, good. We got an English teacher shaking his head yes, so we’re good. We got the path. The more unclear the path became. I’m talking about we’re in the middle of the woods, almost 25,000 acres, and we’re just, you know, out in the middle of nowhere, and we’re riding down these trails, and pretty soon you’re like, “Where did the trail go?” You know, like, “I think that’s a trail, but maybe not.” We went—now, it wasn’t a trail.

I mean, you get turned around in 25,000 acres of woods, and we’re out in the middle of the woods. I don’t mind that; I kind of enjoy that. But the sun started going down—I don’t like that right there. And we were packing; we were covered in things out in the middle of the woods. But praise the Lord, I like to sleep in my own bed at night time now, you know. Because the trail, the pathway, got very… You just could not see where the pathway was. Now, if America gets to that point where the young folk just cannot see—and many times it’s true in our day and time, very sad—they cannot see where the pathway is.

Is your pathway clear? Do you make it where people can see where you stand? When you go to work, are you open for the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you clear where you stand? Do your relatives know where you stand? Friend, it’s very important that someone can stand in the ways and see and ask for the old paths. I fear we’re losing where people cannot see what the old paths really are because we’re not leaving a clear-cut path. Does someone say, “Wow, you’re a Christian? I’ve never dreamed that.” Well, that’s a sad death. That’s the truth. Sunday morning, does your neighbor—do you leave a clear path when you’re going to church for them to see? D.L. Moody used to say when you go to church, you preach a sermon a mile long going to church.

I remember Roy Swindale; he’s in heaven now. This was maybe 15, 20 years ago, and he was 79, if I remember right. He said, “When I was a boy, man, Sunday they rolled the sidewalks up in the neighborhood; everybody went to church.” Some of you are shaking your heads; you’re identifying what age you’re at now, you know. I’m joking there a little bit. But hey, is there a clear path for people to see in our day and time? Let me say this: It’s not only important what path you’re on, but the direction you’re going is very important.

I think about a man named Lot. Lot was in Canaan; that’s where God wanted them to be. And he was with his uncle Abraham. Abraham was, of course, a godly man. Lot was there. And Lot, the Bible says in Genesis 13, pitched his tent toward Sodom. Now, Sodom is not a good, godly place; it was a very sinful, wicked place. But Lot wasn’t there. Lot was in Canaan, Genesis 13. But he just pitched his tent toward Sodom. Every morning he woke up, the first thing he saw when he went outside the tent was Sodom. The last thing he saw when he went to bed at night, when inside his tent, was Sodom. Can I tell you where Lot is in the next chapter, Genesis chapter 14? He’s in Sodom. Friend, I’m saying it’s not just important where you are today, but what direction are you going in?

Some churches are pretty good; they’re standing for the truth, but they’re going south. And, friend, the sad thing is five or ten years down the road, they’re liable to be… they don’t even know if homosexuality is right or wrong. That’s a sad statement. So it is not only important where you’re standing, but it’s important what direction you’re facing on the pathway. Hey, are you leaving a clear path for people to see where you stand on issues? By the way, I mention homosexuals; I don’t hate them. Don’t think that for a day in the world. I love them. I like to see them get saved. That’s what they need. They need Jesus Christ. They’re not my enemy; Satan’s my enemy, amen. But we’re going to stand on truth, and we’re going to say it where everybody can see. They see the path where we stand. The path is so important. I read this story years ago about a missionary that went to a faraway country, and he had led some of the people to the Lord, and he started a little church and then moved on. But the people, they had this little thing: they would have their prayer time. Praise the Lord, they learned to have their time alone with God, quiet time with the Lord. And they were out in the woods, and they just had a little section. They’d walk down a path.

That was their time alone with the Lord. They would just go out there in the woods and walk their path, and they created a little trail there. They were in church together, and then if someone really wasn’t spending time with the Lord, they would say, “Hey, hey brother,” they’d say, “Hey, you say your path is getting overgrown, brother. You need to get back out to your path.” Hey, if your grandchildren would have been overgrown, they would be able to see it. At that verse, he says, “Hey, stand and see and ask.” Let’s look at another word. We talked about “path” for a minute. We talked about “see.” Then let’s look at this. Go back to verse 16, Jeremiah 6:16. Let’s keep going here. He says, are y’all with me this morning? Are you still out there? Good, good deal. I want you to see this.

Verse 16, let’s read it again. He says, “Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways and see, and what’s the next word? Ask.” Ask for them. Just a thought here. We’re trying to hurry along here. In fact, these people here, they said, “We’re not going to walk in that way.” Here’s one just for a minute: Our job is to leave a clear path. That’s our job. But I can’t make them follow that path; they have to ask for it. This group of people says, “I’m not going to walk there.” There have been many good, godly saints of God, good Christians that have left a clear path. And there have been people, individuals, a generation that says, “I don’t want to walk in there.” Friend, now listen to me, listen to me very closely. Maybe you’ve got a wayward grandchild or wayward child. Let me just for a second: You’re responsible. I’m responsible for how I raised them. I’m responsible for the path I left them. But they’re responsible for what they do with it.

Many a young person will have to stand before the Lord and answer for not following that clear path. I can’t make them. You can’t make them. But my job is to leave a clear path for everyone to see which way you went, and it was very clear where you stood and how you stood, and you stood in love for the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. That’s my job. And I can’t make them follow. But let me say this: maybe they’re not following for a while. So what do you do? Stay in that path so they will know where to come back to if they do come back.

The prodigal son, he went out and lived his sinful life, wasted his money on sinful living, but he knew when he wanted to get right; he knew where Dad was. And by the way, he knew he couldn’t go talk to the servants and manipulate everybody else. If he was going to come back home, he had to go back home and talk to Dad. Did you notice that? He had to deal with Dad, had to get right with Dad, and praise the Lord, old Dad was waiting for him right there. He knew where Dad stood on things. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dad couldn’t have found him. The other son knew where he was. Dad didn’t go looking for him, John’s truth, but he knew where Dad was when he came back home, and he had to deal with Dad. So my job is to leave a clear path. I cannot make them follow that path. My job is to leave the path. Their job is what they do with the path.

Let’s keep going. One more thing, and we’re done this morning, because we have a baptism here in just a minute. Amen. I’m excited about that. Look at verse 16 again. We covered “path.” We covered “see.” We covered “ask.” One more thing real quickly here: verse 16. “Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the…” What are the next two words? “Old path.”

Now, he’s not talking about old past technology. You can’t use a computer—nothing wrong with a computer. I have a smartphone like everybody has smartphones nowadays. I threw it in the river a time or two; it kept coming back. I stuck with the thing, you know. Nothing wrong with all that. He’s talking about morally, the old paths. You say, “How far back do you want to go morally?”

Well, about a little over 400 years—the old King James Bible. “You sure are narrow-minded.” Yeah, I hope I am about two inches narrow-minded, you know. Old paths. It’s amazing. Did you notice what he said? He said, “If you follow old paths, you’ll find rest unto your soul.” Why is that? Because philosophy, the world, opinions are always changing. Check out science books. Check out what they say today and what they said 30 years ago. They’ve changed, big time. “Well, I just believe in science.” Well, science is always changing, friend. Check it out. But you get the old paths; they don’t change. “Well, I’m going to find out what they say about this philosophy here, there, on how to raise kids.” Hey, can I say this about how to raise kids? Go back to the old paths. I’m going to find out how they say to have a good marriage in our day and time. Can I say, go back to the old paths? See, because this new stuff changes all the time, and there’s no rest for your souls. But you go back to the old paths; it doesn’t change. You say, “I found some truth there. I’m just going to rest in the truth right there,” and you find rest for your soul. I don’t have to keep up with the latest of what everybody else is doing. I found the truth. I know where I stand. That’s where I’m going to be on that path right there. Whether the younger generation follows that path or not, I don’t know. I’m going to leave it very clear for them. I love them. I’m praying for them. I know about them all the time. I know about me. That’s where I’m going to stand right there. There’s rest for your souls in that. Just very quickly: old paths.

Let’s go all the way back to the very, very beginning, to the Alpha. So what’s that, the beginning? “In the beginning, God.” “In the beginning was the Word.” “In the beginning was the Word, was with God. The Word was God.” Verse 14: “And the Word was made flesh.” We would be held as for the glory of the only begotten Son, full of grace and truth. So I go all the way back to the one that was before there was a world—that’s Jesus Christ. I go back to Jesus. You say, “How did the first man get saved?” He didn’t get saved by keeping the law. Galatians 3:11 says it’s evident; nobody has ever kept the law. The first man that got saved got saved by Jesus Christ. The first man that went to heaven—how did he go to heaven? Jesus Christ. The old path is Jesus. In the garden over there, Adam and Eve had sinned, and they made those fig leaves. Those fig leaves represented what we can make, what we can put together, all these things that grow down here. They took all these fig leaves and sewed them together and made an apron. God said, “No, that won’t do.” Remember what happened? God took an animal, probably a lamb, and killed it; he shed the blood of that lamb. And then from that lamb, he took the skins of that lamb and clothed Adam and Eve. What was he showing? He was showing there’s going to be a Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. He’s going to be the only one that can cover your sins. So I go back to the old, old, old paths: it is Jesus. The only way anyone will go to heaven is Jesus Christ, the old path of Jesus. The only way anybody will ever be saved.

Now let’s go back. I’m done because we have a baptism. I have three stories left, so I’m done, but no, I have one last story, and then I’m done. I mentioned Tommy Douglas earlier, remember that? When I was a teenage boy, he had all those bus routes at that church. Tommy Douglas—he had found his old paths. He was born again by the blood of Jesus Christ. He said, “He saved me. He loved me. I’m going to live for him.” He spent his life living for the Lord. Did he find rest in his soul? Well, this is what we’ll tell you about Tommy Douglas when he was dying on his deathbed. My old pastor, J.B. Buffett, Dr. J.B. Buffett—he’s a World War II pilot; he’s in heaven now. Dr. Buffett would tell the story. He said, “I went to see Brother Tommy Douglas; he was on his deathbed, his dying day.” They say the nurses, everyone there gathered in the hospital room, and he’s breathing his last breath. He said Tommy Douglas just laid there for days, not moving a bit, but he was laying there, breathing his last breath. They say as he breathed his last breath—it wasn’t supposed to happen, doctors said this isn’t supposed to happen—his old arms just went straight up like he was hugging someone. Then his arms fell, and he died. He said, “What was that?” That was Jesus Christ saying, “Hey, that servant there, all these years bringing those boys and girls to church, I would have welcomed you home.” He found rest in his soul, even on his dying day.

Let me speak to you just a minute on the behalf of those that are not. You’ve left a clear path. They’re just not there. We’ll just set that way. Can I say this? Your prayers are their best friends. Don’t give up on them. Keep praying for them. Keep standing in love. Don’t preach at them all the time. Just stand. Love on them. Pray for them. Don’t change. Don’t give in. Stand in love. Prayer. Let them know you’ll be like the prodigal son’s father waiting for them. If they want to get right, come home, follow those old paths, you’d be glad to help. Let them know that. Satan would love for you to give up on them. Just keep standing in prayer. Stand in the old paths. Lord, in your mercy, would you keep dealing with them? You’re their best chance. Keep praying for them. Please do that. Don’t give up on them. Would you do that?

We’ve got one back getting ready to get baptized. If you can hang around, please do so. You can be seated. And it will not be long at all, and we’ll get ready to get baptized. You can be seated. And Brother Scott Renick—that’s a wonderful thing. By the way, he has a brother that’s been kind of standing in the old paths praying for him for years, and God’s blessed that. I’m excited about Scott getting baptized.

And we’ll sing a song. We’ll baptize in just a moment here. If you need it, we’re turning to page 523. Page 523, “Victory in Jesus.” “Victory in Jesus.” I heard an old, old story how a Savior came, how he gave us love to save a wretch like me. I heard of his precious blood. I heard of it. This is Scott Renick, Brother Jim’s brother.

I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. I have some trucks, so he’s gone a lot. So pray that maybe he could get it off. But he laughed a month or so ago, and he called. He said, “I want to get baptized.” I know I’m saying—I told him, “I got to have—I’m getting baptized that day.” And praise the Lord for that. And he said the Lord’s already speaking to his heart being in church this morning. And praise the Lord for that.

Death, his burial, and his resurrection. Wonderful. And what a privilege it is. If you’re excited about Scott getting baptized, would you say amen? Amen. Amen. In obedience to the command of our Lord and Master, and upon your public profession of faith in him, I baptize you, my brother, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, buried in the likeness of his death, raised in the likeness of his resurrection. Amen. Amen, my friend. You’re good to go. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Amen. As none as the Lord has commanded, yet there is room, amen. And looking forward to it tonight, too.

Would you please stand? And don’t forget tonight, six o’clock, Jefferson Springs Recreation Area. The address is in the bulletin if you need that. And we have the only covered pavilion rented out; we’ve got that reserved for the service. And then more folk getting baptized in the river. I’m excited about that. And I appreciate you being in God’s house this morning. And amen. Brother Josh Smith, would you dismiss us with a word of prayer, please, brother?

Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar - What kind of path are you leaving - Sunday PM 09102023