We will be sharing together on the title called: Ancient Path, and the Good way. Why is the conversation about the ancient path and the Good way important for us as believers and disciples of Christ Jesus? I want us to see Proverbs chapter 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”. There are two things that we're taking away from this Scripture in Proverbs chapter 14:12, number one, there is a way; there is always a way. The way God has structured our living as believers is that there is a way we must walk, there is a way we must discover, and there is a way we must live by. And that's why in Proverbs chapter 14:12, he said, there is a way; but the problem with this way is that it seems right to a man. The challenge with this particular way is that it is a way that man has figured out for himself; it is a man-made way.
So, the Bible says there's a way that seems right to a man; so, the man sits, and he looks at that way, and to him, that way was okay: there is no challenge with this way, I can follow this way but the Bible says; but, there's a challenge. The challenge is that the end of this way is death. So, there's a problem with the way and that is why there are many ways that people are following today that have challenges. When they start out on the way, it looks as if the way is good, it seems right in the eyes, but only for them to get to the end and discovered that it is death. If you don't know where you are going, as often said, everywhere will look like the way.
I remember when I first came to Abuja newly and I went to town, and every time I will say Maitama looks like Wuse, Garki looks like Maitama; why? I don’t know where I am going because there are bridges everywhere, there are lanes everywhere, and everywhere is developed. Because I don't know the way; everywhere looks like it, until I see a signboard that now shows me that this is Maitama. The challenge is not the way: it is because it seems right in my own eyes, and I got on the way to discover that there is death in the way; I can’t achieve what I have set out to achieve on this kind of way. That is why this conversation is important. Why is it important for us as believers not to fixate our minds on anyway, why should we not be carried away following anyway? It is because, it may seem right in our eyes, but the end is death.
Now, let us go to Jeremiah chapter 6:16-17, It says; “Thus, says the Lord, stand in the ways and see.” Now, I want you to notice the conversation of God. He said, stand in the ways: if you look at the way, it is in plural form: stand in the ways. So, God is saying like you should stay at the junction because it's not possible for you to stand in ways; is it possible? Meaning that you have not taken anyway. Have you been to a T-junction before, where they are four roads? You can at the point where you are standing, you can see the four roads, but you are not on any of them. That's the kind of thing that God is talking about, He says stand in the ways. So, stand in the junction, don't make a decision yet.
Stand at that point of decision, stand in the ways and see; look at the options available. He said and ask: there is road A, B, C, D and the other options available, He said, ask for the old path. When you are standing, you will see many ways, but ask for a specific path. He called it the old path; other translations called it the eternal path; an ancient path. He said, ask for the old path where the Good way is. Did you see where Good ways are? So, it is specific; this way is specific, and this way is not for trial and error. That's why He said so that you will not miss it, you should ask. Ask for the old path where the Good way is, and walk in it. After you have asked, and you have found the Good way; He said don't just look at it from afar, don't just envy it, and don't just wish you are walking in it: God said, walk in it.
He said, then, after you have walked in it; you will find rest. Remember Proverbs chapter 14:12, there is a way that seems right unto a man; a man makes a choice to follow a way, it seems okay to the man but the end is the way of death. He said then you will find rest: meaning that when then is used, it is because time is involved. It is not the minute you start walking in it that you find rest. Then talks about a period of time, then talks about a process, then talks about something that will eventually happen: then, you will find rest for your souls, but they said we will not walk in it. Verse 17 says; “Also, I set watchmen over you saying listen to the sound of the trumpet.” There is something about this way, God is particular about this way. He said I set watchmen over you saying listen to the sound of the trumpets. And the sound of the trumpets is like the voice that you are hearing now.
He said I have set watchmen over you, what are they doing? They are giving you a sound; they are calling your attention. A sound that is projected like that of a trumpet is to transmit a particular message. Listen to the sound of the trumpet, there is a message going out from God to you. There is a message going out from God to me and what is that message; in this new year, there is an ancient path and there is a Good way: we must walk in it. So, God said, listen, pay attention; I have set watchmen, give attention to the sound that the trumpet is making but they said, we will not listen. These people that said they will not walk are the same people that said they will not listen, and the Bible makes us understand in Proverbs chapter 14:12, that the end of these people is death. What God is communicating in Jeremiah chapter 6:16-17, as disciples of Christ, are we also like those people that said, they will not listen? Or are we also like those people that said, they will not walk in it? The question is, where are we walking? Have we found the ancient path? Have we found the Good way? Are we walking in it? Because to find the ancient path is to discover the right route for your soul.
Jesus said that the life of a man does not consist of the abundance of things he possesses. So, you see a man that is wealthy, he has affluence, he has influence and he's living his life. Jesus said, those things that you are seeing is not all that there is to life: there is more. And that's why Jesus told a parable; He told a parable of a story: of a rich man and Lazarus, a beggar. He said, the rich man lived in affluence; he was so rich that people were feeding from the crumbs on his table, and Lazarus was one of the people that were feeding from the crumbs on his table. And time came, the rich man died; time came, Lazarus died. When the rich man died, he went to hell, Lazarus died and he was carried to the bosom of Abraham. Despite the wealth and the affluence and influence of the rich man; in eternity, a drop of water was denied him but Lazarus was enjoying at the bosom of Abraham.
Am I saying to us that poverty is good? No! Jesus became poor so that we’ll become rich. In Revelation, the Bible says He was slain to receive for us His riches but Jesus is always pointing our attention to eternity. That’s why He said, lay for yourself treasure in heaven where moth cannot destroy nor thieves steal; He said where the treasure of a man is, there is heart will be. So, Jesus was always pointing our focus to eternity, so that we’ll not be denied a drop of water in eternity. There is a way we must live on the earth, there is a way to walk. So, when we are talking about this eternal path, this ancient path, what is it about? It is a tried-and-true path. Generation upon generation has come and gone, and that's why God called it the old path. If God calls something old, believe me, it is old.
In Jeremiah chapter 6:16, God said ask for the old paths, where the Good way is; it is a reliable path. He said when you follow it and walk in it, you will discover the best way to secure your soul for eternity: and that's what the conversation is about. We live in a world and a generation where men are selling their souls to the devil on a daily basis, young men, old men, young women, and old women, for various reasons, are selling their souls to the devil. How are they doing it? They are paying allegiance to the devil, serving the devil, and his agenda. Why? Because of the things of this world. How do I know this? Matthew chapter four, when the devil came to Jesus, it is about the same thing. That's why this path is called the old path because the devil is an old enemy, and he still has the same old strategy. He came to Jesus and said if you will bow to me and worship me.
He took Him to the top of the mountain, and he said, I own all of the wealth of the world, the glory of the world, I will give it to You. And that is the same thing he's doing to men and women today; he said you are in the music industry; I'm going to give you the fame, you will be the name and the fame of the music industry. You will be popular whether you sing nonsense or you sing something that makes sense; once they hear your name and they hear your song, they will be controlled by my manipulative means and they will love you and they will pay you for it. And he does that to all people that desire the mundane things of this world. If that was the desire of Jesus, He would have said it is even a quicker means and there won’t be a need to go to the cross; instead of spending three years of walking all over Galilee and Nazareth and all the environs; let me just do it. And the devil is still cheating men today. Why?
Because men have refused to ask for the old paths, where the Good way is. It looks like a sluggish way. For many people, it is slow, but it is reliable. For many people, it takes time but it is sure. See what God said in Psalm chapter 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go: there is a way we must go; it's not the way of the world, it is not the way that seems right in our own eyes, it is not the fast way, the cut corner way. No! He said I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will guide you with My eyes; as you are walking My eyes will be upon you. That's what God is talking about the ancient path and the Good way; He said I will instruct you in the way you should go. As disciples of Jesus, this way, we must get it. Disciples of old were called the followers of the way because the way is the real deal.
He did not say there will be rest for your body, rather He said there will be rest for your soul. That rest talks about the security of your soul; your soul will not be lost; your soul will be secured in Christ. Isaiah chapter 35:8, “a highway shall be there, and a road, it shall be called the highway of holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool (even if it is somebody that does not know left from right, the Bible says) shall not go astray. There is a definite end. Maybe you are somebody that is not that smart, you are not somebody that is very fervent, and all that; following the way, the Bible says you will not go astray: you will not miss it, and your soul will be secured; that is the ancient path and the Good way. He said the highway of holiness is how our souls will be guaranteed.
What guarantees our souls is not coming into services, clapping our hands, and marking attendance, no! What guarantees our souls are walking in the way: our soul is guaranteed by walking in the way. I want us to see who embodies this way. When we're talking about the way, is it a physical way that we're talking about? John chapter 14:6, “Jesus said to him, I am the way, (the way is not the one that they use cottar to make or a paved way made from interlocking stone, it is not a physical way; it is a spiritual way). Jesus says, I am the way; it is definite. He didn’t say I am a way rather He said I am the way. So, the way we have been looking at and speaking about is Christ Jesus; He is the way. He said I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The Father is our destination; it is in the Father that we have rest for our souls. But nobody can achieve that end without the way: no one comes to the Father except through Me. Let no man deceive us; there is no way elsewhere outside Christ Jesus. He is the way to the security of our souls. Christ Jesus is the ancient path and the Good way; He is the One that secures our souls. John chapter 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him; another word for believing in Him is that you are walking in the way, whatsoever walks in the way will not perish in death but have everlasting life. So, what you have in Christ Jesus, don't toy with; it is not one of those things, it is not come on: cherish it. The way you are walking in God may look as if you don't know what you are doing.
Do we remember the Scripture in Isaiah, that says even if a fool walks in Christ Jesus, He will not go astray? That's how powerful that way is. What can this way (the ancient path and the Good way) be for us? Psalm chapter 119:30, “I have chosen the way of truth. So, it is a way to choose. It's not a way that you will just find yourself in, you choose the way. And that's why no one comes to Jesus, except the person who has chosen Jesus. How do you choose Jesus? You choose Jesus by the belief of your heart and the confession of your mouth. Nobody dreams and suddenly becomes born again, nobody just sits down and just finds out that there is just a feeling inside of me and that I'm now born again. No! It is until you confess with your mouth, and believe in your heart, you have not been saved, why? You have not chosen. He said I have chosen the way of truth. How did you choose the way of truth?
By believing in Jesus as the truth and confessing it with your mouth, Your judgment I have laid before me. I have chosen the way of truth; this old way, this Good way: it is the way of truth. And that's why many people are not walking in it. In Jeremiah, the people that said they will not walk in it had their reason. Isaiah 35:8 called it the highway of holiness; He is the way of truth. So, when we are walking in it, we are walking it with the consciousness that we are walking in the truth. He said sanctify them by Your truth, Your Word is truth. I want us to see Psalm 86:11 says, teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth. This is another verse to corroborate that He is the way of truth. He said, “Teach me Your way, O, LORD, and I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” This Good way and the ancient path is:
Number One: He is the way of truth. Number two: Proverbs chapter 4:11, “I have taught you in the way of wisdom, I have led you in right paths”. It is the way of wisdom. Number three: It is the way of God's testimony; Psalm chapter 119:14, “I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches”. That's why the Bible says in Revelation, that they overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. It is the way of God's testimony. Number four, it is called the way of the Lord. Proverbs chapter 10:29, “the way of the LORD is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity”. The Good way; is the way of truth, the way of wisdom, the way of God's testimony, and the way of the LORD. That is the way you will walk in, and you will not go astray. Number five, it is called the way that is perfect.
2 Samuel chapter 22:31, “As for God, His way is perfect, the word of the LORD is proven, He is a shield to all who trust in Him”. The way of the Lord is perfect; it is a perfect way. It means there is no error in that way, there is no blemish in that way: it is a perfect way. So, when you walk in it, you are walking in perfection. As you are walking in it, He is perfecting you. And that's why the Bible says till we grow up into the fullness of the stature of Christ. How do we grow into the fullness of the stature of Christ? It is by walking in the way. That’s why the Bible says looking unto Jesus, these things are synonymous; it is just semantics, it is the use of the words. Looking unto Jesus, is walking in Christ; walking in the way. Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. He said as we behold, in the mirror, the mirror of the word, he said we are being changed into the same image. When you walk in the way, you are walking to perfection; you are walking on a road that leads to perfection. It is the way of truth, when you are walking in it, you become an embodiment of truth.
It is the way of wisdom, when you are walking in it, you will become wise. The Bible says the companions of fools become foolish, when a man walks with the wise, he becomes wise. When you walk in the way of wisdom, you become wise. When you walk in God's testimonies, you will have the testimonies. When you walk in the way of the LORD, God is your perfect companion; you journey with Him. Number six, the way of life. Proverbs chapter 10:17, “He who keeps instruction is in the way of life. What was the instruction in Jeremiah chapter 6:16, ask for the ancient paths, where the Good way is, walk in it, and you will find rest for your soul. He who keeps that instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray. That's why when Jesus was saying in John chapter 14:6, He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
The way is the way of life. What is the challenge with this way? Why is it that few people are walking in it? Why is the reality of this way, not a possibility in the lives of people? I want us to see Matthew chapter 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. Meaning that it is not just one way they exist, there's another way called the broad way. He said, broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it. So, you will see that they are not forced, it is a choice. Many go in, they are not pushed, and it is of their free will that they go in. It is broad because it accommodates anything, it is broad because it accommodates just anyone.
There was a day I was asking myself, how come nightclubs are always full and they pay; you enter and buy something. But to now come for meetings, where conversations about life are being discussed, and you will now have very few people and you will look at it and ask, why? This Scripture, broad is the way, wide is the gate; many of their own free choices: you carry yourself by yourself, and your salary is 30,000 and you went to a club; where they sell one bottle for 5000 and you will buy two out of your salary. Does it make sense? And it's not like anybody is pushing him in the physical, but there is a pool in his spirit that takes him there. Why? The gate is wide and the road is broad; anybody comes in. Enter by the narrow gate, Jesus was giving advice, He was giving a command. Enter by the narrow gate; this is what you should do, this is a choice you should make; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it because the reason is this: narrow is the gate. When the word because is used; that means, there is a challenge.
This is happening because the gate is wide and the road is broad because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life. Life should be what people should seek, life should be the default mode of every man, but Jesus is saying the reason why many people are going in by the broad way and the wide gate is because the road and the way that leads to life is narrow: that gate is narrow and the way is difficult. Do you now see the reason in Jeremiah 6 that they said, we will not walk in it: it is because the way is difficult. Let's tell ourselves the truth, as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, this way is difficult; let's stop telling people lies: it is difficult, Jesus said it. I'm not one that said it, Jesus said it. The way is difficult, but He said, it leads to life. Though difficult, it leads to life, and He said there are few who find it. Meaning that the few that find it, we're looking for it.
The other one He mentioned, He said they are many who go into it; it is open. But when something is narrow, you need to seek it. So, when we are walking in Christ Jesus, and we have found Christ; let's not boast about it. The passion in our heart is that we will join the watchmen that God was speaking about in Jeremiah chapter 6:17 that will sound the sound of the trumpet for people to listen, that there is an ancient path to ask for, and a Good way to walk in; that leads to life. After we have found Christ, we must sound the trumpet for others to find Him; that is our responsibility. That's why Jesus said to His disciples, He said, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me. Now, therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; this is the task.
So, it is not enough to say, I have found it, I'm walking in it. If that is actually true, then you have a responsibility according to Jeremiah chapter 6:17, to be the watchmen that God said He has set to sound the trumpet for people to listen. And like never before the world is in need of that sound. Many people are going in by the broad-way, and on a daily basis, people are going by the wide gate. What will make them turn around is that there is a sound. Their attention is drawn by the sound saying don't go; there is an ancient path you can ask for and a Good way that you can walk in. The reason many people feel it is difficult is because they don't understand. The reason why you will endure the difficulty of this way is because surely there is an end, and the expectation of the righteous shall not be cut short. What is our expectation? Our expectation is rest. In Christ, our soul has rest, in Christ, we have found rest. Though, the way is difficult; we persevere, and we suffer long. You know long-suffering is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Why do we need long-suffering? The way is difficult. So, we suffer long on the way because there is rest for our souls.
Psalm chapter 119:9 says, how can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed, paying attention; according to Your word. How can young disciples live the life that God has called them to live? By taking heed according to His Word.
