THE GOOD WAY; JEREMIAH 6:16 EXPLAINED. || Abeiku Okai

 ABEIKU OKAI SERMON OUTLINE (EP 102) 8102021

TOPIC: THE GOODWAY.  

TEXT: JEREMIAH 6:16

INTRODUCTION

On Sunday, 7th November, 2021, I fellowshipped with my covenant brother and minister of the Gospel of God's amazing grace, Apostle Collins B. Twumasi. As usual, I took to the pulpit to deliver the sermon. As I was ministering, the name of the church, Goodway Chapel, kept occurring to me. I quickly sensed there was a message within the name, which the Holy Spirit was drawing my attention to. 

However, the next day, while studying the Bible in private, as usual, the scripture from which, I believe, the name was chosen popped up. I quickly took a keen interest in analysing the scripture because this was the same central scripture that was used to train me in the Law of Moses as a Judeo-Christian. 

Now that I proudly preach the Gospel of Grace, and have delinked myself and my theology from that 'old way' of human tradition onto the new way of God's grace, how do I reconcile that scripture with my faith in Christ? Am I disobeying God's word?

Anyway, follow me keenly; as I brooded over the scripture I saw within it what I was never told and taught under the law. So I ask, WHAT EXACTLY IS THE GOOD WAY?

Before I quote the verse let me say that under the law, and by the wisdom of the disciples of Moses, the 'Goodway' or the 'ancient path' is the way and manner in which the so-called saints of old spoke, dressed, worshipped; and the lifestyles with which they served God. Therefore, going back to that ancient path means doing things the way they did it - tradition. But let us now look at the verse critically and try to unveil the biblically naked truth;

Jeremiah 6:16

"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.’  

✓THUS SAID THE LORD

The verse opens with, "Thus said the Lord". This means the instruction is directly from God and it is timeless. You cannot do otherwise and find God.

✓STAND IN THE WAY.

So let's stand in the ways and look for the old path. What is the way?

John 14:6

"Jesus said to him, “I AM THE WAY, the truth, and  the life. No one comes to the Father except  through Me."

Wow! Jesus is the way. In Him alone, we can stand and see. Without standing in Jesus Christ everyone is blind and only gropes aimlessly in darkness. For it is only Jesus who gives light to every human being who comes into this world. John 1:9 says,

"That was  the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world." 

Jesus alone is the true Light. Moses, the Lawgiver, is not, neither is Elijah, the Prophet. That is why on the mountain of transfiguration, among the three: Moses, Elijah, and Jesus Christ, God commanded,

"And a cloud came and overshadowed them;  and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This  is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Mark 9:7)

Stop giving ears to the law and prophets. Give all your ears to Jesus Christ. The law and the prophets must only reveal Jesus Christ and point you to Him alone. Anything apart from this must be discarded. God is no more using any other means to speak to us apart from Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:1-2;

"God, who at various times and in various ways  spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by  His  Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things,  through whom also He made the worlds."

Jesus is the only voice of God and the only way to stand in and see the light into the ancient path. 

THE OLD OR ANCIENT PATH.

The ancient path is not far-fetched. Both John 1:1-3 and Hebrews 13:8 have the answers. 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word  was with God, and the Word was God. He was  in the beginning with God. All things were  made through Him, and without Him nothing  was made that was made." 

There is no old and ancient path other than THE WORD. It was there in the very beginning. It was with God. And it was God. All things were not only made by Him but also there was not even the tiniest aspect of visible and invisible creation that was made without Him. He is the only path by which all things came into being and will ever exist. 

"He is the image of the invisible God, the  firstborn over all creation. For by Him all  things were created that are in heaven and that  are on earth, visible and invisible, whether  thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for  Him. And He is before all things, and in Him  all things consist. And He is the head of the  body, the church, who is the beginning, the  firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may  have the preeminence." (Col. 1:15-18) 

We know Jesus Christ is the Word. Therefore, he is the ancient path God wants us to ask for. 

THE GOOD WAY

Now, is it not interesting that God says the Goodway is in the ancient path? If so then inside Jesus Christ is the Good way. And that good way is GRACE. To be sure of this let us read what John said of Jesus:

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among  us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the  only begotten of the Father, FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH." (John 1:14)

Nothing is clearer. The word is Jesus. And Jesus is full of grace and truth. Therefore, the Good way is GRACE. And grace is the truth. There is no truth outside of grace because Jesus is the truth and the truth is God's grace towards man. He is completely full of...not half full...but full of grace. 

Let's go a bit further and get the confirmation of all that I have said from the same scripture:

REST FOR YOUR SOULS

The scripture says in the Goodway you will find rest for your souls. Where can we find rest for our souls? Listen to Jesus:

"Come to Me, all  you who labor  and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find  rest for your souls. (Matt. 11:28-28)

Jesus did not just promise rest when you come to Him. He also said once you pick up his yoke you will find rest for your soul. This means that the yoke Jesus speaks of is also the Goodway. So let's find out the yoke that does not give rest to the soul, for which reason Jesus called us to come to Him for rest.

THE YOKE

Remember Jesus said His yoke is easy and his burden is light. This means there is another yoke that is not easy; it is a burden. Which yoke is that? Peter has the answer when he was disputing against the Jewish Christians who were trying to heap the Law of Moses upon the gentile believers. He said,

"Now, therefore, why do you  test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the  disciples which neither our fathers nor we were  able to bear? (Acts 15:10)

Peter simply called the law of Moses the yoke that their forefathers and themselves couldn't bear. And then in the next verse, he said,

"But we believe that through THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST we shall be  saved in the same manner as they.”  (vrs 11)

You will notice that Peter is contrasting the yoke with the grace of Jesus Christ. This means that the Law of Moses is the yoke while the Goodway, as mentioned in Jeremiah 6:16, which gives rest to our souls, is the grace of Jesus Christ, which alone saves the soul from sin, bondage, and hell. Thus the yoke and burden of Jesus Christ, which are easy and light, refer directly to His grace, not the Law of Moses. 

Hallelujahs!

CONCLUSION

Return to the ancient path and Goodway of grace. The Apostles preached grace, believed in grace, lived by grace, continued in grace, and were saved by grace. There is no new way and the gospel of grace is not new but old. 

May the eyes of your understanding be enlightened in Jesus' Name.

God bless you.

BIC Abeiku Okai

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