The Principle of the Right way

Transcript

so the subject we're going to consider x this evening is the principle of the x right way and we'll be considering in in x depth the subject the way which is quite x prominent throughout x scripture um so we have to ask ourselves x what are the what is the value of x principles principles are the x foundational guidelines that are useful x for making decisions solving problems x and determining x standards this can apply to business to x scientific theories to the common law x that governs x Society uh but the subject that we want x to focus in on tonight is the x fundamental truths that support a system x of belief the principles of scriptural x truth the principles governing one's x moral x Behavior U for example the Ten x Commandments and the principle of mercy x and forgiveness God revealed this x principles that we may have x hope it is it is impossible to say how x many principles in life there are x however there is one principle which x applies to every aspect of life and that x is the rule of being Guided by x principles x okay okay there that's x fine this is especially true when we x consider spiritual matters an underlying x principle of the Bible is that there is x a right way and a wrong way When x approaching the almighty's offer of x Salvation God has put in motion x principles and conditions that lead to x Salvation thereby establishing the x principle of the right x way Jesus warned mankind ignoring the x principle the right way has consequences x in Matthew 7 vers uh x 13 and Matthew 713- 14 it says enter ye x in at the street gate for wide is the x gate and Broad is the way that leadth to x destruction and many there be which go x in there at because straight is the gate x and narrow is the way which leadth onto x life and few there be that find x it so what is the solution to this the x solution is to CH to CH choose the right x way we should not be discouraged or x dismayed that the application of God's x principles requires obedience this is x not an unusual concept Society is Guided x by principles all organizations clubs x and associations have rules and codes of x Ethics that must be adhered to in order x to be accepted and maintain good x standing the CR criteria of our heavenly x father is no different he has made his x will and purpose known from the the x beginning through his principles his x statutes and his x laws Abraham is an example of the right x way and being rewarded by God for x following x it in Genesis x 26 um four and five and I will make thy x seed to multiply as the stars of the x heaven and will give onto thy seed all x these countries and in thy seed shall x all nations of the earth be blessed x because that Abraham obeyed my voice and x kept my charge my Commandments my x statutes and my x laws Commandments are a code of wisdom x statutes are conditions prescribed and x laws Divine x instructions if we have a desire to x please our heavenly father x then we must adhere to his ways Abraham x was counted as righteous because of x faith and x obedience the principle of the right way x is is certainly recognized in scripture x God's creation was perfect and early it x was based on the foundation foundational x principle described as very good that's x of course in Genesis 1 131 and God saw x everything that he had made and behold x it was very x good Adam lived in an ideal setting he x was asked to maintain and manage the x garden which would provide everything x required for his survival which he would x partake of without restriction they x lived in an atmosphere of x innocence in Genesis 25 and 16 it says x the Lord God took the man and put him in x the Garden of Eden to to work and to x take care of it and the Lord commanded x the man you are free to eat from any x tree in the x garden uh Genesis 2:25 and they were x both naked and the man and his wife were x not x ashamed at this time they had no proness x to lust or sin and hence were not x ashamed of their nakedness like God's x creation they were very good in addition x to his ground keepings duties he had one x other condition placed upon him and his x wife the found in Genesis x 217 you must not eat of the tree of the x knowledge of Good and Evil the principle x of the right way has been x established the principle of obedience x is introduced Adam was to abstain from x the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil x God's requirement of Adam reflected the x right way as a principle which had to be x adhered to it was Adam who failed he x corrupted himself and the Earth by his x Disobedience there are consequences for x Disobedience which establishes a x negative x principle and proverbs 10 and oh excuse x me verse 17 of Genesis 2 for when ye eat x of it you will certainly x die Proverbs x 10:29 the way of the Lord is a refuge x for the blameless but it is the ruin of x those who do x evil Adam's Disobedience brought the x penalty of death we we read in Romans x that the wages of sin is x death and a new principle is uh it's a x negative principle but it's a new x principle what we sow is what we x reap however the pronouncement of death x was not immediate God in his Mercy x provided a way of redemption to remove x their x sin now look at Genesis x 3:21 and the Lord God made garments of x skin for Adam and his wife and clothed x them Psalm 321 blessed is the one whose x transgression is Forgiven and whose sin x is covered the covering of with skins x required the shedding of blood x establishing a another important x principle one that would be enforced x until the sacrifice of x Jesus and Hebrews 2 and9 and 22 supports x this without the shedding of blood there x is no remission or forgiveness of x sins what was the result of Adam's x transgression in Genesis x 3:22 and the Lord said said to him x the man has now become like one of us x knowing good and evil we must not be x allowed to reach out his hand and take x also from the Tree of Life and eat and x live x forever so the Lord God banished him x from the Garden of Eden to work the x ground from which he had been x taken the seriousness of of not falling x the right way was reinforced when Adam x was driven from from the garden x excluding him from the comfort of the x garden and from the presence of the x Lord verse 24 after he drove the man out x he placed on the east side of the Garden x of Eden cherubin and a flaming sword x flashing back and forth to guard the way x of the life and in that word guard it is x suggested it was to keep or to preserve x the promise of Salvation if the right x way was adhered x to Adam and Eve were now required to be x self-sufficient in judges x 22122 it states I will no longer drive x out the nation that Joshua left x unconquered when he died I this I did x this to test Israel to see whether they x would follow the ways of the Lord as x their ancestors did x and this is an example that is that x carried on even after Adam that the x following of the right way to overcome x sin is the challenge of all to all of x mankind and all mankind must face x it Israel had violated God's covenant so x they must suffer for their x Disobedience the Nations around around x them would become a snare to entice them x into sin and we know from many aspects x in Scripture that how this is played x out the pattern was established men and x women would grow to understand that the x way to Salvation was open but it was x through a specific way the right way x mankind is not always ready to accept x the right way Cain is an example of x resistance to this x principle x uh Genesis x 4: 3 and x 4 and the course in the course of time x Cain brought some of the fruit of the x soil an offering to the Lord and Abel x also brought an offering fat portions x from some of the firstborn of his flock x the Lord looked with favor on un Abel x and his and his x offering what do we learn from these x vers x based on his experience in the garden x Adam instructed his sons in the x principle of the right way which x consisted of a place to sacrifice was x established and a specific offering was x required we see in this a pattern x established making known that God x expects to be approached in a specific x way and that way must be adhered to So x Adam found favor in God and Cain did x not Cain's offering was rejected while x Abel's was accepted Abel's acceptable x offering testified to the fact that x there is a right way to please God x Cain's failure to recognize his x principle led to x rejection what did what did God say to x Kain in verses uh six and seven of x Genesis 4 then the Lord said to Cain why x are you angry why is your face x downcast you will be accepted if you do x what is right but if you refuse to do x what is right then watch out sin is x crouching at the door eager to control x you but you must subdue it and be its x Master as a result Cain murders his x brother and then in verse 16 it says so x Cain went out from the presence of the x Lord and lived in the Land of Nod East x of x Eden uh the Land of Nod is an x interesting um place I guess you'd say x it's only mentioned once in the Bible x and its actual location is unknown but x the word nod means to to wander to be x exiled or to x disappear and in Genesis and 14 it says x uh regarding Cain you have banished me x from the land and from your presence you x have made me a homeless x Wanderer the Land of Nod refers to the x land of wandering Cain continues to move x further Eastward getting further and x further away from the garden from his x creator and from the Tree of Life our x goal should be to avoid void the Land of x Nod at all costs in Ezekiel 33 and20 it x says yet ye say the way of the Lord is x not equal I will judge everyone after x his x ways so I think this was the attitude x that Cain took that that God was unequal x to him but the principle is that that x regardless of what we think God will x judge everyone after his ways whether x it's the right way or the wrong x way this was Cain's attitude the lesson x for us is we can become alienated from x God if we fail to follow the right way x with the death of Abel God provided a x new x generation and we move on to Genesis 425 x and x 26 and Adam knew his wife again and she x bear a son and called his name Seth for x God said sheath appointed another seed x instead of Abel who Cain x slew the word appointed here suggests x that Seth was a replacement for AEL one x who would follow the principle of the x right way and the son was born to Seth x whom he named enosh and at that time x people began to Worship the Lord that's x taken from verse x 26 uh in the King James just to give you x a little different rendering then began x men to call upon the name of the Lord as x the sons of God and in Young's literal x translation then a beginning was made by x preaching in the name of Jehovah and so x we can see from this that a a structured x wor worship of God was being introduced x this created a separation in the classes x of mankind the descendants of Seth x identified with God in name and deed and x were known as the sons of God the x descendants of Cain were known as the x sons of men the descendants of Cain x continued in their evil ways while the x sons of God continued making a public x profession of their attachment to the x principle of the right way maintaining a x a separation from the sons of men but x not for x long like every generation the sons of x God had difficulty and do have x difficulty stemming the tide of x influence from the sons of men an x attitude of liberalism arose in the Sons x and Daughters of Seth creating a x weakening of their commitment to the x principle of the right way eventually x the flesh created a co-mingling between x the two classes of mankind in Genesis uh x 61 and two we read and when mankind x began to multiply on the earth and the x daughters were born to them the sons of x God saw that the daughters of mankind x were beautiful and they took the any x they chose as wives for x themselves those who would have been x following the prin the right way brought x Vain and disastrous consequences into x their lives by adopting the wickedness x of the descendants of x Cain uh verses five and six and when the x Lord saw that the human wickedness was x wi spread on the earth and every x inclination of the human mind was x nothing but evil the Lord regretted that x he had made man on the earth and he was x deeply x grieved the actions are described in x verse 12 of Genesis 6 and God looked x upon the Earth and behold it was corrupt x for All Flesh had corrupted his way upon x the x Earth this caus God to destroy the x inhabitants of the Earth with a flood x and in verse seven it states then the x Lord said I will wipe mankind whom I x created off the face of the Earth x together with the animals for I regret x that I have made x them in Jeremiah 5:4 we see this x principles established therefore I said x they are foolish for they know not the x way of the Lord nor the Judgment of x their x god without God's without God manifest x excuse me without God mankind wanders in x the Land of x Nod x so the actions of of of of the in x Genesis 6 shows that they ignored the x ways of God they were foolish and and x they did not realize the Judgment that x would come upon x them so sth descendants clung to the x principle of the right way down to Noah x who was identified as a man who walked x with x God and I you might I I think you might x safely say that Noah maybe was the last x individual that was walking in the in x the way that the the seed of Seth was x supposed to x walk thought a few um comments about x Noah Genesis 689 but Noah found Grace in x the eyes of the Lord Noah was a x righteous man the only blameless person x living on the earth at the time and he x walked in close fellowship with God so x he was he was you might say a survivor x of all the evil that was going on in the x Earth at that x time we know the story of the flood at x the end of 40 days Noah and his family x left the ark and the first thing he did x was to build a alar and to offer a x sacrifice to God Genesis x 62021 then Noah built an altar to the x lord and there he sacrificed a burnt x offering the animals and the birds that x had been approved for that purpose and x the Lord was pleased with the aroma of x the x sacrifice so you can see from what's x stated here in verse 20 and 21 that Noah x had maintained the right way that he he x he found a place he offered a sacrifice x and he offered a sacrifice that was x approved so he was carrying on the x principle of the right x way um Genesis or Jeremiah x 5:5 I will get me great men and will x speak onto them for they have known the x way of the Lord and understand God's x laws and of course this is fully x Illustrated in the in the life of Noah x and Noah understood this principle and x is an excellent example for us to x follow God was pleased with the x consistency of Noah's life which was a x testimony to his faith in God and His x adherence to the right x way now that same commitment of x obedience is is true of x Abraham unlike Cain who fled Eastward x from the presence of the Lord Abraham x now travels Westward to be in the x presence of the Lord and we read in x Genesis 18 and N uh verse 19 for I have x chosen him so that he will direct his x children and his household after him to x keep the way of the Lord and to do what x is right and just so that the Lord will x bring about for Abraham what he has x promised to x him and it's comforting I think brothers x and sisters that that same Assurance is x given to us that he will fulfill what he x has promised to x us it's a principle that de that x demonstrates the Fidelity and x faithfulness of our heavenly x father x Abraham's success was based on keeping x God's way uh of righteousness not only x for himself but for his children and for x future x Generations uh another comment taken x from Romans Faro Abraham verses 21 to x 24 Abraham was fully persuaded that God x had power to do what he had promised x this is why his faith was credited to x him as x righteousness the words it was credit to x him were written not for him alone but x for also for us to whom God will credit x righteousness for us who believe in him x who raised Jesus our lord from the x dead so now I think we would just um x turn our attention for a few more x minutes to the uh the New Testament x where we find uh John the Baptist was x commissioned to prepare the way of the x Lord and make his path x straight uh his his uh role was x to introduce a New and Living Way and to x introduce the x Messiah Luke uh 9 and x 11 uh x crowds followed Jesus and he welcomed x them and spoke to them of the kingdom of x God Jesus teaching would prompt x questions regarding the kingdom and x salvation and will and no doubt they x would ask is there a right way to x require to acquire x salvation in response Jesus speaks of x the x way in John x 14: 6 Jesus said un to x them I am the way the truth and the life x no one comes to the father except by x Me Jesus is x establishing the right way the way to x Salvation and we have this we have an x example of of uh one x seeking uh to ask which is what is the x white right way and it was the the Rich x Young Ruler in Mark in verse Mark x 10:17 he said a man came running up to x Jesus and asked good Master what must I x do to inherit eternal x life and Jesus reply was you know do you x know the x Commandments and he the young man x replied master I have obeyed all these x Commandments since I was x young now comes the critical requirement x Jesus said there is still one thing you x haven't done he told him go and sell all x your possessions and then come and x follow x me and in verse 21 Jesus says x oh sorry I read that verse 22 and the x young man's face fell and he went away x sad for he had many x possessions Jesus's invitation to follow x him challenges us with some basic and x demanding requirements regarding the x principle of the right way we share a x commonality with the rich ruler x generally we act in the right way in x accordance with God's will x it is not difficult to comply with what x comes easy to us the test is to x relinquish what is naturally important x to us as we saw with the the rich young x man he went away x sad but what are we required to to x relinquish and this is only a few I'm x sure you'll think of many yourself but x we have to relinquish our self-esteem x our need to be right our social x standing or in general whatever is very x important to x us so there are three x titles that were attributed to Jesus he x says that I am the way the truth and the x life following Jesus literally becomes x the principle of the right x way because he establishes is the x principle the right way by saying that x he is the way and that he is the truth x and he is the x life and there are many quotes in x scripture containing the phrase the way x um we're going to just look at a few um x mainly in Acts acts x 9:2 this is Saul requests permission to x arrest the followers of Jesus If he if x he found any belonging to the way he x might bring them to Jerusalem so like x this is established the fact that Jesus x is the way that his followers are x referred to as the x way uh second Peter 2:15 describes those x who have forsaken Jesus who have x forsaken the right way and have gone x astray um the preaching of Aquilla and x Priscilla to Apollo x acts x 18:26 all Apollos had been instructed in x the way of the Lord more x perfectly and the riot in in um Ephesus x and acts 19:23 about the time serious x trouble developed in the Ecclesia con x and excuse me in Ephesus concerning the x way and in the maid with the spirit of x denition x acts 16 and 17 these men who Proclaim to x you the way of x Salvation was the the statement that she x made so some embrace the right way While x others seek their own way those who x abandon God's way reflect the attitude x stated in the Book of x Judges judges 17-6 every man did which x was right in his own eyes x and it's very um similar to our society x when you when you consider the emphasis x that is placed on human rights uh in x almost every aspect and sphere of life x so we're we're being influenced the same x as they were at the time of the judges x so it's not unlike the society we live x in uh now we're going to just switch x gears here because there are some x lessons to be learned from from the x righteous and the unrighteous and we've x already spoke about some of these x worthies of all but we're just going to x make a quick comment on on them x again Adam in Proverbs 14 and 12 it says x there's a way that seeth right to a x person but its end is the way to death x this proverb is descrip descriptive of x Adam he knew what his creator desired x he knew that his creator desired x obedience yet when the trial came he x chose another way which he for which he x paid a terrible price for his x unfaithfulness that experience was a x valuable lesson reinforcing that there x is a right way no doubt Adam shared his x experiences with his children as x evidence in the lives of Cain and x Abel um and his grandson x Seth some chose the right way and some x chose the wrong way we can benefit from x Adam's x experience we if when we falter in the x way we have the Assurance of God's mercy x trusting that in confession and renewed x determination to obedience God will x forgive us and redeem x us what an important and Powerful lesson x to share with our own families as Adam x did what about Cain Cain was a x worshipper of God as demonstrated by his x desire to bring an offering to the Lord x but only was only prepared to do so on x his terms you know and there's a great x lesson in that for for us we can't come x to God on our own terms we have to come x to God on the terms that he x establishes and Jude refers to to Cain's x um attitude as the way of x Cain Cain had good intentions but x neglected the right way that his father x had shared with x him the way of Cain is the way of is is x the way to disaster and in Romans 28 it x says but for those but for those who are x self-seeking and who reject the truth x and follow evil there will be Roth and x anger and this is of course what Cain x experienced the same is true for us God x has provided the right way when we x ignore that way we do so at our own x Peril and in this chapter in verse uh 10 x but glory honor and peace for everyone x who does good so all of those wonderful x blessings would come upon those who x follow the right way and so brothers and x sisters let us choose the right way Cain x had lost perspective we also can lose x perspective let us commit to trusting in x God's requirements seeking after glory x honor and x peace Abraham x was referred to as the friend of God x what an honor that would be to be known x as God's x friend in James 4 and4 know that x friendship of the world is emity with x God whoever therefore will be a friend x of the world is the enemy of x God if we Embrace God's Commandments we x become his friend if we embrace the x standards of the world we become his x enemy no one can serve two masters it's x as simple as x that x so A few comments on the challenge of x the right x way we can ask ourselves the question x how badly do we want to x follow x Jesus do we want it enough to give up x what is important to us do we want it x enough to to follow his x teachings we all want the goodness and x Grace of the Lord but how many of us x want it bad enough to pay the price the x rich ruler wanted salvation but not to x the point of giving up what was x important to us let us not Rob Our x Father by wasting the potential he has x endowed us x with when we examine the intensity of x the world we live in and the many x insolvable problems that are consuming x the Earth we are led to the conclusion x that we are on the cusp of the last x days in these last days God has given us x the tools to prepare x ourselves for his kingdom in second x Peter 1:3 it states and God has given x unto us all things that pertain unto x life life and godliness he has prepared x us to strengthen x ourselves in the right way we have been x instructed in the principles of the x right way these principles are x throughout the Bible and as we do our x readings we discover more and x more so to close uh brothers and sisters x let us embrace the right way x and live Godly and faithful lives as we x await the consummation of all things let x us hold fast the profession of our faith x without wavering for he is faithful that x promise and let us exhort one another x and so much the more as we see the day x approaching thank you very x much