The Way That Seems Right

Introduction

That’s an if then. Stay right here. In fact, if you stay right here, you don’t need to be afraid. Who’s in charge? God. So don’t be afraid of the King of Babylon. I’ll be in control over him. And I’ll protect you and bless you. And all you need to do is stay. But if you go, what’s going to happen? Here’s the word of the Lord. Sure, disaster or overtake you. Everything you fear, whether it be by the sword or by famine or pestilence, that’s what will happen to you there if you go to Egypt. Stay right here. In fact, there’s an addendum added to it. In verses 19 and 20, it’s Jeremiah speaking. And it says, The Lord has said, concerning you, O remnant of Judah, do not go to Egypt.

No certainly that I have admonished you this day, for you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God. Say, pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us, and we’ll do it. What’s he say? You know what? Now I’ve given you the word of the Lord. That stay right here. But if you go and go to Egypt, you know what it’ll prove? Back when you came and asked me to pray the Lord, and you said, Well, we’ll do it whether we like it or not like it, you didn’t really mean that. In fact, it’ll prove you’re hypocrites about all that. You said the right things, but if you turn and disobey the word of the Lord that I’m going to give you, all it’ll prove is you’re a hypocrite.

It is so easy to say, I love God and I love the word of God, but the real proof is will you really do it when you say it? What do you think their response was? Fact is, Jeremiah, you lied. Beyruk, your servant, told you to say this. Lord didn’t tell you, stay right here. You see, now they’re challenged. In their own mind, they know better what they think they ought to do. What seemed like to them was not at all the word that Jeremiah told them. And so what did they do? They went to Egypt as it seemed right. What a sad story. But it’s just an illustration of a point that really is repeated over and over in the Bible. There’s a way that seems right unto man.

1. There Is a Way That Seems Right

In fact, the Proverbs, the wise man in Proverbs 14 and verse 12, as much as said, there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. How often that has been repeated in the history of mankind, you might say, even from the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. Why’d they do that? Hadn’t God told them not to? Well, somehow, when the devil had allured them just a little bit and reasoned with a bit, it seemed right. They’d be made wise like God. And how many times in the history of God’s people do you find the Lord displeased with his own chosen people of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they had a way of turning from God.

All the while saying we believe in God, we’re going to serve God, but they add the idols or they add things that really changes what God would say for them to do. Indeed, I want to say that even in our own time, there are no doubt some who have the same right words, but their actions show something different. You know, the scriptures even speak how it is when Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4, and he said, Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine, for the time will come when men will not endure sound doctrine. But after their own desires, with itching ears, that is, you know, they’re always wanting to hear what they want to hear, what they think seems right.

2. Some Who Prophesied in Your Name

With itching ears, they will heap to themselves teachers after their own lust. And they will turn aside their hearts from the truth unto fables. You mean there are people who are religious who may reject the word that a faithful, proven disciple like Timothy would preach, or like others who would say, Here is the word of God, there to be some who would turn aside, yes. That’s exactly what he said. I believe there are some people who are very religious people, good people as far as morally speaking, who are going to be surprised at the judgment. You know, the Lord spoke, I think, two different kinds of words about people. There’s the statement he makes in Matthew chapter 7, verses 23, 22 and 3, after describing them, that he can say, I never knew you.

And then there’s another group of Matthew 25 when she said, I know you not. What’s the difference? There’s some who would be surprised because in their own mind what they’ve heard is not what seemed right. Look at Matthew chapter 7, if you have your Bible. In Matthew chapter 7 and verses 22 and 23, and this is what is often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. So during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus ascribed a day of judgment day. What’s going to happen? In that day, he says, There will be some who will come to me. And many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? Cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name.

And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. Now just take it on the surface right there, that sounds like a strange statement. Here, no doubt a religious people. And in fact, three times you notice in this verse, in your name. What have they done? Well, they prophesied, they’ve cast out demons, and they’ve done many wonderful works, the King James translates it. Wonders. And yet he could say, I never knew you. Couldn’t at least have said that, you know, there was once that you you I did because you were trying to serve me and it didn’t matter. The world, the religious world, and our division divided religious world today, often you hear some preachers say, Well, it really doesn’t matter what you believe, sort of choose the church of your choice and practice whatever seems good to you.

It really doesn’t matter. But Jesus said it sounding like it does matter, doesn’t it? In fact, he said there’s some who who in your name have prophesied. And I’ll say, I never knew you. Now, indeed, the word prophesy, maybe at first uh thinking about it, we sometimes talk about the prophets of God as inspired men, and they were inspired men. But but the word prophet literally means a spokesman. Jesus, in fact, in Matthew 7.15 said, Beware of false prophets. They were not inspired of God, but they were spokesmen of that which is false doctrine. So just simply say there will be some who prophesied does not necessarily mean they were preaching God’s word. But they may have come as though they were teaching God’s word. They’re those who prophesy even today.

Who say, Well, we’re preaching the Bible. And yet, when you really examine the doctrine, you’d have to say, well, that’s not really what the word of God says. Arlene and I, the last two weeks have had two people who come to our door, and I’d say they very gentle, kind, considerate, good people come in. We’ve studied for an hour or two hours, however long they would stay. They were Jehovah’s Witnesses. Perhaps you’ve had some come to your door too. And you know, they bring their Bible, the New World Translation is their Bible. And they open the Bible and they read a lot of scripture. And they want to tell you here’s what God’s Word says.

In fact, in our auditorium class studying the Gospel of John, the very first verse of the Gospel of John, in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. The same as in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, but without him was not anything made that was made. Their version reads differently. If you take a view of their Bible that says, in the beginning was the word, then the word was a God. And a God, G-O-D, is spelled with a small G. Because they did not believe Jesus Christ was eternal, as part of even the Godhood of Jehovah. In fact, what they believe is that Jesus was created first as an angel, and then later became a God.

And that’s why they listed as a small g, G-O-D God. That is to deny Jesus Christ. In fact, in that same context, if you read very far with it, down in verse 6, it speaks about John the Baptist. There was a man who came from God. Now there is a capital G when they’re speaking about John the Baptist. You may say, well, why does it make a difference? Well, back in verse 1, because their view that Jesus was later created as an angel and then became a God, they make an argument on the Greek. And how many people? They, you know, they never even know how to answer it. And their argument goes something like this. In the original Greek, there ought to be that definite article.

We may pronounce it ha theos, the God. But the little article, ha is not there in verse 1. So they say, well, we don’t say the God, we just say A. And that’s the way they translate the small g. But then in verse 6, where a man came from God, John the Baptist, you know it’s identical in the Greek. Even it doesn’t have a the article there either. But to their liking, what they seem right or what proves what they think proves their doctrine. Now they translate verse 6 with capital G, but not verse 1. I say to you, you have to be careful when you study with people. Just because they may be kind and good and bring a Bible with you, doesn’t mean they’re teaching the truth.

There are some who prophesy or teach what is false doctrine. Frankly, they’re the ones who most often come to your door. You may have had some Mormon friends come. And I’ll tell you what, the people are somewhat moved. Two young men who call themselves elders, clean cut, kind, gentle, moral, and say a lot of things that you’d have to agree with, but of course, mainly what they want you to understand is they bring a book of Mormon. And they’ll tell you that about 200 years ago, Joseph Smith was led by an angel of God named Moroni. And he found these golden plates that were in Reformed Egyptian. And he was given power to interpret and translate that. And so we have the Book of Mormon as such.

Frankly, no one’s ever heard of a reformed Egyptian dialect or language anyway. But secondly, no one’s ever seen the golden plates. You just have to accept his word and now 200 years later their word. But they need the Book of Mormon as a book in addition to the Bible. And I say, when you start thinking about that, you begin to say, and I have often asked, I think it’s the most critical question you ought to ask. What is there in the Book of Mormon that I need to know and to obey in order to be saved? Is there something more? I say it’s all that what a man needs to do to be saved is found in the Bible. So when I have the book of Mormon on top of it, what’s there that’s new that I must obey in order to be saved?

They can’t give you an answer to that, for there isn’t anything. But the fact is when they add another book, they’re false prophets. In Galatians chapter 1 and verses 6 through 8, the apostle wrote, I am amazed that you so soon remove from him that called in the grace of Christ into another gospel which is not another. But there’d be some that pervert the gospel of Christ. In fact, though we are an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. That’s the word of God. Don’t preach any other message. So, will there be some who are surprised at judgment? He’ll say, Well, we have a new message. They claim to be the only church, the one true church because they have the Book of Mormon and other churches don’t have it, and yet the very Bible that they also claim to believe condemns what they promote.

3. Some Who Cast Out Demons

I say to you, there will be some who will be surprised at the judgment. Just because they may be good, moral, clean people doesn’t mean they’re preaching truth. What seems right? In fact, Jesus also said there’s some who cast out demons. Now, certainly during the lifetime of Jesus and in the few years immediately thereafter, there were disciples of Christ first with the apostles and those on whom the apostles laid hands, were given gifts of the Holy Spirit, empowering them, enabling them to work miracles, to cast out demons. And there were those during that period of time that it was essential that there be miraculous works done. You see, there was a time when we, before we had this in a printed form, you and I can say, let’s turn to passages such and such.

And they needed revelation. That was by the miracle of God for men to know and to speak and then to write the words of God that were not from the mind of those men, but from the mind of God, they needed the miracle of revelation. And then they needed the miracle of confirmation. How do you know that Peter wasn’t speaking from his own mind or Paul was writing from his own heart? How do you know it was from God? And really not just Peter and Paul and others. Well, miracles confirmed when something was done that no man could do except God be in charge of it. That gave confirmation or proof that it wasn’t just the word of Paul and Peter and others. It was the word of God.

But you know, when the Bible’s fully revealed and fully confirmed, those signs, those miracles cease. And you can read about that at 1 Corinthians 13, verses 9 and 10, where it says, When that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. I say to the people who come saying they can work miracles today, a couple of things. Number one, I say, Do you believe we must not add to this? Oh, I’ll get a firm answer every time. Oh, we must not add to the Bible. So they admit revelation’s been completed. And if revelation’s been completed, why is there any need for miracles today? Or what the Bible used as confirmation. Fact is, those type of miracles have ceased. And then another point is that really even those who claim to work miracles today cannot do what was done in the first century.

You don’t see them raising from the dead. Oh, there have been claims here and there, some died and later came to life. But you read in the Bible of some who had been dead three days. Lazarus was raised from the dead. Even Peter raised Orcas, and he was in a different town, had to come. She’d already her body been washed and cleaned and prepared for burial. And she was raised. It wasn’t within a matter of a few minutes, so to speak. Frankly, I guess the best test I like to ask is in chapter 13, where Paul on the island of Cyprus, when there was Elamus, the blasphemer, who was declaring against Paul, and Paul blinded him for a season. And Holman said, I’d be glad to lose my sight that I might see.

4. Many Wonders: More Than a Good Moral Person

If I’m wrong about this, how about blinding me? For I speak that you are not working the kind of miracles that were worked in the first century, where there was immediate healing. I believe in divine healing, mind you, but the kind of miracles that were confirmation that caused astonishment, wonderment that were assigned. Those ceased when the Bible was fully revealed and fully confirmed. In fact, Jesus described one more class. It said, In your name. We’ve done many wonders. Wonderful works. And you know, right here, probably the most popular answer of all is just be a good moral person and you’re going to be saved. You think that’s a lot pretty common. Everybody’s going to go to heaven. Well, maybe some of back off and say, not everybody, but a good moral person.

But Jesus said in John 8 24, Except you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins. Jesus said there’s more to it than just being a good moral person. In fact, in Acts chapter 10, verses 1 and 2, you read about Cornelius. And Cornelius was described as indeed a good man who prayed to God, who gave alms to the people. He was he was a good moral person. But he, as in Acts 11, 14, he needed to hear words whereby he could be saved. And that’s what Peter did. He preached to him about the Christ that he might believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Acts chapter 10 and verse 47, to the other Jews that were with Peter, he said, Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized who’ve received the Holy Spirit as well as we?

And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. You see, even Jesus has said, He who believes and is baptized shall be saved. He did not say he who believes only, a mental agreement only, but it was a matter of faith that has action. We’re saved by grace. Listen, through faith. Without faith, grace means nothing. Grace is for everybody, but only those who believe partake of that grace of God. And in fact, as I think the best example, in the Gospel of John chapter 12 and verse 42 and 3, among the rulers, there were many who believed on Jesus. But they would not confess him, lest they be put out of the synagogue. Ah, spurpful. Let’s just open the Bible. Let’s read.

Here are believers that they wouldn’t confess him. Do you think they’re saved? I’ve yet to have somebody say, oh, yeah, they’re saved. No, no, no. We know better. When they would not confess the Lord Jesus Christ, they were not in a saved condition. They may have had mental agreement, but a faith that saves is a faith that obeys. And so there may be some who say, well, you know, I believe in the name of the Lord, religious people, we’ve done wonderful works, we’ve cast out demons, and we have prophesied. Why would Jesus say, I never knew you? Verse 21 really gives us the answer. When Jesus said in verse 21, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Doing the will of my Father in heaven. It says there’s more than just words. The people to Jeremiah said the right words. But when it came down to action, they proved themselves to be hypocrites, didn’t they? Because it wasn’t what they thought it ought to be. And sometimes we can get into a mood of saying, Well, it just seems right to me. Why are you so narrow-minded that you think it just has to be what’s in the Bible and can’t be anything else? Well, in first John chapter 4 and verse 1, even the apostle John wrote, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. And Jesus in Luke 6 46 said, Why call me Lord Lord?

5. I Know You Not: The Ten Virgins

And do not the things I say. It’s important about our attitude toward the Word of God. I never knew you. No doubt there will be some who are practicing religion without practicing righteousness, that is according to the Word of God. Serious, isn’t it? One more before we close. If you have your Bible, this one you probably know better than maybe the one we just went through. And that’s found in Matthew chapter 25. It’s a parable, a simple parable we we often read and we teach it. Brother Scripture, Jesus said, The kingdom of heaven should be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them.

But the wise took oil in their vessels were their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard. Behold, the bridegroom is coming. Go out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, No, lest there should not be enough for us and you, but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

But he answered and said, Assuredly I say to you, I do not know you. Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. What does this represent? Well that a doubt, it represents those who are Christians. I know you not, when the knock at the door came. They were called virgins, that’s though to say they were pure. They were certainly, you would say, set apart as saints, illustrated as though ten virgins. Of course, in the custom of that day in that land, often the wedding may have taken place at the home of the bride. And then they would travel to the home that would become their residence to the bridegroom, and there would be a wedding feast, a wedding feast that may last several days for that matter.

It’s a big party, so to speak, to consummate that wedding and marriage together and where they would live the rest of their time. And so he just simply illustrates something that was common to the people, and they understood. And these ten had gone out, prepared to meet the bridegroom and go to the place where they would have the wedding feast. Now, actually you’d have to say of them, they believed in the bridegroom. They wouldn’t have gone at all had they not really had some faith. Frankly, they they knew there’d be a marriage supper. It’s not a matter of atheists here describing, or people who challenge that Jesus is the Son of God, but Jesus’ picturing people who knew there’s to be a marriage supper. And frankly, they went out to meet the bridegroom.

They made some preparation, didn’t they? They’re ready to go. What happens? Why is it that the door was shut? Why would he say, I know you not? Well, you know, there are a lot of answers that could be given to that. What happened? Frankly, what happened to them is Jesus pictured it is simply that they did not properly prepare. They went, the bridegroom tarried. Maybe had he come the day after they were baptized, they’d been ready. But the time passes. And for whatever reason, they get involved in other things, so that they really just don’t take quite enough oil.

And maybe they’ve gotten distracted along the way. Maybe along the way there was some good form of entertainment, and you know they thought, well, let’s go do that. Now Jesus said, if you want to be my disciple, take up your cross daily and follow me. He didn’t say just 50% of the time or half the time. He said, get your focus clear. You want to go to heaven? You want to serve the Lord, then be my disciple. What’s first place is to serve me. And don’t forsake my gathering. Don’t forsake the time when my people assemble. But then maybe these five virgins didn’t properly prepare because they were busy with other things. So they partially prepared. They came part of the way. It could be that even they’d gotten with some things that were ungodly.

You know, Christians can be tempted to do evil. And sometimes Christians do involve themselves in immorality and evil. And they may think, well, you know, I’ve been baptized and I know this is wrong, and someday I’m going to get straightened out. Someday I’m going to do better. If the Lord will delay just long enough, I will serve. My intentions are to serve Him. And I will later. I know I’m not doing all I could now. Are there people like that serving the Lord’s order partially? Whatever it is. The fact is that once saved, always saved is not true. In Colossians 1, verses 22 and 23, even there the Lord, the scripture says, will present you holy and blameless and above reproach in his sight, if indeed you continue in the faith.

Grounded, steadfast, not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard. That says it’s not a matter of just sort of treading water. It says, continue if you continue. Or in the Hebrews 3, verses 12 through 14, take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. Don’t kid yourself. You can be so empowered with this world that you depart from God. Maybe once a faithful Christian, but you’ve departed. You’ve left. And therefore, when the bridegroom comes, the door is shut. And the words can be said, I know you not. You once were mine, but not now. I do not know you. No longer do I know you. What a sad day. What a surprise of the judgment day.

6. Run With Endurance the Race

Maybe I can illustrate it. I’ve been thinking about this a bit, obviously this week. You know, in about four or five months, we’re going to have the Summer Olympics. I believe it’s in August in Brazil. And what if maybe you know someone, and let’s just say someone we’ll just not name right now, but he’s a good athlete. And he’s decided he’s going to run in the race for a mile. He’s a good runner. And he probably could beat everybody. He’s that good at it. And he trains and trains. But somebody’s told him that he didn’t need to worry about the entrance, the regulations to enter into the Olympic. He doesn’t really become a team member of the U.S. team, Olympic team. He just sort of goes as an individual.

And so the day comes where the race is ready for the mile. And he comes up to the starter, he wants to go run in the race and sort of say, wait a minute. I don’t have your name down. Who are you? And he begins to say, well, somebody told me it didn’t matter. That all I had to do was just train and I’ll be able to enter the race. And you know what the starter will say? Sorry. If you didn’t fulfill the requirements of getting entrance into that, you can’t run. I don’t care if you’re the fastest one in the world. You can’t run without the right entrance. He could say, I never knew you. Right? But then what about this? He does. Let’s say that maybe a friend of his is equal and distance, and he does apply.

And he makes all the paperwork and whatever he has to do, and so the day comes and he enters the race. Now it’s usually about four laps around. And so what he does, they get off and he really outruns everybody at the first lap. But just as he concludes that first lap, he happens to notice over in the infield there’s a long jump going on. And he just stops. That’s wonderful entertainment. He decides he’ll stop and you know, just take a look at what’s going on over there. And then he gets back in the track and he runs. You think he’ll win? I don’t. Maybe he wasted the second lap around. And about midway, he, you know, he he’s there’s there’s a party going on. There’s some things over there, and he’s thirsty by then anyway.

He’s kind of getting winded, so he he stops again. He goes over to something not morally wrong. It’s just not part of the race. And he’s out of out of sync. Think he’ll win? I don’t either. Maybe he’s passing that up to him, but after he finishes the third lap, he hears one of his teammates say, Hey, buddy, get on with it, hurry up. And that makes him mad. And he just quits. And when the coach says, Why’d you quit? He says, You know that teammate back there, it wasn’t any of his business what I’m doing. I just decide I’m not going to run anymore. You ever find some who kind of react that way when somebody’s trying to help? And they get angry and they just quit.

You think he’ll win? Do you think the coach will say, That’s fine, young man, you can blame your teammate. No. If you’re going to win the race, he needs to be involved himself all the way around. Now think of the passage in Hebrews chapter 12, where the scripture in verse 2 says, For us to lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us. Let us run with endurance, the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Conclusion

Keep your eyes set on the Lord, who continued on. Remember who you are, a child of God and where you’re going, heaven. Don’t lose sight and lose the race. Perhaps as we prepare to sing the closing song, you’ll be thinking about your position with the Lord. Would you be of the group that would say, the Lord will say, I never knew you? If so, why not this morning? Obey the Lord, be immersed into his death to walk as a new Christian, hope of heaven. Or maybe you might be one that if the Lord would come today, he would have to say to you, I don’t know you. I know you’re not. And maybe it’s because you have strayed, you’ve turned aside for this, that, or the other.

But none of them will be a good excuse when you face the Lord. So what will be your position? If you need to come back to the Lord, if there’s something we can do to help you assist you, get ready for heaven, then we sing this song as an invitation for you to come forward right now, while together we stand while we sing this invitation song.