I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Host Society and the Steering Committee. These two bodies are acknowledged as having performed a great task in preparing for the convention. But I also want to thank the adult advisors who guided and helped the Steering Committee at all times. Very unselfishly and very willingly they gave of their talents. This group of advisors consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Pete Koole, Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Kalsbeek, and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Langerak. On behalf of all of us, I thank you.
The theme for the convention this year is “The Appreciation of the Reformed Truth”. On earth it is always an intimate relationship between the truth and the church. The Church serves the purpose of the development and preservation of the truth.

God will forever preserve the truth. Also He will fulfill His promise to keep the Church as the apple of His eye.

Therefore, you and I never may doubt that the Reformed Faith will be preserved pure. Nor may we doubt whether the Church will fall from the face of the earth. But I sometimes wonder whether that faith and truth will be kept pure in our denomination. And I sometimes wonder whether our churches will long be a part of that living body of Christ.

The Reformed faith possesses the truth in a beautiful system. Truth is the revelation of God and of His work. Therefore, Jesus (Who is the perfect revelation of God) can say, “I am the truth” (John 14:6). Being the revelation of God, truth as a mirror reflects all glory back to God. As such the truth is very precious to God and He will keep it pure for the sake of His own glory.

A couple of weeks ago it was asked me, “Is a split in our denomination the only way a deep appreciation for our heritage can return?” That is a most serious question. It is also rather frightening. The idea behind the question was that the history of the Church shows that the Lord has used such divisions in denominations and congregations as a means to preserve the truth. The motivation for the question was great concern for the lack of appreciation for Reformed Truth.

Most of this audience has not had to experience a schism. It is like war, only without guns. It is the horror of seeing a living body being divided into two. It is a most gruesome and repulsive experience.

But unless the appreciation for Reformed doctrine is high and sincere, we will experience a split. This will occur not because anyone desires it. I say, May God forbid. But it will occur whether anyone wants it or not. God will bring it about as a way to preserve His truth. His truth, you see, is far more important to Him, than you or me. Before such severe measures will be used, God gives us gentle admonitions. He sends those gentle admonitions in the preaching of the Word and in the speeches of this convention. But if those gentle admonitions are not heard, the Lord will knock louder on the door of our churches. If His knock is ignored, then God will work a split for the preservation of His truth and for the well-being of the Body of Christ.

Let us consider this more carefully in the light of all Scripture, but especially from the perspective of Jeremiah 6:16. “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. But they said, We will not walk therein.”

A figure of speech is used in this text. Our life is compared to a way, a trip on that way. This “way” is the life of man as he worships and serves God. The way how to live in this life, serving the Lord, is clearly marked out as a well-worn path.

You have no difficulty knowing where this way is, and where it leads because it is so clearly marked. That is why it is called an “old” path.

The paths are old, first of all, because so many have walked that way before. That way is well-traveled. Thousands upon thousands of footprints lie in the dirt of that path. As Prof. Hanko so excellently pointed out last night, giants of the church passed that way and the blood of martyrs is sprinkled upon that path.

Also that path is old because from eternity God ordained that way. God prescribed that way from of old. From the beginning God has told us, This is the way you must walk. Therefore, these are not merely good paths tried by men, but they are God’s paths.

For the nation of Judah that way was prescribed and defined by the Mosaic legislation, as found in the first five books of the Bible. Through this inspired Word, God told them, “Walk in this way; walk in the way of obedience to My prescribed commandments. Don’t leave that way. Don’t stray from it, but walk entirely upon that path.”

The beauty of that old path is the fact that the heart of the divinely prescribed way was the promise of Jesus Christ. It was in that way that they would be able to see the answer to their difficulties and problems. That was why God came through the Judges and Prophets commanding, “Walk this way, because this is the way of your salvation. This is the way of truth. Jesus is the way and the truth.”

For us that way in which the Lord would have us walk is contained in the Scripture. But that way is also shown us in the creeds. Of this Rev. Van Baren and Prof. Hanko beautifully spoke. The old path is clearly marked out in the systematic setting forth of those truths of Scripture in the creeds. We need only pick up the creeds and therein find a very clear definition of the old path. This is the way you and I should walk. This is the way of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Of this James Bannerman spoke in his excellent work entitled The Church of Christ, when he says, “That which will unchurch a church is the lack of that apostolic doctrine which alone marks out a church of Christ.” To rephrase that, that which tears down a congregation or denomination piece by piece is the lack of truth, the lack of appreciation of the truth. Not to know the creeds manifests a lack of appreciation of the Reformed truth.

The Church was instituted by God for the sake of the truth, not the truth for the sake of the Church. The Church is the pillar and ground of the truth. It is for this reason that God keeps the Church of Christ pure and truth. To hold and preach the truth faith and doctrine must be paramount to the Church. Without the truth, the Church is no longer the Church.

As the keeper of the precious deposit of the truth, you and I, as members of the Church, must see that the truth does not perish from the earth. We must see that it is passed on faithfully from generation to generation. How often do we pray, “Preserve the truth in our generation”? We must defend the truth against all forces of ignorance, of unbelief, and of error.

The chief instrument the Church has for maintaining and developing the truth is the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God gives the Church the preaching in order to equip fully the saints for the work of ministry, with a view to the edifying of the Body of Christ. Confer Ephesians 4:11-13.

Only the Church with a firm grasp of the truth can become a powerful missionary agent.

The necessity to appreciate the truth is great.

The admonition to adhere to the truth is very urgent. The urgency that we truly appreciate the Reformed faith of our fathers arises from the fact that God gives this admonition. Jeremiah 6:16 begins with, “Thus saith Jehovah.” It is not Jeremiah’s word; nor is it mine. But it is GOD’S Word.

Jehovah says, “Stand! See! Demand the old paths where is the good way! And walk therein!” That is the command of God. It is inescapable. Either stand upon the old way and find rest or reject them and be in danger of perishing in hell. That is the urgency.

In the days of Jeremiah the old paths (appreciation for the Reformed truth) were being set aside. Judah was wearying of the old ways. “My people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.” The old ways they considered intolerable, outdated, and old fashioned. They wanted something to enliven their worship. They wanted to get away from the same old thing week after week.

God chastised them, “but they refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.” “Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not ashamed, neither could they blush.”

The Church of today is not much different. And our denomination also is characterized by some of these same things. The Confessions are not as familiar as they should be. Do you know the Nicene Creed or the Creed of Chalcedon? These beautiful creeds are yours and mine. They are part of our heritage, but do we know them? How great is the appreciation you have for the Canons of Dordt or the Belgic Confession?

Are catechism questions learned at the last minute and quickly forgotten because things of greater importance stand in the way?

Are the conflicts we have with personalities within the Church considered more important than the truth and allowed to interfere with the unity and communion of the Church of Jesus Christ?

How many of us dare to take the oath, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.”

How restless do we become when we thing the sermon is getting too long? Are we just as unhappy when a basketball game goes overtime?

Jehovah commands us to stand upon the old ways. Yet how many of us fine greater joy in singing good hymns rather than the versifications of the Word of God as we have it in the Psalter? Over half of the songs sung at this convention were hymns. Does this not indicate that we are losing our appreciation for the Reformed faith?

The attitude behind this apparent lack of appreciation of the truth is that the history of the Church is the work of men only. Not so, for it is the work of God. God, by the Spirit of truth, leads the Church into all truth. If we remember this fact we will not scornfully push aside our heritage nor ignore it, for to do so is to push aside and ignore God.

Positively, we must stand upon the ways of the Reformed faith. These old ways have Christ crucified and raised as their essence. Let us remain fixed upon these ways and build our personal and family and congregational lives upon that rock.

Do this by insisting on the old paths in the preaching. Demand that Scripture be faithfully expounded and applied. In other words, learn why the old way is the good way. Also, if we are to walk in those ways we must know what they are. This is not only the simple truths, but diligently study the more profound and wonderful truths confessed by the Church. To be satisfied with a superficial knowledge is to be doomed to die. Cf. Hosea 4:6.

Having asked for and inquired into the old paths, “Walk therein!” This refers to a personal study of the Scriptures and creeds by every Christian. This is first done in personal devotions. Never be satisfied with a subjective and superficial study.

Walk in these old truths (our Reformed heritage) for they are not abstract intellectual exercises, but a living reality. That Reformed faith requires a specific walk of life. Oh, how practical is this heritage. How imminently useful is this Reformed faith. How foolish is the cry for more practical rather than doctrinal preaching. Truly doctrinal preaching is practical. Preaching which is true to the Scriptures will always point out the way required by each truth.

When we walk in that way of appreciating the Reformed faith, then we will find that innumerable people of God before us have also walked in that same way. These are the beaten paths trampled by thousands of feet. Then the faith of our fathers truly is living still. Then with sincerity we may sing, “Oh how our heart beats high with joy when ere we hear that glorious Word.”

Insist upon knowing your heritage. And walk in it. There there is rest for your souls. The old ways alone lead to peace. Only the truth of the Scriptures can bring peace. This way of Reformed faith is the balm to heal the wounds of sin. In the way of obedience to God’s commands, God’s favor comes upon us. In the way of doctrine and creeds is quiet, peaceful worship which leads the soul to heaven.

Judah’s response was, “We will not hearken and walk therein.” Coldly they refused. They preferred the new ways and hated the old. But do not forget what happened to Judah when they walked in the new ways. Judgment lurked around the corner. All of their seeking of new ways never gave them peace. Restlessly they sought, but never found satisfaction. These new paths lead to destruction (captivity). Jeremiah warned that exactly that would happen.

What about you? Which paths do you want?

The apostates within the nation of Judah perished in Babylon. The Lord cut them off in their generations. Against all such apostasy the judgment of God remains.

But it was through this judgment that God preserved unto Himself a Church and the truth within that Church.

God will always preserve the truth and His people. Often He has to do it in the way of judgment (captivity or splits within denominations).

“Thus saith the Lord”, not Jeremiah and not me. God commands, Walk therein!

I beg of you to heed this command for the sake of our churches and for our sake and for the sake of your seed. The judgment of God stands upon us if we do not harken. And that is a terrible judgment.

And a blessed promise of seed peace and rest for your souls stands for those who obey. May God give us the grace to obey.