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Walking With God
John R. Lenegar (1942-2006) "Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh truth in his heart." (Psalm 15:1-2). "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death: and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." (Heb. 11:5). The Psalmist in our opening verse tells us that one of the characteristics of a person belonging to the Lord is that they walk, or conduct themselves uprightly. The Hebrew thought here has the idea of, "whole mindedly, as well as blameless and innocent - requiring all their faculties". This is and always has been a simple, elementary, and joy evoking truth. I am sure that most of us realize that today many in the "Christian" realm have either reinterpreted this truth, or ignore it. all together. With a small amount of investigation, we can readily find a large percentage of "Christians" today wear only that label. This group, often as not, has little interest, or no interest at all in living an exemplary life before the world. The standards of Christian conduct are extremely low and permissive among large sections of what the world sees as Christianity. Among many "going to church" is a part of society that all well rounded people incorporate in their business and social life. Many view going to church as a place of social contact and entertainment where they can hear only what will not offend them. If these things disappeared, they would no longer have a reason to attend. In spite of the Lord's admonition to us in Philippians 1:27: "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ:", the conduct of many wearing the Christian label is far below the admonition of this Scripture. The natural man, as well the fleshy desires always finds this subject repulsive and a reason to rebellion, but the new man, the new life put within us of God desires to, "walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you," (Deut. 5:33). I want us to make a few general observations on walking with God, and then to note some specific, practical aspects of the Christian walk that I hope will stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance that we each might do the things that please Him'. I. WHAT IT MEANS TO WALK WITH GOD What exactly does it mean to "walk" with God? Is it a totally spiritual state of mind which has little to do with our physical life in this world, as some would tell us? Is it almost totally a physical exercise of works to increase our favor, or state with God? Neither idea is correct. It is both spiritual and physical. The one preceding and producing the other. It is the duty and responsibility answering the moving of God's Spirit within us. The New Testament epistles are full of assurance that the imparted energy of God through the Spirit is sufficient for a proper walk, or life conduct, before God and the unregenerate world around us. "It is God which worketh (energizes) in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure:" (Philippians 2:13). A. We would put this definition of walking with God for our purposes in this article. "To Walk With God". Living according to the plan and practices laid down by our God in His Word and in particular those expounded in the New Testament. Living a life pleasing and acceptable to Him with Whom we have to do. Living in close proximity to the Guide and Director of our steps. In short, living a consistently balanced Christian life. Our God is in perfect balance in all aspects and all things. without man's interference, would have perfect balance. The believer is to be in balance in all aspects of his life and testimony. Would to God it were true more often as not. B. Our walk as Christians has a two-fold aspect put there by God. First, our walk, or conduct is God-ward. An example is Joshua 22:5, "But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul". Secondly, our walk is man-ward in that we maintain a love and testimony toward God, but we are to have the same for those about us. An example of this is found in I Peter 2:11-12, where we read: "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by our good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." Therefore, our Christian walk is to first please the Lord for our own spiritual well being. Secondly, we are to use that walk in maintaining an effective testimony before unbelievers. II. THOSE WHO CAN WALK WITH GOD AND THOSE WHO CANNOT Cannot anyone at anytime decide to walk with God? Isn't the promise of fellowship and abiding open to all? Yes, all that are able to respond, but not everyone is able to respond. Today, we hear constant admonitions of "walk the heavenly way", take the hand of the man who stilled the water," "walk with God and he will walk with you". Cannot anyone, at any time, of his, or her own free will, as a free moral agent decide to walk the Christian way with Jesus? If they are able to receive and decide, yes! If God opens their heart and understanding, yes! The fact is, that most preaching today operates under a false concept when under girded by the belief that everyone at any time can choose God and His way over evil and destruction. God says: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." (Jeremiah 13:23). No one can walk with God unless they have been born from above. The old question on which everything pivots is: "Is man totally depraved, or not? God says of the wicked: "They know not, neither will they understand they walk on in darkness:" (Psalm 82:5). Unregenerate men and women continue on according to their own will in this life. The catch is that their will is governed by their nature. Again God says: "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). Unregenerate man cannot walk with God of his, or her own desire. In order for a person to walk with God, God must put that person into the way. God must put them in, open the way for them to enter the straight and narrow. Without divine intervention, God says: "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not that they stumble." (Prov. 4:19). Only the elect, quickened by the Spirit can walk with God. We begin when we first realize the fact of His presence with us. We have received Him and are sealed unto the day of redemption. Now our desire is that our conformity, our effort, and our aim is to commune with Him continually. We must keep fresh our consciousness of His presence with us. Psalm 16:8 says, "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Our thoughts through the day should turn again and again to Him. WE need to remember that we live and walk by faith. THE UNSEEN IS REAL; THE MATERIAL IS MERELY APPARENT. II Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (I John 1:7). "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16). The two verses quoted tell us that we are to walk in the light and we also are to walk in the Spirit. Only God's children can do that; all others turn a deaf ear. We walk in the light because we are children of light. We have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into His glorious light. Note Colossians 1:12-13. We as His children should continually yield and be filled with the Spirit that we overcome the lusts of the flesh. We are to remember that we walk by faith and not by sight, even though it would appear to be the opposite among many today. With God there is black and white; there is no gray area, or loop hole through which is compromise, or escape. We are saved by God's power, we begin to live in faith and not by sight, and consequently we are to walk, or conduct ourselves in this life according to God's word in a consistent manner that is both glorifying to Him and profitable to us. That is our reasonable service. The problem arises today in what is reasonable service and what exactly the "Christian" walk is and how to conduct ourselves in that manner. We live in a day and time, it is argued, that is different from when the Bible was given. That is ridiculous. God never changes, nor does His word. It is settled in heaven. People and their problems never change, only the scenarios which surround each group, or time period. You and I, as God's children, are to realize that God's plan and principles remain unchanged. As we said in the first part of this message, our walk, or conduct is two fold: Godward and manward. Our walk is to be obedient and pleasing to God and that walk is to be a witness to those about where ever we find ourselves. What does God tell us of this walk and its results? Although there are several others, I would like for us to look at just five aspects of walking with God in relation to God Himself, to one another, and to the church as found in chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Ephesians. I hope that these are not only familiar to you, but that you will meditate upon them much and endeavor to practice them all the more. I. WALK IN BALANCE AND UNITY Ephesians 4:1 says: "I therefore, the prisoner Of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." The next few verses speak of keeping the unity of the Spirit in peace. The Christian walk is to be a balance of the Scriptures. If it is not and one area is emphasized over another, wrong practice come about and many become open to the doctrines of demons and man made traditions. Our walk of balance and unity is always to be balanced by God, i.e. toward God and also toward the unregenerate. Because of the blessed truths of Ephesians chapters 1-3, we are admonished here in Ephesians 4:1 to walk worthy. The word used in the Greek is "axios" which means "equal weight" appropriately; hence our calling and conduct should be in balance, "being called to the fellowship of his Son." (I Corinthians 1:9). Hence the calling of each one of us is to the salvation of God through Christ, but also our calling is into the church. Our conduct then concerns both our personal life and our responsibility to other believers in the assembly. Humility, gentleness, and patience are to temper our conduct. II. WALK IN HOLINESS Ephesians 4:17 says: "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind." Please read the entire passage: Ephesians 4:17-24. We are not to act like the lost, nor are we to exhibit aspects of our former conduct as lost sinners. We are to put off the deeds of the old man. Holiness is a word we need to consider a great deal more as it pertains to our God and its out-working in our lives. Some of its practical aspects are seen here. We are to practice purity (young believers and old alike) and avoid the sins of verse 19. These things named here are visible among some called Christians. Sexual sins and moral degradation are widely accepted today because these are "modern times". God gives us no pardon in these sins except for I Corinthians 10:13 through the power of His Spirit. We are helpless to fulfill this walk without the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. III. WALK IN LOVE Ephesians 5:1-4 "Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints, Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." Although all five of these aspects of the believer's walk are based on love, Paul now tells us to walk in love. We are to reflect the love that God has put within us; remembering that we love Him because He first loved us. Our love, as the other two aspects of our walk, has two directions. The first is to God - "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." (Deuteronomy 6:5). Secondly, to one another - "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you." (John 15:12). it is because of this love that we are not to practice the self centered sinful vices of verses 3 and 4, but the self sacrificing love of verses 1 and 2. Beloved, a loving believer is one in whom the work of God's love has perfected, or matured him, or her. We are to reflect Him in this world. I John 4:17. IV. WALK IN THE LIGHT Ephesians 5:7-11 - "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8). We are changed persons. We are not to be partners, if you will, with those who are objects of God's wrath. We are not in darkness as are others. We are not to be involved with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but we are to expose them. Our lives are to reflect only the light as we discern from the Word what pleases Him and then the works of evil will be visible for what they are. I am convinced that the permissiveness of our present age has blinded many to evil that is so prevalent around us. Note verses 10 and 11. V. WALK IN WISDOM
Ephesians 5:15-21 "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not
as fools, but as wise," (Ephesians 5:15). We are to be wise and skillful
in making the right use of any opportunity in these evil days and thus please
the Lord. We are to walk carefully, accurately, exactly while not giving
occasion, for others to stumble (man-ward) and to please our Lord
(God-ward). We are to exhibit a Spirit filled life continually and not for
just a couple of hours a week. It is not an "on again", "'off again" option.
All of these aspects of walking with God are not for the purpose of being
someone who is spectacular, but this is for all of us. These are not options
that a believer might want to consider. We are to have a consistent, day
in, day out walk with our God that is based on love to Him and to one another.
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