"Walking With God"

Friday night, April 9th, Ronny used Genesis 5:21-24 as the text for his sermon.

The phrase "walking with God" was another way of saying somebody was consistent with following God. Every day we ought to live as though we've gotten bad news causing us to grow closer to God.

Hebrews 11:5,6 talks of Enoch, who walked with God and never saw death. God took him. The scriptures say he walked with God.

1. Walking with God always involves walking by faith.

2 Corinthians 5 tells us our earthly house or tabernacle is our body. But while the physical body is visible, the soul is invisible. Faith isn't based on sight. It's based on faith in God's Word. We choose to live according to God's rule when we we decide to walk by faith.

2. Walking with God is walking in the light.

1 John 1 teaches that sinful people can't have fellowship with God. The implication is that only perfect people can have fellowship with God. Only forgiven people have fellowship with God.

- We realize we're cleansed by the blood of Christ and we know we're walking in the light.
- We have the intercession of Christ and we know we're walkikng in the light.
- Atonement of Christ breaks down the barrier preventing our fellowship with God.

Ephesians 5:8 and Ephesians 4:1 tell us about being the children of light and walking worthy of our calling.

We can't walk with God if we're not obedient to God where the blood of Christ can continue to cleanse us from our sin. God forgives Christians of sins that we repent of and that we confess to Him. Walking in the light involves our sincere effort to avoid sin. Psalms 119:105 and 2 Corinthians 4:4

3. Walking with God is walking by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:13, 16 contrasts walking in the Spirit with walking in the lust of the flesh.

Liberty in Christ never permits sinful living.

We're able to walk in the Spirit because God's Word tells us what God wants. The apostles and prophets were guided by the Holy Spirit in order to reveal God's Word. John 16:13 and John 14:23

When we reproduce the works of the Spirit, we're walking with God. The works of the Spirit eliminate hatred or poor behavior toward our brethren.

I cannot hate my brother and walk with God at the same time. I cannot be harsh with my brother and walk with God. I can't divide the Church and walk with God.

We should all be concerned with our behavior toward one another.

4. We walk in newness of life when we walk with God.

Romans 6 In the act of baptism we die to sin, then arise to walk in newness of life. The old man is the unconverted sinner. His life was unrighteous because he was not yet obedient to the commands of the Gospel.

Ephesians 2:1-3 and Ephesians 4:22 contrast walking according to the course of this world and walking with God.

We put off behaviors common to the old man once we obey the Gospel. Col. 3:5, Rom. 6:6, 12

Before obedience, sin reigned in our lives. But in obedience we put away a devotion to self and sin. We put off the behavior of the old man and put on the behavior of the new man. Eph. 4:22 and Col. 3:12

In Eph. 4:25 the apostle Paul contrasts the behavior of the old man versus the behavior of the new man. When we are "crucified with Christ" it brings about a new man.

Ronny spoke of burying the hatchet, but leaving the handle sticking out so we can conveniently grab it whenever we want. Sometimes we allow the old man to creep back into our behavior when we deal with our brethren in spiteful ways.

5. We walk circumspectly when we walk with God.

Ephesians 5:15, 16

This means "to look around on all sides" or "to walk accurately or exactly." Ronny told us the original language signifies walking so carefully as to be like a tight rope walker who measures every step carefully. We should approach our Christian walk with the same precision and concern.

Redeeming the time is also part of walking circumspectly. We can't actually buy up time, but rather we can take advantage of our opportunities. Redeeming the time means we pay the necessary price (sacrifice) to use our time wisely. The word "time" (as used in "redeeming the time because the days are evil") doesn't refer to chronological time, but rather a season of opportunity. In our lifetime of opportunities we have to seize every advantage because the days are evil.

Clearly, the sermon exhorted us all to walk with God. We want to see heaven and only those who walk with God will achieve that.