An Honest Walk Series

INTRODUCTION:

We have begun a new sermon series on walking by faith, not by sight. We are dealing with the

walk or experiences of the Christian after conversion - what he should expect his life to be like. Last

week we saw that this walk of faith should be a new walk every day. Today, we’ll see it as an honest

walk.

READ 2Co 5:7; Rom 13:12-14

The old evangelist, Charles Finney, says, “ a person who is dishonest in little things isn’t really

honest in anything.”

Some people are like Ken, the struggling student, who, during an exam was asked by his

teacher, “how close are you to the right answers?” He replied, “About two seats.”

Other people merely think they are honest, like Grandma, who had been sitting in the back seat

quietly for some time. Finally she spoke up: “Honestly, I told them, Sherriff, that we would never get far

in a stolen car.”

Still others are like Dennis the Menace. He caught his friend Joey trying to get a paper out of the

machine without paying any money. He said, “Wait, Joey. First you have to put in the money... and then

you can get all the papers you want.”

Finally, there are those who are brutally honest. The elderly woman was talking to a little girl,

“How do you do, my dear?” The girl replied very politely, “Quite well, thank you.” After a long pause, the

lady asked, “Why don’t you ask me how I am?” The child paused and said calmly, “Because I’m not

interested.”

These humorous quips are fun, and we might find ourselves in them a bit. But that is merely

honesty as we are used to thinking about it. Today, we need to take this honesty issue a bit further.

John Phillips says of this passage in his book, “Exploring Romans”...

“Walk, incidentally, has to do with the outward life of a Christian which men see. A Christian’s

behavior shoudl be such that none can find fault with it. How do our lives stand in the light of God’s

word? Can anyone find fault? The honest walk is one that is becoming of a Christian. There used to be

a dry-cleaning company that advertised saying, ‘If your clothes aren’t becoming to you, they shoudl be

coming to us.’ Is our conduct becoming to us as believers? Can we stand the full light of day shining on

our behavior? Love’s moral conscience, quickened by the thought of our coming Lord, will surely

guarantee this.”

But this begs the question, Are we alive and alert to the moral conscience of which John Phillips

speaks? Have we only begun to consider that our behavior speaks to the world of our profession of

Christ?

Many people refuse to take Christ as their Savior for fear of having to give up too much sinful

pleasure. Indeed, the sinful pleasures must be given up. However, the true gospel includes the reality

that pleasure is part of the experience - just the absence of the sinful pleasures and excesses.

These three verses give us three different contrasts:

Works of darkness -- armor of light (v. 12)

Walking honestly, as in day -- rioting and drunkenness, chambering and wantonness, strife

and envying (v. 13)

Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ -- making provisions for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (v. 14)

There is an element of equality in these three verses, in which the works of darkness include the

list of behaviors we practiced before we were saved, and making provisions for them to continue after

salvation. Contrariwise, the armor of light is the same as walking honestly, and that is done by putting on

the Lord Jesus Christ.

This walk of faith is a daily, momentary walk for all to see. Many a Christian has fallen into these

things again after conversion, thinking that such is acceptable, or that grace will forgive it! Heaven

forbid. We are strongly urged here to walk honestly - as the person we say we are, not as the person

we WERE before Christ came to lead our lives.

Has Christ set you free of sin and the destruction that inevitably results from sin? You’ve been

forgiven and claimed Christ as your Lord, but do you do the deeds of the devil and not your Lord? Who

is truly your Lord?

So lets examine God’s Word and see what He has to say about it. What is right for the Believer?

What will please our Lord? What will Grieve Him.

The Honest Walk:

I. WHAT IT IS.

A. Put on the Armor of LIght -

1. Armor of God (Eph 6:11)

2. Armor or Righteousness (2Co 6:1-10)

- Doing what’s right because of Christ’s work in us.

B. Let Us Walk Honestly, as in the day