WALKING FOR OUR LIFE AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST
Philippians 3:16-19 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. 17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
PROPOSITION: THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A LIFESTYLE WE WALK, NOT A PLACE WE STAY.
INTRODUCTION: THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE ARE PRESENTED WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT VARIOUS CAUSES BY WALKING. CANCER, KIDNEY RESEARCH, ETC. ALL OF THESE ARE GOOD, NO, GREAT CAUSES WORTHY OF OUR SUPPORT. AND THE RESULT OF THESE EFFORTS HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS PROGRESS IN THE SEARCH FOR CURES TO THESE DEVASTATING DISEASES. YET, A WORTHY AS THE ENDEAVORS ARE, THERE IS ONE WALK THAT SURPASSES THEM ALL. IT IS THE WALK WE ARE TO HAVE AS BELIEVERS. FOR THIS IS THE ONLY WALK WITH SPIRITUAL, AND THUS, ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES.
TRANSITION: SO IN OUR TIME THIS MORNING, LETS LOOK AT WHAT KIND OF WALK WAS SHOULD BE WALKING.
I. A DIFFERENT WALK
a. WALKING REVEALS A LOT ABOUT OUR CHARACTER
i. IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE WE HAVE DOZENS OF WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OUR WALK
1. PROUD PEOPLE WALK ERECT
2. COWARDS SLINK
3. HEROES WALK WITH CONFIDENCE
4. VILLAINS SLOUCH, SLINK OR CREEP
5. AND OF COURSE, PIRATES SWAGGER
ii. ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, THE ZULU LANGUAGE HAS AT LEAST 120 DIFFERENT WORDS TO EXPRESS TYPES OF WALKING
b. THE MANNER OF WALK COMMUNICATES SOMETHING IN EVERY CULTURE AND SHOULD BE A PART OF OUR COMMUNICATION AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST.
TAKE A MOMENT TO ASK YOURSELF, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WALK AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST?
c. FOLLOWING CHRIST IS ALL ABOUT WALKING
i. WE ARE TO WALK WORTHY OF OUR CALLING – EPH 4:1
ii. WE ARE TO WALK WISELY – EPH 5:1
iii. WE ARE TO WALK WITH RESPECT – 1 THESS 4:12
iv. WE ARE TO WALK IN THE LIGHT – 1 JOHN 1:7
v. WE ARE TO WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY – EPH 5:15
d. WE HAD A FORMER WALK
i. WAS A WALK AWAY FROM CHRIST
ii. REDEMPTION CHANGES OUR WALK
1. DIFFERENT
2. REVERSAL OF STANDARDS
3. BEGINNING OF DISCIPLESHIP
e. WE ARE ASKED TO WALK THE EXAMPLE WE HAVE SEEN IN PAUL
i. THE PHRASE, “KEEP LIVING”
1. MEANS TO “KEEP IN LINE”
2. MEANS TO “KEEP IN STEP”
3. ORDERLY WALK FOLLOWING SOMEONE ELSE
ii. WE ARE BEING ASKED TO BE FAITHFUL IN WHAT WE KNOW
1. WE RUN INTO TROUBLE WHEN WE TRY TO MOVE BEYOND WHAT WE KNOW AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST
a. EVEN GOT INTO THAT PROBLEM
b. WE WILL ALSO
2. DOES NOT MEAN WE STOP LEARNING, MEANS WE MOVE WITH OUR LEARNING.
MY GRANDSON HAS BEEN TAKING SWIMMING LESSONS, AND JUST RECENTLY FINISHED ANOTHER ROUND OF LESSONS. I MUST SAY THAT HE HAS IMPROVED. HE HAS WORKED HIS WAY FROM HAVING MULTIPLE FLOAT ASSIST ON HIS BELT TO NOW ONLY NEEDING ON SMALL ONE, AND THAT IS ONLY TO HELP HIM WHEN HE GETS TIRED. HE HAS YET TO LEARN HOW TO SURVIVAL FLOAT.
JUST AS MY GRANDSON IS MOVING FORWARD LEVEL BY LEVEL, LEARNING AS HE GOES AND GETTING GREATER CONFIDENCE, SO WE SHOULD IN OUR WALK WITH CHRIST.
WE HAVE A MODEL, AND AS WE “WALK IN STEP” WITH THAT MODEL, OUR CONFIDENCE AND PROFICIENCY GROWS, AS WELL IT SHOULD.
f. IN FACT THE WRITER OF PSALMS, AT THE VERY BEGINNING, EXHORTS US IN THIS VERY ACTIVITY OF WALKING
Psalm 1:1-2 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
i. DO NOT WALK IN THE WRONG PLACES
ii. DO NOT STOP WALKING IN THE RIGHT PLACES TO STAND IN THE WRONG PLACES.
iii. MAKE SURE YOU CAN GET TO THE RIGHT PLACE IN YOUR WALK SO YOU DO NOT CHOOSE TO REST IN THE WRONG PLACE.
WE ALL HAVE HORROR STORIES OF THAT ONE HOTEL WHERE WE STAYED AND REGRETTED IT!
II. A MUTUAL WALK -- 3:17
a. “JOIN IN AND FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE”
i. THE FIRST PART MEANS TO IMITATE AND OBEY
ii. THE SECOND PART MEANS TO HAVE A MODEL OR BLUEPRINT
iii. PUT THEM TOGETHER, WE ARE TO WALK WITH PAUL, IMITATING HIM AND THE MODEL HE HAS GIVEN FOR FOLLOWING CHRIST
b. BELIEVERS SHOULD NEVER WALK ALONE
i. WE SHOULD WALK BY MODEL – JESUS AND PAUL
ii. WE SHOULD WALK AS A BODY – INTERDEPENDENCY
c. IN FACT THE WORD, “WALK” MEANS TO WALK IN A ROW
i. A WALK OF ORDER
ii. A WALK OF HARMONY
1. HARMONY DOES NOT EXISTS ON ITS OWN
2. HARMONY ONLY EXISTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOMETHING ELSE
A HARMONY OF ONE VOICE IS A MELODY
A HARMONY OF MARRIAGE WITH ONLY ONE PARTNER IT SINGLENESS
d. AS FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST, WE MUST ALWAYS WALK CONCIOUS OF THOSE AROUND US.
i. DISCIPLESHIP
ii. STUMBLING
iii. MINISTRY
1. HOW MANY OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT INVOLVE OUR INTERACTION WITH SOMEONE ELSE AND WHAT THEY ARE GOING THROUGH AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST?
III. A DETERMINED WALK
a. THE CHOICES TO WALK DIFFERENT FROM WHAT PAUL IS ENCOURAGING ARE MANY
i. DELIBERATE WORD
ii. BRINGS US BACK TO THE WORDS OF THE LORD WHERE HE WARNS THAT THE WAY OF SALVATION IS NARROW, BUT THE WAY OF DESTRUCTION IS BROAD.
b. THERE ARE FAR MORE WALKS THAT WILL TAKE US FAR FROM THE SAFETY OF CHRIST THAN WILL EVER BRING US TOWARDS IT.
c. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WALKING AWAY FROM AND NOT WITH CHRIST
i. BEING AN OPPONENT OF THE GOSPEL
1. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE WE ARE GOING ABSOLUTELY NUTS ABOUT NOT OFFENDING OTHERS
a. WE REMOVE FLAGS
b. WE REMOVE CROSSES
c. WE REMOVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
2. WE WERE ALREADY TOLD THAT THE CROSS WOULD BE AN OFFENSE
a. IT OFFENDS FAR MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE IT OFFENDS THE VERY NATURE OF SIN THAT WOULD KEEP US LOST AND THE VERY DEVIL HIMSELF WHO WOULD PREFER TO SEE US I HELL.
3. SO, WHEN A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST GETS TO THE POINT THAT THEY DO NOT WANT TO SHARE THE GOSPEL OR ENCOURAGES OTHERS NOT TO SO AS NOT TO OFFEND THEN WE ARE NOT WALKING WITH CHRIST!
ii. NOT WALKING WITH CHRIST IS WALKING TOWARDS DESTRUCTION
1. NOW, WE ALL KNOW THAT ONCE WE HAVE TRUSTED CHRIST AS SAVIOR WE ARE SECURE IN THAT REGARD.
2. WHAT WE ALSO KNOW IS THAT THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR THE LORD WILL BE TESTED.
a. GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS STONE – WILL BE REFINED
b. WOOD, HAY, AND STUBBLE – WILL BE CONSUMED
3. WE WILL HAVE EITHER LIVED OUR LIFE FOR CHRIST OR WASTED (THAT IS WHAT THE WORD MEANS) OUR LIVES FOR CHRIST – ALL BECAUSE OF OUR DIRECTION!
iii. NOT WALKING WITH CHRIST IS FOCUSED ON OUR BELLIES
1. WE LOOKED AT THIS IN A DIFFERENT WAY WHEN WE SPOKE ABOUT WEEK FAITH BEING A FAITH BASED ON WHAT I HAVE IN MY HAND – A FAITH BASED ON CONSUMABLES.
2. SIMILAR HERE – THE ONLY CONCERN IN SATISFYING OUR APPETITES
iv. NOT WALKING WITH CHRIST IS FOCUSING ON THE WORLDS STANDARDS FOR SUCCESS
1. CREDENTIALS
2. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
EVERYBODY IS WALKING IN THIS WORLD. IT IS THE DIRECTION THAT IS IMPORTANT
2 Corinthians 4:2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
WE HAVE TO WALK, …
IV. A DEPENDENT WALK
a. DEPENDENT ON THE POWER OF GOD
1 John 1:7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
b. DEPENDENT ON THE PRESENCE OF GOD
John 14:16 "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
c. DEPENDENT ON THE GRACE OF GOD
Psalm 84:11 (NASB)
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
SO, HOW IS YOUR WALK TODAY? RIGHT OR WRONG, YOU ARE WALKING. MAKE SURE YOU ARE WALKING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!
