Walking with God
Prayer-
Good morning
I have to tell you I am ready to hear from the Lord! Amen?
I come to every service with this attitude… what do you want to say to me today Lord. I come with an expectation that He will speak to us. I believe it is His desire to speak and is not unusual for Him to do these things if you have a close enough relationship with him to hear when he is talking.
I am amazed at stories of the Lord speaking to people and then listening to the things that He does.
Abraham- where the Lord spoke to him and said go to a land that I will show you and Abraham left his town of UR.
Joshua and Caleb investigating the promise land where 10 out of 12 spies sent out said that the people in the land were giants and they could not possessed the land that God himself had promised them. Only two of them stood on God’s promise.
Another familiar passage speaks of Enoch- “Enoch walked with God”
That the title of the message and theme- walking with God
Enoch walked so close to God that God took him home and he did not taste death.
I am not saying that you can walk so close to God that you would never die but I will say that I desire to be in a relationship that would be that intimate with the Lord.
The original Hebrew meaning of ‘walking” was walking with God, talking to God, and drawing close to God. If you want that kind of relationship- just walking won’t get it- you have to be walking, talking and drawing close to God.
I want that kind of relationship with the Lord don’t you?
We think it impossible because of all the distractions and opposition.
It is possible- so what keeps us from that close of a relationship? We do!
Enoch walked with God- better said Enoch learned to walk with God-
He lived in a wicked society.
He was not born in a time where everyone loved God.
He had children, a wife, a job, a ministry. He had obligations and responsibilities.
Enoch choose not to be a part of the people who refused God, but choose heavenly things over earthly things.
The wicked world had it lust, hardness, and distractions, but Enoch choose to walk with God.
He had no complete Bible like we have
He had no song books, phone apps that play your favorite worship songs.
He did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit in his life to daily direct him. The Holy Spirit fell on someone for a task and after Pentecost the Spirit of God dwelled with believers.
Yet scripture said that He knew God!
I am guessing before Paul that Enoch learned to die to self and walk with God and let God direct his path.
Hebrews 11:5 says that ‘Enoch walked with God and that he pleased God”
What was it about Enoch that pleased God? What pleases God? His walk with God produced faith and God loves faith.
Faith moves God!
Impossible things happen when people have radical life changing faith that God can do some amazing things in our lives.
Miracles still happen.
Throughout history- people who walk close with God are going to be a part of the solution not the problem.
The glass half full people are the ones that get God’s attention.
If the church universal was a church walking with God, having conversation with God, the result would be people of faith- and people of faith would be changing this world for the better instead of watching the world beat us and pollute our thinking.
What happen in Genesis 3:8?
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, where are you? ”
God knew where they were and what had happen.
They had stopped walking with God and they hid from God because of what they did while they were walking away from God.
This world is walking away from God and as they do they do things displeasing to the Lord and are forced to hide because they have sin in their life.
Their eyes weren’t opened like the devil promised, they were deceived and they were found naked and separated from God.
They tried to fix it themselves- anyone try to fix it themselves and bad things get worse.
“Adam and Eve were both naked and felt no shame’- that is what God says about their relationship with Him after they decided to no longer walk with God
Cursed! Separated and without God.
Cursed in child bearing!
Cursed in labor. Every weed that you have to pull out of the ground should remind you that sin will cause you pain and is the result of the fall of man.
Aren’t you glad it doesn’t stay there- separated and not able to walk with God and have a relationship with Him.
Because of what Jesus has done allows us to freely walk with God and restored that relationship.
Walking with Jesus! Is much more than a song we sing, it is a lifestyle and it is a relationship.
Genesis 3:8 man stopped walking with God and hid himself because of sin- Jesus on the cross and His resurrection gave us redemption that we can again walk with God and have a relationship.
Over 80 Scriptures in the bible reference walking with Jesus in some manner.
Walking with Jesus
Walking in the light
Walking in the truth
Walking in obedience
Walking in his love
Walking with Him does not mean it will always be easy, but it is possible and there are many blessings and benefits from it.
Even in everyday people, (you and I) God has blessed us for walking with Him and He used them to build kingdom and give God honor and glory.
Quotes
“Those who walk with God always reach their destination”- Henry Ford
“If I walk with the world, I cannot walk with God”- D.L. Moody
“Smart men walked on the moon, daring men walked on the ocean floor, but wise men walked with God.”- Leonard Ravenhill
What does the Bible say? If God has given us commands to walk, obey and follow Him- then He has got to give us directions on how we can do that! Amen!
Romans 13:13- “Lets us walk with decency, as in the daylight; not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy.”
The one that claims he resides in God ought to walk as Jesus walked.
None of us are perfect but the more you walk with God, the less you are going to fall.
So let me point out some ways that help us walk with the Lord- there are many but let me highlight a few in the time left.
Make sure you are going in the same direction as the Lord
Being on the same road but going in a different direction would not be walking with the Lord.
If you are not walking with the Lord- you are walking away from the Lord.
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
The right direction is always the way the Lord is moving!
When we are walking with God- we are traveling in same direction and we find (1) Harmony (2) Unity/Oneness (3) Community
When we know God’s Word and what God says about something and we disagree and do our own thing- we are walking away from God and we lose the three elements that draw us close.
Walking with God gives us assurance of His presence and power in our lives.
Psalm 23:4- “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Those walking with Him can walk without fear that He would leave us.
It is not truth because we have no challenges- it is true because He goes with us in those frightening times.
The shepherd’s presence guiding and protecting.
With the shepherds crook, a rod and a staff- a staff to gentling bring back a wayward sheep as he drifts away and moves toward danger. A rod, that keeps the enemy away. A strength that is more than your own talents and abilities.
“I can do all things through Christ that gives me strength.”
Why would you want to do things in your own strength when the power and protection of the Lord is available for the asking?
Illustration
You are in need of a new vehicle, you go to the car lot and see the car that you would like to test drive, but the lot is closed and the car is locked and you have to look at it from the outside only. It may look good, but you don’t know if it is a good car. (2) you see the car you want and the car salesmen comes over and begins trying to close the deal on the car but you tell him you want to test drive the car and “look under the hood”. The car salesmen says this is a great car but it only has one thing wrong with it- it does not have an engine- we can give you an engine but it will be more money or you can push the car wherever you want to go. Neither of the options are good ones.
Why would you want to walk in your own strength? It is like living in this world and having a car with no motor- you may be able to push it awhile but it won’t get you far.
Second, it is not what the car is designed to do- God has not created us to only operate in our own power but in the power of the Holy spirit working in our lives.
Some of us look good- the outside is all cleaned up and looks ready to go but we have no engine- no power. We are not doing what we were created to do.
A car that don’t run is a car not doing what it was created to do.
Walking with God keeps us out of the darkness
Your word Lord is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path- Psalms 119:105
It is God’s light that keep us on the right path and able to keep us from stumbling.
1 John 1:7- “But if we walk in the light as he is the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
The contrast of light and darkness amazes me- Jesus is the light and where the light is there is no darkness. It can be pitch dark out and you light a match and it is no longer darkness.
God is light evil is darkness and the two cannot dwell in the same place.
It applies to us walking with God that the light of God is in our lives and it applies as we live with each other- the light should dispel the darkness and when darkness comes, we shed the light of Christ.
No one who claims Christ and claims walking with God should desire to walk in darkness- no believer should want to walk away from the Lord.
There are ways that the lord speaks to us as we are in the light to lead and guide us-
His Word- He speaks to us through the Word- it is a guidebook, a book of warnings, encouragement, and promises. There are some things that God speaks to all of us through the word.
Prayer- the time that we get with the Lord and He speaks to us as well as us speaking to Him. Make sure that the time of prayer is not only one sided- us speaking to Him asking him and telling him what we need. Make sure there is time everyday that He gets a chance and you are listening for Him to speak to you personally.
Through others- we need mentors and encouragers- those people God puts on our path to guide us. This all happens while we are walking with the Lord.
Close-
Some this morning are away from God- you are out of step- you need right now to come back and repent and again begin to walk with the Lord- you know better, you choose to walk away and now you need to come back.
For some, you have never walked with the Lord- you have asked the Lord to be savior but you have never asked Him to be Lord. This morning come and allow Him to refresh and strengthen you because you have tried to do everything in your own strength and you are tired and weary.
Some of us, know the Lord, walk with the Lord, but it has been a long time since you and the Lord had spoken to the things of the heart- with life, you have drifted apart and what you long for is relationship but you didn’t know where to begin- today, just ask Him to walk and talk with you and draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.
If you are listening by internet this morning- rosedalenazarene.org and we will put you in touch with someone who can help you with your relationship with the Lord.
Prayer-
