The Necessity Of Walking With God

9-16-’01 The Necessity of Walking With God

A. Armstrong

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." [Gatatians 5:25]

There is something within every man, woman, boy, and girl.

The Bible tells us that Jesus knew ‘what was in man.’

Whose we are determines ‘what is in us.’

And ‘what is in us’ is the evidence of whose we are.

The Bible says …

Jer 17:9

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Mark 7:21-23

21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

This is the fountain that is found in the unregenerate man.

Sin and wickedness, which like a deluge has overflowed the world, are only so many streams running from this dreadful contagious fountain.

Sadly, we all were the enemies of God when we were yet sinners.

Not necessarily because we wanted to be the enemy of God, but it was inherent in us.

Therefore, though we might have desired to be good, we were not.

The root [seed] that was in us was bad, therefore, the fruit that we produced was also.

And we, because of the blindness of sin,didn’t know we were in such a state.

Eph 2:2-3

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

That’s where we were. That’s what we were. That is whose we were.

Eph. 2:4-5

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ…

We were so miserably and hopelessly lost, but God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.

What we were was enmity against God, and we could not walk with him as long as we remained in that state.

And everyone who knows this, will readily acknowledge, that before a person can be said to walk with God, the prevailing power of this heart-enmity must be destroyed: for…

Amos 3:3

3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

2 Cor 6:14

what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Our lesson today is freedom from sin’s power. And the key to walking free from sin once you have been forgiven, is to ‘walk with God.’

Walking with God not only implies, that the prevailing power of the enmity of a man’s heart is taken away, but also that he is actually reconciled to God the Father, through the righteousness and atonement of Christ.

Jesus is our peace as well as our peace-maker. When we are justified by faith in Christ, then, but not till then, we have peace with God. Consequently we cannot claim to walk with Him until we have been justified by faith in Christ.

Walking with a person is a sign of friendship.

Even just going for a walk with a person would indicate that you were friends with that person. But this walk is greater than just going out for a stroll.

I have gone for a stroll with my neighbor, but we are in no way agreed [or one].

This walk is day by day; to and fro; up and down…

keeping apace of; be continually conversant with.

And for this kind of walk, two must be agreed… of one mind… of one spirit.

The Bible tells us concerning God‘s Spirit, that he is...

John 14:17

17 …Spirit of truth; …dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

And if he abides with us and in us, then indeed are we in agreement with God.

The Holy Ghost doesn’t come to spend the night with you and pass on in the morning. [That is what evidently some think who believe they can shout on Sunday and sin on Monday.]

He isn’t here on vacation; to spend a few days or weeks with you.

When he comes, he moves in lock, stock, and barrel.

He is the house guest who is coming to stay. And this one we want to stay. My mom always said you should let your company decide when you are wanting to do something. And although that didn’t always work out well in the physical world, because they didn’t always make good choices, this guest will never make the wrong choice. He will always want to do the ‘good’ thing.