sermonette: Walking With God

Five Things Required For Walking With God
Clyde Finklea
Given 08-Nov-03; Sermon #637s; 14 minutes

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We're going to begin in Genesis 5. If you'll be turning there, please. Genesis 5 will begin in verse 21. Where it says that Enoch lived 65 years and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God, 300 years and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were 365 years. And Enoch walked with God, and he was not for God, for God took him. Now Enoch, it says twice here that Enoch walked with God. Now there is two men in the Bible that this is mentioned about and the other one being Noah. Now just what does it mean to walk with God? When we think about walking, We think about placing 1 ft in front of the other, moving from one destination to another. Webster defines walking as moving on the legs with a slow pace. Actually, when I think about walking, I think about my granddaughter Ilana. 15 months and she just started walking this past week. So we are all, we were all excited about that. But in the scripture The words walk walked. Walk it and walking. It's translated over 400 times in the new in the new King not New King James, but the King James version. The majority of the time, it refers to a particular course of life, the way in which we live and act or behave. The phrase walk with God. Is rendered in the septuagin as pleased God. We know that from the book of Hebrews, that Enoch, please God, and we will see this a little later on. Now I have 5 things that are required to walk with God. Righteousness, faith, uprightness, humility, and commitment. So let's begin to look at these. We'll look at the first one righteousness. This is not self-righteousness, which is, which um Isaiah calls filthy rags, but is the imputed righteousness of God. It says in Genesis 15:6 that Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Let's turn to Romans 4. And we will look at that from this, from the New Testament point of view. Romans the 4th chapter. We'll start in verse 3. It said for what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And then in verse 10, how then what, how then was it accounted? While he was circumcised or uncircumcised, not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised, and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he still, while still uncircumcised, that he might be the Father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to to them also. And in verse 21 and being fully convinced that what he had promised. He was also able to perform and therefore it was accounted to him or imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus, our Lord from the dead, who was delivered because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification. Now it also says in Psalm 119 and 172, you do not have to turn there, that all God's commandments are righteousness. So righteousness has to do with obeying God. With obeying God's law, living by and conforming to every word that proceeds from God. Now the second requirement for walking with God is faith. If you would please turn with me to Hebrews. Hebrews 11 We'll begin in verse 5 and 6. We'll read verses 5 and 6. Whereas by faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him, for before he was taken, he had this testimony that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Now we must believe in the fact that God does exist and that He is the sovereign Almighty eternal God. If we back up just a little bit in Hebrews and chapter 10 verse 38. We have a command here. It is now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him. So we see there is a command that we shall live by faith. To walk with God, we must trust in Him with all our heart, with all our being, and not leaning toward our own understanding. We must know that God loves us and we will perform what He says He will perform. Now These first two requirements for walking with God actually represent the first and great commandment. And loving God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind. We show our love to God by obeying Him. And believing what he says. Now, the next two requirements for walking with God will actually represent the second great commandment, which is loving our neighbor as ourselves. So the third requirement for walking with God is uprightness. Enoch Must have been a man of integrity. Governed by high moral principles, and so must we if we are to walk with God. An upright person is one that is honest and just in social dealings. One that loves mercy and shows compassion toward others. If you would, let's turn back to Isaiah 57. Isaiah 57 1. Says the righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart. Merciful men are taken away while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil or from the face of evil or from the evil to come. Like Enoch. It says that God took him. He lived a mere 365 years. That's a year of years. I do not know if that means anything. But he lived in a generation of men who lived to be 800 and 900 years old. But Enoch was taken, I believe, because his persecutors will probably want plant plotting to kill him. So God took him and put him to rest. And it says in verse 2 that he shall enter into peace that is in death. They shall rest in their beds that awaiting the resurrection, each one walking in his uprightness. Now the 4th thing required for walking with God is humility. A truly humble person will not be afflicted with that common disease known as inflated ego. When we walk with God, the ego of the eye will diminish to its proper limits. And then the words of the apostle Paul in Galatians 6:3 will be understood. If anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Let's turn now to Mica 6. My a 6 and verse 8. Micah chapter 6 and verse 8. It says he has shown you, oh man, what is good and what does the eternal require of you but to do justly. To love mercy or loving kindness. And to walk humbly with your God. We see that all who walk with God are required to walk humbly with Him. A humble person is gentle. Jesus himself said that he was gentle and lowly in spirit. A humble person should be bold and aggressive for doing God's will, but never contentious, contentious or hostile. They should be poor in spirit. Never thinking more highly of themselves than they ought. There is just no room for arrogance, pride, or jealousy in the heart or mind of the person who walks humbly with God. Proverbs 15:33 states that before honor is humility. Now the last the last requirement for walking with God. His commitment Total commitment is called for. Psalm 375 says we are to commit our ways to the Lord and trust in Him. This means that the whole person's spirit, body and soul is placed figuratively on the altar of God as a living sacrifice. So walking with God, we see requires 5 things righteousness, faith. Uprightness, humility, and commitment. Now let's close by turning to Psalm 15. Psalm 15, we are going to read the whole psalm. Because this psalm actually includes all the requirements for walking with God. Verse one, it says eternal. Lord, who shall abide or live in your tabernacle? Who shall dwell or rule in your holy hell or your holy government? And then now it gives the answer. He who walks uprightly and works righteousness. You see that is loving neighbor and loving God. In fact, right there, it covers the first two commandments, and he speaks the truth in his heart because he's faithful. Faith has to be tied in with those commandments, with loving God and loving our neighbor. He does not backbite or slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor. Nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor. Now this is interesting here because you have two words translated neighbor and there are two different words. The first neighbor. Refers to Um, those that are nearest to us, like a husband and wife children, brother and sister, mother and father, and so on. The second neighbor actually refers to your next door neighbor, your friends, your acquaintances. Those that you may be associated with. In verse 4, it says, in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the eternal. He has sworn to his own heart, and he does not change it. He does not put his money out for interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. And this is because it takes a humble person to do this, to be this way. And he who does these things shall not be moved forever, and this takes total commitment. So our fellowship with God reaches its highest form. When we are walking with him. Doing his will and enjoying his presence and all the business of life.