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 are going to begin in Genesis 5 starting in verse 21, where it says,

Genesis 5:21-24 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

It says twice here that Enoch walked with God. There are two men in the Bible that this is mentioned about, the other one being Noah.

Just what does it mean to walk with God? When we think about walking, we think about placing one foot 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 Alana; fifteen months old and she just started walking this past week. So we were all excited about that.

But in the Scriptures the words, “walk,” “walked,” “walketh,” and “walking,” are translated over 400 times in the King James Version and 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 Septuagint as “pleased God.” We know that from the book of Hebrews that Enoch pleased God. We will see this a little later on.

Now I have five things that are required to walk with God—righteousness, faith, uprightness, humility, and commitment. So let us begin to look at these.

We will look at the first one: righteousness.

This is not self-righteousness, which 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 us turn to Romans 4, and we will look at this from the New Testament point of view.

Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Romans 4:10-11 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 still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also.

Romans 4:21-25 And being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore "it was accounted 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 up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

It also says in Psalm 119:172 that all God's commandments are righteousness. So, righteousness has to do with obeying God—obeying God's law—living by and conforming to every word that proceeds from God.

The second requirement for walking with God is faith. Turn with me to Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:5-6 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.

We must believe in the fact that God does exist and that He is the sovereign Almighty Eternal God. Let us back up just a little bit in Hebrews to chapter 10, verse 38,

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

So we see the command that we shall live by faith. To walk with God, we must trust in Him with all our heart, with all our being, not leaning toward our own understanding. We must know that God loves us, and will perform what He says He will perform.

Now these first two requirements for walking with God actually represent the first and great commandment, 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.

The next two requirements for walking with God will actually represent the second great commandment, which is “Loving our neighbor as ourselves.”

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 be 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.

Turn back to Isaiah 57.

Isaiah 57:1 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 is 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. Enoch was taken, I believe, because his persecutors were probably plotting to kill him. So God took him and put him to rest. And it says in verse 2:

Isaiah 57:2 He shall enter into peace [death]; they shall rest in their beds [awaiting the resurrection], each one walking in his uprightness.

Now the fourth thing required for walking with God is humility.

A truly humble person will not be afflicted with that common disease known as an 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 us turn to Micah 6, verse 8.

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, 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 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 . . . and before honor is humility.

Now, the last the last requirement for walking with God is total commitment.

Psalm 37:5 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 five things: righteousness, faith, uprightness, humility, and commitment.

Let us close by turning to Psalm 15. We are going to read the whole psalm because this psalm actually includes all the requirements for walking with God.

Psalm 15:1-5 LORD, who may abide [live] in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell [rule] in Your holy hill? [And now the answer:] He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness [that is loving neighbor, and loving God, the two great commandments], and speaks the truth in his heart [he is faithful]; he who does not backbite [slander] with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the LORD; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change; he who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent [it takes a humble person to be this way]. He who does these things shall never be moved [taking total commitment].

So our fellowship with God reaches its highest form when we are walking with Him, doing his will, and enjoying His presence in all the business of life.