Genesis 5:24.
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Genesis 17:1.
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God, walk before me and be thou perfect. (Perfect--upright & sincere)
Enoch walked with God. In the verse preceeding we find a list of man after man that lived and begat sons and daughters and died. Then up comes a man named Enoch, and he is given honorable mention, set apart from the rest. Why?
Because he walked with God.
Enoch is not mentioned because of his military renown, or because he was a great king. The Bible doesn’t say he was a great statesman or a political leader or that he was a profound scholar or a fantastic preacher.
In fact we have only 9 verses in the Bible. Six in the old testament and three in the new of Enoch’s history.
His greatness is summed up in these words; That he pleased God.
And in Hebrews 11:5 it says that before he was translated he had this testimony; That he pleased God.
Sometimes on the road we ride for miles and never speak. Not because we are mad or anything. We are just tired or our thoughts are on other things, but there is still the comfort of the presence.
I thank God today that our victory doesn’t depend on how great an education we have. Our standing with God has nothing to do with our political backround or what race we come from, or who our parents were. Our victory is won by the blood of Jesus, and we have only to accept his gift and walk with him.
I want to speak to you today about:
1. What does it mean to walk with God?
2. What are the results of walking with God?
3. Can we do it?
1. What does it mean to walk with God?
I believe I could safely say that there are those here today that know the answer; some who know the presence of the Lord.
To walk with God is to live your life in the consciousness of his presence; in conscious fellowship with Him; to live in a real and constant companionship with Him.
You may be saying, "Dave, I can’t talk to God all the time."
Listen, I don’t talk to my wife all the time, but I am always conscious of her companionship.
To walk with God is to talk to Him, to hear His voice, to include Him in our daily lives, and to make Him a part of all that we do.
It is to become totally aware that the greater one dwells within; not sometimes, but all times.
To walk with the Lord is to go in the direction He chooses.
2. The results of walking with God.
A. Joy. Psalms 16:11 says, In thy presence is fulness of joy.
Acts 13:52 says, the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost.
People who are aware of God’s presence in their life always seem to find the joy and strength they need even in times of trial.
B. Security and peace are another result.
How safe does a child feel when he knows his Father is near, even at his side?
Psalms 16:7 says, because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Isaiah 41:10 says, fear thou not for I am with thee.
God told Isaac in Genesis 26:28 to sojourn in this land and I will be with you. Isaac’s enemies finally had to say; we saw certainly the Lord was with thee.
Please listen. To walk with God means I don’t have to summon him from some far country. He is already here, an ever present help in time of trouble.
C. Spiritual enlightenment.
According to Jude verse 14, Enoch prophesied the second coming of the Lord with ten thousand of his saints.
If you desire insight into the scripture, maintaining a constant fellowship with the Lord will bring what all the colleges in the land cannot.
I am not saying you don’t need to study and meditate the Word. The Bible tells us to study. Your study is a part of your fellowship. I am saying that study without fellowship is unprofitable.
The pharisees knew the law, but didn’t know God.
D. Walking with God brings holiness and cleanses the heart.
Many things we now do and many things we now say, we would not do or say if we became truly conscious of His presence.
We may escape the pastors eye, but the Lord is ever present. He saw and He heard.
To become truly conscious of this fact will change our actions.
You know we could go on and on about how walking with the Lord would change our lives, but we need to move to entering into that walk.
Your walk must start with the atoning blood of Jesus. The blood that tore down the middle wall of partition between God and man.
It must be a walk of obedience.
Jesus said, if a man love me he will keep my words.
Amos 3:3 says, can 2 walk together except they be agreed.
You see there are those who once walked with the Lord, who knew the presence of his Spirit everyday and every hour, but now know it no longer because of disobedience. Their joy is gone and their strength is gone, but the Lord is calling them back to fellowship and he is calling all Christians to a closer fellowship.
There are 4 great aids to walking with God.
1. Study his words. Realize that the words in the Bible are talking to us.
2. Prayer - Dialogue. Don’t just talk. Listen. Communication on a full time regular basis.
3. Thanksgiving. This nation we live in once openly gave thanks to God for our liberty and our bounty of blessings. America, America, we would sing, God shed his grace on thee. Now we give man and technology credit. Let us not fall short in the giving of thanks.
4. Worship. To lift up his name in Spirit and in truth.
God is calling each of us:
Come and walk with me.
Come and know my joy.
Come and let me lead.
Come unto me and find rest and peace for your soul.
