Missions Message by Rev Tim Bell [37mb]

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This is a message given by Rev Tim Bell to kick off our "Missions Month" campaign to focus on the work of worldwide ministries. This is the first of four Sundays in which our church will be emphasizing missionary messages to remind us of our responsibility and privilege to spread the gospel and promote the Kingdom of God.

Tim did an excellent job describing how each and every one of us can be involved in reaching our world for Jesus. This was the emphasis requested by Pastor Les Rowan in order to start off in the right attitude for our Missions Month emphasis.

Walking with God - Part I [25mb]

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This is a sermon based on some selected verses of Scripture that utilize the word "walk" to describe how we are to live out the Christian life.

Genesis 5:22-24 “After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. ²³So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”

Introduction:

There are various words used in the Bible to represent the relationship that we humans can have with God. One of the words that appears often in the Bible to illustrate this relationship is the word, “walk.” The word “walk” is an excellent word that depicts the relationship through the analogy of walking down a definite path in a defined direction to a final destination. In the use of this analogy, there are a number of similarities and comparisons that can be made between physically walking and spiritually walking.

The references in the Bible regarding the concept of walking as it relates to spiritual life are too numerous for us to examine entirely in just one sermon. Therefore, we may have to revisit this topic again in the future and expand on it further. But for today I want to look at a few passages to see what God’s Word has to say about our spiritual walk with God.

In addition to the passage in Genesis regarding Enoch, I would like us to consider the passage in 1 John 2:6 as well. “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” In Genesis we have the record of one of the Patriarchs who is distinguished from all the others who are mentioned in the same passage by the description, “He walked with God.” In 1 John, we are admonished to walk just like Jesus walked.” In both of these passages as well as in most of the other references in the Bible, the word walk carries the idea of going about, living one’s life.

The word comes from a compound word meaning to tread all around, that is, walk at large (especially as proof of ability); figuratively to live, deport oneself, follow (as a companion or votary):—go, be occupied with, walk (about). This word carries the idea of living one’s life by following a certain direction or pathway that involves many choices and experiences that we call life.

Far too many people talk about being a Christian or being a believer in Jesus Christ as a once-in-a-lifetime event; or they may refer to a moment in the past that a decision was made; but they do not seem to give any indication that this decision is still on ongoing, active, or making an impact on their life.

However, the whole idea of walking with God as portrayed in the Bible is an on-going, vital relationship that includes many encounters with the Lord resulting in deliberate decisions that allow the believer to continue walking in the right path and in obedience to the will of God.

Let us examine some of the passages in the Bible that help us describe the Christian’s walk with God.

I.       The Christian walk is a walk of love.

Ephesians 5:2 – “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (NKJV)

Nothing else describes the Christian life as an ongoing relationship more than the word love. If you remove love from the equation, then being a Christian is nothing more than a religion of do’s and don’ts; a religion of rules and duties, but nothing more.

As soon as you start talking about love, then there is a relationship involved. Then you are talking about the inward affection toward another being which leads to certain kinds of behaviors that are intended to please the one you love. Love implies feeling, emotion, passion, along with other qualities such as sacrifice and commitment. It’s not just a mechanical performance of certain assignments, but its interaction; give and take; joy and pain.

The passage here in Ephesians 5:2 is specifically talking about Christians loving one another.

Love for God is taught in many other Scriptures, but here the Apostle Paul is admonishing the Ephesian Christians to love each other and to demonstrate it by their behavior towards each other. That behavior is modeled after and based upon the kind of love demonstrated by Jesus Christ (5:2b).

Notice that verse 1 in Eph. 5 starts with the word “therefore,” which links it to the closing verses of chapter 4. If you look back at 4:30 and ff. you will notice the kinds of behavior that Paul describes as the behavior of love. All of these essentially fit into what we have called the “Golden Rule” – Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

The Christian walk with God is on ongoing life of love.

II.      The Christian walk is a walk of faith.

This walk with God is not only a walk of love, but it is a walk of faith.

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

We have already spent a good bit of time talking about faith in previous sermons, but this verse is a reminder that the Christian walk with God is a life that is conducted by trust and conviction in the reality of the unseen.

In this context the Apostle Paul is specifically speaking about the contrast between living in this life and this world vs. living in the next life. To be in this life is to live (walk) by faith. When we leave this world and arrive in the presence of Jesus Christ, then we will be living (walking) by sight. The spiritual faith will become a physical reality.

The reference to Enoch in our Scripture from Genesis is referred to again in the 11^th chapter of Hebrews, where the faith of Enoch is highlighted. The implication of the passage is that Enoch’s walk with God was a walk of faith. Another reference in Romans 4:12 also relates to the walk of faith.

If you look at the context of this passage, the Apostle Paul is talking about the fact that Abraham was credited with righteousness on account of his faith before he received the sign of circumcision. Then, after he believed God’s promise, he received the sign (circumcision) to confirm his faith. His obedience in the requirement of circumcision was a confirmation that his faith was genuine and real.

Paul goes on to explain then that since Abraham was declared righteous by faith before the actual sign was completed, then he is legitimately the father of all who believe (walk in faith) whether they are Gentile (uncircumcised) or Jew (circumcised). In verse 12 he is saying Abraham is the father of the Jews (circumcision) because they walk in the steps of faith of Abraham (live by the same kind of faith he had).

Dear friends, we must constantly remind ourselves that this life is a continuous walk of faith. Faith is not just a one-time event to start off the Christian walk. It is also a daily choice to keep believing God’s Word and demonstrating our faith by outward behaviors and decisions.

There are some branches in the Christian church that teach the doctrine of eternal security, which means that salvation and heaven are guaranteed for every person that experiences a one-time event of putting faith in Christ for salvation. They say it doesn’t matter what happens after that, salvation cannot be lost or forfeited.

However, that is not the kind of faith that is described in the Bible. In God’s Word, salvation is never possessed without faith. And, as we have been describing, faith is more than a static event in our past; it is an everyday walk or activity. Paul says, “The just shall live by faith.” That is the same thing as saying, “The justified (saved) shall walk by faith.”

The implication in all of these references is that when a person quits believing, and stops demonstrating their faith through obedience to Christ, then salvation is no longer possessed. That is why there are so many warnings in the Bible and especially the New Testament for Christian believers to be on guard against the kinds of influences that rob a person of their faith.

Are you still walking in faith? Do you still truly believe the claims of Jesus Christ? Do you demonstrate your faith by obedience to His commands?

We're out of time for today, so we will have to continue this study in the future.

Conclusion:

I trust that we have been reminded about some vital truths regarding the Christian life. Living as a Christian and being a Christian is not just being able to say that there was a time when I asked God to forgive my sins and I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart; as important and necessary as that is.

Being a Christian is not just being able to say that I accept certain propositions about who Jesus is and what the Bible is; as important and necessary as that is. I hope that I have shown you in the word of God that the use of the term “walk” in relation to living the Christian life and “walking with God” means more that these static, historic moments in our past.

Repenting, asking forgiveness, believing the truth and accepting Christ are all vitally important and no one can become a Christian without doing all that. But, walking with God is a vital, on-going, everyday relationship that involves the kinds of choices we spoke about today.

It involves the choice to walk in love, which means loving God and our fellow man and demonstrating that love by our actions.

It involves the choice to walk in faith by daily accepting the truths from God’s word and believing that I can trust His principles and I can trust His promises.

What is your walk like?

Did you start walking with the Lord, then sit down (spiritually speaking) to wait for the Lord to take you home to be with Him? If you did, then I want to warn you that it doesn’t work that way. The only way you’ll be able to go home to be with the Lord is if you have been actively walking with Him in love, and faith and obedience. Heaven awaits those who have been daily walking with God in the pathway of faith that winds through all the mountains and valleys of life, and then ends up at the gates of glory.

The only way to walk it successfully is to walk close to Him.

Let us sing the closing hymn that is listed in our bulletins:

Close to Thee              Hymn #343