Walking With God

Introduction

And we have studied this morning in the auditorium class about hell. And that’s a very stirring study and really is a good springboard to the things that I want to say to you today. I always try to preach things that you’re going to be able to use in your life, but particularly, I believe this morning’s lesson is in that vein. And I want to start this morning with a question. And I want you to think about this question for a while in the introduction. I’m going to leave it up on the screen so that you can look at it. And here it is. The question is, how do I translate what we are doing in here today to how we live out there? I think it’s one of the struggles that we face, and all of us would acknowledge it.

I believe what we see in this place on any given Lord’s day is a collection of people who genuinely are sincerely devoting their minds to the Lord in worship and in study of his word. I believe that’s the kind of people that come to this place. There could be hypocrites for sure, but I believe that you are genuine and sincere in the expressions of your lips to God. But as we go out there away from this building and away from this collective worship together, there are struggles, there are difficulties. Putting our faith into practice. How are we going to get what we do in here out there? When we’re having a challenging day out there, what do we do? We need to pick me up. And that’s why in our culture we have the double shot of espresso.

And that’s really, as I thought about it this week. That’s really what we’re doing here on the Lord’s Day. We’re getting our spiritual double shot this morning and tonight. So that we can face the challenges out there. We need to see the first day of the week as a very significant day in our lives. But it is only one of seven. What about the other six? This sermon actually came to me Monday morning. Monday sometimes is a mental day off for me because, well, whether I want it to be or not, it is.

No, actually, I said, Tony. You just need to trust God on this. There are some things that we are incapable of doing. And regards to those things, we need to just hand them over to God and trust Him. And so I came to these thoughts in answer to this question. How do we translate what we do in here to how we live out there? And here’s really the answer. This is it in a nutshell. And Christina is so happy because I am preaching about her favorite verse in the Bible. And it’s in Genesis chapter 5. And it’s the story of Enoch in this really compelling chapter. This is about the ages of these first generations of men that lived upon the earth. And you start going down through this text, and Seth, the son of Adam and Eve, lived 930 years.

Well, actually, 912 years. Adam lived 930. Enosh lived 905. Kenan, 910. Mehelel, 895. And then we come all the way down at the end is Lamech. I like Lamech. His was 777. That’s a scriptural number. But who lived the longest, kids? Methuselah. Methelah lived 969 years. Poor Jared gets overshadowed. He lived 962. He was seven years short of Methuselah. But in the midst of these stories of these men who lived very long periods of time is a fellow who didn’t live nearly that long. He only lived 365 years. And his name was Enoch. And it says of him in verse 24 and Enoch walked with God. That phrase is only used of one other person. The next chapter. Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

It says, Noah walked with God. But here’s the thing. Enoch walked with God, and he was not. For God took him. He might have lived in 900 years. But God snatched him, took him. I’ll tell you, that’d be the sort of the way to go, isn’t it? God took him. God loved Enoch because of his godliness. How many times does he mention in the New Testament? Trivia question for this morning. Extra credit if you get it right. Actually, several times. In the lineage of Jesus in Luke the third chapter, he’s mentioned as it goes all the way back to Adam. Enoch is mentioned, of course, in Hebrews chapter 11, the great hall of faith in verse 5. But an interesting and curious reference, if you’re if you still have your string in Jude because we were in Jude in the Bible class, we read 12 and 13, verses 12 and 13 of Jude.

Actually, verses 14 and 15 mention Enoch. And it says, and about, and we know it’s him because it says, and about these also Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied. And Genesis doesn’t tell us this, but we know that he walked with God from Genesis. But he also prophesied, and Jude is telling us what he prophesied. Sometimes the New Testament does that, gives us more information than the Old Testament gives us about a particular person or event. Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment upon all. And to convict all the ungly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. A very valuable prophecy of the ultimate judgment of God.

You know one of the amazing things of Genesis chapter 5 is not just that God took it, but that he walked with God for 300 years.

Or twenty years, or 50 or 60 years. Enoch walked with God for three hundred years. That’s a long time. That’s impressive.

In here, two great things happen, more than that, but two great things. And this is why we should always value what we do here. One thing that happens every time that we’re here is that we have great thoughts of God. And we need that. Thoughts of God are ennobling and exalting. As we think about the one who made us and gives us life and sustains that life that we live each day. It is a great thing that we direct our thoughts to our Creator and our Redeemer. But another thing happens by design. The songs that we sing that stir us, the teaching that is done, the persuasion that comes from preaching out of the Word of God, those things evoke or cause or motivate desires to live in such a way out there.

That pleases Him. We receive conviction here. We’re stirred and motivated, at least we should be. And that’s what I want to accomplish when I preach and teach. I want to stir you unto the kind of life that pleases God, that enables you to walk with God like Enoch did. If God was so thrilled with Enoch, his example that he took him, don’t you want him to be thrilled with you?

And so I thought about this. How do we, you know, things that are higher, things that are nobler, these have allured my sight. That’s what happens on the Lord’s Day. From the song I Am Resolved. Things that are higher, things that are nobler, these have allured my sight. But how do we stay allured Monday and beyond? So I wanted to make this simple. I wanted to make this memorable. And so I came up with four words. We’re going to summarize all of these thoughts about what it really means to walk with God in four words. Surely we can remember four words. You can’t remember everything that I say in 30 minutes. But you can remember four words.

1. Godliness: Defined by God

So I want to talk to you about four words that will help you to walk with God like Enoch did. You’ve got to take these four words with you. And let me talk to you about them quickly this morning. The first word that we need to take with us throughout our lives each day is the word godliness. Remember, Enoch prophesied about judgment upon the ungodly. And so we need to be the opposite of that. We need to be godly. And we know what that is. This is not a very hard word to define. We are people who are defined by God. We’re about Him. We’re godly. How would we sum you up? I’m a godly person. I’m focused on God. Let me tell you what happens when people are not walking with God.

We cannot afford a day that is godless.

And I’m afraid that’s what happens to us. We can find God to a building, we can find God to a place and with these people, and we get out there on earth. Now the rest of that is my life. No. It is not. And that’s where these songs come in. This is my Father’s world. He speaks to me everywhere. I saw in that song. We cannot afford to live godless lives. So I’m not godless. I’m here every first day of the week. I’m religious. But if we go out there and narrow a thought ever enters our mind about the living God, we are living a godless life. And I want to tell you of all the horrible things that are said about some people who are bad examples in Scripture, to me, one of the most horrifying things that is said is what is said about Esau in Hebrews chapter 12.

When the summary of his life was he was a godless and immoral man. And that explains it. What was Esau’s problem? Did he not believe in the God of his father Isaac? Did he not believe in the God of his father Abraham? Sure he did. He did not doubt the existence of God, but Esau lived a godless life. He thought, oh, and I’ll tell you what happens when you live a godless life. You think only about yourself. And that’s why we have so many narcissists running around in our society. They’re living godless lives. And when you live a godless life, you think only about yourself. And that’s why when he was hungry and he came in from the field, he could sell something so precious and valuable as the birthright with its spiritual implications.

He could sell it for a single meal. Satisfying his hunger for a few hours. But he gave up the most precious thing of all. The spiritual birthright. The promises that God will fulfill in Christ. Tell you what we struggle with here.

Because we don’t want to do the mental work. That’s what I’m talking about this morning. We’re going to walk with God. There’s some mental exercise that’s necessary. I want you to look at Psalm 139 quickly. Psalm 139. This is a wonderful Psalm. We really need to read all of it, but we’re only going to read the first couple of verses. Then I want to show you. It actually starts back in the beginning. When he says in verse 17 of Psalm 139, how precious also are thy thoughts to me, O God. Whether that’s the thoughts that he had of God or the thoughts that come from His Word that speak to Him of God, He says, those things are precious to me. How precious also are thy thoughts to me, O God.

Those are the that’s the statement of a godly man. How vast is the total of them. How vast is the sum of them. And certainly any thoughts of God. They are vast in their proportions. But he’s saying, I have many of them. So many thoughts of God. If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. And then this. When I am awake, I am still with thee. That’s godliness. When I am awake, I am still with thee. He says, and it goes back to the very beginning of the Psalm when he says, You have searched me and known me. You know my lying down and my rising up, and you’re intimately acquainted with all my ways. Before there’s a word on my tongue, you know it altogether.

2. Out of Godliness Flows Holiness

God is intimately involved with my existence. He has closed me behind him before. We need to have these kinds of thoughts of God. So, what do we learn from Esau? I know we’re starting to, our bodies are starting to tell us, I’m hungry. It’s near lunchtime. But you eat lunch and you’re going to be famished again. What we’re talking about in the pursuit of godliness is a filling that is forever. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Word number one, we’ve got to go out there and be godly people, God focused, God concerned, not self-consumed people. What are you going to do about that? Are you going to walk with God? Secondly, out of godliness flows holiness. The right kind of thinking and character that is consistent with a walk with God.

That’s why I had John Lee. More holiness. Give me. And what I like about this song in particular is that we are invoking God’s help. And that’s what we need to do. If we are struggling in matters of purity, we must invoke God’s help. As Ross prayed earlier for our brother. We need to ask for God’s help in living holy lives. More holiness. Give me. Give me strength to overcome. Keep that hymn close to you. Memorize it. Refer to it often, if not daily. But there’s another song I wanted to link to this. Because let me tell you something about holiness.

There is a very real battlefield involved in holiness. And that’s why we sung soldiers of Christ arise. That imagery is sprinkled throughout the entire New Testament. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, God says, but mighty to the pulling down of fortresses, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 3 through 5. But why the battlefield imagery if it’s not carnal? Because we all understand the concept of war. It is a life and death struggle. One unfortunate moment and it’s your last. You’re dead. And that’s why he says, of soldiers in Ephesians 5, put Ephesians 6, put on the full armor of God. Take up the shield of faith, and that invokes God’s help. Take up the shield of faith, which is able to extinguish all the flaming missiles or fiery darts, the King James Version says, of the wicked one.

We’re on a battlefield, folks. If you thought this was going to be a picnic or a walk in the park, you’ve missed it.

Is because there’s a very real battle going on. We get so consumed in our circumstances that we forget this very fundamental truth about the battlefield. There are spiritual forces of darkness all around us. That’s what Paul is talking about in Ephesians 6. Forces that we cannot see who are plotting your destruction. We talked about that a little in the Bible class. Spiritual forces of darkness, the devil and his angels, they want to destroy you. He’s trying to tempt you. And if we could just see in the moment of temptation the spiritual battle that’s taking place. It is the battle for holiness, for truth, for purity, for goodness, for selflessness. Let me tell you what the devil does. He doesn’t say, well, Tim over here, he’s really strong, so now I’m going to attack him.

3. Confession: He's My King

That’s not the way he operates. He’s going to seek to destroy you when you are at your weakest. When you’re tired, when you’re hurting. When you’re in pain, when you’re vulnerable. That’s when he’s going to attack. That’s how lions do. It’s a battlefield, folks. And we’ve got to respect that. It’s a war out there. Two things godliness, holiness. That’s how we’re going to translate what we do in here to how we live out there. And three, the next word you’re going to need to take with you is the word confession. I serve the king. He’s my king. And oh, I dearly love him. My words that I speak out there need to declare his rule. Need to be consistent with his rule. My attitudes and conduct declare his rule.

It is the endless song that I sing. He’s my king. In raptured praise I sing all day long. He’s my king. And how I dearly love him. That’s going to shape my life. Well, there’s a lot of talk in the sports media right now. My friend Kevin’s going to appreciate this. Abo King James. And we’re not talking about the King James version. LeBron. Even Marshall knew that. LeBron. I think he’s the greatest basketball player that ever lived. Sorry, Michael fans. Five straight MBA championship appearances. I don’t know how you got the moniker King James. Probably should have looked that up. But he’s just a man. And I’ll say this, and he’s maybe the king of the basketball world, but I’m going to tell you who Jesus is.

4. Pilgrimage: Our Situation Here Is Temporary

He’s the King of Kings. And he is the Lord of Lords. And everyone answers to him. I will speak to others about such a king. And I will show my allegiance to him. That’s what it means to confess. He who confesses me before men, him will I confess before my Father who is in heaven, Jesus says in Matthew 10 and verse 32. I have a business as one who is enlisted as a soldier of Jesus Christ, and that business is confession. And it’s not about what we speak 24-7 and constantly speaking about spiritual things all the time. But it’s about the way we live, it’s about the words we speak. It’s about what we’re thinking here. Point number four. Godliness, holiness, confession. Final word I want you to take with you is the word pilgrimage.

Our situation here is temporary. You know that’s what Genesis 5 is actually saying. I don’t know if you noticed that. We get impressed with how long those guys live, the 962, the 969, or even Enoch 365. But you know what the familiar refrain is in Genesis 5, and it’s there for a reason over and over again? And he died over and over again. They outlived us nine to ten times how we’re going to live, but it says, and he died. That was the result of sin. Even though they lived nearly a thousand years, it was temporary, and they’ve been gone a long time. And he died. I am completely convinced of my impermanence here. Because I don’t know anybody that’s 150 years old, do you? People are living longer, and people are reaching 100 mark, like never before, I guess.

The media is covering it. But I don’t know. Anybody who is to be 150. And I’m pretty sure that I am well over halfway. I know it’s hard for you to believe, but it’s true. I am convinced of my impermanence. But we still struggle to appreciate that. Because this is all we’ve ever known. This life that we’re living. It’s all we didn’t know anything before this. This is all we’ve ever known. And so we really struggle to perceive the nearness of our end. One of the things Hebrews 1025 is doing, and Jared and I spent some time studying this together this week, and not that, Jared, the Jared in Centerville. Jared’s going, it wasn’t me. Jared Bowman. I’m going to preach on this soon. About forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, what that passage is really talking about.

But I want you to focus on the last phrase of that where it says, as you see the day drawing near. The end, the consummation of everything, gets closer every day that you live. As you see the day drawing near, that’s what motivates the response of the earlier part of the verse. Everything moves ever closer to a time of reckoning. This world is not my home. Did you hear the story of the family from Corpus Christi, I believe it was, vacationing as they always did every year?

They were on the Blanco River. The house that they were staying in was on stilts. But apparently, as the water was rising, which it rose to 45 feet, apparently something hit, slammed into those stilts and broke them, and the house started floating down the river. But that was not going to end well. There was a bridge that they were going to hit. And I believe only one person survived. A phone call was made by the woman who perished, the wife of the man that survived, to a sister, as all of that was unfolding. They had moved their cars to higher ground. And apparently it happened so swiftly, so suddenly, there was nothing that could have been done. And what was at one moment of vacation was just that quickly.

Lives over most of the people in that house. When something like that happens, we have a hard time seeing ourselves in that picture. News last week at the end of the week.

And we were talking about his brother, whom I had known from years ago at SC and people that he was friends with and I was friends with. His brother is named Rob Starr. And so he was telling me what was going on with Rob’s life, how that he was living in Monte Eagle, Tennessee, and he had a had six young children under the age of ten. Then I see the post, or Sherry actually saw the post a week ago. Rob was out fifty years old, Rob was out clearing trees off of his property for the cows to graze, and the tractor flipped, and he was under it, and he perished.

Rob wasn’t expecting that to happen that day. But that’s how suddenly our lives can be gone. Daniel, of course, spoke at the service that they had at the family home. He wrote this and posted this on Facebook before that ceremony. He said, Rob believed, and I believe, and my family believes, that man is not an inexplicable and unscientific result of some bizarre cosmic accident. But that we were created by a God who loves us. If there is no God, none of this means anything. Our lives, our accomplishments, our joy, our grief, our deaths. It is all utterly meaningless if there is no God. We choose whether we believe. God does not force it on us. Many who deny and doubt are fond of saying God’s existence cannot be proven, or that his goodness is unquestioned is questionable given our suffering.

But it is definitely true that we cannot disprove the existence of our Creator. This means that regardless of what we believe, it is our choice. If we reject God, we reject our own value, our own meaning. Any real purpose we might have served, and any source of comfort when we face the very worst parts of life in this world. I am grateful for what Rob chose. I hope that at my passing, those who love me can find the same comfort. I hope that at your passing, those who love you can find the same comfort. Just one last thing. Ultimately, my confidence is in the goodness of my God. This is not to say that I am not confident that Rob was a good person. I’m simply saying that our goodness, Rob’s mine, yours, anyone’s could never be sufficient to merit what God has in store for us.

Conclusion

I thought those were some sobering words that I wanted to share with you. Four words that will help us to translate the sincere and genuine thoughts that we have here to how we live out there. Godliness, holiness, confession, and pilgrimage. Well, why should I walk with God? Tell you, serving the Lord, it’s not just about fixing a sin problem that we have, or a saving of my conscience. Becoming a Christian is about knowing the Lord and blissfully enjoying him and understanding the rewards of such a journey. That’s really what Jesus is telling the church at Laodicea. When he says, Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.

And I will dine with him and he with me. That’s walking with God. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. That’s where it’s going. Are you ready to sit down with Him on His throne and reign with Him forever and ever? That’s the hope that we have. Are you walking with God? And can we help you begin that walk this morning? Or as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. That’s where the walk begins. And then you need to steadfastly set your mind to walk with him each day. Can we help you in any way? Let’s stand a second.