Christian Life Churh
November 5, 2023 at 8:30am & 10:00am
THIS PRESENT TIME #31 WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO WALK WITH GOD?
Locations & Times
Christian Life Church Columbia
2700 Bush River Rd, Columbia, SC 29210, USA
Sunday 8:00 AM
THIS PRESENT TIME #31
What Does It Look Like to Walk With God? 11.5.23
Micah 6:7-8 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
1. Key word: HUMILITY (dependency, consistency, and holiness)
2. Key phrase: To be PLEASING TO GOD (to “believe and behave”) to act justly and love mercy.
Genesis 5:21-24 NASB Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah.
22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
Hebrews 11:5 NASB By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
Jude 14-15 NASB It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly 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.”
Observing the Landscape
1. What started him on the journey?
2. What did his walk with God look like?
3. What were the challenges he faced?
4. How did his walk with God end?
So today, let’s add Psalm 37:23-24 to our Scripture lesson to understand what we should look for as we learn to walk with God.
Psalm 37: 23-24 NIV The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; 24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Psalm 37:23-24 NKJV The steps of a good man are ordered (established/set firm) by the Lord, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
I. Who is the person God promises to direct?
A. The power of “delighting in the Lord.” (“A righteous man”- KJV)
1. “I take delight in doing your will, O God.”
2. Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
B. Legalism is driven out by love.
II. What is the purpose of God’s leading?
A. “Makes the steps firm” (“ordered by the Lord” - KJV)
1. “Established” or “set firm”
B. David served the purposes of God in his generation.
C. God has a plan for your life!
D. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
E. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 KJV “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.”
III. What is the pattern God uses to direct His people?
A. God usually directs by steps, not by epic visions and detailed advance knowledge.
B. The response of Mary to Gabriel (Luke 1:26-38)
C. The Lord directing Paul – “go into the city, and it shall be told you what your next step will be.” (Acts 10)
IV. What is the possibility God foresees?
A. “Though he fall” - “though he may stumble”
B. Abraham “staggered not.” (Romans 4:20)
V. What is the protection God provides?
A. “If he falls, he is not utterly cast down.”
B. Failure is not final.
C. When we fall, fall forward.
The Bottom Line
“Walk with me in purity and obedience one step at a time. I will be with you to protect you. Even if you fall, I will pick you up and set your feet back on the path of righteousness. I will get you home!”
Christian Life Lessons
Even the Great among us do not always know the path of God. (Jehoshaphat)
Even the Godly among us do not always know the path of God. (Paul)
Even the Gallant among us do not always know the path of God. (Naaman)
Even the Genius among us do not always know the path of God. (Solomon)
Proverbs 3:5-12 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce; 10 Then your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His rebuke, 12 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, Just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.
Therefore…
1. Always lean into The Lord by trusting Him, and do not put your wisdom above His. (Joshua)
2. Consult Him on every decision, so that everything “seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us.”
3. Do not reject the Discipline of The Lord.
What Does It Look Like to Walk With God? 11.5.23
Micah 6:7-8 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
1. Key word: HUMILITY (dependency, consistency, and holiness)
2. Key phrase: To be PLEASING TO GOD (to “believe and behave”) to act justly and love mercy.
Genesis 5:21-24 NASB Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah.
22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
Hebrews 11:5 NASB By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
Jude 14-15 NASB It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly 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.”
Observing the Landscape
1. What started him on the journey?
2. What did his walk with God look like?
3. What were the challenges he faced?
4. How did his walk with God end?
So today, let’s add Psalm 37:23-24 to our Scripture lesson to understand what we should look for as we learn to walk with God.
Psalm 37: 23-24 NIV The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; 24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Psalm 37:23-24 NKJV The steps of a good man are ordered (established/set firm) by the Lord, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
I. Who is the person God promises to direct?
A. The power of “delighting in the Lord.” (“A righteous man”- KJV)
1. “I take delight in doing your will, O God.”
2. Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
B. Legalism is driven out by love.
II. What is the purpose of God’s leading?
A. “Makes the steps firm” (“ordered by the Lord” - KJV)
1. “Established” or “set firm”
B. David served the purposes of God in his generation.
C. God has a plan for your life!
D. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
E. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 KJV “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.”
III. What is the pattern God uses to direct His people?
A. God usually directs by steps, not by epic visions and detailed advance knowledge.
B. The response of Mary to Gabriel (Luke 1:26-38)
C. The Lord directing Paul – “go into the city, and it shall be told you what your next step will be.” (Acts 10)
IV. What is the possibility God foresees?
A. “Though he fall” - “though he may stumble”
B. Abraham “staggered not.” (Romans 4:20)
V. What is the protection God provides?
A. “If he falls, he is not utterly cast down.”
B. Failure is not final.
C. When we fall, fall forward.
The Bottom Line
“Walk with me in purity and obedience one step at a time. I will be with you to protect you. Even if you fall, I will pick you up and set your feet back on the path of righteousness. I will get you home!”
Christian Life Lessons
Even the Great among us do not always know the path of God. (Jehoshaphat)
Even the Godly among us do not always know the path of God. (Paul)
Even the Gallant among us do not always know the path of God. (Naaman)
Even the Genius among us do not always know the path of God. (Solomon)
Proverbs 3:5-12 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce; 10 Then your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His rebuke, 12 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, Just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.
Therefore…
1. Always lean into The Lord by trusting Him, and do not put your wisdom above His. (Joshua)
2. Consult Him on every decision, so that everything “seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us.”
3. Do not reject the Discipline of The Lord.