Walking With God
by Sandy Simpson, Sermon Notes, 11/00


ADAM - Walked with God then sinned and was afraid to be seen by God

Ge 3:8   Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 

After SETH - men not walking with God, but men calling on His name

Ge 4:26 
(NIV) Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD. 
(YLT) And to Seth, to him also a son hath been born, and he calleth his name Enos; then a beginning was made of preaching in the name of Jehovah.
(NRSV) To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the LORD. 
(LIT) And a son was also born to Seth, and he called his name, Enos. Then it was begun to call on the name of Jehovah.

Possible meaning of "call on the name of the Lord" from various commentaries:

(1) Call themselves BY the name of the Lord, Jehovah, YHWH, His followers
(2) Began to worship corporately, instead of individually
(3) Others began to worship the creation rather then the Creator, the beginning of idolatry
(4) Began to invoke God, using sorcery
(5) God began to move men to restore the worship of God, which had been suppressed for a long time
(6) Men began to call men who followed God by the name of the Lord in contempt
(7) Distinguished themselves from the followers of Cain "sons of men" by calling themselves the "sons of God".
(8) After Enoch was born he began to preach in the name of YHWH, something that had not been done before.

ENOCH - Restored personal relationship with God, was taken

Ge 5:22-24   And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. 

NOAH - personal relationship, was justified, walked with God, saved from God's wrath

Ge 6:9   This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 

ABRAHAM - personal relationship, was blessed and blessing to others

Gen. 18:16   When the men got up to leave, they looked down towards Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 

JOSEPH - was blessed because Abraham/Isaac walked with God

Ge 48:15   Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, 

DAVID - personal relationship, was anointed, blessed

Ps. 23:1-4   A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

JOTHAM - personal relationship, was empowered

2Ch 27:6   Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God. 

The nation of ISRAEL was to walk with God - relationship restored

Le 26:12   I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 
De 8:6   Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him. 

Same promise applied to the CHURCH - relationship extended to Gentile Church

2Co 6:16   What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." 

Jesus will walk with us!

Luke 24: 15   As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 

How to walk with God

Mic 6:8   He has showed you, O man, 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. 
1Jo 2:6   Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 
1Jo 1:6-7   If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 

We must walk in the light to have fellowship and to be purified.  There is no salvation without relationship, and there is no relationship without (1) sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross (2) walking in the light.  Works do not justify but God wants relationship and that is a two way street.  Jesus now walks with us, but we must walk with Him.  If we accept and believe in Jesus Christ and the salvation he offers us, the cleansing from sin and justification before the Father, then we must also walk in the light of that salvation.  If we claim to walk in that light and yet walk in darkness we do not live by that truth and, ultimately, are not justified.

The final restoration of relationship - walking with God for eternity

Rev. 21:23-25   The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 

GENERAL NOTES

  • Good songs: "In The Garden", "Trust & Obey"
  • Main story: Adam walked with God in the garden of Eden, but broke that relationship through sin.  God wants us to have a relationship with Him.  Men began to invoke and call themselves by God's name, or to call on His name, but not until Enoch did a man have the kind of relationship with God, the kind of friendship that Enoch had when he walked with God.  Could God taking Enoch be a picture of the rapture?  Is this a lesson for us that we must do more than simply call on the name of God (preach in His name), but we must walk with Him in order to see our final salvation from this world?
  • Cannot walk without justification, but must walk with God.
  • Walking is:  cooperation, going the same direction, communication, action, relationship, opportunity to express thanks.
  • Cannot stand in the presence of God without justification: Ezr 9:15  "O LORD, God of Israel, you are righteous!  We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence."  Ps 5:5  "The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong." 
  • May be justified to stand in the presence of God only through the grace of Jesus Christ, by the blood of the Lamb, but we must not only stand in justification but walk with God - God took Enoch.
  • Walking does not justify, but must have trust, love, knowledge, same goals or will forfeit justification for lack of relationship

  • What would it be like if you have a friend but no contact, no walking with him?  (1) lose touch (2) lose track - lose understanding (3) no longer moving in the same direction (4) ultimately friendship grows cold - lose friendship.