Are you walking with God?
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Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:
and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the
garden.
Now, why was God walking in the Garden? You would think with a universe to run, he would have
better things to do than walk in the garden.
He was there to have fellowship with man.
The nest verse tells us that God was looking for Adam in the garden.
Genesis 3:9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
The point is that God desires to have fellowship with us – to walk with us. In the beginning, when God
created man, He created him for the purpose of fellowship with Him.
We were made “for His pleasure”.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast
created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Hear what the Bible says about some of God’s people:
Genesis 5:22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and
begat sons and daughters:
Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for God took him.
Enoch walked to closely to God that he just walked right out of this world and into the presence of
God.
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 6:9 These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his
generations, [and] Noah walked with God.
Noah walked with God and was the only righteous man in his time. You can walk close to God in a
bad environment.
(Illus – Doug couldn’t be Christian and policeman)
Abraham walked with God and was a “friend of God”.
James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed
unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
David walked with God.
1 Samuel 13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his
own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him [to be] captain over his people, because thou hast
not kept [that] which the LORD commanded thee.
Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom
also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the [son] of Jesse, a man after mine own heart,
which shall fulfil all my will.
King Hezekiah testifies that he walked with God.
Isaiah 38:3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in
truth and with a perfect heart, and have done [that which is] good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
What I want you to see is that “calling on the name of the Lord”, and “getting saved”, is the not the
same as walking with God. To walk with Him means to have a daily relationship with Him.
Acts 19.15 – Here were some men who knew about Jesus. They knew about the power of his name.
They probably even knew some Bible truth. But they didn’t walk with Jesus. They knew ‘about’ him,
but they didn’t’ ‘know him’. There is a great difference.
It is a relationship, not a profession, that makes one a follower of Christ.
I want you to examine yourself today. Are you walking with Jesus? What does it mean to “follow”
Jesus?
Do you pray? Do you commune with Him? Are you following Him? Or are you just claiming his name
and living as you please?
One day, we will stand before him. He will separate the sheep from the goats – those who ‘knew’ him
from those who ‘claimed to know him’. Which will you be?
Let me close with these words of Jesus!
Matthew 7:13-29
“"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction,
and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few
find it."
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious
wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot
bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut
down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.
"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does
the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will
tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!
’"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man
who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat
against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who
hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his
house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash. "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were
amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the
law.” (niv)
and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the
garden.
Now, why was God walking in the Garden? You would think with a universe to run, he would have
better things to do than walk in the garden.
He was there to have fellowship with man.
The nest verse tells us that God was looking for Adam in the garden.
Genesis 3:9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
The point is that God desires to have fellowship with us – to walk with us. In the beginning, when God
created man, He created him for the purpose of fellowship with Him.
We were made “for His pleasure”.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast
created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Hear what the Bible says about some of God’s people:
Genesis 5:22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and
begat sons and daughters:
Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for God took him.
Enoch walked to closely to God that he just walked right out of this world and into the presence of
God.
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 6:9 These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his
generations, [and] Noah walked with God.
Noah walked with God and was the only righteous man in his time. You can walk close to God in a
bad environment.
(Illus – Doug couldn’t be Christian and policeman)
Abraham walked with God and was a “friend of God”.
James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed
unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
David walked with God.
1 Samuel 13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his
own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him [to be] captain over his people, because thou hast
not kept [that] which the LORD commanded thee.
Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom
also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the [son] of Jesse, a man after mine own heart,
which shall fulfil all my will.
King Hezekiah testifies that he walked with God.
Isaiah 38:3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in
truth and with a perfect heart, and have done [that which is] good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
What I want you to see is that “calling on the name of the Lord”, and “getting saved”, is the not the
same as walking with God. To walk with Him means to have a daily relationship with Him.
Acts 19.15 – Here were some men who knew about Jesus. They knew about the power of his name.
They probably even knew some Bible truth. But they didn’t walk with Jesus. They knew ‘about’ him,
but they didn’t’ ‘know him’. There is a great difference.
It is a relationship, not a profession, that makes one a follower of Christ.
I want you to examine yourself today. Are you walking with Jesus? What does it mean to “follow”
Jesus?
Do you pray? Do you commune with Him? Are you following Him? Or are you just claiming his name
and living as you please?
One day, we will stand before him. He will separate the sheep from the goats – those who ‘knew’ him
from those who ‘claimed to know him’. Which will you be?
Let me close with these words of Jesus!
Matthew 7:13-29
“"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction,
and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few
find it."
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious
wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot
bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut
down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.
"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does
the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will
tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!
’"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man
who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat
against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who
hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his
house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash. "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were
amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the
law.” (niv)