Sermons
January 23rd, 2022 by Pastor Solley012321AM Walk # 2
Sub. Walk
Theme: Walking with the Lord.
Text: 2 Chron 7:17-22
“Walk” #2 2 Chron 7:17-22
Introduction
I want to continue this morning looking at the walk or manner of life of the born again believer in Christ. In 2 Chron 7 God appears for the second time to King Solomon by night. – 2 Chron 7:12 – The first time God appeared before Solomon by night is recorded in 2 Chron 1 where God is concerned with the intentions of the new king and those intentions were found to be good and right before God. So good in fact that God blessed Solomon in ways that the king never asked for and beyond what he could have imagined.
I. This second time God appears before King Solomon by night God is concerned with the walk of the king: 2 Chron 7:17-22 So concerned that God not only makes some promises to Solomon but issues a warning as well. Notice again the command given to Solomon. – 2 Chron 7:17 – God was concerned with the walk of Solomon for good reason. His walk was not matching his intentions.
A. To have good intentions is a good thing: To have a walk that matches those intentions is a better thing.
1. Solomon asked for wisdom in chapter one and that was a good thing: The intention of the king was to rule with the wisdom that comes only from God. Those were good intentions.
2. But about ten years later the walk of Solomon was not matching his intentions: Even as the temple was finished and dedicated Solomon was showing signs of walking away from God, of following the folly of the world and not the wisdom of God. That was going to lead to many wasted and empty years in the life of Solomon.
B. God was pleased with the intentions of Solomon but concerned about the walk of Solomon: 2 Chron 7:17
II. Last week we began to look at the walk of the born again believer in Christ, at our walk with God: God is just as concerned with our walk today as God was concerned with the walk of Solomon.
A. The Bible has a great deal to say about our walk or manner of life: The word walk is found over two hundred times in the Bible and many of those times it concerns ones actions or manner of life. Last week we looked at two types of walks.
1. At a walk before God: 2 Chron 7:17 This commanded of Solomon and it is a walk of Divine inspection. It is asking God to examine our walk as David did. Ps 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. And as the search light of the Word of God is turned upon us we do as David did in the 51st Psalm and make the changes that God wants us to make in our lives.
2. At a walk with God: Gen 5:22-24 This is a walk of Divine companionship and fellowship. Enoch was living a New testament truth that we find in 1 John 1 in the Old Testament, Enoch was walking with God in a fulness of joy.
B. This morning we are going to look at other truths that are found in the command to walk before God: 2 Chron 7:17
PROP: Gos concerned with our walk. TS: So we need to be found walking with God today.
Body
I. The walk that is after God: 2 John 6 This is a walk of Divine leadership. God’s command for His children in the Old Testament was that they walk after God. – Deut 13:4 Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. – Now we find that same command given to child of God today. – 2 John 6 This is a command of Divine leadership. A command to make a decision about who will lead in our lives. Joshua at the direction of the Lord set the same decision before Israel as was set before them in Deut 13:4. – Josh 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Later God used Elijah to set the same decision before the People. – 1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. – This same decision is set before the born again believer in Christ today. – 2 John 6 – This is a walk of Divine leadership.
A. Study the history of the children of God, Old Testament and New Testament alike and you will find that when they chose to walk after God in Divine leadership all was well, when they did not things were not so well: We have more to look at of course with Israel in the Old Testament than the believers of the New Testament but when people walked after God in Divine leadership life was much better for them than when they decided to walk after their own ways or the ways of the world.
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A. There are certainly many paths for the believer to follow today, many leaders to choose from: 2 John 6-7 Many deceivers are in the world and have been from the very beginning and they all have one thing in common, they desire to move the believer away from Jesus Christ, move us away from the Divine leadership that is essential to our well being in this life.
1. These ones are described in the book of Jude: Jude 16-19 The reason they don’t have the Spirit is that the Holy Spirit will never lead one contrary to the Word of God. – Jude 19 Notice what we are told about these ones…
2. They have great swelling words: Jude 16 Like Joel Olstene they make everything they say sound so great. But there is no soundness at all in their words. They are clouds without water. – Jude 12
3, Their message is just about as stable as wind in the trees: Jude 12
4. They lift up men and not Christ: Jude 16
5. They make a mockery out of all that is of God: Jude 18
6. They serve self first: Jude 18
7. There are many deceivers that are entered into the world: But God wants us to follow Him under Divine leadership.
B. As a church we need to be following Divine leadership: Your pastor needs to be following Divine leadership and all that we do as a church needs to be rooted in and standing upon the foundation of the Word of God.
1. Not all that we do is according to the Bible in exact practice: Don’t allow that to surprise you. When you hear some make that claim, that they do all according to the Bible they most likely have not read the Bible.
a. The early church met everyday of the week. They met daily. We don’t do that.
b. The early church met in individual homes or outside the Jewish Synagogue. We can no longer do that.
c. They first church had all their members sell all and they all moved to one town, Jerusalem. We are not doing that.
d. The early church services were long, some lasting all day and all night. We wouldn’t stand for that.
e. The early church publicly called out sinners. We wouldn’t dare do that.
f. We don’t do everything exactly the way things were done in those first churches.
2. But all that we do needs to be rooted and standing on the foundation of the Word of God: 2 John 6
a. They had no Sunday School, no Youth group, no TAWAKAT classes in the early church. But does Jesus care about the young people and does He want them brought to Him?
b. They had no summer church camps in the Bible, no VBS. But does Jesus care about the young people?
3. As long as Prov 30:5 is true we need to be rooted in and standing on the foundation of the Word of God: Prov 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
4. We need as a church to walk after God in Divine leadership: 2 John 6
C. We also need to make that same decision in our individual lives: The believer in Christ is likened to sheep and sheep need a shepherd, sheep need to chose to follow our Good Shepherd. – Ps 32:8-11 – If I want verses ten and eleven to be realized in my life then I need to follow verses eight and nine. – Ps 32:8-11 – I need to chose to follow after Divine leadership in my life.
1. And every area of our lives we find covered in the Bible: All these years after the Word of God was given I can still find the answers to every area of life in the pages of the Bible. Every area of life.
a. Our spiritual life is covered in the Bible.
b. Our physical life is covered in the Bible.
c. Our social life is covered in the Bible.
d. Our financial life is covered in the Bible.
e. Our social life is covered in the Bible.
f. Our family life is covered in the Bible.
g. Even our recreational life is covered in the Bible.
2. Those are seven areas of life, all covered specifically in the Bible: Probably a message coming there.
3. God wants is to walk after Him: Rom 12:1-2 The world will present many leaders to us but don’t be conformed to the world, they are deceives. Be transformed and follow Christ.
D. The walk after God is one of Divine leadership:
II. The walk in God: Col 2:6 This is a walk of Divine indwelling. Now we know that they Holy Spirit indwells every born again child of God from the moment of salvation. According to Ephesians one we all, as believers in Christ, have been sealed by and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Every born again child of God has the Holy Spirit within, we are indwelt because of salvation.
A. But this walk of Divine indwelling in one where others can see Christ in us: It is a walk where our light is shining out so others can see. Our candle is not hid under a bushel, others can see Christ in us. – Col 1:27 – A glory that attracts, a glory that can be seen. When Moses came down from the mount the glory of God could be seen in Moses and it needs to be seen in the believer in Christ today.
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1. How was it that Ruth caught the eye of Boaz in that wonderful account? What was it that stood out about Ruth to Boaz?
a. She was not the only female gleaning in that field, they were mostly females that did that.
b. It wasn’t her beauty that set her apart. She would have been just as dusty, dirty and sweaty as the others.
c. It wasn’t the sweet sound of her voice. She never said a word.
d. It wasn’t her standing in the community or wealth. She had neither.
e. It was her walk in God that made Ruth stand out…
2. What made Peter and John stand out to that Jewish council? What did that council take note of and what to keep hidden?
a. It wasn’t their soothing voices.
b. It wasn’t a soft message of love and tolerance.
c. It was the fact that they has been with Jesus, it was their walk in Christ.
B. If the world does not see in the believer in Christ the light that they need they will never see it: Col 1:27-28 It is the only hope of seeing the light the lost needs, to see it in us. – Col 1:27
1. I can preach a message of warning as can you: Col 1:28 But if I don’t live the life so others can see the truth of that message it will be empty, it will be clouds without water.
a. I was able to bring a message at a funeral on Thursday for a dear saint of God and I did have the attention of a few lost people. As far as I know they are not yet saved, but they heard a message, now they need to see me continue to live it.
b. How can we preach a message we don’t live and expect it to have any impact on the lost?
2. Don’t let the mystery be hid because your light is not shining brightly, let your light shine: Col 1:26-27
3. In the Old Testament the candlestick in the tabernacle was never to go out: Our lights are never to go out.
C. Our faces may not glow as the face of Moses did when he came down from the mount but people should be able to see a difference in us, see a light shining out from within: But do they?
1. When was the last time someone said there was something different about you? Has it ever been said?
2. When was the last time someone asked what happened to you? Has it ever been asked?
3. There is to be a difference: So different that people think we are peculiar. – 1 Peter 2:9
4. Are you peculiar today?
D. The walk in God: Col 2:6 This is a walk of Divine indwelling.
III. The walk pleasing to God: 1 Thess 4:1 This is a walk of Divine completion, a walk where one finishes well. God is certainly pleased with the walks we have looked at last week as well as this morning. (1) A walk before God or a walk of Divine inspection.
(2) A walk with God or a walk of Divine fellowship. (3) A walk after God or a walk of Divine direction. (4) A walk in God or a walk of Divine indwelling. God is of course pleased when His children are found walking in such ways.
A. How much more when we finish well what has been started: I will be speaking about this parable this evening but this is the desire of God, to be able to say this to all of His children. – Matt 25:21 – God wants us to finish well.
1. Think of the desire of Paul: Acts 20:24
2. Then think of the testimony of Paul: 2 Tim 4:7-8
3. This should be our desire as well: To finish the course.
B. So many examples of those who have had a good beginning but not so good an ending: It is not that they could not have finished well, but that they didn’t finish well.
1. Samson, Saul, Jonah, Eli, Demas, many from the Bible: They all had good beginning but failed to finish well.
2. And we see the landscape of Christianity today littered with those who do not finish well: Not because they can’t.
3. The same work has begun in all believers: Phil 1:6 We all have a good beginning but not all will finish well.
4. At one time or another something goes amiss with our walk: And we fail to finish the race well.
C. I do believe God wants us to finish the race well: Heb 12:1-2 I do believe that should be our goal today.
1. Not to be super Christians: That term is not in the Bible.
2. Not to win the world: Hard to do that from Clearfield county.
3. Not to influences kings and kingdoms: Hard to do that from Clearfield county.
4. Not to come up with new and better ways of doing things: God’s way is still best.
5. But to just finish well:
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D. All I want today is to finish well: Some of us may be closer to the finish line than others, we all may be closer than we think. But we all ought to want to finish well.
E. The walk pleasing to God: 1 Thess 4:1 This is a walk of Divine completion, a walk where one finished well.
Conclusion
What of your walk today?
I. The walk that is after God: 2 John 6 This is a walk of Divine leadership. God’s command for His children in the Old Testament was that they walk after God. – Deut 13:4 Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. – Now we f\ind that same command given to child of God today. – 2 John 6 This is a command of Divine leadership. A command to make a decision about who will lead in our lives. Joshua at the direction of the Lord set the same decision before Israel as was set before them in Deut 13:4. – Josh 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Later God used Elijah to set the same decision before the People. – 1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. – This same decision is set before the born again believer in Christ today. – 2 John 6 – This is a walk of Divine leadership.
II. The walk in God: Col 2:6 This is a walk of Divine indwelling. Now we know that they Holy Spirit indwells every born again child of God from the moment of salvation. According to Ephesians one we all, as believers in Christ, have been sealed by and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Every born again child of God has the Holy Spirit within, we are indwelt because of salvation.
III. The walk pleasing to God: 1 Thess 4:1 This is a walk of Divine completion, a walk where one finished well. God is certainly pleased with the walks we have looked at last week as well as this morning. (1) A walk before God or a walk of Divine inspection.
(2) A walk with God or a walk of Divine fellowship. (3) A walk after God or a walk of Divine direction. (4) A walk in God or a walk of Divine indwelling. God is of course pleased when His children are found walking in such a way.