Walking with God

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 0:58

The title of my sermon today is Walking with God. The Christian life is compared to walking with God. It's not just a single leap or if you will a hop, skip, and a jump, but it's a series of daily steps following Jesus Christ. Today we'll be looking at five ways that we should walk as followers of Jesus. And we'll be looking at the New Testament book of Ephesians. We see five verses in this New Testament book that show us how we should walk as followers of Jesus. So let's look at the first verse, and it's found in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10, and it tells us that we should walk in good works. Let's read Ephesians 2 verse 10 from the English Standard Version of the Bible. It says, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. I love that verse. I love the fact that God has prepared good works in advance for us to do. And he encourages us to walk in those good works. But every day we should get up and walk into our day with an anticipation for this adventure of faith. That we can be used by God to do good works that He's prepared in advance for us to do. Doing those good works is part of our ministry, using the gifts, talents, and abilities that God has entrusted to us for him by serving others. It's also being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and listening to his nudging to do the good works that God has prepared for us. In Acts chapter 10, verse 38, we see that Jesus did good works. It says, How God anointed Jesus Christ of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him. God's with us every day as his followers, and he wants to lead us and guide us and use us in doing good works, seeing people come to him, seeing people touched by his love and his power, seeing people healed and set free. And we can do these things because God is with us. So the first way we should walk is we should walk in the good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do. Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, ask God, Lord, what do you have for me to do today? What have you prepared in advance for me to do to demonstrate your love and goodness to a world that so desperately needs hope and healing? To a world that needs light and love. Use me, let me walk in those good works today. Number two, we should walk worthy of our calling. We have a high calling as followers of Jesus Christ. Listen to what Paul said in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1 to 3, and again reading from the English Standard Version of the Bible. I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He encourages us to live worthy of his high calling. You and I have been called to be ambassadors for Christ. You and I are children of God, and we've been sent to share his love and goodness with the world that so desperately needs it. Are we living as ambassadors for Christ? Do our words, our actions, and our attitudes represent Jesus? When we encounter somebody who perhaps is making a coffee for us as a barista in a local coffee shop or at the bank or when you fill up your vehicle with fuel and you have interaction with people, are we being ambassadors for Christ? I'm not talking about becoming Bible bashers. I'm talking about living in a way that reflects the love and goodness of God and walking in the truth that God has for us. Recently, a few people have told me that we need to be so focused on the truth. But I think as followers of Jesus, we don't just need the truth, we also need grace. The Bible tells us in John chapter 1 that Jesus was full of grace and truth. We need both in equal measure in our lives. Let's share the truth with people, but in a gracious, loving, respectful, and honoring way. We are ambassadors for Christ. Let's live our lives worthy of that high calling. Let people see humility, peace, unity, and love shine through our lives as ambassadors for Christ. Number three, we should walk in love. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 1 and 2 tells us in the English Standard Version, therefore be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love. As Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Love is the distinguishing mark of a follower of Jesus Christ. We love others because he loved us first. Our love for others is inspired by Jesus' love for us. And love is not a weak emotion. Love is not something that's that's sappy or insipid, but love is powerful. It was love that held Jesus to the cross. It wasn't the nails, it wasn't the nails that held him there, it was his love for us, so that we could change and grow and encounter Jesus Christ as the risen Savior. He went through the cross and he did that as an act of love for us. Love wants the best for others. It's not weak, it's strong. And God loves us so much that he doesn't want us to stay the way that we are. And if you love people, you'll call them to a higher life. And I love you so much today, friend, that I want to tell you that you need a relationship with God that can only be found through Jesus Christ. And the way you receive that is through faith in Jesus and repentance, making a decision to turn from sin and to follow Jesus Christ. It's out of love that we tell people that they need to repent. It's out of love that we tell people that they need to grow up and be all that God has called them to be. Love should be that which motivates us as Christians. Walk in love and let his love shine through us to a world that so desperately needs good news. Number four, we should walk in the light. Listen to Ephesians chapter 5, verse 8 from the English Standard Version. For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Now let's look at Ephesians chapter 4, verse 17, which tells us we should no longer walk as those who are separated from the life of God. We are children of light, and there should be a discernible difference in the way that we live. Can people see a difference in you as a result of encountering Jesus Christ? Do people see light and love shining through you to a world that is living in darkness and often without hope and in fear? God wants us to let his light shine through us to a world around us. Don't walk like everybody else does. Don't just go along with the crowd. Don't let your words be the same as everybody else. Don't get involved in in poor jokes or foul language. Let our words and let our lives let his light shine wherever we are. So walk in light. And finally, number five, walk in wisdom. In Ephesians chapter five, verse 15 to 17, we're told, Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. We should walk in wisdom. We need to be wise in seeking God's will how we use our time. You know, there are three things that we need to be good stewards of. One is our money, it's a resource that we can use in order to bring blessing and change in the world around us. Number two, we need to be wise in the use of our relationships. We need to love people, honor people, cherish people. We need to encourage others. And number three, we need to be wise in the use of our time. And if you learn to be a good steward of your money, your relationships, and your time, you'll live a fruitful and successful life. Being wise in our time means we ask God to help us to invest our time and not to waste time. Perhaps spending too much time playing video games or on social media might be fun and entertaining, and it's fine in its place. But if it that is taking up so much time that you are too tired or don't have time to spend time with the Lord in worship, prayer, and Bible reading, then maybe it's time to make some adjustments. What do you need to start? And what do you need to stop? How can we be wise in the use of our time? So, friends, before we pray, let's quickly recap. We've looked at five ways that we should walk as followers of Jesus, and we've seen these in five verses in the New Testament book of Ephesians. We've seen that we should walk in good works. We've seen that we should walk worthy of our calling, and we've seen that we should walk in love, in the light, and we should walk in wisdom, particularly with the use of our time. As we pray together, I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you. What does he want you to do as a result of what you've heard in today's sermon? Let's pray. Father God, we want to walk in the good works that you have prepared for us to do. Thank you that walking with you can be a wonderful adventure of faith as we serve you every day. Help us to walk as children of light and in a way worthy of your calling on our lives as ambassadors for Christ. Help us to walk in your love towards those you have entrusted to us. We want your love to flow through us to a world that so desperately needs to encounter the love and goodness of God. Please give us wisdom to understand your will and to use our time with wisdom, investing our time in our relationship with you and those most precious to us. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.