Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise

Walking With The Lord

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2016-02-18

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver introduces a series on walking with the Lord, using Enoch as the primary example. He explains that walking with God requires first walking before Him—living consciously in His presence with obedience and integrity. The sermon outlines five implications of walking with the Lord: communion and fellowship, purpose, progress, agreement, and resolution. Weaver emphasizes that walking with God is a consistent, daily lifestyle, not sporadic religious activity, and that it is possible even amidst family and work responsibilities.

[John Weaver] Open our Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 5 Genesis chapter 5 Genesis chapter 5 I want to begin a message today It's actually a brief series I do not know how many messages are going to follow. I'm already working on number 4. So there will probably be 7 or 8 of them anyhow. But the title of the message is Walking with the Lord. And I want you to look in Genesis chapter 5 beginning there with verse 22.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, An Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years and begat sons and daughters. and all the days of Enoch were 365 years. And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." Walking with the Lord is the duty and obligation and privilege of every child of God. So the question that you have to ask is, are you walking with the Lord? You also have to ask, do you know what it means to walk with the Lord? And do you have any idea what is entailed in the activity of walking with the Lord? Many individuals disregard and despise the privilege of walking with the Lord and communing with Him. And you ask, how in the world do they despise it?

[John Weaver] And the answer is by sin, because sin separates and sin divides and sin makes it impossible to commune and to fellowship with the Lord. Evidently Adam and Eve of course walked with the Lord and had fellowship with Him. And if you look in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 8 you'll see it was their sin that separated them. You can see the implication in Genesis 3 and verse 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. So God came to walk with them and they heard Him and they hid themselves. So sin is that which separates and divides and causes a loss of fellowship.

[John Weaver] The scripture says in Isaiah 59 verses 1 and 2, Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear." David said it very plainly in Psalm 66 and verse 18. When he said, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. So we're talking now about walking with the Lord.

[John Weaver] I hope you've already gathered just from reading about Adam and Eve and even reading about Enoch. If you're going to walk with the Lord, you must walk away from and separately from anything and everything that is contrary to the Lord. It's impossible to walk with the Lord unless you learn to walk before the Lord. Let me explain that. I want you to look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 17. We're going to come back to Genesis chapter 5 in just a little bit. But I want to begin showing you a phrase that occurs over and over in the Bible. And the interesting thing is every one of these passages that I'm going to show you The Hebrew word is exactly the same. It is the word Pawneen. Let me show you. Look in Genesis chapter 17 in verse one.

[John Weaver] And when Abram was 90 years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the almighty God. Walk before me and be thou perfect. Now notice he said, walk before me and be thou perfect. He did not say walk with me. He said, walk before me. And this is why I said you cannot walk with God unless you walk before the Lord. The Hebrew word here literally means walk before my face or walk in my presence. In other words, walking before the Lord means that we're walking as if He is there. We are in His presence. And very obviously, We are to walk before him. It means therefore that Abram was to walk consciously before the Lord, pleasing before the Lord. He was to abstain from anything and everything that would be displeasing to the Lord. So it means then when Abram was to walk before him that Abram was to walk uprightly.

[John Weaver] Holyly obediently and righteously now, let me show you another Thought that is involved in walking before the Lord if you would turn to first Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30 first Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30 in this particular passage God is reproving a Eli you remember Eli had sinned against the Lord. He allowed his sons to sin against the Lord and Eli, of course was a priest and Here is what God tells him in first Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30 So look at it very plainly there first Samuel 2 verse 30 and God says wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me that is in my presence forever But now the Lord saith be it far from me For them that honor me will I honor and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed So Eli now Was a sinner was sinning against God and allowing his sons to sin against God and God says you're not walking before me I said if you walk before me Fine, I would bless you if not, but now you're not walking before me.

[John Weaver] And so I'm going to kick you out of the priesthood So, you have the idea here, since Eli was a priest, that walking before him not only meant walking in his presence, but it also meant serving him as well. It meant keeping his commands and keeping his judgments. So, walking before the Lord, then, entails obedience.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Kings 2 and verse 4. David explains to Solomon exactly what it means to walk before the Lord. Remember, if you would please now, this is the same exact Hebrew word over and over. 1 Kings chapter 2 and look in verse 4. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 1 just so you can see it in the context. Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth, be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself. that the Lord may continue His word which He spake concerning me." Now here's the word, saying, if thy children take heed to their way to walk before me, that is in my presence, in truth, with all their heart, with all their soul, there shall not fail thee, said he, a man on the throne of Israel.

[John Weaver] So David is saying, look, I want you to walk before the Lord part and parcel of walking before the Lord is explained in verse 3 Walking in his ways keeping his statutes his commandments his judgments and his testimonies now and to do so with all the heart if you would look in first Kings chapter 9 and verse 4 You will find that God confirms David's interpretation because God is now speaking to Solomon and And he said in verse 4, if thou wilt walk before me, there is that same word, if you will walk in my presence, if you will walk before my face as David thy father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness to do according to all that I have commanded thee and will keep my statutes and my judgments, then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel forever. promised to David thy father, saying, Thou shalt not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel." So the promise then was conditioned upon walking before the Lord. Again you have the same exact statement in 2 Chronicles 7 and verse 17 it is the same exact word.

[John Weaver] So I want you to think for a moment, walking before the Lord means to walk and to live as if you were in the presence of God that you were before his face. I could ask you this question. Why is there so much meanness, sin, wickedness, and rebellion in the world today? And the answer is because people do not walk before the Lord. Since they do not walk before the Lord there is no fear of God Before their eyes are in their heart David said it like this in Psalm 36 in verse 1 the transgression of the wicked saith within my heart there is no fear of God before his eyes and Then Paul said it in Romans 3 in verse 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes so if one does not fear God Then obviously he's not going to walk as in the presence of God There's going to be a multitude of sins I've said this before you can pick up on this think back when you were children That's a

[John Weaver] long time for you Pat Can you remember that far back, but you remember when you were children? You would do things away From the presence of your father and mother that you would never do in the presence of your father and mother So If you were walking in the presence of your father and mother at that time you would have never ever Done some of those things that you did I told this this morning There was a a drunk by the name of Mel Trotter And Mel Trotter was such a drunk that he had actually stolen the shoes off his baby and was taking them down the street to pawn them so he could just get a sip of whiskey. And Mel Trotter, as he was going to pawn his baby's shoes, passed a gospel meeting in a rented building downtown And they were singing. It was cold outside, warm inside, and singing. The singing caught his ear. And so he went and sat down and listened to the singing.

[John Weaver] And then there was preaching. And as the preaching was going on, God opened his eyes. God saved him. And Mel Trotter began a rescue mission, I think it was in Chicago, where he did indeed reach an awful lot drunks and other people. But Mel Trotter got concerned about a place nearby called Lover's Lane where everybody would go out and commit fornication and he'd go out there and preach.

[John Weaver] Well some of them would leave, some of them would laugh, some of them would ignore him and he thought how in the world can I stop this? And so Mel Trotter then got a neon sign made, and all it was was a giant eyeball that flashed, and as it flashed, it had this scripture, Thou my God, seest me. Thou my God, seest me. They said within a month, you could never find anyone on Lovers Lane. It was all gone. Well, you have to understand, walking in the presence of God means, of course, that we are doing that which He approves of.

[John Weaver] There is a passage and I will quote it a little bit later in Amos 3 and verse 3 the Bible says, can two walk together except they be agreed. So you have to understand that every positive has a negative. If two walk together they are agreed. The negative is if you disagree obviously you are not going to walk together. So you have to walk as in the presence of God. Let me show you. We're in 1 Kings. Look in 1 Kings chapter 15 what the Bible says about Jeroboam. Now Jeroboam, you know, was a wicked king. He was the first king of Israel. He was the one that made the two golden calves. Notice if you would 1st Kings chapter 15 verse 3 look what the Bible says and he that is Jeroboam walked in all the sins of his father which he had done before him and His heart was not perfect with the Lord his God as the heart of David his father now I want you to understand that this is a civil ruler that we're talking about in 1st Kings chapter 15 But what I want you to do is this Whole first Kings but turn over in your Bibles to second Kings chapter 17 then I want you to hold that passage because we're going to flip back

[John Weaver] to first Kings and Then we're going to come back to second Kings, but look in second Kings chapter 17, and I want you to understand That it's not just individuals that can sin and rebel against God and refuse to walk in his presence and It can be an entire nation. It can be an entire society. It can be an entire people. So in 2 Kings 17 verse 7, For so it was that the children of Israel, that would be all of them, had sinned against the Lord their God.

[John Weaver] Now there were some exceptions but generally speaking all of them. For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt and had feared other gods. walk in the statutes of the heathen whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel which they had made. And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against Him, the Lord their God.

[John Weaver] And they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the Watchman to the fenced cities. And they set up images in groves in every high hill, and under every green tree." And you can read the rest of it how they actually turned from God and began to serve and obey the laws of these heathenistic kings.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to hold 2 Kings just momentarily. Turn back in your Bibles to 1 Kings 11. Let me go ahead and show you how an entire nation can follow a civil ruler into wickedness and idolatry. So in 1 Kings 11 we are reading about Jeroboam again. And how God is going to take the kingdom out of the hand of Rehoboam Because of the sins of Solomon So notice in verse 30, 1 Kings 11, And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rended it in twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee. But he, Jeroboam, or Solomon, shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, because They, that would be the whole people practically, they have forsaken me and have worshipped Ashtaroth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the

[John Weaver] god of the Moabites, Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments as did David his father." In other words they were not walking before the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now if you will turn back to 2 Kings chapter 17, look if you would please at verses 18 and 19. Very interesting. The Bible says, therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, Remove them out of his sight. There was none left, but the tribe of Judah only so God removed the ten northern tribes first now look what happens to Judah verse 19 also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God but walk in the statutes of Israel Which they had made so what Judah did was the same thing that Israel did they were not walking before the Lord very obviously so When you ask this question, why do we have so much sin and wickedness and rebellion? The answer is people are not walking before the Lord now We do not want to walk contrary to God We do not want to walk against God we want to walk with him I want you to go back to Genesis chapter 6 and there are a number of men in the Bible and

[John Weaver] we are told that walked with God and We have to observe their lives and we're going to be looking at a lot of them and then we will be getting to the New Testament as well But I want you to look in Genesis chapter 6 and verse 9 The Bible says these are the generations of Noah Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations and Noah was with God. Isn't that amazing? Noah walked with God. And the Bible says that Noah was a just man and perfect or upright in his generations. Now, do you want to know what it means to be just and perfect or upright? Well, look at Genesis 7 in verse 1. And the Lord said unto Noah, Come down all thy house into the ark for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation notice the word before It's the same exact Hebrew word thee have I seen Righteous now the word righteous just simply means that which is lawful That which is just that which is right and when God says to Noah For thee have I seen righteous before me."

[John Weaver] All God is saying is, you're the one that's been obeying me. You're the one that's been walking as in my presence. You're the one that has been doing that which is right.

[John Weaver] Now, go back to our text in Genesis chapter 5, beginning there with verse 21. And the Bible says, an Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years and begat sons and daughters Now let me ask you a question What relevance Is there in telling us That Enoch begat Methuselah and begat sons and daughters and walked with God 300 years. Why do we not just read, and Enoch walked with God, period? Why does he tell us that he begat sons and daughters? And here's the answer. Because God is telling us that Enoch was a family man. He had a wife. He had sons. He had daughters. Enoch was the father of Methuselah.

[John Weaver] He was the great-grandfather of Noah. So when the Bible is telling us that he is a family man, It means that Enoch had to do everything that every husband and every father had to do. He had to work. He had to make a living. He had to educate and train his children. He had to teach them. And yet, in light of all of those family responsibilities, he walked with God.

[John Weaver] He never used the excuse, well, I'm too busy. I just don't have enough time. I've got to make a living." No, the Bible says he was a family man and he walked with God.

[John Weaver] Now there's another interesting thing that's found in verse 22. The Bible says that Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years. Now 300 years is a long time. That's almost as old as Pat is. None of us in here are going to make it 300 years, I can assure you. But why does the Bible tell us that Enoch walked with God for 300 years? Because the Bible is telling us that Enoch was consistent. He was constant. You never read in the Bible about any lapses or any failures.

[John Weaver] It was not up and down with him. It was not off and on. It was absolutely consistent. He began a walk with God and he continued his walk with God. There was not a failure.

[John Weaver] now yes he was human and yes he was a sinful but the amazing thing is here's a man who walked consistently with our Lord for 300 years and most of us cannot even walk consistently for a week sometimes a day he had all of his obligations that each one of us has and yet he walked before the Lord he had a wife He had children, he had to work, he had to educate, he had to train. I can assure you he had already learned the principle of 1 Corinthians 10.31, although 1 Corinthians 10.31 was not written at that particular time, when the Bible says, whatsoever you eat, or whatever you drink, or whatever you do, do all to the honor and glory of God. And that's basically how he's walking with God. Everything he did was with thought, I'm walking, I'm working as in the presence of God.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look at verse 24. Interestingly, let's read verse 23 too. And all the days of Enoch were 365 years. So, note if you would please, back in verse 21, Enoch was 65 when he begat Methuselah. So he was already married, a 65 year old man, begat Methuselah, After Methuselah verse 24 and Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him he had walked with him for 300 years So here's the picture that's in my mind Enoch was walking with the Lord one day Communing fellowshipping And just all of a sudden realized and he said, Lord, I'm tired. And the Lord said, I understand, but we're closer to my house than yours, so you just come home and spend a few days with me. And he said, that's a good idea. And when he got there, he found out that one day with the Lord is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day. So he's been spending those days with him ever since, you know.

[John Weaver] But I can assure you He'd much rather be where he is than where he was. He did not want to be in a world of sin and misery. So, but the Bible said he was not for God took him. Does it say he died just as God took him? Isn't it amazing that a man could please God so well that God wanted him for himself. Wow. Now, here's what I want to do. I want to show you how the word walk is used. I'm going to show you this in the Old Testament. I'm going to show it to you in the New Testament. The word walk is used to describe one's course of action and life, his habitual habit and manner of life. Thus the word walk is synonymous with the word lifestyle. So I could say, let's examine David's lifestyle. That would be the same as saying, let's examine David's walk, how he's living, how he's acting, what he's doing, what he is saying.

[John Weaver] Now, today, I just want to give you four or five thoughts by way of introduction to this brief series. The first one is this. Walking implies communion and fellowship. Walking implies communion and fellowship. A lot of times husbands and wives walk daily. Fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, mothers and children, they just simply go for a walk. And it's not necessarily just for exercise. A lot of times it's for pure fellowship and communion. Certainly walking with the Lord is a godly exercise, that is for sure. But more so, it is for fellowship and communion.

[John Weaver] Sometimes you're joined on your walks. Alice and I used to walk regularly. We haven't walked regularly in a while now. But I remember when we would walk and talk, we always had company. Our dogs would follow us. And some of you remember the pet pig we had, Penelope, that little Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. She always went with us, had a pony that went with us. I mean, you know, you're joined by every creature under the sun, it seems like, when you take it a walk.

[John Weaver] But I want you to understand something. There's always fellowship. I want you to hold Genesis 5 and turn in your Bibles to 1 John 1. And please note, if you would please, what is said here. 1 John chapter 1 and look in verse 3 we are going to skip down to another verse just momentarily. 1 John 1 verse 3 John writes and he says, that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that you also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father with his son Jesus Christ now I want you to pause and think about that he said truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ have you ever considered the fact that everything that we lost in Adam you must remember that Adam was our first federal head and federal representative What he did, we did. It is true that Adam was created with original righteousness and holiness and knowledge. But when Adam sinned against God, he lost all of that.

[John Weaver] And now we have Jesus Christ, who in 1 Corinthians 15 is called the second man or the second Adam and the last man. Because he is the second one to sustain a federal headship and a federal relationship with the people. that we lost in Adam we now have back in Jesus Christ and more so because in Adam we were on immutable footing that is we could fall. We did fall because Adam fell. But in Jesus Christ we have an immutable footing we can never fail because Jesus Christ is God.

[John Weaver] So therefore I want you to look in 1 John 1 and 2. In fact we will read through verse 3. 1 John 3 verse 1, Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, watch now. Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this opened himself purifieth himself, even as he is pure. But note if you would, beloved, now are we the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know what he shall appear. We shall be like him.

[John Weaver] In other words, it's basically the same truth that Philippians 1.6 says, being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will also finish it. So it's an immutable footing. What God starts, God is going to finish.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look back in your Bibles. to 1 John 1 and verses 6 and 7. Remember now that John has said that our fellowship is with God the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. Now look in 1 John 1 and verse 6. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk, there's that lifestyle, and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth.

[John Weaver] Now let me explain it. If we say that we have fellowship with the Father, we're disobedient and riotous and rebellious and wicked but yet we're saying we have fellowship with him we're lying and we do not the truth watch verse 7 but if we walk in the light if our lifestyle is one of obedience and holiness if we walk in the light as he is the light and We have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin So fellowship with the father and the son naturally leads to fellowship with the brethren as we walk with him We're also walking with all

[John Weaver] of the others who are walking with him and I will tell you There is a greater tie and a stronger bond between believing men and women than there is even between fleshly family bonds and ties. And that's exactly what he's saying. So, the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 9, God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son. So, walking implies fellowship and communion. Secondly, walking with the Lord implies purpose. Usually, there is a purpose when you take a walk. Sometimes that purpose may be just fellowship, sometimes exercise, but oftentimes there's other purposes. For instance, many times when you walk, you share secrets with each other. You tell each other things that you normally would never tell. I have asked people in my lifetime and in my ministry, when there's a lot of folks around, would you take a short walk with me? And sure. And when they do, then I tell them what I want to tell them. Sometimes I may be encouraging them. Sometimes I may be admonishing them.

[John Weaver] But I mean, there's a purpose in the walk. Now, let me point something out. You have to understand that there are secrets that the believer has with the father and the father has with the believer. I usually tell people there are things that Christians know that non-believers will never know unless they're converted. Because the Bible says in Psalm 25 and verse 14, the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him and He will show them His covenant. He'll explain things to us. He'll teach us. He'll share with us. The Bible says in Proverbs 3 in verse 32, but the froward is an abomination to the Lord, but his secret is with the righteous. So, Christians know things that the unsaved would never know. By the way, if they knew what we know, they would not act the way they act. It's just that simple.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go ahead and turn in your Bible back a few pages to 1 Peter chapter 1, and let me make a statement. I've already told you that Christians know things that non-believers do not know. And let me tell you this, Christians know things that angels do not know. In fact, we even know some things that some of the Old Testament prophets didn't know. Look in 1 Peter chapter 1 beginning with verse 10. Of which salvations the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you. So some of these Old Testament prophets knew that they were prophesying But they did not understand all that they prophesied. So they inquired and searched diligently. Watch verse 11.

[John Weaver] Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Didn't understand everything now watch verse 12 unto whom it was revealed that not only themselves but unto us They did minister things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you where the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven which things the angels desire to look into Do you understand angels Have never experienced redemption They've never experienced forgiveness of sins You have the elect angels and the non elect angels or if you want to be plain you have the good angels and the bad angels But there was never a redemption for the angels None of them were ever forgiven So the elect angels They desire to look into this. They've never experienced this. And yet we have. So in that sense of the word, we know things that the angels do not know.

[John Weaver] So obviously, if we are going to walk before the Lord, we're going to be walking Not only in fellowship and communion, but there's going to be a purpose. We're going to be learning which I will explain a little bit later thirdly walking implies progress One of the most notable things about walking is progress you move from one point to another point and In fact, the further you go to the point at which you are walking, you can look back behind you and see where you have come from. Now, every one of us have progressed in our Christian walk. We may not have progressed the way we should have, or as much as we should have, but we have progressed.

[John Weaver] Each of us can say Thank God I'm not what I used to be. We can say we have not attained, we have not reached that which we want to reach, but we can still be thankful we are not what we were in times past. The grace of God has changed us. So there has been progress that has been made. It may be slow progress, But it's still progress really and truly our Christian life should be something like this Just a continual plane going upward unhappily most of the time it's something like this up and down up and down up and down But the truth is if you're on top of the hill You have to go down in order to reach the next hill. It's just that simple But really, it should be going like this.

[John Weaver] The Bible says in Psalm 84 and verse 7, they go from strength to strength. Everyone in them in Zion appeared before God. So we should be getting stronger and stronger. In Proverbs 10 and verse 29, the Bible says the way of the Lord is strength to the upright. should be increasing in strength. In the book of Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 19 he said, the Lord God is my strength, He will make my feet like hinds feet, He will make me to walk in high places. And when you get to the New Testament in Romans chapter 1 and verse 17 the Bible says talking about the Gospel, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.

[John Weaver] In other words we are to be going from a small or little faith to to a great faith. We're to be progressing because the Lord is indeed the strength of our lives and as we walk with Him we are to be getting stronger and stronger and going from faith to faith. So walking with the Lord then implies progress. Fourthly, walking with the Lord implies agreement.

[John Weaver] Now, I quoted earlier Amos 3.3 The Bible says can to walk together except they be agreed. I Have news for you I Would not waste my time Walking with someone with whom I absolutely totally Disagreed and had absolutely nothing in common unless I Could teach them or preach to them and they would be willing to listen I'd be glad to do that. But why in the world would I waste my time walking with someone who will not listen, who does not want to hear, and if they heard the truth, they would reject and refuse the truth. You see, in the book of Micah chapter 4 and verse 5, the Bible says this, for all people will walk everyone in the name of his God. But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. So here you have their God and here you have our God. So people who walk with their God have nothing in common with those of us who walk in the name of the One True and the Living God.

[John Weaver] So let me point this out. When we walk with the Lord, we are agreeing that He is the One True and the Living God. and beside Him there is none else. Moreover, we agree that His Word is true. We agree that His covenant is true as well. We are agreeing as we walk with Him that we should obey Him. We must obey Him. That's why He said in the book of Leviticus 18 verse 4, you shall do my judgments and keep my commandments to walk therein. I am the Lord. He said in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 12 and now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require thee but to fear the Lord thy God to walk in all his ways to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul So if I'm going to be walking with the Lord I'm going to be agreeing with him That he is true His word is true Everything he does is right. Because that is indeed a point of fellowship and a point of communion.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point one other thing out. Fifthly, walking with the Lord implies resolution. There are times when friends have disagreements, misunderstandings. You're not enemies, you're friends. And so consequently, sometimes the friend would say, well, let's go for a walk. And as we go for the walk, the friend says, now, I want to explain the problem. Here's my understanding. Here's my perspective. Is there anything that we can do to work this out? So usually if you're walking and there is a problem and both people are willing to do what's right, There's always going to be a resolution. It's going to be worked out. Now, I want you to see this, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter one.

[John Weaver] The Lord not only tells us and invites us to reason with him, he gives us strong incentives to do so. I want you to look at this. Isaiah chapter one. And let's begin with verse 18. Look what God says. Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Now that's something God is inviting us to reason with him. He's going to explain things to us. So look how he explains it. Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord.

[John Weaver] Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool. So here's a blessing. Here's a promise Here's a good reason that we should reason with the Lord because there's forgiveness with him Here's another reason in verse 19 If you be willing and obedient you shall lead to the good of the land. God says if you obey me, I want to bless you That's all there is to it But now God gives us another incentive to reason with him in verse 20 He says but if you refuse and rebel you shall be devoured with the sword or the mouth the Lord spoken it Wow Now,

[John Weaver] I don't know about you. But if God comes to me and says I want to reason with you If you'll confess and repent I'll forgive you and if you obey me I Will bless you But if you don't, I'll just wear your fanny out so you can't walk. I don't know about you, but that's pretty strong and persuasive reasoning in my book. I believe I'd just rather say, Lord, I'm willing to be obedient and walk before thee. Well, that's exactly what he says. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Mark chapter 4. Mark chapter 4 and verses 33 and 34 Look at what he says The truth and reality of the matter is that if we have any hesitation any misunderstanding We need to take a walk with the Lord in his word and get everything resolved look in verse 34 but without a parable spake he

[John Weaver] not unto them and And when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. Now go back to verse 33. And with many such parables spake he the word unto them as they were able to hear it. First of all, note verse 33. Our Lord teaches us as we're able to hear it. And may I point out the reason you did not believe the truths that you believe now 30 years ago You weren't able to receive them 30 years ago. You weren't able to hear them 30 years ago. He only gives us You remember that passage in Hebrews chapter 5 where the Apostle said that he had many things to say concerning Christ which were hard to be uttered, but he couldn't say them right now because you're dull of hearing.

[John Weaver] In other words, you shut your ears. You're not listening. And he went on to say that he had to feed you with milk and not with meat because you weren't able to eat the meat. Did you know Paul said exactly the same thing in He said and I brethren could not speak unto you as in spiritual wood as unto carnal even unto babes in Christ I fed you with milk and not with meat for hitherto you were not able to bear it So Christ is going to give us truth as we're able to hear it as we're able to receive it now I What are we going to do about that truth that we hear and we don't understand?

[John Weaver] You know, I have had, and I'm sure this is very difficult to believe, but I've actually had people get mad at me when I preached. Isn't that awful? Why would they get mad at the truth? Well, they've gotten mad. What is the answer? If you don't understand something in the Bible, there's no reason to get angry, there's no reason to get upset, there's no reason to get mad. Look at verse 34. But without a parable spake he not unto them and when they were alone he expounded all things to his disciples If you don't understand something get along with the lord walk with the lord Ask him to teach you and open your understanding and give you his truth Getting mad is useless getting angry is worthless Our lord said i'll teach you It's just that simple We have to understand that he is the great teacher. He's the author. He's the one that can explain. I tell people, I could be the greatest preacher in the world. I could have the best sermon in the world.

[John Weaver] I could have the best oratory. I could have the greatest illustrations. But if God doesn't open your understanding, you're never going to see a thing. So the answer is to get along with him and let him expound to you. So here is the question for this message. With whom do you walk? Are you walking with the Lord? What is your lifestyle? You have to understand that walking with the Lord is not something that you do just on Sunday. It's not something that you do sporadically. It's not something that's up and down, in and out, off and on. No, no, no, no. If you walk with the Lord, it's something that you have to do basically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days out of the year. It's just that simple.

[John Weaver] The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4 and verse 8, for bodily exercise profiteth little. Now it does profit some, but not much. but bodily exercise profit the little but godliness is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come so the greatest exercise is walking with the Lord and it doesn't matter if we're family men or family wives or mothers You may walk with the Lord because Enoch did.

[John Weaver] He had all the responsibilities and obligations of a husband and father and yet he was faithful and consistent and constant for 300 years. It's interesting what the Bible teaches us is that which is involved in walking with the Lord. So you need to make up your mind. If you're not walking with him, you're going to. And once you discover how to walk more fully and completely with him, then you're going to do that as well. Abram walked with God. Noah walked with God. Enoch walked with God. Multitudes walked with him. And so should we. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before thee.

[John Weaver] We thank you for your word, your truth, your goodness, your grace, your mercy. And we do pray that you'd teach us to walk before thee in order that we might walk with thee. May we walk as in thy presence, before thy face, as if you're standing by our side. Enable us to do that which is right and holy and godly and pleasing in thy sight. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] so so

Walking With The Lord

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	HRAKD_GcE14
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-02-18
Dictation Name
Book	Book 094: Walking With The Lord — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	61

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Call to Walk with the Lord

Weaver introduces the series and reads Genesis 5:22-24 about Enoch walking with God. He states that walking with the Lord is a duty, obligation, and privilege for every believer.

Open our Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 5. Genesis chapter 5. I want to begin a message today. It's actually a brief series. I do not know how many messages are going to follow. I'm already working on number 4, so there will probably be 7 or 8 of them anyhow. But the title of the message is "Walking with the Lord." And I want you to look in Genesis chapter 5, beginning there with verse 22.

The Bible says, "And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were 365 years. And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." Walking with the Lord is the duty and obligation and privilege of every child of God. So the question that you have to ask is, are you walking with the Lord? You also have to ask, do you know what it means to walk with the Lord? And do you have any idea what is entailed in the activity of walking with the Lord? Many individuals disregard and despise the privilege of walking with the Lord and communing with Him. And you ask, how in the world do they despise it?

Sin Separates from Fellowship

Sin separates believers from walking with God, as seen in Adam and Eve hiding from God (Genesis 3:8) and Isaiah 59:1-2. David also warns that regarding iniquity hinders prayer (Psalm 66:18).

And the answer is by sin, because sin separates and sin divides and sin makes it impossible to commune and to fellowship with the Lord. Evidently Adam and Eve, of course, walked with the Lord and had fellowship with Him. And if you look in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 8, you'll see it was their sin that separated them. You can see the implication in Genesis 3 and verse 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." So God came to walk with them and they heard Him and they hid themselves. So sin is that which separates and divides and causes a loss of fellowship.

The scripture says in Isaiah 59, verses 1 and 2, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear." David said it very plainly in Psalm 66 and verse 18, when he said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." So we're talking now about walking with the Lord.

Walking Before the Lord: The Prerequisite

To walk with God, one must first walk before Him—living in His presence with uprightness, holiness, and obedience. This is illustrated through Abraham (Genesis 17:1), Eli (1 Samuel 2:30), and David's charge to Solomon (1 Kings 2:1-4).

I hope you've already gathered just from reading about Adam and Eve and even reading about Enoch, if you're going to walk with the Lord, you must walk away from and separately from anything and everything that is contrary to the Lord. It's impossible to walk with the Lord unless you learn to walk before the Lord. Let me explain that. I want you to look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 17. We're going to come back to Genesis chapter 5 in just a little bit. But I want to begin showing you a phrase that occurs over and over in the Bible. And the interesting thing is every one of these passages that I'm going to show you, the Hebrew word is exactly the same. It is the word panim. Let me show you. Look in Genesis chapter 17 in verse 1.

And when Abram was 90 years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, "I am the Almighty God. Walk before me and be thou perfect." Now notice he said, "Walk before me and be thou perfect." He did not say, "Walk with me." He said, "Walk before me." And this is why I said you cannot walk with God unless you walk before the Lord. The Hebrew word here literally means "walk before my face" or "walk in my presence." In other words, walking before the Lord means that we're walking as if He is there. We are in His presence. And very obviously, we are to walk before Him. It means therefore that Abram was to walk consciously before the Lord, pleasing before the Lord. He was to abstain from anything and everything that would be displeasing to the Lord. So it means then, when Abram was to walk before Him, that Abram was to walk uprightly.

Holy, obediently, and righteously. Now, let me show you another thought that is involved in walking before the Lord. If you would turn to 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30. In this particular passage, God is reproving Eli. You remember Eli had sinned against the Lord. He allowed his sons to sin against the Lord, and Eli, of course, was a priest. And here is what God tells him in 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30. So look at it very plainly there. 1 Samuel 2, verse 30, and God says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 2:30

"Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever."

That is, in my presence forever.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 2:30

"But now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me will I honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."

So Eli now was a sinner, was sinning against God and allowing his sons to sin against God, and God says, "You're not walking before me. I said if you walk before me, fine, I would bless you. If not, but now you're not walking before me."

And so I'm going to kick you out of the priesthood. So, you have the idea here, since Eli was a priest, that walking before Him not only meant walking in His presence, but it also meant serving Him as well. It meant keeping His commands and keeping His judgments. So, walking before the Lord, then, entails obedience.

Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Kings 2 and verse 4. David explains to Solomon exactly what it means to walk before the Lord. Remember, if you would please now, this is the same exact Hebrew word over and over. 1 Kings chapter 2, and look in verse 4. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 1 just so you can see it in the context.

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 2:1-4

"Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: that the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me."

Now here's the word, saying,

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 2:1-4

"If thy children take heed to their way to walk before me"

—that is, in my presence—

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 2:1-4

"in truth, with all their heart, with all their soul, there shall not fail thee,"

said he,

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 2:1-4

"a man on the throne of Israel."

So David is saying, "Look, I want you to walk before the Lord." Part and parcel of walking before the Lord is explained in verse 3: walking in his ways, keeping his statutes, his commandments, his judgments, and his testimonies, and to do so with all the heart. If you would look in 1 Kings chapter 9 and verse 4, you will find that God confirms David's interpretation because God is now speaking to Solomon. And he said in verse 4,

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 9:4

"If thou wilt walk before me"

—there is that same word—

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 9:4

"if you will walk in my presence, if you will walk before my face as David thy father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness to do according to all that I have commanded thee and will keep my statutes and my judgments, then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, Thou shalt not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel."

So the promise then was conditioned upon walking before the Lord. Again you have the same exact statement in 2 Chronicles 7 and verse 17; it is the same exact word.

The Fear of God and National Apostasy

Lack of walking before God leads to sin because there is no fear of God (Psalm 36:1, Romans 3:18). Nations like Israel and Judah fell into idolatry by not walking before the Lord (1 Kings 11, 2 Kings 17).

So I want you to think for a moment. Walking before the Lord means to walk and to live as if you were in the presence of God, that you were before his face. I could ask you this question: Why is there so much meanness, sin, wickedness, and rebellion in the world today? And the answer is because people do not walk before the Lord. Since they do not walk before the Lord, there is no fear of God before their eyes or in their heart. David said it like this in Psalm 36 in verse 1: "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, there is no fear of God before his eyes." And then Paul said it in Romans 3 in verse 18: "There is no fear of God before their eyes." So if one does not fear God, then obviously he's not going to walk as in the presence of God. There's going to be a multitude of sins. I've said this before. You can pick up on this. Think back when you were children. That's a

long time for you, Pat. Can you remember that far back? But you remember when you were children, you would do things away from the presence of your father and mother that you would never do in the presence of your father and mother. So if you were walking in the presence of your father and mother at that time, you would have never ever done some of those things that you did. I told this this morning. There was a drunk by the name of Mel Trotter. And Mel Trotter was such a drunk that he had actually stolen the shoes off his baby and was taking them down the street to pawn them so he could just get a sip of whiskey. And Mel Trotter, as he was going to pawn his baby's shoes, passed a gospel meeting in a rented building downtown. And they were singing. It was cold outside, warm inside, and singing. The singing caught his ear. And so he went and sat down and listened to the singing.

And then there was preaching. And as the preaching was going on, God opened his eyes. God saved him. And Mel Trotter began a rescue mission, I think it was in Chicago, where he did indeed reach an awful lot of drunks and other people. But Mel Trotter got concerned about a place nearby called Lovers' Lane where everybody would go out and commit fornication, and he'd go out there and preach. Well, some of them would leave, some of them would laugh, some of them would ignore him, and he thought, "How in the world can I stop this?" And so Mel Trotter then got a neon sign made, and all it was was a giant eyeball that flashed, and as it flashed, it had this scripture: "Thou God seest me. Thou God seest me." They said within a month, you could never find anyone on Lovers' Lane. It was all gone. Well, you have to understand, walking in the presence of God means, of course, that we are doing that which He approves of.

There is a passage, and I will quote it a little bit later, in Amos 3 and verse 3. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Amos 3:3

"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"

So you have to understand that every positive has a negative. If two walk together, they are agreed. The negative is, if you disagree, obviously you are not going to walk together. So you have to walk as in the presence of God. Let me show you. We're in 1 Kings. Look in 1 Kings chapter 15 what the Bible says about Jeroboam. Now Jeroboam, you know, was a wicked king. He was the first king of Israel. He was the one that made the two golden calves. Notice if you would, 1 Kings chapter 15, verse 3. Look what the Bible says: "And he"—that is, Jeroboam—"walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him. And his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father." Now I want you to understand that this is a civil ruler that we're talking about in 1 Kings chapter 15. But what I want you to do is this: hold 1 Kings, but turn over in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. Then I want you to hold that passage because we're going to flip back

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 15:3

to 1 Kings, and then we're going to come back to 2 Kings. But look in 2 Kings chapter 17, and I want you to understand that it's not just individuals that can sin and rebel against God and refuse to walk in His presence. It can be an entire nation. It can be an entire society. It can be an entire people. So in 2 Kings 17, verse 7, "For so it was that the children of Israel"—that would be all of them—"had sinned against the Lord their God."

Now there were some exceptions, but generally speaking, all of them. "For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel which they had made. And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against Him, the Lord their God." "And they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchman to the fenced cities. And they set up images in groves in every high hill, and under every green tree." And you can read the rest of it how they actually turned from God and began to serve and obey the laws of these heathenistic kings.

Now, I want you to hold 2 Kings just momentarily. Turn back in your Bibles to 1 Kings 11. Let me go ahead and show you how an entire nation can follow a civil ruler into wickedness and idolatry. So in 1 Kings 11, we are reading about Jeroboam again, and how God is going to take the kingdom out of the hand of Rehoboam because of the sins of Solomon. So notice in verse 30, 1 Kings 11: "And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee. But he"—Jeroboam, or Solomon—"shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, because they"—that would be the whole people practically—"they have forsaken me and have worshipped Ashtaroth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments as did David his father." In other words, they were not walking before the Lord. Now if you will turn back to 2 Kings chapter 17, look if you would please at verses 18 and 19. Very interesting. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 17:7-19

"Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight. There was none left, but the tribe of Judah only."

So God removed the ten northern tribes first. Now look what happens to Judah. Verse 19:

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 17:7-19

"Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they had made."

So what Judah did was the same thing that Israel did. They were not walking before the Lord, very obviously. So when you ask this question, "Why do we have so much sin and wickedness and rebellion?" the answer is people are not walking before the Lord. Now, we do not want to walk contrary to God. We do not want to walk against God. We want to walk with Him. I want you to go back to Genesis chapter 6, and there are a number of men in the Bible and

Examples of Walking with God: Noah and Enoch

Noah walked with God and was righteous before Him (Genesis 6:9, 7:1). Enoch walked with God for 300 years as a family man, demonstrating consistency and faithfulness despite responsibilities.

we are told that walked with God. And we have to observe their lives, and we're going to be looking at a lot of them, and then we will be getting to the New Testament as well. But I want you to look in Genesis chapter 6 and verse 9. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 6:9

"These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."

Isn't that amazing? Noah walked with God. And the Bible says that Noah was a just man and perfect or upright in his generations. Now, do you want to know what it means to be just and perfect or upright? Well, look at Genesis 7 in verse 1. "And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation." Notice the word "before." It's the same exact Hebrew word. "Thee have I seen righteous." Now the word "righteous" just simply means that which is lawful, that which is just, that which is right. And when God says to Noah, "For thee have I seen righteous before me,"

all God is saying is, "You're the one that's been obeying me. You're the one that's been walking as in my presence. You're the one that has been doing that which is right." Now, go back to our text in Genesis chapter 5, beginning there with verse 21. And the Bible says, "And Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years, and begat sons and daughters." Now let me ask you a question. What relevance is there in telling us that Enoch begat Methuselah and begat sons and daughters and walked with God 300 years? Why do we not just read, "And Enoch walked with God," period? Why does he tell us that he begat sons and daughters? And here's the answer. Because God is telling us that Enoch was a family man. He had a wife. He had sons. He had daughters. Enoch was the father of Methuselah.

He was the great-grandfather of Noah. So when the Bible is telling us that he is a family man, it means that Enoch had to do everything that every husband and every father had to do. He had to work. He had to make a living. He had to educate and train his children. He had to teach them. And yet, in light of all of those family responsibilities, he walked with God.

He never used the excuse, "Well, I'm too busy. I just don't have enough time. I've got to make a living." No, the Bible says he was a family man and he walked with God. Now there's another interesting thing that's found in verse 22. The Bible says that Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years. Now 300 years is a long time. That's almost as old as Pat is. None of us in here are going to make it 300 years, I can assure you. But why does the Bible tell us that Enoch walked with God for 300 years? Because the Bible is telling us that Enoch was consistent. He was constant. You never read in the Bible about any lapses or any failures.

It was not up and down with him. It was not off and on. It was absolutely consistent. He began a walk with God and he continued his walk with God. There was not a failure.

Now yes, he was human and yes, he was sinful, but the amazing thing is here's a man who walked consistently with our Lord for 300 years, and most of us cannot even walk consistently for a week, sometimes a day. He had all of his obligations that each one of us has, and yet he walked before the Lord. He had a wife. He had children. He had to work. He had to educate. He had to train. I can assure you he had already learned the principle of 1 Corinthians 10:31, although 1 Corinthians 10:31 was not written at that particular time, when the Bible says, "Whatsoever you eat, or whatever you drink, or whatever you do, do all to the honor and glory of God." And that's basically how he's walking with God. Everything he did was with thought, "I'm walking, I'm working as in the presence of God."

Now, I want you to look at verse 24. Interestingly, let's read verse 23 too. "And all the days of Enoch were 365 years." So, note if you would please, back in verse 21, Enoch was 65 when he begat Methuselah. So he was already married, a 65-year-old man, begat Methuselah. After Methuselah, verse 24, "And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." He had walked with him for 300 years. So here's the picture that's in my mind. Enoch was walking with the Lord one day, communing, fellowshipping, and just all of a sudden realized, and he said, "Lord, I'm tired." And the Lord said, "I understand, but we're closer to my house than yours, so you just come home and spend a few days with me." And he said, "That's a good idea." And when he got there, he found out that one day with the Lord is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day. So he's been spending those days with him ever since, you know.

Five Implications of Walking with the Lord

Walking with the Lord implies: 1) Communion and fellowship (1 John 1:3-7); 2) Purpose, including sharing secrets (Psalm 25:14); 3) Progress from faith to faith (Psalm 84:7, Romans 1:17); 4) Agreement with God's truth (Amos 3:3); 5) Resolution of misunderstandings through reasoning with God (Isaiah 1:18-20, Mark 4:33-34).

But I can assure you, he'd much rather be where he is than where he was. He did not want to be in a world of sin and misery. So, but the Bible said he was not, for God took him. Does it say he died? Just as God took him. Isn't it amazing that a man could please God so well that God wanted him for himself? Wow. Now, here's what I want to do. I want to show you how the word "walk" is used. I'm going to show you this in the Old Testament. I'm going to show it to you in the New Testament. The word "walk" is used to describe one's course of action and life, his habitual habit and manner of life. Thus the word "walk" is synonymous with the word "lifestyle." So I could say, "Let's examine David's lifestyle." That would be the same as saying, "Let's examine David's walk," how he's living, how he's acting, what he's doing, what he is saying.

Now, today, I just want to give you four or five thoughts by way of introduction to this brief series. The first one is this: Walking implies communion and fellowship. Walking implies communion and fellowship. A lot of times husbands and wives walk daily. Fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, mothers and children, they just simply go for a walk. And it's not necessarily just for exercise. A lot of times it's for pure fellowship and communion. Certainly walking with the Lord is a godly exercise, that is for sure. But more so, it is for fellowship and communion.

Sometimes you're joined on your walks. Alice and I used to walk regularly. We haven't walked regularly in a while now. But I remember when we would walk and talk, we always had company. Our dogs would follow us. And some of you remember the pet pig we had, Penelope, that little Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. She always went with us. Had a pony that went with us. I mean, you know, you're joined by every creature under the sun, it seems like, when you take a walk.

But I want you to understand something. There's always fellowship. I want you to hold Genesis 5 and turn in your Bibles to 1 John 1. And please note, if you would please, what is said here. 1 John chapter 1, and look in verse 3. We are going to skip down to another verse just momentarily. 1 John 1, verse 3, John writes and he says,

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:3-7

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father, with his Son Jesus Christ."

Now I want you to pause and think about that. He said,

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:3-7

"Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ."

Have you ever considered the fact that everything that we lost in Adam—you must remember that Adam was our first federal head and federal representative. What he did, we did. It is true that Adam was created with original righteousness and holiness and knowledge. But when Adam sinned against God, he lost all of that.

And now we have Jesus Christ, who in 1 Corinthians 15 is called the second man or the second Adam and the last man. Because he is the second one to sustain a federal headship and a federal relationship with the people. That we lost in Adam we now have back in Jesus Christ, and more so, because in Adam we were on mutable footing, that is, we could fall. We did fall because Adam fell. But in Jesus Christ we have an immutable footing; we can never fail because Jesus Christ is God.

So therefore I want you to look in 1 John 3, verses 1 and 2. In fact, we will read through verse 3. 1 John 3, verse 1: "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, watch now. Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in himself purifieth himself, even as he is pure." But note if you would, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him." In other words, it's basically the same truth that Philippians 1:6 says: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will also finish it." So it's an immutable footing. What God starts, God is going to finish. Now, I want you to look back in your Bibles to 1 John 1 and verses 6 and 7. Remember now that John has said that our fellowship is with God the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. Now look in 1 John 1 and verse 6:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:3-7

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk"

—there's that lifestyle—

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:3-7

"and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth."

Now let me explain it. If we say that we have fellowship with the Father, we're disobedient and riotous and rebellious and wicked, but yet we're saying we have fellowship with Him, we're lying and we do not the truth. Watch verse 7: "But if we walk in the light"—if our lifestyle is one of obedience and holiness—"if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." So fellowship with the Father and the Son naturally leads to fellowship with the brethren. As we walk with Him, we're also walking with all of the others who are walking with Him. And I will tell you, there is a greater tie and a stronger bond between believing men and women than there is even between fleshly family bonds and ties. And that's exactly what he's saying. So, the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 9, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son." So, walking implies fellowship and communion. Secondly, walking with the Lord implies purpose. Usually, there is a purpose when you take a walk. Sometimes that purpose may be just fellowship, sometimes exercise, but oftentimes there's other purposes. For instance, many times when you walk, you share secrets with each other. You tell each other things that you normally would never tell. I have asked people in my lifetime and in my ministry, when there's a lot of folks around, "Would you take a short walk with me?" And sure. And when they do, then I tell them what I want to tell them. Sometimes I may be encouraging them. Sometimes I may be admonishing them.

But I mean, there's a purpose in the walk. Now, let me point something out. You have to understand that there are secrets that the believer has with the Father and the Father has with the believer. I usually tell people there are things that Christians know that non-believers will never know unless they're converted. Because the Bible says in Psalm 25 and verse 14,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 25:14

"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant."

He'll explain things to us. He'll teach us. He'll share with us. The Bible says in Proverbs 3 and verse 32, "But the froward is an abomination to the Lord, but his secret is with the righteous." So, Christians know things that the unsaved would never know. By the way, if they knew what we know, they would not act the way they act. It's just that simple.

Now, I want you to go ahead and turn in your Bible back a few pages to 1 Peter chapter 1, and let me make a statement. I've already told you that Christians know things that non-believers do not know. And let me tell you this: Christians know things that angels do not know. In fact, we even know some things that some of the Old Testament prophets didn't know. Look in 1 Peter chapter 1, beginning with verse 10. "Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you." So some of these Old Testament prophets knew that they were prophesying, but they did not understand all that they prophesied. So they inquired and searched diligently. Watch verse 11.

"Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." Didn't understand everything. Now watch verse 12: "Unto whom it was revealed, that not only themselves, but unto us they did minister things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." Do you understand? Angels have never experienced redemption. They've never experienced forgiveness of sins. You have the elect angels and the non-elect angels, or if you want to be plain, you have the good angels and the bad angels. But there was never a redemption for the angels. None of them were ever forgiven. So the elect angels, they desire to look into this. They've never experienced this. And yet we have. So in that sense of the word, we know things that the angels do not know.

So obviously, if we are going to walk before the Lord, we're going to be walking not only in fellowship and communion, but there's going to be a purpose. We're going to be learning, which I will explain a little bit later. Thirdly, walking implies progress. One of the most notable things about walking is progress. You move from one point to another point. And in fact, the further you go to the point at which you are walking, you can look back behind you and see where you have come from. Now, every one of us have progressed in our Christian walk. We may not have progressed the way we should have, or as much as we should have, but we have progressed.

Each of us can say, "Thank God I'm not what I used to be." We can say we have not attained, we have not reached that which we want to reach, but we can still be thankful we are not what we were in times past. The grace of God has changed us. So there has been progress that has been made. It may be slow progress, but it's still progress. Really and truly, our Christian life should be something like this: just a continual plane going upward. Unhappily, most of the time it's something like this: up and down, up and down, up and down. But the truth is, if you're on top of the hill, you have to go down in order to reach the next hill. It's just that simple. But really, it should be going like this.

The Bible says in Psalm 84 and verse 7, "They go from strength to strength. Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God." So we should be getting stronger and stronger. In Proverbs 10 and verse 29, the Bible says, "The way of the Lord is strength to the upright." We should be increasing in strength. In the book of Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 19, he said, "The Lord God is my strength, He will make my feet like hinds' feet, He will make me to walk in high places." And when you get to the New Testament in Romans chapter 1 and verse 17, the Bible says, talking about the Gospel, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith." In other words, we are to be going from a small or little faith to a great faith. We're to be progressing because the Lord is indeed the strength of our lives, and as we walk with Him, we are to be getting stronger and stronger and going from faith to faith. So walking with the Lord then implies progress. Fourthly, walking with the Lord implies agreement.

Now, I quoted earlier Amos 3:3. The Bible says, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" I have news for you. I would not waste my time walking with someone with whom I absolutely totally disagreed and had absolutely nothing in common, unless I could teach them or preach to them and they would be willing to listen. I'd be glad to do that. But why in the world would I waste my time walking with someone who will not listen, who does not want to hear, and if they heard the truth, they would reject and refuse the truth? You see, in the book of Micah chapter 4 and verse 5, the Bible says this: "For all people will walk everyone in the name of his God. But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever." So here you have their God and here you have our God. So people who walk with their God have nothing in common with those of us who walk in the name of the One True and the Living God.

So let me point this out. When we walk with the Lord, we are agreeing that He is the One True and the Living God, and beside Him there is none else. Moreover, we agree that His Word is true. We agree that His covenant is true as well. We are agreeing as we walk with Him that we should obey Him. We must obey Him. That's why He said in the book of Leviticus 18, verse 4, "You shall do my judgments and keep my commandments to walk therein. I am the Lord." He said in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 12, "And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul?" So if I'm going to be walking with the Lord, I'm going to be agreeing with Him that He is true, His Word is true, everything He does is right. Because that is indeed a point of fellowship and a point of communion.

Now, let me point one other thing out. Fifthly, walking with the Lord implies resolution. There are times when friends have disagreements, misunderstandings. You're not enemies, you're friends. And so consequently, sometimes the friend would say, "Well, let's go for a walk." And as we go for the walk, the friend says, "Now, I want to explain the problem. Here's my understanding. Here's my perspective. Is there anything that we can do to work this out?" So usually if you're walking and there is a problem and both people are willing to do what's right, there's always going to be a resolution. It's going to be worked out. Now, I want you to see this, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 1.

The Lord not only tells us and invites us to reason with Him, He gives us strong incentives to do so. I want you to look at this. Isaiah chapter 1. And let's begin with verse 18. Look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:18-20

"Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord."

Now that's something. God is inviting us to reason with Him. He's going to explain things to us. So look how He explains it.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:18-20

"Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord."

"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." So here's a blessing. Here's a promise. Here's a good reason that we should reason with the Lord, because there's forgiveness with Him. Here's another reason in verse 19: "If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." God says, "If you obey me, I want to bless you." That's all there is to it. But now God gives us another incentive to reason with Him in verse 20. He says, "But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Wow. Now,

I don't know about you. But if God comes to me and says, "I want to reason with you. If you'll confess and repent, I'll forgive you. And if you obey me, I will bless you. But if you don't, I'll just wear your fanny out so you can't walk." I don't know about you, but that's pretty strong and persuasive reasoning in my book. I believe I'd just rather say, "Lord, I'm willing to be obedient and walk before thee." Well, that's exactly what He says. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Mark chapter 4. Mark chapter 4 and verses 33 and 34. Look at what He says. The truth and reality of the matter is that if we have any hesitation, any misunderstanding, we need to take a walk with the Lord in His Word and get everything resolved. Look in verse 34: "But without a parable spake he

not unto them. And when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples." Now go back to verse 33: "And with many such parables spake he the word unto them as they were able to hear it." First of all, note verse 33. Our Lord teaches us as we're able to hear it. And may I point out, the reason you did not believe the truths that you believe now 30 years ago is you weren't able to receive them 30 years ago. You weren't able to hear them 30 years ago. He only gives us—you remember that passage in Hebrews chapter 5 where the Apostle said that he had many things to say concerning Christ which were hard to be uttered, but he couldn't say them right now because you're dull of hearing. In other words, you shut your ears. You're not listening. And he went on to say that he had to feed you with milk and not with meat because you weren't able to eat the meat. Did you know Paul said exactly the same thing in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 1 and 2? He said, "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it." So Christ is going to give us truth as we're able to hear it, as we're able to receive it. Now, what are we going to do about that truth that we hear and we don't understand?

Conclusion: A Consistent Lifestyle

Walking with the Lord is a 24/7 lifestyle, not just a Sunday activity. Believers are called to walk before God continually, as Enoch did, and to seek understanding from the Lord when confused.

In other words, you shut your ears. You're not listening. And he went on to say that he had to feed you with milk and not with meat because you weren't able to eat the meat. Did you know Paul said exactly the same thing in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 1 and 2? He said, "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it." So Christ is going to give us truth as we're able to hear it, as we're able to receive it. Now, what are we going to do about that truth that we hear and we don't understand?

You know, I have had—and I'm sure this is very difficult to believe—but I've actually had people get mad at me when I preached. Isn't that awful? Why would they get mad at the truth? Well, they've gotten mad. What is the answer? If you don't understand something in the Bible, there's no reason to get angry, there's no reason to get upset, there's no reason to get mad. Look at verse 34: "But without a parable spake he not unto them. And when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples." If you don't understand something, get along with the Lord. Walk with the Lord. Ask Him to teach you and open your understanding and give you His truth. Getting mad is useless. Getting angry is worthless. Our Lord said, "I'll teach you." It's just that simple. We have to understand that He is the great teacher. He's the author. He's the one that can explain. I tell people, I could be the greatest preacher in the world. I could have the best sermon in the world.

I could have the best oratory. I could have the greatest illustrations. But if God doesn't open your understanding, you're never going to see a thing. So the answer is to get along with Him and let Him expound to you. So here is the question for this message: With whom do you walk? Are you walking with the Lord? What is your lifestyle? You have to understand that walking with the Lord is not something that you do just on Sunday. It's not something that you do sporadically. It's not something that's up and down, in and out, off and on. No, no, no, no. If you walk with the Lord, it's something that you have to do basically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days out of the year. It's just that simple.

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4 and verse 8, "For bodily exercise profiteth little." Now it does profit some, but not much. "But bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." So the greatest exercise is walking with the Lord. And it doesn't matter if we're family men or family wives or mothers. You may walk with the Lord because Enoch did. He had all the responsibilities and obligations of a husband and father, and yet he was faithful and consistent and constant for 300 years. It's interesting what the Bible teaches us is that which is involved in walking with the Lord. So you need to make up your mind. If you're not walking with Him, you're going to. And once you discover how to walk more fully and completely with Him, then you're going to do that as well. Abram walked with God. Noah walked with God. Enoch walked with God. Multitudes walked with Him. And so should we. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee.

We thank You for Your Word, Your truth, Your goodness, Your grace, Your mercy. And we do pray that You'd teach us to walk before Thee in order that we might walk with Thee. May we walk as in Thy presence, before Thy face, as if You're standing by our side. Enable us to do that which is right and holy and godly and pleasing in Thy sight. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Walking Before the Lord as Prerequisite

Summary: One cannot walk with God without first walking before Him—living consciously in His presence with obedience and integrity.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'It's impossible to walk with the Lord unless you learn to walk before the Lord.' He cites Genesis 17:1 where God tells Abraham to 'walk before me and be thou perfect.'

Sin as a Barrier to Fellowship

Summary: Sin separates believers from God and hinders walking with Him, as seen in Adam and Eve's hiding and Isaiah 59:1-2.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Sin separates and sin divides and sin makes it impossible to commune and to fellowship with the Lord.' He references Genesis 3:8 and Isaiah 59:1-2.

Consistency in the Christian Walk

Summary: Enoch's 300-year walk with God exemplifies unwavering consistency, not an up-and-down spiritual life.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'It was not up and down with him. It was not off and on. It was absolutely consistent.' He emphasizes Enoch's faithfulness despite family duties.

Walking as a Lifestyle

Summary: The biblical word 'walk' describes one's habitual manner of life, synonymous with 'lifestyle.'

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'The word walk is used to describe one's course of action and life, his habitual habit and manner of life. Thus the word walk is synonymous with the word lifestyle.'

Fellowship with God and Believers

Summary: Walking with God involves communion with the Father and Son, which naturally leads to fellowship with other believers.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 John 1:3-7, stating, 'Fellowship with the Father and the Son naturally leads to fellowship with the brethren.'

Agreement with God's Truth

Summary: Walking with God requires agreement with His character, Word, and commands, as Amos 3:3 asks, 'Can two walk together, except they be agreed?'

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When we walk with the Lord, we are agreeing that He is the One True and the Living God... we agree that His Word is true.'

Key Arguments

Walking before God is necessary for walking with God

Summary: Weaver argues that living in the conscious presence of God (walking before Him) is a prerequisite for true fellowship with Him.

Evidence: He states, 'You cannot walk with God unless you walk before the Lord,' and uses Abraham's call in Genesis 17:1 as the foundational text.

Sin destroys fellowship with God

Summary: Sin creates separation and makes communion with God impossible, as demonstrated by Adam and Eve and the nation of Israel.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Sin separates and sin divides and sin makes it impossible to commune and to fellowship with the Lord,' referencing Genesis 3:8 and Isaiah 59:1-2.

A consistent walk is possible amid life's responsibilities

Summary: Enoch's example shows that a family man with work and duties can walk faithfully with God for centuries.

Evidence: Weaver points out, 'Enoch was a family man... He had to work... And yet, in light of all of those family responsibilities, he walked with God.'

Walking with God implies progress in faith

Summary: The Christian life should be marked by growth from strength to strength and from faith to faith.

Evidence: Weaver cites Psalm 84:7 and Romans 1:17, saying, 'We are to be going from a small or little faith to a great faith.'

God invites resolution through reasoning

Summary: When misunderstandings arise, God invites believers to reason with Him and receive forgiveness and blessing.

Evidence: Weaver references Isaiah 1:18-20, where God says, 'Come now and let us reason together,' offering cleansing and conditional blessing.

Scripture References

Genesis 5:22-24

Context: Enoch walked with God for 300 years and was taken by God without dying.

Genesis 3:8

Context: Adam and Eve hid from God's presence after sinning, illustrating separation.

Isaiah 59:1-2

Context: Iniquities separate people from God, causing Him to hide His face.

Psalm 66:18

Context: If one regards iniquity, the Lord will not hear.

Genesis 17:1

Context: God commands Abraham to walk before Him and be perfect.

1 Samuel 2:30

Context: God rebukes Eli, stating that those who honor Him will be honored.

1 Kings 2:1-4

Context: David charges Solomon to walk before God in truth with all his heart.

1 Kings 9:4

Context: God promises to establish Solomon's throne if he walks before Him with integrity.

Psalm 36:1

Context: The wicked have no fear of God before their eyes.

Romans 3:18

Context: There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Amos 3:3

Context: Can two walk together unless they are agreed?

1 Kings 15:3

Context: Jeroboam walked in the sins of his father, his heart not perfect with God.

2 Kings 17:7-19

Context: Israel and Judah sinned by walking in heathen statutes and not keeping God's commandments.

Genesis 6:9

Context: Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations, and walked with God.

Genesis 7:1

Context: God saw Noah righteous before Him in that generation.

1 John 1:3-7

Context: Fellowship with the Father and Son requires walking in the light.

Psalm 25:14

Context: The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him.

1 Peter 1:10-12

Context: Prophets inquired about salvation; angels desire to look into these things.

Isaiah 1:18-20

Context: God invites reasoning; if willing and obedient, they will eat the good of the land.

Mark 4:33-34

Context: Jesus taught as they were able to hear; when alone, He explained all things to disciples.

Historical References

Mel Trotter

Context: A drunk who was saved after hearing a gospel meeting, later started a rescue mission and used a neon sign with 'Thou God seest me' to clear Lovers' Lane.

Important Quotes

Walking with the Lord is the duty and obligation and privilege of every child of God.

Significance: Establishes the foundational premise that walking with God is not optional but essential for believers.

It's impossible to walk with the Lord unless you learn to walk before the Lord.

Significance: Introduces the key prerequisite for fellowship with God—living consciously in His presence.

If you're going to walk with the Lord, you must walk away from and separately from anything and everything that is contrary to the Lord.

Significance: Emphasizes the necessity of separation from sin as part of walking with God.

The word walk is used to describe one's course of action and life, his habitual habit and manner of life. Thus the word walk is synonymous with the word lifestyle.

Significance: Defines the biblical concept of 'walk' as a comprehensive lifestyle, not just occasional behavior.

Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Significance: Highlights the necessity of agreement with God's truth for genuine fellowship.

Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord.

Significance: Shows God's invitation to resolve misunderstandings and receive forgiveness.

Discussion Questions

What does it mean to 'walk before the Lord' in your daily life, and how does it differ from merely 'walking with the Lord'?

Context: Weaver explains that walking before God is a prerequisite, involving living consciously in His presence.

How does sin hinder our fellowship with God, and what steps can we take to restore that fellowship?

Context: Weaver discusses how sin separates us from God, using Adam and Eve and Isaiah 59 as examples.

Enoch walked with God for 300 years while being a family man. What practical lessons can we learn from his consistency?

Context: Weaver highlights Enoch's faithfulness despite family and work responsibilities.

In what ways does walking with the Lord imply progress, and how can we measure spiritual growth in our lives?

Context: Weaver states that walking with God involves moving from faith to faith and strength to strength.

Why is agreement with God's truth essential for walking with Him, and what areas of disagreement might hinder our walk?

Context: Weaver references Amos 3:3 and explains that walking together requires agreement on God's character and Word.

How can we apply God's invitation to 'reason together' when we face doubts or misunderstandings about His Word?

Context: Weaver uses Isaiah 1:18-20 and Mark 4:33-34 to show that God wants to resolve our confusion.

Applications

Cultivate a conscious awareness of God's presence

Summary: Believers should live every moment as if they are before God's face, making choices that please Him.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Walking before the Lord means to walk and to live as if you were in the presence of God, that you were before his face.'

Confess and forsake sin to maintain fellowship

Summary: Since sin separates from God, believers must regularly confess and turn from sin to walk with Him.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Sin separates and sin divides and sin makes it impossible to commune and to fellowship with the Lord.'

Pursue consistency in your walk with God

Summary: Like Enoch, believers should strive for a steady, lifelong walk with God, not an up-and-down spiritual life.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'It was not up and down with him. It was not off and on. It was absolutely consistent.'

Seek God's teaching when you don't understand Scripture

Summary: Instead of getting angry or confused, believers should get alone with God and ask Him to expound His Word.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you don't understand something, get along with the Lord. Walk with the Lord. Ask Him to teach you.'

Make walking with God a 24/7 lifestyle

Summary: Walking with the Lord is not just for Sundays but should characterize every aspect of daily life.

Evidence: Weaver concludes, 'If you walk with the Lord, it's something that you have to do basically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T15:13:17Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T04:20:04Z

Clean Transcript

Walking With The Lord

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Open our Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 5. Genesis chapter 5. I want to begin a message today. It's actually a brief series. I do not know how many messages are going to follow. I'm already working on number 4, so there will probably be 7 or 8 of them anyhow. But the title of the message is "Walking with the Lord." And I want you to look in Genesis chapter 5, beginning there with verse 22.
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The Bible says, "And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were 365 years. And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." Walking with the Lord is the duty and obligation and privilege of every child of God. So the question that you have to ask is, are you walking with the Lord? You also have to ask, do you know what it means to walk with the Lord? And do you have any idea what is entailed in the activity of walking with the Lord? Many individuals disregard and despise the privilege of walking with the Lord and communing with Him. And you ask, how in the world do they despise it?
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And the answer is by sin, because sin separates and sin divides and sin makes it impossible to commune and to fellowship with the Lord. Evidently Adam and Eve, of course, walked with the Lord and had fellowship with Him. And if you look in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 8, you'll see it was their sin that separated them. You can see the implication in Genesis 3 and verse 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." So God came to walk with them and they heard Him and they hid themselves. So sin is that which separates and divides and causes a loss of fellowship.
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The scripture says in Isaiah 59, verses 1 and 2, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear." David said it very plainly in Psalm 66 and verse 18, when he said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." So we're talking now about walking with the Lord.
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I hope you've already gathered just from reading about Adam and Eve and even reading about Enoch, if you're going to walk with the Lord, you must walk away from and separately from anything and everything that is contrary to the Lord. It's impossible to walk with the Lord unless you learn to walk before the Lord. Let me explain that. I want you to look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 17. We're going to come back to Genesis chapter 5 in just a little bit. But I want to begin showing you a phrase that occurs over and over in the Bible. And the interesting thing is every one of these passages that I'm going to show you, the Hebrew word is exactly the same. It is the word panim. Let me show you. Look in Genesis chapter 17 in verse 1.
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And when Abram was 90 years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, "I am the Almighty God. Walk before me and be thou perfect." Now notice he said, "Walk before me and be thou perfect." He did not say, "Walk with me." He said, "Walk before me." And this is why I said you cannot walk with God unless you walk before the Lord. The Hebrew word here literally means "walk before my face" or "walk in my presence." In other words, walking before the Lord means that we're walking as if He is there. We are in His presence. And very obviously, we are to walk before Him. It means therefore that Abram was to walk consciously before the Lord, pleasing before the Lord. He was to abstain from anything and everything that would be displeasing to the Lord. So it means then, when Abram was to walk before Him, that Abram was to walk uprightly.
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Holy, obediently, and righteously. Now, let me show you another thought that is involved in walking before the Lord. If you would turn to 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30. In this particular passage, God is reproving Eli. You remember Eli had sinned against the Lord. He allowed his sons to sin against the Lord, and Eli, of course, was a priest. And here is what God tells him in 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30. So look at it very plainly there. 1 Samuel 2, verse 30, and God says, "Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever." That is, in my presence forever. "But now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me will I honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." So Eli now was a sinner, was sinning against God and allowing his sons to sin against God, and God says, "You're not walking before me. I said if you walk before me, fine, I would bless you. If not, but now you're not walking before me."
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And so I'm going to kick you out of the priesthood. So, you have the idea here, since Eli was a priest, that walking before Him not only meant walking in His presence, but it also meant serving Him as well. It meant keeping His commands and keeping His judgments. So, walking before the Lord, then, entails obedience.
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Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Kings 2 and verse 4. David explains to Solomon exactly what it means to walk before the Lord. Remember, if you would please now, this is the same exact Hebrew word over and over. 1 Kings chapter 2, and look in verse 4. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 1 just so you can see it in the context. "Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: that the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me." Now here's the word, saying, "If thy children take heed to their way to walk before me"—that is, in my presence—"in truth, with all their heart, with all their soul, there shall not fail thee," said he, "a man on the throne of Israel."
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So David is saying, "Look, I want you to walk before the Lord." Part and parcel of walking before the Lord is explained in verse 3: walking in his ways, keeping his statutes, his commandments, his judgments, and his testimonies, and to do so with all the heart. If you would look in 1 Kings chapter 9 and verse 4, you will find that God confirms David's interpretation because God is now speaking to Solomon. And he said in verse 4, "If thou wilt walk before me"—there is that same word—"if you will walk in my presence, if you will walk before my face as David thy father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness to do according to all that I have commanded thee and will keep my statutes and my judgments, then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, Thou shalt not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel." So the promise then was conditioned upon walking before the Lord. Again you have the same exact statement in 2 Chronicles 7 and verse 17; it is the same exact word.
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So I want you to think for a moment. Walking before the Lord means to walk and to live as if you were in the presence of God, that you were before his face. I could ask you this question: Why is there so much meanness, sin, wickedness, and rebellion in the world today? And the answer is because people do not walk before the Lord. Since they do not walk before the Lord, there is no fear of God before their eyes or in their heart. David said it like this in Psalm 36 in verse 1: "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, there is no fear of God before his eyes." And then Paul said it in Romans 3 in verse 18: "There is no fear of God before their eyes." So if one does not fear God, then obviously he's not going to walk as in the presence of God. There's going to be a multitude of sins. I've said this before. You can pick up on this. Think back when you were children. That's a
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long time for you, Pat. Can you remember that far back? But you remember when you were children, you would do things away from the presence of your father and mother that you would never do in the presence of your father and mother. So if you were walking in the presence of your father and mother at that time, you would have never ever done some of those things that you did. I told this this morning. There was a drunk by the name of Mel Trotter. And Mel Trotter was such a drunk that he had actually stolen the shoes off his baby and was taking them down the street to pawn them so he could just get a sip of whiskey. And Mel Trotter, as he was going to pawn his baby's shoes, passed a gospel meeting in a rented building downtown. And they were singing. It was cold outside, warm inside, and singing. The singing caught his ear. And so he went and sat down and listened to the singing.
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And then there was preaching. And as the preaching was going on, God opened his eyes. God saved him. And Mel Trotter began a rescue mission, I think it was in Chicago, where he did indeed reach an awful lot of drunks and other people. But Mel Trotter got concerned about a place nearby called Lovers' Lane where everybody would go out and commit fornication, and he'd go out there and preach.
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Well, some of them would leave, some of them would laugh, some of them would ignore him, and he thought, "How in the world can I stop this?" And so Mel Trotter then got a neon sign made, and all it was was a giant eyeball that flashed, and as it flashed, it had this scripture: "Thou God seest me. Thou God seest me." They said within a month, you could never find anyone on Lovers' Lane. It was all gone. Well, you have to understand, walking in the presence of God means, of course, that we are doing that which He approves of.
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There is a passage, and I will quote it a little bit later, in Amos 3 and verse 3. The Bible says, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" So you have to understand that every positive has a negative. If two walk together, they are agreed. The negative is, if you disagree, obviously you are not going to walk together. So you have to walk as in the presence of God. Let me show you. We're in 1 Kings. Look in 1 Kings chapter 15 what the Bible says about Jeroboam. Now Jeroboam, you know, was a wicked king. He was the first king of Israel. He was the one that made the two golden calves. Notice if you would, 1 Kings chapter 15, verse 3. Look what the Bible says: "And he"—that is, Jeroboam—"walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him. And his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father." Now I want you to understand that this is a civil ruler that we're talking about in 1 Kings chapter 15. But what I want you to do is this: hold 1 Kings, but turn over in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. Then I want you to hold that passage because we're going to flip back
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to 1 Kings, and then we're going to come back to 2 Kings. But look in 2 Kings chapter 17, and I want you to understand that it's not just individuals that can sin and rebel against God and refuse to walk in His presence. It can be an entire nation. It can be an entire society. It can be an entire people. So in 2 Kings 17, verse 7, "For so it was that the children of Israel"—that would be all of them—"had sinned against the Lord their God."
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Now there were some exceptions, but generally speaking, all of them. "For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel which they had made. And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against Him, the Lord their God."
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"And they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchman to the fenced cities. And they set up images in groves in every high hill, and under every green tree." And you can read the rest of it how they actually turned from God and began to serve and obey the laws of these heathenistic kings.
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Now, I want you to hold 2 Kings just momentarily. Turn back in your Bibles to 1 Kings 11. Let me go ahead and show you how an entire nation can follow a civil ruler into wickedness and idolatry. So in 1 Kings 11, we are reading about Jeroboam again, and how God is going to take the kingdom out of the hand of Rehoboam because of the sins of Solomon. So notice in verse 30, 1 Kings 11: "And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee. But he"—Jeroboam, or Solomon—"shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, because they"—that would be the whole people practically—"they have forsaken me and have worshipped Ashtaroth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the
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god of the Moabites, Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments as did David his father." In other words, they were not walking before the Lord.
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Now if you will turn back to 2 Kings chapter 17, look if you would please at verses 18 and 19. Very interesting. The Bible says, "Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight. There was none left, but the tribe of Judah only." So God removed the ten northern tribes first. Now look what happens to Judah. Verse 19: "Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they had made." So what Judah did was the same thing that Israel did. They were not walking before the Lord, very obviously. So when you ask this question, "Why do we have so much sin and wickedness and rebellion?" the answer is people are not walking before the Lord. Now, we do not want to walk contrary to God. We do not want to walk against God. We want to walk with Him. I want you to go back to Genesis chapter 6, and there are a number of men in the Bible and
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we are told that walked with God. And we have to observe their lives, and we're going to be looking at a lot of them, and then we will be getting to the New Testament as well. But I want you to look in Genesis chapter 6 and verse 9. The Bible says, "These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." Isn't that amazing? Noah walked with God. And the Bible says that Noah was a just man and perfect or upright in his generations. Now, do you want to know what it means to be just and perfect or upright? Well, look at Genesis 7 in verse 1. "And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation." Notice the word "before." It's the same exact Hebrew word. "Thee have I seen righteous." Now the word "righteous" just simply means that which is lawful, that which is just, that which is right. And when God says to Noah, "For thee have I seen righteous before me,"
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all God is saying is, "You're the one that's been obeying me. You're the one that's been walking as in my presence. You're the one that has been doing that which is right."
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Now, go back to our text in Genesis chapter 5, beginning there with verse 21. And the Bible says, "And Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years, and begat sons and daughters." Now let me ask you a question. What relevance is there in telling us that Enoch begat Methuselah and begat sons and daughters and walked with God 300 years? Why do we not just read, "And Enoch walked with God," period? Why does he tell us that he begat sons and daughters? And here's the answer. Because God is telling us that Enoch was a family man. He had a wife. He had sons. He had daughters. Enoch was the father of Methuselah.
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He was the great-grandfather of Noah. So when the Bible is telling us that he is a family man, it means that Enoch had to do everything that every husband and every father had to do. He had to work. He had to make a living. He had to educate and train his children. He had to teach them. And yet, in light of all of those family responsibilities, he walked with God.
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He never used the excuse, "Well, I'm too busy. I just don't have enough time. I've got to make a living." No, the Bible says he was a family man and he walked with God.
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Now there's another interesting thing that's found in verse 22. The Bible says that Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years. Now 300 years is a long time. That's almost as old as Pat is. None of us in here are going to make it 300 years, I can assure you. But why does the Bible tell us that Enoch walked with God for 300 years? Because the Bible is telling us that Enoch was consistent. He was constant. You never read in the Bible about any lapses or any failures.
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It was not up and down with him. It was not off and on. It was absolutely consistent. He began a walk with God and he continued his walk with God. There was not a failure.
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Now yes, he was human and yes, he was sinful, but the amazing thing is here's a man who walked consistently with our Lord for 300 years, and most of us cannot even walk consistently for a week, sometimes a day. He had all of his obligations that each one of us has, and yet he walked before the Lord. He had a wife. He had children. He had to work. He had to educate. He had to train. I can assure you he had already learned the principle of 1 Corinthians 10:31, although 1 Corinthians 10:31 was not written at that particular time, when the Bible says, "Whatsoever you eat, or whatever you drink, or whatever you do, do all to the honor and glory of God." And that's basically how he's walking with God. Everything he did was with thought, "I'm walking, I'm working as in the presence of God."
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Now, I want you to look at verse 24. Interestingly, let's read verse 23 too. "And all the days of Enoch were 365 years." So, note if you would please, back in verse 21, Enoch was 65 when he begat Methuselah. So he was already married, a 65-year-old man, begat Methuselah. After Methuselah, verse 24, "And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." He had walked with him for 300 years. So here's the picture that's in my mind. Enoch was walking with the Lord one day, communing, fellowshipping, and just all of a sudden realized, and he said, "Lord, I'm tired." And the Lord said, "I understand, but we're closer to my house than yours, so you just come home and spend a few days with me." And he said, "That's a good idea." And when he got there, he found out that one day with the Lord is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day. So he's been spending those days with him ever since, you know.
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But I can assure you, he'd much rather be where he is than where he was. He did not want to be in a world of sin and misery. So, but the Bible said he was not, for God took him. Does it say he died? Just as God took him. Isn't it amazing that a man could please God so well that God wanted him for himself? Wow. Now, here's what I want to do. I want to show you how the word "walk" is used. I'm going to show you this in the Old Testament. I'm going to show it to you in the New Testament. The word "walk" is used to describe one's course of action and life, his habitual habit and manner of life. Thus the word "walk" is synonymous with the word "lifestyle." So I could say, "Let's examine David's lifestyle." That would be the same as saying, "Let's examine David's walk," how he's living, how he's acting, what he's doing, what he is saying.
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Now, today, I just want to give you four or five thoughts by way of introduction to this brief series. The first one is this: Walking implies communion and fellowship. Walking implies communion and fellowship. A lot of times husbands and wives walk daily. Fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, mothers and children, they just simply go for a walk. And it's not necessarily just for exercise. A lot of times it's for pure fellowship and communion. Certainly walking with the Lord is a godly exercise, that is for sure. But more so, it is for fellowship and communion.
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Sometimes you're joined on your walks. Alice and I used to walk regularly. We haven't walked regularly in a while now. But I remember when we would walk and talk, we always had company. Our dogs would follow us. And some of you remember the pet pig we had, Penelope, that little Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. She always went with us. Had a pony that went with us. I mean, you know, you're joined by every creature under the sun, it seems like, when you take a walk.
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But I want you to understand something. There's always fellowship. I want you to hold Genesis 5 and turn in your Bibles to 1 John 1. And please note, if you would please, what is said here. 1 John chapter 1, and look in verse 3. We are going to skip down to another verse just momentarily. 1 John 1, verse 3, John writes and he says, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father, with his Son Jesus Christ." Now I want you to pause and think about that. He said, "Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." Have you ever considered the fact that everything that we lost in Adam—you must remember that Adam was our first federal head and federal representative. What he did, we did. It is true that Adam was created with original righteousness and holiness and knowledge. But when Adam sinned against God, he lost all of that.
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And now we have Jesus Christ, who in 1 Corinthians 15 is called the second man or the second Adam and the last man. Because he is the second one to sustain a federal headship and a federal relationship with the people. That we lost in Adam we now have back in Jesus Christ, and more so, because in Adam we were on mutable footing, that is, we could fall. We did fall because Adam fell. But in Jesus Christ we have an immutable footing; we can never fail because Jesus Christ is God.
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So therefore I want you to look in 1 John 3, verses 1 and 2. In fact, we will read through verse 3. 1 John 3, verse 1: "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, watch now. Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in himself purifieth himself, even as he is pure." But note if you would, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him."
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In other words, it's basically the same truth that Philippians 1:6 says: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will also finish it." So it's an immutable footing. What God starts, God is going to finish.
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Now, I want you to look back in your Bibles to 1 John 1 and verses 6 and 7. Remember now that John has said that our fellowship is with God the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. Now look in 1 John 1 and verse 6: "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk"—there's that lifestyle—"and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth."
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Now let me explain it. If we say that we have fellowship with the Father, we're disobedient and riotous and rebellious and wicked, but yet we're saying we have fellowship with Him, we're lying and we do not the truth. Watch verse 7: "But if we walk in the light"—if our lifestyle is one of obedience and holiness—"if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." So fellowship with the Father and the Son naturally leads to fellowship with the brethren. As we walk with Him, we're also walking with all
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of the others who are walking with Him. And I will tell you, there is a greater tie and a stronger bond between believing men and women than there is even between fleshly family bonds and ties. And that's exactly what he's saying. So, the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 9, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son." So, walking implies fellowship and communion. Secondly, walking with the Lord implies purpose. Usually, there is a purpose when you take a walk. Sometimes that purpose may be just fellowship, sometimes exercise, but oftentimes there's other purposes. For instance, many times when you walk, you share secrets with each other. You tell each other things that you normally would never tell. I have asked people in my lifetime and in my ministry, when there's a lot of folks around, "Would you take a short walk with me?" And sure. And when they do, then I tell them what I want to tell them. Sometimes I may be encouraging them. Sometimes I may be admonishing them.
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But I mean, there's a purpose in the walk. Now, let me point something out. You have to understand that there are secrets that the believer has with the Father and the Father has with the believer. I usually tell people there are things that Christians know that non-believers will never know unless they're converted. Because the Bible says in Psalm 25 and verse 14, "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant." He'll explain things to us. He'll teach us. He'll share with us. The Bible says in Proverbs 3 and verse 32, "But the froward is an abomination to the Lord, but his secret is with the righteous." So, Christians know things that the unsaved would never know. By the way, if they knew what we know, they would not act the way they act. It's just that simple.
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Now, I want you to go ahead and turn in your Bible back a few pages to 1 Peter chapter 1, and let me make a statement. I've already told you that Christians know things that non-believers do not know. And let me tell you this: Christians know things that angels do not know. In fact, we even know some things that some of the Old Testament prophets didn't know. Look in 1 Peter chapter 1, beginning with verse 10. "Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you." So some of these Old Testament prophets knew that they were prophesying, but they did not understand all that they prophesied. So they inquired and searched diligently. Watch verse 11.
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"Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." Didn't understand everything. Now watch verse 12: "Unto whom it was revealed, that not only themselves, but unto us they did minister things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." Do you understand? Angels have never experienced redemption. They've never experienced forgiveness of sins. You have the elect angels and the non-elect angels, or if you want to be plain, you have the good angels and the bad angels. But there was never a redemption for the angels. None of them were ever forgiven. So the elect angels, they desire to look into this. They've never experienced this. And yet we have. So in that sense of the word, we know things that the angels do not know.
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So obviously, if we are going to walk before the Lord, we're going to be walking not only in fellowship and communion, but there's going to be a purpose. We're going to be learning, which I will explain a little bit later. Thirdly, walking implies progress. One of the most notable things about walking is progress. You move from one point to another point. And in fact, the further you go to the point at which you are walking, you can look back behind you and see where you have come from. Now, every one of us have progressed in our Christian walk. We may not have progressed the way we should have, or as much as we should have, but we have progressed.
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Each of us can say, "Thank God I'm not what I used to be." We can say we have not attained, we have not reached that which we want to reach, but we can still be thankful we are not what we were in times past. The grace of God has changed us. So there has been progress that has been made. It may be slow progress, but it's still progress. Really and truly, our Christian life should be something like this: just a continual plane going upward. Unhappily, most of the time it's something like this: up and down, up and down, up and down. But the truth is, if you're on top of the hill, you have to go down in order to reach the next hill. It's just that simple. But really, it should be going like this.
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The Bible says in Psalm 84 and verse 7, "They go from strength to strength. Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God." So we should be getting stronger and stronger. In Proverbs 10 and verse 29, the Bible says, "The way of the Lord is strength to the upright." We should be increasing in strength. In the book of Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 19, he said, "The Lord God is my strength, He will make my feet like hinds' feet, He will make me to walk in high places." And when you get to the New Testament in Romans chapter 1 and verse 17, the Bible says, talking about the Gospel, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith."
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In other words, we are to be going from a small or little faith to a great faith. We're to be progressing because the Lord is indeed the strength of our lives, and as we walk with Him, we are to be getting stronger and stronger and going from faith to faith. So walking with the Lord then implies progress. Fourthly, walking with the Lord implies agreement.
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Now, I quoted earlier Amos 3:3. The Bible says, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" I have news for you. I would not waste my time walking with someone with whom I absolutely totally disagreed and had absolutely nothing in common, unless I could teach them or preach to them and they would be willing to listen. I'd be glad to do that. But why in the world would I waste my time walking with someone who will not listen, who does not want to hear, and if they heard the truth, they would reject and refuse the truth? You see, in the book of Micah chapter 4 and verse 5, the Bible says this: "For all people will walk everyone in the name of his God. But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever." So here you have their God and here you have our God. So people who walk with their God have nothing in common with those of us who walk in the name of the One True and the Living God.
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So let me point this out. When we walk with the Lord, we are agreeing that He is the One True and the Living God, and beside Him there is none else. Moreover, we agree that His Word is true. We agree that His covenant is true as well. We are agreeing as we walk with Him that we should obey Him. We must obey Him. That's why He said in the book of Leviticus 18, verse 4, "You shall do my judgments and keep my commandments to walk therein. I am the Lord." He said in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 12, "And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul?" So if I'm going to be walking with the Lord, I'm going to be agreeing with Him that He is true, His Word is true, everything He does is right. Because that is indeed a point of fellowship and a point of communion.
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Now, let me point one other thing out. Fifthly, walking with the Lord implies resolution. There are times when friends have disagreements, misunderstandings. You're not enemies, you're friends. And so consequently, sometimes the friend would say, "Well, let's go for a walk." And as we go for the walk, the friend says, "Now, I want to explain the problem. Here's my understanding. Here's my perspective. Is there anything that we can do to work this out?" So usually if you're walking and there is a problem and both people are willing to do what's right, there's always going to be a resolution. It's going to be worked out. Now, I want you to see this, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 1.
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The Lord not only tells us and invites us to reason with Him, He gives us strong incentives to do so. I want you to look at this. Isaiah chapter 1. And let's begin with verse 18. Look what God says. "Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord." Now that's something. God is inviting us to reason with Him. He's going to explain things to us. So look how He explains it. "Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord."
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"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." So here's a blessing. Here's a promise. Here's a good reason that we should reason with the Lord, because there's forgiveness with Him. Here's another reason in verse 19: "If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." God says, "If you obey me, I want to bless you." That's all there is to it. But now God gives us another incentive to reason with Him in verse 20. He says, "But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Wow. Now,
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I don't know about you. But if God comes to me and says, "I want to reason with you. If you'll confess and repent, I'll forgive you. And if you obey me, I will bless you. But if you don't, I'll just wear your fanny out so you can't walk." I don't know about you, but that's pretty strong and persuasive reasoning in my book. I believe I'd just rather say, "Lord, I'm willing to be obedient and walk before thee." Well, that's exactly what He says. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Mark chapter 4. Mark chapter 4 and verses 33 and 34. Look at what He says. The truth and reality of the matter is that if we have any hesitation, any misunderstanding, we need to take a walk with the Lord in His Word and get everything resolved. Look in verse 34: "But without a parable spake he
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not unto them. And when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples." Now go back to verse 33: "And with many such parables spake he the word unto them as they were able to hear it." First of all, note verse 33. Our Lord teaches us as we're able to hear it. And may I point out, the reason you did not believe the truths that you believe now 30 years ago is you weren't able to receive them 30 years ago. You weren't able to hear them 30 years ago. He only gives us—you remember that passage in Hebrews chapter 5 where the Apostle said that he had many things to say concerning Christ which were hard to be uttered, but he couldn't say them right now because you're dull of hearing.
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In other words, you shut your ears. You're not listening. And he went on to say that he had to feed you with milk and not with meat because you weren't able to eat the meat. Did you know Paul said exactly the same thing in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 1 and 2? He said, "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it." So Christ is going to give us truth as we're able to hear it, as we're able to receive it. Now, what are we going to do about that truth that we hear and we don't understand?
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You know, I have had—and I'm sure this is very difficult to believe—but I've actually had people get mad at me when I preached. Isn't that awful? Why would they get mad at the truth? Well, they've gotten mad. What is the answer? If you don't understand something in the Bible, there's no reason to get angry, there's no reason to get upset, there's no reason to get mad. Look at verse 34: "But without a parable spake he not unto them. And when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples." If you don't understand something, get along with the Lord. Walk with the Lord. Ask Him to teach you and open your understanding and give you His truth. Getting mad is useless. Getting angry is worthless. Our Lord said, "I'll teach you." It's just that simple. We have to understand that He is the great teacher. He's the author. He's the one that can explain. I tell people, I could be the greatest preacher in the world. I could have the best sermon in the world.
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I could have the best oratory. I could have the greatest illustrations. But if God doesn't open your understanding, you're never going to see a thing. So the answer is to get along with Him and let Him expound to you. So here is the question for this message: With whom do you walk? Are you walking with the Lord? What is your lifestyle? You have to understand that walking with the Lord is not something that you do just on Sunday. It's not something that you do sporadically. It's not something that's up and down, in and out, off and on. No, no, no, no. If you walk with the Lord, it's something that you have to do basically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days out of the year. It's just that simple.
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The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4 and verse 8, "For bodily exercise profiteth little." Now it does profit some, but not much. "But bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." So the greatest exercise is walking with the Lord. And it doesn't matter if we're family men or family wives or mothers. You may walk with the Lord because Enoch did.
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He had all the responsibilities and obligations of a husband and father, and yet he was faithful and consistent and constant for 300 years. It's interesting what the Bible teaches us is that which is involved in walking with the Lord. So you need to make up your mind. If you're not walking with Him, you're going to. And once you discover how to walk more fully and completely with Him, then you're going to do that as well. Abram walked with God. Noah walked with God. Enoch walked with God. Multitudes walked with Him. And so should we. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee.
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We thank You for Your Word, Your truth, Your goodness, Your grace, Your mercy. And we do pray that You'd teach us to walk before Thee in order that we might walk with Thee. May we walk as in Thy presence, before Thy face, as if You're standing by our side. Enable us to do that which is right and holy and godly and pleasing in Thy sight. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.
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so so
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T15:13:17Z

Walking With The Lord

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver introduces a series on walking with the Lord, using Enoch as the primary example. He explains that walking with God requires first walking before Him—living consciously in His presence with obedience and integrity. The sermon outlines five implications of walking with the Lord: communion and fellowship, purpose, progress, agreement, and resolution. Weaver emphasizes that walking with God is a consistent, daily lifestyle, not sporadic religious activity, and that it is possible even amidst family and work responsibilities.

Introduction: The Call to Walk with the Lord

Weaver introduces the series and reads Genesis 5:22-24 about Enoch walking with God. He states that walking with the Lord is a duty, obligation, and privilege for every believer.

Sin Separates from Fellowship

Sin separates believers from walking with God, as seen in Adam and Eve hiding from God (Genesis 3:8) and Isaiah 59:1-2. David also warns that regarding iniquity hinders prayer (Psalm 66:18).

Walking Before the Lord: The Prerequisite

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 2:30

"Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever."

That is, in my presence forever.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 2:30

"But now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me will I honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 2:1-4

"Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: that the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me."

Now here's the word, saying,

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 2:1-4

"If thy children take heed to their way to walk before me"

—that is, in my presence—

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 2:1-4

"in truth, with all their heart, with all their soul, there shall not fail thee,"

said he,

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 2:1-4

"a man on the throne of Israel."

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 9:4

"If thou wilt walk before me"

—there is that same word—

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 9:4

"if you will walk in my presence, if you will walk before my face as David thy father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness to do according to all that I have commanded thee and will keep my statutes and my judgments, then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, Thou shalt not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel."

So the promise then was conditioned upon walking before the Lord. Again you have the same exact statement in 2 Chronicles 7 and verse 17; it is the same exact word.

The Fear of God and National Apostasy

There is a passage, and I will quote it a little bit later, in Amos 3 and verse 3. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Amos 3:3

"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 15:3

to 1 Kings, and then we're going to come back to 2 Kings. But look in 2 Kings chapter 17, and I want you to understand that it's not just individuals that can sin and rebel against God and refuse to walk in His presence. It can be an entire nation. It can be an entire society. It can be an entire people. So in 2 Kings 17, verse 7, "For so it was that the children of Israel"—that would be all of them—"had sinned against the Lord their God."

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 17:7-19

"Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight. There was none left, but the tribe of Judah only."

So God removed the ten northern tribes first. Now look what happens to Judah. Verse 19:

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 17:7-19

"Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they had made."

Examples of Walking with God: Noah and Enoch

Noah walked with God and was righteous before Him (Genesis 6:9, 7:1). Enoch walked with God for 300 years as a family man, demonstrating consistency and faithfulness despite responsibilities.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 6:9

"These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."

It was not up and down with him. It was not off and on. It was absolutely consistent. He began a walk with God and he continued his walk with God. There was not a failure.

Five Implications of Walking with the Lord

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:3-7

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father, with his Son Jesus Christ."

Now I want you to pause and think about that. He said,

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:3-7

"Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ."

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:3-7

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk"

—there's that lifestyle—

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:3-7

"and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 25:14

"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant."

The Lord not only tells us and invites us to reason with Him, He gives us strong incentives to do so. I want you to look at this. Isaiah chapter 1. And let's begin with verse 18. Look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:18-20

"Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord."

Now that's something. God is inviting us to reason with Him. He's going to explain things to us. So look how He explains it.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:18-20

"Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord."

Conclusion: A Consistent Lifestyle

Walking with the Lord is a 24/7 lifestyle, not just a Sunday activity. Believers are called to walk before God continually, as Enoch did, and to seek understanding from the Lord when confused.

Walking With The Lord

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	HRAKD_GcE14
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-02-18
Dictation Name
Book	Book 094: Walking With The Lord — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	61

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Call to Walk with the Lord: Weaver introduces the series and reads Genesis 5:22-24 about Enoch walking with God. He states that walking with the Lord is a duty, obligation, and privilege for every believer.
Sin Separates from Fellowship: Sin separates believers from walking with God, as seen in Adam and Eve hiding from God (Genesis 3:8) and Isaiah 59:1-2. David also warns that regarding iniquity hinders prayer (Psalm 66:18).
Walking Before the Lord: The Prerequisite: To walk with God, one must first walk before Him—living in His presence with uprightness, holiness, and obedience. This is illustrated through Abraham (Genesis 17:1), Eli (1 Samuel 2:30), and David's charge to Solomon (1 Kings 2:1-4).
The Fear of God and National Apostasy: Lack of walking before God leads to sin because there is no fear of God (Psalm 36:1, Romans 3:18). Nations like Israel and Judah fell into idolatry by not walking before the Lord (1 Kings 11, 2 Kings 17).
Examples of Walking with God: Noah and Enoch: Noah walked with God and was righteous before Him (Genesis 6:9, 7:1). Enoch walked with God for 300 years as a family man, demonstrating consistency and faithfulness despite responsibilities.
Five Implications of Walking with the Lord: Walking with the Lord implies: 1) Communion and fellowship (1 John 1:3-7); 2) Purpose, including sharing secrets (Psalm 25:14); 3) Progress from faith to faith (Psalm 84:7, Romans 1:17); 4) Agreement with God's truth (Amos 3:3); 5) Resolution of misunderstandings through reasoning with God (Isaiah 1:18-20, Mark 4:33-34).
Conclusion: A Consistent Lifestyle: Walking with the Lord is a 24/7 lifestyle, not just a Sunday activity. Believers are called to walk before God continually, as Enoch did, and to seek understanding from the Lord when confused.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Walking before God is necessary for walking with God

Weaver argues that living in the conscious presence of God (walking before Him) is a prerequisite for true fellowship with Him.

He states, 'You cannot walk with God unless you walk before the Lord,' and uses Abraham's call in Genesis 17:1 as the foundational text.

Sin destroys fellowship with God

Sin creates separation and makes communion with God impossible, as demonstrated by Adam and Eve and the nation of Israel.

Weaver says, 'Sin separates and sin divides and sin makes it impossible to commune and to fellowship with the Lord,' referencing Genesis 3:8 and Isaiah 59:1-2.

A consistent walk is possible amid life's responsibilities

Enoch's example shows that a family man with work and duties can walk faithfully with God for centuries.

Weaver points out, 'Enoch was a family man... He had to work... And yet, in light of all of those family responsibilities, he walked with God.'

Walking with God implies progress in faith

The Christian life should be marked by growth from strength to strength and from faith to faith.

Weaver cites Psalm 84:7 and Romans 1:17, saying, 'We are to be going from a small or little faith to a great faith.'

God invites resolution through reasoning

When misunderstandings arise, God invites believers to reason with Him and receive forgiveness and blessing.

Weaver references Isaiah 1:18-20, where God says, 'Come now and let us reason together,' offering cleansing and conditional blessing.

Scripture References

Genesis 5:22-24: Enoch walked with God for 300 years and was taken by God without dying.
Genesis 3:8: Adam and Eve hid from God's presence after sinning, illustrating separation.
Isaiah 59:1-2: Iniquities separate people from God, causing Him to hide His face.
Psalm 66:18: If one regards iniquity, the Lord will not hear.
Genesis 17:1: God commands Abraham to walk before Him and be perfect.
1 Samuel 2:30: God rebukes Eli, stating that those who honor Him will be honored.
1 Kings 2:1-4: David charges Solomon to walk before God in truth with all his heart.
1 Kings 9:4: God promises to establish Solomon's throne if he walks before Him with integrity.
Psalm 36:1: The wicked have no fear of God before their eyes.
Romans 3:18: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Amos 3:3: Can two walk together unless they are agreed?
1 Kings 15:3: Jeroboam walked in the sins of his father, his heart not perfect with God.
2 Kings 17:7-19: Israel and Judah sinned by walking in heathen statutes and not keeping God's commandments.
Genesis 6:9: Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations, and walked with God.
Genesis 7:1: God saw Noah righteous before Him in that generation.
1 John 1:3-7: Fellowship with the Father and Son requires walking in the light.
Psalm 25:14: The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him.
1 Peter 1:10-12: Prophets inquired about salvation; angels desire to look into these things.
Isaiah 1:18-20: God invites reasoning; if willing and obedient, they will eat the good of the land.
Mark 4:33-34: Jesus taught as they were able to hear; when alone, He explained all things to disciples.

Historical References

Mel Trotter: A drunk who was saved after hearing a gospel meeting, later started a rescue mission and used a neon sign with 'Thou God seest me' to clear Lovers' Lane.

Important Quotes

Walking with the Lord is the duty and obligation and privilege of every child of God.

Establishes the foundational premise that walking with God is not optional but essential for believers.

It's impossible to walk with the Lord unless you learn to walk before the Lord.

Introduces the key prerequisite for fellowship with God—living consciously in His presence.

If you're going to walk with the Lord, you must walk away from and separately from anything and everything that is contrary to the Lord.

Emphasizes the necessity of separation from sin as part of walking with God.

The word walk is used to describe one's course of action and life, his habitual habit and manner of life. Thus the word walk is synonymous with the word lifestyle.

Defines the biblical concept of 'walk' as a comprehensive lifestyle, not just occasional behavior.

Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Highlights the necessity of agreement with God's truth for genuine fellowship.

Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord.

Shows God's invitation to resolve misunderstandings and receive forgiveness.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does it mean to 'walk before the Lord' in your daily life, and how does it differ from merely 'walking with the Lord'?

[Context]

Weaver explains that walking before God is a prerequisite, involving living consciously in His presence.

[Question]

How does sin hinder our fellowship with God, and what steps can we take to restore that fellowship?

[Context]

Weaver discusses how sin separates us from God, using Adam and Eve and Isaiah 59 as examples.

[Question]

Enoch walked with God for 300 years while being a family man. What practical lessons can we learn from his consistency?

[Context]

Weaver highlights Enoch's faithfulness despite family and work responsibilities.

[Question]

In what ways does walking with the Lord imply progress, and how can we measure spiritual growth in our lives?

[Context]

Weaver states that walking with God involves moving from faith to faith and strength to strength.

[Question]

Why is agreement with God's truth essential for walking with Him, and what areas of disagreement might hinder our walk?

[Context]

Weaver references Amos 3:3 and explains that walking together requires agreement on God's character and Word.

[Question]

How can we apply God's invitation to 'reason together' when we face doubts or misunderstandings about His Word?

[Context]

Weaver uses Isaiah 1:18-20 and Mark 4:33-34 to show that God wants to resolve our confusion.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T04:20:04Z