Okay, Galatians chapter 2. I'll read the same verses that
I read at least last week, maybe even before that. Galatians chapter
2, I want to read verses 11 through 14. Where Paul continuing with his letter
to the churches of Galatia says these words, But when Peter was
come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face. because he was
to be blamed. For before that, certain came
from James, he did eat with the Gentiles. But when they were
come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were
of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled
likewise with him, insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away
with their dissimulation." Now, here's what I want to try to
look at. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according
to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all."
Yes. Now, as I mentioned, I think,
a time or two before, there is a part of me that it's chomping
at the bit to get at Paul's words to Peter. And they began. In the middle, of course, of
verse 14. I said unto Peter before them
all, if thou being a Jew, and Paul recounts his exact words
to Peter all the way down through what we have in verse 21. And
then he takes back up, oh foolish Galatians. But I am not going
there this morning. What I want to try to look at
this morning is along this line, you could say this would be my
title. An upright gospel walk. An upright gospel walk. Now last week I dealt with this
in the negative, so to speak. Because Paul puts it in the negative,
but when I saw that they walk not uprightly according to the
truth of the gospel. And we looked at that in some
of the negative things concerning that. But that's not what my
intent this morning. What I want to talk about again
this morning is an upright gospel walk. I started once just to
say an upright walk, but then I realized most of modern religion,
if you were to, I'm not encouraging you to do this, but if you were
to listen to all of these other preachers, you may hear many
of them speak of walking, walking, walking. What I'm going to say
this morning as just a little bit of foundation is all men
walk. All men have a walk. None are
without a walk. But some walk as enemies of the
cross of Christ. They have a walk. It may even
be a religious walk. It may even be a moral walk. One thing I will say, it definitely
is not a righteous walk. But morality and righteousness
do not always mean the same thing. But let me also say this. When
I talk about a walk here, and God willing, we're going to talk
about an upright gospel walk. When I say that, our religious
flesh and our flesh as corrupt as it is, can still be, I say
it can, still be very religious. It can be, not always is, but
it can be very moral. The flesh can feed on morality. As a matter of fact, I emphasize
this because most people think with some of the text I'm going
to give you this morning about walk, They, when I give you these
texts, my flesh does it too. It automatically wants to turn
to the great immoralities of the world and think of walk in
that light, like the honky-tonks, the beer joints, and the, just
all the immorality of the world. And I'm not saying that's not
included in the flesh, but I'm saying this, that's not where
Satan operates. Satan and his ministers are ministers
of righteousness. Not immorality. Not even unrighteousness,
but righteousness. Satan presents himself as an
angel of light. light. So when we see these certain
passages about walk, let not our flesh motivate us toward
the red light district only. Let us see that even our righteousnesses,
dare I say it, dare it go on the TV. Our righteousnesses is
like a dirty tampon. Can I be any more blunt than
that? They may not look that way to
us. They may not look that way to
others, but they are in God's sight. And as I have emphasized
to you over and over, I still don't get that. My flesh continues
to force upon me the thought that if something's good, God's
got to accept it. But I must realize that my idea
of goodness is coming from total corruption. Therefore, we do with our dead
bodies, most of many do, with our dead bodies like we do our
dead flesh. When we have that dead body and
we put it in a casket and we decide we want to have a viewing
and we open that casket up, we don't have them there like they
really are in death. We drain all the inner stuff
out of the blood and put in stuff so the rot is held back for a
moment. We put makeup on the body. Now do we not? Do we not? So that is a foundation for this.
God's holy word has much to say about walk. But there are two
kinds of walk. And again, I emphasize, all men
and women walk in some way or another. Now our text is clear. A walk which dishonors the gospel
causes much trouble. I tried to deal with that to
some degree last week. but I'm not gonna deal with that
in that manner this morning. So, let me say this before I
even go any further. My flesh also says, all right,
since there is a proper walk, there has to be, Joe, a walk
that is upright, according to the gospel, since there is a
walk that's not upright, according to the gospel, else there would
be no reason for rebuke or blame, would there not? But since this
is so, my flesh is aight, then give me the list. Give me the list. Now granted,
this book gives us some lists. But they are all piecemeal. Never is there ever an exhaustive
list of what is right and what is wrong, unless you want to
go back and read the law. And it's not just 10 commandments. It is hundreds, pages and pages
and pages of right and wrong. To walk. The word simply translated
means to tread about. Just to walk. It's no special
fancy theological word. It doesn't have the The sound
like reconciliation, doesn't it? Or redemption. It's walk. This means to tread
about. But, in its, not a metaphorical
meaning, but in its other meaning, it means this. Our deportment. The way we conduct ourselves. Our way of living in this world. So having said all that, I just
have two things, two points this morning. I want us to consider
our walk when we were unregenerate and we all had one. And I want us to consider our
walk as spirit-regenerated and gospel-converted individuals. Some people have one. Some people
have one. Now, before I go even any further,
when I say, when I want us to consider our walk when we were
unregenerate. Unregenerate's not even found
in the Bible as far as a word translated from Greek, Hebrew,
Chaldean, Aramaic, whatever, into English. It's not there.
But the fact of it is all throughout the scripture. This word is used
by men to describe what? A lost person. but not lost in the woods, but
lost in the soul. Lost inside. And it's not that
lost means you don't know where you're at, because most people
love where they're at. We know exactly where we're at. We may not term it in biblical
phrases in the negative, but we like where we are when we're
in our unregenerate state. It means to have no spiritual
life. not a spirit that's living. We
have a spirit that's living, but I'm talking about life that
God himself gives above and beyond the mere physical realm of our
existence. So I want us to consider our
walk when we were unregenerate, Ephesians chapter two. Now this
is all familiar, I understand that, but remember what I'm trying
to emphasize this morning. As I read these verses, don't
let your flesh take you just to the red light district. Don't let it do that. I'm not
saying that's not included. But our flesh has an uncanny
way of trying to say, well, at least I'm not that bad. You might not be that bad when
you look at the bad out there. But if you look in this holy
word, if you look up God's holy law, you'll see, yeah, I'm that
bad because it's not men that I must be accepted by, but the
holy, righteous, sovereign king of heaven and earth. It's how
he views me, not as how Joe views me. So I want us to consider
our walk when we were unregenerate. Remember, we all have a walk. Everybody out there that may
hear this, you've got a walk. But here's how the scripture
defines it. And I'm gonna try to compartmentalize it to a degree
here. In this first passage, we find
out that our walk when we were unregenerate is universal and
it's under satanic sway. We may not have been demon-possessed,
but we were certainly under demonic sway. Look at what the book itself
says. And I'll just begin in verse
two. Wherein, in time past. Now, he's writing to people that
are no longer unregenerate, but they all were at one time unregenerate. Wherein in time past ye, what's
that say? You had a deportment. You had
a way of living. Where in time past, y'all walked
according to the course of this world. We were going the same
way everybody else was. The master himself called it
a broad way. Many, many there be that go in
there at. Where in time past, you walked
according to the course of this world. according to the prince
of the power of the air. We were under satanic influence
and sway. The spirit, the spirit, so we
had spirited, huh, you see it? The spirit that now worketh,
worketh. finds its energy, its power,
the spirit that now worketh in the children, here's our walk
defined, of disobedience. And somebody says, but that's
not me. That is you in your unregenerate state. That's me in my unregenerate
state. Anyone who has not saved, being
spirit regenerated and gospel converted is in this state. I don't care how decent a person
they are. Among whom also we all had our
conversation, our walk, our deportment. our conduct, our way of life
in time past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind. In other words, Paul, when somebody
said, well, God's done all he can do and now it's up to you,
we ate it up. Now, maybe we despised getting
drunk, but we ate that up. When someone came along and taught
what Jesus made it possible for you to be saved, if you'll do
this, we ate it up. We ate it up. Even though we
may have despised putting a putting a powder heated into a liquid
on his food and put it into a syringe and stick it into our arm for
a good high or a buzz. We may have despised that and
never walked in that way, but Ellen, we loved lies about ourselves
and about God. You see, this is not all immorality. It includes our morality. among whom also we all had our
conversation in time past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling
desires of the flesh and of the mind. And then it is summed up
by Paul in these amazing words. And we're by nature, this is
talking about who we are, not who God is. And we're by, the
whole context is here is our walk, our deportment, our character,
our state, not God's. God's begins in verse four, but
God. Ours is still being defined in
verse three, the last part of three, and we're by nature the
children of wrath. That's not God's wrath toward
man, that's our wrath toward God, toward man, toward everything
that is true. True. Even as others. Boy, what a walk. And yet, that was my walk. But
the problem was, now, verse one, and you have be quickened who
were dead. I didn't see it then. When I was walking this way,
I could not see that it was a dead walk. It's a walk. It's a way of living. But it's
not truly life. Life. Most people want to talk
about life or even Christian life, about how happy you are.
Sometimes the Christian life can be hell on earth. We've heard this, but ask Job. Ask Peter. Ask Paul. It was in our walk, in our unregenerate
state, is described as universal and is under satanic sway. But
now turn to chapter four, this same letter, Ephesians. But I can see, I can see the
flesh now reading that, okay, it's the devil that made this
all so bad, right? We walked according to the, course
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air.
That's all true. But it's deeper than that. It's
more personal than that. And that's my second thought
about this, considering our walk when we're unregenerate. It's
personal corruption and its totality is defined. Its problem is not
the devil. It's us. Look at what Paul says
to us, Ephesians 4, 17. This I say therefore and testify
in the Lord that ye henceforth, see that right there? That's
just as valid as if it had said E-L-E-C-T. If the subject here
was election rather than want, it's still just as valid and
just as true. This I say therefore and testify
of the Lord that she henceforth, now what? Because he's talking
to people who were unregenerate, but now they are not. Ever went
up to a blind man to say, you ought to be able to see. You
will be the fool. Ever walk up to a man that's
lost his legs in battle and he's in a wheelchair, you ought to
just get up and walk. You would be the fool. I will
be the fool. And yet preachers all the time
are telling people you ought to walk, as you said Joe, before
God. They can't. They got no legs
to walk before God. They can walk, but not before
God. This I say therefore and testify
in the Lord that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk
in the emptiness, the vanity, of their minds. So it starts
out what? With just the way we think. Just
the very way we think is defective. And I think I've probably been
very pleasant with us when I said that. In the vanity of their
minds, having the understanding darkened, the falls not just
some theological Fact. It's a reality where we are born
by nature. Having the understanding darkened. It's amazing. We can understand,
maybe not all of us, but we can understand. Humanity, the human
mind, even the unregenerate mind can understand nuclear physics. But it can't understand Jacob
have I loved, and Esau have I hated. I know it may understand it technically,
but it still confuses it all up. Why would God hate Esau? Why wouldn't he? Look at what
we are. We're the children of wrath,
even as others. Having the understanding darkened,
being alienated. I know we live in a society now
they don't want to talk about being an alien. being alien,
oh I guess they like to talk about those that fly around in
the spaceships and all that. That's not what we're talking
about. Being alienated, what? From the life of God through
the ignorance. That's me in my unregenerate
state. That's still my flesh today. Now, let me make, I'm not gonna
go into that. God don't regenerate the flesh. Regeneration is the
giving of spiritual life by God through a sovereign fiat. Live. Life comes in. Having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them because of the blindness of their heart. Our innermost being, not the
ticker, What makes me, me? It's full of what? Ignorance,
alienation, no life, no understanding, and emptiness of mind. That's tough. But that's the
truth. Who being? Past feeling. You see it? who being past feeling,
have given themselves over unto lasciviousness. You know why
we see all of this in our society today? Because God's just lifted
his restraint a little. And man's starting to manifest
what he really already is down in the air. He wants to be a
woman, though he's really a biological male, why? Because he hates God. Doesn't like what God does. and
I want to be my, I'll choose to be my own person. No, you
won't. All the surgeries in the world
doesn't change that. And let me say this, I don't
mean this to be mean. You had that one singer, very big, very
big pop singer. He is African-American, is that
the way I can say it? He's black and tried to make
himself white. But he's not. He never was. And that's not throwing off on
the black people how many white people want to be something other
than what they are. And I'll just choose to do this. This is who God says we are,
no matter what we do out here, no matter what we do in here.
who being past feeling have given themselves over. The reason is
we're past feeling by nature. All God's got to do is lift that
restraint for a moment. Whether unregenerate or regenerate. If God lifts his restraint for
a moment, we will go into a downward spiral. Peter. That's Peter. Peter would have never have done
what he did in denying the Lord three times. Just say, I think
today I'll just deny the Lord. Now would he? He was a regenerate
man. But all God's got to do is turn
the devil or one of his minions loose on us for a moment. And
here we go. Why? Because who being past feeling
have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness
with greediness. We don't mind it. We really want
more of it. Whether it was in the pits, Jack,
of immorality or on the high road of morality. We want more
of us. More of me. Boy, what a walk. What a walk. But now turn to
1 Corinthians 6. 1 Corinthians 6. We're still talking about, we're
still considering our walk when we were unregenerate. And I'm
gonna say this, listen. This walk, apart from the work
of God, this walk is utterly damning. And when somebody says,
well, you can't be saved by your works, you're right, you can't
be saved by your works, but you will be damned by them. Now go
figure that one out. Huh? That's right. You will not
be saved by your works, good or evil, but you will be damned
by them. Good or evil. Good. Somebody says, I don't understand
that. That's what we just read. The understanding darkened. Somebody tells me, well, I don't
believe that. Well, I preach that about you every Sunday.
You ought to listen. I'm telling you who you are every
Sunday. And you're agreeing with me,
but you won't listen to me when I tell you. What's wrong with
you? Your understanding's darkened. Darkened. Now look at it, 1 Corinthians
6. Verse nine, know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. I don't care. I know I'm saved by grace and
I just live how I want to live. Well, you go right on. If that's
your attitude, if that's your heart, if that's your understanding,
if that's your mind, I can't change it no matter how many
rules I lay out for you. Be not deceived, neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor extortioners, and I will stop and say, this
is a very limited list as given, but there's a lot more that goes
with it. You can read another, Galatians
chapter five and six. Chapter five specifically, it's
God willing we'll see later. Look, shall, they shall not inherit
the kingdom of God, and such were some of you, but, aren't
you glad? That's another way of spelling
grace when you got God in the middle of it. But, but you're
washed, but you're sanctified, but you're justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God. Now, someone says, well, I believe
I'm spirit regenerated. I have reason to believe I've
been regenerated by the spirit and, listen to, converted by
the gospel. Don't come to me, don't come
before this word, and dare not come before God. Say, well, Lord,
I believe I'm regenerated, but now I don't know about that gospel
stuff. Nonsense, nonsense. I got just a couple things to
give you here. I'm gonna consider our walk as
spirit regenerated and gospel converted. Romans chapter four
and verse 12. Think about this now. Romans four verse 12. We still talk about walk. And somebody
says, well, but now faith and walk is separate. No. No. and much error even amidst
the church of God has been engaged in and is still being engaged
in because people try to separate faith and law. Now look, I have
the word of God as the authority, not my opinion. Look at Romans
chapter four. Of course, Romans four is pretty
much all about Abraham, but I want you to look specifically at verse
12. It's all about Abraham, and the
father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision
only, that is Jews who have been circumcised according to the
law. Look, but who also, look at it, but who also walk, not
just have, because if you have it, you're going to what? Walk
it. The only reason you can't walk
it if you can't, cause you don't got it. Do you get it? And the Father's circumcision
to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the
steps of that faith of our Father Abraham, which he had when he
was yet uncircumcised. Do you see it? You try to separate
faith and walk, you're in danger. You're in trouble. Henry Mahan
made a statement, I heard it just a couple days ago coming
home from work, and I started once to write it down, but it
don't matter. It's like this, he said something along those
lines. My works, no, let me stop. My relationship with God, determines
my works. My relationship with God determines
my works, my actions, my walk, my deportment, my way of living. But my way of living never dictates
my relationship with God. Now you say, I don't understand
that. It's not about understanding.
This is the way God works. But the faith, I'm sorry, but
who also walk in the steps of that faith. Abraham had a walk. He just didn't sit around here
in the tent believing on God. His faith dictated his deportment,
his conduct. Did he have lapses, falls? Yes. Yes, and we all do. You know, you've heard this,
I'm sure you've heard the statement, well, I thought you was a Christian.
Well, your whole thoughts was wrong. You don't even know what
one is. You ever heard that? Well, you
know, you see somebody, they profess to be a Christian, they
fall, they stumble, they sin. Well, I thought he was a Christian.
I thought she was a Christian. It shows the ignorance of the
people making the statement. They don't know what being a
Christian really is. Think about it. God-given faith
has its steps. It walks. Did you read it? You got that
book laying right in front of you, right? Some of, most of
you do. Right there it is. Well, what is this? Preacher,
what is this? Let me give you a, just at least
six of them. There's more, of course. One,
Romans 4.3, it believes God. Two, Romans 4.17 and 18, it believes
God's might. His power, his might. Romans
4.21, it is fully persuaded of God's faithfulness. Whatever
God promises, he's able to perform in spite of all the circumstances
to the contrary. An old woman who was barren to
start with, and now she's also an old woman on top of that,
and never had a kid, and here's a man who's past the age of bearing
children. God said, you're gonna have a
son. So it did depend upon their what?
Works. Their ability. their actions. But bless God, when God said,
guess what? Adam and Sarah got together,
had a pleasant evening. Now, you know, I'm not gonna
go into the details of it. You know what I'm talking about?
They produce a child in her womb. That, Jack, was an act of God. But they had a walk. You see,
when God acts, it's not in a vacuum. It's not in a secret. When God
acts, Things happen. Things happen. It believes God.
It believes God's might. It's fully persuaded of God's
faithfulness. Here's another one. You find
this in Hebrews 11, eight. It's of Abraham. It obeys when
God commands. It obeys when God commands. Is that your walk? Is that my
walk? Here's another one, Hebrews chapter
11 verse 21. Jacob, it worships God. Said Jacob, leaned upon his staff. And did what? Worshiped. Most people don't worship. Oh,
I know they do this. But people with epilepsy can
do that. Some of you being mean know I'm
telling you, worship is in here. It's in spirit, where's spirit
at? down in here, not out here. Those that worship God must,
not ought to, not it's the best, must worship him. How? In spirit,
that's down in here, it's real. And in what? Truth. Truth. Here's the last one on this one. And it's found also in Hebrews
11, 24 through 26. I'm gonna paraphrase it, summarize
it. Here's the steps, here's one
of the steps of faith, that walk of faith. It esteems the riches
of Christ greater than sin's pleasures and all this world's
treasures. It esteems it. We might not,
we don't always, we'll never find that fully engaged in in
our life. But that is what God has instilled
down in here. You see, you never quit doing
something that you ought not be doing till God makes you totally
sick of it. And he don't make you sick of
everything all right at once. If we was, we'd be sick of this
world, and he had to say, you're killing yourself, couldn't be
a sin, because it's time to end this thing and get out of here. Let me tell you, when you would
say, remember when Paul said, what I hate, what I love, what
I love, what I hate. And everybody thinks, because
they got a little bit of hate of some immoral thing, that, well,
I must be regenerated. You know? I hate chicken soup with a hair
in it, but that don't mean nothing. Talking about hating what you
do by nature till you finally get sick of it. And you, like
the prodigal son, says, these husks. are not cutting it. Right? It's not cutting it. Now we'll get, God willing, we'll
get into this. We'll take a little rap, just a short rabbit track.
When we get into Galatians chapter five, we'll look at this in a
little more detail. There's one thing that you cannot totally
just get rid of. And it's where everything begins.
We've already read it. Your thoughts. You can't just quit thinking
bad things. and try it today. And you'll
be fighting with it when you try to lay your head down the
night on the pillow. But there are some things that we, by the
grace of God, can just give up when God makes you sick of it. But you will not until He does. Until He does. Now that's why
I'm not here to give you, okay, here's rule number one, here's
number two, here's number three, Here's number four. He may start
you out down here on 17, and then deal with number one later
on with you. And we'll, after that, we'll, God willing, we'll
look at that later. What I'm talking about is an
upright gospel wall. It esteems these steps of faith. It believes God. It believes
God's might. It's fully persuaded of God's
faithfulness. It obeys what God commands. It worships, and it
esteems the riches of Christ better than everything else.
everything else. But here's a second thought.
God-given faith does not have an occasional spurt of good work. It's a walk. It's a walk and
that's what Ephesians says. For by grace are you saved through
faith. and that not of yourselves, it's the gift of God, not of
human effort, any kind, not of works, lest any man should boast,
for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we want, do one every once
in a while. No, when Earl pointed this out,
Ellen and I should have knew this because I've been saved
for a few years. He said, we walk in them. We don't just do
one every once in a while. You're going to work and just
doing your job as a decent, honest employee is a good work before
God if you're doing it to his honor and glory. We think of good works, they
think of some great spiritual cataclysmic act. No, it's just
getting up in the morning and doing your job. No matter what
it is. Here's a third thought. Faith and walk go hand in hand. Now look at it, 2 Corinthians
5. Now we've actually already seen that in Romans chapter 4,
verse 12. But Paul states it a couple different
ways. 2 Corinthians 5, 7. Second Corinthians five verse
seven. For we walk. What's that next two words by
faith. So don't try to separate your
faith and you walk. God gave you the faith freely
and God ordained the walk you walk in. Yes, do you fall? Do you stumble? Do you sin? Yes, you do. But aren't you glad
that He's just and faithful to forgive us of our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness? Just confess them. Confess them. It isn't safe. It's not talking
about trying to name them. There are sins we commit we don't
even know we're committing. But confess, Lord, I sin, I am
sin, and I do sin. And when you screw up on something,
and Jack, if God shows you that was a mistake, that was a sin,
say, God, that's wrong. That's wrong. For we walk by faith, not by
sight. Do you know how hard that is
really to do? Impossible, apart from the grace
of God. Because I am so affected by what
I see. Exactly. By what I see. Let me give you an illustration.
Mention no name. You get up a new vehicle and
you're driving down. I mean, it's for you. It's new.
I mean, still smell her new. And all of a sudden you're driving
down the road. I mean, you just bought it. Now the cruise control won't
work. What? What? What? What does it matter? You still
got a gas pedal. It's still going. Stops when
you hit the brake. And then you find out, what was
it? Well, it was snow on the sensors. Wasn't nothing wrong
with it. It's doing what it's supposed
to do. How often does that affect our
water? Now, I'm not trying to pick.
I'm just saying, this is the way it works with us. the least
little thing can throw us into turmoil. Aren't you glad your good works
don't depend upon you that God had to ordain them? Aren't you
glad you don't have to figure them out? I don't, I don't, you
remember that, there's one time, I remember Tim James said there's
one time when something's actually called by our master a good work. And that's when that old ex-whore
came in and had that alabaster box of ointment and broke it
open. It was a year's worth of salary. And I wonder how she
made that salary. You just think about that one.
She broke that box open and anointed him for what? His burial. You
know what Christ did? She hath done a good work on
me. I bet you she wasn't thinking,
I'm gonna go down and do a good work today. It was her devotion
and worship of Christ. He's worth far more than this
one year's wages. He's forgiven me of sin and sins. And she was anointing him for
what? His burial. And he said, this will not go
unrecognized. And here I am mentioned almost
2,000 years later. And happy to think about it.
I'm sure she wasn't even thinking about doing a good work because
she loved the nice guy. And really, does that not what
it boils down to? Our good works are truly, when we're trying
to do service, how? As unto the Lord. Here's the last one on this line
here. Faith, turn to 3 John, before I give it. Turn to 3 John,
if you're following along. 3 John. And again, I say, I know, I know
my flesh says, but Walter, get to the list. Tell me what, tell
me how to do it. Tell me just what it says. Walk
in the spirit and a lot fulfill the lust of the flesh. It don't
give us any more instruction whatsoever. Have you ever thought
about that? Why? Because you got to trust
God. You just have to give up and
say, God, if you don't work in me, both the will and the do
of your good pleasure, it won't get done. Now, that's another
rabbit trap. Third John. I won't say chapter
one, verse, there's just one chapter in it. Listen to me. Here's the fourth point on this.
Considering our walk, our spirit regenerated and gospel converted
walk. Faith, walk, and truth are conjoined. Yes. You don't pick one or the other.
You don't say, well, I'll do these two today and the other
one I'll take care of later. You understand what I'm getting
at? Look at what John wrote. Verse 3. For I rejoiced greatly
when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee,
even as thou walkest in the truth. Folks, I know some people say,
well, you're just so stickler for doctrine. Got to be. Because God's doctrine, the doctrine
of Christ, is truth. You remember that amazing statement
given in John chapter one? The law came by Moses, right? Isn't that what the book says?
Now yes, God, even Christ, gave it to Moses. but the law came
by Moses. Grace and what? Truth came by
who? Jesus Christ. So as Henry, not
Henry, I forgot his name now, don't matter from down in North
Carolina. Anyway, he said the law is true,
but the law ain't the truth. Now it's true about what we are.
It shows up, but it ain't truth. Paul Saul of Tarsus knew the
law. Or at least he thought he did. But when the law came, when he
really seen what the law was saying, sin revived. And what I do, I died. And I want to tell you something,
folks. When I do read God's law, and I have no problem with, I
love it. I love to read of it, to hear about it, but when I
do, It don't make me feel good. It don't make me feel good about
myself. It continually still shows me how far short I am. But aren't you glad that Christ
didn't just bring us up to the full cup of the law? Now how
can I say that? Now look at it, Romans 3. Listen. He did not bring us just back
to where we were in Adam, because Adam could fall. If all we were
brought back to is where we were in Adam, we could still fall
again. But here's how it puts it. Romans
3 verse 19, now we know that whatsoever, that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped. The law says, as Earl used to
say to us, shut up. Shut up, and all the world may
become guilty before God. Therefore, because this is true. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in God's sight, for
by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now, the righteousness
of God. Not a legal righteousness, only.
and in its truest sense, not a legal righteousness. Look,
but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness
of God, which is by Jesus Christ's own personal faith. I paraphrase
that, but that's what that says. by his obedience, his faithfulness. And that is a part of Paul's
answer to Peter when he replied to him and was rebuking him.
He said, we're justified by the faith of Christ. Not by our faith,
by his faith. We believe in him to be justified
by his faith, not by our believing. How much is that distorted in
this day and age? Hear the word of Christ, I'm
ending up, I know you're here, it's late. Hear the word of Christ. He that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness. Let us walk honestly. Walk worthy. Walk as children
of light. Walk circumspectly, not as fools. You ought to walk and to please
God. walk after His commandments. And I can say, et cetera. I started
once, I had a half a page of this and I thought, I ain't even
scratched the surface. And I just started, I gotta limit
this. And I turned to Psalm 48. Almost
there, folks. Psalm 48. Almost to the end of
this message. Psalm 48. Now listen to this,
and this is amazing. I want you to look at this, because
this is a part of the word of God as well. Psalm 48, a song and
psalm for the sons of who? Cora. Now you're talking about
a bad background. You're talking about a mommy
and a daddy that's kinda on the wrong side of the tracks, huh? For the sons of Cora. Now listen
to this. Psalm 48, and just a few verses
of it. Verse 12 to the end. Walk, walk about Zion and go
round about her. Tell the towers thereof. What's that? The place of safety.
What was towers used for? To watch. Watch for enemies. Who's manning those towers? Not
me. Not you. Christ is. Walk about Zion and go round
about her. Tell the towers thereof, mark
ye well her bulwarks. Consider her palaces that ye
may tell it to the generation following. Listen, for this God
is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even unto
death. So I'm not depending on me and
my walk. When I do, when I do, you know
what happens to me? Down I go, down I go. Now, consider this, I'm winding
it up. Consider this. What do you got? Look what I
got laying out here on this podium. See what I got? I got the entire
word of God. We have no reason to believe
that God in this life, before he winds all this, that he's
going to joke, no reason. This is all he's ever going to
give us. The all-wise God has given us
His complete Word, all that's necessary for our learning, our
understanding, our comfort, our believing, what we're to believe,
who we're to believe, how we're to walk, how we're not to walk.
Everything's in this book, right? Everything. It's right here.
This is better than seeing Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus
on the mountain. Isn't that what Peter said? A
more sure word of prophecy. This is better. Now, you remember
a brother of ours, you remember him? His name's called Enoch. Remember Enoch? Listen to me,
he didn't have one of these. He didn't have one of these.
He didn't even have the first five books. Moses didn't come
along until years later. He didn't have no church to gather
with, no synagogue to gather in, now did he? He didn't have
none of that. And yet the book of God tells
us Enoch walked with God. So where do you figure that come
from? From God himself. So much so that in Hebrews we
find out that it was said of him that God took him. God just
took him. He had this testimony. He pleased
God. He pleased God. Now am I telling you don't pay
attention to this book? No, I'm saying think of how responsible
we are now. We have all this. He didn't have
squat. Other than the power and majesty
of the gracious God Almighty himself. And then that very God's
given us this. We ought never fall. But this God's our God. He gonna
lead us and guide us and direct us even when we doubt that He
will. Even if we doubt, well maybe
He won't. Maybe I'm not really one of His. Aren't you glad it
says the Lord knoweth them that are His? Aren't you glad it's
not me knowing whether you're one of God's or not? Not you
knowing whether I'm one of the Lord knows them that are his
but then there is with that great profound blessing you know what
it says let everyone that nameth the name of christ do what depart
so if you're going to depart from something what's that mean
you were there or you are there Right? You're still there in
some way. Depart from annihilation. So when you find yourself right
in the midst of it again, the filth and the foulness, just
run from it. Depart! Depart! Well, I can't just quit. There
are some things you can't just quit. But some things you can. Some things you can. Heavenly
Father, This life is not only complicated
but impossible to walk before you apart from you. God strengthen
us, guide us, God instill within us the spirit of repentance because
we're so much in need of it. God may we as the one brother
years ago preacher said, Lord even our repentance needs to
be repented of. Lord help us to engage in that. The Lord will praise you and
thank you for the power of your spirit and the blood of the eternal
covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ, in his name, amen.