Let's take our Bibles and I want
you to turn with me to the book of Proverbs. Book of Proverbs
chapter 28, Proverbs 28. Oh, what a precious book we've considered
for these many years. I'd like to look at one verse,
verse 18. Whoso walketh uprightly shall
be saved. But he that is perverse in his
ways shall fall at once. You know, I want to know something
about what that scripture means. Because it's saying, whoso walketh
uprightly Here's the words, shall be saved. I wanna know something
about that. You know, there's so much said
in the scriptures about our walk. We read it in the scriptures
more than not. It means more than just that
physical taking of steps, but it refers rather to the state
of our soul before God. You know, if we'd read concerning
1 Samuel 8, 3, concerning the sons of Samuel, here's what it
says about Samuel's boys. And his sons walked not in his
ways, but turned aside after Lucre and took bribes and perverted
judgment. Now, when we read that, we know
that the manner of their life, their attitude toward the things
of this world, in comparison to the things of God, was not
governed by a new heart. They sought after money, what's
in it for me, lucre, things of this world. But if we read like
in 2 Chronicles 17 3, concerning a king named Jehoshaphat, and
the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, and then the Spirit of God tells
us how we know that God was with Jehoshaphat. Because he walked
in the ways of his father David and sought not unto Balaam religious
deceitfulness, manipulation, trying to turn men from the Lord. It wasn't that the Lord was with
him Because he walked, no, he walked because the Lord was with
him. Here's how we knew it. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat. How do you know? Because he walked. The Lord turned his heart, made
him to walk, made him willing in the day of God's power. So
our passage today says, whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved. He that is perverse in his ways
shall fall at once. Now, again, I want to know something
about that. I know this concerning walking
uprightly. I know that it doesn't mean,
it can't mean that we walk without sin because sin is present with
us. The scripture says, 1 John 1.8,
if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us. If we say that we're walking
without sin, you're deceived. If you think you're getting better,
If you think you're getting better, now I'm not saying that we don't
grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
if you think you're getting better, sin is not with you as much. I've gotten to a point to where
I know more and more and more and I'm better, but you're deceived. The scripture says, Romans 7,
hold your place there and turn to Romans 7. I think we do so
well. Let's go back to Romans 7 as
often as we do and then some. Paul, speaking of himself, he
said, Romans 7, 15 to 17, that which I do, I allow not. Well, in my margin, it says I
know. But I looked it up, I wanted
to know a little bit more about what was he saying when he said,
for that which I do, I allow not, it is I know, but here's
what he's saying. He said, my conduct is, and I
got this out of Blue Letter Bible, just a dictionary, it says inexplicable. My conduct is inexplicable. What does that mean? There's
no honorable reason for me to do what I do, for me to act like
it. There's no reason. No reason. There's no excuse. There's no
excuse. For that which I do, I allow
not. For what I would, that I do not. But what I hate, what? Act in an inexplicable way. What
I hate, that do I, that's what I do. If then I do that which
I would not, I consent unto the law that is good, now then it
is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. So I
know that walking uprightly doesn't mean that I'm walking without
sin, because sin is present with us. The Apostle Paul declared,
I'm walking in a way, and I see in myself that which I hate.
I hate it. But now to understand what it
is to walk uprightly, we're gonna have to look and see what the
Spirit of God has to say. Upright, walking uprightly, that
means proceeds, complete, whole, entire, sound, unimpaired, innocent,
and having integrity. Sounds like you're talking out
of both sides of your mouth now, Marvin. No. Walking uprightly
can only be applied to one in his own merit, the Lord Jesus
Christ himself. But what about me? What about
me? What about my walking uprightly
to be saved? If I know it's only applied to
him, tell me something how I might be able to enter into that. How can it be said that any man
or any woman born in Adam then can be saved? If walking uprightly
is the demand for acceptance with God, to be saved, that's
what it says. He that walks uprightly shall
be saved. Again, there's one way. God's
sheep who possess no holiness or righteousness in themselves
except that righteousness that's said to be filthy rags. God's
people are accepted in the Beloved, in the Beloved, being found in
Him. His righteousness charged to
me, imputed to me, Listen to this. There is therefore now
no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh. Walking after that false hope
that the flesh gives, thinking that you've done something, that
God's gonna accept. Let me tell you something. There's
nobody in this congregation, especially this pastor, that
has ever done anything of himself that God's gonna accept. This
is my beloved son. This is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. You hear him. You know what that
means? That means if the Lord doesn't
answer for me, I have no hope, none whatsoever. Those that are
said to be walking uprightly, are those who are the branches
grafted in by the free grace of God into Christ himself. Ephesians 1 tells us, verse 4,
before the foundation of the world, God chose a people and
put them in his Son. He is their surety. He is their
life. He is their redeemer. He's their
priest. He's their Lord. He's their God. He's their King. And they have no confidence in
themselves. If you're looking to something
that you've done to be accepted of God, you have no hope. God Almighty must do something
for me. So walking uprightly is not the
cause of a believer's salvation, but rather the effect of it. Walking uprightly is a work of
grace done for us. To walk by faith, trusting in
him as we're being led by God's spirit. Walking, that's what
he said. We talked about that a while
ago. Walking, a man that walketh has a walk in his heart, not
in his steps, but his manner of life inside, his attitude. Trusting the Lord alone. Without me, he said, you can
do nothing. Walking in the fear and the respect of Almighty God.
And again, putting no confidence in you, none. Galatians 5 tells
us something about ourselves. Hold your place, I'm gonna come
right back there for a few minutes. Galatians chapter 5 verse 17
says this, for the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit
against the flesh and these are contrary one to the other so
that you, now listen to this, cannot. You cannot do the things
that you would. As sincerely as I know how to
be, I wish I could walk in a way that would be totally acceptable
to God. I wish I could. I would desire
to, but I can't. I can't. The Lord said, without
me, you can do nothing. You can do nothing. Before salvation,
after salvation, without me you can do nothing. The flesh lusteth
against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, so that you,
they're contrary. What does that mean? Now I'm
talking about walking uprightly now, and I'm gonna come to a
conclusion. This conclusion, I'm gonna tell
you right now, you can just turn over to Genesis 32 if you want
to, and just hold your finger there, because I'm gonna wrap
this up in a second, and I'm gonna tell you what it is to
walk uprightly before God. Walking uprightly is a believer
seeing. Now this is walking uprightly.
A believer knows something about himself. Now this is walking
uprightly. He trusts the Lord Jesus Christ
for his life, for his hope, for his peace and acceptance with
God. He trusts the Lord. But that believer, he sees two
natures in him. Now this is a right walk. This
is a right walk. It's a walk wherein he sees that
in his flesh there dwelleth no good thing. Now you that know
him, I'm gonna tell you something. This is a right walk right here.
You see in you, that is in your flesh, every believer knows something
walking uprightly. He knows something about that
constant struggle between that old man and the new man. That
old man, this is what he that is walking uprightly knows. He
knows he knows he can't trust himself. He knows that. He knows
that his only hope is that God Almighty will have mercy on him.
Lord have mercy on me. I told you how many times, what
does mercy mean? It means I'm guilty. Have mercy on me. But that old man never, never,
never misses an opportunity to resist the new man. Never misses
an opportunity. This is inside of us. That new
man never misses an opportunity to resist it. a battle. This is walking uprightly. That new man is constantly warring
against the onslaught of rebellion against him. That old man hates
the things of God. Somebody said, I don't hate the
things of God. If the Lord has opened your eyes,
you do. You know that in you, that is in your flesh, that there
was no good thing. But you know this too, there's
a new man there that loves you. Peter, lovest thou me more than
these? After the Lord asked him that
three times, what did Peter say? Lord, you know all things. You
know I love you. You know I do. Eat my sheep. You give my sheep some comfort.
You tell my sheep, those that are struggling, you tell them
they're grass. You tell them that just the grass
is faded. You tell them what they are,
and you tell them who I am. And you tell them what I've done
for them. One that walks uprightly, trusting
only in the Lord, walks not in his own strength. He's a needy
sinner. And he's constantly reminded
of his weakness of his flesh. Now turn with me, if you haven't
done so before, turn now to Genesis 32, and I'm gonna wrap this up. Genesis 32. This was a real blessing
to me, I pray it will be to you. Genesis 32, verse 24. And I'm gonna read through verse
31. Now here's a man. that has been made to walk upright. Genesis 32, verse 24, then Jacob
was left alone and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking
of the day. You know that man was none other,
the angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ. And when he
saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of
his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint
as he wrestled with him. And he said, that is the angel
of the covenant, the Lord, the man that was wrestling with Jacob,
let me go for the day breaketh. Here's Jacob's word. He said, I will not let thee
go except thou bless me. Jacob knew, I can't let him go. And he said unto him, this is
the Lord speaking to Jacob, what's your name? Here's what Jacob
said. My name's Jacob. I'm a supplanter. I'm a heel
catcher. I'm a trickster. I'm a needy sinner. That's what
I am. And he said, that is Lord speaking, thy name shall be called
no more Jacob, but Israel. For as a prince hast thou power
with God, and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him,
and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore
is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
And Jacob called the name of that place Peniel. For I have seen God face to face,
and my life is preserved Here's something that a man's being
taught. What's your name? I'm a huckster. No. By the grace of God, your
name is Israel. Well, you've prevailed. How?
In Jacob's strength? No. By the grace of God, God
kept him. Scripture says, verse 31, and
as he passed over Penuel, The sun rose upon him. Now here is
the walk of a man walking uprightly. Now without sin, Jacob knew what
he was in himself. Not in his own power, he halted
upon his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel
eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the
thigh to this day. because he touched the hollow
of Jacob's thigh and the sinew that shrank. You want to know
a man, a woman that's walking uprightly? One that's halted
spiritually. Know it. They know. Almighty
God been merciful to this sinner. He's given me life in Christ.
It made me to be what I couldn't be. in myself. God's blessed
me, kept me, shown me, something of me. Scripture declares, verse
28, chapter 28, verse 18, whoso walketh uprightly, now listen
to this, shall be saved. I was saved, Pat, was saved by
the grace of God, not of works. That's a man that walks uprightly.
not of works. Why? Because I'm going to boast
in it. But he that is perverse, he that's crooked, perverted,
distorted in his ways, in his path, direction, habit, course
of life, he that is perverse in his ways, trusting in himself,
Trusting in his profession, trusting in his baptism, trusting in coming
down the altar, trusting in walking down the aisle, trusting in anything.
But Christ, he that is perverse, shall fall at once. He'll stand before God, and he'll
give every excuse in the world. I prophesied your name. I cast out devils in your name.
I, I, I, I never knew you. Oh, may the
Lord teach us something about walking uprightly. Because if
you think that walking uprightly is gonna be something that you're
gonna glory in, you're sadly mistaken. Lord bless these words,
sir. Your holy name and our good,
amen. All right, let's take a few minutes
break and we'll come right back.