We’ve been talking the last several weeks about walking with God. And as we wrap up this series, I want us to really think today, what does it mean to walk with God?
I became a Christian when I was pretty young. And I remember when I was in high school and in college, often having conversations with my Christian friends, asking “How’s your relationship with God?” Or, “How’s your walk with God going?”
I even went to small groups where they actually asked you to put a number to it from 1 to 10. Ten meant you were reading your Bible and praying daily, you’d gone to church, you shared about Jesus with a non-Christian that week, and you hadn’t done anything really bad that week. One meant you did none of that.
Let’s try that today. Ask the person next to you, “How’s your walk with God,” and rank yourself from one to ten.
How many tens were there? I don’t remember too many people saying “tens,” back when I was younger either. How about 9? 8? 7? 6? 5? Less? Whenever I talked with my friends, we usually got a range of answers from about 3 to 8.
But is that all there is to walking with God? Is it simply checking off a list of things you should and shouldn’t do during the week, and if you can check them all, you’re walking with God, if you can’t, you’re not? What is walking with God anyway?
To answer that, I want to get back to our very first message. Fumi talked about a man named Enoch, who was the first man that was said to walk with God. We saw him in the book of Genesis. Now let’s see what the book of Hebrews says about him. Take a look at Hebrews chapter 11, verse 5.
Just a quick note about the book of Hebrews, nobody knows who wrote it. It was written after Jesus died, and it was probably written by a Jew. But who that person was, we don’t know. Anyway, the writer of the book of Hebrews says this about Enoch.
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)
Enoch was one of two people in the Bible who never tasted death. One day, Enoch was there, the next day he was gone, straight to heaven. How cool is that? No fighting with aches and pains from old age. No dealing with a terminal illness. Just bang: You’re with God.
Why did God take Enoch in this way? Because Enoch pleased God. Now, back in Jesus’ day, most Jews used the Greek translation of the Old Testament. And in the Greek translation, it translates “Enoch walked with God,” as “Enoch pleased God.”
That’s where the writer of Hebrews gets this idea of Enoch pleasing God from.
So what then does walking with God mean? It means to live a life that is pleasing to him. Are you living a life pleasing to God? Then you can say you’re walking with him. But how do we do that? How can we live a life that is pleasing to him? We find the answer in verse 6,
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (6)
If you want to walk with God, if you want to live a life that is truly pleasing to him, you need to walk in faith. What does it mean to walk in faith? Essentially, it means three things.
First, you need to believe he exists. It’s hard to have a relationship with God if you don’t believe he exists, right? My daughter Yumi once had an imaginary friend called “Matsutake-san.” And for a long time, she would talk about him like he was her best friend. But for me as a parent, there was no way for me to have a close relationship with Matsutake-san. Why not? Because I don’t think he exists. (And besides, according to Yumi, he has since moved abroad somewhere.)
Anyway, it’s the same with God. If you just believe he’s some figment of our imagination, you will make no effort to know him, no less please him. But exactly what kind of God do we believe in?
We find one answer in verse 3.
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
In other words, we don’t believe this world is simply an accident. We don’t believe that it just appeared out of nothing. We don’t believe it was always there. We believe that there is a God that created all things. And that’s important. Because if we believe our existence is just an accident, our life has no meaning. We live, we die. And millions of years from now, no one will ever know our name. For most of us, within 100 years of our death no one will know our names. But if God created us, then we were created for him and for his purposes. That means our life has meaning. And that meaning is found in fulfilling the purposes God created us for.
So many people today waste their lives. They waste it because they don’t understand why they were created. They think they were just an accident, and so they try to make their own purposes in life. They try to make a lot of money. They try to buy as many things as they can to make life comfortable. They throw their lives into their work. They throw their lives into getting married and having a family. But at the end of their lives, they ask, “What did I really accomplish?” Even before that time comes, people start asking, “Why do I feel so empty? I thought having money would make me happy. It doesn’t. I thought getting married and having kids would make me happy. But I’m still discontent. I thought getting that new job, that new house, that new car would make me happy. But something’s still missing.”
What’s missing? They’ve left God out of their lives. Even Christians do that. They treat God as kind of an upgrade to their life to make them happier.
Do you know what an upgrade is? It’s something you don’t really need, but it makes life more comfortable. It makes life more convenient.
How many of you have ever upgraded from economy class to business class or first class in an airplane?
I envy you. I have never ridden in business class or first class. I’m always stuck with these narrow seats with mediocre airplane food. Having an upgraded seat would be great. But is it necessary? No. I can get to Hawaii just fine without it. But it sure would be nice.
Many people think of their relationship with God that way. God is an upgrade on their life. You make friends at church. You hear good advice on Sunday in the message. You hear good music. And you somehow just feel better about life because you’re a Christian.
But God doesn’t just want to give you an upgrade on life. He doesn’t want to just make your life “better.” He has a purpose for you. He created you for a reason. And until you start living for him and his purposes, you will always feel like something is missing.
More importantly, you will never be able to really please him. So if you want to walk with God, the second thing you need to settle in your mind is this: “Not only does God exist, but he is my creator and I was made for his purposes.” Do you believe this?
Third, you need to believe that he rewards those who seek him. Put another way, believe that God is good and wants what is best for you. That seems only natural to believe doesn’t it? We always say, “God is good.” But do we really believe that? Do we really believe that he knows what is best for us and that he wants what is best for us. So many people say they do, but they don’t live that way. Instead, they’re terrified of the idea that God has a purpose for their lives. What if God wants me to go to Africa as a missionary to a bunch of cannibals? What if God wants me to quit my job and become a pastor? What if God wants me to be single for the rest of my life, to become a monk or nun?
Many of you know my story. For the longest time, I didn’t want to come to Japan. God told me again and again, “Japan is where you need to be.” Again and again, I said, “I don’t think so.” But when I finally obeyed, I found God’s blessing. To my incredible shock, I actually liked being here.
But this idea of God rewarding those who seek him and follow his path extends to everything in life. God says that if we do things his way instead of our way, he will bless us. He’ll bless your marriage, your relationships, your finances, your life. Do you really believe that?
Many people say they do, but when the rubber hits the road, they don’t live that way. They sleep with their boyfriend or girlfriend when God says it’s better to wait for marriage. They spend all their lives seeking money and things when God says to put him first in their lives. And throughout their lives, they cast aside God’s teaching, and live their own way. The result? Wrecked relationships, wrecked finances, and a wrecked life.
You cannot please God if you don’t really believe he is good, if you don’t really believe he knows what is best and wants your best. Do you?
We’re going to look at a few people who did believe this. One was a man named Abraham. The writer of Hebrews says of him,
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (8-10)
One day, God told Abraham, “Leave your home, leave your country and go to the place I will show you.” And according to this passage, Abraham didn’t even know where he was going. At least when God called me to Japan, I knew where I was going. Abraham had no clue. And when he got there, he didn’t have a house there. He had no land. He just lived in tents. But he went believing that God is good and that God would keep his promises. And God did. God gave him many descendants that live on to this day in Israel. And through one of his descendants, Jesus, this whole world has been blessed. Why did this happen? Because Abraham saw beyond what he had in the here and now to what God had planned for him in the future.
Another man had an even tougher decision. His name was Moses. The writer of Hebrews says of him,
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. (24-27)
Moses was an Israelite. But he was born in a time when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. Even worse, he was born at a time when the Pharaoh was afraid of the Israelites because they were becoming too numerous. So he ordered that all Israelite baby boys be killed. Moses’ parents, of course, didn’t want to do this, but when they couldn’t hide him any longer, they put him in a basket and floated him down the river, hoping someone might be able to rescue him and care for him.
Did you know God has a great sense of humor? He does. The Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses floating down the Nile when she was about to take a bath. And when she saw him, she said, “Kawaii! I’m going to keep him.” (That’s a rough translation). Can you imagine her father’s face when she came to him and said, “Hey Daddy! Guess what I found!”
Anyway, Moses grew up as an Egyptian prince. He had everything. Power, money, influence. He had the perfect life. But somewhere along the line, he found out he was an Israelite. And instead of clinging to all that he had, he chose to suffer with God’s people. Why? Because like Abraham, Moses saw beyond the here and now. And he believed in the good plan that God had for him and the Israelites. He made his mistakes along the way. But God never gave up on him. And eventually God used him to deliver his people from slavery in Egypt.
How about you? What are you focused on? On the here and now? On money? On possessions? On the pleasures of this world? These things will eventually pass away. And when you die, you certainly can’t take them to heaven with you. Some people have their favorite things put in their coffin with them when they’re buried. But do we really think those things are going with their soul? Of course not. What will you have when your life on earth is done and you stand before God? Two things. Your relationship with God. And your relationships with all those who also believe in Jesus. Those are the only things we can take with us.
If that’s true, then what really matters in life? Growing closer to God each day, and working with him to bring people into his kingdom. That’s where our focus should be every day. And when we live that way, that’s when we truly start living in a way that pleases God. That’s when we truly start walking with God and start fulfilling the purposes he created us for.
Let me throw in one more name for today, a woman named Rahab. The writer of Hebrews says of her,
By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. (31)
To give some background, God had just set the Israelites free from Egypt, and after 40 years in the desert, he was ready to bring them into the land he had promised to give them. To take the land, though, they had to conquer the inhabitants that were there. Before they did that, they sent some spies into the land. While they were there, a woman named Rahab, who was a prostitute, protected them when the soldiers came searching for them. Why? Because she had come to faith in God. She had heard how God had led them out of Egypt and protected them in the desert, and now was willing to cast everything aside to put her trust in him. And so when the Israelites took the city she was living in, they spared her and she became one of them. In fact, she became one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ himself.
Here though, I want to focus on what the writer called Rahab. She was a prostitute. She was a sinner. She had been doing things that were destructive to herself, to her family, and to her relationship with God. But she put her sin aside to follow God.
How about you? Do you have enough faith in God, that you are willing to do the same? To put away your sin and follow Jesus, and to start doing things his way? Until you do, you can never please God.
I could talk about many more people of faith. I really encourage you to read this passage when you go home. There were people who enjoyed great victories because of their faith. There were others, though, who suffered a great deal because of their faith. They were tortured. Some were put in prison. Some were stoned or sawed in two. Some had to wander about in deserts and caves. And on this earth, they did not receive all that God had promised.
Why did they endure all these things? Because they believed that God was good. They believed that he had created them and there was purpose for their lives. And they believed that he would ultimately reward them for their faith, despite all their suffering.
“But Bruce, didn’t you just say they didn’t receive all that God promised? Didn’t God let them down? Weren’t their lives just a waste?”
No.
The writer of Hebrews says that with the coming of Christ, all these heroes of the faith, along with us, find something better than anything this world can offer. The day will come when we are all made perfect in Jesus. (40) He has already forgiven our sins because of his death on the cross for us. But one day, we will all receive new bodies, bodies that will never sin, or get sick, or die. And on that day, we will no longer know tears, or sorrow, or mourning, but only joy. But best of all, on that day, we will see God face to face. That’s what we’re looking forward to. That’s the faith we have. Or at least we should. Do you?
What do we do with all this that we have heard today?
Take a look at chapter 12.
It says in verses 1-2,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (1-2)
I like that word “also.” Circle it in your Bible. Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, all put aside every weight and sin that would have slowed them down in their walk with God. And we also are to do the same.
I think we can all understand how sin would slow us down. But what is this other weight? It’s love for this world. Love for money and possessions. It’s doubt that God is really good. It’s fear that others will reject us if we live for Jesus. Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, all experienced this. So did many other heroes of the faith. But now they’re in heaven awaiting us. And as we look to them and their example, let us also do what they did. Lay aside the things that would hold us back from walking in faith in Jesus. Lay aside sin. Lay aside doubt. Lay aside fear. Lay aside love for the things of this world.
And let us not simply walk, but run. Instead of looking back at what we’ve left behind, let us put our focus on Jesus. Why? Number one, he’s the founder of our faith. Some translations put it, “He’s the pioneer of our faith.” That is, he is our pioneer to the throne room of God. By his death on the cross, he opened the way for us to enter into God’s presence someday. It wasn’t an easy path for him. He suffered for us. He died for us. And so he understands when we struggle through the trials that we go through. But if we keep our eyes on him, we will make it past those trials and we will reach the throne room of God someday.
Second, he is the perfecter of our faith. He doesn’t just say, “Okay, here’s the path to God. Walk in it. Rather, he walks right alongside with us. When we fall down, he picks us up. When we’re going down the wrong path, he takes our hand and says, “This is the way. Go here.”
So many Christians live their lives as if God has left them on their own. He hasn’t. He wants to walk with you. More than that, he wants to run with you. So let’s not just walk with God. Let’s run. Let’s run by faith. Believing that God exists and that he created you. That he has a purpose for you. Believing that God is good and loves you, and that he wants the very best for you. And believing it enough that we pass this good news on to others. Do you believe these things? Are you walking with God? More importantly, are you ready to run with him?
Sunday Messages 