Walking with God # 5
We’ve been teaching on a series entitled “Walking with God.” For the last few weeks we’ve been teaching on “Walking in the Mercies of God.” And in those last few weeks we’ve looked at scriptures that reveal to us that the mercies of God will bring about all that we need. We can find the answers to what we need in the mercies of God.
I) It’s great to know that everything we have need of is found in the mercy of God. But we need to go one step further. We need to know how to walk in the mercy of God and we also need to understand how the mercy of God will operate in your life on a practical day to day basis.
A) In Ephesians, chapter 2, we find it interesting portion of scripture that will shed some light on this issue.
1) The first few Vs. paint a dark picture of where we were before Jesus came into our lives.
2) Turn with me to Ephesians 2:1-3 (“fulfilling the desires of the flesh” or as the NAS puts it, “indulging the desires of the flesh.”)
B) Then the Apostle Paul brings us the good news of how and why we are no longer in that state.
1) Look at Ephesians 2:4-5
a) Why did God make us alive together with Christ? Because He is rich in mercy.
b) In fact, God’s entire plan of salvation is a direct result of the love and mercy of God.
2) It was the love of God that brought about the virgin birth. It was God’s love that produced the plan for man’s redemption from sin. God’s love produced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And it was God’s love that gave us our access to Him through prayer.
a) Everything that belongs to us as a believer (and that’s more than we can imagine) is a direct result of God’s love and mercy toward us.
b) These things did not come from someone that had their mind set on vengeance. They did not come from a God who takes pleasure in destruction.
C) In all fairness we have to ask the question, “Isn’t God a judge who rewards or punishes based on our actions?”
1) The answer to that question is yes and no. The truth is, God does not want to be put in the place of judging our lives; He wants us to do that.
2) Look at 1st Corinthians 11:31.
a) This verse means that it is God’s best for each believer to judge himself.
(i) If you’ll compare your behavior to the standard of the Word and make corrections in your life when necessary, you’ll never having need for God to judge you.
3) Now of course, there is the other side to this coin. If you refuse to judge yourself, then you will be judge by God, and a failure to judge yourself will also hinder God’s ability to bless you the way He wants.
a) When you refuse to examine your life and eliminate those things that don’t please Him, you put God in the position of having to point those things out to you.
(i) But the good news is that God judge is in mercy.
(ii) As far as believers are concerned, the judgment of God is always a judgment motivated by love and designed to bring about restoration, healing, and blessing.
4) Quite often when a believer sins they will mistake conviction for condemnation.
a) When you blow it, 2 things actually happen.
(i) First the Spirit of God moves in to convict you of that sin.
(ii) 2nd the Devil moves in to condemn you for it.
b) The conviction of God is designed to bring you back into fellowship with Him through repentance and forgiveness.
c) The condemnation of the Devil is designed to shame you into pulling away from God. It’s Satan’s desire to pull you away from God.
(i) The next time you mess up and sin, respond to the conviction and reject the condemnation.
(ii) You see the Word says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
II) When the Devil, tries to hit you with condemnation, you need to hit him with Romans 8:1.
A) That’s turn there Romans 8:1.
1) The Word “CONDEMNATION” literally means “DAMNATORY SENTENCE.”
2) Sometimes people stop after the 1st part of that verse, but if you read the whole verse you’ll find there is a prerequisite, “For those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
B) Lets read the whole thing in context starting with Romans 8:1-13.
1) Now what does it mean to be walking after the flesh or walking after the Spirit?
a) Of course that means following after God and following after the Spirit of God and not walking after the flesh or you could say indulging in sin.
2) But if you do sin, you have a right to the forgiveness of sin. Again we can confess our sins to God and he will cleanse us.
C) When you respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit you’re still walking after the Spirit.
1) Now the question is what about the person that continually practices the same sin?
2) I don’t know where their heart is, but if there truly confessing their sins to God and coming before Him with a repentant heart their sins will be forgiven.
a) In (Matthew 18) Jesus was asked, “How many times should I forgive my brother that sin against me, seven times?” Jesus answered, “Seventy times seven.”
b) I don’t think Jesus was telling us that we should forgive only 490 times. I think he was telling us that we should forgive no matter how many times someone sins against us.
3) If Jesus is telling us to forgive that many times you think that He would be any different. If Jesus tells us to keep on forgiving, then He will do the same to a person that asked for forgiveness.
4) Does that give a person a license to keep on sinning as long as they come back to God and asked for forgiveness?
a) No absolutely not, 1st of all I can’t judge a person’s heart, only God can do that.
b) But according to what Paul said in these Vs. that we just read; if you have the Spirit of God you’re going to walk in the Spirit.
c) That means even if we do sin we’re going to get mad at ourselves for doing it and we’ll come to God and asked for forgiveness.
5) Whenever we blow it, immediately run to God. He will meet you with his arms open because His mercy endures forever.
D) All of us need the mercy of God. Without God’s mercy we would all be lost.
1) Every moment of every day, you when I need to be able to access the provision and power that comes from the mercy of God.
2) Now the big question is, How do we lay hold of the mercy that we all need?
a) Our answer is found in Hebrews 4:15-16 so let’s turn there.
b) This is the key to getting all of the mercy, grace, and help that we need simply come boldly to the throne of grace.
c) This verse is telling us that we have a High Priest in heaven who knows what it feels like to be clothed in the weakness of human flesh. He has experienced every temptation we have ever fallen into, yet He never sinned.
(i) Even if we have a problem of a continuous sin in our lives we need to run to the throne of grace and find the mercy and grace to help us get out of this problem in our time of need.
3) Even if there’s other things that we need in our lives: like money to pay the bills, healing for our bodies, or deliverance from the enemy or from different situations we’re going through; we need to be going to the throne of grace so that we can have attained that mercy and find the grace of God to help us out of that time of need.
III) Many times we’ve heard messages that teach us the KEYS to success, the KEYS to prosperity, the KEYS to faith, the KEY to healing and many others.
A) But there is ONE KEY to unlock all of these things. You could call it the MASTER KEY.
1) This MASTER KEY will unlock all of God’s promises and will provide all that we need.
2) This Master key is “THE PRESENCE OF GOD.”
B) When you’re walking and living in the presence of Almighty God, sickness has to go. Disease can not stand in the presence of God.
1) When you live in God’s presence poverty and lack has to go. There is no lack in the presence of God.
2) Every promise that is found in the Word of God is found in the presence of Almighty God and that is the MASTER KEY.
C) One thing that we need to realize about the presence of God is that it isn’t just a place for you to come in visit, but it is a place for you to dwell in, walk in, and God’s presence will go with you wherever you go.
1) Turn with me to Exodus 33:14 (and listen to what the Lord told Moses)
a) Did you catch that? God said to Him, “My presence shall go with thee.”
b) The presence of God, with all the power and peace it brings can go with you wherever you go.
(i) You can carry it to work with you, to school with you and home with you.
(ii) The presence of God should be such a part of you that people will notice there is something powerful about you.
2) In this verse in Exodus that we just read reveals to us something else that can be found in the presence of God, and that is “REST.”
a) So many times people talk about “BURNOUT.” They're “BURNED OUT” because they’re doing so many different things.
b) There’s not very many people that are doing as much as I am.
(i) Between secular work, and the work of the ministry, and trying to work out a few hours a week to stay in shape totals about 80 hours a week, but I don’t know what “BURNOUT” is.
(ii) The only place you’re going to find true rest and strengthen is in the presence of God.
D) When you live in the presence of God, you don’t have to be racked with worry about how you are going to pay your bills. You don’t have to be tormented by depression, guilt or fear.
1) Look at Matthew 11:28-29.
a) When you get into the presence of the Lord, you’ll find rest and will discover that the struggle is over.
IV) But there’s even more that you’ll find in the presence of the Lord.
A) Turn with me to 1st Chronicles 16:27.
1) Many times Christians have the idea that the “GLORY” of God is some mysterious cloud that represents His presence.
a) But the Glory of God even goes further than that. Actually, Glory of God appears any time something promised in the Word is manifested in the physical realm.
b) For instance, when healing which is promised from the Word of God comes into someone’s life, that’s Glory. When supernatural provision is manifested, that’s Glory.
2) Where can you go to see the Glory of God manifested in your life?
a) According to the verse that we just read that Glory comes when you enter into the presence of God.
(i) The Glory brings the manifestation of the miracle and it’s found in His presence.
B) This verse also says that Glory has a partner and that is “HONOR.”
1) What kind of honor? The honor of God. Really honor and glory go hand in hand.
2) Turn with me to Psalms 8:5. (Angels actually Elohim, Elohim is the Hebrew word for God.)
a) Now don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have honor and Glory of your own.
b) It’s only when you dwell in the presence of God that His honor and His Glory are imparted to you.
(i) You can’t be around God without His nature rubbing off on you.
C) In (Psalms 91:1) it says, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
1) When you’re in that secret place of the Most High, you’re in God’s presence.
2) (Verse 15 of Psalms 91) says, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with Him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.”
a) According to that verse when we're walking in the presence of God, God will honor us and with that honor comes deliverance from trouble.
V) A Few moment ago we read (1st Chronicles 16:27) which says, “Glory and honor are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.”
A) Strength and gladness are found where God is. I think all of us need that strength and gladness in our lives.
1) When you need strength, you’ll find it in the presence of the Lord.
2) When the feelings of sadness, discouragement, depression, or oppression try to move in on you, you’ll find gladness in His presence, too.
B) That’s why it’s so important for us to spend some time everyday in the presence of the Lord by reading His Word, meditating on it, spending time in prayer and by fellowshipping with Him.
C) You probably all know the verse in (Nehemiah 8:10) which says, “For the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
1) Many know that verse, but few know how to receive the joy of the Lord when they needed to.
2) It doesn’t do you any good to know that the joy of the Lord is your strength if you don’t also know how to access some of that joy when times are tough.
a) You just can’t work up this joy in your own flesh when you don’t have it.
3) The key to tapping into the source of joy is found in Psalms chapter 16.
a) Lets turn there Psalms 16:11.
b) As you may have guessed, in the presence of God you will find the kind of joy that will give you supernatural strength.
4) How much joy can you find in the presence of the Lord?
a) All you can possibly hold. That verse says you’ll find the fullness of joy.
D) If you need the strength and might to pay your bills or to come out of depression or to overcome an attack on your health, you will find this strength abundantly provided in God’s presence.
1) So many times we’re looking for all the answers in all the wrong places.
2) Everything you need, everything you desire, and everything God wants to give you can all be found in His presence.
W. O. L. C. C. Sunday, 1/25/98 from Creflo Dollar’s book “Answers Awaiting in the Presence of God” Chapters 7 and 8.