LET US WALK THE WALK

PROCLAMATION

“So I say, walk by The Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to The Spirit, and The Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.  But if you are led by The Spirit, you are not under the law.”  Galatians 5:16-18 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Galatia.  In this chapter, Paul begins by stating that Christ has set them free from the law. (Galatians 5:1)  Then he tells them that circumcision is required under the law.  Men who let themselves be circumcised are trying to be justified by the law.  All they really have done is to alienate themselves from Christ and have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:2-7)  The Paul asked them, who persuaded them to change, and said that whoever confused them would pay the penalty. (Galatians 5:7-12)  Then he told them that they had been set free, but they should not use their freedom to indulge in the desires of the flesh or to devour one another. (Galatians 5:13-15)  He encouraged them to walk in The Spirit.  He told them The Spirit desires that which is contrary to the desires of the flesh.

 

APPLICATION

Believers should walk the walk of The Spirit.  If we stay in The Spirit, then we will not give in to the desires of the flesh.  For that which the flesh desires is contrary to the way of The Spirit.  Paul provided a list of the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) and then contrasted them to the fruit of The Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)  None of the sinful desires of the flesh should surprise us, in fact, we are probably all too familiar with them.  So, since The Holy Spirit of God lives within us, and as believers we should live by The Spirit, let us try to keep in step with and walk in The Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)  That is the only way that we can produce the fruit of The Spirit.  The manifestation of the fruit of The Spirit is always for the benefit of others, whereas the desires of the flesh are always selfish.  Let us walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

 

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

PROCLAMATION

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples: ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.  So you must be careful to do everything they tell you.  But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.’ ”  Matthew 23:1-3 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, which were spoken by Christ according to the Apostle Matthew.  As Jesus continued to speak, He offered a warning to them against hypocrisy.  He said that the scribes and the Pharisees did not themselves do that which they told the people to do. (Matthew 23:3-4)  They did things so that people would take notice of them, and they like to be greeted publicly with respectful titles. (Matthew 23:5-11)  Jesus, The Christ, said: “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)  He then went on to state seven woes on the scribes and the Pharisees because of their behavior. (Matthew 23:13-31) He also condemned them along with the people of Jerusalem who stoned and killed His prophets. (Matthew 23:33-39)

APPLICATION

The best way to determine if you are listening to a real man of God or a false teacher is to compare what he says to The Word of God.  If what he says does not follow The Bible, then do not follow him.  Also, be careful of anyone who says one thing but does something different.  We all should practice that which we preach.  That old saying: “Do as I say do and not as I do,” is not appropriate for leaders or people in authority.  No one is above the law.  It is also not good advice for anyone to give to someone else.  We need to live by the same rules that we expect others to live by.  The Word of God applies to all of us and all of us should follow it.  We may occasionally slip, and fall short, and sin, but our sins are not acceptable and are not to be overlooked.  We all need to confess our sins and ask to be forgiven.  We should not only “talk the talk,” we should also “walk the walk” and do the best that we can do to live to the glory of God. “Whatsoever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)  

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ALWAYS DO WHAT IS RIGHT

Proclamation:

“Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.  Remember me, Lord, when You show favor to Your people, come to my aid when You save them, that I may enjoy the prosperity of Your chosen ones …”  Psalm 106:3-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The same inspired words that begin Psalm 106:1, also appear in 1 Chronicles 16:34.  David knew that those believers who keep God’s word and did the right thing would be blessed.  However, he asked The Lord to remember him when He showed favor to His people, and when He saved them.   David wanted to enjoy the prosperity and joy with God’s chosen people, and he wanted to join them in giving God praise.  He also knew that they frequently disobeyed and provoked God, and he recounts some of their misgivings in this psalm along with God’s demonstration of His goodness towards them. (Psalm 106:7-46)

Application:

It is one thing to believe The Word of God, however, not all of us who believe it actually follow it and obey it in our daily walk, actions, and conversations.  We do the right thing, hopefully more often than not, but we don’t do it continually.  It is not good enough to praise The Lord God with the words of our mouth, our whole heart must agree with Him.  We must walk the walk and not just talk the talk. (1 John 1:7)  For our momentary, occasional or repeated lapses back into sinful behavior or speech, we need to ask for God’s forgiveness and His help. (1 John 1:9)  If we want to enjoy God’s favor, we must keep His commands.

WALK WORTHY

Proclamation:

“… I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of The Spirit …” Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Ephesus to encourage them to keep the faith and to live a Christ-like life.  Paul wanted them to show evidence of the fruit of The Holy Spirit in their daily walk.

Application:

As Christians, we fall short and mess up daily.  We sin and do not act, talk, or think in a Christ-like manner.  However, even though we are far from perfect, we need to endeavor to be more Christ-like each day.  While it really is not possible for us to count up all of our sins on a daily basis, we should attempt to commit one less sin each day than we did the day before.  Unfortunately, it is probably possible for us to count the number of Christ-like behaviors that we do each day and we should perform one more each day than we did the day before.  That way we would be clearly becoming more Christ-like with each passing day.  We need to "... walk worthy ..." and be the best that we can be at whatever we are called to do.  Be the best street sweeper, secretary, clerk, repairman, administrator, doctor, lawyer, or whatever that we can be.  That includes being the best Christian that we can be.  "... Walk worthy ..." don't just talk the talk on Sunday, but also walk the walk of a Christian daily.  It doesn’t matter how good we are, there is still room for improvement.  In order to do so we must make a commitment and a conscience effort and think before we act or speak.  Live a life that pleases God and be blessed. (Psalms 119:1-2, Proverbs 8:32 and Luke 11:28)

WALK IN THE LIGHT

Proclamation:

"Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in The Light of Your presence, Lord.  They rejoice in Your name all day long; they celebrate Your righteousness.” Psalm 89:15-16

Explanation:

This Psalm was written by Ethan, the Ezrahite, who was distinguished for his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:31)  Under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God Ethan wrote about God’s mercy and truth, the glory of God, and the happiness of those in communion with Him.

Application:

If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we don't walk in The Light very well.  We can only walk in The Light for a short while before we fall down and sin in our thoughts, words, or deeds.  Sometimes we are like a toddler learning to walk, we take a few steps then we fall down. When we try to walk in The Light, we don't get very far before we have a sinful thought and fall. With the help of The Holy Spirit we get back up and begin again to walk the walk of the Christian way.  It is much harder to 'walk the walk' than it is to 'talk the talk'.  Our goal should be to walk in The Light all day long, every day, in heaven.  However, while we are down here on earth the plan should be to walk in The Light a little bit longer each time between our falls.