Leonard Ravenhill emphasizes the profound transformation that occurs when one is quickened by God's grace, moving from spiritual death to life in Christ. He highlights the importance of walking in the Spirit, living a life that reflects the wealth of God's grace, and the necessity of walking worthy of our calling. Ravenhill draws parallels between the lives of biblical figures like Enoch and Abraham, illustrating how their walks with God were marked by faith and obedience. He challenges believers to recognize their identity in Christ and to live out their faith actively, as the Christian life is a journey of continual growth and reliance on God's strength. Ultimately, he calls for a deeper understanding of our covenant with God and the responsibilities that come with it.

Here to the Ephesians and the second chapter, let's read from verse four, that God who is rich in mercy For his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ By grace are ye saved and made us sit together Raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus But in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ God who is rich in mercy and who loved us and Just pausing to think for a moment of this that we were not only bad when he found us, but we were dead and And things don't stay dead very long before they corrupt and when they corrupt they smell And I suppose the most unflattering thing you could say to a nice congregation Is that when God found you, you were stinking. That's very rude, but it's very right Truth often hurts us, but that's exactly where we were there was nothing in us that commended us to God We were corrupt, we were without God, we were without hope, we were desolate And yet in his great love wherewith he loved us, he is rich in mercy If he wasn't America and England would be roasting like Sodom and Gomorrah tonight. We've had more privileges than all the other nations in history And yet the only new record we have that I saw published this week was we've hit the highest rate of divorce in the world Higher even than Sweden and Norway God is rich in mercy But he found us when we were dead in trespasses and in sin, and he has quickened us The spirit raised up Jesus from the dead. The only reason you're alive if you are alive tonight is the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, raised you from the dead When you're in trespasses and in sins I've read two or three times lately, you know little ideas go from one magazine to another to another and, and somebody says well We've got instant coffee, and we've got instant tea. We've got instant houses You can order one, they'll bring it to your house on a truck, put it in your backyard We've got instant everything, but somebody said there are no instant Christians. Now that's absolutely wrong. A thing can only be dead or alive can't it? Hmm Some of you don't look too lively tonight, but I think you are, but It can't be halfway. It's either dead or it's alive. A person is either dead in sin or alive unto Jesus Christ Now I believe in instant birth. I do not believe in instant maturity In fact between here and eternity every one of us can Well, I don't know whether we sing it and believe it, but it could be true I'm pressing on the upward way new heights. I'm gaining every day Still praying as I onward bound Lord plant my feet on higher ground. Now in the beginning of this chapter The Apostle says you hath he quickened who were dead. We were dead in trespasses and in sin wherein in time past ye walked According to the course of this world according to what? The prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience The course of this world Did you ever get out in a small boat and say well, this is a good boat You know, we'll make it to so-and-so and suddenly discover you've got in a kind of What do you call it a current? I've seen that often in the Bahamas somebody trying to Go to a certain place and they didn't just have what it took and instead of getting across that current The current was taking them down like that. I Remember getting on the aid train that we Martha and I used to travel on from Old New York there and why they call it, New York it looks centuries old, but it's New York and we went down on the aid train under the river there and Came up the other side, of course in Brooklyn And I happened to hit that subway one night when it was crowded people were rushing from the office and I was about four or five You know standing four deep from the edge of the track and and you could see the train coming through the tunnel with its lights And suddenly everybody surged forward Well, I'm not too tall, but oh there were so many tall and heavy people that you know I did I lifted my arms up like that. They just carried me onto the train No good struggling. I said I'm never gonna make it So I lifted my arms up like that and literally they carried me off off off the platform onto the train I was carried by a current And the Apostle says that when we're unsaved it doesn't matter how intellectual you are It doesn't matter how rich you are. It doesn't matter what social standing you are You're carried by the course of this world. You live according to this world Which is governed right now by the Prince of a part of the air And all the evil This good book says is by the Prince of a part of death who works right now in the children of obedience His master you are whom ye serve You See we also have a master Either Jesus Christ our Lord and Master or we're in subjection to Satan. We're under dominion of Satan All right, let's leave that pretty miserable, isn't it? But he says in verse 2 of chapter 2 wherein in time past he walked Now that's clear, isn't it? It's in the past tense now notice. Will you now that in the fourth chapter and verse 1? He says I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation vocation wherewith ye are called Now this is a word he likes The Christian life is a walk. Oh, yes, you know you can summarize the whole of this wonderful wonderful book Not a big book. It's I get it as I said on Sunday. It's packed with with spiritual jewels This man has an urge in him. He says listen, I want to unfold you the mistress of God. I Don't want you to live like spiritual bankrupt live in spiritual wealth He says and so he talks over and over and over again about the riches that there are in Jesus Christ our Lord The book has been summarized in a little phrase and it was a woman who did it I think Ruth Paxson who said the epistle to the Ephesians is just this It's the wealth and the walk and the warfare of the believer all the wealth Again I remind you that we're going to be staggered one day When we get to eternity and God says now look you were always complaining about this. You see this This is a rule. Here are all the riches that were yours in Jesus Christ riches of wisdom riches of strength riches of courage riches of power and While God says on one hand you're not to covet anything on the other hand. He says covet earnestly the best gifts He won't upbraid you if you covet them Go ahead ask God for all you want you won't steal anything from me Any more than if you get up outside the door and start breathing heavy and I say hey hold it a minute you could breathe all the atmosphere up Spurgeon said one day, you know Most of us are like a little mouse We get under the door into a granary and we see millions of tons of grain and we start eating and then the mouse says wait a minute Better I better slow up. I could eat all this lot up if I'm not careful Simple analogy, but how true Or he says we're like a bird that goes up up up into the air and then we hold in a minute. Hold it I am breathing too quickly. I could take all the oxygen out of the universe You say you're stupid but a billion of you couldn't do it And then it seems sometimes as though we're almost nervous to come to God Remember when the prodigal went home and his elder brother wouldn't go to the banquet as a church member and Stuffy and he didn't want to go and he said no and the father said well, he won't come well I'll go myself. He said hey Jack. Come on John's come home John's come home. Yeah. Well, I want to tell you something You know what kind of a brother I have I've told you wouldn't believe it he spends his money with harlots He's a drinker. He's a gambler. He's licentious. He's lousy. He's dragged the family name in the gutter And you think I'm gonna come and shake hands with him He's bad bad and bad again But the father never said that the son was bad The father said he was dead in trespasses and in sins And then the big boy pouted and said well, I don't think it's fair He's been away for years He comes home and you bring the costliest robe you have and you put a precious ring on his finger and you put costly sandals on his feet And I've been a good boy you never shed any tears over me You never got out of bed at night and said I wonder if he's coming home I've been so good. Oh, I'm just the nicest boy on earth And you never made a banquet for me Hey the father says hold it a minute what do you mean never made a banquet for you You say I never killed a calf you own the whole herd The new member four years ago when your brother left I divided up the inheritance He took his half and wasted the other half is yours all the land all the cattle. What have you done with it? Yeah, it's nice to sing freely freely you have received freely freely give but listen you've got to receive before you can give Have we taken our inheritance in Jesus Christ? The Apostle I say uses this word over and over again And I'm concerned to think about this tonight this word walk The Christian life is wealth The Christian life is a walk The Christian life is a warfare And in that last chapter that sixth chapter it takes us into the armory of God And he says you put on the whole armor of God The helmet of salvation your feet shot with the preparation of peace the breastplate of righteousness the shield of faith The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. It's so complete Except because of no armor for the back if you run away you get killed No armor for folk who run away no provision made for coward you've got to keep pressing on going forward You get shot in the back. That's your fault He does not protect those who run away no, no, no, no you expose that we expose ourselves to danger All right, but walk Well As I've told you before I I didn't do many things that Wesley did or didn't do but I did one thing he didn't do Wesley rode the length of England and the breadth of England on the horse. I walked it Walked it more than once true Well, they say it's not a very big country. Well, you try walking from here to Dallas and see you know for start a Hundred miles is a long way You start walking two or three hundred miles and know you have to walk that distance back. It's quite a way So I know a bit about walking walking. I'll tell you it's pretty tough And it's testing and it's tiring And the only way that we can walk according to the prophecy of Isaiah 40 is that they that wait upon the Lord Shall renew their strength because if you're going to walk you're going to have to rest To renew our strength Now let me think of a couple of characters here in the Old Testament I Don't know why but we always associate Enoch. I do know why yes why we associate Enoch with walking don't we Enoch Walked with God That's in the fifth chapter of the book of Genesis, but in the sixth chapter of Genesis It says no walks with God Now we don't think about no walking with God We think he was good with a hammer and he he did a bit of building for an old art But he also walked with God Now in the first chapter Enoch is Just the man who walked with God I Don't ever being in a class one day when we were studying that fifth chapter and the professor said, you know in the old days Well ten of their years equal one of our years Because in that chapter it says that Methuselah was 969 years of age and the learned man said well, you don't of course think that he was actually 969 years of age do you know no no no in those days ten of their years equal one of our years So there's 96 years old and about nine months. Nothing wonderful about it, is it? And somebody flicked a piece of paper over to my desk It missed me and the boy next to me got it the student and he he cracked out laughing The professor said what's going on the back there? Well, he said I don't know sir, but somebody just Whisked the note over to me The professor was called Dunning and it says on his Dunning right? Well read it Well, it says here that Dunning says Ten of their years equal one of our years Methuselah was 969 so 96 years and nine months old and a little further down it says that Methuselah Or J. Red was sixty and five years when he begat a son So he must have been six and a half when he had a son. I Think that's what you call taking the wise in their own craftiness, huh? Trying to get God out of a situation. No, it says that the enough is what? Well, he lived to be 365 that's easy to remember because of the days in the year But he was 65 years of age when he begat a son And then it says after he begat a son he walked with God for 300 years Why well I suggest you the very fact he became a parent woke him up to his responsibilities for one thing As soon as he saw he had Responsibilities immediately close very near to God and he said I've got obligations and responsibilities here I'm gonna have to live as a bit closer than I've lived before Now he not walk with God You remember one of the minor prophets says come to walk together except they be agreed If you walk with God for 300 years if you walk with somebody I guess you talk with them We sing that he walked with me and he talked to me. What do you think they talked about? Hmm Walking for 300 years we've got what do you think they talked about? Do you think that God shared some of his grief over the collapse of the Garden of Eden or at least of the collapse of Adam in the Garden of Eden Do you think he shared with him about the rebellion in heaven when when Satan decided he wanted to sit on the circle of the earth Do you think he unfolded a plan of the ages to him? What what did they talk about? Two can't walk together except they be agreed It's an interrogation in the world the Prophet put it can two walk together You can turn it around and say two can't walk together. They can't walk together with 300 years if they're not agreed You have to agree on the direction you're going you have to agree on the speed you're going you have to you have to agree about so many things if you're going to be in harmony and Walk 300 years Now the next character and this is this is to me extremely interesting is in the in the 17th chapter of the book of Genesis And it says when Abraham was 90 years old and 9 99 the Lord appeared unto Abraham and Said unto him I am the Almighty God Walk before me Well, that's pretty tough, isn't it? What does it say about? Enoch It says he walked with God What does it say about Abraham He's commanded to walk before God The children of Israel were commanded to walk after God And then you remember that Paul says in the letter to the Colossians that if we've received Christ We walk in him When we were little boys We didn't have much money at our house and my my aunt lived away in another town and To get to it. We had to get on a streetcar here and go into the city and then come out this way But you could walk this way though. It was a few miles So if my father and mother went and my sister and I went that's four of us It was two cents into town and two cents back 16 cents and it was the same up the other road. That's a lot of money in those days. So mother said we'll walk And I can remember going over those fields always dressed up nice, you know you to go to your aunt's so nice And I can remember we always had to walk before our parents Not behind we get into mischief Sure We'd go running after something see a rabbit see a something we wanted to explore and so we were not allowed to walk behind we walk before That was something we were under observation the whole time Enoch walked with God, Abraham walked before God The children of Israel, what does it say about them? They walked after God and Then the disciples they walked in Christ You see if you walk before him well We were children we walked before but that doesn't mean the same thing in the in the in the script in the spiritual level You see if we if we're friends of Jesus Christ We walk with him If we're really deeply spiritual we walk in him But By the same token also we walk before him Listen to what it says in this verse. I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect Now that's a stiff word You know that same Hebrew word is used in the Old Testament 44 times And in each of those occasions, it's it's translated Without blemish walk before me without blemish Well, it's not exactly what Jesus said in that great Sermon on the Mount What did he say be there for perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect now, this is some standard You know, we kind of think when we when we think of characters like Abraham Somehow we think of almost instant maturity Will you notice the last verse of the previous chapter in verse 16, which is the last verse of chapter 16? Genesis 16 16 and Abraham was four score and six years old when Hagar bearish mill to Abraham four score and six 86 years of age What does the next verse say? Abraham was 99 years of age so for 13 years As far as we know God hadn't spoken to him God hadn't directed him You see the scriptures are so close together that you think when you come out of one chapter into the other that it happens same weekend Nothing of the kind We Think that God was always appearing to these men nothing of the kind God appeared to Abraham when he came out of her and when he came to Bethel God appeared to him And he appeared to him a second time He appeared to him when lot left him you remember lot left him and then there was the battle of the five the four kings the Eastern Kings and Abraham had another Manifestation of God he had manifestations of God in crisis experiences of his life What is he known for Abraham is known for the fact that he was a man of faith. Well, if you have visions every night, you don't need faith do But what if God says nothing for months Some people expect a vision every night Or a miracle every time they go to meetings, they'd be disappointed in hours but anyhow or a sensation or a prophecy or something that somehow stirs their senses, stirs the soulish part of their life I'm not saying they're wrong. I'm saying they're not the supreme thing God comes to this man after 13 years And He makes this tremendous demand of him he says walk before me and be thou perfect Hmm. Oh My What would you do in the same circumstances The Lord hasn't spoke to him for 13 years and the last time he was in the he was literally in the flesh Abraham was 99 years old when the Lord appeared to him. Therefore he had vision And the Lord said unto him therefore he had a voice What was the last voice he hearkened to I'll tell you Abraham hearkened to the voice of Sarah Hmm It doesn't mean the Lord will leave you if you listen to your wife But the Lord listened turned away from him because he listened to the voice of his wife when he was in a situation That was so difficult Of course you're never impatient are you Or are you You pray sometimes Lord give me patience and give me it right now That's the kind of thing we pray for isn't it Lord give me maturity, but I don't want to wait another 10 years couldn't you let me get me Let me get up in the morning feeling. Oh, you know the throbbings of immortal life feeling eternity in my blood feeling somehow I'm I'm at last a Superman After this I'll never doubt. I'll never stumble. I'll never be weak. I've arrived He hearkened to the voice of Sarah and 13 years of elapse If you look over in the 17th chapter in verse 25 It says Ishmael his son was 13 years old when he was Circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin and in the cell same day was Abram circumcised and as Ishmael his son 13 years of quietness And then suddenly God appears to him And when he comes he says walk before me and Be thou perfect, and I guess he was saying don't rub it in Lord. You know I've been very imperfect for the last few years The biggest thing I did was to stumble there and get into the flesh and right you see God had made a promise to him That he couldn't wait for it to be fulfilled You know God is always right in what he does more than that he always comes at the right time too All we think is late We think somehow things got lost on the eternal desk up there in eternity somehow and that man's coming up later never God's never in a hurry, but he's never late Why did he come to him at this time? Because if you if you go down and let you I'll let you search for yourself in that fourth chapter of Romans Which says so much about Abraham he considered himself as good as dead and his wife's womb was as good as dead in otherwise God says I'll take you to the end of the line until you say remember. He's a hundred years of age His wife's 80 years, it's an impossibility My man alive it unless it I mean we've got a boy now 13 years of age You know I'm getting to like that boy I am getting to love him and I can see he's going to inherit all I've got and you know the Lord says I don't Even know he's there. I wouldn't even acknowledge Is It in this very chapter or a little earlier or where no it's in this chapter 18 verse 18 Of the 17th chapter where it says Abraham said unto God all the dish my life lived before thee You ever tried to get God to vindicate something you did in the flesh Well just look over this Lord, I mean after all I know something's bigger coming, but Lord you don't mind this I mean, I know I did it then so so Lord would you recognize it? You remember later. He says take my son. I know only begotten son if it said take my son He said thank you lord. This is gonna get me out of trouble boy Yeah, I'll barbecue him all right boy as soon as the flames go up I'll say well there you are there There's the end of my sin that guilt isn't gonna stand before me anyway, and the Lord wouldn't even recognize it He had to live with it You know we suggest sometimes all you have to do take it to the Lord in prayer Be blown over no it won't My I've seen some of those girls when we were at team challenge come in a sweet little thing 16 years of age Maybe not as old as that 14 and and they got on drugs And then they didn't know how to maintain the habit so they prostituted and then they got pregnant and then they say well Well, will the Lord take the babe? No he won't take it away No no no no The rascal that got you into trouble got away with it till judgment You've got to live with it Look after it treat it clothe it do everything for it. No no no he he won't kill your sin. He'll forgive it He'll restore you he'll pardon you he'll justify you he'll accept you, but you have to carry the burden of your guilt All right Abraham Walk before me and be thou perfect. Well. He was very conscious. He wasn't perfect What would you have done in the same circumstance? Do you think he'd have done what it says in the next verse without looking you know he did when God said that to him He fell upon his face Why oh his face was so red he was so embarrassed. I don't think so I Think he fell upon his face and said my God is your mercy As great as that For 13 years I've been careless and the last thing I did was was almost a spit in your face and say listen I'm gonna do it by the flesh what should be done in the spirit. I'll do it without your aid if I have to do it Well this is one an uncommon thing with Abraham because it says in the 17th verse of the same chapter Abraham fell upon his face and laughed When he was told that a child should be born to him Abraham fell upon his face and God talked with him not great The Lord keeps speaking to him and speaking to him even when he when he humbles himself in the dust the Lord still carries on The conversation and this is what he says to him Ask for me behold my covenant is with thee Huh To a man who for 13 years have been standing still spiritually and God says my covenant is with thee And you know what he repeats that 13 times In this chapter he won't let him forget it that he's making a covenant with him now 13 is not just an unlucky number Now you didn't mention luck in our house if you did you got a clip behind the ear Because luck belongs to the world not Christian If you've got luck you believe in chance no no no no no That's as bad as a curse word in a in a good old Puritan home in England my mother if you Somehow you know you forget and some kids will be playing and it's I'd say to my sister Well, I hope you're lucky Len come here. What did you say? Oh? I'm sorry yeah Luck has to do with superstition 13 Is not an unlucky number 13 is an evil number in most cases in the scripture go back into chapter 14 And you'll find that of a rebellion in the 13th year Go down to the 7th of Mark you'll find that Jesus talks about 13 things that occupy an unclean heart The superstition in the world is partly from the fact that there were 12 disciples and then Jesus he didn't make the 13th You just made the 13th And he ended up in tragedy and the world has identified 13 with being unlucky If that was so Martha, and I I think we met the first time on the 13th day which happened to be Friday We got a home, which is which was number 13. I don't know how many 13's we haven't had And maybe we've only 13 years left, but anyhow That doesn't make any difference You see over and over and over again the Lord says I've made a covenant with you And when God makes the covenant he never breaks it This man has intervened he's kind of sabotaged God's plan and God in mercy looks over it And now he says look you got to the end of the line I heard you saying the other day to Sarah you know we're never gonna have any children my I'm glad you told me to have That girl and we have that child it thrilled me to think that we we have this little fellow and the Lord says well How are you going on that? Oh? Well of course there's no chance now I'm a hundred years of age and my wife's 80 and this is absolutely impossible And God says that just when I come in man's extremity is God's opportunity What does it say they hungered in the wilderness and they fainted? God's opportunity They were pressed by the enemy and they got to the edge of the sea and they said they're gonna come down and kill us At that moment God brought deliverance As I've told you I think Satan chuckled and said that resurrection morning I've got Jesus here And we can damn the whole world and I think it was a countdown and at the final moment just when he thought he said Only ten more seconds and just as he said that the Holy Ghost went in and touched Jesus changed history The spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead At the last moment The Disciples had the noses at the gate They were saying I wish the man had come hurry up because we don't want to be caught inside this city And as soon as he opened the gate boy, they were out going down the Emmaus Road talking away and saying yeah Wasn't it silly won't we stupid we're bankrupt. We gave up our businesses what we're gonna do now for a living And a stranger comes up and says who you're talking about oh, oh, well if you don't know there's not much good telling you Wonder how often God comes near to us and we kind of giving the brush off because we don't even know he's there And Jesus goes on talking Beginning at Moses man that must have been the greatest Bible lesson in the history of the world and Jesus unfolded every bit of it and he was Going further and they constrained him. Why? Well in simple modern language they saw a hamburger joint They got bellyache Yeah, we'd like he would have gone further, but they said it's time to eat and and we we couldn't go any further because We live by the clock. It's time to eat Vance Havner says the church is he goes to most of the people in the pews are mourning glories. They die at 12 o'clock And they get up and go out because they can only survive an hour in church That's awful. I wonder why they walk out of heaven to hell If they can't live with Jesus an hour in a Sunday morning service what they're going to do in all eternity with it They'd be bored to death won't they? My covenant is with thee and thou shalt be the father. Hey, wait a minute. What did he say? You talk about good measure of press down and shaking over you say well he says I'll give you a son That's not what he said. What did he say? God talked with him saying ask for me behold. My covenant is with thee and thou shalt be the father of many nations I think my toes would have curled never mind my hair if he said that to me Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram What did God do to that that piece of clay made at the beginning It looked very good Had nice eyes Nice feet nice hands, but it was a cock. And so what did God do? He breathed into him Man became a living soul. What did he do to Abram? He said you are Abram you should be Abra What did he do to disciples in the upper room? He breathed on them The same spirit that breathed in the beginning The same spirit that breathed in the upper room And he breathed on Abram and said thou shalt be Abraham for the a father of many nations Have I made thee I'm not just sure of this and maybe I'll have to pat it up, but I think it's in the 36 chapter Maybe it's not where he says the same thing. I Guess I haven't got it quite right But remember this man had a grandson remember his name Jacob and What did God do? He did exactly what he did to his grandfather. So your grandfather better watch out The grandfather's name was Abram God breathed into him maybe Abraham All right, he changed his name he changed his nature he made him a father of many nations and God went up after he had talked with Abraham. Well read the same thing. I forgot the exact chapter, but read it read it there When God comes in a like situation to the grandson and he says my name is Jacob now It's not Jacob after this I'm changing your name from Jacob to Israel and thou shalt be the father of many nations and kings shall come out of thy loins Abraham walked before Sarah. He didn't say that Walked before the Amalekites. He didn't say that Walked before the devil. He didn't say that Maybe it's all implied. He would walk before his wife. He would walk before the heathen. He would walk before the devil He wouldn't walk before God My covenant is with thee. I Still believe God makes covenants with men Not with churches With men or women He comes in a moment of extremity when you think everything is gone and you say we're through we're finished and God says this is my chance Because when I do this thing you'll never be able to say you stirred your finger to do it that you put an ounce of energy of flesh into it at all It's not by might it's not by power it's by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts thou shalt be the father of many many many nations and in verse 6 he says I will make the exceeding fruitful and I will make nations of thee and kings shall come out of thee exactly what he says later to his grandson and I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant He made a covenant with him by faith. He made a covenant with him visibly because he gave him the ordinance of circumcision And he was circumcised Nebuchadnezzar was circumcised Verse 13 says he that is born in thy house and he that is bought with thy money Must needs be circumcised and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant Verse 15 God said to Abraham ask for Sarah thy wife. I shall not call her name Sarah said I but Sarah even she got her name changed and I will bless her and will give thee a son also of her yea I will bless her and she shall be a mother of nations kings of people Shall be of her and again Abraham fell upon his face and Laughed in his heart and said a child should be born unto him that is a hundred years old and Shall Sarah that is 90 years of old bear Verse 20 ask for Ishmael. I have heard thee behold I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly Twelve princes shall he beget and I will make of him a great nation But my covenant will I establish with Isaac he made no covenant with the flesh What a tragedy that you see God had made a promise and God keeps his promise. I Know the son was Ishmael. He was a rebel. He was a child of the flesh yet God kept his promise and today we have the promise still on our hands One of the biggest headaches in the world today is the out of nations Isn't it quickly done? Just just just just one little transaction of sin Just one little act of disobedience and the whole world and all history from that day to this and right to the end of time It's smeared by the act of one man who did it merely in unbelief He didn't really do it in violent rebelling against God he was impatient he couldn't wait And I've often wondered why it says in that fourth chapter of Romans that he he was staggered He staggered not at the promises. It seems to me staggered quite a few times But I'll tell you what it's Encouraging to realize that the man that God made and he sure made a great man out of Abraham with a very much of flesh and blood man, too. I Wouldn't have thought he would have told a lie, but when he got under pressure he did When somebody said my that beautiful beautiful woman there, is that your wife? No my sister I wouldn't have thought it have gone into Egypt, but he did Do you remember what happened later with Lot? When Lot had to make it make a choice he said you know what I'm gonna live at that side of the valley That's that's that's that's what I like I I remember being in Las Vegas when I was in Egypt their flesh pots nightclubs My that was something and I'm gonna take that land and then I can slip in there and do my banking and do my business And stay at the club and do all the rest. You know why he chose because the young fella said it was like unto Egypt If daddy had never taken him to Egypt he'd never have seen Egypt See God's demand is very severe walk before me if you're going to be sanctified in his eyes you're gonna have to pay a price What does this first Psalm say blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly Nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful That was one of the first Psalms we learned when we were children We have to learn it at home and we have to learn it at school Because in day school then you're to learn a psalm every Monday morning and we learned it in Sunday school So we got all of it pretty good or it got hold of us blessed is the man who? Walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly if you're going to be like a tree planted by the water God isn't going to uproot you on a on a on a Friday and say you can go away you want Saturday and Sunday and I'll root you again Monday. No, sir you stay put and Therefore we were we would always talk I Can remember we had a soccer team in England. I like soccer and We had a professional team in the city And when I got a bit older I said to my daddy I'd like to go to the football football match You're not as worldly as that are you oh If it hit me with a hammer I couldn't have felt bad that's a football I Don't a youngster, but he said Len recite someone Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor sitteth in the seat of it Huh? well a God can keep you in business or anywhere if you have to go there But if you go sit down in the middle of a football match or some other place Where there's blasphemy and and and the name of Jesus is taken in vain and other things well, you watch out because you're exposing yourself to danger and God is not obligated to keep you when you step out of line with his will I'm saying you're a sinner because you go to a football. I'm not But if God begins to talk to you about it You watch out or some other thing in which you move out of an area of safety and expose yourself to the enemy See God wouldn't let the German Israel marry anybody out of outside of Israel They had to come out of Egypt and stay out of Egypt wouldn't let them even go shopping. They're a doing thing There's a clean break. You have to make if God is gonna have all of your life Walk before me and be thou perfect Let me go back to that chapter there in Ephesians Ephesians 4 once said what I therefore the prison of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called Now now how does a Christian walk Well, I I didn't guess for you let me shall I tell you I Got a letter from an old friend of mine. It's 2,000 years old. It's in the next verse this is how you walk with all lowliness and meekness and long-suffering Forbearing one another in love Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Walk worthy Because you see Good talking Will never cover up bad walking Do you remember the old ditty it was written in this country where somebody said I'm not listening to your talk I'm watching how you walk. I Can't hear what you say for what you do And so here it says you've got a walk it's no good talking up there if you're living down there It's no good talking clean if you're living dirty. It's no good trying to talk spiritual if your heart's worldly It's gonna show up So he says walk with lowliness and meekness Well, isn't this exactly how Jesus walked I've said to you more than once if you if you stood here and sang I walk today Where Jesus walked nobody'd raise an eyebrow But if you sang or if you stood up and said I walk today as Jesus walked somebody would say what? What did God say to Abraham Abraham Abraham He didn't have a Bible But the only example before him was who nor and Enoch And you have all that and you've the life of Abraham plus all the saints apostles prophets martyrs right down to the book of the Revelation and you're but just about Not just with the promises of Abraham but every exceeding great and precious promise You have the full revelation of God you have the Holy Spirit of God to guide you you have the teaching that God has given You and you can't walk perfect before him walk blameless before him That's what he says it doesn't say faultless sure we make mistakes at times He doesn't say sinless or that's implied later in the scripture the Christian does not walk in sin If he goes into sin It's because he slips he gets tripped up and then he gets up and repents and he makes his apology to God and the normal Christian life is walking in victory not defeat walking impurity not in pollution Walking in the power of the Spirit not in the flesh Walking on the control of God not the control of Satan or evil power All right Look at the 11th verse of this same chapter as we wind this up now Ephesians 4 and 11 he says he gave some apostles some prophets some evangelists some pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministry now verse 17 This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth Walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind Having their understanding darkened and alienated from God From the life of God through the ignorance that is in them Because of the blindness of their heart Now that's how we don't walk Now look at chapter 5 and verse 2. This is how we walk. He said we walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and Given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor Now this is the negative side. This is where we don't walk. We don't walk verse 3 in fornication and uncleanness or covetousness Or verse 4 in filthiness or foolish talking or jesting which are not convenient but rather in Thankfulness giving thanks for this ye know that no whoremonger or unclean person or covetous man Who is an idolater? You see the Word of God says that covetousness is an idolatry People set their affections on the visible and before long a man can become a bit shaky on how he gets that money And before long he becomes his God Now it doesn't have to be and thank God it doesn't always but here is the warning that's given to us Now in verse 8 he says ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord Walk as children of the light. That's easy to remember verse 2. We walk in love In verse 8 we walk in light and in verse 15. He says that we walk circumspectly Not as fools, but as wise Redeeming the time Now what's the protection for this? Let me give you what I think anyhow and I got a blessing out of this. I couldn't share it with you today I'm sure because I It will come to you in a different way, I guess But look there at Galatians chapter 5 and verse 16 Galatians 5 16 This I say then walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh They're listed in the 19th verse the works of the flesh are manifested adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulators emulations wrath strives seditions envyings murderers drunkenness revelings and such like Which I tell you before as I've told you in the time past that they that do such things shall not Inherit the kingdom of God, but the fruit of the Spirit. All right, go back a minute there Verse 16 this I say then walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh Isn't this the greatest protection we have John Wesley preached more on the witness of the Spirit than any other thing remember Romans 8 If a man are not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his now, what is the work of the Holy Spirit? Well The work of the Spirit is to inspire us sure enough to teach us to bring all things to our remembrance But you know the Holy Spirit not only bears witness with what is right. He bears witness with what is wrong You remember what it says in In Hebrews 10 if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean Sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit? Offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience You see why you put up with that iniquity before was that silt Silt had gotten over your conscience Somebody asked a colored man who've been preaching about the conscience. What is it? He says well brother It's a three-cornered thing and he got three sharp corners When you does wrong, he says it goes round and ooh, it hurts And you does wrong it ooh, it hurts And you does wrong it ooh, it hurts But brother, he said you keeps going on you wears the corners off And it don't hurt as much as it used to Well, that is simple, but how true it is He says if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer Sprinkling the unclean under the old economy sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit? Offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God and in verse 22 of the next chapter He says this beautiful thing Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our Bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the profession of our faith. Let us consider one another in love The point is you see the blood can do the blood of Christ does what nothing else could do it purges the conscience It becomes alive There's a hymn that talks about the an old Methodist hymn says I'm alive in him my living head and clothed with righteousness divine We're alive You become sensitive in areas where you are dead. You have feelings where you are numb You become concerned about things that never troubled you before You see once you give yourself over to God spirit soul and body he won't do it overnight But you'll discover that things that used to fascinate you almost mesmerize you they lose Their attraction and something that hadn't seemed so real suddenly comes up And I could see then then it begins to bear fruit The spirit he says don't fulfill the lusts of the flesh But the Spirit of God in that chapter was it Galatians again 5 16 Galatians 5 16 Walk in the spirit and He shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Do you know what it says? It says he shall not you know why because immediately you're going to step out of character the Holy Spirit of God will come like that and restrain you and Sometimes when you're sluggish in constrain you But he monitors in my spirit There's a hymn it's not in this hymn book. I think it's in the other one that we don't use so much We should learn it. It's one of the greatest hymns our blessed Redeemer Ere, he breathed his tender last farewell a guide a comforter bequeathed with us to dwell He came sweet influence to impart a gracious willing guest where he can find one humble heart Wearing to rest and so the hymn goes on And it finishes I think the last time resist and every virtue we possess and every conquest one and Every thought of holiness are his alone You see he's the spirit of holiness The Holy Spirit warms us because he's a spirit of fire The Holy Spirit warms us because we're jewels of God. We're precious to him The Holy Spirit witnesses to us And as a believer if you're really living spiritually healthy when you're going to deviate I don't care if it's even a criticism about somebody Or a wrong word you're going to say or a wrong thing. You're gonna do somewhere in there. Suddenly you'll feel it. Hmm ever felt that a Check He checks each thought That's what that hymn says he checks each thought and calms each fear and speaks of heaven If I'm sensitive to the Holy Spirit I'm far more sensitive than the barometer that you have on the wall or any other thing you can think of But the hymn that says Holy Spirit dwell with me I Myself would wholly be the next stanza says Gracious spirit dwell with me. I myself would gracious be And the next one goes on tender spirit dwell with me. I myself would tender be Loving spirit dwell with me. I myself would loving be And so it goes down the list You see because actually what those are they're really the tree of the spirit in my life with the fruits not fruits fruit of the spirit Working by the life of the spirit in me, and I don't want to walk after the flesh Because if I do I'll fulfill it the lusts of the flesh, but the Spirit of God will constrain me I Like that illustration Not not because it's mine, but it isn't mine I I like the illustration there in the in the in the story of the ark You remember what? Noah did when he looked out and saw the storm had gone and he opened the window and he let a bird out as a raven Wish his hand had been I don't like the association there, but anyhow it was a raven and you know what the raven is a carnivorous bird You Put some food outside for the other birds a raven won't steal it he lives on flesh Those old crows, you know when somebody hits something on the highway, and you see those vultures. They're all in the raven family They're all in the vulture family, and he let the bird out. What did he do? Oh man. He thought it was a millennium Man, he got meat for the rest of his days carcasses bodies Floating after the flood everything had been ground man. This is great. He stayed there Tomorrow he opens the window and he lets the dove out The dove goes round Hemrider says like the wandering dove that found no repose on earth around we can to our ark repair and enjoy it ever there He's got little pink feet and he comes down says well. I'm tired and go No, I'm going there. I'll go I'll go there. Oh, I'm giving up. I'm going back The dove will not only settle not only it will it not settle on anything dead The very smell of death is offensive to it You know when you're healthy when the world smells offensive to you when it stinks When you can turn your back and say you're lousy thing you once had me that I won't even put my feet down here where You are I'm not going to settle here. I'm uncomfortable here. I smell death The dove that flew from Noah's ark could find no place to rest its feet It would not come and contaminate itself with the dead things floating around So with the Holy Spirit he cannot settle where there is death You might reply but he does come to convict the sinner exactly he comes with the sword of the Word of God to convict of sin, but He does not stain the sinner's heart until there has been repentance and the heart is cleansed The dove has nine main feathers on each wing and there are nine gifts of the Spirit and there are nine fruits of the Spirit Does the dove try to fly with one wing? only when it is injured So the imbalance of teaching these days Shows us that there's something lame About the ministry of the Word one group teaches all the gifts The other group forgets the gifts and overstates the fruits another group says plausibly To cover their spiritual immaturity of course that all the gifts ended after the New Testament days were over This gives nice room for the liberals to cut out of the scriptures what they do not like The folk who argue that this the folk who argue this way Will also say that there are no prophets or apostles today Well, maybe this is why so many millions of the earth are unevangelized We need as never before the trail blazing apostles, but and here is the rub If you cancel the apostles is not being valid today, then you must at least be decently consistent and cancel the evangelists also because they're quoted with the prophets and apostles in Ephesians 4 and 11 The Christian is taught to walk in the Spirit and he will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh It does not say that he cannot fulfill the lusts of the flesh, but that he will not The spirit within him will check his sidestepping into compromise or failure or sin The believer who is spirit filled will have to do a battle with the voice of the spirit within him before he crosses the line of disobedience The spirit will restrain him at times and constrain him at other times Sometimes he will fill him with joy and yet again. He may cast a shadow of humiliation over him when he is tardy in spiritual matters The epistle to the Ephesians has been called the wealth the walk and the warfare of the Christian In all these areas the spirit must be Lord or the walk is staggered. The wealth is tarnished and the warfare ineffective The axe head has been lost and must be restored by humiliation repentance and contrition The walk of the Christian is not always down easy street We believers are to, we believers are walking through enemy territory We're not afraid in this but we are aware of the dangers Aware and yet confident that greater is he that is in us than he who is in the world The psalmist says that I walk in the midst of trouble thou wilt revive me Then he recognizes our mortality Because he speaks of walking in the valley of the shadow of death This is a one-way street one way because we walk it alone one way because we're not coming back at least not as mortals But the brave psalmist says though I walk it would seem much better to run Through the valley of the shadow of death yet. I will fear no evil Folks said to John Wesley your people die well Cromwell the pretender as he's called in England pretender to the throne Cromwell is said to have looked at his many friends who came to watch him in his final moments on earth They were gloomy and downcast and he challenged them with Can't any of you praise the Lord? God still says to us walk before me and be thou perfect. I Learned many years ago that if I walk if my walk pleases God it will please all the folk who are worth pleasing We cannot walk perfectly some say and Then they quote some Paul in color in Philippians 1 3 and verse 12 When he says not as though I had already attained or were already perfect So they say if he was not perfect, what do I expect of me? Well perfection because he says two verses later Let us therefore as many as be perfect So now you must step back into line with him We cannot have Adamic perfection or angelic perfection But we can love God perfectly and obey him perfectly Our walk tells our character Sinners love the flesh pots their gods our success money sport popularity They're at home amidst vanity and vulgarity and the vicious and the vile things of life But not so the believer he loves whatsoever things are pure and whatsoever things are lovely and Whatsoever things are of good report you know Peter gives us a tremendous challenge When he says that we're to walk as Jesus walked Well, how did he walk? Well Peter said he did no sin Neither was guile found in his mouth Who when he was reviled reviled not again? And when he suffered he threatened not He says even where unto we are called because Christ suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow or walk in his steps and Then he left no room for guessing John you remember says if we walk in the light as he is in the light We have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleanseth us from all sin I Know of a couple who lived in England they went to Africa intending to stay there for just a few years, but the period lengthened They'd left their eldest son in a famous school in England And when they got to Africa they'd been there maybe two years when another son was born to them Still the couple did not go back to England and the oldest son in England did not go to Africa Some years later it was decided that the son born in Africa should go to England and His brother would take care of him and get him into one of the fine schools there the youngster was sent aboard ship because there was no plane service at that time and He kept wondering about the brother he'd not seen Finally the boat pulled into Tilbury Dock in London Hundreds of people there waving and streaming and calling on their friends and The youngster the teenager on board kept scanning the many many faces of the men on the side of the dock But he still could not spot his brother Finally the crowds had almost dispersed and there were just two or three men left and The men were looking up at the Deck of the boat and the men on the deck were looking down at the dock And the young man on the boat the teenager was still very puzzled He could not discern his brother and then one of the men turned round and began to walk away and immediately he walked away the young man shouted the name of his brother and they waved and Soon, they were down on the dockside hugging each other shaking hands getting to know each other for the first time and then the older brother said to his younger brother say You know, I've been there quite a while and you didn't recognize me How is it that when I when I turn to walk away you recognize me ah he said that there was a point of identification as you walked away you you put your hands behind your back and you You clasped your right hand in your left hand like dad does and your shoulders are a bit stoopy and and you've got exactly the same walk As father has How beautiful if people can identify us in the way that we walk walking like him The point was right when he said when we walk with the Lord in the light of his word what a glory he sheds on our way While we do his goodwill. He abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey One of the favorite songs in our little group is this And he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own and The joy we share as we tarry there. None other has ever known Have you ever wondered what Enoch and God talked about Enoch walked with God for 300 years It seems that once he became a parent he became a parent at 65 and then for the following 300 years He walked very closely with God. I suppose maybe Thinking my boy is going to watch how I walk and therefore I must walk very circumspectly very carefully I must shun everything that's evil and do that which is good, but I wonder what God and He not talked about you can hardly talk walk with a person for 300 years and not express many many wonderful things Did God express his grief over the tragedy of the Garden of Eden? Did God unfold some of the mysteries that were laying centuries ahead You know It's very becoming I'm sure for us to say to people Cast all your care upon him cast your burden upon the Lord, but I often ask the question But Upon whom does God cast his burdens He does share them because he says my yoke is easy and my burden is light And I believe that one of the signs of spiritual maturity is this that God Begins to share his burdens with us His yoke is easy his burden is light Maybe the outstanding thing The outstanding thing that Isaac Watts was known is known for is his wonderful hymn when I survey the wondrous cross He wrote other hymns, of course But I remember a statement by him in which he said If God called me to take the burden of six universes not just six worlds, but six universes I Would gladly give it because if he gave me the burden he would give me the compensating grace But he said I would not like to take care of six stupid sheep Without balancing power to take care of them Yes We can walk With the Lord in the light of his word We can bear the burdens he gives we can bear the reproach of the world because he has promised He will never leave us or forsake us and again that greater is He that is in us than he That is in the world. So Let's dig into the Word of God Let's read more and more of this epistle. Enjoy the wealth and the walk and the warfare of the Christian life