Walking with God: The Secret to a Life of Righteousness | George Whitefield

Описание: "The sermon, ""Walking with God,"" draws its theme from Enoch, who ""walked with God; then he was no more because God took him away"" (Genesis 5:24). The speaker notes that Enoch, likely a bold ""preacher of righteousness"" who prophesied judgment, was taken to heaven without experiencing death, which served to make Christ’s future ascension credible to the Jews.
The discourse aims to define, explain how to maintain, and motivate believers in this walk.
Walking with God implies:
1. Removing Prevailing Hatred: The ""carnal mind"" is defined as ""hostility itself against God,"" a deadly disease inherited from Adam. The prevailing power of this hostility must be destroyed, although the root of sin remains until death.
2. Reconciliation: Since hostile parties cannot walk together, reconciliation to God is necessary through the atonement of Jesus Christ, leading to justification by faith and peace with God.
3. Settled Communion: This is an ""unchanging habitual determination"" to seek God, maintaining fellowship through Christ, routinely depending on His power, and obeying His commands.
4. Spiritual Progress: The walk is progressive motion, going ""from strength to strength,"" advancing in holiness, and growing in the ""Grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"".
Believers maintain their walk through:
• Diligent Study of the Word: The Scriptures are the ""sole guide,"" serving as a ""lamp to our feet and a light to our path"" and the ""sword of the Spirit"".
• Private Prayer: This is the ""very breath of the new creature,"" keeping the soul in a ""praying mode,"" utilizing both secret habitual prayer and brief prayers throughout the day.
• Holy Meditation: Meditation is like digestion for the body, often lifting the soul out of itself to God, kindling ""a fire of divine love,"" especially when focused on the Lamb of God.
• Watching Providence and the Spirit: Believers must note God’s providential dealings and test all inward suggestions by the ""unerring rule of God's most holy word"" to avoid emotionalism or deism.
• Obedience and Fellowship: Maintaining obedience to commands, including ordinances, and keeping company with those also walking with God are essential.
Motives to Walk with God:
1. Honor: It is honorable to be called the ""Friends of God"".
2. Pleasure: ""Wisdoms ways are pleasant ways and all of her paths for peace,"" making Christ’s service ""perfect freedom"". Suffering does not destroy this pleasure; frequently, times of affliction have been the ""sweetest times"".
3. Heaven: The way is narrow but ""not long,"" and the difficult gate ""opens into everlasting life"". The end is eternal glory, where body and soul will be forever with the Lord, experiencing ""incomparable eternal glory"".
The sermon concludes by urging both the unsaved to immediately turn from their path toward ""eternal destruction"" and believers to walk closer with God to increase their joy and preparedness for heaven."