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Sermon #1021

To Walk with God

A Sermon on John 1:12-13

Originally preached June 16, 1963

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Scripture

John 1:12-13 ESV KJV
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (ESV)

Sermon Description

What does it mean to walk with God and know Him personally? In this sermon on walking with God from John 1:12–13, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines the example of Enoch and shows how knowing that God is pleased with His child is of utmost importance to the assurance of salvation. Christians must ask themselves do they only renounce evil or do they also embrace and walk in righteousness. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains how walking in submission to God’s self-revelation is the essence of walking with God. Moreover, the one who walks with God must have faith. Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines faith as “an acceptance and submission to the revelation of God.” Knowledge of God is not enough to walk with Him; one must also submit to the will of God through the Holy Scriptures. Throughout this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones draws beautiful illustrations of the friendship with God, as well as the hope for salvation. Walking with God in this world is a great assurance that the Christian will one day forever walk with God in the eternal home.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The words to focus on are John 1:12-13 which discuss becoming children of God through receiving and believing in Jesus.
  2. Hebrews 11:5-6 also discuss Enoch's faith and pleasing God. Enoch was translated to heaven without seeing death.
  3. There are 3 main Bible references to Enoch: Genesis 5:21-24 which describes Enoch walking with God, Hebrews 11:5-6 which discusses his faith, and Jude 14-15 which discusses his prophecy.
  4. Enoch lived during a sinful time before the flood but walked with God. He was a light in a dark world.
  5. We must make sure we are children of God so we can enjoy the Christian life and represent God. Mere denunciation of evil is not enough.
  6. Enoch was given assurance that he pleased God by walking with Him. God gave Enoch His companionship and made His pleasure known.
  7. We must ask if we know what it's like to walk with God and have Him testify of His pleasure in us. This is needed to function as Christians.
  8. Enoch's first secret was faith. Faith means accepting God's revelation of Himself. It's not speculation. Faith in "he is" refers to God's revelation of Himself as "I AM" to Moses.
  9. "He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" means God's way of salvation was revealed. Enoch believed in both judgment of sin and redemption. He trusted God's word.
  10. Diligently seeking God means constantly seeking to realize His presence, not just casually believing in or praying to Him. Enoch's life centered on this.
  11. Walking with God means always realizing God's presence and seeking to please Him. It means avoiding sin, confessing it when we fall, and believing in forgiveness and cleansing.
  12. Enoch's story illustrates a life of walking with God and ultimately being taken into His permanent presence in heaven. This can be a picture of the believer's death and afterlife with God.
  13. The secret to living and dying like Enoch is walking by faith with God, seeking His presence above all else, and receiving assurance of His pleasure.

The Book of John

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.